Nuremberg

We have reached the symbolic midpoint of our trip. Late on a warm afternoon we arrived in Nuremberg at the doorstop of my Tante Christel, my father´s younger sister. It has been thirteen years since she visited our family in California, and it was with great joy that we were again together and she could meet my dear John. My cousin Andy and his girlfriend Michaela joined us for this first evening of this reunion.

And food is the center of any German celebration, and this event was not an exception. Bavarian sausages, German potato salad with its characteristic tang of vinegar, shredded radish root, and the local favorite drink -- Radlers, consisting of half beer and half lemonade. Refreshing!

The next day Andy gave us a walking tour of the city, and we circumnavigated the old heart of Nuremberg along the ancient wall and over the bridges that cross the Pegnitz River.

And after our tour we sat in a park at a biergarten and drank Radlers and ate "bretzels", under umbrellas bearing brewery logos that shielded us from the hot summer sun. We talked about Germany and America and family and travel. Unaccoustmed to the combination of inactivity, heat, and alcohol, we both could have stretched out and taken a nap right there.

We spent the next day with Christel, walking the dog and shopping at the local market as we prepared for the second stage of our trip. It felt like being home.