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.