you might think I am lazy

that I am writing so infrequently but, really, there isn't all that much to tell. There is a lot of biking to various playgrounds to play with with Antonia and her friends going on, breakfast, lunch and dinner at set hours (meal times are held in high esteem here, five minutes late for 12 noon lunch is almost an unforgivable sin and can only be excused if it is Max's fault or doing), playing in the garden, walks down to the lake, visits by Jasi and that sort of is it. After all this traveling I don't feel the need to rush out in the evening and hang out in some bar or restaurant, the cinema program is pathetic and so I fiddle with my pics or talk to mom and dad in the evening.

The weather has been nothing short of perfect: sunny but not too hot with a little thunderstorm yesterday evening (I was out taking pictures and didn't even mind that I got wet). Today we went to the Reichenau, an island in Lake Konstanz that was formerly the location of a huge monastary and these days produces a lot of the fresh fruit and veggies in the region. Three churches are the highlight. They are all very old, old beyond anything America has to offer, St. George, the oldest one is about 1200 years old and of beautiful and sturdy architecture with old frescos inside. Neither of the other two ones are much younger, all have been beautifully restored and are a major tourist attraction. Entrance is free to all of them - a welcome change from the "everything you want to see is at least 6 Euros" policy we encountered in Italy.

The buildings are so overwhelming and authentic that even these days there are moments when one walks around the grounds by the church, the sun is low in the sky, the church bells chime and for moments you feel transported to the middleages, a small fleeting glimps of how live must have felt back then. The overpowering might of the church, the hardships of everyday life but also the deep satisfaction and certainty derived from an unshakable belief in an almighty God. A strange but very interesting feeling which I did not achieve this time with Max shooting pistols and canons non-stop and nagging us for ice-cream. He also made it his job to check the graves on the graveyard next to the church for the presence of sufficient amounts of holy water (used to sprinkle the graves). He likes his "check-check" procedures and can't possibly stop until the last Holy Water container has been checked.

I am running into my "Frigiliana photo-problem": everything is so pretty it's hard to take pictures that don't fall into the postcard category. I have to think of a different concept and I am thinking frentically - so far to no avail.

Hopefully there will be more exciting stuff to tell over the next few days so I have more blog material other than saying "everything is so beautiful and people are annoying" ...