New friends in Celle!

I woke up early and caught my train to Celle, with plenty of time to spare. Inge and I were meeting at the train station at 10 am and I would arrive in plenty of time. I had booked my ticket last weekend to come back to Berlin for Thursday night. I did the math wrong in my head and tried to change it to stay longer but my ticket was set and couldn't be changed. The train station was small, one room with a cafe and Replay store...,and no heat! Brrr......I watched everyone who came in to get a hint to which one might be Inge. My grandpa's childhood friend sounded so friendly on the phone and I was excited to meet her and get a glimpse into grandpa's early days! As the time got later, I started to worry. What if there is another train station? I started approaching people who looked like they were waiting but no luck. I had seen a woman for about half an hour walking around but she looked like she had a purpose so I didn't ask her earlier. But when I turned to her and said "Inge?" she said "Kirssy!"....I had found her! She led me to her car where we packed in my bags and drove to her house. She drove me through the old town so I could get my first glimpse. The houses were timber and plaster and were so adorable. With the Christmas lights they looked just like a fairybook town. Inge fed me tea and cake and we had snippets of conversation with some German and English. She told me her daughter would be coming later and could help us translate. She hadn'trealized I was leaving that evening and had expected me to stay over at her place! I was so disappointed that I couldn't! We went out and she showed me around the old town, pointing out houses and dates that went all the way back to the 1500's. The houses are crooked but nicely painted in bright colours and are obviously well preserved. Her grandparents lived in one of these old houses, which have all been turned into businesses and restaurants. We went to a museum in Celle which shows what the old houses would have looked like in the old days and saw some art in a gallery. We went back to Inge's so we could meet her daughter. Inge decided to stay in while Antje and I went to the schloss.

Our first stop though was to where my grandpa lived in Celle! It was so exciting to see. Antje and I talked about our German family and about the war, the Berlin wall, and Christmas traditions! It was so interesting to hear about how my family maintained so many German traditions despite being in Canada and how things are in Germany! Today is December 6, which is St. Nikolas day where children leave their shoes out so St. Nikolas can fill them with treats....this is a tradition from before Coca Cola and Santa Claus. And I used to do it too as a child. We stopped and had a delicious Bratwurst and pommes frites with real ketchup (finally!) before heading to the schloss. Our guided tour was in German so Antje translated the important/interesting bits for me and I enjoyed the beauty of the castle.

With not much time before my bus we went back to Inge's for tea and cake before we had to leave. We talked about grandpa and his childhood and I learned some really neat things about a man I love so much! I already think my grandpa is a truly inspirational person and now I think he is even more so. For all he endured in the war he never talks about the bad things in life but about how amazing they can be when you dream big and go for what you love! A huge driving force behind this trip I'm on. I won't tell you what I learned, because those are my grandpa's stories to tell but I consider myself so lucky to have such a wonderful grandpa who inspires me. Of course, I'm also lucky he got soft as a grandpa! Lol Amber, do you remember oreos at bedtime?

I am sad to leave Celle and my new friends but we exchanged emails and I know I will be back to visit again soon. It's funny how the kindness of strangers can quickly turn into friendship. Inge and Antje have been so generous to welcome me and to share memories and their town with me. I am truly blessed today.

I don't know if it's my german roots but I feel such a strong connection to this beautiful place and to this amazing country, it is my favourite so far.