Aachen

Saturday led us to Aachen, Germany, where we shopped, happened upon a pride parade, and had a traditional German lunch of bratwurst, sauerkraut, and potatoes. While watching people walking towards the festivities, it began to rain. A few DJs (in moving trucks) were blasting music loudly in the square for the Pride event. Rain's no showstopper in Europe, haha! Folks had umbrellas, raincoats, or were just embracing the wetness. Reflecting on our afternoon in Aachen, a city where German is spoken and English not as widely. Our German vocabulary is quite limited. Aside from "danke" and "bitte," we know nothing. Gabe managed a few numbers which helped when ordering, “Zwei bier und zwei mineralwasser.” Luke took out his phone to show us how Google Lens will translate the menu. The only words we recognized were "Sauerkraut" and "Bratwurst," so this technology was a helpful way to bridge the language gap. It dawned on me that I'm more familiar with French than I thought, which brought comfort. What added an interesting twist was observing Gabe navigating a situation where he shared the same language limitations as the rest of us. However, Gabe's confidence in speaking and managing such situations stood out. It serves as an inspiration for me, hoping that one day I'll have the same level of assurance. Gabe and I discussed the contrast between being in tourist mode (just needing to order food or ask for the toilet) and daily life challenges (like buying a car in another country or registering the kids for school). While he usually handles language well, it was interesting to see him grappling with communication gaps like us. It brought a sense of connection and understanding as well as laughter on my part.