Thanksgiving 2014

The pictures in MartininBroda's most recent post were so attractive that they reminded me of the delicious meal I had on Thanksgiving — even though none of the foods were the same.

As has happened for several recent Thanksgivings, two fellow parishioners invited my brother and me to join them for Thanksgiving dinner. I offered to provide pumpkin and mince pies and sage cheese. The former were available in the freezer at the supermarket, needing only to be "home baked," as my mother used to say.

As for the cheese, a cheddar type with sage added to flavor it, it has been years since I've been able to find it in stores around here. This is disappointing, since I believe it is a traditional type, unlike some of the more recent types of flavored cheeses. My dad was pleased to find it one year, a long time ago, and have something which had been customary in his family (and I imagine in others).  But this year, finally, I realized that I should go online to the manufacturer and order it. They were producing a fresh batch which was not ready to be released when I placed the order, but on Monday the 24th it was shipped,and it arrived the day before the holiday.

On the evening of the 26th, I called the hostess to verify what I would be bringing, and she informed me that she was cooking the pumpkin pie. It was in the oven at that moment, so all I needed to bring was the mince pie and the cheese. So I went out and got a bottle of wine to add to my offerings.

In addition to the hostess and her husband, the dinner group included a couple from Ohio whom they knew from when both couples lived in Texas, a 50ish fellow parishioner, and the widow who lives next door, who turned out to be the widow of a member of the Race Committee at the yacht club, someone we've known for maybe 25 years, although we hadn't seen her recently.

We started with shrimp and a fairly mild sauce, roasted cashews, celery and olives, and some of the sage cheese, which everybody enjoyed. Also a nice white wine. Dinner was, of course, roast turkey. There was a somewhat spicy stuffing of ground beef and pork and imperceptible breadcrumbs, gravy, mashed potatoes, a casserole of sliced yams, three kinds of cranberry sauce, and a green salad. More white wine accompanied it all.

Then it was time for a walk. I took the menfolk to see two nearby houses, one of which had been the winter home of a family my brother and I had known as teenagers. The house next door was that family's summer home!

After the walk, it was time for dessert: pumpkin, mince, and pecan pies, sage cheese, whipped cream, ice cream, tea, and coffee. I had the pumpkin, a bit of the mince, whipped cream, cheese, and coffee. Surprisingly, since the host husband and the Ohioans were all originally from Texas or Oklahoma, the pecan pie had the fewest takers.

Throughout the afternoon, there was enjoyable conversation, mostly personal reminiscences, with never an argument. So it was a very enjoyable five hours. I have prepared Thanksgiving dinner for my brother and me, but even when I get the smallest turkey I can find — 10-11pounds — there is too much left over. This is definitely a better way to celebrate the day, and I'm glad there are kind people who want to provide the hospitality.

Germany/France — July 27, 2012

July 27 was my day to meet Martin, not in Broda but in Berlin. It turned out to be a very hot day, around 90°F (over 30°C). We usually get a few days that hot every summer where I live, and more in the upper 80's. Apparently it is far less common in northern Germany, so Martin was not acclimated. For me it was hot, for him it was almost unbearable. Still, he bravely followed his sightseeing plan.

We were to meet on the Museum Island in the River Spree at 11:00. I think I left my hotel at about 9:45 to allow plenty of time for the walk from Kleisstrasse. The route I had chosen, which I think was most direct went past the Philharmonie where the Berlin Philharmonic plays their home concerts, via Potsdamer Strasse and the Potsdamer Platz, through the Brandenburg Gate (with just a glimpse of the Reichstag), and along Unter den Linden.


I hadn't realized how long it would take to walk the distance and

 I took my time taking pictures at the Philharmonie and other spots (btw, the Philharmonie strikes me as really ugly irl, even if professional pics manage to prettify it, but it's still a place where Wilhelm Furtwängler worked after the war). As I got close to

 the Brandenburg Gate, I began to realize that I didn't have much time left, so I walked fairly briskly past the Russian Embassy, the University, and the Opera House and arrived at our agreed meeting spot just barely at 11:00. Martin was there, and I recognized him from his blog photo, although something about the camera angle of that picture had made me imagine that he was shorter than me, while he's actually taller by several inches.


Morgenländer had hoped to join us, but was not able to get away from work. Thomas Roloff, Martin's pastor, whose sermons he sometimes posts, was working in the morning but hoped to be able to join us in the afternoon. First we went to

 the Berlin Cathedral, which isn't a bishop's seat, but is colloquially called a cathedral because it is the principal Protestant Church of Berlin, where state services are held. After seeing the sanctuary, we visited the crypt, where generations of Hohenzollern rulers and family members are entombed.


After a glance toward the area where the palace is being rebuilt and the nearby skyline, we walked along the river to the train station and rode to Potsdam, where Martin lived for many years. Our destination there was

 the New Palace (Neues Palais), built by King Frederick the Great, where there was an exhibition about his reign, just the sort of thing I enjoy. Unfortunately, the bus routes have changed since Martin lived there, and from where we alit, we had a long walk through the park to get to the palace — all in the heat, much in the direct sun, and Martin without a hat. Finally we arrived where Mr. Roloff was waiting for us, just outside the gate from the park to the palace grounds. The palace was very impressive, both outside and in, with much elaborate decoration, although the exhibits often drew attention away from the rooms themselves. A bonus of sorts was the palace theater, which was smaller than I might have expected. It was easy to imagine an opera performance or maybe a concert including some of Frederick's own compositions taking place there. BTW, the exhibit runs through October 28, so once you get to Potsdam, it will only cost you 14 euros to see it, and it's definitely well worth the price of admission.

Following that, Mr. Roloff drove us past Sanssouci Palace to a restaurant (we went indoors to enjoy the air conditioning — and then some fool opened the windows), where we enjoyed a late (4:00p.m. before we were finished) lunch. Then he brought us back to Berlin, pointing out where he had once lived and Martin's former neighborhood as well as other points of interest along the pleasant route back to the big city. He dropped us off at my hotel, where I had left my luggage after checking out. A taxi brought us to the station, where Martin guided me to the track for my overnight train to Paris and caught his train to Neubrandenburg.

Click on pics to enlarge. Detail is much clearer.

And Now I'm Back Home

First, I have thank MartininBroda for being my host and guide in Berlin and Potsdam, even though it meant he had to suffer through a day which he found extremely uncomfortable, and perhaps endangering to his health, as you can read in his own blog. And if you don't know German, scroll down to the English translation which he provided. I enjoyed meeting him and seeing all he and Pastor Roloff — whom I also enjoyed meeting — showed me. I hope to give a post about each day of my trip, so I'll reserve more about that day until later.

Next, I want to thank all the people who tweeted their good feelings toward me. I was really surprised and pleased at Martin's report of the tweets. It's always gratifying to know that  one is well thought of. So thanks again for all your kind thoughts.

I took a lot of pictures, and I hope I'll be able to post a few with each post about the trip.

For now, I'll just add that it was a good trip.