On the continent

Hey, I'm in Germany! It’s my first time ever on the continent, and I'm delighted to be here with my friends and distant rellies-by-marriage Elfriede and Sam, who met me at Frankfurt-Hahn airport and immediately bought me a meal before whizzing me down the autobahn (pretty scary to someone who is used to a 120km per hour speed limit!) to their lovely home in the Rhine Valley. (It reminds me of an Australian house - single storey and open plan living, with a gorgeous new bathroom that's to die for and a lovely garden!) Next, we took the family's dog for a walk around the vineyards, which are reminiscent of those of Coonawarra except they are set on gentle slopes. I need to do lots of walking (did you ever expect to see me write that?) to work off all this good German/Indian food Elfriede cooks.

This is an utterly charming place. Small towns dot the riverbanks, separated from it only by an excellent road that links them while allowing travellers to gasp at a new and beautiful vista at each bend in the river. This morning, Elfriede took me inland a little way to visit the medieval town of Idstein - right up my alley, as the centre of town is maintained in as close a manner as possible to its medieval roots. There is an imposing ducal palace with a fortified gatehouse and a monstrous tower inhabited by falcons and crows that dates back to the fourteenth century. It overlooks cobbled streets and carved half-timbered shops and houses, some of which date back to the same period. The whole area is restricted to pedestrians, which enhances the timeless atmosphere.

The tower was the scene of a witch hunt in about 1676 that resulted in the deaths by fire of nearly twenty women. Nearby, there is an ancient church, much of which dates from the fourteenth century, with a painted ceiling executed by artists of the Rubens school - and a magnificent pipe organ. I know it is magnificent because the organist was practising when we arrived and on the deep notes it felt as if the vibrations must surely call down the hosts of heaven and destroy the forces of hell. Extracts from the scriptures are painted on the walls and I was both amused and saddened to realise that they were all exhortations to women to be dutiful wives. When viewed in light of the witch hunt they reveal glimpses of a time when our ancestral sisters copped a pretty raw deal.

Elfriede shouted me a yummy meal at an Italian restaurant before we set off for home. She and Sam are, like everyone else I've met, extraordinarily kind and generous - not only financially but time-wise as well. I feel really nurtured and blessed and I just hope I'm not using up all my good karma at once!

I'm taking loads of photos and I hope that together with all the brochures I'm collecting they'll suffice to convey just a little of the beauty and interest of this fascinating place, especially to my quarter-German children:-) I hope to see the church where your ancestors worshipped and were wed and maybe snap the very font wherein your grandfather was baptised.

I am struggling with Sam's German keyboard to say nothing of trying to read Windows' dialogue boxes in that language so will give up for the moment:-) I hope you are all well and happy. Sorry for not posting to your blogs, friends, but I’m not getting a lot of computer time while travelling. Hopefully I'll get chance to redress the balance soon.