An Open Letter to My Children and Grandchildren

First of all, I have to say that I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I decided to attend Schlarbtreffen 2001 in Kirschroth.  I was pretty sure that I would get to meet Yvonne Schlarb, my 16 year old pen-pal who writes to me in German. But, to be honest, I was concerned that we had nothing in common but our last names.  And even if we did find something to talk about we wouldn’t be able to communicate because her English would be so poor, and my high school Deutsch was by now just a fleeting memory.  I felt a little more secure knowing that Timo Schlarb would be there.  You see, Timo is a fellow computer nerd and I knew that we could talk about web pages and hard drives.

Of course, things never turn out the way you plan.  Continue reading and you will soon learn that Yvonne’s English is very good, and I never did get to discuss hard drives with Timo.

As the originator (some would say perpetrator) of www.schlarb.com, I felt that it was my duty to go to Kirschroth to represent the "American Division" of the Schlarb Family. Und so, ging ich weg. (Excuse me if I lapse into my native tongue. I mean: “And so, away I went”.)

I won’t bore you with my June 12-13 flights from San Diego to London and London to Frankfurt. Or the 500 KM drive on the Autobahn from Frankfurt to Hamburg where I meet up with Joy. Or our cruise on the Elbe river from Hamburg to Tangermünde to Madgeburg where we go by bus to Berlin. Or the rest of the cruise from Dessau to Wittenberg to Torgau to Meisen to Dresden. This is where I abandon ship while Joy goes on to Pillnitz and then to Prague where she stocks up on Czech Republic crystal. Meanwhile, I fly from Dresden back to my original starting point in Frankfurt.

If you have read this far, I'm sure that you will want to continue the adventure by clicking below:

Thursday, 21 June 2001- I arrive in Kirschroth

Friday, 22 June 2001 - Doodles 10th Birthday!

Saturday, 23 June 2001 - I must leave Kirschroth

Sunday, 2 July 2001 - Visit to Schlarbhofen

This is a work-in-progress.
As time permits I will complete all four chapters.

Please note:  I, Roger Schlarb, am totally responsible for the content and accuracy of this narrative.  I hope that I have not offended anyone or divulged personal information.  If you observe any errors, omissions, or just plain lies, please contact me at the address below.