THE GERMANS WERE HERE! THE GERMANS WERE HERE!

AUGUST 1-13, 2019 

WILLKOMMEN
(welcome)

Birgit Schroth and Inge Heck 

Inge and Birgit are sisters. They, their parents and I go back about 45 years. Inge and I first met backpacking in Taize, France, in 1975. 

Inge and parts of her family have visited me in Monticello, Lebanon and here in Louisville several times. Their parents, before they died, loved Kentucky and talked about about their visits all the time. 
After a several year lapse,  Inge and Birgit visited last summer and have returned again this summer. 

   

Lucky me! Birgit (left) loves to cook! We had a nice German dinner in my dining room. 

After dinner, we had drinks on the deck of my condo. 

Inge, myself and Phyllis Drury at Heine Brothers Coffee Shop

Birgit, myself and Inge at Churchill Downs. 

           

Germans are known for their organizational skills!

Here's proof and it's just an early draft!

Another German dinner with Phyllis Drury and Janice Brown

Drinks on the deck for all - again!

Sunday Mass with the Little Sisters of the Poor,  Father Emmanuel C.P., Inge and Birgit. Several visiting Sisters were in town for a meeting. 

A "Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Volunteer Reunion" at the home of Dr. Paul and Mrs. Susan Sherman. Karen brought her two children and Beth brought her husband. I brought my German friends, Inge and Birgit. 

We all said how we wished our Irish friend, Fergal, could have been there! He is back in Ireland for a visit. Many of us look forward to seeing him again in Saint Vincent or the next time he visits Kentucky. 

Susan cooked a fabulous dinner for all of us. It was delicious! 

Lunch at Shaker Village in Pleasant Hill, Kentucky 

re-enactment

This community of Shakers lasted from 1805 - 1910. 

"Shakers" got their name from their church services with their spirited religious dancing  in the "Meeting House." 

                       

In downtown Louisville on the riverfront with the 

General George Rogers Clark Memorial. 

Louisville was founded in 1778 by George Rogers Clark.

Louisville is named after King Louis XVI of France.

The Muhammad Ali Museum is in the back ground (right). 

What would a visit to Kentucky be without a bourbon tasting trip to the Woodford Reserve Distillery? Oddly enough, the tour guide spoke fluent German. He had been a student in Heidelberg at one time. 

Inge has been to Howard and Leona Lee's farm in Calvary with her parents on former trips. Sadly, Howard has passed on, as well as Inge's parents, Helmut and Anny. We were able to show Inge's sister, Birgit, that famous Calvary her parents talked about so much before they died. 
 We had called Leona up to take her to lunch and had suggested she ask a couple of people who knew me and maybe had met Inge on one of her former trips to the U. S.
Look below at how many showed up! It was nice to see so many old friends from Calvary! 





Sharing the restaurant's corn bread recipe.



We enjoyed a nice German dinner and some beer at the Eiderdown Restaurant. It's down the street from my house in Germantown. 



We had some doughnuts from Nord's Bakery. Helmut, the father of Inge and Birgit, absolutely loved American doughnuts. He was introduced to them on his first visit to Louisville. In his memory, we enjoyed a few of his favorites last week! 



We drove down to my hometown of Rhodelia to check out the Saint Theresa Parish picnic. We got to meet many of my relatives and friends. 



On the way down, we stopped to visit my sister, Brenda, in Brandenburg. 






Breakfast with Michelle, Bob, Seth Owings and Dr. Agnes Bacala at the Hyatt Regency before Mass at the Cathedral. 





Inge, Birgit and Mother Catherine Spalding, SCN. a Louisville hero, in front of the Cathedral




Birgit fixed a delicious German dinner for Tim Schoenbachler, Inge and myself on their last night. Tim and his parents had visited Birgit's and Inge's parents in German several years ago. Tim shared old photos and we all shared stories of our visits. 




Auf Wiedersehen
(goodbye)


Inge and Birgit are leaving for home this morning. They will fly to Philadelphia to London (England) to Stuttgart (Germany).  It was a great visit and I am sure it won't be the last!