It was awesome that the owner's wife was a very sweet Japanese girl. After talking to her for a while, I learned that she has been living in Germany as long as I have been in the U.S. We talked in Japanese, English... then she and Frido talked in German. So cool that she was maneuvering in three languages so freely. I felt warm connection with her in what we shared as the ones who have Japanese heritage... but living in our adopted countries.
What also inspired us was their unique business model. It's a lovely neighborhood cafe but they also carry a great collection of driftwood that Frank (the owner) passionately collects... from all over the European coasts. You can purchase oversized driftwood at this store... Frank also told us that he knows network of wood artisans in the area who might be able to make your ideas come true using the driftwood he sells. We love wood... and we LOVE driftwood. We also loved a life he leads. He operates a wonderful coffee shop but takes off for a few days at a time to collect driftwood to fuel his love for these wood... then he is ready to make more coffee.
We are always looking for "a way of life" that inspires... and we definitely felt moved after our visit.
Tomorrow we are leaving Hamburg to head home to Los Angeles. The idea of being in our home is so far away... that it feels strange to even think about it. We will take it in as we go!
