Running Sushi and other things

A somewhat slow week but we did get a few things done.  We went to visit a brother who is a couple years older than Dave, but in a lot worse shape.  We sat under a tree by his home (an old farm house built by his great grandfather, only a couple hundred years old) and chatted with him, and read this months First Presidents message to him as flies swarmed all over us, but it was still a good visit.  He has a glass eye he has had since he wasa kid, so he can't see too well.  He used to own his own house painter business before he needed taking care of and retired.  His sister takes care of him.  He told us he had painted a mural in a castle in the town he used to live in, so I asked if he had a photo of it and he said no.  I told him we will go and take a photo of it, and then bring him back a picture for his keepsakes.

We found the village of Schauenstein and the castle he talked about, which they are currently renovating, but I did get in to see his painting which is located in a corner room of a bar.  The castle also houses a museum for fire engines which we were not able to see.  We didn't have our camera that day but finally got back to the castle on a day when the rooms were open and took a picture of his painting and one of his former building in the village where his shop used to be.  Now we just have to get some prints made and take them back to him.

This was probably inspired by a famous Durer print.

Yesterday, our former Branch President and family took us to Bayreuth (out of our mission, but with the okay of our Pres.) as a going away party for two young ladies in the branch.   Their oldest daughter is going to Nepal to serve in an orphanage for three months before she goes on her mission.   The other is finishing her University here and then going back home to get married.  We went to an 'all you can eat Sushi Bar' which was a first for us.  It is called Running Sushi because the tables and chairs are set up on both sides of along narrow island that has little round metal disks that go down one side and up the other on a conveyor belt.  The cook starts sending little dishes of wasabi and ginger, then dishes of little egg rolls, chicken on a stick, chicken salad, sushi, pieces of watermelon, etc. and you just lift what you want off, and when you want something else, you wait for it to come around again and take it off.  Oh yes, also deep fried bananas.

Carolin on the left is getting married and Sophie on the right is going to Nepal.

We then walked through the town center where a African celebration was taking place with a stage down on one end and endless booths selling African and Caribbean wares.  This town also had an original baroque opera house built in the 1700's.  Wagner played here, and then had his own opera house built at the other end of town.  Pretty cool but we could not go in because it is being renovated and that will take till 2015.

We made it home pretty quick only going a little over 200 km per hour (about 124 miles an hour).  We, of course, were not driving and we did not wet our pants or have our nails chewed down to the quick, but surely had to run to the door when we got home.