A Down Day in the Alps
The rains came on Thursday evening and persisted all day yesterday. With Ilise and Drew still fighting colds we decided to make it a quiet day. Good thing, because yesterday was May Day in Germany and everything was closed. All the supermarkets and shops in town, but the restaurant on the corner was open for dinner. So, when Ilise and Noah went for a small walk they made 6 pm reservations for us for dinner. We haven’t eaten out that much, so this would be a nice meal for all of us.
I spent most of the day reading and getting some work done and went for a long walk as there was a break in the rain for about 2 hours. The scenery here is just amazing and this is something I have been thinking about since we started planning this trip. When I was in college I toured Europe with the Rutgers Glee Club and we drove on a bus from Paris to Florence. The trip took us through the Swiss Alps into Italy and I remember the spectacular views and wanted the family to experience the same thing, and we have. I was able to walk through town and found a walking path along a creek that seemed to go for miles. I walked for over an hour while listening to a podcast. The views were just breathtaking and I was able to breath in the crisp mountain air.
I finished my walk, came back and took a quick shower before heading off to dinner at the Dubrovnick Restaurant. It is literally about 150 yards from where we are staying. Our host told us it was a very nice restaurant and we would enjoy a typical local meal. We ended up ordering a few different dishes that we all shared, mostly of local food. We also had two soups that we delicious. We had a really nice time and at some point toward the end of the meal the four of us were just hysterically laughing. There was one thing that kicked it off, but in the end it was great to be sitting in this restaurant just belly laughing with the whole family. We have not laughed like that in a long time. I look forward to many more moments like that on this trip.
When we got back Noah wanted me to watch a movie that he loves while Ilise and Drew sat working on their computers. In the middle of the movie we had a Skype call with our contractor back in San Diego, and Jeff was able to walk us through the house and show us everything that is being done. When we get home it will be to our new home which will be exactly as I have dreamed. Noah and I had a great time watching the rest of the movie and I finished my night on a few calls with some friends/business associates that I will be working with when I return. This trip has illuminated so many key things for me, the most important of which is to be able to choose the people you surround yourself with. Moving forward, finding people that are purposeful, skilled at what they do, and most importantly, people that can make me laugh, will be very important criteria for choosing who I spend time with in the future. I’m looking forward to the rest of this trip, but I’m also very excited about the life we will return to in San Diego this summer!
To a life well lived …..
Larry Kesslin 