Update from Germany

[caption id="attachment_444" align="alignnone" width="1024" caption="John and Jami in Rothenburg."][/caption]We are in Ingolstadt using the first cheap Internet, with a USB port for uploading photos, we have found since Frankfurt. Facebook photo upload is not working on this computer, so we can only post this one photo. Here we are in the town square of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a magical medieval walled city. We arrived there without a reservation, went to the tourist bureau, and immediately had a 40-euro room reserved for us not 50 paces away in the town square. All our travel guides warn of death, destruction, and general lack of fun should one fail to reserve days ahead of time, but we have found this to be entirely not the case. Our advice: Just go where you want, when you want, and then smile broadly at the tourist office clerk.

Here's a short list of what we have done:

21km hike (with packs) through the Altmühtal nature park.
Parted a sea of sheep, at the urging of their shepherd. (Video to be posted later.)
Camped for two nights.
Ate way too much schnitzel, bratwurst, pommes frites, pretzels, curry wurst, chocolate ...
Drank plenty of cheap beer.
Jami is on her third German lesson on the iPod Touch.
Met some real gypsies on the bus.
Met some foreign exchange students from Nigeria and Tennessee, in the same group.
Saw the world's largest fresco on a flat surface, the trompe d' l'oleil at the Asamkirche Maria de Victoria. Magnificent.
Went to the German Museum of Medical History and saw many, many sharp pokey things.
Dried our underwear with a travel hair dryer.
Happened upon a street festival where a German man sang "Get the Party Started," by Pink, in a German accent.
Encountered many friendly people who helped us with our poor German speaking skills.
Took a lot of trains on the easy and efficient Deutsche Bahn system.
Were glad we brought a ton of ibuprofen.

That's all for now! Thanks for following our adventures. Please send us e-mails to let us know what you are up to, as well. We'd love to hear from home.