This time with a renewed sense of all things German. First year down and the wheels of progress are grinding forward with relentless surety. In retrospect the year has gone so fast that I am still not quite sure just exactly where it has all gone. A bit like looking to and fro between the picked clean bones of the Christmas turkey and your expanded waistline and wondering how on earth you fitted it all in. A year of great change mingled with periods of high anxiety, howling laughter, blissful wonderment and confusion interspersed with moments of deep-seated relief. An intellectual and emotional roller coaster on a grand scale. Almost enough material in twelve months to fuel a psychiatric convention. I guess I got all that I asked for and more, so no complaints there. Life being life to the full.
At least year two is kicking off with most of the major hurdles now jumped or flattened on the track. Some plans have been laid for trips around the continent and other plans plotted out to garner some more language knowledge and attendance at some of the annual events in and around southern Germany. Due to Europe being so vast and with so many events happening you are often unaware until the very last moment that something is taking place. It may be through word of mouth or by reading an article in the newspaper. At either rate you’ve really got to move it if you want to get the time off from work, the tickets, the accommodation or whatever else it takes. All very spur of the moment sometimes. It’s always nice to plan in advance but in living somewhere where you are not aware of the annual events, they seem to leap out at you all the time.
I made note last year of a few things that I would have liked to attend so that maybe this year I am better prepared. The advent of regular work also opens up a much larger horizon, not only through the ability to request freebies in the hotels but also with the added advantage of regular income. 2002 / 2003 should be a right old hoot. Better that I stick to the news of the moment for now however.
Life has been really busy with things around the house and the grand attempt to finish off as much of the outside renovation work as possible whilst the sun continues to shine. As you no doubt have been seeing on the telly and in the papers, Europe is having some of the worst floods for over 100 years. Luckily this has not been too serious here in the west of the continent. It has still been a fairly grey and mediocre kind of Summer so far but at least the rains have been infrequent. The flooding in eastern Germany particularly around Dresden is just terrible. So many historic buildings being literally washed away as the Elbe River slowly but surely surges to levels not seen since 1854. Since the reunification of Germany Dresden has worked almost endlessly to restore its historic buildings which were so badly decimated by the fire bombing of WWII. Now it is all but lost once again. They are expecting the river to peak at 10 metres above some time tonight. With some of the older buildings they had to make the decision to flood the basements prior to the river bursting its banks simply to stop them being completely washed away. The art treasures and museum artefacts have in the main been saved but the damp and humidity is already damaging one of the finest art collections in Europe. The Dresden Opera has lost all most of its props and costumes built up over several centuries. Up stream in Prague where the river has already done its worst they have been left with up to two metres of mud throughout the city which is now baking rock hard in 30 degree plus temperatures.
A larger concern to follow is that more rain is expected this weekend and as the Elbe River traverses Germany to empty itself into the sea at Hamburg there is likely to be wide spread flooding across the breadth of the country. Small villages and towns anywhere within a 10 meter height variation of the Elbe are already in panic mode and sandbagging furiously. One girl I work with whose parents and family live in Dresden cannot even get home to see them or help. Likewise they cannot get out. Even the airport is shut down. Seriously bad business all around. I won’t go on as you probably have it plastered all over your newspapers and TV screens at home.
24.7.02
My Deutschland 1st Anniversary
Well I’ve been a little bit busy over the last few weeks so the Blog traffic has slowed somewhat. Hopefully things will slowly settle in and time will once again be on my side. The daily trips to Frankfurt almost seem to be second nature now and the public transport is generally spot-on except when there are protests, visiting foreign dignitaries, road works or some such to screw it all up.
Our launch into summer was fairly dramatic with temperatures soaring into the mid thirties for over a week only to be followed with several weeks of grey gloom. The last two weeks have been particularly mundane with showers, electrical storms and blustering winds. The wonderful blooms of spring scattered to all points of the compass. I guess you can’t expect the balmy endless waves of warmth that are so common in an Australian summer to be a part of the European experience.
It is coming up to the end of my first year here and in reflection I have to say that I am both very pleased at the way things have gone so far and also shocked at how very, very different it has all been from whatever it was I had at first expected. I realise that this is generally always the case wherever and when ever I throw myself in at the deep end but I guess this was just a little bit more of a loop the loop given the language barrier and subsequent problems with securing work. True to form however fortune favours the brave and I find myself with a future looking brighter than it has for a very long time. It is the first time ever that I am reasonably able to make some long-term plans which might be realistically attainable. Year two shall certainly be the telling of all if I can manage to secure and maintain the current stable arrangements, which are so favoursome to my well-being at the present moment.
Our launch into summer was fairly dramatic with temperatures soaring into the mid thirties for over a week only to be followed with several weeks of grey gloom. The last two weeks have been particularly mundane with showers, electrical storms and blustering winds. The wonderful blooms of spring scattered to all points of the compass. I guess you can’t expect the balmy endless waves of warmth that are so common in an Australian summer to be a part of the European experience.
It is coming up to the end of my first year here and in reflection I have to say that I am both very pleased at the way things have gone so far and also shocked at how very, very different it has all been from whatever it was I had at first expected. I realise that this is generally always the case wherever and when ever I throw myself in at the deep end but I guess this was just a little bit more of a loop the loop given the language barrier and subsequent problems with securing work. True to form however fortune favours the brave and I find myself with a future looking brighter than it has for a very long time. It is the first time ever that I am reasonably able to make some long-term plans which might be realistically attainable. Year two shall certainly be the telling of all if I can manage to secure and maintain the current stable arrangements, which are so favoursome to my well-being at the present moment.
12.7.02
Heidelberg Castle And Fast Trains
I have had my first big outing into the surrounding area of the Odenwald with a trip down to Heidelberg on the last weekend. Bettina and I took the train down there on Saturday.
I guess the first point of interest is the train system itself. Talk about typical German efficiency and technology. When I compare it to the trains to Sydney from the Blue Mountains it makes you feel like you have stepped into a sci-fi film.
There are four main classes of passenger trains which zoom around the place. The R.B. (Regional Bahn) , are the local ones and they use carriages that are very similar to the double decker N.S.W. suburban trains and tend to operate around the city lines and possibly to the next nearest town or two. The next quantum leap forward is the I.R. (Inter-Reggio) or inter–regional. This is the type that we caught to Heidelberg. Next is the E.C. (Euro-City) which tend to travel the long distance routes through Germany or across the border into neighbouring countries. The top class is the I.C.E (Inter City Express) which are the ultra high speed express lines.
All tickets are charged for on a per kilometre basis with different levels of increase for each of the different types of service. The faster the train the more expensive the ticket. Berlin is about 4.5 hours away by the high speed expreess and can cost in peak periods around $800 return. If you were to go by the the I.R. and take maybe 50% longer the same journey can be done for around $130. The I.R.´s still sprint along at about 140kph but it seems pretty slow compared to the 260kph of the I.C.E.´s. Even if it is only a short stage I guess I had better take the fast one at some point just to try it out. Bettina´s annual rail ticket for her daily travel to Stuttgart is an I.C.E. one so we can travel on that for free on Saturdays only with up to five people. Mind you at $5,000 a year you would want to get something back. My Westpac handycard almost needed to have the cardiac paddles when I heard that one.
The trip to Heidelberg only took 35 min but wowee are these trains cool. Smoking and non-smoking compartments, really comfortable seats with wrap around head supports, ultra modern interiors and the the level of noise is so low that it is hard to believe that you are even on a train. They all have buffet cars and because each carriage is split up into a dozen compartments you never get the sense of being over-crowded. The really astonishing thing are the platform clocks which show remaining time to the next train on each platform. When that clock hits zero the train is just grinding to a halt in front of you and it is at the time shown on your timetable not 5 or 10 min either side. Mind blowing....a train system that runs on time...well get down !
We arrived in Heidelberg at around lunch time and caught the bus from the station to the city centre. They were having thier annual Autumn festival street carnival and the Haupstrasse (main street) through the city centre was just heaving with thousands of people, food and market stalls, busking musos and live bands on 4 or 5 sound stages up and down the 3 kilometre length. They had a little bit of everything and the array of musicians was truly fabulous from South American pan pipe troupes to self styled hip hop and house D.J.s sampling and mixing the sound from the desk to a small amp on the side. Street pantomine and Marcel Marceau type mime acts along with the endless array of different beer and wine tents. Biggggg party party.
We spent a few hours wending our way through the flotsam jetsam of humanity and pausing to take in some of the performances. As we reached the top end of the town we turned off to head up the hill to where the Heidelberg Schloss (castle) is located.
The small walk ways weave themselves between the really old houses and up some 327 steps to the castle entrance. The views from the battlements out over old Heildelberg and the Neckar River were simply breath taking. Picture postcard come fairytale.
The castle itself was started by the then Prince Elector Ruprecht III in 1398 and was 220 years in the making as successive rulers added different buildings. It was partially destroyed in the 30 year war in the early 16th C, rebuilt, sacked and destroyed again by the French in the late 16th C and rebuilt yet again.By the latter part of the 17th C locals had started to misuse the outerwalls as a free quarry and used a lot of the stones to build thier houses on the lower slopes and through what is now the old quarter of the city. Luckily in the early part of the 18th C, Count Charles de Graimberg stopped this practice and did all that he could to preserve what remained. Thank god for people with a bit of foresight. What does remain is truly exquisite and the statues, gargoyles and edifice sculpting are more or less all in tact.The gardens within the grounds are massive and are refered to as ``Hortus Palatinus``. (plants of the palace I guess). Designed by Salomon de Caus, who was very famous in his time, the gardens were refered to by contempories as the eighth wonder of the world. More than enough room to throw a boomerang around. As Heidelberg is one of the worlds most famous medical universities they have an Apothecary Museum located inside. Really very interesting as it shows the whole history of the pharmacy profession over the past 1000 years.
One of the castle areas that held vast interest for me was the wine making vaults. They have the largest oak wine casks in Europe that were built on site. The larger of the two main casks holds 221,000 litres and is about 20 metres across the front and some 35 metres long. The other one is about two thirds this size but still awe inspiring. Serious stuff. Talk about totally impressed. I was gob smacked. Gives one some inkling of things to put on the Christmas wish list along with the arabian nights costume. I don’t even think Santa could squash this one on his sleigh. All told it was a wonderful day out and it really gave me that long sought feeling that I am finally in amongst it all. Bring on the rest of Europe......yeeehah !
I guess the first point of interest is the train system itself. Talk about typical German efficiency and technology. When I compare it to the trains to Sydney from the Blue Mountains it makes you feel like you have stepped into a sci-fi film.
There are four main classes of passenger trains which zoom around the place. The R.B. (Regional Bahn) , are the local ones and they use carriages that are very similar to the double decker N.S.W. suburban trains and tend to operate around the city lines and possibly to the next nearest town or two. The next quantum leap forward is the I.R. (Inter-Reggio) or inter–regional. This is the type that we caught to Heidelberg. Next is the E.C. (Euro-City) which tend to travel the long distance routes through Germany or across the border into neighbouring countries. The top class is the I.C.E (Inter City Express) which are the ultra high speed express lines.
All tickets are charged for on a per kilometre basis with different levels of increase for each of the different types of service. The faster the train the more expensive the ticket. Berlin is about 4.5 hours away by the high speed expreess and can cost in peak periods around $800 return. If you were to go by the the I.R. and take maybe 50% longer the same journey can be done for around $130. The I.R.´s still sprint along at about 140kph but it seems pretty slow compared to the 260kph of the I.C.E.´s. Even if it is only a short stage I guess I had better take the fast one at some point just to try it out. Bettina´s annual rail ticket for her daily travel to Stuttgart is an I.C.E. one so we can travel on that for free on Saturdays only with up to five people. Mind you at $5,000 a year you would want to get something back. My Westpac handycard almost needed to have the cardiac paddles when I heard that one.
The trip to Heidelberg only took 35 min but wowee are these trains cool. Smoking and non-smoking compartments, really comfortable seats with wrap around head supports, ultra modern interiors and the the level of noise is so low that it is hard to believe that you are even on a train. They all have buffet cars and because each carriage is split up into a dozen compartments you never get the sense of being over-crowded. The really astonishing thing are the platform clocks which show remaining time to the next train on each platform. When that clock hits zero the train is just grinding to a halt in front of you and it is at the time shown on your timetable not 5 or 10 min either side. Mind blowing....a train system that runs on time...well get down !
We arrived in Heidelberg at around lunch time and caught the bus from the station to the city centre. They were having thier annual Autumn festival street carnival and the Haupstrasse (main street) through the city centre was just heaving with thousands of people, food and market stalls, busking musos and live bands on 4 or 5 sound stages up and down the 3 kilometre length. They had a little bit of everything and the array of musicians was truly fabulous from South American pan pipe troupes to self styled hip hop and house D.J.s sampling and mixing the sound from the desk to a small amp on the side. Street pantomine and Marcel Marceau type mime acts along with the endless array of different beer and wine tents. Biggggg party party.
We spent a few hours wending our way through the flotsam jetsam of humanity and pausing to take in some of the performances. As we reached the top end of the town we turned off to head up the hill to where the Heidelberg Schloss (castle) is located.
The small walk ways weave themselves between the really old houses and up some 327 steps to the castle entrance. The views from the battlements out over old Heildelberg and the Neckar River were simply breath taking. Picture postcard come fairytale.
The castle itself was started by the then Prince Elector Ruprecht III in 1398 and was 220 years in the making as successive rulers added different buildings. It was partially destroyed in the 30 year war in the early 16th C, rebuilt, sacked and destroyed again by the French in the late 16th C and rebuilt yet again.By the latter part of the 17th C locals had started to misuse the outerwalls as a free quarry and used a lot of the stones to build thier houses on the lower slopes and through what is now the old quarter of the city. Luckily in the early part of the 18th C, Count Charles de Graimberg stopped this practice and did all that he could to preserve what remained. Thank god for people with a bit of foresight. What does remain is truly exquisite and the statues, gargoyles and edifice sculpting are more or less all in tact.The gardens within the grounds are massive and are refered to as ``Hortus Palatinus``. (plants of the palace I guess). Designed by Salomon de Caus, who was very famous in his time, the gardens were refered to by contempories as the eighth wonder of the world. More than enough room to throw a boomerang around. As Heidelberg is one of the worlds most famous medical universities they have an Apothecary Museum located inside. Really very interesting as it shows the whole history of the pharmacy profession over the past 1000 years.
One of the castle areas that held vast interest for me was the wine making vaults. They have the largest oak wine casks in Europe that were built on site. The larger of the two main casks holds 221,000 litres and is about 20 metres across the front and some 35 metres long. The other one is about two thirds this size but still awe inspiring. Serious stuff. Talk about totally impressed. I was gob smacked. Gives one some inkling of things to put on the Christmas wish list along with the arabian nights costume. I don’t even think Santa could squash this one on his sleigh. All told it was a wonderful day out and it really gave me that long sought feeling that I am finally in amongst it all. Bring on the rest of Europe......yeeehah !