Hanover to Ronneburg

Ronneburg is where my mother-in-law lives. Leipzig is the closest city that you might recognize.

The following photos and descriptions were taken in and around Ronneburg. Just because I always call it Ronneburg doesn't mean it always is. I can't remember all the names of the little German villages.

My mother-in-law also lives on the 5th story of an apartment. Thus, my packing nightmares were to continue. In my last installment I'll try and give some photo documentation of our luggage nightmare.

The first thing planned for us when we arrived was to drive to a nearby town and go go-kart racing followed by a round of mini-golf. I don't believe I've ever done the go-kart thing before. I remember enjoying bumper cars at Six Flags Over Texas back when that park was still enjoyable. Go-kart racing is a workout. I wasn't sure what to expect, but to walk away sore and sweaty was completely unexpected. It was also fun though. My wife took pictures. She was having a bit of trouble with the camera and the intense speed. That's me with the black helmet and the blue jean jacket. I was stylin.

Mini-golf was a bit more lackadaisical. Any time I do this kind of thing I go into it with good intentions and by the 9th hole, I'm just trying to stay focused enough not to sleepwalk. It was a pretty course though.



I don't know who told our gracious hosts that I have an acute case of claustrophobia, but the next day they took us to an old mining cave that's been commercialized. It's called the Saalfelder Feengrotten which translates to Saalfeld Fairy Grottoes. I wasn't really sure what to expect. The only caverns I've ever been to are the Carlsbad Caverns and they are huge. This was a bit of a struggle.



The next day I got my first pedicure. I'm thinking this might be a bi-monthly thing. My feet are quite ticklish, but by the time it was all said and done I was very pleased with my soft toesies. Upon initial contact I was thinking it might be worse than the caves as far as having to be brave. As with the cave though, I was glad that I pushed forward.


After the pedicure we went to a mall. I noticed something at this mall that I truly believe all malls should have. I called it a place for the guys. A bar right in the middle of the mall. It was good for me because I could sit there and drink real good beer and watch people all day long. It was good for my wife because after a few drinks I wasn't as irritated that she was buying her 900th pair of shoes.


I also got to see my first German prison before we left. No, I didn't get to see the inside. Although I did have a mean German bar manager once tell me that he would show me what the inside of a German prison looks like. To this day, I've not seen one.