Cross another item off my bucket list!!! Wir Deutschland besucht! :) Wow, what an amazing trip. Elizabeth and I left all our worries and responsibilities behind (including syllabi and summer assignments - yes!) and enjoyed ten days of peaceful, yet simultaneously exciting, fun. Perhaps the best trip ever.
Laura provided the cultural and historical significance of some of our undertakings on her blog, so no need to repeat that here, just know that we were quite intellectual and worldly regarding the places we went and the activities in which we engaged. But more than that, we had FUN! Laughing, teasing, remembering, relaxing, hiking (and hiking and hiking and hiking; our back calf muscles now noticeably bulge in our jeans) and much more!Some global observations:
Patrick is a fabulous chef. Laura is the kindest hostess. Michael is the funniest teenager.
Elizabeth is the most easy-going travel companion. I am the happiest guest!
I cannot express how grateful I am to have been able to physically make the trip. Whatever pain existed was totally worth it, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I was so thankful to experience snapshots of Laura, Patrick, and Michael's lives, and Elizabeth is always so lovely to be with. Some of our favorite adventures included touring Laura's university (where Elizabeth loved seeing a dog play in one of the fountains); watching brave Michael and Elizabeth tackle the woods' ropes course; seeing Michael participate as church server even though I understood only 14 words during the hour; listening to live opera; 
saying "hallo" and "danke" to every store employee just to feel like a native speaker; appreciating their beautiful house; the aforementioned hiking and resultant huge calf muscles; listening to Patrick's storytelling; finding frozen yogurt most days; enjoying meals together; meeting some of Michael, Patrick, and Laura's friends; taking walks in 72 degree weather; hearing about Patrick's entrepreneurial skills; Boggle; giving advice during a fashion show; appreciating Laura's balcony; talking about life; laughing at Michael's observations; shopping at Lidl; all the photo sessions; avoiding wurst; talking about books; and doing the do-si-do with Laura. 
Laura has always been the kindest person, and I so admire her intellectual life as well as the close relationships she has with her children. It's easy to see why they love hanging out with one another .... all are amazing individuals.
Elizabeth reminds me of Laura in multiple ways so one of my favorite pictures from the trip is of the two of them together in Laura's office, surrounded by books, including The fault in our stars, which is one of Elizabeth's top 5 all-time favorites (it's the blue one sticking out by E's arm). I also love the photo of Elizabeth and me on the rocks, even though Elizabeth said it looks like she has a shaved head and I have a Texas-sized side ponytail.Thank you for the many beautiful, life-long memories, Sudhaus family!
And Karyn was the Organizer Extraordinaire!!!! In addition to bringing us so many great American food products and clothes for me, she brought order into our kitchen/dining/entry area!!! I felt so spoiled to have her sort through our closets, force me to get rid of junk, and organize what was left in a much better way than it was organized originally. When I mention this to others, they ask if my sister can visit them!!!!! And one other thing that neither of us mentioned, but I really enjoyed was seeing "Still Alice" with Elizabeth and having her introduce us to "Parks and Recreation." We'll treasure the memories of their visit for months and years to come!!
ReplyDeleteLove the view of the first photo!! Nice shot! Good we took a photographer along with us:)
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