Thursday 14 June - my birthday. What was I going to do that was special? Well, I said, I want to go to Sankt Georgen. Great surprise was expressed. Why on earth would I want to go there? It was a Berg Village, nothing happened there! Yes, I said, but once before I was here on my birthday, and it was also a Thursday, and it was Ascension Day and Wolf and I went there with Erika and there was a special parade. It was not Ascension Day now, of course, but I remembered it was a pretty village and had a good line in witches. Heads were solemnly shaken, and Erika declared she had never taken me there. Then someone twigged - "Oh, you went to Sankt Peter!" Ah well, some Saint or other. Very well, we would go to Sankt Peter, but first Diana and I must come to Erika for breakfast. I wore my yellow African robes. Erika thought I should wear them all day, but I went home to change.

view from the breakfast balcony                                                       Max on the phone - important business deal

Birthday girl                                                                                         Enter Erika with camera

We set off and as we passed signs to Sankt Märgen, I asked if we could visit this village, as I had heard that it was a place of pilgrimage. Max was happy about this, as there was a plaque there to Matthias Faller, a native of Neukirch, a great baroque sculptor, who worked on all the great churches round here, and died at St Märgen. On the way we stopped to look at a notable view, and there ready to catch us was a woman with a liquor stall - all her own produce. She was all set up for a tasting as soon as we appeared, little plastic glasses spread out invitingly. We could not pick where we wanted, but must taste all the bottles, in the order she directed. I knew this was going to be a paying job! However, I needed no persuasion, and plumped for the cherry liqueur - at 11 Euros a bottle, it was extremely affordable, and it was my birthday after all! The best birthday gift of all was the woman's face, when I told her I was 66! Added to that she also had to swallow the fact that Diana, who looks under thirty, was 46! She looked like she needed a good swig of her own stuff by the time we left - but she wished me the best of luck for the next 66 years!

the beautiful views

"I don't believe you!"                                                                           "Well I never, look at that!"

in the village of St Märgen                                                                   primitive horse sculpture

The church at St Märgen                                                                     the cloister/kloster with emerging monk

two views inside the basilica