Grad School Friends come to Heidelberg

Sherry and I had been looking forward to the last days of July for ages. Two of our best friends from grad school would come through Heidelberg with their families. We hadn't been all together in many years and it was wonderful to see each other.

First to come through was Christine and three of her kids. They live in the Washington DC area, but had spent the summer in Belgium (where Christine is from) and the South of France. Unfortunately, her husband and one of their kids couldn't join us, because they had to return home to the US earlier than the rest of the family. We nevertheless had a great time catching up. One day, we sent all the kids to school (except Christine's youngest, the sweet Nicholas) and spent the whole morning together, chatting, drinking copious amounts of delicious coffee, taking a walk through Old Town, and finally, even a boat ride on the Neckar. What a splendid way to spend some time.

Because it was really hot, once all the older kids were done with school, we spent the rest of the day at the pool. 

The next day, another friend from grad school arrived with her husband and 3 kids. Roisin had studied with us at Georgetown, but then returned to her native Ireland to take a job at the University in Galway.  It was terrific to spend time, seeing our friends as parents and adults, but I also loved seeing the kids interact. Sherry's kids are fluent in German and English, Christine's kids speak both English and French. Roisin and her husband are raising the kids in Irish and German, though they also speak English, of course. We all have English as our common denominator, but hearing the kids switch in and out of various languages was amazing. Depending on who they were talking to, they would effortlessly know which language to choose. 

One evening, Sherry and Christian had organized a cookout-picnic at the Neckar for everyone (my brother and his family were there also - see one of the next posts for details on their visit). They brought all the blankets, drinks, food, etc you could imagine and we feasted and talked into the night. They had chosen a perfect spot near some great playgrounds and the kids played for hours. We didn't break up the party until it got dark (around 10pm) and it was one of the most amazing, joyful, blessed evenings I've experienced in a long time, full of long, deep friendships, a great setting on the river, delicious food, the laughter of kids, beer, old stories and new connections (it turns out that Roisin's husband was working with one of my brother's former bosses?!). I was so overwhelmed with the experience that I didn't manage to take any pictures. My brother took some, I think, but I haven't managed to see them yet.

Here I am with Roisin a few days later - saying good-bye.

And here are her beautiful tri-lingual kids.

What an amazing opportunity to see and reconnect with old friends. I loved it!