Grüß Gott aus Deutschland!
It's another bright and sunny day in Bavaria. Since my jetlag isn't as bad as I imagined, I made it to church for all services this weekend. I met my parish contact face-to-face, and he was very welcoming. We had no priest this weekend, so it was all reader services, and they were conducted in German and English, about half in each. Since I know the services so well, I was able to follow the German pretty well. The music was Russian-style, but not exactly the same as I am familiar with from my OCA days. It's a small mission parish, with people from all kinds of backgrounds.
Coffee hour was Kaffee und Kuchen, and as we sat and ate, they asked me lots of questions and I asked them some too, particularly practical ones such as where we could get SIM cards and the best place to buy umbrellas--the rain is coming this week! The bus worked out great, and I feel I blend right in with the other riders, like a local rather than a tourist.
Regensburg is located at 49 degrees north and 12 degrees east, which means we're in the eastern hemisphere. At 49 north, we're just a little more north than the US/Canada border. We're 10 hours ahead of Alaska, and for once I don't live at the hind end of time. As I'm writing this, it's nearly 2 in the afternoon, but it's only 4AM back in Alaska. It's a strange feeling to be ahead of everyone I know, rather than behind. The evening here overlaps with the morning there, and visa versa. If we want to communicate in real time, the ends of the day work best.
It's Sunday here, and very quiet. Most businesses are closed, although bakeries are open until 11 or 12. Bakeries are BIG (as in importance, not size) around here, and I can see why. The bread is fantastic, and it holds you until the next meal. There is a bakery between the mission and the bus stop, where I was able to buy some bread today after church, as we were nearly out. We were thinking of taking a bus to the Danube River today, but my surgical leg is swollen from all the walking, and it's hot out, currently 81F, so we're taking it easy the rest of the day.
So interesting,thanks for sharing so much with us. Enjoy.enjoy
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking us on your journey with you. Say hi to Pat!
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