Sunday Brunch

Last Sunday Cameron and I hiked to the Mariahilfbergkirche Cathedral. It is on the top of a large hill, and its spire can be seen from anywhere in Amberg, including our apartment. We had heard that there was a good beirgarten next to the church, so we decided to check out it out before the end of the foliage (and just in time too, the leaves have all fallen from most of the trees around here). It was a good thing we walked up the steep hill rather than drive, because the beirgarten was awesome!!

The picture above of Amberg was taken on our way down. It gives you an idea of how high up the church is.

The goofy looking picture below was taken at the summit, and also has Amberg in the background

This is the church itself; the spire is not on the church itself but a connected building on the side. The building on the left is another smaller sanctuary. There seemed to be several smaller prayer sites scattered around and numbered- even a large crucifix on the path we took. The inside of the church had murals painted on the ceilings and walls, and gold gild everywhere (there was a service in progress so no pictures of that).

Another picture of Amberg, this one taken from the cathedral stairs. That little person trying to decipher the German bulletin board is me! The building below is the beirgarten, so I think I was actually spying on the food below...

SO GOOD! This dessert is their speciality, and almost every table had at least one. Cameron and I split this, and it was delicious. The whipped topping was lighter than I had expected, and the crust wasn't too heavy either. There was an older couple who sat at our table who spoke very little English (it was really crowded), but we determined that this beirgarten was famous for this dessert- they each had one! I doubt parents have a hard time getting their kids to go to this church...

I promise to take all my visitors here, a good incentive!

This Sunday Cameron and I went to the circus. The posters around Amberg were in German, but the name of the circus was in English (The Color of Life), there was also a tiger on the poster, so we had to go. Unfortunately, the only animals were a couple of dogs, 6 horses that had black spots like cows, and a trio of llamas that weren't that cool. While we were disappointed about the lack of wild beasts, there were some pretty cool aspects.

There was a woman who did acrobatics with a hanging rope- circ de sole style, and a trapeze couple- the man balanced on his head on a swinging trapeze while holding the woman who was also swinging. I mean, I have trouble balancing on one foot, never mind on my head like that!

My favorite act was a woman and her poodle. The dog could walk around and jump through hoops on its hind legs! It did a lot of cool things, but the best was when the woman trainer had the dog sit on her head like a person (hind legs only). It was cool, but I think we will avoid traveling German circuses from now on.