So a few
weeks ago, great guy and I spent the weekend at a country estate in the neighbouring
province of Saarland, close to the French and Luxembourg border. He was taking part in a two day theory course
for his ocean boating license, at a nearby sailing school…and I was just relaxing.
The land
gasthof where we stayed, once belonged to Napoleon. Well, I guess lots of things once belonged to
him. Anyways, this particular estate he
gifted to one of his top officers; his calvary colonel Louis Charles Narcisse
Lapointe, for exceptional service. Louis
built up the estate beyond the existing buildings, to include massive stables,
employee wings, a beautiful stone chapel up on the hillside; overlooking the
main buildings, the pond and the surrounding forest.
He took each stone from his existing Parisian estate and erected the master house, stone for stone, on this property. The feeling here was one of enchantment, possibly due to the mist hanging low each morning. The air felt mysterious; like any moment Napoleon himself might come riding over the hill.
So, while
great guy was learning ocean navigation, I was whiling my days away;
wonderfully exploring the surrounding areas, including the oldest monastery in
Germany, Abtei Tholley; hiking to the mouth of the Nahe river (the same river
flowing past our house into the Rhein) where water bubbled out of the ground
onto a stone marker; taking photos of misty moor-like landscapes; catching up
on some reading; and even doing a little jogging. I mean, how often will I get the chance to go
running in Napoleon’s footsteps...and since they’re just tiny footsteps it
wasn’t as exhausting.
On Saturday
evening, after we had a sauna-goodtime, we took a walk out into the dark,
foresty night. We had heard of an old
mill on the other side of the forest; now a great, little restaurant. The lights of our estate waved us goodbye, as
the wavering lights of the mill trickled through the trees coming ever closer
as we walked. Inside of the mill, the
atmosphere was bustling and full of locals; it was quaint and smelling of
hearty good food. Unfortunately, there
was absolutely no room at the inn. All
of the long, wooden tables were full and the apologetic owner (in Germany, the
owner is almost always present and very often also the host) had to turn us
away. So we foraged for food elsewhere.
In the
morning, while loading up on the complimentary breakfast (great guy always
needs to make the most of the hotel fee), he discovered a new fruit – it looked
like a mixture between a plum and a fig (I know now that it’s a maracuja), but
inside it looked like a green pomegranate.
He said “this tastes just like New Zealand.” I’m like, “how do you know
what New Zealand tastes like”. He said,
“because it tastes just like this.” I guess you had to be there, but I found it
so funny. Sometimes, I love it when this
beautiful man, acts just like a little boy.
In one hour
I’m off to Dusseldorf, another great city sitting right on the Rhein. Ms. Potter invited me to hang out with her
and her sisters for a couple of days of rock-concerting, Christmas-marketing,
and even a bit of crazy dancing. Great
guy will be nestled up in our house, hitting the books, preparing for his ocean
boat test on Sunday. Wish him luck, then
we can hit the seas! I would love to
float in the footsteps of yet another conqueror…a certain Spaniard who had a wonderful
way with boat names. Ahoy.
P.S. In
honour of three very important people (to me) who are celebrating birthdays
right now:
“I wish you
Christmas, a merry Christmas,
A merry
Christmas to remember all the year.
Old friends
smiling, thinking of times gone by;
Young
friends laughing:
Christmas
is here,
Spirits are
bright, and hopes are high.
I wish you
loved ones around your fire;
May
Christmas bring you all your heart’s desire.”
-John
Rutter
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