I have seen the milky way

Almost forgot: After having having finished with the Tesco bags yesterday, relaxed some with Schmidts before hitting the road home again, when suddenly his wife, standing ouside of the house, remarked like, 'Nice sky tonight, many stars.'

Sure, in the small, stretched village in Oberammergau, the lovely part of Bavaria where they live, whith it's big natural natural preserve and rustical landscape, there's little light pollution, and also the moon was new and down. But still wasn't prepared to what I saw when also going out of the house, looking up.

Yup, there were lots and lots of stars, almost as many as I remember from being a kid one night at the base of the alps. Though my eyesight definitely lessened some since then, especially after the five years of bloody cortisone. Still could see a lot more than lately at home.

But there was also this other thing, lightly stretching across the sky from horizon to horizon. Couldn't actually believe it, had to ask the others first, 'Is this really the milky way I'm seeing?'

And it really was, as they reassured me. Just stepped out a bit more into the dark of the garden, standing there with the head put into my neck looking upward, awestruck by the sheer beauty of it, my eyes filling with tears.

Don't know how many years or decades since I've seen it the last time. Wasn't really sure I'd ever see it again in this life. While driving home, urged my mate to stop at a parking at the highwy, again borrowing his glasses. There were lots of clouds coming up now, but in the southern part of the sky, it was still there.