This morning we went to the High Mass at the Cathedral at 10:00. It was very ceremonial and was said by a cardinal. The cardinal sprinkled holy water and got Ben really good! It was awesome, and he really could use a good cleansing blessing every now and then. After Mass we took a train 30 minutes south to the adorable city of Bonn. When I was taking German in high school, our teacher talked about Bonn a lot. At the time (80s), Bonn was the capitol of West Germany. Of course, now since the fall of the wall in 1989 and the reunification of Germany, the capitol for the whole country is Berlin.
We happened into Bonn on a beautiful and busy day for them. It was 79 degrees here today--wow! We had lunch at a little outdoor eatery with yummy, inexpensive sandwiches.
As we walked into the center of town, we heard cheers and excitement. We had stumbled upon the Bonn Marathon! The city was crowded with huge numbers of people everywhere. There were DJs, music, food stations, etc. There were people handing out all kinds of things.
We scored some free bottles of water, bottles of apple juice, apples, bananas, carrots, pens and balloons.
Our lucky day for sure! We were able to see some sights and cheer on the runners as they sped by. We saw quite a few reach the finish line with crowds clapping and encouraging each runner. The time clock is visible in this picture. This man met his waiting, cheering, excited daughter and she ran with him the last hundred yards or so.
We walked around the center of the city and saw the home where Beethoven was born.
Bonn is very proud of their native son, as they should be. There is a statue of him in the main square.
Bonn is situated about 37 kilometers south of Cologne and is also on the Rhein. The Siebengebirge Mountain range is to the south of Bonn and is partially visible in this picture of Myles and the girls.
The day was picture perfect, and there were so many people everywhere we went. Many families were at a big park that we found. Children were playing and there were soccer games being played on nearby fields. It was a great day to be outdoors.
The background of this picture is the University of Bonn, and most of Bonn's residents were taking advantage of the spectacular weather.
Tomorrow we are going to take the train the other way, about 40 miles north to the city of Dusseldorf.
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