A late morning

Kaitlyn and I both sleep in. But we’re not too late for breakfast. Tante Annemarie is up early (notice the traditional petite déjeuner bowl of coffee).

We leave again for Luciano’s who is today treating us for lunch. What a guy. We again take the streetcar (without Onkel Heinz this time, heh) and walk briskly to the restaurant. Margot meets us again for lunch, but we’re also joined by mom and Margot’s friend Helga. Luciano offers us a full course this time. I go for the manicotti, which was my favorite the night before.

The three gals talk about the past, when they went to school together and took trips around the countryside. After dinner, we stop into the bookstore across from Luciano’s, visit the church near the Dom where Andrea was married, shop some more, and Luciano takes us to a Gelato shop. It’s yummy. The rain holds out long enough for us to wander around Köln a bit more, and we shop for more Reuchermänner. Helga gets us some Reuchermänner and gets mom a post card of the Shrine of the Three Kings that she wasn’t able to see before.

When we are finished eating, we visit Ehrenfeld, where the three ladies grew up. Both mom and I notice how much has changed. The building she lived in on Fröbelstraße is the same, except for new windows and new paint, but the VW dealer across the street has taken over the whole block selling VW, Porsche, Audi, and I think BMW as well. But all the ladies notice that much more has changed—entire small streets that seem to have disappeared and the new trees that have been planted.

Spa im Haus

After our Ehrenfeld tour, Helga invites us to her house. We meet Ka-jo and tour their beautiful art gallery of a house (they collect). It’s in a beautiful neighborhood by the Köln city park. Kaitlyn and I enjoy their warm indoor swimming pool. Thanks, Helga, that was refreshing!

Onkel Heinz comes to pick us up and visit a bit. :-)