We visited Luttringen in Sauerland to stay with Karin and Roland. We first met them in Mexico and several other countries further south as we travelled through South America in 1981. We last saw them in 1991 and our daughter Kerri visited the family when she was at school in Aachen 7 years ago.
The millpond
Some of the restaurants were closed for winter.
Luttringen is a small community near Arnsberg. Roland works as an IT programmer for a company that makes copper pipes. Karin manages the household and does volunteer work in the village inluding managing the local tennis club.
One evening we had Roland`s dad visit and we played his favourite game- similar to Yatzhee with 5 dice.
The last time we visited in summer and walked around Mohnesee, a lake with a huge dam. It was featured in the movie Dambusters when it was bombed in World War 11 and the valley flooded killing hundreds of locals. This time we did the walk when it was covered in snow and one part of the lake was frozen.
Another day we drove to nearby Soest and walked around the medieval town. It is famous for having the largest city funfair in Europe when the marketplace is jammed with ferris wheels, stalls and fun rides. The town is now a heritage town and there are still many ancient buildings around the market place and millpond. In medieval times there was a seesaw beside the pond and miscreants were tortured using the seesaw. I wonder if it continued in winter.
The millpondSome of the restaurants were closed for winter.
All around Luttringen are wind generators and everyday the sky was clear and the sky blue so we were able to walk around and watch the local children enjoying sledging. 
The snow was dry, fluffy, and squeaky.
On a week day we walked in the Wildewiese which is an area in the forests and a popular place for learner skiers and cross-country skiing. The tows were closed but open on the weekends so we only saw a few other couples walking their dogs and enjoying the trails.
A pile of frozen logs that are sprayed with water to preserve them.
The snow was dry, fluffy, and squeaky.
On a week day we walked in the Wildewiese which is an area in the forests and a popular place for learner skiers and cross-country skiing. The tows were closed but open on the weekends so we only saw a few other couples walking their dogs and enjoying the trails.
A pile of frozen logs that are sprayed with water to preserve them.At the end of the trail was a huge communications tower that we climbed and it was clear enough to see back towards the Sevenhills near Konigswinter.
We enjoyed seeing Roland and Karin`s slides from South Ameria and John took photos of some that featured us together in Mexico. John has a beard!
We talked about how difficult travel was at that time and how much easier it is with the internet for banking, keeping in contact with families, making reservations for hotels and transport, as well as the convenience of using digital cameras and cellphones.
We talked about how difficult travel was at that time and how much easier it is with the internet for banking, keeping in contact with families, making reservations for hotels and transport, as well as the convenience of using digital cameras and cellphones.
We used to carry traveller`s cheques and they always took hours to change into cash. We had to buy rolls of films at the start of the trip and keep them in foil lined bags on the concrete floor of the hotels so they didn`t deteriorate in the hot and humid weather. Letters from family and friends were collected at the main post offices in capital cities and could be found stored under your first name, the country they came from, and maybe even M for Mr or Mrs!
We enjoyed an afternoon of bowling with Roland and Karin`s children, Robin (18) on the left and Janina (21) and her boyfriend Lukas. They are keen to visit us in New Zealand and we are keen to have them and help the next generation of backpackers!
