Eichstett

Okay, the scary thing is that planning (and chaperoning) a week-long trip for 40-50 teenagers of various language backgrounds in a distant town is starting to sound pretty relaxing, compared to everything else I've got on my mind. At least my dreams were boring enough not to be memorable. No more all-night, transatlantic flights, no more refugee camps, no more houses with only two walls where it's snowing. Night before last I dreamed that the Catholic church had heavily donated to build the most amazing swimming complex EVER in my town, and the pope and a number of high Catholic officials showed up to dedicate it. And for some reason my youngest (age 3) decided she LOVED the pope, and ran out in front of the entire crowd to throw her arms around him. And because of PR reasons he picked her up and hugged her sticky self, but his expression was saying, get this kid away from me! I picked a profession where I didn't have to have kids for a reason!! (This wasn't the real pope, by the way--I'm sure he is nothing like the guy playing him in my dream!) But--nothing exciting last night. It was nice to have a break.

Anyway, it's Easter break for the next two weeks, which naturally means a forecast of snow. Originally we were planning on a trip to the Alps, and I'm glad we changed that to day trips because it would have been just too cold. (We don't ski, which leaves only walking around in the cold and feeling miserable.) Yesterday was the warmest day we could see in the entire forecast, so we went to a cool place called Eichstett. There's a large castle complex on the top of a very steep hill and inside that castle is a museum starring fossils (archaeopteryx was found in this area) and remains from Celts, Germanic tribes, and Romans. So here are a few pictures of Willibaldsburg, as it's called. (Can you imagine looking at a small baby and calling him Willibald? I can't!)



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