Salzburg, Köln, and a new nephew!

First, I would like to announce the most exciting news! My second nephew, Evan Gabriel Ashley, was born on February 15, 2007 at 6:47 pm, weighing 8 lbs. 4 oz! He is beautiful, and I look forward to meeting him in person in May! Welcome to the Ashley clan, Evan! And now, my weekend. Jonathan and Lauren arrived safely on Wednesday, and we went to Geldern that night to play pool with Christian. I can proudly say that Christian and I showed our opponents how it's done! On Thursday, I showed them around Straelen, and we celebrated Karneval in a big tent in the center of town. The Prince made an appearance, and his soldiers performed again, so I am really glad that my friends got to see that. We also enjoyed dönners, schnitzel, and a lot of hot chocolate from the bakery, where we discovered delicious sugary doughnuts called Quarkbällchen. We left Straelen on Thursday night, taking a night train to Salzburg and sleeping in cachets. We arrived to our destination at 5:00 am on Friday morning, so we wandered around the city until a bakery opened at 6:30 am. We bought cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate (known only as heisse schokolade in Austria and not kakao). We checked into our hostel when it opened at 8:00am. It is called Institute St. Sebastian, and for only €25/person/night, we received free breakfast and a very nice room on the third floor with three beds, a private bathroom, and a beautiful view. We began our day with a tour of a famous fortress called Festungsberg, which is known for the following true story. In 1525, the fort was surrounded by the enemy, who decided to wait until the people starved to actually take it over. The people inside the fort were down to their last ox, but instead of eating it, they created a genius plan. One day, they walked the bull across the wall, so that the enemy could see it. During the night, the ox was painted. When the enemy saw it the next day, they assumed that the people had enough food to last them a long time, so they retreated! Since then, the people of Salzburg have been known as "Oxen washers." Next, we went to Salzburg University, where Jonathan studied for four months about five years ago. We visited some churches too, and in one of them, monks were singing, and it was one of the most beautiful sounds I have ever heard! On Saturday, we went to Tomaselli's Cafe, which has been in business nonstop for about 200 years. We also took a Sound of Music tour. Although I have never actually seen the movie, the scenery was beautiful, and it was interesting to hear about the making of the film and to take pictures of things that were in the movie. Sunday held my favorite activity. We toured old catecombs, a church, and watched two men play a life-size game of chess in the town square while eating scrumptious sugary doughnuts in the shape of large pretzels. After this, we took the advice of our tour guide, and rode a cable car to Der Untersberg, a mountain in the Alps! When we stepped out of the cable car and onto the snow-capped mountain, I could barely believe my eyes. We were standing on the peak of Der Untersberg, from which we could see the entire city of Salzburg! It was unbelievable! Not even my pictures do it justice, much less my words. The sun was shining, and cool breezes swept over our faces and cleansed our lungs as we walked around the snowy mountain. I attempted to take it all in, but everywhere we stepped, there was a new and breathtaking sight. We saw graves, a statue, and two large metal crosses that had been placed at two separate hilltops. We stopped at a restaurant and bought hot chocolate. Then we sat down on a log, sipping our hot chocolate and gazing out into the open sky and a panaramic view of Salzburg. I could hardly believe that I was actually in the Alps! We could not ski because there was not enough snow, but just sitting in the midst of such beauty was completely satisfying for me. I was overwhelmed with the evidence of my Creator and the incredible work of His hands! Thankfully, my roommates are sending me my camera cord, so I will make those pictures available to you as soon as possible. We left Salzburg at 6:30 am on Monday morning, after purchasing breakfast from the same bakery we visited upon arrival. We stopped by Köln on our way back to Straelen, in order to experience Karneval in its most famous location and to see a famous cathedral called the Dom. Both were conveniently placed right outside the train station. People were gathered around walls and fences, watching the parade. Huge floats passed by, and those who took part in the parade threw candy and chocolate bars into the crowds. Marching bands played music, and people everywhere were singing traditional German songs. The ground was covered with confetti and candy, while the air was filled with national pride. We had fun watching this, caught some candy, and even met some Americans. Then we turned around to take pictures of the Dom, which was right beside us. I tilted my head back as far as it would go, and my jaw dropped, as I noticed the size and detail of the structure. I wanted to grab the passersby and say, "Hey, why are you walking by? Don't you see this incredible cathedral in front of you?!" It is hard to believe that they are accustomed to something so grand, but it is normal for them to see things that were built hundreds of years before America even existed! The gothic cathedral was built in 1248, completed in 1880, and is the most famous landmark in Köln. To my dismay, it was closed for Karneval, but I plan to return so that I can see the inside. I wish I could describe its size to you, but just know that I had to take three pictures just to get the front of the church in a photograph! This was certainly another highlight for me in addition to the Alps. That concluded our weekend travels, so we headed back to Straelen. Jonathan and Lauren are leaving tonight. Christian and I will drop them off in Geldern as we go to my German class, which should be a little easier than the previous one. I am glad they were able to visit me, and we had a lot of fun. Ticket to Salzburg, Austria: €136; Ticket back to Straelen, Germany: €119; seeing the Alps and the Dom: Priceless!