If it's Tuesday, This Must be Belgium - 9/2/08

Welcome back to the weekly edition of If it's Tuesday, This Must be Belgium.  Don't know what I'm talking about?  Check out the very first edition that explains it all:

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977206873&grpId=3659174697253280&nav=Groupspace

This week we visit the city (or perhaps village) of Offenburg, Germany.  This was one of my 10 cities in 3 days train tour of Germany.  Why Offenburg?  Well, I had planned on heading to Heidelberg, but I literally had the train door close in my face after sprinting for the last quarter mile into the train station in Stuttgart.  Plan B - next train out was headed south, so on I got and stepped off at the first interesting looking stop on the map.

I actually only had a grand total of 45 minutes between trains of Offenburg - by far my shortest stop.  Luckily the train station was only a block or so from the old city center. (Luckily both because of the limited time I had and the very dicey weather, which I fought most of the weekend).

Here's the village bus stop, right outside the train station (pretty convenient).  See the church spire in the distance.  That's how close everything was.

Ten minutes down, 35 to go.  The church was pretty nice actually.

Inside was relatively simply, compared to some of the rather ornate cathedrals I had been visiting.

I really must have this thing for vaulted ceilings...

Oh darn, too much time in the church.  20 minutes left.  Luckily it was only another block to the main square.  I met this snake head (serpent) along the way.

I say serpent because, well, there was this apple.  Seemed to be telling me about Adam..or was it Eve? In any case, me and the serpent posed for a close up.  The church I was just at is in the background.

Another church...though I never made it down this side street.

A quick stop in the village square.

10 minutes...a quick snap of Nemo...or Neptune...or Atlantis...or someone....

7 minutes...back to the train station...walking...walking...running...sprinting...phew, made it.  Well, that's my quickie visit to Offenburg, Germany.  It actually took me longer to load the photos than I was in the village.  But I think my next stop was Strasbourg, France, so it's okay.

Check back next week to see where I end up.  It's been a month since my last substantive trip.  I'll be in DC in a few weeks, so maybe I'll dig up some (adopted) hometown shots.

Til next time...