Hi folks!
We are all safe, well and happy. The weather has had a sharp return to rain and cold, so we've had a few close to home days. Worked out how to turn the TV on and the girls thought it was quite funny to watch their favourite cartoons in German.
We've discovered our most favourite town - Thale. It is only about 10 minutes on the train, but we can go there and spend all day. In the GDR it employed 8000 people in the steelworks (only 500 now) so it has an identity as a workers town, but it is very beautiful and doesn't resemble any industrial town I've ever seen in Australia (like Gladstone for eg.!!!). It has a sensational landscape of rugged cliffs forming a gorge for a lush river valley. On the two cliffs at the head of the valley are the Hexentanzplatz (place where the witches dance) and the Rosstrappe, both magnets for postmodern pagans. Each year on Walpurgisnacht about 40,000 people come to celebrate with a colourful variety of events. Nothing sinister or evil - just lots of good fun. This valley contained Celtic fortresses over 2000 years ago but the Germanic tribes drove them out and the Bodetal became the place for sacrifices and rituals. Local mythology says that witches and warlocks gather here on Walpurgisnacht before flying off on their broomsticks and goats!
That's not why it's our favourite place though. There is some really great hiking and a great fun-park that is cheap and has some of the coolest rides!
We have also visited Ruebeland Caves. Formed about 500,000 years ago, it's stalactites and stalagmites are quite impressive. The tour was in German so Phoebe and Sabrina made up their own version of what they thought the guide was saying, judging by what they could see. Now that was real interesting!!
We are becoming quite 'experienced travellers', Phoebe says. We have learnt lots about what to do when you miss your connecting train or realise that the bus you have been waiting for has been cancelled in the school holidays. We have made friends with one of the conductors on the local train service and I suspect she has told (for fun) stories to her colleagues about this Australian woman and her two kids who really haven't got a clue about how to use a train service. Anyway, our new friend (Frau Dietmann) gives the girls lollies and special childrens tickets whenever she finds us on one of her trains (regardless of whether we're on the right train or not).
Some days it feels like we're in a 4-legged race; each leg has a changing destination in each moment. The impetus for the change unknown and irrelevant and a waste of time and energy in searching for it. Sometimes we are all moving together, rhythmically and in sync. Other times there are subtle pulls and struggles that play out in a myriad of 'normal' relationship 'moments'. Occasionally, it threatens to rip someone apart, forcing them to become untethered from the being that we 3 are together on the other side of the world. I'm sure there is a 'Santiago pilgrims' diagnosis for this particular point in our journey:-)
Love to all.
Lisa, Sabrina and Phoebe
