Author: Ann Laemmlen Lewis

Thank you for visiting! I hope you enjoy the things shared here.

German class in the garden with lots of interesting stories!

Today we escaped again to the garden to enjoy a bit of time in nature with our dear Sis Enger.

Today Erika brought some old historical books from her childhood Ward up in northern Germany. She told us the very interesting story of her Great-grandmother, Charlotte Amalie Lange, (b. 8 May 1863) who joined the church in 1928. Charlotte’s daughter (Erika’s grandma) had an illegitimate daughter who became Erika’s mom.  The grandmother gave her child to her mother (Erika’s Great-grandma) to raise. Both Charlotte (the Great-grandma) and Erika’s mother learned of the gospel and were baptized in the river on the same day in 1928.

So Erika was taught the gospel because her mother was raised by her faith-filled Great-grandmother. Her grandmother’s generation did not receive the gospel, but Erika did. (This Great-grandma is the one who knitted the booties that Erika now makes.)

This is a photo of the Great-grandmother’s family:

And here are some very old books from Erika’s childhood:

We learned that the common greeting from northern Germany is “Moin.”

After the wonderful history lessons, the excitement began!  Erika pulled out this bucket of May Beetle larvae!  These were all found in one garden box!

This small bucket probably had 100 larvae in it. They are as big as the end of your thumb (3 cm long). They are white with a golden brown head and rather creepy– translucent things that can move, burrow and squirm. They stay in the ground for 3-5 years before emerging as a May Beetle (like a large June Bug).

Interesting facts: one lady May Beetle can lay up to 30 eggs about 15 cm deep in the ground. The larvae eat roots and become pupae after 3-5 years in the ground, then emerge as Beetles in May. They eat the leaves of Beech and Oak trees and fruit trees. They are heavy little bugs, so they have to fill their lungs with air before they take off to fly. Females live about 7 weeks. Males die first. They have a brown shell and wings and big feelers.

These larvae will be fed to the birds this evening!

The next interesting story we learned was about a man named Till Eulenspiegel (that means Owl Mirror).

From Wikipedia:

Till Eulenspiegel , also Dil Ulenspiegel and Dyl Ulenspegel ( Low German spelling: Dyl Ulenspegel, High German influenced: Til Ulenspiegel ), is the protagonist of a Middle Low German folk book. German studies today speak of a farce or prose novel. According to this collection of farces , Eulenspiegel was a wandering rogue of the 14th century who pretended to be stupid but was actually cunning and always played new pranks on his fellow men. The folk book was first published around 1510 under the title Ein kurtzweilig lesen von Dil Ulenspiegel, geboren vß dem land zu Brunßwick, wie er sein leben volbracht hat […] by the Strasbourg publisher and printer Johannes Grüninger. The book, whose author remained unknown, became a bestseller as early as the 16th century.
Origin and life according to the folk book
According to tradition, Till Eulenspiegel was born in 1290 or 1300 in Kneitlingen am Elm and baptized in the neighboring village of Ampleben in the castle chapel of his godfather Till von Uetze. The baptism is said to have been performed by the abbot Arnold Pfaffenmeyer (or Arnold Papenmeyer) of the Aegidien monastery. According to Götzinger, the folk book about his origins said: “Near the forest called Melme, in the land of Saxony, in the village of Knetlingen, Ulnspiegel was born, and his father was called Claus Ulnspiegel and his mother Ann Wittken.”
In later illustrations, Eulenspiegel is often depicted with attributes such as a fool’s cap . However, he is not simply to be seen as a proven fool. In the stories, he seems to be superior to his fellow human beings in terms of mental strength, insight and wit. Eulenspiegel’s pranks often result from him taking a figurative expression literally. The most common interpretation today is that he used this literalism as a means of exposing the inadequacies of his fellow human beings and venting his anger at the injustices of his time. However, this is by no means always clear. There is also sheer malice to be seen, which has nothing to do with educational criticism, but rather characterizes Eulenspiegel as a person of anarchic nonconformity.
According to the rhymed Middle Low German inscription on a memorial stone from the mid-16th century, Till Eulenspiegel died in Mölln in 1350.

They say Eulenspiegel was buried in a hollowed out log, but when it was being lowered into the grave, the ropes broke and he landed upside down, and they left him that was as a last joke to the jokester.

There are statues and figures in towns all over Germany of Till Eulenspiegel. Usually brass, and usually there is a toe or finger sticking out that you can rub for good luck.  It was fun to learn about this little piece of culture.

The Felsenkirche (Crag Church) in Idar Oberstein

Before we ate, John asked around to find out about climbing up to the famous church built in stone on the side of the mountain (the town is at the base of the mountain). There are castle ruins up on top of the mountain.
John found the right person to ask and he was directed to the man who gives the tours. He’s friends of church members who live in Idar Oberstein and was very friendly. The church tours were over for the day, but he offered to take us up. 5 Euro each for a tour. So most of us climbed 237 stone steps to the church. We were told there was a natural cave in the stone mountain and the church was built in that cave, hugging the mountain side.

Here’s where the steps started:

From Wikipedia:  Felsenkirche
The famous Felsenkirche (“Crag Church”) is the town’s defining landmark. It came to be through efforts by Wirich IV of Daun-Oberstein (about 1415–1501), who in 1482 built the now Protestant church on the foundations of the Burg im Loch (“Castle in the Hole”).
As far as is now known, this castle was the first defensive position held by the Lords of Stein and a refuge castle for the dwellers of the village down below that was built into the great cave in the crag, the “Upper Stone” (or in German, Oberer Stein) on the river Nahe. This, of course, explains the origin of the name “Oberstein”.
The “Castle in the Hole” was the only cave castle on the Upper Nahe. The Felsenkirche can nowadays be reached by visitors through a tunnel that was built in modern times.

Because an earlier step path became dangerous, a tunnel has been drilled into the side of the mountain to get to the entrance of the church.

Above is a tragic tale, posted in the tunnel.  Here’s the legend:

Felsenkirche (“Crag Church”), a legendary church and symbol of the town
According to legend, there were two noble brothers, Wyrich and Emich, who both fell in love with a beautiful girl named Bertha. The brothers lived at Castle Bosselstein, which stood atop a 135 m-high hill. Bertha was from a noble line that occupied the nearby Lichtenburg Castle.
Neither brother was aware of the other’s feelings for Bertha. When Wyrich, the elder brother, was away on some unknown business, Emich succeeded in securing Bertha’s affections and, subsequently, married her. When Emich announced the news to his brother, Wyrich’s temper got the better of him. In the heat of the moment, he hurled his brother out of a window of the castle and sent him to his death on the rocks below.
Wyrich was almost immediately filled with remorse. With the counsel of a local abbot, he began a long period of penance. At this time, Bertha disappears from the historical record. Many romantics feel that she died of a broken heart.
As Wyrich waited for a heavenly sign showing that he was forgiven, the abbot suggested that he build a church on the exact place where his brother died. Wyrich worked and prayed himself into exhaustion. However, the moment the church was completed, he received his sign: a miraculous spring opened up in the church.
Wyrich died soon after this. When the local bishop came to consecrate the new church, he found the noble lord dead on its steps. Wyrich was later placed in the same tomb with his brother.

Inside the church, you can see the rock wall above and behind the altar.

There were interesting things in the church (one fairly large room) to see. There’s a beautiful altar piece from the 1400s that was only recently discovered and restored. It was buried in a storage room in the church. There were old crosses from medieval times. There’s a beautiful crucifix that’s carved from white crystal, about 10″ high. The artist went to Jerusalem and bought a Roman coin from the time of Christ. He used the metal to fashion nails to drive through the hands and feet of his sculpture.

There were interesting things in the church to see. There’s a beautiful altar piece from the 1400s that was only recently discovered and restored. It was buried in a storage room in the church. There were old crosses from medieval times. There’s a beautiful crucifix that’s carved from white crystal, about 10″ high. The artist went to Jerusalem and bought a Roman coin from the time of Christ. He used the metal to fashion nails to drive through the hands and feet of his sculpture.

Below is a gemstone cross discovered in the mine.

A very old baptismal font cover from the 1500s:

There were different historical artifacts in cases and our fun guide took his time telling us all about them and their stories. Most were related to mining and stonework.

The sketch below shows the church in relation to the castle up above.

Then we climbed up from the chapel into a side room and saw the natural spring that drips pure water through the mountain stone into a shallow dipping well.

Some think this is the builder’s self portrait:

Then we climbed further up and out the back side of the church (through tunnels cut into the stone behind the church) and came out at the top of the church by the bell tower with an impressive view of the town down below us.

He explained to us about the road right below the church.  It’s actually a water tunnel with a river flowing under it.  There’s a 2-lane road with a 3rd and 4th lane on either side that curves around the edge of town.  Interesting:
Highway over the Nahe in Oberstein
In the 1980s, the river Nahe was covered over with a four-lane highway, Bundesstraße 41, putting the river underground, beneath the town. This is unique in Germany and has greatly changed the town’s appearance in this area. The first plans for this development (officially the Nahehochstraße) lay before planners as early as 1958, but they set off a wave of criticism that was felt far beyond the town’s limits. The project was meant to relieve traffic congestion in the inner town on the B 41, which at the time ran through what is now a narrow pedestrian precinct through the middle of the Old Town. Work on the project began in 1980, and lasted five years, after which the Nahehochstraße was at last completed. The Nahe had thus been channelled into a two-kilometre-long tunnel.
You can see in the panoramic pic how the road follows the curver of the river:

And then the river pops out again from under the road, once it’s out of town.

After enjoying the beautiful views of Idar Oberstein from above, we climbed back down, passing by the bell tower.

What an amazing bonus, to get to go into the church after hours and have this personalized tour.  We loved it, every bit.

You can see the castle remains up above.

Idar Oberstein

After touring the gemstone mine, we came into town.  We were told by other missionaries not to shop at all the gem stores along the main shopping street until after going to the Outlet Store “on the other side of the bridge.” It took a little doing to find it, but we did. It was mostly jewelry, not a place to buy stones. I was hoping to get some stones for the grandkids and I found a bag of gemstones for 6 Euro, so I got one of those.

There were 2 walls like this showing all the different kinds of stones.  Most of what’s sold here comes from other parts of the world, now that this is a famous gemstone place.

Then we went into town to wander and shop and eat.

You can see up ahead the famous church (Felsenkirche) built into the rock mountainside.

Good luck stones, 1 Euro:

There were lots of shops selling gemstones of all shapes, colors and sizes.

 

There’s an interesting relationship here between Germany and Brazil because of the miners that left here to find better work there.  When we got to the heart of the town, there was a special festival going on (one weekend each year) and the food being served was Brazilian grilled pork roasts. They had several big rolled pork roasts on spits over a beechwood fire. For about 5 Euro, we each got 2 slab cuts of the pork with a roll or potato salad. It was a fun meal.

Also in the heart of town was a gemstone museum, free today for the festival, and open late.  These were some of the wonders found there:

I bought another bag of stones for the grandkids here.

See the fascinating story about the river flowing through Idar Oberstein in the next post!

The Gem Mines in the Steinkaulenberg in Idar-Oberstein.

Today we traveled with several others to Idar Oberstein, about an hour and 45 minutes away.  After parking, it was a short walk through a forested area to the entrance to the mine.   Along the way we saw examples of different types of stones placed along the path with markers.

At the entrance, we found a gift shop, a ticket office and a place to get a snack.  They told us 300-500 visitors come here every day!  There were lots of families here today, in fact we met an LDS family from Chile who saw our nametags and stopped to say hello.

The tour was interesting.  Millions of years ago a volcano erupted here and as the lava cooled, there were bubbles or pockets of gas that, over the millennia, became geodes.  You never know what type of crystal will be in the geode until you open it.  The ones here were mostly agate, amethyst, smoky quartz, calcite and some others.
We had a good German guide and also headsets with an English channel to explain the evolution of the gemstones industry here.  The mining here stopped in the 1870s when farmers from here went to Brazil to find a better living, and there they found geodes lying on the ground in the fields.  They came with mining experience and the Brazilians didn’t know anything about geodes or how to process the gems inside.  So the Germans filled freight ships with loads of stone to send back to the gem cutters here.  It became a great industry for both countries.

In this mine, they made all the passages big enough for guests to walk through (the miners crawled), in fact, it took one man 1 year to chip out 1 meter of stone one meter high.  It was rough work.  The miners only lived to be 35-45 years old.  They worked in the dark with oil lamps, trying to find geodes in the stone, then they’d chip them out and sent them whole to the cutters in town.

Here’s this mine today with the path we followed.  At the top are the natural lakes (pure water drips down through the stone from above).

There’s a fun video of walking through the mine here:

As we walked through this interesting place, we saw lots of geodes embedded in the stone and also others that had been placed here to show us the various types of gems found here.

We learned that miners would follow veins in the stone, marked by the geodes and the shape of the geodes that pointed the direction of the lava flow.

Here’s the crystal clear lake:

The gemstone below looks like raw meat:

The tour lasted about an hour.  It was so interesting.  I learned things I didn’t know before.

After this mine experience we drove down into town and spent the rest of the day wandering there.

BYU Advertising Study Abroad Group Visits

We had a group of about 40 BYU Advertising students from the  Communication Dept. come this morning. They’re on a 7 week study abroad program going through Europe. We met with them at about 11:00. Dinis explained who we are and what we do. We divided them into 2 groups and gave them a 1 hour tour of the building, then we had pizza brought in for lunch.

After that the WSR folks organized a humanitarian project–decorating canvas bags with fabric pens that were then filled with hygiene items for new mothers–shampoo, lotion, soap, a burp cloth and some baby wipes.

Then some more Q&A with Ralf and an interesting game he did with them where 3 or 4 were taken out of the room and the rest spread out in the cafeteria. The instruction was that no one could speak at all. Each had to randomly pick 2 people in the group and then situate themselves in an equilateral triangle to those 2 people. Then the 3 or 4 were brought in and he said GO, and the others moved into position. Everyone was in motion for some time until finally everyone settled into a triangle with their 2 people and stopped. The 3 or 4 had to guess what made people move and why. They couldn’t figure it out.

Ralf finally explained what we were doing, then he said it’s like the communication world–everything you say and do affects someone else and it’s a constant movement of saying the right thing to the right people–the message is different for everyone, so there is constant change. It was an interesting analogy.