Dear Family and Friends,
Monday, July 2, we awoke about 10 AM after a late night and because the dark blinds in the basement were amazing in their ability to completely block the sun. After making ourselves presentable for the day, we found Markus upstairs with his wonderful parents, Inge and Karl. The table was set for us, full of breakfast goodies: German bagels, meats, cheeses, and jams (one even homemade from the raspberries in Inge’s gorgeous backyard garden)! We began to get to know this lovely couple, who have been married for almost 37 years and reminded Martha very much of her parents, over the morning’s freshly ground and brewed coffee. 
Karl and Markus had been discussing the options for sight-seeing around town; so we quickly cleaned up the breakfast dishes and set out for the day’s destination—Xanten. About 45 minutes away by car, Xanten is in different stages of rehabilitating and recreating an ancient Roman village that used to cover the landscape of that area. Temple remains (where Dani became a burnt offering; see photo to left below; that's her 'it's a walnut' face to the right below), towers from the 
junctions of the walls that surrounded the city, walnut trees, a game room, aqueducts, and a great coliseum occupied us for hours.
We were again so blessed to have Markus with us as he patiently translated all of the signs from German to English for us. All three of us were particularly taken with: the roadways of that era, and how the basic development of layers is so similar to today’s same means of building roads; the advanced technology of this civilization from 2,000 years ago, such as that they kne
w to build aqueducts below ground to prevent the water from freezing, one in for clean water, one out for waste water; and both the means of measuring distance that were used to post signs along the extensive Roman roadway system throughout their European Empire and the patience it must have taken to mark the distances between towns. A highly impressionable adventure, and we very much appreciated Karl’s recommendation that we visit Xanten!
Along the way, at the top of the North Tower, we encountered a playful couple who played ‘imaginary battle for the tower’ with us! What fun! (And amazingly, no blood was shed in the epic battle.) We ran into Sylke and Thorsten again along the way—marveling at the open waterway system below ground and taking shelter from the sudden storm that made the three of us literally run for cover! Below the archway and then walking to the next section of the city, we shared stories of life and of adventures. We must have said goodbye to each other four times!
After we three explored the coliseum, we decided to head into the adjacent town to find some food. It was way past 3 PM by then, and some sustenance was in order. We walked through town, by the Dom and the great big windmill, and finally back into the heart of the town’s square to find a pizza place. Who should we encounter once again, but Sylke and Thorsten! So we became a five-some for lunch, enjoying our pizzas and joking with the waitress. One of the running jokes with Markus was the addition of ‘aba flott’ (sorry for my poor German spelling in here, folks …), which generally means ‘and make it snappy.’ So, I ordered my pizza and added an ‘aba flott’ to the end at Markus’ behest, giving the giggles to all the Germans in the lot, including our waitress. (Martha had previously made other waitstaff giggle with this addition to her beer requests in Koln and Aachen.) 
Lunch passed and we said our final goodbyes. We headed back to Markus’ car and towards his parents’ home, stopping at the ‘best ice cream place in Heiligenhaus’ (their town). It was a mighty delicious treat, our ‘Smiley Bear’ Markus (see photo below to the right) was happy once again to have his eis, and we were even able to get a couple of scoops to take home to the padres. When we arrived at the house from our late lunch, we foun
d that Inge was in the process of putting together leftovers from her party for us. Still full, we declined the invitation to join them, but Martha and Dani were eventually talked into trying the Bavarian meatballs, and sat with the couple as they dined and chatted.
After dinner, Markus and Karl went to work some on the house computer. (Markus is an electronics and computer genius and very giving of his time to assist others with computer-related issues, especially.) In the meantime, Martha and Dani passed a wonderful, wonderful evening with Inge, learning about her child and adolescent psychology practice—a rewarding and difficult job, laughing about the embarrassing
details of past illness, and hearing stories of how Markus got his electronic ‘super powers’ (or so Martha thinks) when he was electrocuted not once, but twice, as a young child while putting his finger in the electrical socket. Martha worked a bit on writing the blog (but mostly ended up chatting with the ladies) while Dani and Inge sipped white wine. All three of us snacked on cheese and chorizo from Spain, pretzel sticks, and other little treats. Inge reminded us of part of why we are on this trip, giving us a mantra to aid our bodies in adjusting to a new lifestyle of greater fitness: “Be nice to your body so your soul will love to live in it.” We’re still working on it every day, Inge!
The guys joined us as the night grew late, and we learned about Karl and Inge’s passion for singing. They have even performed internationally, including in Cincinnati, Ohio, many years ago to multiple nights of sold-out crowds anxious to see the great German classical choir perform. Their favorite piece of work is called The Dream of Gerontius by Edward Elgar based on a poem about a dying elderly man of faith’s final thoughts and passing into eternity. We hope to someday have opportunity to hear Inge, Karl, and the choir sing! We so enjoyed sitting around the table and chatting … the best way to spend an evening!
Just before bed, Martha got a special treat, putting a call into her parents and hearing their voices for the first time since mid-May. So great to hear them! Thanks again to Markus and family for allowing us the gift of time on the phone!!
Tuesday, July 3 (our last full day in Germany … for now), Markus came downstairs as Martha and Dani were completing their self-preparation for the day. We sat around playing with the computer and chatting for hours until Inge came down to remind us that breakfast was on the table and she was going to have to change it to lunch soon! We went upstairs to lunch, and decided that since it was raining we would prefer to spend the day hanging out together around the house visiting instead of venturing out to do more sightseeing (well, Martha may have preferred to go to the Coal Mine Museum recommended by Karl, but we will have to do that upon our return, it seems!). (The photo below to the left is from Inge's 60th birthday weekend in Tenerife, Spain, with their two kids and family! Can you believe that young looking woman above just turned 60? Or maybe we missed something in translation and misunderstood which birthday she had this year?! *grin*)
Home time also allowed Markus and Martha to try to connect our computer to the Internet phone service, Skype. We determined, however disappointingly, that the microphone component of this computer was not working, and Skype was eliminated as an option for us. But mostly, we just sat around talking, laughing and laughing, and enjoying the down-day that was anything but a downer!
In the evening, we travelled back to Koln for Markus to see his friends Cony and Jochen (whom Martha and Dani met their first night in Germany) and to shop for a sleeping bag for Markus. We went to Jochen’s store, set up camp in his section—pulling chairs from other areas of the store and contemplating building a fire—as he worked to help a couple and their small child find the perfect sleeping bags, until Jochen finally recognized the goofballs lounging! Markus shopped and got good advice while Dani and Martha wandered the shoe section of this huge store. Over 450 pairs to choose from! Martha was in heaven! 
With plans to meet up with Jochen and Conny at their place in an hour or so, we went to a department store with a large electronics section on the top floor so that Markus could purchase the equipment that he needed Jochen and Conny’s WiFi (called ‘veelan’ here) at home. We stopped for dinner at a Doner Kebab—yummy spicy goodness. Markus was amazingly lost in the town of Koln, where he lived for several years mind you, and he and Martha depended on Dani’s good sense of 
direction to get us back to the car. Thankfully, the lady in Markus’ GPS system knew the way to Conny and Jochen’s house, and we made it safely just a wee bit late. Their place was a beautiful town home with two stories, photos of the two of them on their rock climbing adventures in the Alps (beautiful views of the smiling, hugging couple after conquering a mountain), nice wooden flooring recently installed, neat artwork created by Conny, and a cool new bathroom where the couple had put in more of their own installations and hard work. Jochen’s coworker, Sven, was also present for the evening as a strike among the train workers had caused issues with commuting into Koln.
Markus went to task fixing the WiFi while we chatted with the guys and Conny about work, seeing the video from Globetrotter that featured Sven rowing across the pond on the ground floor and hearing about their expectations for their futures with this successful industry. When Markus was done, the conversation turned to mostly German, which was fine with Martha and Dani because it was good to listen to the language and to see Markus enjoying the time with his friends. Of course, every once in a while, Markus would pause an
d tell us in English what they were talking about: ranging from the next household project utilizing Sven’s mighty carpentry skills to taxes and corruption. We left past 11:30 PM and ended up sitting in the car until the wee hours of the morning talking about future families and appreciating current ones. Dani then had a chance to call both sets of her parents, talking with them for the first time since we left as Martha had been able to do the night before. It made for a late late night, though! 
Wednesday, July 4, we did not celebrate with fireworks as our final day in Germany continued on with the unfortunate pattern of raininess that had plagued us this part of the trip. You see, just before we left Spain, Martha made a tragic error. She actually said outloud, “I can’t believe how nice the weather has been this entire trip.” And the downpours and dark clouds stayed with us throughout our time in Germany … and would surely be with us as we entered monsoon season in Thailand! 
We awoke, packed up (including putting together a small bag to leave with Markus—Spain guidebooks, contact lenses, and leather shoes not wanted in monsoon Thailand), and Martha spent some time photographing Inge's beautiful garden in the backyard. Aftering saying goodbye to his mother, we three headed out together 'one last time' (for now) to see the town of Werden where Markus and both sides of his family grew up. As we were preparing to pull away, Markus says, “This is when my mother plays a joke about the wheel of the car.” 
Inge looked frustrated that her joke had been spoiled, but went on with it anyway—as he pulled away she waved frantically until he stopped. She says, “Markus, your left front wheel is turning!” More laughs as we departed the homestead of this caring, funny family. It is so easy to see where Markus gets it joviality and great sense of humor from in life. 
an overhang for a while until the downpour subsided, but eventually just weathering the storm. Wet but still smiling, we got into Markus’ car and headed into town to find some eis at one of Markus’ (other) favorite spots in the area! Armed with our treat for the day, we wandered a few of the streets of Werden, beautiful, quaint streets with shop windows filled with German pasterie
s. To carry on the long plane ride to Thailand, Dani chose poppy-seed as a reminder of her Grandma-M's Christmas speciality (but the store-bought was no comparison!), and the time they shared together in Germany 13 years before. In the meantime, we three enjoyed our final meal together, a ‘workman’s lunch’ of curry bratwurst and pommes from a Greek store that had been broken into in the last few days. The thief got away with the hard working man’s cash register, and we heard of the first bit of crime in Germany the entire trip. 
Too soon, it was time to go to the airport. Soooo sad!!! We’ve fallen deeply in love with Germany, and feel we have not tried nearly enough beers or eis flavors or pastries or sausages!! Our goodbyes at the airport were difficult, leaving tears in the eyes of the two oldest friends as our traveling duo prepared to venture to their next country. But, we’ll see Markus again in October after Steffi is done with her finals! Besides, Martha learned that her family background is from Stuttgart (her Great Uncle Tim confirmed that the Heckels left Germany from Stuttgart in the 1820s, but Markus … still believing that she speaks German like a Bavarian, confirmed online that the bulk of ‘Heckels’ are from the lower Eastern provinces of the country), so she will definitely need to visit her roots regardless! 
At the airport, check-in was easy, except for our not having printed tickets (Martha ran to another desk to pick up the confirmation) and Martha’s cinnamon bottle from Spain almost getting them into trouble under the views of the airport x-ray machine! Waiting at the gate, we encountered a mix of cultures—Germans and Thais and who-knows-from-wheres. On the plane and ready to ride, we should awake in Thailand in the morning!! In love and light,
Martha and Dani
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