Bee-Keeping and Wine-Making in Kladow

This afternoon’s excursion to Spandau and then Kladow was like something from another world.

We took public transit across the city to meet my mother’s childhood friend and her husband, both retired, for lunch in Spandau, followed by tea and cake back at their house in an old, tree-lined suburb of west Berlin.

Waltraud and Dieter grow tonnes of fruit, which they freeze and make stuff with.  They also keep bees, which is pretty neat.  The boys got to learn a bit about bee-keeping, among other things…

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After the bee-keeping lesson, the boys went upstairs to be be-gifted by Waltraud, who is as close to their “other grandma” (as they refer to my deceased mother) as they’re going to meet, German-wise.  I, meanwhile, got a tour of the “wine cellar” – with 3- freezers full of fruit each fall (and that doesn’t include the fresh and dried fruit they keep!) something has to be done, so Dieter brews wine, and lots of it!

There are flasks all over the house:  Currant wine, raspberry wine, apple wine, and -- this year -- honey mead, which he made with all the extra honey after the loss of his bees last winter.  We had a little taste after the tea and cake:  It was incredible!!!

I jokingly suggested they market exclusive tours to wealthy tourists from the middle east:  “German Bee and Wine Tour”, including a small wine sample and beeswax candle at the end.  But they were not interested in such grand business proposals.

I’m glad we got to go out there; it was quite the trek (over two hours to get home afterwards), but well worth it to see these incredible people again, and introduce them to my kids.  I feel so blessed to know them.

As Simon said tonight when I was tucking him in, “Mommy, I hope we get to see them again sometime!”