Our neighbors wanted to show us a nice forest walk. What better way to spend a sunny Fall Saturday?

I meant to share these photos when they were taken, almost five years ago. I can’t remember what stopped me.

Now I’m looking at them and wondering “just where was that?” I know it’s the state forest. Or maybe the national forest. It’s the Liliental area, but I don’t remember exactly where that is. I don’t think it was more than an hour’s drive from our home in southern Germany, but my memory is a little hazy.

I remember the walk though. At that point we’d been living in Germany for a year. My grasp of the language was extremely weak. (These days it is merely very weak.) One of our neighbors spoke a little English, the other none. Spending what amounted to a full day struggling with language put me well outside my comfort zone.

It wouldn’t be the last time. Even as a natural introvert, I understand the value of human interaction. I might prefer to hid in my room with a book, but I don’t allow that to happen as often as I would like. And, once I am with with people I usually enjoy the myself, and their company.

So it was on this day. It wasn’t the last time we would walk with this couple, though usually it would just be through the vineyards around Sulzburg. Now, separated by an ocean, we don’t walk together – but we do have fairly regular video calls.

I still struggle with the German. But that’s okay. Friendship really knows no language.

Thanks for coming on the walk with us.