Several days ago, my friend Birgit stopped by for a short visit. We had four hours, and the time went by quickly. We had not seen each other in 16 years.

Like most German friends, she returns mainly to see her family in our mutual hometown, Schweinfurt, in Germany. Nowadays, friends try to squeeze in visits by either visiting right after the arrival at the airport, or just before the departure from the airport. In between, with family in tow and the distance within Germany, it is difficult to see each other.

Birgit stopped by the evening before she left for her trip back to the USA the next morning.

It was a fairly mild November evening. We started off with Glühwein (mulled wine), nevertheless.

Birgit, a former colleague and friend from Schweinfurt, has been in California for close to 30 years