German Adventures: Lessons Learned, Part 2

As I shared in Part 1 of this Travel Journal from my October visit to Germany, this trip was full of some ... valuable?  invaluable? ... lessons learned.

Lesson #1 was all about the Schengen Treaty and what that means for US passport holders.

Lesson #2 came about from a medical incident that altered our plans for this trip.

My mother arrived in Germany on October 2nd and stayed with my aunt.  I joined them later - on Sunday morning, October 6th.  I only had a week of vacation left from work, and originally my mother was supposed to travel over with my brother and his family who were embarking on a Germany-Austria-Switzerland vacation.  They were essentially only escorting her to Frankfurt and leaving her there until I arrived.

My favorite cousin (actually 2nd cousin - who is my age) picked me up from the airport.  We found a bakery that was open and had some coffee and cake in order to catch up on life since we'd seen each other last in June.  Then she drove me to my aunt's apartment, where I too was going to be staying.  She visited with my mother and aunt for a while ... and then she left - and I went to bed around 8 p.m. local time.

Monday morning, my mother and I had train tickets to go to Bamberg, a lovely city about a 3 hour ride from Frankfurt, to visit her friend, whom she has known since they were both in their early 20's.  My aunt escorted us to the train station, and then she was going to go run some errands, such as go to the bank, etc.

My mother and I had a lovely train ride on a regional train (slower than the ICE trains that would have taken less time).  I loved watching the countryside go by.  We stopped briefly in Würzburg, where we used to live - and I glimpsed the old fortress (Marienberg) that is situated above the Main River there.

My mother's friend lives on the outskirts of Bamberg, so we were not able to see any of the historic town, which I had long ago visited while we were stationed in Germany ... but it was more important to be with my mom's friend and her husband.  They had built a lovely home, and we enjoyed the conversation, food (Sauerbraten, Klösse [potato dumplings], red cabbage, and gravy), meeting their dog, and walking around their lovely neighborhood.  

Upon returning to Frankfurt around 8:30 p.m., we were expected to be greeted by my aunt ... however, her neighbor met us instead!  My aunt had experienced a mini-stroke and was in the hospital!  Thankfully, it only took her speech for a brief moment, and she was able to notify her neighbor and ask for her assistance in getting us back to the apartment, getting us a key, etc.  I even talked to her on the phone once we got back to the apartment, and she was coherent and able to speak clearly to me.

So, the lesson learned here is one we all already know - you just never know what will come your way!  We were so thankful that my aunt was okay, even though she had a short lapse of speech - while at the bank earlier in the day.  The bank workers called an ambulance, when actually, my aunt stated she felt better and wanted to go home!  However, it was the right call to go to a stroke unit and be fully examined, which would be the plan for the next days...

This incident would lead us to the next unexpected lesson to be learned the next day ... stay tuned!

For more information about Bamberg, see this previous post- German Cities & Towns:  Bamberg