We met Ilona and Reinhard while they were traveling in New Zealand in 1995 and our friends, from Arnsberg, Germany, that we met in Mexico in 1981, suggested they look us up while traveling through.
We drove one afternoon to Hanover to look at the city all decorated for the Christmas season. We spent sometime at the Christmas market in the town square and ate schmalzer kuche- a deep fried sweet dough sprinkled with icing sugar.
Stella, John, Eleni and LilThere were many small wooden cabins decorated with fir trees and Christmas decorations. They sold, mulled wine, ginger cakes, jewelery and all sorts of wooden toys. The little children were riding on the merry-go-round and small train.
Hanover is in Lower Saxony which is the home to Volkswagen.
We visited the Town Hall (Rathaus) and saw some models of the city of Hanover from its early medieval days, to what it looked like when it was bombed in the second World War and as it looks today.
Ilona and Reinhard live in a small rural village and we have enjoyed getting some exercise walking around the forest nearby. Ilona is busy everyday helping her mother who lives nearby, care for her bedridden father. She also keeps an eye on her mother-in-law who lives a short walk up the street and doesn't drive. Like all mums she is kept busy with the household chores and the children's activities but also teaches English at a local kindergarten and primary school a few times a week. Reinhard works for Philips managing the installation of MRI machines and other medical equipment so he is often away during the week. It is a busy household.
Reinhard sings in a choir so we attended one of their performances in the local church. The choirmaster is an American and all the songs were English Christmas songs. Even though we were at the church early it was almost full with locals keen to hear the choir.
Reinhard is second last on the right
