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Sunday November 18th, 2012: A trip to Altona and Kaffeetrinken with Kim
Bob: Gustl drove Monika and me over to the family grave site where we layed a wreath and paid our respects. Monika's mother had always been very gracious to me despite my speaking broken German and having kept one of her daughters in America, so I sincerely miss her, and not just because of the special desserts she always cooked for me! (Fortunately, Heinke has taken over her mother's role in the family and now cooks the great meals plus, on Sunday, a home-baked dessert!) |
Monika: One of the things I always do in Hamburg, visit the grave of my parents. They lie in a small cemetery in Altona about 15 minutes from where I used to live. Gustl offered to drive us and Heinke wanted to stay to bake for the afternoon, when we were expecting Kimi , Detlef ,and Susanne. The German cemeteries are like little gardens with each grave having its own little plot. Heinke and Gustl are taking care of the grave of my parents and it looked very nice. We placed the evergreen arrangement on the grave and I thought of my parents. My father has been dead for 50 years and my mother for 23. Time does pass quickly. |
Bob: From the cemetery, we three walked down a bluff to the water front of the Elbe, which was flowing North to the North Sea at that point. Although it was quite misty, I enjoyed seeing the tugboats moored in the Elbe that serve the ships going in and out of Hamburg's harbor. Monika enjoyed seeing some of her old familiar places such as the house where her doctor used to live and a downhill section of the riverside bluff where she went sledding as a child. Great memories for her! |
Monika: Afterwards we walked to the Elbe, past the fantasy (or nightmare) house of an architect, across the Elbchaussee and down to the river. The tugboats were docked waiting for work. They no longer came only from Hamburg but other cities in Germany and the EU, like Rostock. We returned back up the hill were I used to sled on the rare occasions there was enough snow in Hamburg, and on to the car to drive home for our Sunday meal. |
Bob: We returned home for the fancy Sunday meal Heinke had been preparing, which featured white asparagus and prosciutto. The white asparagus is a German specialty although I occasionally see it in good grocery stores in the U.S. It is white because it is grown underground so chlorophyll does not develop, and has a rather gentle flavor. Normally white asparagus is only available in May, but this bunch had been frozen for use later in the year. That afternoon Detlef, his wife Susanne, and Kim, Monika's niece, all came for a Sunday Kaffeetrinken that featured Heinke's home-baked cheesecake plus assorted other finger-food. Kim told us all about her renovation of a big stone pig sty (!) into a home on one of the outer islands of the Azores, and afterwards she showed us pictures of it. Detlef and Susanne talked about what was happening in their lives, and all in all we caught up on the family news, which is for us fun. After they left however, we had a relaxed evening and turned in rather early because the next day was for us a travel day. |
Monika: Back at Heinke’s we had a wonderful meal of white aspergus (frozen of course), prosciutto, and potatoes. Very, very yummy!. By 3:00 clock the guests were coming and we had a nice Kaffeetrinken with everyone. Kimi showed us pictures of the house she is restoring on the Azores. She seems to be happy there, so I hope she finally has found a home. In the evening, we had to pack and then have a final nice evening with Heinke and Gustl before heading off for bed. |
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