Post Triptum

Like a Postscript, but different

I am writing this from the comfort of my ergonomic office chair in Washington Grove rather than wedged into an airplane seat or on a terrace watching crabs scuttle in the Algarve mud.

It’s great to be home! Here are some “parting shots” from the end of the trip.

Southern France

Leaving Lisbon, we flew to Toulouse and drove to a hamlet outside of the historic town of Ravel to see Marida’s old friend and mentor, Moira. In the early 1990s, Moira and her husband Colin lived in the same village as Marida in southern France, and it was their help that got Marida started as a children’s book illustrator. We spent three days catching up, sampling sumptuous offerings from the local market, and dissecting the lamentable state of the world today. At age 90, Moira is sharp as a tack, a proficient computer user and avid reader. Most importantly, she is a gifted artist whose imaginative paintings line the walls of her old stone farmhouse in the country. Unfortunately, her kids have claimed these and no amount of heavy hinting gained us a toehold in securing one. Moira’s daughter Niki, who is Marida’s age, joined us for an outing to a local restaurant.

Northern Germany

Our final stop was to visit friends Matthias and Cindy outside of Hannover, a medium-sized city in northern Germany. Four years ago, when Matthias was a Guest Researcher at NIST, they had their first child while living with us in Washington Grove. They now also have a six-month-old. They live in a beautiful new house in a street full of young families. Their village is still rural but only 20 minutes by train from the nearest big city. We were super excited to meet the new arrival and see how Luana is growing up. She is now almost five years old – a real firecracker, with a bubbly personality and a quick mind. In addition to a lot of hanging out playing with the kids, we took a lot of walks, went mushroom hunting, and took the train into Hannover. Although most of the city was destroyed in WWII, some impressive old buildings remain. We were super impressed by the houses – strong and solid, but with beautifully decorative patterns in the brick and slate.

Reconnecting with these wonderful people was a perfect end to our adventure!