We spent today in Osnabrück with Judith and Michael (and also some with my mom and her boyfriend Klaus) and did a LOT of walking and eating! It was Michael’s 60th birthday and this is how we celebrated in style. The day started out with my first run (3 miles) since we landed in Europe, and after various people had had various small bites for breakfast, Michael got to unwrap the present he got from my mom, a fancy Japanese wrist watch.
Then JuMi and the two of us took off for a long walk (4+ mile) that took us to a lovely old cemetery that I had not known existed. It is called Hasefriedhof and was founded, together with another cemetery at the other end of what is now downtown and was then the “Altstadt” and the “Neustadt” of Osnabrück, in the 1810s, right after the Napoleonic Wars. It was GORGEOUS and the old gravestones built into walls were just beautiful. We wandered around for almost an hour and then crossed a lovely city park and a park-like area on one of Osnabrück’s large hills, Gertrudenberg. It surrounds the former sanatorium, which is still a psychiatric care facility, and has beautiful views of the city in the distance.
We were back home around 11:30 and rested up for a bit until it was time for Michael’s birthday lunch at Judith and Michael’s favorite restaurant, a sushi place with a buffet menu on I-pads that they know inside out. We were joined there by Klaus, Imke’s boyfriend, who had come from his own hometown, Bremerhaven, to join us, and JuMi were able to maneuver the complicated “order 15 things every 8 minutes 8 times in a row” menu and help us all order the right things at the right time. Everything was delicious and when we got to the green tea and black sesame ice cream for dessert, everyone was happy and I don’t think we had overeaten–eaten a lot, yes, but not overeaten.
The afternoon was very low-key; we rested for a bit and went for ONE MORE walk, pretty much retracing yesterday’s path across the Westerberg, and when we got back, just for the heck of it, we had cake for dinner. We live a decadent life! We sat around and talked about traveling and memories of travels; my mom was catching Michael up on complicated family stories, and we had a good time. I was, however, REALLY tired by 9:30 after 33,331 logged steps and was glad to turn in a little earlier than we have been, even though it was still practically light outside.