was like the first two days. Opa Dieter continued to lead the way, engaging everyone he met in conversation
and Omas Marlena and Gunna kept right up.
Sadly, Wolfgang was not able to walk the entire way; he felt that his obligations as beer and sandwich provider required him to drive, much as he would have preferred to walk. He was heart broken 😉, but did his duty. Being the loving and dutiful daughter she is, Lena’s sister, Lilly, rode in the car with Wolfgang so that he would not suffer alone. Between them, they kept us all well supplied!
The countryside continued to be glorious
and we arrived at the end of the Rennsteig (or the beginning, depending on which way you are walking)
in great spirits.
We returned to our hotel for another huge meal.
Unfortunately, the boiler at the hotel was broken and there was no heat, but, fortunately, Wolfgang had his laptop and played a video of a fire,
which was fun, if not actually warming!
After another copious breakfast
we boarded our train
at what was literally the end of the line.
Briefly, it appeared that we would have to restrain Uli from making an unscheduled exit from the train,
but it turned out she was just demonstrating how the windows worked in our compartment.
We arrived safely in Munich, where we practiced for Octoberfest
with Uncle Volker and Opa Dieter teaching us the finer points.
in a beautiful outdoor beer garden at a lake near our hotel.
ITALY, GERMANY, AND MORE! 