Paderborn to Palma, May 29, 2010

Rita's voice is better today but she is starting to cough. But the thought of being in hot, sunny Majorca in a few hours is keeping her in good sprits.

Rita had booked our flights with Air Berlin departing from a very nice regional airport about an hours drive from Kassel. Very easy check-in and security as not very many flights. Very similar in size to Abbortsford or Kelowna airports.

Arrived in Majorca to hot and sunny weather (27c). Rita and her parents went to pick up our bags and I went to pick up the car. Not sure what happened but we could not find each other for about 30 minutes. Finally connected and each of us started venting about the other's lack of understanding instructions. It was a draw and so we moved on, packed the car, programmed our TomTom and headed for our home in Port de Andratx. Found our place without difficulty, walked through the apartment with Rafael (our man in Majorca), unpacked and went into Port de Andratx for a coffee at one of the oceanfront cafes and picked up some groceries. Had a leisurely dinner on our deck and had an early night.

Our apartment building. Our unit is the first balcony

Living Room

Large Deck facing the Med

Breakfast on ICE, May 28, 2010

Woke up this morning and Rita's voice was just a whisper. But other than no voice she felt fine. Packed and headed for the train station and our 1 1/2 hour trip to Kassel.

We are traveling on Germany's high speed train system called ICE which travel at speeds in excess of 300 km per hour. Rita has really figured out the best way to travel by train in Germany. She purchases the cheapest tickets and then we go and sit in the restaurant car for the duration of the trip. Better seating, more space plus breakfast and cheaper than travelling first class. Rita was in heaven as we had a traditional German breakfast of bread, salami and cheese.

Very emotional reunion with Rita's parents (Franz and Evelyn). Went to the local Chinese restaurant for dinner. Very good food but Rita and I had to ask for chop sticks as Germans use a knife and fork. Very strange as noodles are eaten like spagetti.

Full Day in Frankfurt, May 27, 2010

The day we were leaving Vancouver for Frankfurt Rita woke up with a "tickle" in her throat and this morning in Frankfurt she woke up with laringitis. This was not good news as she was having breakfast with her good friend Andrea and they had a lot gossip of to catch up on. I wished her luck and headed out for a game of golf and lunch with my good friend and TBC colleague Martin Walter. We had a great day but I definately have difficulty playing German golf as my score was 112!!!

Got back to the hotel to find Rita in bed working on her computer. She had gone to the drug store and was given medication that actors use to help their vocal cords but her voice was still no more than a wisper.

The weather was still holding so we decided to go for a long walk. First stop was our favorite deli "Schlemmermeyer" for our first of many bratwurst.

Walked around "Old Town" Frankfurt and admired the many refurbished buildings in this historic district.

Took a stroll along the Mein River

After we got back to the hotel, Rita did not feel well, had no voice at all and we canceled dinner with her friends Petra and Heinz. Instead she spent the evening in bed watching German soaps and resting her voice. I practiced with the blog layouts and downloading pictures. Hopefully, it will continue to improve. Tomorrow we take the train to Kassel and meet up with Rita's parents.

Frankfurt Bound, May 26, 2010

Our trip to Frankfurt was very smooth. It was the first time we had flown on Air Transat and it was a very positive experience. Rita had booked us in Club Class which includes a lot of things but the best is the bigger seats allowing for a comfortable flight.

We landed at 06:00 and headed to our hotel for a shower and a 3 hour nap before Rita's social sechedule kicked in. A long and enjoyable lunch with her friend Gabriele at the Opera Cafe and dinner was with a good friend of Rita's, Marina and her partner Rainer. Marina celebrated her 50th birthday on February 9th but instead of having a big party she has created the "Marina Birthday Marathon" that will last until December 31st. Marina will be getting together with friends throughout the year and brings a special 50th Birthday Kit her that includes dinner napkins with her special logo (mgm 50), bag of hershy kisses, special furry mascot and notebook for friends to write in. Thought this was a wonderful idea as you get to spend time with your friends and end up with a notebook full of special memories.

It was great to see Marina and meet Rainer but the big plus for Rita and I was the dinner did not end until 10:30 allowing us to immediately get our bodies adjusted to the German time zone which is nine hours ahead of Vancouver.