August 1st (sunny – seriously)
Again, as we said before, saying goodbye is never easy especially to these very special people. Our six nights spent with Rudolf and Irmgard were fantastic in the extreme. Our final breakfast was followed by a quick visit to the computer to download the latest blog and check messages and show Rudolf how to use the free translation service. They must have thought we were going to outer Siberia with the amount of foodstuffs they gave us for our travels. This type of hospitality has been shown to us by our friends and relatives. After an emotional goodbye, we were off to Berlin.
One thing we noticed was the definite difference as far as the infrastructure in old East/West Germany. The East German side still has remnants of the second WW destruction. As lovely as it was visiting every evening, it was nice to get back to our travel routine and “Susi”. George noticed that the software that we have been using for navigating does not extend to the eastern bloc countries so we will have to adlib as we go. We are excited about touring Berlin tomorrow.
Monday, August 6, 2007
July 31
July 31st (sunny, windy)
We drove into the heart of Hamburg, parked and saw the 100-year-old Elbe Tunnel. It was quite fascinating to watch cars in a giant elevator being taken to a road underneath the Elbe River. We also saw where Georg and his family sailed on the “Italia” in 1956 when they immigrated to Canada. After driving through the huge warehouse district and observing some of the monstrous construction sites, we tried to get into some of the museums. Unfortunately, parking was difficult and the museum lineups were too long, therefore, we continued with our car tour of Hamburg including stops at Michael’s Church and some quaint, old houses in a secluded part of Hamburg. Our tour ended with a trip to a part of Hamburg that most tourists do not see; rows of exclusive houses and hillside homes overlooking the Elbe, after which we enjoyed a beer, coffee and snacks on top of a hill overlooking Hamburg and the river.
On the way back, we bought bratwurst and buns as part of our last dinner together. The evening was capped off with Rudolf showing us some magic tricks and interesting physics experiments. They were most enjoyable. He is truly a “gentleman and a scholar”.
We drove into the heart of Hamburg, parked and saw the 100-year-old Elbe Tunnel. It was quite fascinating to watch cars in a giant elevator being taken to a road underneath the Elbe River. We also saw where Georg and his family sailed on the “Italia” in 1956 when they immigrated to Canada. After driving through the huge warehouse district and observing some of the monstrous construction sites, we tried to get into some of the museums. Unfortunately, parking was difficult and the museum lineups were too long, therefore, we continued with our car tour of Hamburg including stops at Michael’s Church and some quaint, old houses in a secluded part of Hamburg. Our tour ended with a trip to a part of Hamburg that most tourists do not see; rows of exclusive houses and hillside homes overlooking the Elbe, after which we enjoyed a beer, coffee and snacks on top of a hill overlooking Hamburg and the river.
On the way back, we bought bratwurst and buns as part of our last dinner together. The evening was capped off with Rudolf showing us some magic tricks and interesting physics experiments. They were most enjoyable. He is truly a “gentleman and a scholar”.
July 30
July 30th (rainy with sunny breaks)
Today, after another wonderful breakfast, we drove to the Viking Museum in Schleswig. This museum is located on the site where Northern Europe’s largest town Hedeby, (now Schleswig), stood more than one thousand years ago. It was amazing to see how advanced the Viking society was at that time. Their craftsmanship for seafaring and landlocked items was superb. The excavation is still in progress and unearthing many items including two large Viking vessels. It was absolutely pouring with rain so this was a great way to spend a couple of hours.
We ate our packed lunch out of the car because of the weather before going on to see the Schleswig-Holstein’s Open Air Museum. The weather broke a little allowing us to view farmhouses, cottages, barns and village workshops from all over Schleswig-Holstein. All these structures and land upon which they now stand were donated by people. The buildings were removed, piece-by-piece, labeled, transported and reconstructed on the new 60-acre site outfitted with period pieces of that era. We thoroughly enjoyed the animals, especially the family of pigs that were slopping around in the mud.
We were all quite exhausted from all the walking and sightseeing and after a couple of drinks, dinner and good conversation, we collapsed into bed. It was another great day with a very hospitable couple.
Today, after another wonderful breakfast, we drove to the Viking Museum in Schleswig. This museum is located on the site where Northern Europe’s largest town Hedeby, (now Schleswig), stood more than one thousand years ago. It was amazing to see how advanced the Viking society was at that time. Their craftsmanship for seafaring and landlocked items was superb. The excavation is still in progress and unearthing many items including two large Viking vessels. It was absolutely pouring with rain so this was a great way to spend a couple of hours.
We ate our packed lunch out of the car because of the weather before going on to see the Schleswig-Holstein’s Open Air Museum. The weather broke a little allowing us to view farmhouses, cottages, barns and village workshops from all over Schleswig-Holstein. All these structures and land upon which they now stand were donated by people. The buildings were removed, piece-by-piece, labeled, transported and reconstructed on the new 60-acre site outfitted with period pieces of that era. We thoroughly enjoyed the animals, especially the family of pigs that were slopping around in the mud.
We were all quite exhausted from all the walking and sightseeing and after a couple of drinks, dinner and good conversation, we collapsed into bed. It was another great day with a very hospitable couple.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
july 29
July 29th (cool and rainy)
This morning, after breakfast, we walked behind Rudolf and Irmgard’s home to a pottery exhibition. The quality was exceptional and it was too bad that the weather was not cooperating in order for the day to be more successful for the artists. We returned home and left Irmgard to be alone as she wanted to get a few chores done and make us a delicious lunch for when we returned from our drive to various places of interest to Rudolf.
He was born in Elmshorn and his father was a policeman after serving in the war. Rudolf was able to show us his school, where he played as a boy and where he worked while putting himself through university. He must have been an excellent teacher. He has a real gift with words and is very informative about so many subjects. He speaks very good English considering he had not spoken it since the last time we were here. With my broken German and Irmgard’s command of English, we manage to figure things out as well.
The weather was not very pleasant again so it was best that we drove around most of the day enjoying the beautiful countryside and some of the smaller towns in the area around Uetersen. Irmgard stayed home today and greeted us with a delicious dinner consisting of eggs and shrimp. We enjoyed watching 8 mm films of their 1968 trip to Cinq a Terra and old films of the family.
This morning, after breakfast, we walked behind Rudolf and Irmgard’s home to a pottery exhibition. The quality was exceptional and it was too bad that the weather was not cooperating in order for the day to be more successful for the artists. We returned home and left Irmgard to be alone as she wanted to get a few chores done and make us a delicious lunch for when we returned from our drive to various places of interest to Rudolf.
He was born in Elmshorn and his father was a policeman after serving in the war. Rudolf was able to show us his school, where he played as a boy and where he worked while putting himself through university. He must have been an excellent teacher. He has a real gift with words and is very informative about so many subjects. He speaks very good English considering he had not spoken it since the last time we were here. With my broken German and Irmgard’s command of English, we manage to figure things out as well.
The weather was not very pleasant again so it was best that we drove around most of the day enjoying the beautiful countryside and some of the smaller towns in the area around Uetersen. Irmgard stayed home today and greeted us with a delicious dinner consisting of eggs and shrimp. We enjoyed watching 8 mm films of their 1968 trip to Cinq a Terra and old films of the family.
july 28
July 28th (windy, sunny and a little cool)
This morning we were awoken earlier than usual because Rudolf and Irmgard wanted to take us on a very educational escorted tour of the St. Peter-Ording resort area of the Everschop pensinsula in Schleswig-Holstein. It was quite cool and very windy, but we thoroughly enjoyed walking and driving through the four different areas. Rudolf must have been a very good teacher because not only does he speak very good English, he is very informative and educated about so many different subjects. He is also passionate about this area where he was born and raised and lived his whole life. There is a Dutch influence in the architecture and because most of the land mass is below sea level, therefore dykes and ditches everywhere. The bulk of that work hundreds of years ago was done by religiously persecuted Dutchmen who were granted sanctuary by the Danish king in lieu of their work.
Our first stop after driving 190 kms/hr on the autobahn was the North Ost Sea canal built by 40,000 men using only shovels and wheelbarrels. It is 100 kms long, 40 feet deep and approx. 300 yards wide and is the busiest canal in the world. We visited the harbor at Tonning followed by a stop at a historical “six-post” enormously large farmhouse which had 99 windows with the 100th window being a very interesting tale told by Rudolf. After visiting the farmhouse, we drove on to a lighthouse where we enjoyed a scrumptuous lambwurst in a bun.
Following that, we saw where the two of them spend their Spring vacations and then on to one of the most spectacular beaches that we have ever seen. The fourteen-km-long stretch of pure-white-sand beach is dotted with restaurants set on pilings and only accessible at low tide. People park their vehicles right on the beach as you used to be able to at Long Beach in Vancouver Island. The beach was full of people wind and kite surfing. We were treated to a special drink called “Pharisieha” drink by Rudolf and Irmgard. The rum-coffee-whipping cream drink also had another tale associated with it which dealt with an overbearing tea-tottling priest.
We continued on to the other southern end of the beach where wind cart races are held annually. The speeds can at times reach 80 kms/hr. We visited a Bernstein (amber) museum, had wonderful Friesen torte and coffee. We ended the tour with a light snack at a very old restaurant in a natural reserve where Rudolf again treated us with a local drink translated means “egg grog”.
The final stop was the massive tidal dam just below Katinger Watt. This strategic dam was built to regulate the flow of the Eider River and the tides of the North Sea. Our way home was a lot faster as the traffic was minimal and George and I became comfortable with the driving speeds of 190 kms/hr. In fact, people were still passing us at estimated speeds of 240.
We spent the evening enjoying each other’s company, viewing pictures, having a couple of drinks and falling into bed after a very full and interesting day. It was agreed that we will stay here until Wednesday because Rudolf and Irmgard have a lot planned for us while we are here.
This morning we were awoken earlier than usual because Rudolf and Irmgard wanted to take us on a very educational escorted tour of the St. Peter-Ording resort area of the Everschop pensinsula in Schleswig-Holstein. It was quite cool and very windy, but we thoroughly enjoyed walking and driving through the four different areas. Rudolf must have been a very good teacher because not only does he speak very good English, he is very informative and educated about so many different subjects. He is also passionate about this area where he was born and raised and lived his whole life. There is a Dutch influence in the architecture and because most of the land mass is below sea level, therefore dykes and ditches everywhere. The bulk of that work hundreds of years ago was done by religiously persecuted Dutchmen who were granted sanctuary by the Danish king in lieu of their work.
Our first stop after driving 190 kms/hr on the autobahn was the North Ost Sea canal built by 40,000 men using only shovels and wheelbarrels. It is 100 kms long, 40 feet deep and approx. 300 yards wide and is the busiest canal in the world. We visited the harbor at Tonning followed by a stop at a historical “six-post” enormously large farmhouse which had 99 windows with the 100th window being a very interesting tale told by Rudolf. After visiting the farmhouse, we drove on to a lighthouse where we enjoyed a scrumptuous lambwurst in a bun.
Following that, we saw where the two of them spend their Spring vacations and then on to one of the most spectacular beaches that we have ever seen. The fourteen-km-long stretch of pure-white-sand beach is dotted with restaurants set on pilings and only accessible at low tide. People park their vehicles right on the beach as you used to be able to at Long Beach in Vancouver Island. The beach was full of people wind and kite surfing. We were treated to a special drink called “Pharisieha” drink by Rudolf and Irmgard. The rum-coffee-whipping cream drink also had another tale associated with it which dealt with an overbearing tea-tottling priest.
We continued on to the other southern end of the beach where wind cart races are held annually. The speeds can at times reach 80 kms/hr. We visited a Bernstein (amber) museum, had wonderful Friesen torte and coffee. We ended the tour with a light snack at a very old restaurant in a natural reserve where Rudolf again treated us with a local drink translated means “egg grog”.
The final stop was the massive tidal dam just below Katinger Watt. This strategic dam was built to regulate the flow of the Eider River and the tides of the North Sea. Our way home was a lot faster as the traffic was minimal and George and I became comfortable with the driving speeds of 190 kms/hr. In fact, people were still passing us at estimated speeds of 240.
We spent the evening enjoying each other’s company, viewing pictures, having a couple of drinks and falling into bed after a very full and interesting day. It was agreed that we will stay here until Wednesday because Rudolf and Irmgard have a lot planned for us while we are here.
july 27
July 27th (wind, rain and sun)
Got up to a splendid breakfast before the four of us went to the Uetersen weekly market in the centre of town. Uetersen has approx. 20,000 people and is about 25 kms from Hamburg. They use much more brick in all the homes and buildings and there are many thatched roofs which make the homes look like they are from the Hansel and Gretel storybook.
Irmgard and Rudolf are very environmentally and organically sensitive people. They are totally in love with each other and treat everyone with the utmost consideration whether total strangers or friends and family. They have a lovely home with many beautiful possessions with “a place for everything and everything in its place”. I have mentioned to Georg that we will look at the decorating of our home in a different light when we return home.
After the market, we went for a walk to a rosarium. It is interesting to find out that most of the almost 500 various hybrids of roses in the world were propagated in this district of Germany. We also visited an an old kloster (monastery) for nuns along with some very old heritage buildings and then on to Rudolf and Irmgard’s favorite coffee and torte restaurant. I believe that the German cakes baked by a good konditor are the best in the world. Also, coffee seems to also taste better than anywhere else.
We finished our interesting day by stopping by the Uetersen airport to watch a few small planes taking off and landing before we headed home to a lovely dinner and evening together.
Got up to a splendid breakfast before the four of us went to the Uetersen weekly market in the centre of town. Uetersen has approx. 20,000 people and is about 25 kms from Hamburg. They use much more brick in all the homes and buildings and there are many thatched roofs which make the homes look like they are from the Hansel and Gretel storybook.
Irmgard and Rudolf are very environmentally and organically sensitive people. They are totally in love with each other and treat everyone with the utmost consideration whether total strangers or friends and family. They have a lovely home with many beautiful possessions with “a place for everything and everything in its place”. I have mentioned to Georg that we will look at the decorating of our home in a different light when we return home.
After the market, we went for a walk to a rosarium. It is interesting to find out that most of the almost 500 various hybrids of roses in the world were propagated in this district of Germany. We also visited an an old kloster (monastery) for nuns along with some very old heritage buildings and then on to Rudolf and Irmgard’s favorite coffee and torte restaurant. I believe that the German cakes baked by a good konditor are the best in the world. Also, coffee seems to also taste better than anywhere else.
We finished our interesting day by stopping by the Uetersen airport to watch a few small planes taking off and landing before we headed home to a lovely dinner and evening together.
july 26
July 26th (sunny and cloudy)
It was a lovely morning and we were able to have breakfast outside. We drove into Magdeburg because George was interested in seeing the famous church which had its origins around 800 AD. The cathedral was immense in stature and lots of renovations underway including a couple of archeological digs around the alter base. We have also noticed in the city a definite eastern European architecture similar to what we saw in Bulgaria 35 years ago.
From Magdeburg, on our way to Uetersen to visit Georg’s cousin Irmgard and Rudolph, we made a couple of observations about the old “east” German region. First of all, it seems that the big corporations are taking advantage of the cheap land prices and are building enormous factories everywhere and also, the number of wind generators are more than we have seen anywhere. Furthermore, the land holdings here are not small parcels like in other parts of Europe – they are extensive tracks of land as a result of the communal philosophy of the communists.
About ten minutes outside of Magdeburg, we were stuck in a traffic jam on the autobahn that lasted two and a half hours. Georg also noticed that in the five hours that we were on the road today, we must have encountered over 2,000 large transport trucks. These are the only vehicles that we ever pass on the highway. Most cars are going passed us at more than 200 km/hr.
We arrived at Uetersen around 4 pm to see Rudolph at the front of their lovely home saying that he was expecting us the day before. We seem to have a habit of confusing people about our arrival times. We had a wonderful evening trying to catch up on almost thirty years. Their home is outstanding and very interesting in that it was a prefab home from Denmark which has technological elements in it, i.e. heating, ventilation and plumbing that were way ahead of its time. The house still remains in pristine condition with a beautiful garden which has a stream running through the property. We have our own living quarters, the run of the house and we are extremely comfortable here.
It was a lovely morning and we were able to have breakfast outside. We drove into Magdeburg because George was interested in seeing the famous church which had its origins around 800 AD. The cathedral was immense in stature and lots of renovations underway including a couple of archeological digs around the alter base. We have also noticed in the city a definite eastern European architecture similar to what we saw in Bulgaria 35 years ago.
From Magdeburg, on our way to Uetersen to visit Georg’s cousin Irmgard and Rudolph, we made a couple of observations about the old “east” German region. First of all, it seems that the big corporations are taking advantage of the cheap land prices and are building enormous factories everywhere and also, the number of wind generators are more than we have seen anywhere. Furthermore, the land holdings here are not small parcels like in other parts of Europe – they are extensive tracks of land as a result of the communal philosophy of the communists.
About ten minutes outside of Magdeburg, we were stuck in a traffic jam on the autobahn that lasted two and a half hours. Georg also noticed that in the five hours that we were on the road today, we must have encountered over 2,000 large transport trucks. These are the only vehicles that we ever pass on the highway. Most cars are going passed us at more than 200 km/hr.
We arrived at Uetersen around 4 pm to see Rudolph at the front of their lovely home saying that he was expecting us the day before. We seem to have a habit of confusing people about our arrival times. We had a wonderful evening trying to catch up on almost thirty years. Their home is outstanding and very interesting in that it was a prefab home from Denmark which has technological elements in it, i.e. heating, ventilation and plumbing that were way ahead of its time. The house still remains in pristine condition with a beautiful garden which has a stream running through the property. We have our own living quarters, the run of the house and we are extremely comfortable here.
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