German Country Life

Each time I manage to croak out a phrase in badly accented German, I receive cordial complements on my excellent command of the language.  I perceive there is a European-wide conspiracy to give Americans--notoriously monolingual--some positive reenforcement for any effort no matter how feeble.  The last word accurately describing my assays into Deutsche. But the same thing happened in France.
Because it's Saturday, the Hessenpark, an open air museum of the sort I find irresistible, was easily accessible by public transportation.  I confidently set out and arrived in good time at the train station only to find an odd message on the display.  I did not think it applied to me or my destination, and folks were waiting on the platform.  So I waited, too.  I expected to make a connection and catch a bus to the Hessenpark.  I waited.  Nichts.  More waiting und mehr Nichts!  Maybe the notice applied to me after all!  At any rate I knew I would miss my bus, but this blow was softened by the knowledge that buses ran more frequently on this route on weekends.
I proceeded to a new platform, and there was my train ready and waiting.  We arrived in Bad Homburg far too early for me to catch my bus, but that was all right.  I strolled around the Kurpark admiring the fountains and actually wishing I had more time to explore.  The bus arrived, and I had a pleasant ride through beautiful countryside.  Germany is beautiful, you know.  The only concern was a sudden rain squall, but that soon passed.
Although I was the only passenger for Hessenpark on the bus, the park is obviously a popular sight--deservedly.  Truth to tell I wore myself out wandering the lanes and woodland and poking around the reconstructed buildings.  As much as I love castles, palaces, and the artifacts of high life, my heart belongs to the remains of everyday life.  Don't misunderstand me.  I do not long for the days without indoor plumbing or modern medical care.  But Europe often reminds me of a quieter, slower time when the car was not king, and towns were built with people and their capacities in mind.
The Hessenpark is lovely, and one can go into most of the buildings, and many of them have exhibits. Craftspeople on site give demonstrations and are happy to answer questions--if you are fluent in German, which (cough) some of us are not.
I know I would not want to live on a farm.  I am not especially fond of hard physical labor, and I hate barnyard smells.  On the other hand I enjoy seeing the animals--just so long as you don't ask me to muck out their stalls.  Pigs for example.  They stink!  There was a sow with her litter of piglets which were allowed to wander loose.  I got to pet one!  Piglets are so cute and precious. It's rather a shame they grow up to be so tasty. But as I petted the piglet I said to myself, "no sausage tonight."  So for dinner I had nuts and I also cooked some potatoes--impeccably vegan.  But tomorrow back to omni.
One can find touristy shops and places to eat, and the park also has a lot of picnic areas, and if I ever returned here with a friend or a group, a picnic would figure into the plans.  The park is also evidently a popular place for weddings.  As I was leaving I passed a wedding party posing for their post-ceremony pictures.