A Special Night

Last night we were invited by Camden's "football" (soccer) coaches to a celebration. It was so much fun, and nothing quite like we had done before. We all met at the foot of a small mountain, and as a group hiked up to the top. At the top was a beautiful old church (from the 1300's) and next to it was a traditional German (not touristy) restaurant. There were probably about 40 people in our group and as we hiked up this mountain we saw horses, goose and other animals. As the trail was winding up you could see the uniqueness of the church. The base (foundation) was made out of rock - literally not nice formed rock, but a huge piece of rock that has probably been there since the beginning of time. Unbelievable! It was quite chilly so when we finally got to the restaurant, the warmth and coziness was a huge welcome. We had a nice dinner, and by that time it was dark outside. The only lights were the lights from a distance in the city, and from those who had brought flashlights (not us, as we didn't know what to expect). Before we headed back down the mountain (we had been up there for several hours), the team enjoyed running around and playing outside, and we took a tour of the church. By tour I mean self guided - and it was amazing. As you walked through in the dark was a small chapel that was lit with candles, and then you made your way up through what seemed to be a secret passageway to the main church. Amazing to think this place was 700 years old! After the tour, we ventured down the mountain with flashlights (I must say I was glad to be in the group - it would have been much scarier on our own). Once we were at the bottom, the group walked to a "garden" where there were outdoor Chistmas trees lit, fires pits lit, gluhwein, kinder punsch, and leberkuchen to be enjoyed. After a little while of socializing, St. Nicolas came walking up out of the blue, and spoke with each child (in german of course). He had a special book where he was able to reference special things about each child - truly a special night!