Our Visitors From Babenhausen, Part 2

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​​Our Visitors From Babenhausen, Part 2

​...Continued from previous post:
        Ralf, Emil, and Marielle in Columbus, Ohio

      
​       Our visitors from Babenhausen, Germany, Ralf and Marielle, have traveled much of the world. They recently visited Indonesia and Thailand with their youngest son, Emil.

         But this was Marielle's and Emil's first visit to the United States and Ralf's first time in Columbus. And so, considering all the places they've been and all the things they've seen, along with the age of globalization we live in with the infinitude of media platforms from which it would seem that we can learn everything about everybody and everything just by scrolling on our phones, I wondered if visiting our patch of central Ohio would be a new, different, and interesting experience for our guests.
         Turned out it was, starting with breakfast at Scramblers,

...where they were astounded by the variety and size of the portions,

...not to mention that one can have free seconds, thirds, or even fourths if one wishes, of the dinner-plate-sized servings of pancakes, waffles, or French toast.

      Welcome to the U.S.A.!
       It being the first week of the Ohio State Fair, we asked our guests if they would like to go to the Fair. Absolutely, they replied. They found the State Fair to be a most enjoyable and interesting experience, 

​...and were especially charmed by the farm animals,

...and, of course, the Butter Sculptures.

      And then there were the good old American copious quantities of food as far as the eye could see.

      Sadly, I had to miss visiting the Fair with our guests because I was still hobbling around on a walker.

       I was bummed for sure (I love the State Fair above all), but glad everyone else had a good time.
     The next day, Friday, Tom was planning on taking our friends to see downtown Columbus and, of course, German Village, the historic Columbus neighborhood of brick houses and cobblestone streets that was settled by German immigrants in the 19th century. I was feeling sad about having to miss this outing, too. But then Tom, Marielle, and Ralf all entreated me to drag my walker and come along, even if it meant parking myself on a bench or in a cafe while everyone else saw the sights. In truth, I really did want to go. And so I did.
        We started out downtown at the Scioto Mile Fountain in Biennial Park along the Scioto River, where we stopped to watch the children enjoying the "sprayground" on this warm summer day,

...and to benefit as well from the cool mist rolling our way.

      Ralf was able to capture this sweet picture of a group of children posing for the camera.

    Then, while the others went for a stroll along the river,

...me and my walker parked ourselves at a bench,

...and I snapped some shots of the vista.

      After the others returned we discussed what we'd do next:  Walk around German Village? Visit the Loft, the German Village bookstore in which thousands of books are somehow crammed into what appears to be a really small space?

        Go eat lunch?
       It was Tom who informed us that, from the look of the sky, which had suddenly turned an ominous shade of dark, we'd be hit with a storm in about ten minutes. We decided to go eat lunch.
       Now, we did offer our friends the option of having lunch at Schmidt's, Columbus's tourist-trappy answer to a "German" German Village restaurant,

...or going to the Mohawk, a historic German Village restaurant where one could procure more authentic American fare. 

      They opted for the Mohawk. Luckily for us, we made it inside minutes before the skies opened up and the rain poured down.

      As is typical for the Mohawk, our food was delish.
​      Marielle's taco salad,

       Ralf's spicy buffalo chicken sandwich,

       My reuben,

      Tom's Mother Mohawk, a roast beef, swiss cheese, and potato salad sandwich.

      (I forgot to snap a picture of Emil's sandwich, but I think it was a club sandwich).         By the time we finished lunch the rain was over and the sun had returned,

...and so we asked our friends if they still wanted to tour German Village, or if perhaps they'd rather visit the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, where one can see a collection of exotic plant exhibits in which are set beautiful pieces by glass artist Dale Chihuly. They all agreed that they would like to see the plants, and so we headed over to Franklin Park,

...where we toured the indoor exhibits.
​      A Chihuly piece, set in a "cave."

    As the Conservatory closed at 5 pm we ran out of time to see all the outdoor gardens, though we did see a few,

...and had just enough time for a quick refreshing foot-dip in a little mini-pool before the place closed.

        Our friends commented that downtown Columbus reminded them of Frankfurt am Main, a German city on the Main river, except that the the streets here are wider than in Frankfurt.

       Frankfurt am Main

     
​         Columbus

        Marielle made the observation  that driving in the U.S. is so much easier than in Europe. Our roads are wider, the speed limits are safer and well-enforced, the streets are organized in ways that make sense in the cities and the routes are clearly marked both in cities and on highways. 
        On the other hand, she pointed out, Europe has the far superior public transportation. This made me think: Obviously in the U.S. public streets and highways take the priority that in Europe goes to public transportation; and so the U.S. and Europe simply have two different approaches to the basic necessity of getting around.
       In Ralf, Marielle, and Emil's two days here we had a number of engaging conversations on a number of topics. I found the most memorable to be a thought-provoking theory shared by Marielle that nations that were once strong colonial powers - Great Britain, France, Germany, the United States among others - now have a tendency  to look to the past, to strive for what they believe were once their glory days, to want to make themselves "great again." On the other hand, countries that had no "glorious past," no national nostalgia that they desire to bask in, countries such as Sweden, Denmark, Norway, etc., are more progressive because they look rather to the future.
      That evening Ralf offered to make dinner for us. I told him I didn't think we had much for him to work with. But he rummaged through our fridge, cooked some rice, and he and Emil rustled together a lovely, tasty meal.

       The next morning over breakfast I asked our friends if they couldn't stay a few more hours before leaving, as there were more things to see in Columbus. In truth, though, I was feeling sad that they were leaving and just wished they could stay longer.

     But they were headed to Cleveland, their overnight stop on their way to Rochester, New York, their final destination, and they wanted to have some time to see Cleveland.
            We told them that if they had only a brief time in Cleveland, they should use it to visit the city's historic West Side Market.

           Which they did, and which they enjoyed. Ralf told us it reminded them of the "Kleinmarkthalle," a market hall in Frankfurt.            

       If only our friends lived across town instead of half way across the globe.