The Journey Begins

On a beautiful spring day in the middle of April, I start my journey to the old country. Not accustomed to travelling alone, I feel somewhat lonesome and insecure after saying goodbye to Peter at the Kelowna airport. These feelings intensify in the crowd of strangers at the Vancouver airport terminal. Suddenly, I am embraced from behind. Two excited voices are screaming simultaneously in my ears, “Gertrud, what on earth are you doing here? “

Anita and Gerhard, two old acquaintances we had lost contact with, are bombarding me with questions. Friends of our Bavarian neighbour, they are part of the visiting crowd of seasoned globetrotters whose stories we had previously listened to. And as coincidence wants it, they have seats right beside me on the same flight. Travelling with friends is like having guardian angels accompany you. Engaged in animated conversation, the time passes quickly. Before I know it, we have crossed Greenland, Iceland, the North Atlantic and Scotland. We are preparing for landing.

Since I arrived late at night, my travel agent had arranged for a stay in a hotel in Frankfurt. It is located at the city’s outskirts beside a huge and lifeless computer terminal building heavily fenced in like a prison. On the

other side is an idyllic little park with a fishpond and bird sanctuary. Waking up at dawn, not accustomed to the time difference yet, I can admire the sunrise. The distant city on the horizon is bathed in golden light. I listen to the cheerful chirping of birds greeting the new day and watch two wild rabbits playfully chase each other on the grass strip around the computer terminal. I even venture on an early morning walk to the nearby fishing pond, a quiet green oasis. The bushes and trees are just bursting forth with fresh new leaves. Usually, I am not an early riser. Therefore, it is quite an exciting experience for me to walk before breakfast. The girls at the hotel reception desk, whom I had asked for directions, were relieved to see me come back. They had worried about me walking all alone so early in the morning. They welcome me back with friendly greetings.