Sabah Heilbronn Ecumenical Partnership ~ Final Week

Raymond Wong

Preparing to make bread

Eating their self-made pizza

Heilbronn, Germany : Tuesday morning, 9th October 2012, the whole group gathered and  proceeded to a bakery shop to see the process of making bread. All the participants had to bake their own bread and to make a pizza for their own consumption. We also had a guided tour of the mill producing various forms of wheat floor within the area.

The highest church tower

The next day, Wednesday 10th October 2012, was a trip up to the Alps on the boarder of South Germany and Austria. As the road leading to the Alps has to pass through a city called Ulms where a Ulms Cathedral is located, we took sometime touring the Cathedral. It has the highest tower in Germany with a height of 170 m.

It took us a day of travelling by van and arrived Alps early in the evening. There was a stopover at Ettal where the Ettal Basilica was situated and the statues and paintings were dated back to the 16th century.

As white as snow

Top of Germany

Then, it was the moment of ascending the Alps. It was a trip by van to a railway station where it took us up the mountain to a point where we had to change to a cable car. The cable car ferried us to the snow top mountain where everything is white, purely snow and ice. A chapel is constructed on top of one small hill and to get to the very top it is another cable car ride. We were very much excited as we eventually reached the top of the Alps at 2962m. above sea level, the highest point of Germany and Austria.

The reporting and discussion on the last day.

Upon returning to Heilbronn, the group had Thursday 11th October 2012 a free day. Friday 12th October was the last day of our stay in Heilbronn and we met later in the evening to have a reporting session on the 3-week program. It was opened to all to share on their experiences and exposures while in Heilbronn and the benefits of the partnership. Both the Sabah participants and the Heilbronn counterparts had a good discussion on common concerns for the enhancement of future programs.

Songs rendered by the hosts

The ladies (sumandak) from Sabah

After the reporting session, was a farewell dinner cum presentations from the hosts as well as the Sabah group. The host rendered some German songs and the Sabah group performed the 'sumazau'. All guests were  invited to join in the dance with a little guidance. Fr. Jasrey presented a 'joget' number with his harmonica where all were invited to the floor. It was then all hugs and farewells and goodbyes to one another. 

With the first and second host families

With the third host family

The leader of the Sabah group thanking the organizer, the host families and all who have helped in organising and assisted in the program.