Time to pack up and check out at 12:00 – Ollie went to get our rental car – a Renault station wagon – fantastic car with lots of trunk space for our luggage; we can even flip up the trunk and there are 2 extra seats that can be used. It's been a while, but Ollie quickly picked up driving a standard transmission again as we have had 2 automatic cars since the girls were born.
Before leaving Dussoldorf, we went to visit Oliver's oma's grave – it's so very kind of tante Christiane to take care of it – fresh flowers and candles each week. It was the first time Oliver visited his Oma's grave since she was still with him 20 years ago during his last visit.
We went to visit uncle Soto and Tante Gisela in Essen, but they weren't home so we left our Canadian greetings through the mail slot and in the garage.
Our next part of the journey was to the North Sea to visit Oliver's uncle Jonny. Ollie loved driving on the autobhan but wished he was in his dream Porsche car.He drove an average of 135km/hr and we made it up to North Sea to walk through the marina where we saw all the fishing boats and nets – reminded me a lot of Peggy's Cove in Nova Scotia.
The tide was way out so we took off our shoes and went barefoot out into the sea about 1 km and collected crabs, mussels, and other kinds of shells of course seagulls were there too!
It was sunny but very windy – it would be the best place for kite flying. Sheep were everywhere along the dyke so they didn't have to worry about mowing the grass – it was quite a sight! By this time of night we were starving and decided to find a local fish shack to taste the fruit of the sea. We decided upon fresh baby shrimp in a bun – delicious!
We then drove into the village of Werdum and visited with uncle Jonny. He lives in a beautiful village with chalet style homes and flower boxes. It used to be a farming community but has since changed into a resort spa town that attracts people with spa services and wellness centres. His home is an incredible collection of teddy bears and other interesting pieces. The girls were totally enthralled and in explorer mode. His birds of course were their first stop!
In 1999, uncle Jonny was voted citizen of the year because he has helped so many people in the village – the title is quite an honour. At 81, he needs some help and didn't want to go into a home, luckily a very kind neighbour – Annelisa takes care of him so that he can remain independent in his home. I've been very impressed by the people we've met and how they take care of each other. It's always helpful to remember that we need to help and take care of each other – either family or neighbour!
Uncle Jonny graciously paid for our stay at the village hotel – a chalet style picturesque B and B.
Oma and the girls slept in one room together while Oliver and I had one to ourselves. We had to call Zoe princess of Dusseldorf because she claimed the sheets are too scratchy for her to sleep on, even with long sleeve pyjamas with pants – similar to the story of the Princess and the Pea. Luckily she fit on the couch. Everyone had a good night's sleep and jet lag has now disappeared!
Remarks – it was awesome finding the crabs and jellyfish in the North Sea – because it was like being an explorer
Mik loved the shrimp in the bun – it was delicious1
We loved uncle Jonny because his birds were so loud. We also liked the bears and beaver collections because he had so many to look at and the beaver reminded me of Canada and the beaver at Mulmar when we went with our school trip
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