Despite being surrounded by 50 people, with my friends and family over 5, miles away, I sometimes felt lonelier than if I were actually alone. A backpacker looks out at the ocean on an island in the South Pacific. The daily reprieve from the strange loneliness of being surrounded by coworkers helped keep me sane.
But, during our marathon European road trip planning session , Rich never admitted to wanting to see only small towns, Wendy never demanded a trip full of castles, and I never insisted on visiting Lena.
I marvel at how frustrating situations can force people to reveal their true desires. Remember me?! A German girl! If you are out of time, you must exit through that door! Apparently, peculiar, middle-aged German men are as strange to her as they are to us. My favorite Residence room is the White Hall, a sumptuous ballroom with walls covered in ornate white stucco designs and a mural of a dog that watches me no matter where I walk.
Lena and I walk together through the lush vineyards, with Rich and Wendy walking a quarter-mile behind. But, I guess I have to be. When we reach the fortress, we walk through the stone entrance, below its prison tower, and out to the surrounding protective wall. Schneeballen are a traditional pastry sold in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany. On the way, Lena giggles in the car as she makes a reservation for us by phone at Hotel Raidel, a guesthouse owned by an eccentric man named Norry.
He tells us that American soldiers taught him English during World War II in return for introducing them to his sister. Once, I starred with one of my cows in a movie filmed here in Rothenburg. Christmas stores abound in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany. The next morning, Rich, Wendy, Lena, and I walk much of the circumference of Rothenburg atop its well-preserved, surrounding, medieval stone wall. Rich, a food connoisseur, is equally unimpressed.
