In Germany, in May

I came home to Germany in a family matter a couple of days ago, rather spontaneously. For four years now I've only ever visited around Christmas time (with the exception of our wedding in late October 2006, when it was almost as cold as in December, for the most part), and had almost forgotten about how beautiful it is here this time of year. The lovely scenery made an adventurous drive over abandoned dirt roads and through tiny Northern German villages -- caused by slight navigation challenges faced by the driver and his front-seat passenger (hello, dear parents!) -- a real treat.