We breakfast as only the germans can, which means, as my six year old put it, "Mom, we're having a feast!" For our conspicuous consumption in the bread basket are four kinds of rolls: crispy white, multigrain with seeds on top, hot pretzel style and dark. We dive into hard and soft cheeses and cold meats, three kinds of jam, honey, butter and Nutella.
Thus fortified, we set out to sail around Kiel bay, our friends' little corner of the Baltic Sea, the busiest waterway in the world. we can see why. It is an Autobahn of ferries, large and small; the smallest sailboats and the largest cruise ships; tankers, and tugs. From our vessel we see a submarine under repair and an experimental solar powered motor catamaran receiving maintenance.
Our next stop is "the beach", which coming from Florida, came as a bit of a shock to my daughter. Sharp rocks decorated the shoreline and the water was only a few feet deep for about one quarter mile. Beyond that we could see tankers and ferries chugging by in the channel. We enjoyed fish sandwiches, the local specialty, and then decided to test the water. we attempted a game of frisbee but there were too many stones underfoot.
We then freshen up at at "home", our friends' apartment, and speed away for a five course fish dinner in the resort area of Strande, courtesy of my generous mom. Cocktails, Proseco,and a German Riesling lubricate the conversation. The kids head to the bar area with their dessert where a big screen television broadcasts the final game of the World Cup soccer match. We zip home at halftime to watch the exciting conclusion: a well deserved victory for Spain over the Netherlands.
As food is such an obvious theme in our travels, it is fortunate that marathon amounts of walking are as well. The next day was again a travel day as we left for Gifhorn. Our journey consisted of one regional train Kiel-Hamburg, one Intercity Express Hamburg-Hanover, the height of comfortable travel; and finally another regional starting in Hanover to our final destination near Wolfsburg. Regional trains have no air conditioning,so we arrive completely baked and more than a little cranky. Grandpa picks us up at the station. A plunge into the local lake refreshes us for a visit to the cousins, followed by a pleasant barbeque in the grandparents' garden.
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