At the End of a Road Trip, a Romantic Detour

In January 2021, Elizabeth Ives Solomon rolled into Naples, Fla., in a converted Toyota Sienna camper van. A thirst for adventure, along with international travel restrictions wrought by Covid-19, had inspired a monthslong road trip to explore the American West, and then, the shores of Florida.

Upon her arrival, Ms. Solomon, a writer and former radio journalist who lived in Washington D.C., decided to stay in Naples for a bit.

One of her first stops was to the Arthur L. Allen Tennis Center, putting advice from her mother into practice. “She always used to tell me it’s important to have a good tennis game because it’s a great way to meet people,” Ms. Solomon, 58, said.

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She quickly befriended a septuagenarian Austrian woman who agreed to be her playing partner. During their first game, Ms. Solomon became distracted.

“I noticed a really handsome guy walk onto the next court,” Ms. Solomon said, recalling the first time she set eyes on Gero Klaus Geilenbruegge. She overheard Mr. Geilenbruegge speaking in German to his tennis partner and asked her friend, who also spoke German, to make an introduction.

The foursome struck up a conversation (in English) and set a date the following week to all play tennis together. A rainstorm canceled those plans. But Ms. Solomon and Mr. Geilenbruegge met up anyway for a misty walk on a public beach. Under a shroud of gray clouds, they discovered they were both free spirits who a shared passion for travel and new experiences.

“We walked for two hours,” Mr. Geilenbruegge, 56, recalled. “It was so nice. And she liked very much that I was so open.”

He informed Ms. Solomon that he had a teenage son from a previous relationship and told her about the choice he made to move to the United States from Berlin in 2000, trading a hectic career as a tax lawyer for a slower-paced life. He currently works as a real estate broker for the Waterfront Realty Group in Naples. He received a law degree from Trier University in Germany.

Ms. Solomon, who has a bachelor’s degree in history from Yale, shared details about her life, but chose not to disclose that she was living out of a van, sleeping in parking lots and bathing at public showers on the beach. Her “cover story,” she said, was that she was crashing at a cousin’s condo 20 minutes north of Naples.

The pair began spending more time together, enjoying dinners at Mr. Geilenbruegge’s cottage in Naples or battling on the tennis court where they met, something Ms. Solomon knows her late mother would relish.

“I knew she was sitting up on a cloud, clapping about it, saying, ‘See, I told you Beth,’” Ms. Solomon said.

After a few weeks, she sheepishly came clean to Mr. Geilenbruegge about her living situation. “He just looked at me and said, ‘That’s so cool,’” Ms. Solomon recalled. “I thought, ‘Wow. This is the only man in Naples who would think this way.’”

Ms. Solomon slowly began moving her things into Mr. Geilenbruegge’s home. “We never felt annoyed by each other and that’s a huge thing especially when you meet in the later part of life,” Mr. Geilenbruegge said.

The two took a number of trips together, including a spontaneous vacation to Helsinki, Finland, and another to Germany, where Mr. Geilenbruegge introduced Ms. Solomon to his large family in Düsseldorf. They also bought a sailboat together.

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In October 2023, the couple went on a humanitarian trip to Malawi with CARE, a nonprofit organization that fights world hunger; Ms. Solomon worked as a fundraiser for the organization. Both were struck by the indomitable spirits of many of the people they met. At the end of one particular day, Ms. Solomon felt especially reflective.

“We were on this bus, bouncing out of this village,” she recalled. “I just said, ‘Honey, I think we should get engaged.’”

Mr. Geilenbruegge unhesitatingly agreed. “I’m easygoing but I have very high expectations,” he said. “And I would say she is absolutely flawless. She’s the kindest person, most generous person.”

They celebrated their decision that night on Lake Malawi, drinking cocktails and watching the sunset.

The couple wed Dec. 26 on the Naples beach where they had their first date. Several onlookers nearby clapped after they were pronounced married.

“It was a very small, private ceremony, but we weren’t separated from the people around us,” Ms. Solomon said. “It was open to whoever wanted to experience the joy that we feel about each other.”

The city’s mayor, Teresa Heitmann, a friend of the couple who was ordained by the Universal Life Church for the event, officiated. Also in attendance were Mr. Geilenbruegge’s son, Noah Rose, who served as the best man, and Ms. Solomon’s niece, Jessica Solomon, who was the maid of honor.

“I was happy,” Ms. Solomon said of her life before moving to Florida. “But I didn’t realize how full and rich life can be until I met Gero.”