Bratwurst und Bier (Bratwurst & Beer)

We had our first visitors in Germany over the last weekend in September. Patrick’s parents came and stayed with us after their whirlwind 21-day trip over much of Europe. When they had first started planning their European tour, the thought was that they might visit us in Naples. Well, they ended up visiting us in Germany instead. We couldn’t have known at the time that they had planned their trip, but us being in Germany was actually much better than had we stayed in Naples. During the early part of their journey, they had a one-night stay in a little city called Niedernhausen in the Rheingau (Rhein Valley region), which is only 30 minutes from where live. We had dinner and a quick visit with them before they were due to stay with us at the end of their tour. It was the first time we had seen them in almost a year and a half. I had been lucky, Mom, Ya-chi, and Heather had managed to visit while I was still in Naples, so I hadn’t had to endure such a long period of time before seeing some family and friend. Living overseas has afforded us such an adventure but the downside has been the inability to visit our family and friends as often as we could.
We spent three days with our parents, shopping, eating, checking out the sights, shopping, and eating some more. It was a great time but ended way too soon. No tears shed at the airport because I know we will soon see them again… in a month! Yes, after almost 16 months we will finally be home with our family and friends for a few weeks. As much fun as it has been to explore all that Europe has to offer, there is just nothing like the comforts of home, the ability to communicate freely, and all the little conveniences that we have not experienced in the past year and some months. I plan to be on a “see food” diet. If I can still fit into my pants on the flight back to Germany, that would be a miraculous feat!