Lazy Sunday

Sunday in small town Germany or for that matter in any place in Europe ,is a day of rest and a sleep in but if the local church is anything to go by ,a sleep in will be the last thing on ones mind. At six in the morning I Am woken up with the chime of church bells. It's some 8 degrees and all one wants to do is snuggle down and go to sleep but obviously God and the church have different plans for us. Every hour the church bells peel with renewed vigour and by the time the service is about to start there is. Long clanging of bells. Not to say this is a disturbance. I for one love waking up to church bells. Sadly no one is willing to go to church with me ,and not sure of things I also give it a miss.

A lazy day spent chatting with friends,a late breakfast and an even later lunch and then in the spirit of laziness we set off on a long walk to a nearby farm. It's a good uphill walk up country roads. Fields of clover meant for cattle are lined with apple trees laden with apples,some falling to the ground. Chestnuts and hazelnuts and berries of all kinds line the roads,all asking to be plucked. I eat an apple and huff and puff ,y way up to the farm.

Tea time for Germans means coffee and cake but seeing the hearty slices I decide against it. Of course the fact that day light is on till eight every night is even more confusing. We drink apple cider which is like a cross between a wine and a vinegar but tasty and I order sausages and sauerkraut. Not a great fan of cabbages even when fresh I decide to try this all German food only to find that it is like an Indian equivalent to rice in terms of portion size. One spoonful has me wanting to get away from it. The sausages are good and the long walk back doesn't make me feel too guilty but dinner is definitely not going to be a meal for me.

Back home and it's almost time to leave for Rome. Too soon our first part of the holiday is over.

The weather has been everything I hoped for