Live local

 This trip my focus has been  to live like a local.  I have stayed with Rich and Jenn in Sweden, then with Rhonda and Robert in France, and am now with Franz and Inge in Vaihingen.  In each place I have wandered around to see the sights and played in the dirt.

Gardening has always been something very satisfying for me.  My kids used to say that Mom plays in the dirt, which is absolutely true. I had my own garden at the farm growing up and was given the freedom to try different plants.  The vegetable garden was part of chores, so my garden was always flowers.  I loved the smell and freshness of spring bulbs, the wonderful opulence of peonies, the stateliness of lupins and foxgloves.  How delightful that plants don't go out of style!

But each garden is unique, not only as they reflect the different personalities of the people who created them, but, of course, the different climates that they inhabit.

Jennie's garden is much later to develop, being so far north.  She has a ground elder (weed) which has to be battled all the time.  Luckily, the hens love the stuff, so they work it over every time I drop a bucket of it their way.  Jenn mixes flowers and fruit, so the currant bush is beside the climbing hydrangea and behind the daffodils.  Grass is always trying to invade also and the spirea hedge has to be controlled with the hedge clippers.  She has the most amazing rhubarb I have ever seen, the stalks are as big as my arm.  We managed to dig over the area she uses for controlled beds, and provide lots of worms for the hens.

Rhonda's garden is in the Rhine valley, in the Alsace region of France.  There is a microclimate which allows some of the hardier palm trees to thrive.  Rhonda grows a huge variety of flowers and Robert take care of the vegetables and fruit trees.  Both have scientific and agricultural backgrounds, so the retirement property had to have a big garden.  In the three years they have been there, it has already changed immensely and it is still expanding.  And the 'in soil' portion is supplemented by pots of all sizes holding plants.  It is a delight of colours and textures -- including the buttercups which are weeds and must be dug out -- nasty root system.  

Here in Vaihingen, I have been in two gardens, about 100 meters away from each other.  Cousins Franz and Johanna live on opposite sides of the same street.  Both gardens feature flowers as well as fruits and veg.  Thistles and grass are the predominant weeds to be pulled.  Both households has fabulous orchids which rebloom.  Also, in Johanna's garden, was the first spreading red Japanese maple that I remember -- that was in 1987.  It was a lovely, little tree by the front door -- look at it now!

So I have gardened, shopped, eaten, walked and relaxed like the locals in each of the three places I have visited.  It's how to get to know each of the families better.  That's the reason to travel.