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BIT 28 - November 18, 2008
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With some new friends after my Concert at the Cassiopeia in Stuttgart!
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Hello again,
This is my closing BIT about my Tour in Europe, as I have already completed
my last Concerts, and we have returned to Costa Rica. I will tell you more
about this at the end of this BIT. But for now, let me get you caught up on
what's happened since my last BIT...
We stayed in the Stuttgart area most of the time, and my Concert at
Cassiopeia went well, although there was a bit of a meager crowd, those that
came had a nice time.
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What a view from the top of the tower!
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At first we were staying near Stuttgart in Herrenberg with a couple
that Dad and I knew from IBC, Steve & Cheryl. They were a lot of fun
getting to know better, and before we left their home, they brought us up to the old
Castle ruins in their town.
There is a tower that has a great view, and an old church with a really
cool looking steeple, and below the church the old part of the town is really
nice... it is like stepping back in time at least 300 years!
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The old church in Herrenberg.
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In front of the fountain in the old part of Leonberg!
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From there we went to stay in Leonberg with our friends the Guehrings. It
was nice for my Mom to get to know them, and for us all to see the sights...
together! Marion is a wonderful hostess, and a GREAT cook! While we stayed there, we
also got to meet one of their friends from Brazil, Mr.
Mendes.
After staying with the Guehring's we went to stay with our friends, Shawn,
Tami and Caleb Gale in Sindelfingen. They are lots of fun to be around, and
it was a touch of home for us! I think that Tami is one big bubble of
giggles as she is always laughing about something! Caleb is the most happy
kid we've ever been around! Not a dull moment as his brain is always working
overtime to challenge us! Shawn is like a kid as he spends all his time
playing with Caleb... they are best of friends... it's really nice to see
them connect! They are also expecting their 2nd child!
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The Castle in Leonberg.
The Guehring family made us really feel at home!
With our Hostess, Marion Guehring and a new friend, Mr. Mendes.
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My pal
Caleb having a ball on his slide. He is such a fun kid!
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Johannes & Renate had us over for dinner one evening. Spaghetti, yum!
When we arrived they showed us their new new Grand Piano that God blessed
them to be able to get! It sounded great as she is an accomplished pianist, but that wasn't the best news they
had to share... they are expecting their first child! There is a lot of
expectation in Germany right now! We are so happy for them!
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At the Volksfest.
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One day, Dad and I went into Stuttgart to see the Volksfest.
It is Stuttgart's answer to Munich's Oktoberfest! It's like a big State
Fair. They have all kinds of food from around Germany and we did our best
not to miss anything!
After that, Dad and I went over to
Carlos Juan's
Guitar Shop and I tried his Nail Kit, and I am VERY
happy to finally be able to be rid of the Acrylic I was using. This is far
better (virtually no toxic fumes), and it actually works better too!
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Fish on a stick, what an idea!
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A nice view in the Center of Stuttgart.
Feliche receiving a thank you from Pastor Charlie Long, for his
work in the IBC worship band!
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Carlos and I had a nice time swapping tunes on his Guitars. About 2 weeks
later, my friend Siggi and I went back there to look at guitars, but Carlos
had already sold a used Taylor that Siggi had looked at a while back... All
was not lost though, I told Siggi about a big store in the Stuttgart area
that carries the Taylor line, and we went the next weekend.
After we played through a number of guitars, I handed Siggi a Taylor 114ce,
and it was like love at first sound for him! Two days latter we went back and he
walked out as the proud owner of a new Taylor Guitar! I so happy for him!
On our last Sunday in the Stuttgart area I played with the
IBC Worship
Band, as well as a solo number as a goodbye to the Church, and my Goodbye
wasn't the only one though... The Band leader: Feliche was leading
the Band for the last time that Sunday. The Church had a nice "Thank you"
basket FULL of goodies for him. I wish him the best, and I hope to see him
again when I return to Europe!
It was nice after having spent so many years in Central America to finally
see the change in seasons. The trees all around us were so beautiful, and vibrant
in color, and the morning we left Stuttgart to go to Hanau, it had snowed the
night before, so everything was covered with a thin layer of snow!
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A cool looking fountain in Stuttgart.
Having a good time at Carlos' guitar shop!
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The morning we got up to leave Stuttgart to take the Train to Hanau (near Frankfurt) we
had a little snow!
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Siggi showing off his new Taylor 114ce!
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Playing at the Nazarene Church in Hanau.
An Interesting looking old building in Erlensee, Germany.
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We then took the train from Stuttgart to the Frankfurt area over to Hanau for
the last Concerts on my European Tour.
Our hostess, Claudia, from the Nazarene church in Hanau, picked
us up from the train station and brought us to her home near Hanau in
Erlensee. It is a quaint little town with some nice sights to see!
On Friday, I played a special private concert at the
Nazarene Church in Hanau as a
thank you for all of the volunteers at the
church. It went great, and then on Sunday, I played my concert at the
Christliches Zentrum Hanau (CCC
- Christian City Church in Hanau). I had a ball there...it was loads of fun!
I have now completed my tour schedule, and am now "off of the road". For
me this "down time" is going to be a great time both for rest, and for
creativity...a time to develop the many musical ideas I got during my time in
touring in the US and in Europe, especially Europe. It is such an inspiring
place to begin with, and I am looking forward to my next CD with the
finished songs based on the ideas and inspirations I received there!
My parents and I have had a great time playing, ministering, making new
friends, tasting new foods, experiencing different cultures, and did I
mention tasting the foods? :-) But in all seriousness, it has been a dream
come true for me to come to Europe. I look forward to visiting the other
European countries, and especially getting to revisit my new found friends
upon my return. When that will be, I am not sure yet, but I will keep you
posted when that time comes, and in the mean time, I will keep posting my
BITS to let you know what I'm up to.
Take care, Buddy
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Some pictures from my Concert at the Christliches Zentrum Hanau, (CCC - Christian City Church
in Hanau)!
The Grimm Brothers, the authors of fairy tales were from Hanau, Germany, and
there is a statue in honor of them in front of
Hanau's city hall.
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I don't even know what to call this neat little instrument!
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The old Palace in Hanau.
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It was so nice of Kai & Tanja to bring us to the airport.
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