BIT 28 – November 18, 2008
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.
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!
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 one of the happiest kids 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!
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!
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!
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!
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 or C3 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
Click here to return to the Buddy’s BITS Index!
