11 May

I met Beth at the Starbucks on Calwerstrasse this afternoon. (Coming up from the U-Bahn station I accidentally stumbled on Calwer Passage – a glass-enclosed shopping street lined with expensive clothing shops and cafés. I'd been wondering where it was for a year and a half.) We spent a good 2.5 hours talking about all manner of interesting topics - my book, Beth's new handbag business (she wants to design a stylish diaper bag for moms and an evening bag that can actually hold more than a lipstick and a credit card), life in Germany, what to wear to Judy's wedding, etc.

After leaving Beth with my English copy of "Buddenbrooks" (she took a stab at the German but found it slow going), I went to the Tritschler store and found a cute Alessi kitchen timer and a nice wedding card for Judy and Achim. I had forgotten to ask Beth about European wedding gift-giving traditions (especially for last-minute invitees) so I decided a little something would be better than nothing!