October-November 2006

In the last week of October I started going to the KHG where I felt awkward and foreign at first. Tamara, a friend from school arrived for a week-long visit on the Friday and we went on an excursions hiking in the Black Forest, visiting the Rhine Falls - the largest waterfall (volume) in Europe - and wine-tasting at a nearby winery.

Towards the end of November I made a trip to Talhausen by Markgröningen, not too far from Stuttgart, where I spent the weekend with Hans, Connie, Denise and Andre Steinmaier, German relatives of the Knolls. They treated me to some wonderful hospitality taking me to the castle in Ludwigsburg, up the TV tower and into the centre of Stuttgart as well as showing me around Markgröning and re-tracing the steps of my Great-great-grandfather. I was also treated to home-made local food specialities and even had a night out in trendy Stuttgart bars with Denise and her friends.