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hike around the lake - along icy roads [patches?] (and occasional drifts) of snow,
the open meadowland by old farms with [illegible?] buildings - barns with waterwheels
powered by passing streams, etc. The lake [illegible?] about 2 miles long and 1/2 mile wide -
was completely frozen over; in fact we [illegible?] men ski across it, using their
poles to push off against the ice. In spite of the ice and snow the air was very warm
and mild, as in spring.

Freiburg was a striking contrast to the [illegible?] restful beauty of the Schwarzwald
(oops - Black Forest). The minute we stepped [illegible?] the railroad station we were swept
up by the pressing crowds out on the street [illegible?] celebrate or watch others celebrate or
to go somewhere to celebrate. Every restaurant and cafe was packed and noisy - we even
had trouble finding anywhere to eat dinner. We had time for several hours of
window shopping and sightseeing Monday [illegible?] and Tuesday morning. The most interesting
by far is the "Munster" - old Gothic cathedral with its classic spire reaching skywards.
The inside is worthy mainly because of some excellent stained glass windows, which
have be reinstalled since the war (probably buried underground outside of town for safe
keeping).

This coming week is cram time - I have an anthropology and a music paper to do
and finals in German and Music to study for, all in 7 days. So I shall be a little
busy, I guess! Also we've had daily chorus rehearsals this week, in preparation
for our concert in Beutelsbach tomorrow night at 8 pm! We're singing a set of
6 Brahms Waltzes, two German [illegible?] English folk songs, and a beautiful
finale - Randall Thompson's "The Last Words of David." Also on the program are our
Madrigal group, a piano solo, and clarinet sonata, and a cello performance by a
local physician who practices with Mr. Nanney. Should be an entertaining, and only
a little amateur performance.

Our 3 week vacation will begin next Saturday - we're allowing Friday for
final errands and preparations before leaving, and also hope to attend a concert
in Stuttgart that evening (Jehudi Menuhin playing Brahm's violin concerto for
one thing!) We'll bicycle from here to Nürnburg, then take the train to Hamburg.
From here our route is not yet definitely set, but may be Bremen, Amsterdam,
Rotterdam, perhaps Brussels, Köln (Cologne in English, I think), then down the
Rhine to Heidelberg and back to Stuttgart. We have 23 days and will be trying to
cover a lot of country, but it will be fun, I think, in a way that travel by car
could never be. We hope to usually make 100 kilometers (60 miles) a day, sometimes
perhaps up to 120 or even 140 if it's possible; plan to spend whole days in some of the most
interesting cities. The ride down the Rhine should be especially beautiful! Plan to
get mail through American Express - will check on arrangements and give you
exact itinerary when I get time. Meanwhile, back to the books!

Love,
George

Mom- Your letters come through fine and seem to be coming
more often too! I really appreciate them, and all the clippings
too! But Dads seem to be getting lost on the way! Just teasing -
I know he's busy, but it's nice to hear from him sometimes! More love - me