For my last day in Germany
Anna (Christine and Gustav’s daughter) has planned a nice hike around Feldberg,
one of the foothills of the Taunus Mountains .
So, come mid-morning, Christine and I left the house in this fine Sunday
morning, and so did a million other Germans, intent of enjoying a hike,
bicycling, or taking a motorcycle ride up the mountain. The end result is that
we couldn’t find a place to park near the top, and instead had to park at mid
elevation, where we met Anna.
Christine was in fine athletic form, and pretty soon she and
Leo (her dog) had a healthy lead on Anna and myself. This gave me a great
opportunity to chat with Anna to our heart’s content. I have known her since
she was a baby, maybe a year old, and now in her mid twenties she is a
delightful and beautiful young woman with a wide range of interests. For
example, a few years ago she spent a semester in Ruanda ,
promoting small businesses among the women of the town, and only recently came
back from a semester in Sevilla, where she developed an amazing command of
Spanish.
The hike through the pine forest was wonderful, and the
views of Frankfurt and its surrounding
villages were breath-taking. In total we walked maybe 8 to 10 km, and by the
time we made it to the top I was glad to see that, true to form, there was a
comfortable restaurant way on top, where we were able to enjoy a cold beer, a
plate of French fries, bread accompanied by rendered lard with bacon bits, and
a type of pancake chopped into pieces and smothered on strawberry syrup. OK, so
it was not a lunch that would make my doctor happy, but we enjoyed it with the
appetite of those who have already burned the calories.
We came back to town just in time to go to dinner with our
old friends Gabi and Dieter, where I had a plate of hack steak in some sort of
sauce, fried potatoes, and with the whole covered by two sunny-side up eggs.
Strange, but actually quite tasty. Naturally we also had a final toast with Apfelwein.
To wrap a perfect day Chrsitine and I went to visit
Phillip’s new apartment. He studied Mechanical Engineering, and is now doing a
paid internship with a company that is not to far from their home, but since he
now has a salary he figured it was time to cut the umbilical cord and find a
place closer to work. He chose very well. The apartment is in the first floor
of a three-storey building, but in a neighborhood of mostly single homes. He
has one large bedroom, a living room with a huge terrace, and fairly adequate
bathroom and kitchen. Everything looks empty now, because the big move is in a
couple of days, but he has most of the furniture lined up, so he will be snug
as a bug. Christine likes it because she can come visit when she takes Leo for
a walk along the River Mainz!
And that is it. Tomorrow Monday, July 27, 2015 I am flying
back to Houston (a killer flight of 2.5 hours
Frankfurt to Istanbul , and from there 12 hours
from Istanbul to Houston ). I will spend the night in Houston,
and on Tuesday I will take a flight from Houston to Monterrey, rent a car, and
hopefully sit to supper with my parents by 6 pm. Since the remaining trip is
not likely to produce any significant adventures I will finish this blog here,
and will resume it next time I go adventuring. Perhaps a motorcycle tour
through New Zealand
next January?
Finis
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