My friend Gina was born in Berlin and her family lived in East Berlin. Her father was always interested in politics and about a year before the Berlin Wall went up he started noticing that something was going on. He worked in an office building for a man who did some construction and paid attention to the jobs. At first he thought the trenches being built were for pipes, but then saw that stone and concrete were being used. So he knew a wall was going up and Gina's parents made the decision that they had to get out. They wanted their children to live in freedom. Also, it was difficult to be Catholic in a communist country that had outlawed religion. It took a year to save money and make the plans , especially with four small children. The only other people who knew of the plans were Gina's paternal grandfather, an aunt and uncle who lived in West Berlin and her mother's best friend. Gina's maternal grandmother had remarried and her husband was a member of the Communist Party. If he had known it would certainly have meant prison for Gina's father. On a Sunday in July 196o her grandfather took Gina and her sister to a movie in West Berlin. Gina and her sister were surprised and confused when their father told them to take a doll and their church hymnals.
After the movie they were supposed to meet and then go the aunt and uncle's house together. But, it was a Mickey Mouse movie and the girls kept asking to see it again. So they sat through the movie five times (!) as Gina's parents were waiting at the meeting place, terrified that something had happened to them. That perhaps the border police had captured them. When her grandfather realized what time it was they hurried to the meeting place. When her parents left their home her father had all their official papers hidden in a pouch behind his back. The border police randomly stopped passengers to question and search them. If Gina's father had been discovered with all these papers it would have been evident what he was doing and he would have been thrown in prison. Gina's father mailed the key to their apartment back to the East German police with a note saying they were not returning and he was sending the key so there was no need to break down the door. Gina is sure that her father's name was listed somewhere in the records of the East German Secret Police.
A little over a year later the wall went up.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
A tale of two Germanys
On the way back from Wernigerode we didn't take the autobahn but instead drove along the back roads so I could see where the border might have been between East and West Germany. The Germans call this border "the frontier".
After we left Wernigerode the typical East German construction was much more evident. With plain, boxy buildings. Paint was very expensive so the buildings are a depressing grey/brown color. To call it taupe or even greige would be too flattering.
We went to the old frontier at Eckertal (Ecker Valley). The Ecker River is a little river that formed the old geographical frontier. Soldiers and dogs patrolled along the eastern side of the river. The village on the East side is called "Stapelburg". There is a bridge now, but there wasn't then. There was a road on the western side, but it ended at the river. People would stand there and wave to their friends and family on the eastern side. In the GDR you had to have a permit to travel away from your town and Heidi said that if you didn't live in Stapelburg it would have been very difficult to get a permit to go there since it was on the edge of the frontier.
As soon as the reunification was announced soldiers on the western side built a pontoon bridge to allow passage until a permanent bridge could be built.
About 100 yards from the bridge is an old east German guard house with the driveway for the tanks.
After we left Wernigerode the typical East German construction was much more evident. With plain, boxy buildings. Paint was very expensive so the buildings are a depressing grey/brown color. To call it taupe or even greige would be too flattering.
We went to the old frontier at Eckertal (Ecker Valley). The Ecker River is a little river that formed the old geographical frontier. Soldiers and dogs patrolled along the eastern side of the river. The village on the East side is called "Stapelburg". There is a bridge now, but there wasn't then. There was a road on the western side, but it ended at the river. People would stand there and wave to their friends and family on the eastern side. In the GDR you had to have a permit to travel away from your town and Heidi said that if you didn't live in Stapelburg it would have been very difficult to get a permit to go there since it was on the edge of the frontier.
As soon as the reunification was announced soldiers on the western side built a pontoon bridge to allow passage until a permanent bridge could be built.
About 100 yards from the bridge is an old east German guard house with the driveway for the tanks.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Going to Wernigerode
Monday, May 17th.
This morning before we left I washed a load of clothes. Neither Heidi or Gina have a clothes dryer, so I just put the clothes on a rack and left them in the laundry/boiler room...hoping they would dry in time. I had hoped to do two loads but don´t have the time.
Our plan today is to visit the town of Wernigerode. We drove to Goslar to pick up Heidi´s Mom, Barbara. I had been to Goslar when I visited Heidi and Werner in 1999 and it was just as beautiful as I remembere--if not more so. I had met Barbara in 1999 too. I met Barbara's new husband, Wilhelm. They have recently married after being together for 13 years.
I asked Heidi how they had met and Heidi confessed that she had placed a "lonely hearts" ad in the paper WITHOUT her mother's knowledge! Then Heidi had to tell her mom what she had done. Her mom just laughed and said "why not". She got six replies and two of them seemed to be from men she would like to met. Wilhelm's letter was one of the two. And, as they say...the rest is history. Heidi said there are still "lonely hearts" ads in the paper, but mainly they are placed by older people who are not internet savvy.
Goslar is located at the edge of the Harz mountains. Heidi was born there and said it took her a long time to get used to not seeing the mountains when she moved to Hannover. It is a world heritage site with a population of around 45,000. It is full of half timbered houses, some with intricate slate siding. I saw one house that had 1654 on it as the year it was built. The highest slope in the Harz moutains, Blocksberg (or Brocken), overlooks the town. There is a hotel at the top that can be reached by car or by an old steam train. Goslar really is a gorgeous town, one of the prettiest I have seen.
The Blocksberg has always played a role in legends and myths. It has been connected with witches and the symbol of the Harz mountains is a witch. One legend is that on the last day of April the witches gather on top of the Brocken. Goethe used some of the legends in his play Faust. The Brocken spectre is a common phenomenon on misty days where a climber's shadow cast upon fog creates eerie optical effects.
The Brocken is located in what was East Germany and after the Berlin wall was erected it was designated as a military high-grade security zone and turned it into a fortress. Due to its high altitude the radio station also served to spy on communication signals from the surrounding area. One good thing is that due to the restricted access for so many years the environment has not been damaged and the area has many endangered and nearly extinct species.
Off we went to Wernigerode. This town is located in the former East Germany (the GDR--German Demogratic Republic). On the outskirts of town were some typical East German buildings (probably apartment blocks) but overall it did not look as I imagined an East German town would. Heidi said it had been a resort town for East German workers and was also used as an (inaccurate) example of typical life in the GDR.
The town is picturesque and charming with narrow cobblestone streets and beautiful half timbered buildings. wth intricate carving and detailed doors. There was one building where the entire facade, all four stories, is covered in carvings. Heidi said it is known as the colorful town with the exterior of most houses and shops painted. As opposed to Goslar which is just as beautiful, but the buildings are mainly white with brown or black timbers and often the grey slate. The town hall is a painted a terra cotta color with dark wooden half timbers and overflowing flower boxes. There are figures underneath the roof line of different occupations--baker, blacksmith, farmer, etc to honor the workers. The downspouts on the front of the building are dragons. This building has not changed much (on the exterior) since it's last rebuilding in 1544. There are little hidden alleyways to wander down, and as in every other town I have been to numerous fountains--some classical and some modern.
As a Texan where buildings are considered old if they were built in the 1920's or 1930's that is just amazing. The fact that they were so well built is impressive. I have to wonder if any of the new construction we have today would survive for 500 years.........
There is some grumbling in "western" Germany about the taxes they are having to pay to improve the infrastructure of the former east Germany. But Heidi and Barbara realize that it improves Germany overall. Wernigerode is quite a tourist town, but mainly German and some Dutch. It has not been discovered by Americans, with only 3% of the tourists being Americans. I would highly recommend visiting it and Goslar.
This is asparagus harvest time in Germany with fresh asparagus sold at roadside stands and in the markets. It is specially featured on restaurant menus. Unlike the green asparagus I normally see at home, this asparagus is white and the stalks are huge.
There is a castle high on the hill overlooking the town. To get to the castle we rode in a green tram made to look like a train with the drivers car made like the engine. When I first saw the tram I thought---that would be a fun job, driving the tram all day. But after a teeth rattling ride up the hill where we felt every cobblestone I changed my mind!
Once we got off the tram we walked further up the hill and then up more stairs. I just about managed to keep up with Barbara, who is 12 years older than me.
The castle tour was impressive. We each had hand-held recorded tours. But I will say that there was so much information we wondered if there would be a test afterwards! Unlike castles like Neuschwanstein that are symetrical, this castle was built to be asymetrical to take advantage of the magnificient views. It is constructed to each exteroir room has a breath-taking view. As beautiful as the castle was I am glad I didn't live "back then". It would have been so cold, damp and dark....not to mention all the steps!
On the tram ride down the hill we took a different route going through much of the town. To my surprise, this ride was even bumpier than the ride up the hill.
I asked Heidi how they had met and Heidi confessed that she had placed a "lonely hearts" ad in the paper WITHOUT her mother's knowledge! Then Heidi had to tell her mom what she had done. Her mom just laughed and said "why not". She got six replies and two of them seemed to be from men she would like to met. Wilhelm's letter was one of the two. And, as they say...the rest is history. Heidi said there are still "lonely hearts" ads in the paper, but mainly they are placed by older people who are not internet savvy.
Goslar is located at the edge of the Harz mountains. Heidi was born there and said it took her a long time to get used to not seeing the mountains when she moved to Hannover. It is a world heritage site with a population of around 45,000. It is full of half timbered houses, some with intricate slate siding. I saw one house that had 1654 on it as the year it was built. The highest slope in the Harz moutains, Blocksberg (or Brocken), overlooks the town. There is a hotel at the top that can be reached by car or by an old steam train. Goslar really is a gorgeous town, one of the prettiest I have seen.
The Blocksberg has always played a role in legends and myths. It has been connected with witches and the symbol of the Harz mountains is a witch. One legend is that on the last day of April the witches gather on top of the Brocken. Goethe used some of the legends in his play Faust. The Brocken spectre is a common phenomenon on misty days where a climber's shadow cast upon fog creates eerie optical effects.
The Brocken is located in what was East Germany and after the Berlin wall was erected it was designated as a military high-grade security zone and turned it into a fortress. Due to its high altitude the radio station also served to spy on communication signals from the surrounding area. One good thing is that due to the restricted access for so many years the environment has not been damaged and the area has many endangered and nearly extinct species.
Off we went to Wernigerode. This town is located in the former East Germany (the GDR--German Demogratic Republic). On the outskirts of town were some typical East German buildings (probably apartment blocks) but overall it did not look as I imagined an East German town would. Heidi said it had been a resort town for East German workers and was also used as an (inaccurate) example of typical life in the GDR.
The town is picturesque and charming with narrow cobblestone streets and beautiful half timbered buildings. wth intricate carving and detailed doors. There was one building where the entire facade, all four stories, is covered in carvings. Heidi said it is known as the colorful town with the exterior of most houses and shops painted. As opposed to Goslar which is just as beautiful, but the buildings are mainly white with brown or black timbers and often the grey slate. The town hall is a painted a terra cotta color with dark wooden half timbers and overflowing flower boxes. There are figures underneath the roof line of different occupations--baker, blacksmith, farmer, etc to honor the workers. The downspouts on the front of the building are dragons. This building has not changed much (on the exterior) since it's last rebuilding in 1544. There are little hidden alleyways to wander down, and as in every other town I have been to numerous fountains--some classical and some modern.
As a Texan where buildings are considered old if they were built in the 1920's or 1930's that is just amazing. The fact that they were so well built is impressive. I have to wonder if any of the new construction we have today would survive for 500 years.........
There is some grumbling in "western" Germany about the taxes they are having to pay to improve the infrastructure of the former east Germany. But Heidi and Barbara realize that it improves Germany overall. Wernigerode is quite a tourist town, but mainly German and some Dutch. It has not been discovered by Americans, with only 3% of the tourists being Americans. I would highly recommend visiting it and Goslar.
This is asparagus harvest time in Germany with fresh asparagus sold at roadside stands and in the markets. It is specially featured on restaurant menus. Unlike the green asparagus I normally see at home, this asparagus is white and the stalks are huge.
There is a castle high on the hill overlooking the town. To get to the castle we rode in a green tram made to look like a train with the drivers car made like the engine. When I first saw the tram I thought---that would be a fun job, driving the tram all day. But after a teeth rattling ride up the hill where we felt every cobblestone I changed my mind!
Once we got off the tram we walked further up the hill and then up more stairs. I just about managed to keep up with Barbara, who is 12 years older than me.
The castle tour was impressive. We each had hand-held recorded tours. But I will say that there was so much information we wondered if there would be a test afterwards! Unlike castles like Neuschwanstein that are symetrical, this castle was built to be asymetrical to take advantage of the magnificient views. It is constructed to each exteroir room has a breath-taking view. As beautiful as the castle was I am glad I didn't live "back then". It would have been so cold, damp and dark....not to mention all the steps!
On the tram ride down the hill we took a different route going through much of the town. To my surprise, this ride was even bumpier than the ride up the hill.
Sunday May 16th----
In defense of any typos I will say that a German keyboard is slightly different from an American one. For one thing the positions of the Y and Z are reversed. Also several of the special characters are in different places. There are also three letters that we do not have--ö ä ü
OK, enough excuses!
Our plan today was to go to the Baltic Sea, but after checking the forecast, the weather looked better at the North Sea. On the way we stopped in the town of Jever (pronounced Yee-ver). It is a charming town (not sure if there are too many German towns that aren't), but it is especially so. The architecture is strongly influenced by the Netherlands and most of the buildings look more Dutch than German. One thing I have noticed is that so far the cities I have seen have quite a few fountains and/or statutes. (I had to hunt for the / it is above the 7). This town had one based on legends of the town. It is round with several metal figures in it. At first glance I thought it was based on Alice in Wonderland. There is the woman patron of the town, Maria, who refused to let a neighboring baron take over the town. There was a singer who was from Jever and was reknowned as the best singer in all of Germany. Also two witches in a round boat---they would try to distract the local sailors from making their catches, a horse who saved his master when he fell into the sea during a dense fog....and a large rabbit. When people of the town drank too much and ran their carts off the road, or turned them over, or fell off their horses, etc their excuse was that a large rabbit had suddenlly appeared and caused the accident.
Sounds plausible to me....you really have to watch out for those bunnies.......
There was another fountain that was a tall round cylinder, with different eyeglasses on it.
After lunch we headed for the sea. The day was sunny, but very windy and quite cold. I have noticed that when it is sunny many Germans sit outside at restaurants, no matter what the temperature. We stopped at two different locations. One was a pier and the other a beach. There were more people at the beach than I expected. There were many "standkorbs" along the beach. These are a roofed beach chair. They looked to be made of wood, and were basically a box with a bench and a triangular roof. Think of a young child´s drawing of a house. They are about two or three feet deep, and wide enough for two people (maybe three small people). There are two drawers below the seat that can be pulled out so you can stretch out your legs. Several people were sitting in their standkoorbs, wrapped in a blanket. I think it is considered very healthy to enjoy the sun and fresh salt air.........never mind the temperature or windspeed! There were also a few people kite surfing on the sea. They certainly had enough wind to give them a good ride. Once we saw a kite catch a wind burst and raise the surfer a good 10 feet into the air, then drop him right into the sea. We also saw a man wading in the sea, collecting mussels.
I have to comment on the German tendency to follow the rules. On the way back we came to a train crossing where the red lights were flashing. There was no arm to drop. Heidi stopped, along with the cars coming from the opposite direction. We waited and waited...no train. Finally about two minutes later, here comes the train. I asked Heidi why she didn´t just go ahead when she didn´t see a train coming. Her response was that the light was flashing to stop. I told her that I don´t think I know anyone in America who would have waited that long. I noticed the same thing at a crosswalk. People stop when it says "don´t walk" (or the German equivalent), even when there is no oncoming car in sightI mentioned it and made reference to the train stop. She said there were often signs reminding people to not cross on red because they are setting an example for children.
When we went to City Hall on Saturday we parked in a parking garage. I noticed that at least 95% of the people used the stairs, no matter what their age. I also see many people of all ages riding bicycles.
Heidi works about five miles from her house and she usually rides her bicycle to work--it takes about 40 minutes. On days that the weather is too bad either her husband drops her off at the train station, or she rides her bicycle to the station. So far every morning she has ridden her bicycle to a nearby bakery to get fresh rolls for breakfast.
A note on gas prices here. When Heidi bought gas she paid 1.38 Euro´(1.75 dollars) per liter. There are approximately four liters in a gallon, so that is a cost of 7 dollars per gallon. That is for super unleaded, although often regular and super are the same price. Most of the stations I´ve seen charge around 1.44 Euro per liter, so when she saw 1.38 she whipped right in. Also people here fill up their tanks and then pay
In defense of any typos I will say that a German keyboard is slightly different from an American one. For one thing the positions of the Y and Z are reversed. Also several of the special characters are in different places. There are also three letters that we do not have--ö ä ü
OK, enough excuses!
Our plan today was to go to the Baltic Sea, but after checking the forecast, the weather looked better at the North Sea. On the way we stopped in the town of Jever (pronounced Yee-ver). It is a charming town (not sure if there are too many German towns that aren't), but it is especially so. The architecture is strongly influenced by the Netherlands and most of the buildings look more Dutch than German. One thing I have noticed is that so far the cities I have seen have quite a few fountains and/or statutes. (I had to hunt for the / it is above the 7). This town had one based on legends of the town. It is round with several metal figures in it. At first glance I thought it was based on Alice in Wonderland. There is the woman patron of the town, Maria, who refused to let a neighboring baron take over the town. There was a singer who was from Jever and was reknowned as the best singer in all of Germany. Also two witches in a round boat---they would try to distract the local sailors from making their catches, a horse who saved his master when he fell into the sea during a dense fog....and a large rabbit. When people of the town drank too much and ran their carts off the road, or turned them over, or fell off their horses, etc their excuse was that a large rabbit had suddenlly appeared and caused the accident.
Sounds plausible to me....you really have to watch out for those bunnies.......
There was another fountain that was a tall round cylinder, with different eyeglasses on it.
After lunch we headed for the sea. The day was sunny, but very windy and quite cold. I have noticed that when it is sunny many Germans sit outside at restaurants, no matter what the temperature. We stopped at two different locations. One was a pier and the other a beach. There were more people at the beach than I expected. There were many "standkorbs" along the beach. These are a roofed beach chair. They looked to be made of wood, and were basically a box with a bench and a triangular roof. Think of a young child´s drawing of a house. They are about two or three feet deep, and wide enough for two people (maybe three small people). There are two drawers below the seat that can be pulled out so you can stretch out your legs. Several people were sitting in their standkoorbs, wrapped in a blanket. I think it is considered very healthy to enjoy the sun and fresh salt air.........never mind the temperature or windspeed! There were also a few people kite surfing on the sea. They certainly had enough wind to give them a good ride. Once we saw a kite catch a wind burst and raise the surfer a good 10 feet into the air, then drop him right into the sea. We also saw a man wading in the sea, collecting mussels.
I have to comment on the German tendency to follow the rules. On the way back we came to a train crossing where the red lights were flashing. There was no arm to drop. Heidi stopped, along with the cars coming from the opposite direction. We waited and waited...no train. Finally about two minutes later, here comes the train. I asked Heidi why she didn´t just go ahead when she didn´t see a train coming. Her response was that the light was flashing to stop. I told her that I don´t think I know anyone in America who would have waited that long. I noticed the same thing at a crosswalk. People stop when it says "don´t walk" (or the German equivalent), even when there is no oncoming car in sightI mentioned it and made reference to the train stop. She said there were often signs reminding people to not cross on red because they are setting an example for children.
When we went to City Hall on Saturday we parked in a parking garage. I noticed that at least 95% of the people used the stairs, no matter what their age. I also see many people of all ages riding bicycles.
Heidi works about five miles from her house and she usually rides her bicycle to work--it takes about 40 minutes. On days that the weather is too bad either her husband drops her off at the train station, or she rides her bicycle to the station. So far every morning she has ridden her bicycle to a nearby bakery to get fresh rolls for breakfast.
A note on gas prices here. When Heidi bought gas she paid 1.38 Euro´(1.75 dollars) per liter. There are approximately four liters in a gallon, so that is a cost of 7 dollars per gallon. That is for super unleaded, although often regular and super are the same price. Most of the stations I´ve seen charge around 1.44 Euro per liter, so when she saw 1.38 she whipped right in. Also people here fill up their tanks and then pay
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Saturday, May 15
Today has not been a most auspicious day. The weather is quite cool and rainy--Heidi said it has been reported this is the coldest May in 70 years.
Werner is leaving today to go sailing in the Azores with some friends. The weather doesn´t look any better there and I don´t envy him being on a boat when it is so chilly.
Heidi and I had thought to drive to the Baltic Sea today, but after looking at the weather on the internet we deciided tomorrow would be a much better day. The only rain in Germany today is in our area! So we decided to go into Hannover instead. We planned to go to the City Hall which is a beautiful building and also where Heidi works. On the way there a car pulled into our lane. I saw the car start to pull out and yelled (what I yelled I won´t repeat on this blog) and Heidi swerved, but he hit us on the passenger side. Not major damage (easy for me to say, it isn´t my car!), just a long dent/scrape down most of the passenger side. After the exchange of information we continued on to the city hall. This is the "new" city hall---a little over 100 years old. It is a magnificient building with a soaring central hall, statues, beautiful ironwork and marble bannisters, and elaborate frescoes. There are four displays under glass showing models of Hannover at different times. The first was from 1790. Then one in 1939 (which showed that the Jewish synagogue had already been destroyed) another after the war (surprisingly, the city hall was not destroyed--although much of the rest of the city was) and then one of present day Hannover. There are some old buildings, but in some ways Hannover is a new city having been rebuilt after the war.
Hannover doesn´t get much notice in the tourist books, but I think it is a lovely city, with a lot of parks and many statues all through the city---not just "old" statues, but many modern and comical ones. I asked if they were installed for the Expo in 2000, but Heidi said no, they had been there before. There are old buildings that are charming and beautiful, but also some very modern ones.
We walked past the "old" city hall which for some reason the exterior of looks much more modern than the "new" one. It is mainly used for weddings and is where Heidi and Werner were married. As we walked past a newly married couple was posing for photos, and there was a group of people, all holding roses, waiting for the next couple to come out. We then went to a church where I managed to drop my camera. Ancient store floors aren´t healthy for cameras. I managed one photo--although it would only show as black and white in the viiewfinder. I turned the camera off (the universal fix--turn if off and turn it back on. When I try to turn it back on I get I get a message of "lens error, restart camera". So much for the univeral fix.... Sigh..........so I am afraid my camera is toast. We stopped by a camera shop and were told that it would probably cost about 100 Euros (maybe 135-140 dollars) to repair it. I looked at another Canon camera (not the same style as the one I have) and it was 169 Euros. Heidi offered to let me use her camera while I am here )dear Lord, PLEASE let me not drop it!!!!) and I am going to see if Gina will let me do the same, putting my card in her camera. We also stopped at an electronic store and the price was 179 Euros for the same camera at the camera shop. I have emailed a repair shop in Richardson to see what they think.
We then had a very good lunch at a vegetarian restaurant where Heidi often eats. By then we decided that perhaps we shouldn´t tempt fate anymore today so we stopped by a video store and came home!
Tomorrow we are headed to the Baltic Sea.
Today has not been a most auspicious day. The weather is quite cool and rainy--Heidi said it has been reported this is the coldest May in 70 years.
Werner is leaving today to go sailing in the Azores with some friends. The weather doesn´t look any better there and I don´t envy him being on a boat when it is so chilly.
Heidi and I had thought to drive to the Baltic Sea today, but after looking at the weather on the internet we deciided tomorrow would be a much better day. The only rain in Germany today is in our area! So we decided to go into Hannover instead. We planned to go to the City Hall which is a beautiful building and also where Heidi works. On the way there a car pulled into our lane. I saw the car start to pull out and yelled (what I yelled I won´t repeat on this blog) and Heidi swerved, but he hit us on the passenger side. Not major damage (easy for me to say, it isn´t my car!), just a long dent/scrape down most of the passenger side. After the exchange of information we continued on to the city hall. This is the "new" city hall---a little over 100 years old. It is a magnificient building with a soaring central hall, statues, beautiful ironwork and marble bannisters, and elaborate frescoes. There are four displays under glass showing models of Hannover at different times. The first was from 1790. Then one in 1939 (which showed that the Jewish synagogue had already been destroyed) another after the war (surprisingly, the city hall was not destroyed--although much of the rest of the city was) and then one of present day Hannover. There are some old buildings, but in some ways Hannover is a new city having been rebuilt after the war.
Hannover doesn´t get much notice in the tourist books, but I think it is a lovely city, with a lot of parks and many statues all through the city---not just "old" statues, but many modern and comical ones. I asked if they were installed for the Expo in 2000, but Heidi said no, they had been there before. There are old buildings that are charming and beautiful, but also some very modern ones.
We walked past the "old" city hall which for some reason the exterior of looks much more modern than the "new" one. It is mainly used for weddings and is where Heidi and Werner were married. As we walked past a newly married couple was posing for photos, and there was a group of people, all holding roses, waiting for the next couple to come out. We then went to a church where I managed to drop my camera. Ancient store floors aren´t healthy for cameras. I managed one photo--although it would only show as black and white in the viiewfinder. I turned the camera off (the universal fix--turn if off and turn it back on. When I try to turn it back on I get I get a message of "lens error, restart camera". So much for the univeral fix.... Sigh..........so I am afraid my camera is toast. We stopped by a camera shop and were told that it would probably cost about 100 Euros (maybe 135-140 dollars) to repair it. I looked at another Canon camera (not the same style as the one I have) and it was 169 Euros. Heidi offered to let me use her camera while I am here )dear Lord, PLEASE let me not drop it!!!!) and I am going to see if Gina will let me do the same, putting my card in her camera. We also stopped at an electronic store and the price was 179 Euros for the same camera at the camera shop. I have emailed a repair shop in Richardson to see what they think.
We then had a very good lunch at a vegetarian restaurant where Heidi often eats. By then we decided that perhaps we shouldn´t tempt fate anymore today so we stopped by a video store and came home!
Tomorrow we are headed to the Baltic Sea.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Friday, May 14th---I have made it safely to Germany. Our plane was late taking off as we waited for passengers from a connecting flight. But luckily we took off before any thunderstorms hit. I had generously volunteered to give up my coach seat for one in first or business class. The gate agent asked what option I wanted to use for my upgrade. I don't think she was too impressed with my answer of, "the kindness of your heart". Obviously not since I remained in coach..... Even though the flight was overbooked I once again lucked out and the seat next to me was unoccupied. That makes such a difference. The regular route has been resumed, instead of going up over Greenland due to the volcanic ash.
The flight was OK. Once again I could not sleep on a plane, just dozed for a bit. I was glad I wore my jacket, as it was quite cool on the flight. We didn´t make up any time on the flight and landed about 25 minutes late. The idea of a red suitcase being easier to spot worked well, but the part that didn´t work out so well was that my suitcase was one of the last ones off the plane. By now it was only about 15 minutes till my train departed and I was rushing through the airport. I´d looked at the Frankfurt airport site and it looked like it was a simple ride to a lower level to get from customs to the train station. But, of course that wasn´t the case. Through the airport terminal, up a level, across a skybridge over the road, through the train station, figuring out which track I needed to go to and finallz down another level to the train tracks. But I made it with about three minutes to spare. I´d hoped to be able to stop for a little snack----because you know the airline breakfast was not overly generous---but didn´t want to risk it.
The train to Hannover was very comfortable, German trains are great. I did drop off to sleep a couple of times. It makes NO sense that I can sleep on a train, but not a plane. When I got off the train I realized that Heidi and I had not arranged where to meet. I looked around for her but didn´t see her. I was about to go downstairs to the terminal, when I heard someone call my name, and there she was.
After unloading my luggage and having a bit of lunch we set out. First we went to a cemetary. Which sounds odd, but it was so different than a typical American cemetary. It was much more like a park, with graves scattered here and there. There is a pretty lake with swans and ducks, and walking paths. There were several people walking. Many of the headstones were very old and elaborate. We had a nice walk around the lake and along the paths. Heidi said that family members are pay a fee for the upkeep of the gravesite. When someone chooses not to continue paying, or all the heirs have died the headstone is removed and someone else buried in that plot. She said that after her grandmother died her mother paid the fee for 25 years and then decided that was long enough. We do wonder what happens to the removed headstones, and what the material is used for.
Then we went to a nearby lake where Heidi's husband has his boat. We then walked along another path. I can see that I am going to get a lot of exercise!
We met Werner at an Italian restaurant at 7:15 and had a wonderful meal. I was starting to droop at this point, having been awake (more or less) for about 33 hours.
The flight was OK. Once again I could not sleep on a plane, just dozed for a bit. I was glad I wore my jacket, as it was quite cool on the flight. We didn´t make up any time on the flight and landed about 25 minutes late. The idea of a red suitcase being easier to spot worked well, but the part that didn´t work out so well was that my suitcase was one of the last ones off the plane. By now it was only about 15 minutes till my train departed and I was rushing through the airport. I´d looked at the Frankfurt airport site and it looked like it was a simple ride to a lower level to get from customs to the train station. But, of course that wasn´t the case. Through the airport terminal, up a level, across a skybridge over the road, through the train station, figuring out which track I needed to go to and finallz down another level to the train tracks. But I made it with about three minutes to spare. I´d hoped to be able to stop for a little snack----because you know the airline breakfast was not overly generous---but didn´t want to risk it.
The train to Hannover was very comfortable, German trains are great. I did drop off to sleep a couple of times. It makes NO sense that I can sleep on a train, but not a plane. When I got off the train I realized that Heidi and I had not arranged where to meet. I looked around for her but didn´t see her. I was about to go downstairs to the terminal, when I heard someone call my name, and there she was.
After unloading my luggage and having a bit of lunch we set out. First we went to a cemetary. Which sounds odd, but it was so different than a typical American cemetary. It was much more like a park, with graves scattered here and there. There is a pretty lake with swans and ducks, and walking paths. There were several people walking. Many of the headstones were very old and elaborate. We had a nice walk around the lake and along the paths. Heidi said that family members are pay a fee for the upkeep of the gravesite. When someone chooses not to continue paying, or all the heirs have died the headstone is removed and someone else buried in that plot. She said that after her grandmother died her mother paid the fee for 25 years and then decided that was long enough. We do wonder what happens to the removed headstones, and what the material is used for.
Then we went to a nearby lake where Heidi's husband has his boat. We then walked along another path. I can see that I am going to get a lot of exercise!
We met Werner at an Italian restaurant at 7:15 and had a wonderful meal. I was starting to droop at this point, having been awake (more or less) for about 33 hours.
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