Back in Germany

Like I mentioned before I was able to go in May  for 2 weeks to Germany after being 21 years in the US.

Oh, boy, was I in for a surprise, some good and some not so good in my opinion, but I will spare the details.

It was very emotional, when my sister picked me up at the Hannover Airport, we wrote in the beginning of our stay in the US sometimes letters and occasional called, me more then her, so but seeing her after so many years again - priceless.

My little "Sis" Sabine

The first 10 days I spent with Sabine in her little village (Dorf, if you know, what I mean), beautiful nestled between the hills of the Weserbergland, green country, little hills absolutely beautiful.







Unfortunately,the weather was not co-operating and we spent a lot of time in her little cute house, but that was fine, after all I was visiting her.






We talked for hours about old and new times, family issues, relation ships and of  course of our children. Once we rode the  train to Hannover and there it was, where it hit me: all so different, at least what I saw, it is not the same anymore, I can not pinpoint it, but to tell the truth, I felt kind of uncomfortable, was kind of sad.

But at least I ate my long anticipated Curry Wurst @ Bratwurst Gloeckle (which tasted different then I remembered) and had Ice coffee @ Moevenpick and did a little shopping.

So, we stayed not very long, shopped a little here and there and then headed back to Sabine's little house.

Like I mentioned above, the weather was not very nice, it was kind of damp and raining quiet often and die dampness lingered around in the little valley of Huellhorst/Schaaathorst (funny names, I made sure to pronounce it wrong much to Sabine's dislike!) Most evenings we watched TV (yeah, German TV, Tatort etc., really enjoyable) covered with a blanket in the living room. Some evenings, Sabine even hat to fire her wood burning stove up. It was plain damp and cold.

I ate my Gruenkohl, ohhh so lecker, German Kuchen, Brot, Kaese, everything what my little heart was longing for. Driving to the next little town for a cappuchino, shopping - it was absolutely wonderful. 

At home, we discovered an old family photo album with pictures of our grand parents, parents and us, which I had never seen before and that called for an other trip to Lubecke to get copies made and 

enjoying cappuchino again - I love cappuchino now.

Very important and emotional  for me was our visit to Steinwedel, where our mother is buried and also our bother Jens and Sabine's father/my step dad Wolfgang. Very close to the cemetery is the house, where our parents lived and Sabine grew up - lots of memories, mostly good ones .....

 I do not want to forget  to mention, that I made a new friend: Lemmie, Sabine dog, I forgot the breed, but I think something Belgium .... (sheep hound?) What a nice gentle giant big teddy bear.

I finally got to know Sabine's sons again. All so grown up, last saw the little one, when he was about 1 1/2 year old and now: 23, going to the  "Uni", studying and wants to become a teacher.

But let me tell you, it was not possible, to get them all together for a picture, one of the boys was away at any given time. I think, in all that time, only 2 or 3 times we sat together for breakfast or dinner. So, they promised me, to take and sent a picture, which I will post here, if I ever get it. (Sabine, Torben, Lars and Nils, are you reading this?)


Since my return to Kansas, at least once a week my sister and I are "skyping" , but lately the connection is not very good, so I reach for the phone. Why did we not think of that earlier and waited so long. It's nice to have some family member of my own I can talk to about everything and nothing and seeing her (almost in person) is priceless, I love it.