A Bit of Spain in Switzerland

Those of you who have followed my blog for a while might recall that when I was researching my family tree, the first Swiss cousin with whom I made contact was Werner.  Werner, along with his sisters Brigitta and Ruth and his brother Andres, all grew up in Othmarsingen, the little town which was the birthplace of my great grandmother.

Andres, Brigitta and Ruth all still live in Switzerland... in fact Ruth still lives in Othmarsingen.  However, Werner lives in Madrid, Spain, where he is the owner of a translation company.  (He speaks German, French, English and Spanish.)  He lives with his husband of many years, Manuel.  

Manuel and Werner with their new puppy, Rosa

When the parents of my cousins passed away a few years ago, the family decided to keep the  house in Othmarsingen where they grew up.  Werner renovated the house and has been quite successful leasing it as a vacation rental.  He keeps very busy flying from Madrid to Switzerland preparing the house for guests.

Werner and Manuel usually stay at the house on their visits to Switzerland.  On this occasion Manuel's mother, aunt and niece joined them for a week's vacation.

Last night Werner invited Brigitta, Peter, and me for dinner in Othmarsingen.  Ruth, who lives just down the street, also joined us.  Manuel, his mother and his niece prepared for us a delicious Spanish meal which included two of my favorites... "salmorejo" (a cold soup similar to gazpacho) and "tortilla española" (an egg and potato omelet).  

It was a lovely evening... although the conversation was constantly switching from Swiss German, to English, to Spanish.  My brain was switching gears but not always successfully.  There were a couple times when I caught myself speaking Spanish to one of my Swiss cousins.

I am leaving Switzerland tomorrow, so this was my last opportunity to be with Werner, Manuel and Ruth.  Hopefully we will see each other again soon!