1 August 1999

Early the next morning, we took the hotel shuttle to the airport, checked our bags, and took the short hop to Düsseldorf.

Waiting for us after the baggage claim were both Tante Ilse and Tante Gertrud, smiling and waving! We took the long way into Elberfeld and dropped Tante Gertrud off at her house. Onkel Kurt was already on his way to church, and we crossed paths there.

We sat at Tante Ilse's for a couple of hours, catching our breath and getting our bearings. She made for us a delicious Mittagessen (lunch) of Rouladen (beef rollups), Kartofeln (potatoes)… and we each rested a bit. The trip, although short, was wearying.

In the mid-afternoon, Tante Ilse drove us over to Tante Gertrud's where we were joined by Michael and Lea for Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake - much better than tea and scones). It was a nice family time.

Later, Michael drove us through Elberfeld to Lennep. He made sure to drive us through the old town first. Lennep is where Dr. Röntgen, the discoverer of X-Rays, is from (in Germany, they're called Röntgen-Rays).


After getting to Michael and Susanne's house, we met their little Laura and had abendbrot (supper) and talked until late into the night.