Freiburg to Ringsheim: Babies are Beautiful and for Loving
What a happy day today was. We didn't get very far (again) but we had the most wonderful day.
Our hotel in Freiburg was fantastic. The location was perfect...right across from the Munster and in the middle of everything. Breakfast was excellent, but today we didn't linger over coffee because Wolfgang was picking us up to go and see the grandchildren. We met him at the old town gate, as we were staying in the heart of the pedestrian zone. This worked perfectly, and we drove to their daughter's home to meet the grand babies. We met the two oldest last year via Skype, but that is not quite the same as holding, dancing, cuddling and kissing. There is a brand new granddaughter too. Just five weeks. Kathi is one busy Mom. The babies are two and a half years, fifteen months and five weeks!!
It was also such a happy surprise for us to be seeing Wolfgang again, and Uncle Simon, their son, was an added bonus. The best news of all? Simon is coming to see us in the spring. We can't wait! We were able to have a good visit with the babies, and with Oma and Opa. It was longer than we had hoped for, and that was a bonus. It was hard to say goodbye.
It was such a happy visit. I don't know how else to describe it. The grandchildren are beautiful. I loved listening to the oldest chatter in German. Simon taught me how to say something to her in German, and the look on her face was priceless when I did. It said "Finally! Something I can understand!"
All the girls up dancing. Kathi had gone to run an errand or she would have been in there too. This is a very happy household. Wolfgang and Simon had to head back to Berlin today, but Anne is staying for a week to love those babies to bits.
Saying goodbye. The only disappointment was that we didn't get to meet Christian, Kathi's husband, but jeez, somebody has to go to work! Hopefully next year!
So, a short blog today, because we then hopped on the bikes and had a drama free exit from Freiburg. We had a beautiful, sunny but short ride. We didn't get going until close to 3 PM, and just thought we would ride until we found a good spot to stop. Ringsheim seemed about right. It was getting close to 5 PM, and we wanted to know we had a bed for the night, so here we are.
Dedicated bike path or bike lane all the way out of Freiburg. We didn't have to mix it up with the traffic at all.
So it was a great day. A lot of loving, a little bit of riding, and at the very end, dinner was a surprise because the hotel restaurant is uber expensive but equally amazing. I just wanted a bowl of soup as we had had a late lunch and that wasn't a problem. It came with a white bean and caviar amuse bouche, which was dreamy. The soup itself, sauerkraut soup, no less, was garnished with a lime foam and smoked fish and was dreamy too. Chef Mark would approve of this place. The menu was fantastic. I would like to come back when I am hungrier and richer!
One last story. We were telling Wolfgang and Simon about our lunch yesterday at the farm gate restaurant and Simon turned around in the car and asked if there had been a large birdcage in the courtyard. Yup. They had dinner there last night. We really laughed. I do wish it had been lunch. Imagine the surprise if we had run into each other there.
Today's ride: 36 km (22 miles) Total: 2,399 km (1,490 miles)
