14 September 2008 On to Brake

I was excited as well as apprehensive. All my life I've heard, "I'll NEVER go back!" And I understand Dad's feelings. I was a child and shielded from the realities of life at that time. My view of all the events have broadened even though I still do not have all the answers and probably never will be able to get them.

We left Göttingen and came to Brake. Our plan was to park the car at the Hotel Ambiente, leave our things in our room and then walk. We couldn't get to the hotel as there was a marathon going on past the hotel so we found a spot to park and then walked. I did not recognize anything until we started down Lindenstrasse and Bernd asked me if anything looked familiar. As I gazed around I started to say no, but then saw Opa's house. That's when the tears came. It looked the same ... except for the satellite dishes on the upper part of the house. The only other part I recognized in Brake was the Kaje where we often walked and watch the ships go by. I remember skipping there, but did not try that again on those lovely cobblestones. You'll notice that I used a cane on this trip.

And the race was over and we went to the hotel where there was a box from Ulla Bernhold. Pat and I were happy as could be when the first thing we saw was the box of Lindt chocolates, although that was not the most important item in the box, but what we needed at the time. There was also a book with a reference to our family from Werner Meiners, "Geschichte Der Juden In Wildeshausen" and an email saying how sorry he was that he would not be available while we were in Brake.

And then there was a thick file with an overview of our week as suggested by Ulla with so many options that we could accept or change as we wished. We did not change things as it seemed perfect to us. And it was! We will never be able to thank Frau Bernhold enough for all she arranged. The request for an autograph in her book has blossomed into the most wonderful adventure of my life.

By this time we were hungry and ate at a Greek restaurant where I could look out the window at Opa's house across the street. Then back to the hotel to prepare for the next day.