My Life in Devizes and the New Blog Address

I have started a new blog about my life in Devizes, Wiltshire, the address is:
http://www.devizesdays.blogspot.com/

Some Final Words and Nice to be back to my Widescreen Monitor.

It was a wonderful six months living in Timmerlah and Braunschweig, a visit I shall never forget and which I hope to repeat in 2012.  I enjoyed the opportunity to live an ordinary life in another country, and  best of all, the chance to sing in German with a German choir, and to walk with Monika's lovely group and to enjoy the beauty of the Elm Forest.  My visit to Dresden and listening to some Bach in the Frauenkirche and the coach tour of the Essen industrial area were another two highlights.  I visited Leipzig and paid homage to JS Bach at his tomb in the Thomaskirche, I could not believe I was there, and came the closest I have ever been to the great composer.  I enjoyed watching the changing seasons from the windows of my flat,  from where I could see a distant "Brocken."  The daily trains passed by, the crops grew and the windmills on the hilltop generated non stop energy.   Elderly ladies with no English spoke their friendly German to me at the bus stops when  I travelled on the buses and the trams.  I enjoyed every moment, and look forward to  my return to Timmerlah at the end of April 2012.  

The photo above shows my two pcs, the little netbook with the tiny screen that served me so well for the six months and my 21in Dell monitor.  It is so nice not to have to peer intently at a tiny screen anymore, and I can now use my German keyboard again, it's nice to have my:  äää ööö üüü ßßß, umlauts and essets back.  Well that is it!  I hope you have enjoyed reading my blog and "watch this space."   After a short break I will start a "Devizes Diary, the tales of a would be writer."  Me!  My final word is,  "Aufwiedersehen. "

Timmerlah to Devizes, via Hannover and Southampton.

My distant Executive Jet awaits me!   No not really!  I travelled back on the Fybe "Bombadier Dash 1"  below, complete with propellers, and I do like a good pair of propellers.  I'd earlier caught the 08.28 bus from Timmerlah and had a bit of luck, because the M5 tram to the station was, uncharacteristically, running five minutes late.  I managed to arrive at Braunschweig station with 20 minutes to spare instead of the ten minute dash to the platform I had expected.  My legs do not like to dash anymore.   After an uneventful journey to the airport, the flight was delayed by a technical fault on the incoming plane, so we left 30  minutes late.  With the wind behind us we managed to land only 20 minutes late at Southampton.  

I am pleased to be back to my evening social life in Devizes, and at the moment, the English spiders seem to be smaller than their German counterparts.  Tomorrow I shall finish this blog by mentioning all the most memorable highlights of my wonderful stay in Timmerlah and Braunschweig.  I look forward to my return in April 2012.  Good night, sleep tight, I am weary, back tomorrow!



Almost Full Circle.

Today I battled with the vacuum cleaner, which has  a terrifying suction akin to a "Black Hole" in space.  I dusted every surface know to mankind, cleaned the kitchen units,  and blitzed the bathroom.  At 11am  I stopped for a cuppa, because too  much housework is not good for my constitution.   On and off throughout the day I have been sprucing up the place, and the flat now sparkles.  My suitcase is packed  ready for my departure, (I think I have less than I came with,) and tomorrow I catch the 08.28 bus to the railway station.  The plane leaves Hannover at 13.35 CET and I should arrive in Southampton at 14.30 GMT, so, with a bit of luck,  I could be back in Devizes by 17.15.

The fields outside my windows have been ploughed, and yesterday the seed spreaders were out  sowing this winter's crop.  There is a symmetary about my stay, for when  I arrived, I watched the scarsely visible crops grow and be finally gathered only last week.  Now a new cycle has begun and I am sad to leave, although I don't like the dark evenings and I can do without German saucer sized spiders.  I do wish I could learn to love the little creatures, but apparently arachnophobia is in the genes, so I'll blame my parents!   Back tomorrow with news of the return journey and stories of anything else that happens to unfold before my very  eyes.  Gute Nacht, schlaf gut!

Photos from Last Night's DEG Party.

Last night, once again,  we all said "Aufwiedersehen" until 2012 to one another.  The party  with the German/English Association was a lively affair, with a good singer and pianist who kept us entertained with English songs during the evening.  The photo shows from left Treve, the DEG Chairman in BS, receiving a present of Bath glass from Don, the Chairman of the Bath Twinning group,  with, standing centre, his wife Lyn.  Also at our party were members of the Bath Petanque group who have been in BS playing their counterparts here.  It was a lovely evening, and we all enjoyed the refreshments so generously donated by members of the DEG. 

The photo below shows the singer entertaining us all, and the lowest photo the church hall, where the party was held.   It opened only recently, and is one of those functionally designed modern buildings, that the Germans are so good at constructing.  The interior was a colourful orange, blue and cream  with all the necessary construction nuts and bolts used as decorative features.  I like the overhanging eaves, functional for protecting the entrance from heavy snow.

Tonight two close friends visit to drink beer and say yet another "Aufwiedersehen."  I must shop today for drink and snacks and yet more tissues for my tears of farewell!

We all said, "Aufwiedersehen." Boo hoo!

I'm just back from a party with the Twinners and Petanque players from Bath and the DEG members in Braunschweig.  It's too late to upload the photos now, so I will do a write up tomorrow.   "Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite!"

Petanque in the Park

Today was nice and quiet, just what I needed after four days of non-stop sightseeing, eating and slow wandering.  We met this morning at the Patanque Park in Kralenriede and watched a group  of players from Bath  play  their counterparts from BS.  Petanque is a popular game on the continent, and apparently it is catching on in the UK.  We spent two hours in the park and enjoyed some nice cups of tea and coffee.   A couple of us decided to have some time to ourselves, so Dorothea gave us a lift into BS, where Bill went his way and I went mine.  I sat in the sun outside the cathedral and then made my way back to Timmerlah and yet more tea and catching up on email writing. 

On Tuesday evening we have our final goodbye party.  The Twinning and  Petanque Groups meet the DEG (German/English Association) for an evening's celebration of the 40 year friendship between the two cities.   I've started packing, and believe it or not, I will go home with fewer pairs of shoes than I came with.  I have worn out two pairs   of  walking shoes since I've been here.  The bottom photo shows another lion supporting one of the benches outside the cathedral.   They make very useful foot rests when sitting and pondering the meaning of life.

Schloss Wolfenbuettel and the Old Border with the DDR at Hoetensleben.

Today we visited Schloss Wolfenbuettel,  toured the state apartments and wondered at the opulence of life for the seriously wealthy.  What an amazing place it is with its pink and white facade and splendid sculptured entrance.   We were able to view the large collection of porcelain, splendid silverware, paintings and furniture especially produced for the Dukes and Duchesses.  I cannot write all the details here, but www.wikipedia.org Wolfenbuettel, will give you information about the town and its treasures.   The photo below shows our group in the central courtyard of the palace and the contrasting shadow shows just how hot it was today, really hot!    We lunched in a local restaurant and a really good time was had by all, my very large beer went down particularly well.

The two lower photos show the old border wall at Hoetensleben, and a watch tower can be seen one photo.  A friend with us who talked about his early life living near the border, and how he could look out of his bedroom window and see the houses in East Germany.  The "Brocken" at Bad Harzburg, the highest point in Niedersachsen, was in East Germany, and he remembers feeling unhappy that he was not free to walk there.  When the border opened, thousands of people celebrated by walking up to the "Brocken's" summit,  something that had been denied to West Germans for 30 years.   Tomorrow we will watch Bath Petanque players, who are also visiting the city, play their Braunschweig counterparts.  With this lovely weather it will be a quieter day, sitting, drinking beer and watching the two teams throw silver balls at a smaller little coloured ball.  A great fun, a game similar to green bowling but in miniature.

A Service of Remembrance in the Cathedral, Lunch, the Quadriga and the Museum.

Once again a very busy day, and once again almost too much to write about.  The day started with a service to mark the 40th anniversay of the twinning between Bath and Braunschweig.  We listened to a programme of English organ music, a wonderful sound in the space of the cathedral.  Both Bishops spoke of the special bond between the two cities, both of which  suffered similar fates during the last war, and both of which are  determined that it should never happen again.  After the service Bath roses were laid on the memorial which marks the bombing of BS on the nights of 14th/15th October 1944.  The photos left and below show the service taking place.  It was very moving, and I felt once again, so sorry to be leaving my adopted home.  We then had lunch in a nearby restaurant, just 14 of us from the twinning committee, the Mayor of Bath and his wife, the Bishop of Bath and Dr Hempel, Bishop of BS Cathedral.  I feel very privileged to be a part of this wonderful twinning association, long may it last. 

At 3pm we met for a visit to the viewing platform of Schloss Arkaden, where we saw the Quadriga at close quarters.  The day was so hot, 25c today, this cannot be right for October.  We later visited the Schloss Museum and saw the reconstructed interior of the old palace which was partially destroyed in the war.  Some of the state rooms have been  carefully restored from the original plans, even down to the silk wallpaper made in France and from the original designs and loom patterns.  We had an evening meal with friends tonight and tomorrow we are visiting Wolfenbuettel.  There is so much I could write about, but tonight I cannot write anymore.  The blog is playing up again, I cannot get it to do what I want!   I will stop now and drink more tea.

The Reception in Schloss Richmond and the Autostadt in Wolfsburg.

We had a wonderful day which started at 11am with the reception in Schloss Richmond with the mayors of Bath and Braunschweig and the members of both Twinning committees.  The two Mayors can be seen signing the "Book of Friendship" between the two cities, a twinning that is 40 years old this year.  Both photos below show the reception and us sitting and enjoying a lovely lunch.  At 3pm we left for Wolfsburg and a visit to the VW Autostadt.  The exhibition of old cars was really interesting, and I saw so much that words fail me at the moment.  It was a long tiring day and I will write more later.  At 12noon tomorrow with have a Twinning Service in the Cathedral with a commemoration at the memorial to the bombing of BS in Oct 1944 and the laying of the Bath Rose for peace.  A Bath rose grows up the wall outside the Bath Portal, a sign of friendship between the two beautiful cities.  I am so very, very  lucky to be a part of this friendship association.   Good night, sleep tight, I will write more tomorrow when I am awake! 

The bottom two photos show some of the cars at the VW Autostadt, it was a really amazing place.   www.wikipedia.org Autostadt.

Flowers for Ursula and "Aufwiedersehen" Tea and Cake in the Garden.

I said another "Aufwiedersehen" until  April 2012  this afternoon to Ursula and Gerd. We sat in their lovely garden, drank tea and ate homemake plum cake with cream.  The Indian Summer sun shone and everything in the garden was rosy.  Today was an easy day with no visit to Room 101 with my passport and I also remembered to take the correct debit card with me into BS, so I was able to withdraw some cash.   This is  a short write up tonight as I need to sort my clothes for tomorrow's reception with the mayors of Bath and Braunschweig, the Petanque Group and the Twinning Group at Schloss Richmond.

My friends from Bath have arrived and we will all meet for a splendid day together.  Tomorrow afternoon we will visit the VW Autostadt in Wolfsburg and have a meal together in the evening.   I can feel my visit drawing to a close, as I keep saying so many goodbyes!   The photo below shows from left:  Monika, Gerd and Ursula enjoying  tea and cake in the garden in Harxbuettel.   It was a lovely afternoon with friends.

A Foggy Morning in the Beet Field and a Comedy of Errors.

The day started with thick fog, the first I have seen since living here.  It had cleared by 09.30 and we had yet another beautiful "Indian Summer" day.   I did the washing in too much of a hurry this morning, and failed to add any washing powder and set the wrong number for the spin cycle, so of course the door wouldn't  open. I had to reset the cycle  and go through the whole process again which made me late.  I then  rushed for the bus, and caught the M3 tram to the  Residents Office in BS, where they wanted to see my passport and some evidence of me leaving the country.  I was sent to room 101 for people whose surnames begin with MPQ FLNOR, where I got a ticket out of the "Who is next in the queue machine" and waited 40 minutes to be interviewed.  Eventually my form was stamped and signed, and I now need to leave the country on Friday 7th October.  The lowest photo shows no. 931 inside being interviewed,  I was no. 934 in the queue.

Then I needed cash, so went to withdraw some Euros, only to find that I'd bought my credit card with me instead of my debit card.  I stood outside the bank and said, "Sh*t" in English and in German, as I had only four Euros in my purse.  Janet and I had arranged to meet for lunch in "Graff" so she lent me some cash to do the shopping and I will repay her when she is in the UK the week after next.  I came home, made a cuppa and began to feel a whole lot better.  It was one of those days!

The fire brigade were in the Rathaus Square again today, so I was able to take a photo of the crane lifting brave citizens high up into the air for a view of the city.  I did not venture up, I much prefer Mother Earth.

Harvesting the Beet Field and a Missed Photo Opportunity.

Sitting quietly this morning, doing nothing, I was suddenly disturbed by the beet gathering machine that finally arrived to harvest the beetfield opposite my front window.  When I first arrived here in late April the crop was so tiny, that I didn't know what it was, I thought it was turnips.   Janet reliably informed me that it was beet, and I have watched it grow over the last five months.  I did wonder when it would be gathered, for it seems a long time in growing.  What's it used for?  A sweetner, I don't really know.  (Janet tells me that the beet produces sugar for most of the European Union countries, with Germany, France and Poland being the biggest produces.)

It was an amazing machine.  A scoop in the front dug into the earth and loosened the beet, which then rolled along an upward and onward moving band that carried it until it plopped into a large holding container.   Every so often the machine stopped in front of my window and dumped the beet in a huge pile, which you can see in the top photo.  It was a fully mechanised process and very interesting to watch.  Somebody, somewhere, sat down in a office and designed that machine, how very clever! 

I went into town this afternoon without my camera, only to find that the fire brigade had a display of their machines and equipment in the "Square of German Unity" opposite the Rathaus.  What a pity!  I missed a good photo opportunity with all the big red machines and the men in their red, high visibility garb and big black helmets.

A Walk in the Elm Forest and Other News.

My small Wolters beer.

I got up this morning and limped around the room, my ankles telling me that, for the time being, they had about enough of walking.  I made a cuppa, had some breakfast and suddenly they eased up a little, just in time for me to set off on the bus for my last sessions with the English groups.  I took two bottles of wine and some snacks with me for the "Aufwiedersehen, see you next year" party.  I felt a little weepy, but after a glass of wine and some nibbles I decided to cheer up.   We are in the middle of an Indian Summer here, it has been glorious again today. I basked in a mellow warmth and at moments on the tram, it felt like a hot summer's day.  Long may it last.

Above is yesterday's small Wolters beer, my welcome drink after the 5.5 miles I had just walked.  It was a wonderful hike, but I was glad I didn't know the distance before I went, otherwise I might not have gone.   Below sits Karl with that lovely little dog Donau, who merrily ran the whole 11.7 miles in total, darting in and out of bushes, carrying sticks twice her length and chasing the fresh air.  In the lower photo we can be seen waiting at the Gasthof to be served and the lowest picture shows a good example of a Currywurst in all its glory, complete with salad and chips.  It is a tasty dish, but I still prefer a good plate of fish and chips.

Karl and Donau.

Waiting to be served at the Gasthof.

A fine example of Currywurst, chips and salad.

Til Eulenspiegel's Birthplace in Kneitlingen and a Long Walk in the Elm Forest in Search of Beer.

After walking 11.6 miles (18.7Kms) I have returned home feeling somewhat weary.  This is a short write up tonight, which I will continue tomorrow.  The walk started in Kneitlingen with 12 walkers and one very nice little doggy! Just after the start we visited the birthplace and home of Til Eulenspiegel, the jester and joker who played tricks on poor unsuspecting souls way back in the 14th century.  I photographed and wrote about his fountain in Braunschweig  several months ago. www.wikipedia.org will give you more information.  The little church where he was christened was charming,  but no inside viewing was possible because a service was in progress.  The photo below shows Til's simple room with his bed in the corner.  The lower photos show us walking to the Gasthof and having arrived, waiting to be served.  It was a very hot day, about 24c and we were all glad to arrive back at the end of the walk, for the short drive home to Braunschweig.  More tomorrow.   "Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite!"

Til's bedroom.

Walking towards a distant Gasthof in search of beer.

Waiting for drinks and lunch. (more pictures tomorrow)

Autumn Arrives with Beach Volleyball at the Railway Station.

Autumn has well and truly arrived, yesterday was the autumnal equinox.  Today I took a lovely stroll through one of Braunschweig's beautiful parks to look at the falling leaves and plunging conkers!   I was on my way back from the railway station, where today I cracked the secret of the automatic ticket machines.  I hadn't realised I could buy a ticket a few days in advance and that I could get a print out of the journey, complete with platform numbers.  I travel from BS to Hannover where I change trains, and it is very useful to know the platform number for the  short journey to the airport.   The total confusion at this station comes a close second to the total confusion at Berlin's multi levelled station.  Hannover Station is based on a shopping mall, so as you step down from the platforms, you are met by rows of shops, fast food outlets and hundreds of travellers milling around.   Knowing your platform is a great advantage in the hunt for the airport, "Forewarned is forearmed,"  as the the expression goes.  Is getting lost at a station a sign of creeping old age?

  

Two photos show the park in dappled sunlight, and the lower photo shows Beach Volleyball being played outside BS station.  Over the loud speaker I could hear, "Come on Hauptbahnhof"  so one of the teams was made up of main railway station personnel. (I assume.)   I managed to get the ball in shot in this photo.  I'm glad I haven't got to sweep up the sand!   How do they clear it up, with buckets and spades or a mega sized vacuum cleaner?

Facilities for Pigeon Showering in Braunschweig.

 onI thought the mini fountains outside  the Rathaus were for the amusement of over excited   children on  very hot summer days, but NO!  Their real purpose is to provide the local pigeons with showering facilities.   I was so surprised to see the birds lifting, flapping their wings and basking in the fine spray of water, it was a real joy to watch.  The lower photo shows  the communal  showering session at 2.30pm on Thursday afternoon.    Today I made my final visit to a friend for an afternoon of English conversation, and I now have that sad feeling of doing things for the last time this year.  I am somewhat melancholy at leaving but I will return again  in  late April 2012 to continue my battle with the German language.  My best conversations are with nice little old ladies sitting at bus stops.  They have never learnt English, so I can chat away in German and enjoy myself.  It is not so easy speaking German with good English speakers, I am much too aware of how little I know!  

I arrive home on Friday October 7th.  I land at Southampton Airport at 14.30 and the first things I will need are a plate of fish and chips and a  really big cup of English tea.

Henri Cartier-Bresson, an Exhibition in Wolfsburg.

Here are two more photographs from our visit yesterday.  I was trying to be clever and show the photos in black and white, similar to Cartier-Bresson's, but it has only worked on the lower photo of Karin and Monika viewing the pictures . I edited the photos in Picassa, but for some reason my editing only worked on the one photo.   The exhibition was a life enhancing experience, a new way of looking at our world of contrasting pattern and textures, even in the simplest of scenes and all in  black and white.  It was  a day to remember. The following website: www.henricartierbresson.org   will give you more detail of his life, attitudes and work, and reproduces some of the photos we saw yesterday.   After our visit to the Art Gallery we treated ourselves to some goodies in a nearby cafe.  I had a very large black cherry ice cream sundae and Karin and Monika shared a huge pizza sized waffle with cream, which Monika washed it down with a glass of beer.   It was a wonderful day with friends in  "Autostadt Wolfsburg," home of the VW Headquarters. 

The new city was established after the last war and reminds me of the New Towns in the UK.  I did not feel as if I were in Germany, such was its similarity to Milton Keynes, Welwyn Garden City and Crawley.  Wikipedia has more information about the city which is twinned with Luton in the UK.

Henri Cartier-Bresson's Photographs at the Art Gallery in Wolfsburg.

I visited a wonderful exhibition today of Henri Cartier-Bresson's black and white photos entitled, "The Geometry of the Moment, Lanscapes."  Oh what wonderful photographs, showing textures, patterns and contrasts in the landscape.  Each photo has a black line around it, showing that it is taken directly from the negative and without any editing. 

He had such an eye for the moment and wrote, "To take a photograph is to align the head, the eye and the heart.  It's a way of life."   Monika, Karin and myself were much impressed and left the exhibition feeling we'd learnt a little more about looking at our world and life.   I will add more photos tomorrow, this Blog site is playing up at the moment and it is late and I am running out of patience!!  Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

A Wonderful Day in Goslar in the Harz.

The day could not have been better, a lovely warm, blue skyed autumnal day, and ideal for wandering around this lovely town of half timbered houses at the foot of the Harz Mountains.  It was an easy journey from Braunschwieg, a 50 minute ride on a regional train.  Janet and I wandered around and eventually found a nice place to eat and drink.  These photos show scenes in the town, about which, at the moment, I know nothing!  I shall read up tonight, and then I will need to visit again to see all the things I either saw and knew nothing about, or all the things I should have seen but didn't visit.  Then there's all the things I didn't visit because I didn't know they were there.  Then all the places I should have.....................  Have you lost the will to live??  There are captions under the photos, so you will know where you are. Please refer to: www.wikipedia.org  which has a good write up about the town. The old town of Goslar is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The town, of course, looks as the old Braunschweig would have looked before the last war.  Braunschweig was a city of closely packed half timbered buildings, 90% of which were destroyed by bombing in October 1944.  Some buildings did survive and are now incorporated into the city's "Traditional Historical Islands."

Market Place cafe.

Street scene with half timbered houses.

Old Town Hall.  (I think.)

The Castle