Marburg: Ancient Ancestry, and much Chocolate!

Friday, July 27^th-Sunday, July 29^th

            We had a short, but very pleasant stay in Marburg (about three hours north of Frankfurt) with our cousin Margreth and her husband Guido.  The afternoon we arrived we were treated to some great gluten-free cake, and helped prepare an array of vegetable kebabs and potatoes with lactose-free quark/green sauce, followed with Italian Eis from the ice cream truck, and an array of chocolate!  Then we watched the opening of the Olympic Games, which was very exciting--we especially liked the opening act about England through the ages.  

             On Saturday Margreth took us on a tour of Marburg.  Marburg was lucky enough not to be of much interest to American bombers during World War II, so many of the old shops, houses, cathedrals, and the old castle, are still there, and more or less untouched by time.   We visited the Marburg Castle, the UniversitatsKirche, admired statues from stories by the Brothers Grimm (who lived in the city for a while), and visited the ElisabethKirche, dedicated to St. Elizabeth, a noble woman and strong Christian who personally ministered to the poor and dying against the wishes of her in-laws, and lived a harshly pious life before her death at age 24.  On a more personal note, we also saw the engraving of Conrad Klos, a nobleman said to be a distant ancestor of the Depenthal family on my mother’s side! 





              
Sunday we took a drive around the countryside to Amöneburg, a Catholic city/stronghold/church and monastery/fort on top of a little hill, and afterwards drove into the little village of Beltershausen, where we saw the farmstead that some of my mother’s family originated from.  (Anneliese now) We also went into a lovely little village Margreth is fond of, and even (at Johanna’s insistence) did a little singing in the local church.  Thankfully we were the only people there!  That night we took a lovely walk through the countryside with Guido and got some Eis from the Eis man.  

          



       The next morning, Monday, we got up early and headed to the trainstation to catch the 8:06 train to Darmstadt, to visit our cousin Irene. 

 
        Until soon!  Johanna, Anneliese, (and, in spirit, Isabella)