Petanque in the Park

Today was nice and quiet, just what I needed after four days of non-stop sightseeing, eating and slow wandering.  We met this morning at the Patanque Park in Kralenriede and watched a group  of players from Bath  play  their counterparts from BS.  Petanque is a popular game on the continent, and apparently it is catching on in the UK.  We spent two hours in the park and enjoyed some nice cups of tea and coffee.   A couple of us decided to have some time to ourselves, so Dorothea gave us a lift into BS, where Bill went his way and I went mine.  I sat in the sun outside the cathedral and then made my way back to Timmerlah and yet more tea and catching up on email writing. 

On Tuesday evening we have our final goodbye party.  The Twinning and  Petanque Groups meet the DEG (German/English Association) for an evening's celebration of the 40 year friendship between the two cities.   I've started packing, and believe it or not, I will go home with fewer pairs of shoes than I came with.  I have worn out two pairs   of  walking shoes since I've been here.  The bottom photo shows another lion supporting one of the benches outside the cathedral.   They make very useful foot rests when sitting and pondering the meaning of life.