Tuesday in Dortmund!

The breakfasts that Reiner prepares each morning are always a true 

German treat. Sorry you are not here to enjoy them, Bruce!   So many cheeses and spreads and meats and jellies.... I don't think we   

have such a variety.  We take about 11/2 hours to eat, talk and just enjoy our time together.  It is so wonderful. 

But then... Uschi and I are off to look for things we couldn't find yesterday! 

She said we didn't get to the new "Thier Galerie" (pronounced tear gallery)

yesterday so we should go there today!  Thier is the name of the Brewery that 

used to be housed on this location.  It was torn down and the mall built on the name spot.

I didn't know what Uschi meant when she said we should go to Their Galerie...

 but THIS is want it is! 

 A GIANT MALL on the main shopping drag in Dortmund's Westenhellweg.
It is one of the oldest transportation streets in Dortmund.  Long before the middles ages salt and other products were moved along this route from East to West.  

This is astonishing on many levels... more pictures will be on tomorrows blog of this place.... but it overwhelms any store or group of stores.... It seems so modern for the
way of shopping life here.  Most are little shops with a few department stores thrown in.

It is four levels high and a block plus in its enormity.  I hope the pictures will show

you just how big it is.  But more on that tomorrow. 

Back to the streets and the Europe I'm used to.

 After shopping, Reiner picked us up and we headed to our old
place where we lived 21 years ago with our family.
The restaurant in the basement of the guesthouse has changed hands
and now has outdoor seating and is quite nice.  An herbal place to eat. 
All natural.

The house across the street.

 The bar and bakery across the street.  This will be closing on Friday
after 75 years of being in business.  I think that is what Joan told me.
Or maybe it's closing because the owner is 75.... either way.. Sad to
lose the neighborhood landmark.

This garden was not beneath our window when we lived here... We lived in 

the apt. with the wide double doors in what is actually the roof.  All the ceilings

were slanted and the windows in the roof except the double door on the little 

open patio where we could dry our clothes.

A little closer shot of the above description---Remember this, kids?

And of course, there were always sheep being herded from one
 pasture to another--ushered down the streets but today...they were just on the hillside.

When we got back....my favorite horse was being

slowly walked in the rain... his back foot/leg

not working.  

Two vets had come out to see him... You can see him holding 

himself up to balance.  It looks like a dislocated hip or something.

I hope he will heal.... but it seems there is nothing to do. 

I walked down to the inside horse arena where the horses were

being trained to watch and then it really started to rain.  Couldn't take

any pictures of the horses --due to needing the flash-- but they were beautiful to watch. 

Later in the evening I went to see Joan and Peter Krebs-Schmidt....some friends of 

ours from our time here, too..  I used to babysit and play with their kids.  John and Mimi are now in their 20's... and off onto their careers.  Mimi in med school and John

in English and linguistics, if i remember correctly.  He speaks several languages! 

We had a great time together and then back to the apartment to watch a little 

"Monk" in German.  I hear and remember so much vocabulary, but i have no idea

when, where or how to use the words in sentences.
Sounds normal for me and my lack of 

language skills, huh, Heather, Rob and Michelle?
Language was never my forte. 

It is still raining... I hope tomorrow it is some drier! 

There was more rain here today than for most of our whole rainy season in Rwanda. 

Really! 

love,

margie