Auf Wiedersehen

This summer we will spend three weeks in Germany. I am almost beside myself with anticipation. It is interesting to think that we land in Frankfurt (presumably, because of recent air travel disruptions) at the exact date and hour of my mother’s passing back in 2006. It is one of those things my friend Cyndy would call a “God Goodie.” Sometimes, He just likes to let us know He is concerned about the most intimate details of our lives.

Naturally the algorithm on my phone picks up more German news than other international news. According to these sources, Germany is in a place of potential crisis, with a recent heatwave and the threat of a winter without Russian oil. Some say that it is experiencing inflation… aren’t we all? I do know that the news often sensationalizes things, but it is something to watch and keep in prayer.

With further regard to Russia, I’ve been learning a lot about Germany’s historical ties to their neighbor to the East, beyond that which relates to the Second World War. Nothing happens in a vacuum and there is a long list of intricacies bound up in that relationship.

Without knowing the political bent of either podcaster, I’ve been enjoying a podcast series entitled The New Germany, hosted by Katja Hoyer and Oliver Moody, specifically because it looks to intertwine history and current events. I’m struck by the way the ghosts of the past still echo in our times. The link above will take you directly to the second episode in the series, which deals specifically with Russian-German relations over time.

With all that is going on, we are still looking forward to our visit to Germany with great anticipation. Our arrival in Frankfurt will mean a day of rest, museums and Römerberg. To bed early before we drive to Cochem the next morning. (See featured photo above — credit Pexels free images). I’d hoped to stay longer in Cochem, because those who have read Sani know that it is Frederick’s first place of respite after the war. I’ve formulated how and why exactly he ends up there… but more on that to come. There are some opportunities that have come up, which I’m really looking forward to, but in embracing them it means we can only stay one night at this destination.

From Cochem, we will go to Paderborn’s Heinz-Nixdorf Museum, which was my husband’s only request. Of course, computer genius that he is, he wanted to go to this famous German museum.

I look forward to visiting a couple of German churches on Sunday and then heading south Monday through Wednesday to visit some of our ancestral homelands. We will enjoy hiking in beautiful Dahner Felsenland. Who knew some of my ancestors grew up in such a beautiful place?

I will try not to inundate you with an entire itinerary now, but also on the list is 5 days in Munich. We’ve scheduled an entire day tour that includes Dachau in the morning and a tour of Third Reich historical sites in the afternoon. We also plan to spend part of a day in Giesing, which is a neighborhood in Munich, because this is the area I’ve chosen as a setting for most of Book 2.

Wait, what happened to Cochem? Stay tuned to my social media, because I will be going live to share the new title and some other insights into Book 2 during our time in Germany. Simply click on the buttons below if you haven’t followed my pages already!

Other places on our route include Leipzig, Dresden, Herrnhut, Hamburg, and of course, Berlin.

Herrnhut has an interesting history, and this summer it is celebrating a revival that took place 300 years ago. Long before William Carey set out to India, Count Nikolaus von Zinzendorf bought a piece of land and named it Herrnhut, or “the Lord’s Keeping,” and began mobilizing Moravian Christians to take the Word of God around the globe. We’re very excited to be able to participate in the celebration there. It is in a little corner of Germany wedged between Poland and the Czech Republic.

I look forward to sharing more of my journey in a future post (or two!) as well as another installment of The German Perspective.

Finally, for those who have been interested in Sani but do not have time to sit down and read, I am excited to announce that there will be an audiobook version in the works very soon. At first hesitant to reach out via Go Fund Me, I am now embracing the 21st Century and the phenomenon we call crowdsourcing! If you are interested in helping fund this project, please click on the link below.

Thank you for considering this project and for following my blog! Wishing you all an enjoyable end to summer. Be blessed!