I Love to See the Temples

We stayed in a part of Kiel called Schilksee. In the summer they host a large sailing regatta. We watched cargo ships pass through in and out of Kiel going to and from other northern European countries. Kiel is a harbor city. When I was a teenager we left from Kiel on an overnight ferry to Sweden at Christmas time. That was my first experience on a "cruise" with restaurants, discos, lounges, and cabins on board. I remember we met and hung out with some Swedish military guys then. I remember them bragging about ABBA and Ace of Base.  

We arrived in

My theme for the trip Early Saturday morning, Blake gave us a ride to the airport, then literally went the extra mile when he picked up and brought us our COVID immunization cards, just in case. He had served a mission in Berlin, so he was super excited for us. We had a long layover in Seattle so we visited my brother Mark, ate sushi, said hi to the Pacific Ocean, then visited my BYU roomie/bestie Rozalyn. Mark dropped us back at the airport and we boarded this zany striped plane bound for Frankfurt. Miracle Moment: In the PHX airport, we were sitting by the ticket counter, and I remembered we didn't have a lot of cash. I said, "We could really use a Bank of America ATM sometime."  About five minutes later we walked around the corner, and guess what we ran into... yes, a Bank of America ATM. Sweet moment.

Why go to Germany? ... Why not? A few months ago I was in a teacher supply "store"--where people donate supplies, and teachers can take what they need. It's like a Goodwill for teachers, but free. Among the random things there, I found an old map. There were no other maps. Just that one. What was the map of? Northern Germany.  It had all the little towns and roads from Denmark down to Hannover. I took it.  I had been having the itch to travel. And not a normal weekend in Flagstaff. I wanted to use my passport again.  The random map of Norddeutschland  was a sign. I was an exchange student in northern Germany from 1994-1995. I went back to Germany in 2018 with Ella and my mom, but Ephraim had never been and I wanted to show him the places that were so important to me as a teenager. I wanted to use my German again. I wanted to pay in euros, ride trains, and fit my life in a backpack. I wanted to buy a chocolate bar with a coin and eat it entirely by myself with no kids...