Time Travel / Germany 1983 / Part 3 - Obernhof an der Lahn & Klostermühle

 

This is the village Obernhof an der Lahn, where I spent a week back in August 1983, attending a summer holiday course at the bible school/holiday centre Klostermühle. On the hills behind there were vineyards. The school was/is across the river from the village centre, below the Kloster Arnstein up on the mountain. 

I think this man was one of the teachers, but I have to confess that my memories of individual staff members and most of my fellow visitors that week have faded even more than my photos over the years. After all it was just one week, and quite a few people...

 

The two photos are from the chapel where we met for lessons and other gatherings.

This man was one of the teachers - but what was he teaching? I had to crop the image further + apply several layers of editing to be able to read the text on the screen...

OK. A bit clearer. This is about the division of the books in the Old Testament, with some Hebrew terminology involved. The Thora perhaps better known to most of us as the Law, or the Five Books of Moses; and the Nebiim (or Nevi'im) = the Prophets. Probably shown as introduction to give "context" to some text then presented in more detail.

The gatherings during the week were not all about lectures, though. There were also more informal get-togethers involving for example games and dancing. (Knowing myself, I was probably happy to step aside from some of the latter with the excuse of taking photos...)

 

 

One thing I never got used to during that week was that no water or other drinks were offered with lunch/dinner. As you can see in the photo, no glasses on the table. I can no longer remember how I handled that. I do seem to recall at least at one time going into the kitchen and asking for water. But whether I made a habit of that, or after the first experience perhaps took to bringing my own, or if I actually learned to get through a meal without it, I can no longer remember. I'm still not sure if this is/was customary in Germany - or other countries. As far as I can recall, no one else seemed to have a problem with it, so I suspect I probably hesitated to ask! Can someone enlighten me, 40+ years later? Because neither in Sweden nor in England did I ever find myself in a situation where I was served food, but offered nothing to drink...

In the afternoons, they had a kiosk open where you could buy warm or cold drinks of your choice, though. The sign says tea, coffe or chocolate; but I recall they also sold soft drinks and bottled water. (And I could not help thinking that not serving water with the main meal must have increased the sales...)

I think in the afternoons we were free to do whatever we wanted; and if one did not feel like socialising, the surroundings offered lots of opportunities to go off on solitary walks if one preferred. Into the village, along the river, into the woods behind the school - or if one wanted more exercise, up the steep hill/mountain behind, to Kloster Arnstein. (I did go up there at least once to see the church, but I'll save that for another post.)

 

 

Something I remember, even though not connected with a special photo, is sitting and reading Goethe's novel Die Leiden des Jungen Werthers (The Sorrows of Young Werther) (on my reading list for the upcoming term at the university back home) while looking out over the river Lahn - which meant probably having very similar views to what Goethe had in mind when writing it. When he wrote the novel in 1774, he was drawing on memories of a summer in Wezlar by the Lahn - another town along the same river. 

Unlike the fictional young Werther, no suicidal thoughts on my mind, though... But I later copied this quote into my photo album:

"Ich bin allein und freue mich meines Lebens in dieser Gegend, die für solche seelen geschaffen ist wie die meine." - I am alone and I am happy about my life in this area, which is made for souls like mine. 

 

 Linking to Sepia Saturday 819