When given a free morning and clear skies....

Originally today was to be my first day "back to school" so to speak. Believing you can never fully understand a place when you can't fully communicate, learning german is my main goal in moving here. I have enrolled in an intensive seven month language integration course. With twenty hours a week in the classroom through March I better know the language when it's all over. School has always been a weak point for me. My grades were always okay, I was even in accelerated and honors courses, but at the expense of working my ass off and just getting by. I have learned a lot about myself since then, however, and feel excited to tackle this form of learning again. It's that excitement that surprises me, although there is good share of fear mixed in as well.

The class was cancelled today giving both Ryan and me a morning off. The weather the last few days has been agreeable so we decided to take a chance and ride out of the city. We were greeted with mostly clear skies but it was a bit colder than either of us prepared for. Nonetheless, it was nice to get a little escape. My aunt Racine sent me some of her fabulous cinnamon dried apples which I picked up from the post office just before we left. One bag was gone before we had even left our first sightseeing spot. Thanks Nene, the are SO GOOD (see how satisfied Ryan is).

Our ride took us to two moated manors and one moated castle.  Our luck was greater than our first castle ride as Burg Hülshoff is not abandoned.  It is linked to a famed family in the region and one of Germany's greatest poets, Annette von Droste-Hülshoff, and therefore kept up very well and greatly visited.  The main castle houses a restaurant and museum, both of which cheap R & I did not patronize.  Instead, we packed food and roamed the grounds which were more than large enough to occupy our time.

It was a magical place, green and grand.  As we were walking along this stretch of the path my mind wandered to Alice, peacefully reading under a tree until the curious white hare came busily wizzing by starting a whole chain of events.  The magical wonderland was unfolding in my imagination until it was interrupted by Ryan who was laying out all the reasons that this would the perfect stronghold when the dead rise.  Easily destructible wooden bridges, surrounded by water, land to harvest food, fenced in.....  We were both in our happy daydream lands.

Walking away from the castle through a long path in the woods you came to this structure.  I got quite excited when glancing at the door in which it said 'Tea House'.  With barely contained joy I exclaimed, "I would totally ride my bike out here just for a cup of tea."  Alas, it was a tea house long ago, but is now used as an art gallery.  That didn't stop my mind from creating wonderful scenarios in which I was the owner of such a tea house where I wore a flour smudged apron, chatted with visitors over ginger-peach scones, and heated the tea water in a kettle over the fire.  Occasionally, the little aristocrats from the main house would run down and I would share my knowledge of living simply and joyfully while showing them how to make the perfect shortbread.  Ahhhh, but back to reality.

It was lovely to take the opportunity to escape for a half day.  There are many other castles I would love to visit, but I have a feeling that will have to wait until spring, it is getting too cold now.
Instead of returning home and via the way we came, I had to go to work, taking another route.  My great sense of direction is something I am always very proud of.  But since getting here I find I am often completely turned around and going a direction I don't want, suddenly I am in the middle of nowhere.  I got frustrated on the way to work because none of the signs seemed to make sense with the map.  But then,  on the castle grounds, there was this sign.  Ausgang=exit.  There was just one exit but apparently it doesn't matter which way you go, eventually you will get there. No wonder I am often confused.

More photos from the day can be found here.