Trip to Germany

- Have you been to Germany before? Ken ask.
- No.
- Me neither! I’m so excited about going!
- It’ll be horrible. Cold and rainy. And we won’t have enough warm clothes because of the tiny luggage.
- But luckily you’re our own Ms. Sunshine.
- Shut your mouth. I’m nervous.
 
Hector gives Ken and Kaarna a lift to the airport. Kaarna wants to nag about a convertible, but manages to hold her tongue. Better to freeze in this stupid car than to be left behind.
 
They need one flight to Berlin and another one to Düsseldorf. Both planes are half empty and they get a whole row of seats for themselves! This is the maximum comfort that a cheap airline can offer!
 
It's late when they arrive at Heinsberg. Ken´s friends have arranged their own motorhome as the accommodation of the travelers.
- I hope it’s not molded, Kaarna says and adds:
- This is so much better than a hotel room in any case. 
 
The next morning Ken walks to his friends’ house and is amazed by this idyllic village. Everything is so clean, tidy, well taken care of. Houses are cute and every person says ”Hallo! Guten Morgen!” when they see Ken.
 
While Ken spends the day with his German friends, Kaarna walks around. Everything is so green! Everything is blooming! It's overwhelming to see all this all of the sudden. Kaarna hasn’t seen colors in the nature in seven months. It’s been a long time of brown, gray, black and white.
 
The swimming season is officially open! At least for Finns in Germany and for the German geese. Water is cold enough but not too cold. So it’s perfect.
 
Ken spends his days having a lot of laughs with Clothilde and Günter and gets to feed their fish in a pond. 
 
  
He enjoys every moment with these dear friends, but is very uncomfortable with the habit of keeping shoes on inside the house.
 
Ken’s friends live really close to the border of the Netherlands. Clothilde is stressed about the wedding so she wants to buy her special medicine that helps her relax. It’s legal in Holland. Ken only buys normal painkillers, because they are really cheap - and pink!
 
He helps Günter and Clothilde to organize the wedding party at their home. They carry everything out of the living room and put rented tables and chairs in. 
 
It’s a lot of work, but Clothilde’s stress has disappeared like a smoke in the air. Literally.
 

Kaarna climbs on the hill, where she can sketch a little. On the hill there’s a church and old castle ruins. There are thousands of both in Germany. She doesn’t want to meet Ken’s friends and prefers her own time.
 

It’s the wedding day! Ken watches this beautiful ceremony on the balcony of the amazing Aachen cathedral. Clothilde and Günter look so happy. 
 
They really are a perfect couple and clearly made for each other. Ken feels a tiny bit sad, thinking about his own fairytale marriage that went all wrong. He also wonders about Kaarna and Mari... he has a bad feeling about that.
 
Ken waits for the newly weds outside of the church and wonders what’s keeping them so long.
 
Eventually they arrive and everybody can congratulate them. Günther seem to have lost his other shoe though.
 
Maybe it´s still in the dark candle room of the church…
 

 
Kaarna loves the motorhome. It’s a million times more comfortable than Herbert. But she doesn’t love the motohome area where dozens and dozens of other vehicles are parked side by side. Germany is so populated, that it’s not as easy to find a quiet place for free camping as in Finland.
 
- So! How was the party? Did you get drunk?
- I only had a few shots of Baileys and egg liqueur! Everything was nice and the food was delicious. I ate three portions of every dessert. Nobody spoke English, so I had to use my Siansaksa all the time. (Siansaksa is literally translated Pig’s German, and it means a blabbered language that doesn’t actually mean anything.)
 
Now Ken is finally able to spend time with Kaarna. But it’s Sunday and everything is closed, even the grocery stores. And it’s a cloudy day too, which makes Kaarna angry.
- I knew we would freeze to death here.
- It’s still better than home! Hector just sent me a photo, it’s snowing over there!
 
Sadly Ken has to say goodbye to Günther and Clothilde. 
 
He always speaks English with Clothilde and tries to speak German with Günter. That makes all the languages mix up in his mouth. When he tries to say a simple ”yes” it comes out like this:
- Sí! Da! Nein nein! Ja!!!

But trying to speak German is a lot of fun. Ken fills the empty spots with English, Spanish or Swedish very easily:
- Ich would sprechen fluent Deutch after spending zwei oder drei semanas aquí! Aber ich will come back lite senare, vielleicht en septiembre. Vielen Dank für alles!
 

After spending a sweaty night in a cheap, dirty hotel near Berlin, Ken and Kaarna walk to a supermarket to buy something to eat. They don’t want to waste money on meals at the airport or in the plane.
 
The last moments of warmth before flying back home.
- I wonder if there’s still snow… Kaarna mumbles.
- I hope not. Are you happy to go home?
- I hate the idea of the grayness and coldness. But I miss Mari terribly.
 
Ken spots a cool Barbie motor home at the duty free.
- I really don’t need this… he says realistically.

But Kaarna (who has already eaten a big box of chocolate filled with egg liquour) is the little devil on his shoulder:
- It’s too great to leave behind. You will regret, if you don’t buy it now. Your dolls need it.
 
 Egg liquour... what a great reason to return to Germany as soon as possible!

When Ken unpacks his stuff at home, he finds a 200 euro bill and a letter in the pocket of his bag. The letter says:
“We want to give you this for your next flight ticket to Germany. Please visit us again, when we are not this busy with the wedding!” 

Clothilde and Günter are the most generous people ever and Ken is deeply touched.