It was another bright and sunny day in Grotzingen and Ryan, Phyllis, Amanda and I took a trip up the hill to Hoffest. Hoffest was held in the residential community of Rudolfshöhe which is part of Karl-Schubert Gemeinschaft e.V. This fantastic organization provides housing options, employment opportunities, therapies, health care, and organized activities for physically and mentally handicapped individuals. The Karl-Schubert residential communities house around 120 adults with special needs whom all live together in harmony in this beautiful village.

When we arrived at the Hoffest, I felt like I was with a celebrity. Everyone knew Amanda and we could not get 5 steps without being stopped by someone for introductions and a hug. For those of you who have not been lucky enough to meet Amanda, she is Ryan`s cousin and has Down Syndrome, a chromosomal disorder. Amanda is very active in the Karl-Schubert community and was going to be performing with her dance group...one of her many talents! After watching Amanda dance, it was time for food. The community grows their own organic produce which was used for the pommes (French fries) and salad. Wurst and homemade cakes were also on the menu which we organic as well...actually all of the food and drinks present at Hoffest were organic. Just to give you an idea how fresh the food was, there were children and adults working together to make fresh apple juice. You could watch the entire process as they dumped the apples into a big wooden thing, crushed them up, and then moved them to a press where the pure juice was squeezed out. This was then transferred directly to your cup. The live bands were amazing and one act even busted out a xylophone. Ya, that`s right Shaun...XYLOPHONE!

Overall, it was a great afternoon. After playing with some of the wooden toys, the day was capped off by a freshly made apple crape for the walk home. It is so hard to describe how nice it felt being there in this little community on top of the hill. Everyone was just so happy and friendly...I loved it. I strongly encourage everyone to check out the Karl-Schubert website.

http://ksw-ev.de/index.php

It is in German but if you download Google Chrome, it will translate it for you. This website has all kinds of information the types of programs Amanda and her friends are involved in. Later this week Ryan and I will be going to see Amanda at her work where she bakes bread. I hope I get to take some home hehe.