Leipzig to the Rescue

Ben and I had a terrible experience changing trains in Berlin.  In the 6 minute transfer from our train from Kiel, a thief pick-pocketed Ben's wallet, containing all our cash, both our debit cards, and Ben's credit card.  Words can hardly express how upset we were with ourselves.  We had foolishly become lax and were not using our secure money belt - Ben's wallet was just in his pocket.  Also, I had given him my debit card the day before just for convenience.  We broke every rule for safe travel and spent our time on the train in self-recrimination and calling our banks.

Our reason for traveling to Leipzig was to visit Ruth, Marcel and one-year old Frieder (daughter, son-in-law and grandson of our dear friends Hildegard and Matthias).  We had just enough Euros to buy bus tickets to their flat.  Marcel and Frieder were there to greet us, and Marcel's concern for us, and Frieder's happy grins, gave us solace.

Ruth was at work, so Marcel got us settled and immediately loaned us Euros to get us by.  He proposed a brisk evening walking tour of downtown Leipzig, with Frieder in his capacious stroller.  A native of Leipzig, Marcel told us about his personal experience with German reunification.  He was 10 years old when the Berlin Wall was dismantled.  But the peace movement actually started years before in Leipzig when people started meeting and praying in St. Nicholas church.  Peace marches grew in number, until tens of thousands quietly protested the GDR rule.  People bravely took their children, hoping the government would surely not attack them.

Marcel's life changed radically after reunification.  His East German teachers, who toed the repressive government line, were all replaced.  He suddenly had opportunity to excell.  

Our evening tour takes us through the central platz and Marcel points out important buildings and churches.  In the distance we can see the clean modern architecture of the Catholic Church where he and Ruth got married.

Underneath the very modern buildings of the University are a catacomb of bars and cafes.  40+ years ago students cleaned out the ruined spaces and claimed them as their own.  

The warren of ancient rooms remind us of ancient underground caves we explored in Italy.

Marcel takes us to a lively area of restaurants with outside tables and we settle on Italian.  Our waiter is a humorless older Italian guy, oblivious to Frieder's hunger.  Marcel lets Frieder roam around and explore and I feel jumpy watching him totter and tumble on the cobblestone plaza, confidently wandering among smiling diners. Frieder is getting fussy.  Unable to get our waiter's attention,  Frieder and I visit the kitchen where the cook cuts him a small slice of bread.  Mollified for a bit, when it arrives he devours the pasta carbonara ordered just for him.  We enjoy our delicious pasta and thank our lucky stars that gracious Marcel and Ruth have taken us in.  It is time to get Frieder home to bed.

Kiel Coolness

We travel north to Kiel to reunite with our dear Tabea, who we haven't seen since our last trip to Germany in 2011.  Ben was Tabea's American driver's training instructor when she visited us for a month in 2009.  Tabea will show us the artsy side of Kiel over our weekend visit.

After French pastries and coffee at her stylish new apartment.

Tabea introduces us to her accordion (color coordinated to her dress)!  

Nico has taught her a simple tune which she plays for us quite well.

Ben gamely gives it a try.  We get a nice little video of both of them to share with Tabea's dad Ulrich who we will see in Stuttgart.

Next stop is the "Pop Shop" opening - a new venture that a group of Tabea's friends have been working hard to create. Formerly a curry wurst shop, the building was in dreary condition on a charmless street in Kiel's small red-light district.  The intrepid group performed a small miracle to turn it into a trendy gathering spot.  They plan to sell comics and host art showings.  They "wallpapered" the exterior with a graphic print of the historic face of the building, using standard 9X13 computer paper print-outs.

For now one can buy drinks and a few novelties, like these cleverly packaged condoms.

Next morning we meet Tabea and her outgoing friend Gazi at the Bike Coffee Bar at Farmers Market.

Beautiful cappuccino in a festive spot.  We were glad to meet Gazi again after being introduced at the Pop Shop.  He was an exchange student in Marin County years ago, and a delightful conversationalist.  Gazi also shares office space with Tabea's start up company.

More pastries from Tabea's favorite neighborhood bakery, and more coffee back at her place.

We want to see Tabea's favorite places, so she takes us to her office space, which is in her art school's former buildings.  She and her two partners love being part of this elclectic community of artsy start-ups.

Their office has its own garden area which Tabea says offers both inspiration and distraction.  We see Gazi again helping a volunteer work crew set bricks for a new courtyard.  The collective is teeming with activity.

A walk through Tabea's university lets us see some student constructions.

Tabea and I have a date to make her very favorite American sweet - good old chocolate chip cookies.  It is a challenge because we only have the German equivalent of baking powder not soda.  Most Germans don't make cookies at home like we do (except at Christmas).

They are a success and Tabea styles them nicely for this photo shoot.

Sunday we board a ferry to visit beachy Laboe.  It's a pretty, popular area with delicious fish and chips.

We climb to the top of a very high Navy memorial tower to see the view.

Back in Kiel,we finally get to watch Tabea practice vaulting.  This sport combines gymnastics and horseback riding.  Tabea's been a vaulter since childhood, with her Mom as coach.  She practices this demanding sport 3 times a week, but their team horse, Jack, is sidelined with a hoof injury. 

 Her team is practicing on the wood horse for now.  That's Tabea in the pink tights.

The youngest team members are grade school girls who form the top of the team pyramid...

on galloping horseback!

We leave the stables in a downpour and Tabea runs home to change (vaulting is dirty work!).  We have one last dinner and say farewell to our marvelous friend and hostess, Tabea.  Til next time!

Having My Cake...

I 

Gitta and Sophie offer us an excursion to Wexlar and we have no idea what to expect.  Everything about the historic old town beguiles us.

The Don is impressive, obviously built or rebuilt over the centuries.  

We wander into a shop selling craft liquors and get to sample some of them.

We buy a small bottle of quince liquor for Ulrich because his own bottling spoiled.  The proprietor tells us about his many visits to California and the Southwest.  He has driven right through San Luis Obispo.

Historic buildings abound.

I have to check out a fair trade store. 

 The shops in Wexlar are really alluring.

Lunchtime!  We pick the closest restaurant and it is a jewel.  All of our dishes are delicious and Ben can't resist the Hessen specialty of eggs and boiled potatoes in green sauce.   So good!  I have the best sandwich and am mesmerized by the cakes on display.  

I am the only one to order cake, but any guilt I feel evaporates with one bite.  One of the best cakes ever - a layer of thick tart lingonberry with thin layers of yellow cake, whipped cream and a toasted meringue topping.  I am going to try making one someday.

Sophie and Gitta are mellow guides and we have such a nice time strolling about with them.

Gitta has made us many delicious meals, making sure we try typical German menus.  Ben and I offer to make lasagna tonight to give her a little break.

Marie, then Amelie, help us with the assembly.

However, the girls convince the adults that there is no harm in gelato before dinner.  We walk to the next village and get cones.  It is dark by the time we sit down to our lasagna and red wine on the  terrace.  We have toasts with Prosecco to celebrate being adopted into the Thode family.  We eat all but one small corner of the tasty lasagna, in spite of the gelato appetizer.

Gitta has a Singer sewing machine but doesn't sew.  I set about to do some last minute, late night mending for Marie. The monkey pajamas I made her in 2014 have a split in the seam and the blue print hippie pants I got for her goodbye gift need to be lengthened.  Gitte has a dress to turn into a skirt. I am in my favorite milieu :).

The repaired pants make a nest for Marie's German bunny with the bunny she received In her American Easter basket.

Even in the morning rush (we all stayed up way too late on a school night), Marie makes sure we have a Parker hug and final selfie.  She and I are both emotional (I am choking down a good cry).  Promises of future visits are exchanged.  I assure her we will be dancing at her wedding.  She assures us that will be a long wait.

Final hug. We see her off on her bike.  

10 minutes later, we get a text with a picture of the last little souvenir she had made, but forgot in her pocket until she was part way to school.  Those tears really are hard to quell. 

Gitta drives us to the train station and words can't express our gratitude for a wonderful week with our extended "Deutsche Familie".

Marie's Maultaschen Project

Marie announces she is going to teach me how to make Maultaschen, her favorite dish.  Her Oma (Grandma) has given her lessons over the years.  This summer Marie called her for the recipe and went solo.  Oma is originally from Stuttgart, in the Bavarian region, and Maultaschen is a very Schwäbisch (southwestern region of Germany with a distinctive dialect) dish.  

First Marie establishes who is in charge of this undertaking.

I follow instructions, though the dough recipe is homemade pasta, so I have past experience.

Marie keeps an eye on me anyway.

The ingredients are simple, resembling ravioli filling, but with German sausage.

Marie recommends I take off my ring for this next step.

Our sausage coated hands are so appetizing!

Next comes rolling out the stubborn dough to a thin sheet.  Marie advises me to step up on a chair to get more traction - it works.

The expert determines we have the right thinness and now we commence to the next step.

Marie has made a meatless filling for vegetarian sister Sophie.  I suggest adding some Parmesan cheese for extra flavor for Sophie.  Chef Marie first rejects this idea as non-traditional, but eventually reconsiders and adds a little.

Amelie and Ginny stop by to see how the project is progressing.  The Maultaschen is cut into diagonal portions and dropped into simmering broth.

They hold together beautifully and will be heartily consumed for dinner in a few hours :)

Marie allows the cooks a sample. Guten Appetit!