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Published: August 25th 2008
On Friday, 1 August, we board the train to Kaiserslautern to link up with some old friends. The train ride from Interlaken requires four transfers to get us to our final destination. We meet Dan at the train station and proceed to his house.
Let me begin this post with a little background. I first met Dan and Marianne in Denver, Colorado in late 1987. These two special folks became great friends from the start. They are two of only a handful of people who knew me during one of the dark periods of my life and are still dear friends today. As I had stated in a previous post about heroes and friends “Your heroes will help you find good in yourself, your friends won't forsake you for somebody else. They'll both stand beside you thru thick and thru thin, and that's how it goes with heroes and friends.” This describes Dan and Marianne to the letter—Heroes and Friends.
Ok, so let’s get on with this great adventure. Again, I will spare you the daily details and hit the highlights. Dan and Marianne have built their home in a small village outside of Kaiserslautern, Germany. Marianne is
of German decent and Dan has decided that this is where he will call home when he retires. They have a very beautiful daughter, Anna, who has a great head on her shoulders and it shows how they are great parents.
We spend the first night catching up on current events and reminiscing about some of the days back in Denver. Lynne is very patient about listening to some of the stories and she gets to hear about some of those days long before we met.
On Saturday we awake and have breakfast. Shortly after breakfast we hear a distinctive horn and Marianne goes outside to meet “The Egg Man”. Now here is a novel concept. The egg man delivers farm fresh produce, eggs and chickens right to your door. Life in a small village in Germany is too cool. I really like this concept; it’s kind of like the milk man who delivered milk to your door years ago in America. Boy, something is really missing in America these days. Marianne, check out the photo of the egg man.
Dan takes us to the ancient village of Heidelberg and we check out the castle (Schloss Heidelberger). The
castle is most impressive and this is the first opportunity we have to experience one of the many castles in Germany. While in Heidelberg, we stop for lunch at the Markplatz in the Altstadt (old town) and I get my fix for schnitzel with rham sauce and spatzel in an outdoor café. I am enjoying the good German sampling of great food. Later, I grab a bratwurst and Dan makes a comment about my eating habits. Those of you who know me, know how I can put away some groceries.
On Sunday, we venture out into the Mosel River region. Lynne and I are most impressed with the number of vineyards and how they have planted the grape vines on the mountainsides throughout the region. We stop in a little village and Dan stops to visit with a friend from the SNCO Academy. This stop is at a wine tasting shop. I am amazed how this whole concept works. You stop in one of these shops which is run by one of the local wineries and they let you sample all of their wines. As it turns out, some people spend hours in some of these shops and begin making
Can you hear me now?
What? Hello? Can you hear me now? What about now? Hold on let me stand on this wall--Hello? Are you still there? Hello?their list of wines to purchase. It becomes clear that this is all part of their marketing strategy because the more you sample the looser your pocket book becomes and the longer your wine list grows. We say farewell and head on down the river. We come to a village where Dan and Marianne had spent time while he was assigned to Hahn Air Base.
We stop for lunch at a little shack along the river and sit outside enjoying our meal. The lunch, although it may be considered to be German version of fast food, was served on dishes in lieu of disposable dinnerware. Marianne points out that even at place like this; you will not find the type of waste like in America. I am really beginning to admire the German way of life and how aware they are about the environment. I’ll share a little more on this in a moment though.
Our next stop would be a scenic overlook of the Shcloss Cochem (Cochem Castle). We stop for a quick photo op and head on down the road. Next stop is the very picturesque castle called Burg Eltz. As we pull into one
of the nearby parking areas, Dan asked the lady how far of a walk it is to the castle, she far underestimates the distance and we set off into the woods for our hike to the castle. The castle is though the woods on a long downhill trail which would require us to make the climb back up. Lynne becomes a little concerned about the climb back up. Dan and Marianne had already discussed options when I was going to propose that Dan and I go back to get the car and drive around to the other parking area. I think all of us were a little disappointed (pissed) with the lady who sold us on the idea to park in her parking area. Typically, Lynne and I would take our time and would have made the trek back up the hill, but we were on a time schedule to make it back to Dan’s house and still had a lengthy drive ahead of us. Marianne stayed with Lynne and I and we did a quick visit to the castle while Dan went back for the vehicle. The castle was spectacular even though we did not take the tour of
the interior. We headed back to the house to close out a very busy and exciting day.
During our visit with Dan and Marianne, we were able to visit Ramstein Air Base where Dan continues to serve his country and do great things. While at the base, I ceased the opportunity to get a shave and haircut and get cleaned up. I guess just being around my old Air Force family forced me to clean up my act and look presentable. Dr. Bob, I hope the shave and haircut meets your approval. Perhaps you can hire me on as a VCR repairman when I return to the states.
The visit to the base also gave me the opportunity to visit with Dawn Lancaster (a former boss and mentor), Brian Borda (another boss and mentor), Tony Flowers (a genius I had the pleasure of serving with in Japan). I also ran into Cheryl Evans (a brilliant superstar I worked with in Qatar) and Beth Pedersen (a wise old friend who always put things into perspective for me). Having mentioned these heroes and friends, let me take a few moments to make a few comments.
Dawn, you have an awesome
amount of responsibilities in your new position. As I had previously stated, you will continue to excel. You have that natural ability to steer, guide and motivate people into doing great things. Never doubt your abilities—you are exactly where you need to be.
Brian, Lynne and I really enjoyed the hospitality and the time we were able to share with you and Gretchen. Thanks for the continued mentorship and encouragement. I am confident our paths will cross again. Who knows, maybe you will need a good marketing genius on your staff.
Tony, Wow-what a pleasant surprise to know you were at Ramstein. Let me tell you something my friend. I got an unbelievable amount of energy just spending a few moments with you. Let me also tell you that you are one of the few people that has that genius ability to envision something in your mind and use your talent to create a masterpiece. It was awesome to see you still have that vision and drive to accomplish some miracle projects like you did in Misawa.
Cheryl, I was as shocked to see you as you were shocked to see me. Your smile certainly made my
day. I vividly recall those days back at the “Deid” where your smile brightened people’s day when they needed it the most. I admire your dream to travel. I have two words of advice for you—DO IT. I expect to hear from you in the future—please share your adventures with us. I’m also going to give you a friendly reminder to hit the books—I expect to see your name on the list next year.
Beth, It was great to see you again. Keep one thing in mind. You always have a friend here. Stay in touch. As you know, friends are one of those things in life we cherish.
During our visit with Dan and Marianne, we were able to plan the next two legs of our trip. They were a wealth of information and provided us some inside information about Bavaria. We even booked our accommodation in Oberau. I had the pleasure of showing Dan, Marianne, and Anna the entire contents of my backpack that would carry all of my worldly goods for the next 10 months. I had a blast showing you guys.
Again, we spent a great amount of time talking about the old Denver
days. Certainly we chatted about the good times, but we also took the time to reflect on some of the crazy times as well. Thanks for keeping things in perspective for me. I think you both will agree, I am in a much happier place these days.
I know I am missing some of the highlights from the visit so please drop me a note to help me out. I still have to work on getting these updates posted while they are fresh on my mind. Heck, the older I get, the shorter the memory.
Dan and Marianne, thanks again for the great visit—you guys mean the world to me and we will see you again in the future. Maybe you can visit us in our island paradise like we discussed.
Before I close out this update, let me take a moment to discuss a really appealing way of life in Germany. All around Germany people have adopted a common sense lifestyle when it comes to natural (bio) products, recycling, and energy conservation. Germany is ahead of America by leaps and bounds when it comes to things of this nature. In America, it has only become trendy
to buy “organic” products. One community in California even promotes the “30 mile diet” where they encourage people to buy locally (within 30 miles of their home); In Germany, they live by this principal in villages all around the country every day. You see evidence of this such as the Egg Man. When you go to the mega grocery stores in America like the Super Walmart, they bag your groceries and everything else you buy in all of those cute plastic bags that take forever to biodegrade and end up in landfills; In Germany, you either bring your own bags or they charge you for the convenience of using theses wasteful products. In America, you may find a community recycling program, but chances are you do not have an active program in your community; In Germany, you recycle everything because it is a way of life. It’s not just a cool fade to wave the banner and say “I recycle” like it is in America. In America, we still drive huge SUVs and drive to the Super Walmart 3-5 times a week; In Germany, you buy a vehicle that will give you great mileage because fuel cost are much larger
than American could imagine. In Germany, bicycles are a means of transportation as well as a source of recreation and physical fitness. When was the last time, you rode a bike to the local market? Now, let me clarify something. Prior to coming on this trip, I was one of those Americans I was just talking about. I will say that I have learned some valuable lessons about this lifestyle and will begin to wean myself from my wasteful ways. I encourage each of you to look at your lifestyle and ask yourself what you can do for the future. Ok, off of my soap box.
On Thursday, 7 August, Dan dropped us at the train station to catch our train to Munich. Stay tuned for our post from the Bavarian capital.
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Katrina
non-member comment
Hey great pictures! Dan and Marianne it is so good to see you both. You both look great! No pictures of their daughter though....I would love to see a picture of her. Glad to here your trip is going well.