Hello Stranger

Not sure if this is the longest stretch without a blog post, but as I read the last one, I realized we've come a long way (though not in distance) since then. We are now in Berlin. I can't yet say for sure whether our world travels are officially over, but it looks like we're about to settle down here. If we can survive the winter, that is.

Concert at the Brandenburg Gate

After the bike tour, we went to Matthias' home town of Gommern to take care of Oma (his grandmother) while Matthias' parents went on a trip to America. I hope I don't sound too glib when I say that we failed miserably, as Oma died after a week on our watch. It was indeed a difficult time, but I have to say, I think Oma was ready to go (for the last year, actually) as she was 95 years old and not able to do what she wanted anymore (as compared to just two years ago, when she cooked, baked, entertained, etc.!) And, she died in the comfort of her own home (in bed) without any pain or suffering, with her (favorite) grandson at her side. Almost kind of beautiful. Of course, I feel bad for Matthias' parents, who felt guilty about going on vacation (after 20+ years of taking care of Oma), and then had to hear about her passing so far away. But we were able to schedule the funeral, which was lovely, for their return, and I think all went smoothly. Oma will be missed!

Two special people we lost this year: Oma and Harry (at our wedding!!)

So that was our September - small town Germany and family. But Matthias (and I) did have some excitement finding mushrooms during what turned out to be an "excellent year for mushrooms" in Germany. For the most part, Matthias did the mushroom hunting (and all of the cooking.) But I was thrilled to find so many Steinpilz ("stone mushrooms"), the best-tasting, cutest looking shrooms on the planet! They actually look like tiny little elf houses! And I can now totally understand how Hansel and Gretel got lost in the forest - they must have been looking for mushrooms. So, September was also the month of Steinpilz soup, steak with Steinpilz sauce, sauteed Steinpilz, Steinpilz omelets, etc., etc.! And now I'm on a serious diet!

Steinpilz!!

But before the diet could begin, we had one more adventure. We met my parents in Budapest for a fantastic eating, drinking, thermal-bathing, and sometimes-sightseeing bonanza! It was great to see the parents, as always, and (also as always) great to be in Budapest! We had a blast! And then it was time to get down to business.

In Budapest!

Before we left for Budapest, we rented an apartment for four months in Berlin, so that we could try our luck here and (hopefully) find a longer-term place to live. Fortunately, the apartment and neighborhood turned out to be pretty fabulous. That's important, of course, as the weather is starting to turn nasty, and so are we, as looking for work is no fun! And not fun to write about either, so I'll stop here....