Treasures Found in Germany!

The Welcoming Committee from Dedensen & Neustadt at Hannover airport

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August 7^th – August 17^th, 2006

We have spent almost two weeks in Germany now and we feel like kings! We have been treated like royalty by a wealth of cousins, uncles and aunts and we are totally spoiled for the rest of our trip.

On August 7^th, we left Romania very happy to have been there and to have participated in some of the activities of Greater Europe Mission there. We met some wonderful people and some babies that we will not forget. In Hanover, we were greeted by an overwhelming committee of relatives and the week that followed will undoubtedly remain a highlight of our entire 10 month journey!

Between my dear uncle, Martin and his wife Renate, my cousins, Stephan and his family, and Anke and her family we spent an absolutely wonderful week being wined and dined and cared for in the way that only family can do. They were all so generous and warm in their hospitality. Much of the time seemed to be spent in feasting, but we also got to tour Stephan’s Apotheke, Neustadt’s excellent weekly market, Schloss Marienburg, a Mais Labyrinth (corn maze), Herrenhaeuser Gaerten in Hanover, and the Steinhudermeer . Karsten and David got to attend their first European soccer game and watched the Bremen team defeat the Hanover 96’s (too bad, so sad!). Karsten and Stephanie loved spending time with their German second cousins, and this was made so much easier for them by the excellent German these kids all speak. We are hoping to see all of these dear folks in Vancouver sometime, and hope to try and return their generous hospitality.

Tour of Schloss Marienburg

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Leaving Hanover on the 14^th of August, we flew the short trip to Frankfurt where we picked up our brand new leased Peugeot 207. It’s nice and compact for narrow European roads, but our luggage barely fits in to the trunk; and only if you pack it a certain way. Another reason to forget shopping on this trip!

Our first stop was Darmstadt, a nice little city outside of Frankfurt, where we were again treated like royalty by Susanne Brettin. Susanne is a cousin who spent 4 months with us several years ago. It was terrific to see her again. She has a very trendy little studio apartment and a seemingly active social life in Darmstadt and her hometown of Wismar.

Leaving Darmstadt after another delicious German breakfast with Susanne, our next destination was Kehl where Don (another fabulous cousin! ) Wendy Konrad are doing a house exchange. I think that we have got them convinced that house exchanges are the way to go. They have enjoyed using Kehl as a base for their European visit this summer, and it was great for us to crash there for two nights. We visited the two French cities of Strasbourg and Colmar with the Konrads. Both of these towns are beautiful with wonderfully decorated buildings, canals, gothic minsters and those wonderful French sidewalk cafes. Kehl is right on the border between Germany and Kehl and is across the river from Strasbourg, France. We learned some of the wonders of the European Union; not only are there no longer any noticeable borders between EU countries, but citizens living close to the borders can easily work or go to school on either side of the border. It is hard to imagine such ease of co-existence between Canada and the US.

With Susanne at Darmstadt

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Thank you very much to our dear relatives for making this time in Germany such a wonderful experience. We truly value the richness and warmth of the relationships we have developed with you. You are all such wonderful people and we treasure the time that we were able to spend with you! May our paths cross again soon!