Don't get us wrong, we are definitely going to miss Germany.

So, just so you all realize that we aren't anti-German(y), we've prepared an equally relevant list of things we are going to miss when we have to leave to settle in Ohio: #1. Bakeries. Although we are looking forward to american donuts of many varieties, you can't beat the smell of a bakery every morning when you leave the house. They're on every street. Within a 5 minute walk we can get to 5 or 6 different bakeries. Add two or three minutes to your walk from our house, and you have over a dozen options. Within each bakery, there are more options than one would expect from Germany after being in a grocery store. Micah's favorite has always been the ubiquitous Butterbrezel (buttered pretzel). Bre's favorite is the Zimt-Campingbrötchen (a sweet cinnamon roll thing) from Göbes (our favorite bakery - and it's right on our street!), and Patrick's favorite is the ever-popular Schokobrötchen (chocolate filled croissant-type roll). Whenever we go to Göbes, they give Micah a free Kinderbrötchen and he loves it. #2. Good public transportation. As much as we're looking forward to having a car in Ohio, we really didn't need one here. We can get anywhere we need to go and don't have to worry about parking, gas, insurance, or staying awake during the ride. Yes, trains can be dirty, and we have to walk to the stops, but it's a convenience that the US doesn't generally have. That's why we'll have to have a car when we get home. #3. The Neckar. The Neckar is the river running through the middle of Heidelberg. It's beautiful and fun to take walks by and boat on (we've only tried it with a paddle-boat). The view of the city and the castle is very nice from the shore of the river. And that takes us to... #4. Neckarwiese (meadow on the shore). The Neckarwiese is a town favorite hang-out spot on sunny days to barbeque, throw a frisbee, play soccer and volleyball, and there's a large playground that Mikah loves. Part of the playground is pretty standard (slides, swings, etc.), and part of it is very unique, like the water play area we mentioned in a previous post, and some very fun teeter-totter-like toys that are even fun for adults. They have a big basket swing and a sand-box area. Whenever we ask Mikah if he wants to go to the park, he says he wants to go to this one. There's also a lot of ducks, geese, and swans that hang out in the water waiting to be fed. Mikah is cautious when it comes to birds, but he loves seeing them and feeding them. And again, the view from the park can't be beat. #5. Heidelberger Schloß. Heidelberg's castle is one of the city's (and country's) trademark sights and definitely one of our favorites. You can see the whole city from its grounds and the castle and the grounds themselves are a pulchritudinous step back in time. #6. Alte Brücke. The old bridge and bridge gate area is one of the coolest and oldest parts of town. There's a lot of refurbishing work being done for tourist season, but the area, the gate, and the bridge are beautiful and a walk across it offers a nice view of the town and the castle. There are a lot of older houses in the area, crammed into narrow streets that add to the neat feel of the Altstadt. Also in the area is... #7. Heiliggeistkirche (Church of the Holy Spirit). Built in the 1400s, it's Heidelberg's oldest church still standing and its late gothic architecture with the baroque rooftop and spire make it one of the more interesting-looking churches around as well. The organ player for the congregation practices often with the doors open, so you can have a seat and listen to the music. #8. Bouldering at Riesenstein. The Riesenstein is a 10 minute walk for Patrick from our door. It wouldn't be his first pick of places to climb, but it's decent and fun and closer than LCC was with a car! #9. Haribo. OK, so they have Haribo in the States as well, but do we really need to say that it just isn't the same? This is another area where Germans display their ability to offer true variety. Sure it's all gummi-candy, but when there are 50 different kinds to choose from in the smallest of grocery stores, who cares? #10. Döner. If you've tried one, you probably just stopped reading for at least a minute and a half to reminisce. Telling people they're like a Gyro, but turkish and better just doesn't do the thing justice. It's worth a trip to Germany to try a few of these. #11. Heidelberg's Fußgängerzone. Heidelberg reportedly has the longest pedestrian zone in Europe. I don't know how long it is, but it takes a solid 20 minutes or more to walk from one end to the other. Along the way you're favored with views of the castle, the Haus zum Ritter, the Church of the Holy Spirit, numerous Jesuit statues, the town hall, and access to more clothing and shoe stores than you can shake a stick at, more restaurants than we could have ever hoped to try out in a year, two Starbucks (unfortunately), the best Döner in Heidelberg, a dozen or so bakeries, a number of street performers, our very own missionaries (often anyway), a very good chocolate shop, and almost anything else you want to suit your fancy. Mikah loves running around here. #12. Knocking for Professors at the end of every lecture. Patrick is going to miss kocking on the top of the table or desk at the end of every class. It's done in every class, every time. It's kind of funny at first, but a tradition he'll miss. #13. The chalkboard wipe-down. Typically (mostly in Physics classes since the rest of the university uses white boards), a teacher will give the class a 5 to 10 minute break halfway through a 1.5 hour lecture so that he/she can go to the sink (there's one in every lecture hall) and get a wet sponge to wipe the boards clean, after which they squeegee the board dry. No dust, no dirty suit coats for the professors, and it's fun to watch... hypnotic even. Everyone wins. #14. Soccer. Germany's league is one of the best in Europe with one of the best national teams in the world. The excitement for the European Cup is growing and it's fun. Also, you can always find some people to play soccer.