Haus Roßner

Parking beside the garden was easy, and Oma greeted us warmly whenever we came back. She even stood outside to wave us off when we left, staying there until we were gone. We felt a bit embarrassed and kept telling her to get out of the sun, but it was touching to be treated almost like family. The apartment is up on the third floor, so hauling luggage to the attic takes some effort. The place was still cold at night even though the heating had stopped at the end of May, as it had at many guesthouses. We forgot to ask Om-a about heat and, coming from the subtropics, ended up sleeping in extra layers. I wondered if that was customary in Germany. There was no laundry detergent or seasoning like salt either, which would have been handy, since these everyday things are hard to take along and guests have to buy them. Oma and Opa run the guesthouse. They don't speak English, but were incredibly welcoming and expressive when communicating in German. Seeing our two children, they quickly made up an extra bed, though the double bed was already big enough for us. The decor felt warm all the way up the stairs, and the spacious apartment on the third floor made a great impression. We could watch sunsets and stars through the living room skylight, and sunrise from the bedroom and bathroom windows. The scenery was lovely, especially with the weather changing so much during our five days. The kids adored Oma and Opa and wanted to chat before heading out each morning. Oma would give them chocolate or take them to feed the fish. We really appreciated their kindness and care. There was a power outage early on our first morning. We hadn't realized the washer was still running before turning it back on, and water spilled out. We soaked it up ourselves, but the machine broke. Oma didn't blame us or ask for money. She had us bring our clothes downstairs so she could wash them, and offered to hang them up too. We felt bad and did that ourselves, enjoying the chance to experience a local German home. After our long drives and late returns, Oma had already gathered and folded the laundry, which was incredibly thoughtful. We offered to have someone repair the washer while we were there, so other guests could use it, but Oma refused because she cared about their privacy.