Hallo, Deutschland!

Germany has been the surprise hit of our adventure.  We have all been happy here, for different reasons.  We all have enjoyed the warmer weather.  The German’s sense of order and cleanliness is something I welcome after the chaos of Paris.  And truth be told, they also serve kick ass breakfasts.

The kids have loved the parks, and the manner in which children’s interests are woven into the fabric of the community.  They have also liked the food, although they haven’t branched out very far from sausages or schnitzel.  In fact, they have eaten schnitzel every day. 

Bob is back in familiar territory, and happy to be reconnecting with friends and relatives for the first time since his father Warren passed away in 2003.  He is the lone American Gade, solely responsible for maintaining the connections with the German variety Gades.  This is made a little bit more difficult by the fact that few of them speak any English, if any.

And so begins the sentimental portion of the journey… as well as the driving adventure.  Our rental car is a bit of a disappointment, in that it is a Ford.  We’re surrounded by the coolest cars and we get a Ford!  But we did pay extra to secure a diesel, and it is a 6 speed manual transmission.  Not something you see every day in the states.  It will do, especially since it has a turbo diesel.  

Bring on the Autobahn!