There is nothing like a holiday in one's country of birth to make one wistful about childhood. This is especially true when one is lucky enough to still have grandparents to recount their memories of one's glory days of youth. I find I'm getting more sentimental each time I return, and even if the same story is recounted for what seems like the hundredth time, I don't really mind so much these days, because who knows for how long these grandparents can continue to tell these tales.
On our last day in Germany my grandmother's husband Hans pulled out a box of photos, letters, drawings and other paraphernalia - anything I've ever sent him. Amongst all this we found some lovely photos of our many hiking trips my brother and I used to take with Hans.
I've decided to post a few of those (I do hope my bro doesn't mind..) because I think they offer a lovely snapshot of a happy childhood, and I really love old photos from a creative/designer point of view, too.
I think I was about 6 or 7 in this photo, taken on one of our many smokos we took during our hikes.
As a child my brother could be a bit of a sook (sorry, it's true!), and this story gets told and retold to illustrate this point. In our day of hiking he somehow managed to get a splinter stuck in his hand here is Hans trying to coax it out from under his skin with a needle; my brother's pained expression cracks me up to this day!
Undoubtedly my favourite of these photos. In Bavaria beer is jokingly referred to as own food group, and Hans would always let us have a sip of his beer for a special treat. Whilst I don't drink much beer usually, when in Germany I drink almost exclusively Weissbier, which is what is pictured here. I just love the slightly cheeky expression on our faces!
I hope you all enjoyed this trip down memory lane as much as I did. The original photos are back in the box of tricks at my grandmother's house for now, but one day that box will reside in one of my cupboards at home, periodically dusted off and wistfully rummaged through.
