We caught a quick breakfast before leaving the truck stop for a ferry to Germany. The breakfast was ordinary for some, a bit more unusual for others. Nicole had the second and last pack of dried seaweed her grandparents had sent her from the home country in the last big package, and she savored every strip. Then somehow the topic of the truffles from Port were brought up, and Nicole decided to have one of hers!
And with that we left perhaps one of the last truck stops we would stay at, and stowed our things for one of the last times. We were becoming more aware of some of these "lasts" as the adventure wound down (say it ain't so)!
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| Don |
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| Fred and Don |
We arrived on German turf at noon and had little to no trouble entering Lensahn, where Luzie and Heinz lived. We were greeted by their smiling faces, two happy dogs, Don, and Fred (their new puppy), and a beautiful garden fit with chirping birds, two ponds with hidden frogs, and glorious sunshine. They gave a tour of their house that used to be a farm (actually, still kind of was when they bought it over 20 years ago). Heinz showed us his workroom, and we then understood how he could have handmade so many improvements to the house.
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| This picture does not do justice to Heinz's incredible organization skills, for on the whole the workroom was very neat |
Along with woodwork there was a plethora of handcrafted goods made by the couple, including mugs, plates, paintings, sculptures, photographs and more. Nicole laughed at the fact that there were high definition pictures Heinz had taken of snakes eating tadpoles and such located directly opposite the bed. Sweet dreams! Heinz offered to let Nicole use any of his telescopic lenses to which she readily accepted.
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| Icelandic poppy |
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| Leap frog? |
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| A dandelion |
Luzie had prepared a delicious lunch of spaghetti bolognese and salad, which we ate outside in the garden. Afterwards Dian napped by the pond, Charles chatted with Luzie and Heinz while observing Don and Fred frolick, and Nicole tested out one of Heinz's excellent lenses.
Upon waking, Dian painted a piece of wood to look like a watermelon then went on a walk around a nearby lake with Charles, Luzie, Heinz and the dogs.
Dinner was a great spread of various cheeses, meats, wine, beer and olive bread. Nicole and Dian sang some songs and Dian presented the couple with the last copy of "Neptune's Tavern", which she sang for them as Nicole turned the pages. They were very grateful for the music and book, and Luzie was even inspired to bring out some stories she had illustrated for her kindergarten class, based on already existing children's songs.
Heinz surprised us all with a few photos he had printed of Nicole and Fred in their backyard earlier that day, and Luzie gave Dian a whistle she had made to look and sound like a cuckoo bird (they being avid bird enthusiasts, this was a very cool gift to get). Weren't
we supposed to be the guests bearing gifts? They had already given us so much!
And with that we left perhaps one of the last truck stops we would stay at, and stowed our things for one of the last times. We were becoming more aware of some of these "lasts" as the adventure wound down (say it ain't so)!
Upon waking, Dian painted a piece of wood to look like a watermelon then went on a walk around a nearby lake with Charles, Luzie, Heinz and the dogs.
Dinner was a great spread of various cheeses, meats, wine, beer and olive bread. Nicole and Dian sang some songs and Dian presented the couple with the last copy of "Neptune's Tavern", which she sang for them as Nicole turned the pages. They were very grateful for the music and book, and Luzie was even inspired to bring out some stories she had illustrated for her kindergarten class, based on already existing children's songs.
Heinz surprised us all with a few photos he had printed of Nicole and Fred in their backyard earlier that day, and Luzie gave Dian a whistle she had made to look and sound like a cuckoo bird (they being avid bird enthusiasts, this was a very cool gift to get). Weren't we supposed to be the guests bearing gifts? They had already given us so much!
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