Our trips to France and to the Neurologist

Aloha all,

we took two trips with the family to France during the past month. Maybe we should have just stayed there, because my dad used the time back in Germany between the two trips to have a stroke. Of course having any stroke at any time is a silly thing to do, but we are grateful that it was relatively minor. And since we are usually thousands of miles away, we were also glad it happened while we were close so that I was able to help with doctor’s appointments, the recovery and with the duties of the master gardener.

The Weininger Girls
on our first trip to France

Our pre-stroke trip to France with my parents, Sandra’s mom & her sister was to Geradmer in the Voges, fairly close to my hometown. We had picked a hotel somewhat randomly, but we were very happy there. Great views, easy access to swim in the lake, delicious food and nobody had to do the dishes. 

The food was as good as the view,
 so we quickly decided to have all our dinners at our hotel

My favorite activity on that trip was the nearby botanical garden “Jardin de Berchigranges”, which we did not even know about when we booked the hotel. It’s the life’s work of a couple who transformed an old quarry into a floral oasis. It was surprisingly low key, considering it was once voted as the most beautiful garden in all of France. They had a whole section dedicated to mosses for Sandra and a maze to play in for me.

Casual encounter with a fellow garden enthusiast
in the maze at Jardin de Berchigranges

I am not a gardener, but after taking over some garden duties in my dad's garden, I appreciate the work that goes into maintaining a garden even more. I just cleared a few feet for a new path and felt very accomplished. 

In case you didn't know:Sandra LOVES moss!

Another highlight was an observation tower that we could hike to from our hotel. It was a short, but very steep and very rocky hike. Impressive, that my 86 year old dad made it all the way up that trail! A week later, a simple walk through the living room was equally challenging for him. But by now he is well on his way to recovery. The neurologist is optimistic that he will eventually fully recover, so we hope he will be hiking again soon.

My dad made it to the top of the world above Lac Geradmer

I will not give you the detailed play-by-play of all the doctor visits, but it seems to me that the German health care system is slightly cheaper, but even more complicated than ours in the US. The weirdest aspect from an American perspective is that there is a clear two-class system in German health insurance. If you are privately insured, you get better and quicker service because doctors get paid more than twice as much for the same treatment. Doesn’t sound very democratic or socialistic. But even as a privately insured stroke patient, it wasn’t always easy to get appointments. And you still have to be your own advocate to get proper care. It’s high quality care, but also highly complicated.

I got to look into my dad's head...

...that had to be helpful for our chess games!

On the plus side, all the doctors we met seemed really nice and knowledgable. Being used to American doctors, who always seem to be afraid of getting sued, it was also surprising when the neurologist warned my dad: “Don’t be too careful!”. That was refreshing to hear from a doctor. Apparently the dangers of permanent damage from sitting on the couch too long are more of a concern than the threat of another fall.  Overall, I feel about the German and American health care system the same way I feel about German and American politics: They are both screwed up in different ways, but overall I think you can count yourself lucky if you live in either one of those countries. 

Somehow, wine tastes even better in a vineyard

Somehow, Aperol Spritz tastes even better by the pool

Somehow, wine tastes even better
when it has your name on it

After the stroke, we were not sure whether we’d be able to go on our second trip to France. But the primary physician, the neurologist and the physical therapist all agreed that it is best for my dad to stay physically and mentally active after the stroke. And what better way to do that than being surrounded by the whole family at my parent’s favorite little hotel in the French Jura, which also happens to be all our favorite restaurant in the world. 

Hotel Les Alpages
Our family's Happy Place

Of course disc golf had to be part of the family equation

Lots of lakes to cool down 

My dad did not complain that he was not able to do the usual longer hikes or that he could not swim in the lakes. He only had one gripe: Despite being the only one not getting any alcoholic aperitif or wine, he had to be escorted to his room after dinner. And with his impaired balance, it looked like I was taking my dad to his room because he had too much to drink. And that while Sandra’s mom drank one glass of red wine after the other; “only to help me sleep”, as she keeps reminding us with every sip.

Family Reunion taking over Les Alpages

The newest members of the family

One big happy family

I love our pre-dinner games and drinks

Compared to previous family reunions at this hotel, we had an even larger crowd. My brother’s entire family joined, so we ended up all but two of the rooms of the hotel. Linnea added a very fun human and a very cute dog to the crew. The time we saved by not doing any long hikes, we spent playing more games and taking more naps. Despite the stroke, it was still a very enjoyable stay. And even for my dad, I am sure it was more fun than sitting on the couch all week being “too careful”. And of course, to nobody’s surprise, the five dinners at “Les Alpages” were again my five favorite meals of the year. 

The food at Les Alpages is so good that
 this very delicious meal cooked by my mom
did not even make the Top Five dinners this year
But my mom will understand that in a competition
with 5 dinners at Les Alpages, 6th place is really good!

Speaking of good food, we have put on our obligatory ten German pounds, so it is now time to head back to America. We hope the lack of good pretzels and the sparsity of Hefeweizen and Jägerschnitzel will help us lose some pounds back on the road with Joy.

Sandra as an honorary Seibert
and honorary member of Munich's
Tiefseetaucher Ultimate Frisbee team
at one of two tournaments we went to.

We did get to spend a lot of time catching up with friends & family, playing games, going for walks and drinking schnaps, all of which were main reasons for us to go to Germany in the first place. We'll return at the end of the year because there's a 90th birthday coming up in December. Maybe there will be more time for games, too. 

So long, Farewell, Au Revoir & Auf Wiedersehen,

Chris & Sandra