This is our 3rd day in Morocco. I am sitting downstairs trying to catch
up on my blogs re Germany. I have
all the windows open and it is very nippy this morning – the air is cool, crisp
and fresh. Ifrane has not quite
woken up yet. I enjoy the
quietness of the early morning. Once
I finish this blog, I will walk to a nearby café to pick up a round loaf for
Berber bread.
We took our first trip to Berlin from Bad Saarow on the last
Sunday that we were there. We went
to visit some friends, Norbert, Gertrude and Gabriel. Norbert and Gertrude bought a large two-story house with a
full basement a couple of years ago in southeast Berlin that they are in the
process of renovating. Norbert is
an art dealer who runs his business from their home on the first floor. Gertrude is a professor who trains
teachers. Gabriel is retired and
rents an apartment in the house.
All three are old, good friends of Doris. Doris’ children grew up thinking that Norbert and Gertrude’s
children were their cousins and still refer to them as their cousins. It was a 40-minute drive from Bad
Saarow to Berlin, although we did get lost and had to call for directions. When we arrived, Norbert who is an
excellent cook was preparing a vegan meal – a nod to my dietary peculiarities. I hung out in the kitchen with Norbert
while he finished lunch. Doris was
upstairs chatting with Gertrude and Gabriel. When lunch was ready, we all helped to set the table in the
garden and bring out the food.
The food was excellent and we all enjoyed a nice lunch while chatting
about life, work, retirement, kids, grandkids, the economy and politics – all
the usual suspects. All of Doris’
friends are very intelligent, engaged, articulate and the nicest people. Often the conversation was in German
but I never felt left out. English
was used frequently enough that I could follow what was going on. Lunch ended with cake and watermelon –
a nod to my southern roots.
After lunch Norbert and I went to pick up his daughter,
Veronica, and her two twin daughters, Anna and Juana. I enjoyed the drive through Berlin. It is such a cosmopolitan city and so
ethnically diverse. It is one of
the “hot spots” in Europe for
young men and woman along with Barcelona and Prague. They come all over the world for school, work, economic opportunity
and well the “Berlin ambience”.
Berlin has a certain energy that makes it an exciting place to
live. I can understand why so many
young people are drawn to the city – the food, the music, the art scene, and
the culture. It is an exciting
place to be young and ambitious.
Also Berlin is one of the cheapest cities in the world to live. Doris and I have discussed living in
Berlin once we “completely” retire but that is still so many years off so who
knows – I do enjoy visiting Berlin and hope we can spend more time there.
Veronica and her partner, Juan, live in a roomy two room
flat in an older part of East Berlin.
In Germany, an apartment is described by the number of rooms that it has
excluding the bathroom and kitchen.
Juan was funny, warm and welcoming – a truly nice guy. He is originally from Columbia. He and Veronica hope to eventually go
back to Columbia for a few years for work and to be close to Juan’s family. Right now Juan is interviewing for a
position in Hamburg, Germany. I understand
that he is also an accomplished musician. The twins are adorable – healthy,
happy and well loved.
When we arrive back at the house, the twins who are six
months old were the center of adoration.
This is the first time that Doris had seen the twins and it was the
highlight of our trip. Veronica’s
brother, Felix, soon arrived on his bike.
Felix also lives in Berlin in a commune style house. He recently graduated from college and
is an automotive design engineer who is currently working on a project to
redesign seatbelts. Both Veronica
and Felix grabbed some lunch. The
conversations continued. The
babies were pampered and adored, as they should be.
Veronica and Doris took the babies for a walk. They both wrapped about 8 yards of
cloth around their bodies to form a kind a sling in the front the carry the
babies while they walked. I later
noticed a number of women in Berlin using the same type of sling to carry their
babies. I admire Veronica’s energy
– one baby is hard enough,
but twins are A LOT OF WORK! Veronica is great mom.
Doris and I had a great time visiting with everyone. We finally left about 6:30 pm so we
could get back to Bad Saarow for dinner with Elfriede. It was a perfect ending to a perfect
day – dinner on the deck with a view of the Scharmützelsee.
I know y’all want pictures of the babies but our wi-fi
situation does not allow me the capacity the upload and attach photos to the
blog. I will try to upload photos
as soon as I can.
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