Alcatraz Kaiserslautern

... from the 15th century and before. The stained glass, which you can see, was destroyed during WWII and remade decades later by a German artist. Beneath the sanctuary there is a series of tombs where, supposedly, the family of Kaiser Konrads II (10th century) is buried.

When we left the cathedral, we walked 150 yards to a museum of Roman presence in Germany. As you can see, I took a few photos in the courtyard of the museum, but Tracy and I did not follow our ...

... morning. But this morning the sun was out in full force, cutting ribbons of warmth through the frosty air, and caressing my head and neck (the rest of me was covered). I remember to bring my camera (as opposed to my camera-phone) with me so I could capture the experience for later days. You can see the results below. This is where I live.

Here are the promised photos. I am not including photos of our workshop room and wine cellar; they're not that interesting. Excuse the messiness of parts of the house. You all know how trying moving in can be!

Tracy has left for France to inspect food production plants, so I'm here ...

... lease we decide to move on to another option that Tracy's German secretary had told her about - a converted country house from the 19th century. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my memory card with me today so that I could upload the photos I've taken. Those will come tomorrow of the next day. For now, I have only four photos for you, each taken at our house.

Yesterday morning I baked a homemade blueberry pie (with ...

... garlic-buttered baguette with cheese, apple-cream crepe with coffee, and pizza. The coffee was mediocre, but I'm picky about my coffee. The bread and crepe were awesome. You can see a photo of them here.

From Ramstein, we all left for an antique store on top of what seemed like a mountain. As we approached the general area, I spied some kind of spire on top of a distant hill. The low-hanging clouds covered the higher sections of the spire, so it gave the appearance of ...

... summer. After sitting around for a bit, my dad did not make the first flight. We headed off to the check out the BX and get some stuff for the kids while passing the time until the next possible flight. My dad didn't actually make it on any of the flights that day. He did decide to stay the night at the Ramstein to try again the next morning as there were several more ...

... my seat for about 45 minutes coming to terms what I had just witnessed. I had seen a brutally cruel blow to the team and the supporters by a cheating Italian and **** referee. Surrounding me were grown and women men crying and people staring at the pitch almost in suspended animation, while people below us were chanting some pro-Aussie chants. I was one of the frozen ones for a few minutes, but then pride and happiness kicked in and I started singing too. Why should I be sad ...

... no rain in sight. There was so much excitment in the air - from everyone. There really is nothing like that pre game feeling. I can't really write to much about the actual game because it's still a little raw and the feeling of being cheated hasnt yet gone away. The aftermath was as expected - a massive come down. There was still a lot of drinking and singing but the mood had definitely changed. And the partying was just about over by 2am.

... long Australiana party. People were singing themselves hoarse to Your the Voice, G,Day G´Day, Land DownUnder, Back in Black, Khe Sahn....... Australians, Germans and Japanese with arms thrown around each other singing and drinking merrily. We´re not sure what time we made it back to the tent but we do remember making a hell of a lot of friends that night! We are still reeling with the excitement of it all! Watch out Munich, the Aussie invasion is coming!

... a part of history was truly amazing. The party that followed was just as good. Les Murray made an apperance and was swamped. As we left the ground there were Aussies spread and sprawled under ever tree and on every sidewalk. Its a feeling I cant describe. The highs and lows had taken their toll. But in true Aussie fashion, by the time we made it back to town the party was pumping hard. And already there was whispers of making the second round!!