31 years after their holiday romance, a couple who found love again will move in together.
Guenther Baer, a German, was 23 years old when he first visited Devon in 1989, and Kate Pymm, a Guisborough resident, was 17 years old.
After four years of correspondence, they lost touch, began to live separate lives, and both got married to people who would later divorce them.
But they were able to get back in touch and eventually got married after a chance discovery of their letters.
Together with her mother and closest friend, Kate had traveled to the South West in 1989.
Kate, now 50, recalled how she and her mother had first met when she recalled: "I remember we went for a bite to eat in this beautiful village. I spotted this gorgeous man as soon as we walked into the bar. ".
Guenther, who is currently 57 years old, had gone to England to practice his language.
He reminded her of Magne Furuholmen from the 1980s band A-ha, so she struck up a conversation and they agreed to meet the next day.
Despite only having a day and a half before returning to our homes, she said, "We got to talking and hit it off.".
Through numerous letters, "expensive" phone calls, and sporadic visits, they maintained their relationship for two years after exchanging addresses.
But Kate ended the long-distance relationship in 1991 after deciding it was too difficult to maintain.
We both loved each other, but it got to be so difficult and heartbreaking that I had to break the news to them. Kate said, "I just said I don't see how we can make this work.
Until their communication ceased in 1993, they kept sending each other letters.
While Kate started her own cosmetics company, Guenther had three children. Both had second marriages that ended in divorce.
But not until November 2020, when Kate—who had saved every single love letter—found them while looking for Christmas decorations.
"It was the first box I found, and I lifted out the letters, walked to the bedroom, arranged them all by date, and read through them from front to back," she recalled.
It was a very emotional weekend and brought back lots of memories. ".
Kate thought about Guenther constantly over the course of the following few weeks. She had no idea that for the previous eight years, he had been considering her.
Although she acknowledged that "it took a while to find him" because "he's not on social media," Kate made the decision to locate Guenther's address and write to him.
"I was shocked when I first read her letter. I had to call her right away after receiving the letter because I was so shocked and happy, Guenther said.
Following that phone call, which Kate clearly recalls was at 12:36 GMT on November 22, the two finally met in person in January 2021.
I just loved him, it was so strange and organic, and I wanted to tell him I loved him, she said. " .
In December 2021, they were wed in Bavaria.
Additionally, Kate is getting ready to depart Teesside this week in order to begin her life with Guenther in Germany on Sunday.
She wrote me a letter, and for that, Guenther said, he couldn't be more appreciative. ".
"Part of you thinks you've waited 31 years, but there have been many adventures in that time, we both had our own lives—Guenther had three kids, and I had a successful business.
"It has been challenging, but I know it is the right thing when it is."
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