gofarther.me

It has been going on for 775 years.

It has a large midway with games and rides.

It has an old-fashioned carillon.

It has the German version of fair food.

It has shops that sell authentic “made in Germany” items.

It has a horse arena for riding competitions.

It has livestock trading.

It has an explosive fireworks display.

It has thousands of attendees.

It’s the Maria-Geburtsmarkt Festival in Telgte, Germany!

Tonight the Sister City participants were treated to a white tent event at the horse steeplechase arena. Free food, free drinks, good seats!

The Maria-Geburtsmarkt Festival started in the Middle Ages after lightning struck a linden tree in the city that caused an image of the Virgin Mary to appear in the charred wood. The fair was begun in her honor and has been held annually ever since. The fair continues the medieval tradition of selling livestock on a handshake when the price is right. If the price offered is too low, the seller slaps away the outstretched hand of the bidder until the bidder offers an acceptable price, at which time the seller clasps the hand of the bidder, and the deal is done.

It has been another wonderful day in this charming Sister City of Tomball, Texas. WEG

The day started with a worship service at the Lutheran Church in Telgte, Germany. The sister city delegations from Poland, Russia, and Tomball joined our German hosts at St. Peter’s Church. A choir and orchestra led the festive, joy-filled service. Occasionally, we sang hymns in all four languages simultaneously.

Following worship, we were treated to a soup meal in the churches fellowship hall–a welcome treat on a cool rainy morning. Carolyn, Kathy L., Diane, my wife, and I then got into rented Mercedes vans, accompanied by our hosts, Holger & his wife, and medical student, Nick, and his mom, and headed out into the countryside. What refreshing beauty–manicured farm lands, impressive homes and barns with red-tiled roofs, corn fields ripe for harvest, reaching right up to the edge of the country roads! Many roads were lined with white-barked linden trees just beginning to turn red as the cool weather approaches. We headed into the hills and into deep dark forest on winding roads. Soon, we reached a Bavarian Inn–though we are not in Bavaria, but North Rheinland Westphalia. Here we dined on Bavarian sausages and saurkraut and spatzle–a German noodle–served with big steins of beer. I took a short walk into the woods until called back to our group. We headed out beyond the forest to the Unesco World Heritage city of Tecklenburg, famous for the German tribe victory against invading Roman legions centuries ago. The city is charming with its white stucco and wood frame houses and buildings, narrow streets and imposing towers. Here, we were seated at a popular pastry shop where we happily ate humongous pieces of German Black Forest cake, poppy seed cake and plum cake. We walked the city’s streets for awhile and then had to rush back to a country guesthouse where we sat to eat an amazing meal of everything German–chicken schnitzel, red cabbage, German potato salad, etc. and, of course, more beer. It was a feast day for sure!

The evening ended quite festively when a Russian delegate pulled out an accordion and Russian dances soon commenced. A woman from Poland stood and sang a native ballad impromptu and unaccompanied. We Tomball folks sang, “The Eyes of Texas are Upon You.” More Russian singing and dancing followed. We retired for the evening quite satisfied after a wonderful day amongst international friends. WEG

The official opening of the Telgte Sister City Celebration began this evening. The delegations from Poland, Russia, and Tomball were welcomed by the Burgermeister and the Telgte Sister City Team for a festive evening of food, drink, and fellowship.

Telgte is a wonderful city, and the leadership of the city has gone all out to make our stay pleasant and welcoming. It is good to see so many of our Tomball friends here for this event. We look forward to making even more friends while here.

The rage here in terms of food is “spaghetti ice cream,” made by pressing ice cream through a cold potato ricer and adding red strawberry cream toppings (sauce) and slivered white almonds (parmesan). All the ice cream shops have various sauce selections for your frozen “spaghetti.” We also learned a new dark beer “Altbier” drink, mixed with raspberry syrup, called in Germany, “Alt Schuss.” We will try to recreate our new German foods with other recipes we have learned in other countries when we return home at the end of the year. WEG

In 1999, I had my first glimpse of Telgte, Germany. I was a team member with the Tomball community leadership which established a sister city relationship with this quaint northwestern German city and as such attended the official declaration activities. Today, Kathy and I arrived to attend more sister city activities and Telgte is rolling out the red carpet. It is the city’s 775th running of its city fair, the Maria-Geburtsmarkt.

Telgte is the image of the idealized German city–narrow cobblestone streets with bicycle traffic, flowers blooming everywhere, public art, baroque architecture, outdoor cafes and beer gardens, brick wine cellars, a beautiful church with tall steeple and a river with a water wheel that runs through the center of the city. It is peaceful, yet vibrant. The city planners are strict to keep the city’s look and feel intact. Kathy and I love it here–somewhere from deep inside our past heritage, this feels familiar.

We sat outside in a beer garden in the pleasant evening air, drank local beer, ate schnitzel, took a quiet walk and once again felt thankful for the year of travel we are experiencing. WEG

La Sagrada Familia (the Holy Family) Basilica in Barcelona is internationally known as the Gaudi classic monument to his Christian faith and as the city symbol of Barcelona. This grand architect left his lasting imprint on the church and city he loved. Light is the recurring theme of the temple–light drawn inside from the sun in many unique ways. The colorful stained glass windows are majestic in their modern feel and are absolutely luminescent. The light interior surfaces reflect their wonderful rays. The exterior and interior are harmonious and carry Biblical themes forward in interesting ways. The exterior crucifixion portico is stark and bare while the nativity portico is a riot of joyful imagery. Construction continues on the towers and is expected to be completed in 20 years. Murano glass is imbedded in the ornamentation to allow it to sparkle in the sun.

In contrast, the Barcelona Cathedral in the old town is dark and resplendent in deep tones and golds. Ancient paintings and altars adorn the side walls, many from the 14th century. The choir stalls are deeply carved and ornamented with wooden spires. The old stained glass carries forth Biblical stories. High above the nave is a majestic tower of cut stone. The entry door depicts Christ and His disciples.

One city, light and dark, both wonderful. WEG

I did the Rambla today– Is it:

a. a Catalonian dance that is the inspiration for the Rumba of Latin America?
b. a drink made with the local Barcelona wine (Xerel), raspberries and mint?
c. a pedestrian walkway in Barcelona that cuts through the historic city center?

What a fun day we had visiting the historic part of Barcelona! The bustling Rambla cuts into this section of the beautiful city. Pedestrian only, the thoroughfare is surrounded by shops and restaurants with beautiful fountains on each end. We enjoyed the market with its ramble of food vendors, fresh meat and fish stalls, vegetable and fruit vendors, and so forth. The majestic Columbus monument near the Mediterranean Sea is a landmark overlooking a yacht harbor and many beautiful Spanish buildings.

Within the historic center are the city’s cathedral (not the famous La Sagrada Familia– it is not a cathedral and is located elsewhere), Santa Maria del Mar, an old Gothic church, the Arch of Triumph, and a maze of cobblestone or tiled streets with small shops, businesses and eateries.

We stopped to eat paella and drink sangria along the way and then took the metro back to our hotel. We have become quite used to underground metro, bus and tram systems and trains in Europe and take them with ease. WEG

Roswell, New Mexico, conjures one image–ALIENS. The city has embraced its reputation as “The Alien Capital of the World” and the area businesses use the 1947 release of an army report that a disk-like craft had been found near Roswell to hype their sales. The army later said the craft was a weather balloon, but the image of Roswell was set, and UFO theorists have made the city their talking point.

Kathy and I went by the UFO Reseach Center, and unfortunately, when I went by the entry sign, an alarm went off. Guards quickly surrounded me and a research assistant told me that I fit the profile of a space alien, and they asked me to submit to an X-ray! Kathy said there was no need because she knew I was an alien for quite some time. Strange things happen in Roswell! WEG

Somehow, in planning our western journey, I did not plan time for the wonders of Utah beyond the area around Park City. When we drove south toward New Mexico today, I discovered we would drive right by two national parks–Arches and Canyonlands. We would not have time to tour them. As we drove into the area, the landscapes were impressive. The rust red canyons and rock pinnacles thrusting into the sky called out for me to turn towards them and throw my schedule aside. Knowing that this was impossible, I resisted the siren call and drove steadfastly onward. We were blessed, however, in that the drive took us by amazing sights–a large mountain arch, red mountains made even brighter by a gentle rain falling on the rocks, deep canyons, fields of massed yellow flowers and unusual rock formations. If such beauty was on the borders of the highway, what beauty must lie within the parks? At least we were able to take a few photos as we drove past. Kathy and I consoled ourselves with the thought that we will return someday, God willing. WEG

Park City is a great resort destination. It makes no pretenses and does not try to be something it’s not. I am not dissing places like Vail, Colorado, which I love to visit. When you go to places like Vail, you get the feeling that you are in Europe-the architecture shouts European mountain village. In Park City, you know you are in the mountainous West. The Main Street is wonderfully restored and feels authentically Old West, as in the old mining days. I told Kathy the reason I like Park City is because it is authentic, high in the mountains, a year round resort with plenty of entertainment and sporting options. WEG

Here and there I see yellow and red in the trees, signaling that autumn colors are not far away in the great Northwest. As we turned our car toward home from Seattle, we were finding it hard to leave such beauty and vibrancy, not to mention the astounding weather, behind. Yet, as we travelled southeastward, we realized that new adventures lay before us, and that re-energized our thinking and planning. The day took us through the Cascades into Washington wine country. Vineyards began to brighten the brown hills and valleys around Yakima. In the distance, Mt. Adams stood out, with its white dome reaching skyward. Mt. Rainier was still visible to the north. Beauty still lay around us in this vast land where fall will come sooner than those places further south. WEG