Freiburg 2020

Last Friday's Badische Zeitung had the obituary of a good friend. R.I.P. He was two years younger than me. This made me very sad, although his death reminded me that I still live in this world. How lucky I am.

The mayor's letterhead, according to former Mayor Otto Winterer's Maxime,
"A village has roofs, but a town sports steeples."

Then I received a letter from Freiburg's mayor. Here is the first paragraph translated:

Dear Dr. Höfert,

Gingerbread, cookies, fir branches, and the colorful hustle and bustle everywhere - Christmas is approaching with great strides. This is an appropriate occasion, too, to say thank you.

Many thanks for the good and trusting cooperation. Together, we have again achieved a great deal in many areas in 2019. I am incredibly grateful for this and would be delighted if, after the well-deserved Christmas break, we could pick up in the New Year with great enthusiasm where we left off.

Well, well, Mr. Martin Horn, I understood your broad hint, and, health permitting, you can count on me for those small achievements throughout the jubilee year.

Freiburg 2020 is ante portas, and I am particularly looking forward to the Partnerschaftsmarkt during the festival week on July 10 and 11. From our sister city, Madison, we expect a strong delegation with whom we would like to celebrate the city's 900th anniversary. My help is guaranteed.

Enjoy the Christmas tree. I took the photo on November 21, when I was in Paris, visiting the exhibition Leonardo da Vinci in the Louvre. Stay tuned for the blog to come.

I wish all my friends and readers a Merry Christmas and a Healthy* New Year.
*At my age, I have no apologies for this obvious Germanism
*