"1 Wedding, a Funeral and a cal ..." a Weinheim Travel Page by keida84

It is a good idea to get out and see the world for a better understanding of the various cultures and people in this world.

I have never been to Germany much less Europe before. I had a unique opportunity inside 6 weeks time to travel to, explore, and learn about two distinct countries: Australia and Germany. Vastly different and yet the same.

I made a promise to Frani, that if she and her boyfriend, Hansi should ever marry then I for sure would come to the wedding. This promise was made 7 years ago and here we are 7 years later and I have made good on my word as Frani und Hansi became husband and wife on July 2, 2005.

Frani, her mom, Sally , and Frani's 2 brothers, Chris and Johannas live in a sleepy village in Weinheim.

There is a castle here (there are castles and Schloss everywhere for that matter,) nevertheless it is a lovely community that is stuck between two time periods: Old Germany and the New Germany

The Germans have the best beer (beir) I have ever tasted, however, they make the WORST salsa known to man. (Sorry to all my German friends). Americans should not make beer and Germans should not make salsa!

I thought for sure that I would put on 5 pounds from all the pastry and good food, but because we walked everwhere, I still fit into my skinny pants!!

Amazing isn't it? Just how long these buildings have been here? In the US I have stayed in a building that was built at the time of the Revolutionary War. But here in Germany we are talking buildings that were built in 1100?!?!?!

We had to say good bye to Hansi's kitty cat, Mocha several days before the wedding. She was quite ill and needed to be freed from her earthly bonds. This was really was a bummer for them and us as well.

They also had taken their honeymoon in Florida and encountered nothing but rain!!

But life goes on and we had the wedding to look forward to and so we pressed on. We took a pre-wedding trip to Heidelberg and Frieberg.

And the 911 "emergency"call which in Weinheim is really 112, took place on our last night in Weinheim. We went to dinner at the ALTE Pflaz restaurant circa 1842 run by the same family, we were enjoying a very nice dinner when I heard someone making odd noises, I looked up to see the young woman at the next table in distress. (I actually thought it was someone imitating the "When Harry Met Sally deli scene) but then I realized this young woman was indeed in distress and went over to offer assistance.

Note: It is quite difficult to acquire medical information when one does not speak the language. It is doubly hard when there are women who are overly excited and getting in the way.

That being said, I really did not do too much, I knew that help was on the way, so I got the young woman to understand she needed to slow her breathing down (she was hyperventilating) and focus on my eyes, gradually she was able to slow her breathing down and with a cool cloth provided by the staff of the restaurant, she calmed down and awaited the emergency staff.

Did you know that in Weinheim an actual MD is dispatched to go to the rescue? Great advantage to situations which require immediate care! My hat is off to the German culture on this one. Noting that she was in good hands, we left. I hope it was nothing serious.

"Tschuess" which means good-bye