The weeks are beginning to float by. We have now been in Switzerland for longer than any of our other Europe visits. This past weekend was a chore to set up, but turned out fine. First, we were going to take a train to Wurzburg to visit a friend and hear a concert during their Mozartfest. Back and forth went the emails. Research on the web for concert times and availability, for train arrangements, etc. Whoa, Nelly—did you know how far Wurzburg is from Bern? Far if you’re looking at train prices—almost $400. Add a symphony in the Residenz and you’ve got yourself a pricey weekend. Still, we’re thinking so much of what we are choosing to do here is based on the once-in-a-lifetime value, that okay, if that’s what it takes, we’ll do it.
Step in the generous German, Simon. He works with Jon and when we were first here, he drove us to a large shopping center so we could load up on groceries with the aid of his car. The car to our rescue again, this time since he and his wife would be going into Germany for a wedding that weekend, they would drive us most of the way. He also checked the train possibilities and helped us with purchasing tickets when we got to the station. So from $400 down to $85 for train tickets. And the Mozart concert? Well, late as we were in making arrangements, we didn’t luck into any tickets, BUT our friend Marisa had looked around for “what’ll I do with my visitors” and came up with a gypsy/tango trio playing for free in the midst of a forest bedecked for a wild art show!! On Sunday we topped off the weekend with a fun concert in Stuttgart put on by Simon and Michaela’s old choral group, love songs with a humorous twist, albeit mostly in German. A once-in-a-lifetime experience and free besides. Our weekend cost about as much as pizza and a movie in Bern!
