We trained with our friends, Allen and Rhonda, to Nuremberg where we said a sad farewell. Allen and Rhonda were headed to Frankfurt and home to Tomball, and we were headed to Bayreuth. We have had a wonderful time, a fun time and a memorable time with our friends. As we boarded our new train, we realized that we were turning east and were going to places we had never before seen. East Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic were our next destinations.

Our train followed the course of a valley with steep hills on both sides and a lazy river meandering through its fields. The trees are beginning to turn fall colors and it is beautiful. Every once in a while rock outcroppings and cliffs appear on the ridges. As is usual, tall church steeples tower over villages along the way–I never tire of that sight. Steeples come in different designs. Some are spires, some are onioned–a descriptive word I have coined–some are stone carved, some have five points, some are towers–either flat or square–some are coppered, some are wood shingled and all are beautiful.

Bayreuth is synonymous with the great composer Richard Wagner (pronounced Vogner). It was here that he constructed an opera house to perform his mighty operas. This is the 200th anniversary of his birth, and the city is hosting many events to honor the occasion. In addition to the Wagnerian opera house, Bayreuth is home to another amazing opera house which is a Unesco World Heritage Site. This is a city of music. WEG

Margravial Opera House, Bayreuth, Germany, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Lutheran Church in Bayreuth

Schlosskirche, or Palace Church, a symbol and distinctive landmark of Bayreuth, initially a Protestant Church, as of 1813, a Catholic Church

Schlosskirche Exterior, Bayreuth

Protestant Church Exterior, Bayreuth

Protestant Church Interior, Bayreuth