July 4th: Germany says Ja!

So we took our tearful leave from the bosom of the family with many hugs and kisses and mounted an Amtrak iron horse for the 8hr ride to New York. That was a bit of a cultural adventure in its own right of course. And a different sort of view of the American experience from the railway tracks.

We soaked up a couple of days in NYC to see the MOMA, wander through Central Park (check out the disco roller skaters and lick icy poles while horse-drawn carriages roll by with their bored drivers all busily ~SMSing), and score a few choice eating experiences (solid cream-cheese New York style cheesecake), and enjoy long sessions with Prem who is swirling around a great vision for development of the property in Udaipur (half ashram, half think tank). And the blackbear backpack reappeared, so we felt good on that front, though Varsha's cough continued.

Soon again it was time to leave and open our purses to the European Union. We landed in Frankfurt in the wee morning hours, checked in to the Thrifty car rental and wheeled our peppy diesel VW Polo onto the autobhan headed for Kassel before the burgermeisters had sat down to their morgenbraus.

Kassel is a sort of charming city with an old central district that hosts the 5-yearly highbrow arts happening called "documenta" in this case, documenta.12. Caro got a eye-brainful of rarified aethetics for a day while V and I sorted out the now desperate laundry situation. A bargain at only AUD$18 for one load, self-serve. Clean undies are priceless.

But we were soon perishing for proper tucker and I decided to take us in to the Poseidon, a Greek taverna at the far end of town. After a very average meal we were walking back and I decided to do something useful for the family: get a bit of cash out of the Geldautomat in preparation for our departure in the morning. I put my magical gold Visa into the machine and *it was swallowed*. Oopla. There goes our access to the few remaining funds on the credit card. We're now down to just one card of any kind from our starting count of four. Not good.

Yet the news is never all bad. Just before we left Kassel we had gone into a little pharmacy and the good folks had set us up with a herbal cough mix that Varsha actually enjoyed. It seemed to be working miracles already.

The bed was sumptuous, breakfast next morning fabulous (especially if you're a carnivore)...jugs of that rich, buttery German milk...and we left feeling quite recharged and perhaps liberated from the last of the charge cards. From here on it would be cash only. Besides, Caro had been doing a great job of cobbling together her rusty school German to decode our needs and somehow we seemed to be doing just fine.