"Friends of friends are also my friends." - I'm sure some of you are familiar with this phrase. I have always tried to take this wisdom to heart. In Cologne, we've had the odd friend of a friend as a guest. Some shorter, some longer. There was Andrea, for example - a friend from Berlin called and asked if I happened to know someone with whom his good friend Andrea could stay for a week or two to plan her start in Cologne.
Andrea stayed for more than three years and is still a welcome guest in our home today. No, she's more than that now, she's a friend. That's why she's very welcome to bring Craig, her boyfriend.
There are also such constellations in our circle of friends. There are Lotte and Rolf, both of whom have been Torgit's friends for over thirty years, and Gaby and Thomas, who have also been my friends for decades. In the meantime, the two couples have become mutual friends. Not only for us, but also for each other.
Not every friend of my friends will automatically belong to my close circle of friends. That's certainly not the point. But knowing that you are also welcome in a foreign country because you are a friend of a friend creates a network, a sense of security and trust.
We got to know and appreciate Marga and Kasim at my nephew Tim's wedding. Marga is the best friend of Majda, my nephew's best wife in the world. When we set off on our tour, we were told that if you are near Murcia, you absolutely have to visit Marga and Kasim. - They have a house there - do you know the feeling of knowing people from a single encounter and knowing that you are not only welcome as a guest, but that you will also feel at home? - This was such a situation. We knew in advance that we were visiting friends of friends and that we would be welcomed like friends. Or does that mean friends of the family in this case? Never mind...
This weekend, we were guests at the couple's home. We were able to enjoy the international flair. Marga's ancestors come from Italy and Poland, Kasim's from Turkey. The two of them are therefore German with a little international flair. What's more, they have set up a very nice branch here in Spain. But here, too, they are not just Germans, but are trying to learn the language and thus participate in Spanish life. - What can I say, we felt very comfortable all round.
Kasim and I not only share a passion for sales, delicious cigars and whisky, but also for good food. Marga impressed us not only with the way she hosted us, but above all with her multilingualism: German, English, Polish, Italian, Russian, Spanish, a little Czech and Turkish, respect! Both are perfect and friendly hosts.
But the two of them gave us something else to take with us, plenty of motivation - we went for a long "walk" along the coast together. - Kasim has been walking this route for quite a while now. In combination with some healthy food, he has not only lost 15 kilos, but also feels like it. - We will take this as an example.
"Stay as long as you like" - But as the saying goes, guests are twice as happy when they come and when they go. That's why we hit the road again after two days. Of course, not without a big bag of home-grown lemons from their garden in the van. It now smells wonderfully fresh, lemon fresh that is. Grateful, happy!
(Torgit: I am very grateful for this great weekend. And I'm even more grateful that Marga and Kasim showed us that healthy food can be very, very tasty, because they eat no or very few carbohydrates. And Marga loves cooking just as much as I do, only tastier. I always say that we eat healthily too, but we do have the odd pasta dish more often. And we've learned something new: baby eel. Do you know baby eel? It's super tasty when tossed briefly in a pan with oil and garlic :)
We are already looking forward to seeing you again in Germany in May.
Conclusion: Knowing that there are friends of friends is also a form of happiness.
PS: Thanks to Tim, but especially to Majda for friends of the family.
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