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.
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