Frieburg Temple Trip
Maria the great and beautiful and kind (a friend here that I adore) is gifted with the ability to plan trips and bring people together in ways that really matter. She planned the temple trip to Bern, Switzerland, last year that I was able to attend, and this year she put together an amazing weekend to attend the Frieburg Temple.
I volunteered to drive my van to help carry some of the nineteen women we had attending and it was so fun getting to know everyone on a deeper level and really growing to love and appreciate each other more. My overall takeaway from my time with all these amazing women is that we all have so much in common and we all feel so many and struggle with so many of the same things. I think we all felt a determination to express love to each other more and make time to serve and be with each other.
The Details
We stayed at a large AirBnb house in Czech Republic with kitchens and plenty of beds and bathrooms. Such a great find by Maria!
We arrived the first night just in time to sleep, and woke early the next morning to drive to and attend the temple in Frieburg, Germany. It was sweet to see so many of us together in such a special place. I was grateful for all the temple volunteers who spoke English to help us! I felt an especially powerful feeling of connectedness to my own family and the blessings that God has in store for us, and how He is blessing us now. It was humbling.
After the temple, we drove to Dresden for lunch and a walking tour of the old city. It is such a fascinating place with a rich history, and is still in the process of rebuilding after the total destruction during WWII. I always feel like the luckiest girl in the world when there is music playing or being performed in any of the old churches that I visit, and the Frauenkirche had something special just for me this time. I was so happy to soak in the accapella music of a women’s group before we left. I really enjoyed learning more about the royal residence or palace and seeing more of the city than the last time I was there in May of this year. We drove back to our Airbnb for a great dinner and games together that night.
On Saturday, we went on morning walks or runs before driving to Seiffen, Germany. Seiffen is where nutcrackers, pyramids and arches originated from craftsmen long ago. The small village feels like a permanent Christmas village with all the decor and tiny workshops. I loved seeing all the beautiful things and came home with a couple treasures. I know I will want to go back to Seiffen someday to find a Nutcracker that I love. It was really fun to see what everyone else bought and loved too. I loved getting a hot kinderpunsch and the cute Christmas mug with it to add to my collection.
We drove back to the Airbnb, listening to Christmas music, and enjoyed another great dinner together and games for the night. I have to say that the fall colors and leaves, the tree lined small roads and the scenery we saw in all of our driving and where we stayed made my heart sing. It was a beautiful weekend and I am so grateful for Matt encouraging me to go, and for taking care of the kids while I was away.
I am already thinking about planning the temple trip for next fall!
