What makes the Spree area so interesting is not the river itself but the Wald or forest that contains it. A United Nations protected area it contains many canals which have been inhabited by a Slavic people know as Sorbs. Rather than using automobiles these people resort to boats or punts as they are called to go about their daily lives. If you can imagine the canals of Venice but transported to a forest the Spreewald is a magical place. Locks are used to navigate the different elevations. Boat rides are the order of the day either in special punts similar to gondolas or in canoes and kayaks. Daytrips from Berlin as well as camping are very popular. 

We were lucky enough to visit this beautiful area during their annual festival which brought people in from throughout the surrounding area. Besides the canals Spreewald is also famous for its gurke or pickles. My wife said that the pickles were very good. I'll have to take her word for it. At the festival which is somewhat similar to our Garlic Festival that we have in California but in a much prettier locale there was all manner of the green vegetable available including pickle soup, pickle ice cream in addition to the normal German fare of beer and sausage. There was a band, contests, people dressed in traditional costumes and a small parade of boats. In the evening we were treated to a fireworks display which brought a lovely ending to a wonderful weekend.

Dinkelsbuhl
A small city along the Germany's famous Romantic Road Dinkelsbuhl plays host to the Kinderzeche. While not as famous as her neighbor Rothenburg some prefer it for its smaller crowds. If you were looking for smaller crowds though this weekend was not the time to visit as it was festival time.  

The Thirty-Years War serves as the historical background for the unique pageant "Kinderzeche". In the spring of 1632 the Swedish colonel Sperreuth besieged the town for weeks. The misery of the predominantly Protestant population grew and all seemed lost as it is presented to modern guests in their re-enacted pageant before the main children's parade.

The Catholic town-council of the Imperial City led by its three mayors realized the futility of any resistance. Urged by the citizens some councilors wanted to give in and surrender the town unconditionally to the Swedes. Others wanted to remain true to the Emperor and the Catholic Church. As the town-council had finally reached the decision of an unconditional surrender, the watchman's daughter Kinderlore appeared singing with a crowd of children and confronted the enemy. His own recent grief over the loss of his young son made the colonel feel lenient and he didn't ransack the town. As it turned out the children had rescued the town's inhabitants from certain death. 

On both Sundays of the Kinderzeche, always after the second aftermath of the play, there is a historical parade starting at the Old Council Hall. More than a thousand citizens in period costumes participate. On Monday the pupils of all the schools join the parade. Tuesday, however, is children's day. Pupils and the children's group in historical costumes dominate the parade entirely. On the parade they are accompanied by local marching bands. This weekend was our first weekend in Europe during our recent  trip. It started our road to Austria and our wedding that was to take place later that month. When I look back on that time it seems to have gone by all too fast. I wish that I could have kept it in my hands longer. For most people there comes a time in one's vacation when they long to return home. For me it seems that my vacation is my home and I wait the days in between.