There is something so special about showing my girls where I spent my summers as I was growing up. Fehmarn was my happy place and I have so many fond memories of time spent with cousins, biking back and forth between the beach and my Oma's house, swimming in the freezing cold Baltic Sea, going shopping on our own in "the Stadt." And to be able to experience these things again with my girls and my family is so rewarding.
We spent 5 days on Fehmarn at the beginning of July, and while the weather at first felt more like fall than summer, we thoroughly enjoyed our time there.
The top reason for going to Fehmarn is to see my Dad, Lexi & Kenzie's Opa. This is where he grew up and where he returned when he retired. It is his Home and I am so happy that he is now back on the island (following his stroke he spent over 2 years in a nursing home on the mainland). His care facility on Fehmarn is within walking distance of two of his brothers and I can tell that he is happy to be back. He had made such great progress in the past 6 months and was so excited to show us how well he was walking, that he pushed it a bit too much, and fell and broke his femur a week before our visit. I feel so sad for him, as he is on bedrest until it heals and will then need to work so hard to regain his strength and all of the progress that he made. I know that our visit brightened his spirits and I am hopeful that anticipation of our next visit will help be encouragement for him to keep up the hard work (once his doctor approves it).
In addition to spending time with Dad, the girls played at the beach with second-cousins... (It was so special that my cousin Caroline, made the trip to Fehmarn with her daughter and my aunt & uncle, just so they could be there at the same time as our visit.)
... cheered on Deutschland in the EuroCup with my extended family. We also had a Hoepner family dinner with over 20 family members one night, that my cousin Birte coordinated. Such fun to get everyone together! My Uncle Gert and Aunt Telsche also had us over for dinner one night and of course Telsche made the girls' favorite German meal ... frikadellen with kohlrabi and potatoes in the most dreamy cream sauce.
... spent time in "the Stadt," shopping & eating lots of "Wurst" and ice cream.
We biked to the beach as a family and showed the girls the spot where Randall proposed ...
We got to meet up with Wibke, my favorite cousin that I shared so many Fehmarn adventures with as a child, and cheered on her husband in a triathlon in Heiligenhafen.
I am grateful that even though my parents have been divorced for almost 30 years, that they are still friendly and that it didn't feel awkward at all to be on Fehmarn with both my mom and dad ... a place that holds so many memories for our family.
My memories are becoming Kenzie & Lexi's memories and it makes my heart swell.
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