Back home to Neckarhausen (Part I)

Streets of Ladenburg.
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Uneventful, fast, quiet (both passengers and train - can't get used to that!) trip to Mannheim.

Edith (Maren's mum) met me at the train station and we drove down vaguely familiar roads to the house where I spent seven weeks of German winter in 1998-1999. It was lovely to be there.

We caught up over wine, lunch and coffee then I got unpacked, completely, for the first time since leaving home. It was a great feeling to get everything out, and aired, and clean! For the first time I felt like I had arrived somewhere instead of being on the way to somewhere else.

Other than that I updated my travel diary, did some reading and wrote down some reflections of my US trip. After dinner Edith got me started on translating a Spanish children's book about Dalí.

Next day... nothing exciting, more washing, emailing, investigating Madrid on the net, practising Spanish, taking stock. Lovely to see Dieter (Maren's dad) who got home after I went to bed the night before.

On the 21st my feet found their way over the Neckar to Ladenburg, where I went to school ten years ago. I wandered by the school and around the gorgeous little marketplace, then back over the bridge and down the main street of Neckarhausen (such as it is.)

After a little relaxing, went for a run (my first since leaving NZ!) around the fields behind the Jahns' place. It was lovely but my knee gave up after a while.

In the morning I got together a smallish bag of things for my weekend away, then we had a yummy lunch, including Spargel (white asparagus) which is in season and much loved by the locals. I like it a lot more than the green stuff.

Edith took me to Mannheim to get my train.