28th and 29th July
Having arrived midnight the night before in FDS the teams regrouped and with their limited clothing resources firstly decided to have all clothes properly washed – most of the clothing was left in the cars on high seas…..
Willy’s mother and sister did prepare a wonderful breakfast not seen in the past 8 weeks and replacing lunch totally…. Thanks to Anna and Ingrid…
Thereafter itineraries had to be adjusted with flights to be changed and travel plans to be rescheduled.
Team Lipstick’s car would be driven from Freudenstadt by Willy’s sister Ingrid and her husband Michael to Bremen so that Mark and Rene could reach their plane in time on 3rd August ……… all know now that Team bulldog’s car is for sissies…..
Team Icevan would adjust their travelling and stay over in Switzerland on the way back from Venice before hitting north Germany.
Team Lipstick would drive the car also to Freudenstadt where it would be left for a later transport to Bremen – but Andre and Willy had to change their flight to Dubai from leaving on the 2nd to now leaving on the 3rd of August.
After all this administrative tasks the teams drove to a little town called Glatten just outside Freudenstadt to meet with Willy’s brothers and sisters in law.
Sister in law Waltraud and her father Hans waived south African flags and Waltraud proceeded to blow both the South African and German national anthem over the otherwise silent valley of Glatten – whose citicens must have assumed that some high ranking South African government officials must have arrived in their peacefull black forest town…
From Kurt and Waltraud’s home all and sundry proceeded to the old sawmill close by which is converted every Thursday into a traditional black forest pub inclusive of Kirschwasser , Beer , sausages and black forest ham…
Local musicians added to the folklore athmosphere and again a good time had by all …. Shortly before midnight on the way home some local photographer must have waited to take a picture from the Elao members driving back to Freudenstadt by bus…… the other rare possibility would be that a faulty speed check machine decided to take evidence of Willy’s careful slow drive back home ……
Next morning – its Friday in southern Germany – the team left direction Baden Baden the most famous town in this area…
On the way there a stop had to be made to visit a good friend of all members – Hanna Braun—who awaited all with the coolest version of Alpirsbach’s finest brew. A visit to the private museum of Hanna and Karl gave all insight of the activities of the Braun family… – after a few pictures and saying good bye to hanna the team members went to visit Elizabeth – a sister of their friend Thomas in South Africa – and her husband Claus. They run a nice little restaurant – Carola – alongside the river Murg. After a traditional “Wurstsalat” chased down by pear schnaps and of to Baden Baden for another traditional piece of Calorie bombs…- the black forest cake………..
Back via the black forest high way to Freudenstadt and an evening at the Italian restaurant owned by Willy’s friend Nino …….
