Day 3 Frankfurt

Ward Carr and Family

Sitting outside of the Apple Store in the rain, the only place I've been able to get an open wifi connection, I received an email from Ward Carr. Excitedly, I called him back. We stumbled all over each other trying to catch up on our past." If you don't mind," he said, "I can pick you up and we can chat while my son and I shop for a new bike." That was the beginning of a long day rich in conviviality, fascinating conversations, and a renewed friendship. I met Ward's wife, two of his three kids, and a couple of other friends of his who joined us along the way. Ward, I learned, is a jack of all trades, historian and author, coach and club sports organizer, and what surprised me most, an English language teacher. Yep, after 35 years, some of my former colleagues are still at it. He tells me teaching pays anywhere from 35 to 50 Euro per hour. Ward, with his incredible memory for details, regaled me with one story after another from our time together at Berlitz - a remarkable day.

I also heard from the new friends I made on the flight over. They sent me a picture to replace the one I lost and wrote: "Hallo David, Wir sind gut in Hamburg angekommen, und haben uns jetzt nach dem 3. Tag langsam wieder an die Zeitumstellung gewöhnt. Wir fanden unseren gemeinsamen Flug auch sehr unterhaltsam und sehr interessant, wir bewundern Sie, das Sie eine solche Reise ganz allein auf eigene Faust durchführen. Das Ihre Daten im ipod verloren gegangen sind tut uns natürlich auch sehr leid. Wir haben wunschgemäß ein Foto von uns beigefügt, das letzte Sonntag in Palo Alto im Restaurant NOLA, 535 Ramona St. entstanden ist. Wir haben auch schon mal in Ihr Tagebuch hineingeschaut und fanden es sehr unterhaltsam und werden es weiter verfolgen. Weiterhin eine gute Reise und viele Grüsse senden."