We zipped
through the streets of Munich in Linda's little car on the way to Naomi’s sister Lidia’s apartment,
where she lives with her husband Daniel and two children. After a quick stop at
a store to buy soft pretzels, we arrived at her bright and airy apartment. The table in her kitchen was
set with a traditional Bavarian brunch: white sausages, cheese and fruit, along
with the big soft pretzels. She said it should be served before noon. Due to
our delayed flight, it was after noon in Germany, but we told her it was still
morning according to our time. Germany time is seven hours later than Central Time.
We enjoyed the Bavarian food and time with her family.
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| Naomi's Parents' Home in Unterumbach |
We continued on to Hans and Linda’s home. They live in a lovely multi-story duplex with a beautiful front and back yard. Beyond the yard is a wheat field, so we felt right at home.
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| Logan and Naomi relax in the swing. |
While the Scheibs would have been glad for us to stay in their home, friends
of theirs had offered to let some of us stay in a guesthouse a couple of
villages away, about a 10-minute drive. It was an upstairs two-bedroom
apartment with light wooden floors and big windows that opened to let in a
breeze. Stan, Vanita and I decided to stay in the guest house, while Logan, Naomi
and Landon would stay with Hans and Linda.
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| The Guesthaus in Wyhern |
We showered
and rested a little while, then Logan, Naomi, and Naomi’s younger sister Josie
picked us up in the van and took us to a little meat shop and bakery. With
Naomi’s help in translating, we bought a variety of meats: smoked sausage
links, salami, lunch meats that resembled our pickle loaf, and some with
mushrooms in it. Logan picked out some cheeses to go with it. We selected a
variety of breads and buns also. Although the shop was all in one room, we had
to pay for the meats and baked goods separately. Next, we stopped at a grocery
store. I put my 50-cent coin into the cart, just like putting a in a quarter at
Aldi’s. We bought some more food there. They had Lay’s potato chips, but they
were different flavors, like smoked bacon or onion and cheese. Both were good.
Back at
Hans and Linda’s, we carried everything out to the picnic table on the back
deck and sampled the delicious buns, meats and cheeses. We admired the roses
blooming nearby and relaxed. Logan and Hans led the way in his car to show us
another route to our village. We discovered several different ways to get
between the two villages in the days to follow. Thank goodness Stan is such a
good navigator, because even on day 10, I am not sure I could have found my
way.
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| The Map of the Nearby Village |
As we drove through the country roads between the villages, we saw several big fields of cabbages. Later, I asked Hans why they grew so much cabbage. He said it was used to make sauerkraut. He said, “We Germans are known for our kraut, you know.”
When I went
to bed that evening, jet lag hit me pretty hard, and I slept deeply for a few
hours, then awoke at 12:30, which would have been 7:30 in the morning at home.
Vanita couldn’t sleep either. She came into my room, and we talked for a little
while. We finally went to sleep after 2 a.m. It rained overnight. I opened my
window to a quaint view of the neighbor’s house. I could hardly believe I was
in Germany.
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| The Neighbor's Home. Notice the red terra-cotta roof. |
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| The Butterfly Bush Outside My Window |
None of the Webers’ phones worked unless on wi-fi, which we could only access at the Scheib house. Mine worked to make calls out, but since theirs did not work, that did not help us much. We resorted to the “old school” method of saying what time we would meet up each morning and go from there. I have to say part of me found it very relaxing to be off electronic devices for a while. We had no television, either, so I was able to immerse myself in the daily experiences without distraction. Off we went to meet up with Logan and Naomi and plan our first day of sightseeing in Germany.
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