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Date: 08/12/2005
After the civil ceremony his grandma said to Simon, Now you are a man! - Simon asked her what he had been until now. - A student.
Date: 08/07/2005
Yesterday we celebrated a German tradition, the Polterabend. This is an evening when both families and the friends of bride and groom get together, rent a barbecue place, and eat and drink together. Afterwards bride and groom have some time to reconsider - in the case of Simon and Bianca a whole week - and if they still want to commit we all meet again and eat and drink (!) together. Only then will the marriage be considered acceptable by both families.
Date: 08/04/2005
My parents, Vera and me, and now our son - we all celebrated our weddings in the region around HeideIberg. And lived much of our lives somewhere else. - In the last two months I visited each of my siblings, in Tijuana, Missouri, Vienna, Salzburg. This hasn't happened in 20 years. - Balu, the dog of Ulla, our host, adopts us and sleeps under our bed every night. Vera calls him a "Märchenhund", a dog from a ferry tale.
Date: 08/01/2005
Harry Sky is on his way to the US. For me and Vera another adventure begins: help prepare for the wedding of our son in 12 days.
Date: 7/30/2005
Lichtenberg, Attergau. Back on the mountain in Upper Austria, where I grew up. As a six year old I was sent ahead to live with the neighbors on their farm for one year until parents and siblings follow. I meet them again, Matthias is now 80 and Erni is 78 years old. They treat me like one of their own.
Date: 7/28/2005 Vienna
Walking next to Rabbi Harry Sky through the Hofburg, Heldenplatz, past the Rathaus to the concert hall. He is constantly processing the experience of visiting Jewish sites in Germany and Austria, curious like a little boy, observing, asking, joking. All of a sudden I miss my father, who would have been exactly Harry´s age, but who died 26 years ago.
Date: 7/25 Vienna, Austria
Cheap prayers. Do we have to pay? I ask as we enter the Stefansdom. - 1.50 if you look at the sights, nothing if you just pray, is the answer.
Date: 7/22/2005 Mannheim
After the service in the synagogue the opinions clash. The Israeli Jew insists that nothing comparable to the genocide of Jews by the NS ever happened in history and that it should not be forgotten for 1000 years. The Rabbi said we must move on. Harry sided with the Rabbi.
Date: 7/19 Frankfurt
We spoke in Augsburg and Wehingen to and with congregations. I translate and watch how the rabbi ministers to the Christians and how the German congregations minister to Harry, who did not dare visit Germany, waiting 50 years for this moment.
Date: 7/15
Dossenheim near HeideIberg. I forgot how much I like the German food. Maultaschen, roher Schinken, Schnitzel, Torten. The salads, the dark bread, even the potatoes taste different. And then there are the beers: Alt, Pils, Weizen, Kristall, Hefe or Dunkel. No wonder Germans believe that God speaks German.
Date: 7/14
The last 60 miles from Frankfurt to Heidelberg on the Autobahn, 110 mph - now we're talking!
Date: 7/13/2005
2:30 pm we got ready to take the bus to Boston for our 9:30 departure. Why does it take 7 hours to cover the108 miles to the airport but only 6 1/2 hours to fly to Europe?
Date: 7/12/2005
The suitcases are packed. Off we go over the Atlantic again, this time with Iceland Air. Planned Return: 8/16.