The coolest library I've ever seen is in St. Gallen!

(Transferred from my old blog on 18 August 2008.)

Tuesday, August 17th

Ursula made me a lunch and we walked to the bus stop (postautohaltestelle). This time, ursula forgot her keys, so Peter quickly brought them up. I met some neighbors. They complimented my German, but I wonder how well I really speak.

I found the right train and when I got Zurich, wow, I could really feel the leftovers of climbing that hill to the Heidihaus yesterday - in my shins and bum. I'm going to be in great shape when I get back!

In St. Gallen, I found a good map and got some Swiss franks by paying for bread with euros. (That's cheaper than exchanging at a bank).

The Stiftsbibliothek was amazing! Everything was so old and the room so fancy I felt like I could never see it all. Even the wood floor was very decorative. Everyone had to wear greay slippers. I wrote down some Latin to translate when I get home (I can't remember a lick now). I saw several churches, and made it back to the station after going into a city library and looking around. They do have the dewey decimal system, so that answers Pit's question.

I saw some missionaries, but they hurried onto a train. I read a lot on the way to Stein am Rhein. Then this older gent talked to me. He's been to SL. It seems like Europeans travel a lot more than Americans (they do have month-long or longer vacations). IN Stein am Rhein, he showed me where to go. That old town is so cool! I got a pic of an organ and the old buildings from the 1400s.

The boat varied between Germany and Switzerland, staying in the deep parts of the Rhein. Ernest left at the first stop to go back. He took pics for me and drew me a map of how to get to the train station in Schaffhausen.

I walked the wrong way at first and went back. Eventually I got on a bus and saw the Rheinfall (waterfall of the Rhein), took a pic and went back. The station was too far from a chruch to hurry over (even though the train was late). I spent the last of my Swiss franks on cottage cheese and a croissant. Ursula and I had a pleasant time talking and I showed her all of my pictures that I need to send. It just takes so long, but I need to take the time, because I keep running out of space.