Oppenheim Keller, the Rhein, and Fussball! - August 4th

So today was the first day of what I hope will be a few days of great weather. The forecast for today is for 28C, perfect! And there was no better way to start the day then with breakfast outside in Sonja and Thomas’s garden, which is very quaint. After breakfast we drove to Oppenheim, which is a very old city south of Mainz on the Rhein. The two big highlights of the city are the very old Catholic Cathedral and the city’s underground tunnel network or Keller. Unfortunately there was a mass and Wedding going on in the church so all we could see was the side chapel, but from the outside the church looked incredible. We took a tour of the underground cellar which lasted about an hour and fifteen minutes. Unfortunately or maybe fortunately (for practice) the tour was in German and I only understood about 50% of what was going on. From what I could gather though, the network is incredibly vast (over 500 small rooms and sections) and old (perhaps dating back to the middle ages). The tunnel network was also incredibly important to the cities survival, as the city’s inhabitants sought refuge in the tunnels during countless battles and wars. The tunnels were so well hidden that only the townspeople knew of their existence. The tunnels were also so well built that they survived the bombings of WWII that resulted in much of the cities destruction above ground. For weeks a time the city’s inhabitants lived underground during bombing raids. Pretty darn cool and incredibly amazing.

After touring the city we drove down to a beach along the Rhein in Oppenheim. The part of the beach where we were was mainly a dog beach, but their were many other secluded sections just for people. Hollie, Sonja’s dog, had a blast playing in the water and with other dogs, and we all enjoyed the trip too. Sonja’s son built a wall of wood and stone, and it was great to just play in the sand and be a kid again.

That evening Thomas and Jason took me to my very first German Football (soccer for those of you who aren’t in the know!) game. Stuttgart and Wehen Wiesbaden were playing, with Stuttgart winning 2-1. That evening I had my very first German soccer game beer and brat. A perfect combination! Even though Wehen Wiesbaden is not in the Bundesliga, they might have to be my new favorite team because they scored the first goal I have ever witnessed in Germany!! I had planned to stay with Sonja and her family for only one night, but we kept making more plans together so I decided to stay another night.