For days now I’ve been trying to write this post that shares that I’m heading to Germany for nearly five weeks. My primary reason is to help sort my mother-in-law’s belongings that couldn’t follow her into assisted living and to visit with her, take her for walks, and hopefully share a laugh or two along the way. My secondary purpose is moving around in ways conducive to writing about what I find, and if I’m lucky, I will reconnect with a storyline I started writing back in 2019. Then again, maybe I’ll find a different story, no matter really, as I’m looking for confirmation or denial of set and setting playing a role in my creative processes.

Caroline is not traveling with me on this journey, but by mid-September, the two of us should be on our way back to Europe with the hope of spending about ten days with family before venturing out for 21 days of indulgence, moving about the continent in search of new adventures. With Caroline waiting to hear back from the U.S. Government regarding her citizenship application, we’d be remiss if she missed an appointment that could move that process along.

I’m anticipating having an adequate amount of time to give to myself aside from family obligations. Thirty-five years ago, when I first landed in Germany, I’d often board random train lines to see where they went, getting off at stops that looked interesting. These days, I may know too much for my own good when it comes to exploring surprise destinations that just come up as the train heads to its ultimate destination. So, while I know I may not really care about heading into Bad Homburg, Hanau, or Darmstadt, I do want to revisit the local routes to Gelnhausen, Wiesbaden, Nidda, Friedberg, Niedernhausen, and Oberursel-Hohemark. While I’m at it, I’m considering heading into Karlsruhe to visit my father-in-law and then maybe Marburg, Worms, Kassel, Limburg, Koblenz, Munich, and finally Paris.

Making the decision to leave for Germany only a week before I flew out meant there were 100 things I needed to get done to leave Caroline in the most comfortable situation possible. Now, with 48 hours left, I’m setting my attention to the logistics of figuring out when and how I will fit in those above journeys I’d like to make. My original thought regarding Paris was to go for 3 or 4 days, but I’m considering the idiotic idea of going for a day as no one would ever travel from Frankfurt to Paris for a day unless it was for business, but I see the story of popping into the French capital for a day as making for a good story here on my blog. Then again, two days in Paris and two days in Amsterdam would also have a lot of appeal. If I stare at the map just a little longer, everything starts to enchant me.

What is certain is that if I go to Munich, that will just be for the day. The historic city center will be the focus of this trip, and with direct ICE trains (high speed) getting there in about 3 hours, I can easily satisfy myself with 10 hours in Munich before heading back.

Sunrise and sunset are important factors in my journeys, and during June, when the sun over Germany rises at approximately 5:15 a.m. and sets at 9:30 p.m., I have solid daylight for 15 hours of illuminated exploration. One difficult aspect of calculating things is the rapidly changing COVID situation that is obviously having a huge impact on tourism. I’m seeing prices changing quickly, which has me thinking things are about to pop open. Fixing on buying train tickets and reserving a room in Paris feels smart, but there’s still a lot of ambiguity about how all this will play out.

Believe it or not, my movements through Europe will be measured, as without Caroline by my side, I’m well aware of what she’ll be missing and how much she’d like to share the sights and experiences with me. So, take Paris: I have no intention of visiting anything other than the sidewalks, parks, and cafes in the City of Light. The objective is to observe, contemplate, write, and repeat. This goes for the rest of my destinations as well; should I stumble upon something of particular interest I feel Caroline would enjoy, a note is made for us to return. And if we cannot return someday? Such is life; we accepted long ago that we will never see everything, and many places of importance on the global map will be sacrificed to the gods of time and cost.