Late to rise, late breakfast, late shower, late to writing, late to go outside. Try as we might to fill every day with an abundance of activities so we don’t waste a moment in Germany, it’s inevitable that we hit a wall and need a slow day. After 19 days, including our flight here, the day where little happens just shows itself, and in this case, it’s a Sunday just 48 hours before we head back to the United States.

Even sitting down to write something or other feels like a chore I’m not ready to confront. And so I distract myself with a return to my neglected social media, not that I ever really do much posting there but it allows me to catch up with various subjects of interest. While the smell of plum cake that Klaus is baking wafts in from the kitchen, I bring up some newly released music from Andrew Ostler titled “Crossing The Line.” That plum cake will travel with us to be shared between Jutta, Stephanie, Katharina, Klaus, Caroline, and me later today, but for now, I sit here lazily, hoping something will happen without making an effort.

I’m getting hungry, but the effort to go find something feels like a task too big. There’s a pizza place within walking distance, but I have to wonder who offers delivery to this area. After looking at the limited choices and considering that many places close at 2:00 before reopening at 5:00, the window of opportunity is diminishing. With maximum waffle unfolding from my inner-Schweinehund, a savior appears in the form of a loving wife and a caring sister-in-law who are willing to collect whatever it is my heart desires. It’s settled, rigatoni carbonara from that pizza place, and I get to sit in the same chair I’ve been planted in for the better part of 6 hours, aside from shower and toilet obligations to care for my body and the people around me.

Now, with the order in and the ladies out for picking up lunch, I’m again presented with a blank slate of brain. Maybe some other music will help, so I turn to Bandcamp and find Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe’s “Candyman” score, but before things really get underway, food is already here. Sweet relief from a minor hunger and absolving myself of the need to write as my right hand will be busy with a fork and who can type with one hand?

As with all things, this half-day of doing a lot of nothing is about to come to an end. We are all about to head into the center of Frankfurt to meet up with Jutta for a walk over to the river, where we’ll sit down to some plum cake and coffee. This will require a bit of effort on my part as I’ve still not moved from my chair since noon, and we are on the approach of 2:30. So, time to close the tabs to the news stories I was catching up on, finally put on some socks, and maybe (as if there was a choice) grab my camera and join the others to take the U-Bahn into town. Maybe I can have a brief nap on the train to add to my collection of having done little this Sunday? Oh, what is this luxury? Others are running late, giving me another 20 minutes of not doing nothing other than tagging photos here on the blog while maintaining my place on the thrown of the dining table.

It’s already after 3:00 as we move down the train tracks with our basket in tow, heading to Granny’s house. The only thing missing is a wolf who we heard was busy blowing some house down elsewhere.

The rare site of Katharina as with her away at nearby Darmstadt attending university, she’s typically seriously busy, but today with the chance for the entire family to get together, she carved out time. Good thing she did, as seeing her and her dad smile so nicely together is a treat.

And here comes Jutta…

…joining us for Klaus’s homemade Pflaumenkuchen (plum cake) that he made just today.

A rare photo these days. Sadly, we don’t have someone else here on a Sunday afternoon we can ask to take a group image, so the four Engelhardts and one Wise are the best I can do.

Katharina might be grinning as she dragged her aunt Caroline into a 20-minute lesson about Pokemon possibly infecting her with an interest, but knowing my wife, I’d guess she’d never find space to fit it in.

Grandmother and granddaughter obviously share the same height genes.

Our coffee and cake midday get-together is coming to an end. I’m happy we could all be here this afternoon and that this three-week trip to Germany was so focused on family.

Which also included me. By the way, does this photo make my arms appear freakishly long?

Later, Klaus, Stephanie, Caroline, and I walked a mile over to a nearby favorite restaurant that put a blemish on our enthusiasm for the place. I’ll leave it unnamed until we get to visit on a date in the future when we’ll be hoping that they were only having a bad night.

All-in-all this was a day of rest where very little happened.