A Very Special Girl

Hello Most Excellent Ones,

I spent time with Eli, Gillian, and their amazing daughter, (my granddaughter!), Avalon,  for a few days this past week.  It was a special time and I am very grateful for it.

Eli, Gillian, Avalon, and Millie the Greyhound (half deer, half kangaroo when she runs) over looking Paul Lake.

Gillian lugging her precious cargo.

Cute.

Big smile.

Nap time.

Sweet pictures:

Avalon with young Opa.

Eli with his sweet baby.

Sweet.

Please pray for Eli, Gillian, and Avalon.

God bless you all.  Have a great week.

Love adios and ping on!

Dirk

Hamburg and Heidelberg

Hello Dear Most Great Ones,

I spent a few days in Hamburg, the city of my birth, catching up with relatives, eating well, and seeing some sights.  Sven and Celia were with me making the time more fun. 

The house my mother grew up in.  Its owned by an uncle and has been part of the family for decades.

Hanging with my God mother and relatives for an amazing meal.

Hamburg without strawberry torte is not Hamburg.

Deluxe Abend Brot.  Germans eat evening bread rather than a large meal in the evening.

Hamburg flag in the foreground.  In the back is the Hauptbahnhof.  The main train station.

Hamburg has been called the Venice of the north due to its many canals near the harbour.

A landmark of Hamburg: St. Michael's Kirche.

A huge statue of Luther is near the church.

Inside are several loud and large organs.

452 steps take you to the top of the tower.

A view from the top of the tower.

Near Hamburg is Travemunde; located on the Baltic Sea.  I spent a lovely time with some excellent ones there.

It has a beach covered with traditional covered beach coaches, protecting you from the wind, and a place to store your stuff. 

Great people hanging by the Baltic sea.

Some parts of the beach at Travemunde were rugged indeed.

Visiting was also a big part of Hamburg.

An afternoon spent with relatives, mother's cousin's family, was fun.  Traditional coffee time with Tortes.

A good luck ladybug on a floor.

Later we had a great meal at Blankenese by the Elbe.  The restaurant did not look like much, but the food was awesome.

A big container ship from China eased by.

My final days in Germany were spent in Heidelberg with my excellent friends Michael and Sabine.

The Heidelberg castle.

Germans love to have coffee and cake outside.  So do I.

Part of the fortress is a ruin.

Great views from the top.  The Holy Ghost Church is below, while the "Old Bridge," spans the Necker.

The Heidelberg castel has a famous keg of considerable size.

Germans do not normally dress this way, in traditional German garb, but when they do it is always worthy of a picture.

What incredible luck.  I witnessed the Germans winning their fourth World Cup in Germany.

The neighborhood came alive when Germany won.  Fireworks, yelling, horns honking, and one guy kept repeating ," wir sind Weltmeister, wir sind Weltmeister,  we are World champions, we are World champions…."  Great fun.

The next day I went biking with Michael and Celia through the countryside of Heidelberg.  Awesome.

A view from a castle.

In the background are three castles.  

This castle is inhabited.

Biking though a corn field with a ruin of a castle in the background.

Amazing.

  Biking through this town was like biking through a fairy tale.

I love Germany especially the people.  It is great and I plan to go again and again as long as I can.

Have a great week.

Love adios and ping on!

Dirk

Berlin

My Dear Most Excellent Ones,

I spent several excellent days visiting several excellent uncles, aunts, and  cousins near and in Berlin.  Sven and Celia were with me and we enjoyed every minute,  The visit kicked off with a family reunion at the old Budwill homestead with a pig roast.  It was great fun and the pig was delicious.

Roasting the spahn ferkal. Pig.  Cousin Frank was a pro.

Sven and Harry.

Great people.

A walk in the forest after the meal is part of the deal.


The next day Sven, Celia, uncle Harry, and I headed to the Spreewald, (Spree forest) which the UN has granted a special status.  It was very relaxing and unique.

The walk to the Spreewald took us through a very quaint and pretty village.

We then boarded a Kahn, long boat, and took a trip along one of the many canals that criss cross through the Spreewald.

Flowers and peace were everywhere.

We had a short pause during our trip and sampled some of the pickles the Spreewald is famous for.

The Spreewald is beautiful.

It was wearing a "typical old costume day" in the Spreewald which added to the expereince.

On the way back we came across a parade and an Om pah bah band.  Great fun.

The selection of pickles was unreal.  There was also pickle liquour.

An old DDR car amused us.


The next day Sven, Celia, and I headed with cousin Silke and aunt Burga on a bike ride along the old Berlin wall.  It was fun and very educational.

A large onion dome synagogue.

We came to a monument of the wall, which included parts of the wall, the death strip, and a tower.  Since I pulled up the rear of our bike group I got to wear the pink vest.  Ha ha

The death strip.  Now a lovely lawn.

In front of the famous picture of an east German guard jumping to freedom. This was when the  Berlin wall was just being built and parts of it were  just barb wire.

Along the bike trip we came across cars festooned with the colors of Germany s national soccer team.  Flags and cars like these are all over Germany during the world cup.

An amazing church.


Later in the evening we met up with a daughter of a cousin, Nicole, and she took us to Check Point Charlie, the Jewish Memorial, Brandenburger Tor and the Reichstag, Germany s parliment.

Germans dressed as Americans.  You could get a picture with them for two Euros.  I don t think Mcdonalds was there when Check Point Charlie was in operation for real.

At the Jewish Memorial.  Amazing.

Brandenburger Tor.  

ReichsTag.

In front of the just being built, Kennedy House.

Have a great week everyone.  More great things to come!

Love adios and ping on!

Dirk