Waldeck is so beautiful! And I finally got to see our family’s castle 😀 Amazingly I met a lady at the church in Hamburg who happens to live just a few minutes away from Waldeck, and when I mentioned to her that I wanted to visit, she almost immediately said I could stay with her family and she happened to be going home on a weekend that would work well for me to come visit! God is so surprising.
But getting out of Berlin was an adventure in itself! I planned to leave after my class on Friday-–eat a quick lunch and then take a train to the bus station. However, I had to take an unexpected train change and took the wrong one! I thought I could still make it, so I got off the next station and took the correct train. But I still had to make the train change…and the trains were delayed! So I walked really fast in the direction of the bus station, hoping I could get there in time. But I was just 5 minutes late! I called a friend, a missionary lady who had just moved to Berlin herself a few weeks before, and she said I could stay with her. So I lugged my 50 lb. suitcase back to the area I had been staying. Whew! It was kind of neat to have this experience because I had never missed a bus/train before. I’m still not sure why the Lord ordained it this way, but one thing is that I was reminded more deeply that God is in control and not I!
The trip to Waldeck was fairly smooth and the family is wonderful! They were so welcoming! They were having a family reunion because their son and their daughter’s boyfriend were getting baptized that Sunday.
Arriving in Waldeck. Apparently there aren’t many people in this area named “Waldecker,” but there are some with the last name “Waldeck.”
This area is known for fairy tales and folklore. I thought this picture looked fairytale-like.
It was so cool to see my last name everywhere!
The castle/fortress is on the top of a hill. I thought it was fun to have this view of a playground and a castle 🙂
In the Waldecker Castle/Fortress courtyard. It is a hotel today. I told them it was fine if they continued using our calste as a hotel 🙂
The view from the castle of the Edersee in the valley. Beautiful!
At the Edersee.
This is a very touristy area, so they have games/musical instruments along the river.
The family’s church joined with another church in the community to celebrate the baptisms.
Walking toward the river for the baptisms.
One of the people being baptized that day.
Playing Viking Chess in the family’s backyard.
The neighborhood where the family lives.
Apparently this is the steepest part of the Autobahn in Germany 🙂
This is the friend I met in Hamburg who so graciously invited me to stay with her and her family!
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m so jealous! What fun!
Thanks for sharing!
What an adventure!
Did you find any Waldeckers there?
Unfortunately, I did not find any Waldeckers in Waldeck…and the family I stayed with said they did not know of any either!
3 things:
1. Do you get transported to Waldecker Land if you hold your iPhone up to the scannable sign?
2. Viking chess sounds like the coolest game ever.
3. Take me to the Edersee.
Indeed, James, scanning the barcode-thing-um-a-bobber transports you to Waldeck, but only if you are actually in front of the physical sign 😀 Viking chess was fun, though not particularly epic as the name implies.
Viking Chess looked a bit like Justin’s game, Kube.
Awesome!