So I woke up the next day with an upset stomach. Partially Jet Lagged, partially nervous stomach. I mean, c’mon, this is the first time in a different country and I’m all by myself!

Jochen had a huge breakfast he was getting ready to prepare but there was no way I could eat anything. We got in the car and stopped for gas – which is extremely expensive here by the way. I bought some Sprite to help settle my stomach. The Sprite here is more carbonated than in America so it tasted funny and needless to say did not help.

I fell asleep on the ride there and then woke up to a not so good feeling. I screamed to Jochen to pull over and he said, “What? I can’t pull over on the Auto Bahn!” I said, “You better!” He pulled over quickly and I proceeded to puke on the side of the Auto Bahn. Yes, I am that girl you saw puke on the side of the Auto Bahn. I am famous.

When we reached Clara’s house, they did everything they could to take care of me – tons of water and a huge bed to sleep in. It was the room my mom stayed in when she came to visit about 8 years before. After a long nap I woke up and we went to visit Uncle Willi, my Oma’s brother, and Berget, his daughter. I showed them the video I made and then Berget showed me all of Uncle Willi’s pictures. There were tons of my mom and her siblings that Oma had sent to them. Berget joked that instead of visiting, Oma would send pictures! Jochen took pictures of the pictures so I could show my mom.

Jochen and I then went to Dinkelsbuhl, where my Oma grew up. I made sure to videotape the cobblestone streets and sidewalks to show my friends at school. We always complain about tripping over the uneven bricks in the main part of campus. It took me about 5 minutes of walking to learn how to simply walk in this town without tripping during every single step.

Kinderzeche, a huge festival held every year, was in the main street. There are huge parades and people in costumes. The town is decorated to look like it did when the Swedish invaded in the 17th Century. More information about the festival is here: http://www.kinderzeche.de/

This town was so beautiful in its old time architecture. I couldn’t believe people actually got to live there! I am so jealous!

We then tried to find the building where my Oma had grown up after the War. I knew it was a bank when my mom first visited 8 years before but I wasn’t sure where. I also knew there was a fountain nearby from the video we made. We asked some locals where an old bank was and if there was a fountain out front. They told us how to get there and sure enough that was the right place! I took tons of pictures and videos!

After we found the place, Jochen said we must celebrate our good fortune. So we had this beer called Radler. It is a mixture of beer and lemonade and is considered a refreshing beer. I guess Germans go for a bike ride then drink a Radler to regenerate. Maybe? I loved the beer glasses so much that we stole one…tell no one! I thought it would be a great souvenir!

When we got back to Clara’s there was a huge meal waiting along with tons of family members! They were all so nice and gave huge hugs! After dinner we watched the film. The scene with me talking to Oma on the phone is still a crowd favorite! They all really loved it and want copies. I am so happy we made a film to show my Oma’s life to people who hadn’t seen her in over 20 years.