Fahrenbach

und Umgebung

Odenwald

Michael & Michelle

Michael and Michelle, our good buddies from Portland are also criss-crossing Europe and dropped in on us in the Odenwald, enabling Achim to fulfill his lifelong dream of picking someone up at the Fahrenbacher Hauptbahnhof. (Michael, by the way, is a train nut.)








The county seat is the town of Heppenheim, and it was there that we got our German on.








Michael and Michelle wound up staying a second night (and not just because they were greeted with a meal that included asparagus salad.) We also learned the first evening that Michelle is not allergic to whiskey, and we killed Achim's virgin bottle of Johnny Walker black. Later there was some sort of pear Schnaps.








On day two, we three walked the half mile to Fürth, the "big" town next door. Anything with a pub does qualify as big. On Thursday, we trained together as far as Frankfurt, with M&M going east to Berlin and me going west to Düsseldorf.

Food and Fahrenbach

It was here at the end of my German journey that i finally lost my will power. I had been so persistent at every other stop. And don't get me wrong. The food was always fan-absolu-tastic. It was a matter of will power. And here i lost it. I went back for seconds, thirds... the old ploy, "C'mon, can't have any leftovers" actually worked!























There was Spargel (of course) and Spätzle and Sauerkraut and Wurst. It was like my last meal before coming to Germany. My Aunt Chris, god bless her, had me over at Uncle Dick's and she made me a meal with everything German under the sun. This at lease was spread out over a couple days.












My first evening in Fahrenbach we watched the movie "What the @#!*! do we Know" which was filmed in Portland, just around the block from our home. So along with a wee bit of Heimweh, there was this great evening of discussion about "the meaning of life" and such. Except that i think i disappointed Achim a bit, as i am currently pretty agnostic; i don't know and i don't care. Still, it was an animate discussion, as always.

Fahrenbach

Having lost all trust in the German train system, i set out earlier than planned for my last person to visit, Birgit's dad, Achim; a retired pharmaceutical exec, at home in the 2 farmer village of Fahrenbach in the Odenwald.

As i was transferring in Stuttgart, i had cause again to complain about die Bahn. It had seemed my connecting train to Weinheim (where i would make my last transfer) wasn't leaving when and from where i had just that morning confirmed online. But the InterCity was pulling in just as i got to the platform, so i just climbed on board and found a plug-in for my laptop and rocked out to some newly acquired Proclaimers tunes.

The only problem was that i was on a train bound for Mannheim, not Weinheim. I still managed to get there early and so walk a bit direction town in the hopes of finding an internet signal so i could email Achim regarding my earlier arrival.




Eventually, the milk run train set me off right in Fahrenbach. It was just a short pilgrimage to Achim's front door. The way was still well known to me.


















Again, greeted with beer.






And here too it was Spargelzeit, these lovely white spears we enjoyed with ham and potatoes and a corresponding white wine.





Joined by Achim's friend Suta, the evening passed with good conversation, pausing only to refill on refreshments and for me to call home and wish everyone a happy Mothers Day.




Breakfast.