It was the first time we got to meet Bacci and Astrid who are Albanian nationals that work for Reinhardt during the olive harvest. Greece is one of the few EEU countries that turn a blind eye to the arrival of refugees from the former Balkan states. They had some amazing stories to tell.
Astrid’s son had just arrived from Albania as well. He is 16 years old and had walked the 270km across the Alps in 18 days by himself with only the clothes on his back and a small rucksack of food.
They also told us about the public works official who was in charge of the main reservoir for the Albanian capital of Tirana. One night he got so pissed on vodka he somehow contrived to open the main sluice gates on the dam wall. He opened them so far that the pressure of the escaping water buckled the plates, preventing them from being closed again. The ensuing flood downstream broke the banks of the capital’s river flooding businesses and homes. The guy, realising his blunder, knew that he would be hunted down and killed for what he had done. He took off and has never been seen or heard from again. It was in the news in late 1999.
The other little bit I found fascinating from that neck of the woods was that when the Balkan states initially broke away from Russia they realised that they needed assistance in maintaining the integrity of their borders. Who did they turn to? Another communist country, China. Hence they have had Chinese soldiers on their borders for years now. If any one had told me that the Chinese military were patrolling borders around the EEU I would have laughed. I have never seen it reported anywhere but there you go. Bacci tells me that it is influencing the whole look of Albania as more and more Albanian Chinese are born. Nice people to be sure.
They can only go back to see their families if they are prepared to sneak over the Alps and back again. One of them does so every 5 years or so to take money to their families. It sure is a tough world for some people.
13.12.03
To Sparta And Beyond
The following day, after a quick familiarisation tour of the property with the Sales Manager, Angelos Sirotopolous (ex Melbourne lad and a staunch St Kilda supporter), around the suites and facilities we set off back to town on the hotel shuttle. The next tick was to catch the bus to Sparta in the Peloponnese and then change buses to go another hour further south to Glykovrisi where Bettina’s mate Reinhardt has his olive farm and where we were destined to spend the next 11 nights.
The central Athens bus station is located on the northern outskirts of town. It is completely surrounded, block after block, by scrap metal dealers, junkyards and recycling plants. I have to say if you were an international visitor arriving to Athens for the games you would be mortified. Pot holed roads, remains of dead dogs, quagmires of mud and puddles of waste oil sludge everywhere. I half expected to see the remains of the Exxon Valdez lying at the rear of one of the yards. You could be forgiven for plotting your travel agents untimely demise when happening upon this little lot. If it was your first impression of Athens then I think it safe to say that it would cloud your impressions for the rest of your stay. I certainly do hope they have something better planned for the Olympics. Once again the coach ticket was unbelievably inexpensive at only 15 euros. It is about 300km to Sparta and a further 80km’s down to Glykovrisi.
The trip took about 5 hours and as we crossed the narrow neck of land connecting the Peloponnese to the rest of Greece at Corinth we could see the Corinth Channel, which is a shipping channel cut through the rock. It enables ships and ferries sailing to Italy to head directly north and negate the need to circumnavigate the Peloponnese thereby cutting hundreds of sea miles off their trip. It was originally started by the Romans. They would haul their ships through the channel on ropes attached to the prow and then to teams of men on either side of the channel along the top. It was broadened and deepened to allow modern ships and tankers through at the end of the 19th century. Kind of a mini Suez Canal and a superb feat of engineering.
I was really surprised by how mountainous the Peloponnese area is. There are two main ranges of mountains running north / south which have a height of between 2,500 and 3,000 meters approx. I could often see snow covering the peaks. Not what I expected in Greece at all. The entire trip was either going up hill or down hill as the road zigzagged through the countryside. The ground cover is predominantly rocks and shale with a low cover of tangled undergrowth. A very harsh kind of environment in its own way.
Lots of old fortresses and immense stone walls known as Cyclop Walls were to be seen dotted around the hills as we wound along the road. The Cyclop Walls were built prior to the Mycenaean period 500 years BC. The massive blocks of stone fit together in the most precise jig saw I have ever seen. Each of the walled areas has 5 sides like a pentagon. In their entirety each one is probably about a kilometre in length and 4 -5 meters high. Why they were built is a complete mystery, who built them is also a mystery. The Mycenaean’s were the first to record their existence and they were amazed at how anyone, other than monsters, could have constructed anything containing stones that are several cubic meters in size. The monster of choice at that time was the mythical gigantic one-eyed Cyclops. Hence the name but the mystery remains. Another one for Eric von Daniken.
Maybe Cyclops were one eyed bug blatters from a distant galaxy who had become sick and tired of building all those pyramid thingies in Egypt and were trying their hands at something more creative whilst on holiday. I can imagine the conversation between the Cyclopses, “ Jeez Ralph open your eye, there’s no way a five sided pyramid is ever going to work. Let’s give it a miss and stick to the four sided ones like in Egypt.”
When we arrived in Glykovrisi (formerly Bisani during Turkish rule), Reinhardt, Bettina’s mate and ex-geologist, was there to meet us and the first order of the day was to wander into one of the open air cafes on the villages main intersection for an ouzo and a beer.
The central Athens bus station is located on the northern outskirts of town. It is completely surrounded, block after block, by scrap metal dealers, junkyards and recycling plants. I have to say if you were an international visitor arriving to Athens for the games you would be mortified. Pot holed roads, remains of dead dogs, quagmires of mud and puddles of waste oil sludge everywhere. I half expected to see the remains of the Exxon Valdez lying at the rear of one of the yards. You could be forgiven for plotting your travel agents untimely demise when happening upon this little lot. If it was your first impression of Athens then I think it safe to say that it would cloud your impressions for the rest of your stay. I certainly do hope they have something better planned for the Olympics. Once again the coach ticket was unbelievably inexpensive at only 15 euros. It is about 300km to Sparta and a further 80km’s down to Glykovrisi.
The trip took about 5 hours and as we crossed the narrow neck of land connecting the Peloponnese to the rest of Greece at Corinth we could see the Corinth Channel, which is a shipping channel cut through the rock. It enables ships and ferries sailing to Italy to head directly north and negate the need to circumnavigate the Peloponnese thereby cutting hundreds of sea miles off their trip. It was originally started by the Romans. They would haul their ships through the channel on ropes attached to the prow and then to teams of men on either side of the channel along the top. It was broadened and deepened to allow modern ships and tankers through at the end of the 19th century. Kind of a mini Suez Canal and a superb feat of engineering.
I was really surprised by how mountainous the Peloponnese area is. There are two main ranges of mountains running north / south which have a height of between 2,500 and 3,000 meters approx. I could often see snow covering the peaks. Not what I expected in Greece at all. The entire trip was either going up hill or down hill as the road zigzagged through the countryside. The ground cover is predominantly rocks and shale with a low cover of tangled undergrowth. A very harsh kind of environment in its own way.
Lots of old fortresses and immense stone walls known as Cyclop Walls were to be seen dotted around the hills as we wound along the road. The Cyclop Walls were built prior to the Mycenaean period 500 years BC. The massive blocks of stone fit together in the most precise jig saw I have ever seen. Each of the walled areas has 5 sides like a pentagon. In their entirety each one is probably about a kilometre in length and 4 -5 meters high. Why they were built is a complete mystery, who built them is also a mystery. The Mycenaean’s were the first to record their existence and they were amazed at how anyone, other than monsters, could have constructed anything containing stones that are several cubic meters in size. The monster of choice at that time was the mythical gigantic one-eyed Cyclops. Hence the name but the mystery remains. Another one for Eric von Daniken.
Maybe Cyclops were one eyed bug blatters from a distant galaxy who had become sick and tired of building all those pyramid thingies in Egypt and were trying their hands at something more creative whilst on holiday. I can imagine the conversation between the Cyclopses, “ Jeez Ralph open your eye, there’s no way a five sided pyramid is ever going to work. Let’s give it a miss and stick to the four sided ones like in Egypt.”
When we arrived in Glykovrisi (formerly Bisani during Turkish rule), Reinhardt, Bettina’s mate and ex-geologist, was there to meet us and the first order of the day was to wander into one of the open air cafes on the villages main intersection for an ouzo and a beer.
6.12.03
Blood Brother With The Gods Of Olympus
We approached the Acropolis (opolis = high town), without the benefit of a map, as you can see it from just about anywhere in town perched on its hill with massive stone columns rising to the sky like candles on a birthday cake. We simply walked until we struck the surrounding wrought iron fence and then followed it around till we discovered an open gate that led into the lower area where large racks of assorted marble and sandstone ruins and relics lay scattered across the ground. Most of them numbered and obviously sorted into some sort of order. An open-air archaeological junkyard and repair shop no less. We didn’t see anybody around other than a largish tour group much further up the hill towards the base of the cliffs, so we took off in the general direction towards them in the hope of discovering the main pathway to the top.
We discovered later that there was a ticket gate on the other side of the Acropolis and the charge was about AUD$25 per person. Another fabulous bonus! This bodes well, thought I. The god’s on Mount Olympus are surely smiling on us or at the very least smirking and snickering.
Ploughing ahead we wandered up a grass and rock covered slope which opened up onto the remains of an ancient amphitheatre with half of the tiers either missing or over grown by soil and grass. We perched on the rocks overlooking it and had a cigarette and a quiet moment of reflection as to our locality; after all, the whole of the Acropolis was commissioned by Pericles in 567B.C. and completed some 30 years later. It really gives me goose bumps and a vaguely ethereal feeling to contemplate such an ancient creation.
We patiently waited for the over weight tour group of 50 something’s on the terrace above us, cameras flashing like a paparazzi convention, to rumble off like so many sheep, bleating, grunting and sweating profusely in loyal pursuit of the brightly clad tour guide ahead.
As we meandered around the base of the cliffs we finally came across the main pathway, which at that point came along side the Theatre of Dionysus. This amphitheatre has been fully restored and is absolutely beautiful in its symmetry and timeless grace. The angle of descent from the upper to the lower tiers is amazingly steep and a lot of the tiers have been replaced with modern concrete sections in some places as well as having steel handrails. Yet the surrounding walls and mosaic tiled central stage still echo the age and dignity of the structure. My first show stopper of the trip. They hold regular poetry readings as well as opera and theatre productions in the evenings here throughout the summer months. I would love to attend such an evening if for nothing more than to be a part of such an amazing history. It has to be practically the oldest theatre on earth.
We pushed on up the path until we reached the main entrance portico which I have to say at the very least was impressive in its grandeur. Unfortunately due to the upcoming Olympic Games, all of the main structures are clad in scaffolding as they attempt to do as much restoration as possible. It detracted from the overall effect but only slightly. Given the state of the site due to endless years of conflict and war I guess they are doing well to have as much left as they do. In the 1780’s when Turkey was the occupying force they had chosen the Acropolis to house their powder magazine. A well-aimed cannonball from the Venetian army found its mark during the height of battle and a great deal of damage was done as the magazine erupted.
Again in 1816 the Earl of Elgin decided to remove the massive sculpted plinths from around the top of the Parthenon for the glory of His Majesty in Britain. They still reside today in the British Natural History Museum although a bid to return them in time for the games is steadily gaining impetus. The problem here is manifold as when the British Government repeal the laws allowing the marbles to be returned, they open the floodgates for endless antiquities to be returned oversees. This includes the largest collection of Australian Aboriginal remains in the world. Strange to think that the return of Aboriginal remains to Australia is being blocked by a bunch of rocks from the Acropolis. Had Elgin not removed the marbles when he did the damage caused by acid rain and traffic pollution would have been severe. Even today the Greeks do not have a museum capable of holding them safely. I believe that they are building one but like all things Greek it may take some time.
We wandered around looking at the Parthenon and the Temple of Nike with its six maidens, The Catyrids, holding up the portico. All of the statuettes are plaster copies as 5 were pinched by Elgin when he knocked off the Parthenon marbles. The other was grabbed by the Greeks and placed in the main Acropolis Museum. The view from the top around Athens is great. A complete 360 lookout for the entire city. From different vantage points you can see other massive pillars rising up in parks around the city, ancient churches and a variety of temples. The best kept being the Temple of Zeus, which we went down to look at afterwards.
Whilst having our picnic lunch beside the Parthenon, I was chopping at an apple with my penknife when it slipped through the fruit and bit into my thumb. Boy did the blood flow. Luckily I had a plaster strip in my back pack and whacked that on but yes folks, my blood has mingled into the dust along with the blood of god only knows how many others over the last 2,500 years. Blood brothers with the Gods of Olympus!
We probably spent about 2 hours picking our way around the structures before heading back down into the Plaka, the street markets and the Temple of Zeus. A little way further out we came across an old graveyard, which they are slowly excavating. Entry here was free as well but the lady in the ticket box insisted that we must take a ticket with free entry written on it. Obviously her brother in laws cousin three times removed has a printing shop somewhere in The Plaka. Business and families are truly tribal in Greek society. Keep the money in the family circle. They had a museum there displaying relics that they had unearthed to date and we looked around the cabinets full of pottery and small items of jewellery. Some of it was quite fascinating but the part that I liked best were the statues dotted around on the floor space that you could lay hands on. Ancient warriors and riders on horseback in armour with notes telling how their bronze shields and spears had eroded away eons ago. So, so ancient yet tangible and touchable. Really neat!
Returning to the city centre we stopped to look at one of the new underground stations that has just been built for the city loop. The loop had taken a very long time to build because no matter which direction they tried to take the line they kept running into sections of artefacts. Work would halt and the museum staff would come and take a look and either give the go ahead to proceed or shut down operations all together, until the historical value of the site could be determined. One site was so important they had to backtrack 300 meters and change the proposed line direction all together. The underground station which the line was heading to was half way through construction and had to be abandoned and a new one built at a location where the line could intersect with it. Crazy stuff hey. That particular site has been given to the University of Athens Archaeological Department for student training.
As Reinhardt later explained to me, it was the main reason why Athens and most other Greek cities were in such a run down state. People would get development projects together, raise the finance, purchase the land and as soon as they turned the first sod of earth they would hit old stone work or some such. Work would have stop immediately until the museum had cleared the site for further digging but this could take up to 12 years due to the huge number of sites under investigation. The investors would lose patience and the project would die, never to be resumed.
About 5 years ago they finally changed the law and now the rules say that if no ruling has been given within six months they can proceed without museum clearance. Reinhardt has actually seen people smashing up statues on construction sites with sledgehammers to tote them away in the depth of night to dump them. The destruction of incredibly valuable historical pieces to avoid any project delays.
Any way, back at the subway station, where they have dug down from street level to subway level, they have left the original excavation wall in place behind plate glass. It stands about 4 meters high and runs for some 50 meters in length. Small plaques are attached to various protrusions such as water ducts, foundations and mosaics from B.C. and various human graves, one even still had the skeletal remains lying in the stone walled burial crypt. Pre-Christianity I might add. I wonder how he would have felt if he had known his remains would be on public display in a subway station a couple of thousand years later. Really cool stuff. A cross section of 3 millennia of history in front of your face.
It was a huge day and as the light began to fade to grey we scooted off to the nearest bus stop for the trip back to the hotel and a well earned Tanqueray and tonic with a twist of course, on the balcony.
We discovered later that there was a ticket gate on the other side of the Acropolis and the charge was about AUD$25 per person. Another fabulous bonus! This bodes well, thought I. The god’s on Mount Olympus are surely smiling on us or at the very least smirking and snickering.
Ploughing ahead we wandered up a grass and rock covered slope which opened up onto the remains of an ancient amphitheatre with half of the tiers either missing or over grown by soil and grass. We perched on the rocks overlooking it and had a cigarette and a quiet moment of reflection as to our locality; after all, the whole of the Acropolis was commissioned by Pericles in 567B.C. and completed some 30 years later. It really gives me goose bumps and a vaguely ethereal feeling to contemplate such an ancient creation.
We patiently waited for the over weight tour group of 50 something’s on the terrace above us, cameras flashing like a paparazzi convention, to rumble off like so many sheep, bleating, grunting and sweating profusely in loyal pursuit of the brightly clad tour guide ahead.
As we meandered around the base of the cliffs we finally came across the main pathway, which at that point came along side the Theatre of Dionysus. This amphitheatre has been fully restored and is absolutely beautiful in its symmetry and timeless grace. The angle of descent from the upper to the lower tiers is amazingly steep and a lot of the tiers have been replaced with modern concrete sections in some places as well as having steel handrails. Yet the surrounding walls and mosaic tiled central stage still echo the age and dignity of the structure. My first show stopper of the trip. They hold regular poetry readings as well as opera and theatre productions in the evenings here throughout the summer months. I would love to attend such an evening if for nothing more than to be a part of such an amazing history. It has to be practically the oldest theatre on earth.
We pushed on up the path until we reached the main entrance portico which I have to say at the very least was impressive in its grandeur. Unfortunately due to the upcoming Olympic Games, all of the main structures are clad in scaffolding as they attempt to do as much restoration as possible. It detracted from the overall effect but only slightly. Given the state of the site due to endless years of conflict and war I guess they are doing well to have as much left as they do. In the 1780’s when Turkey was the occupying force they had chosen the Acropolis to house their powder magazine. A well-aimed cannonball from the Venetian army found its mark during the height of battle and a great deal of damage was done as the magazine erupted.
Again in 1816 the Earl of Elgin decided to remove the massive sculpted plinths from around the top of the Parthenon for the glory of His Majesty in Britain. They still reside today in the British Natural History Museum although a bid to return them in time for the games is steadily gaining impetus. The problem here is manifold as when the British Government repeal the laws allowing the marbles to be returned, they open the floodgates for endless antiquities to be returned oversees. This includes the largest collection of Australian Aboriginal remains in the world. Strange to think that the return of Aboriginal remains to Australia is being blocked by a bunch of rocks from the Acropolis. Had Elgin not removed the marbles when he did the damage caused by acid rain and traffic pollution would have been severe. Even today the Greeks do not have a museum capable of holding them safely. I believe that they are building one but like all things Greek it may take some time.
We wandered around looking at the Parthenon and the Temple of Nike with its six maidens, The Catyrids, holding up the portico. All of the statuettes are plaster copies as 5 were pinched by Elgin when he knocked off the Parthenon marbles. The other was grabbed by the Greeks and placed in the main Acropolis Museum. The view from the top around Athens is great. A complete 360 lookout for the entire city. From different vantage points you can see other massive pillars rising up in parks around the city, ancient churches and a variety of temples. The best kept being the Temple of Zeus, which we went down to look at afterwards.
Whilst having our picnic lunch beside the Parthenon, I was chopping at an apple with my penknife when it slipped through the fruit and bit into my thumb. Boy did the blood flow. Luckily I had a plaster strip in my back pack and whacked that on but yes folks, my blood has mingled into the dust along with the blood of god only knows how many others over the last 2,500 years. Blood brothers with the Gods of Olympus!
We probably spent about 2 hours picking our way around the structures before heading back down into the Plaka, the street markets and the Temple of Zeus. A little way further out we came across an old graveyard, which they are slowly excavating. Entry here was free as well but the lady in the ticket box insisted that we must take a ticket with free entry written on it. Obviously her brother in laws cousin three times removed has a printing shop somewhere in The Plaka. Business and families are truly tribal in Greek society. Keep the money in the family circle. They had a museum there displaying relics that they had unearthed to date and we looked around the cabinets full of pottery and small items of jewellery. Some of it was quite fascinating but the part that I liked best were the statues dotted around on the floor space that you could lay hands on. Ancient warriors and riders on horseback in armour with notes telling how their bronze shields and spears had eroded away eons ago. So, so ancient yet tangible and touchable. Really neat!
Returning to the city centre we stopped to look at one of the new underground stations that has just been built for the city loop. The loop had taken a very long time to build because no matter which direction they tried to take the line they kept running into sections of artefacts. Work would halt and the museum staff would come and take a look and either give the go ahead to proceed or shut down operations all together, until the historical value of the site could be determined. One site was so important they had to backtrack 300 meters and change the proposed line direction all together. The underground station which the line was heading to was half way through construction and had to be abandoned and a new one built at a location where the line could intersect with it. Crazy stuff hey. That particular site has been given to the University of Athens Archaeological Department for student training.
As Reinhardt later explained to me, it was the main reason why Athens and most other Greek cities were in such a run down state. People would get development projects together, raise the finance, purchase the land and as soon as they turned the first sod of earth they would hit old stone work or some such. Work would have stop immediately until the museum had cleared the site for further digging but this could take up to 12 years due to the huge number of sites under investigation. The investors would lose patience and the project would die, never to be resumed.
About 5 years ago they finally changed the law and now the rules say that if no ruling has been given within six months they can proceed without museum clearance. Reinhardt has actually seen people smashing up statues on construction sites with sledgehammers to tote them away in the depth of night to dump them. The destruction of incredibly valuable historical pieces to avoid any project delays.
Any way, back at the subway station, where they have dug down from street level to subway level, they have left the original excavation wall in place behind plate glass. It stands about 4 meters high and runs for some 50 meters in length. Small plaques are attached to various protrusions such as water ducts, foundations and mosaics from B.C. and various human graves, one even still had the skeletal remains lying in the stone walled burial crypt. Pre-Christianity I might add. I wonder how he would have felt if he had known his remains would be on public display in a subway station a couple of thousand years later. Really cool stuff. A cross section of 3 millennia of history in front of your face.
It was a huge day and as the light began to fade to grey we scooted off to the nearest bus stop for the trip back to the hotel and a well earned Tanqueray and tonic with a twist of course, on the balcony.
Jason And The Argonauts Here I Come !
Well, it has finally begun!
For so many years just a dream and now my first true holiday out into the vast expanse of Europe. Fifteen days in Greece. Yahoo buckaroo! Land of Jason and the Argonauts, of golden fleeces, of numerous famed gods on mountain tops, of great mythical one eyed beasties, of blazing bouzouki’s and ouzo and courageous feats of plate smashing. My kind of place!
I had no doubts that this was a place I truly needed to see and experience first hand. Well it was certainly different to what I expected and it certainly served to prove to me just how abysmal my knowledge of European history is. Never the less it turned out to be a wonderful living history lesson in itself, a great deal of which shall remain firmly imprinted in my memory.
Bettina and I flew down with Lufthansa from Frankfurt to Athens, (2658km’s as the crow flies) not one of the cheap flights unfortunately as none of the peanut and cola airlines go there as yet. No doubt there will be a surge of them, either with or after the Olympic Games in mid 2004.
We had a real mixture of weather during our stay down there with about 3 days of rain, several with grey skies and howling northerly winds but the remainder was all blue skies and sunshine pushing the temperature up to 22 degrees which for Winter is none to shabby.
It was in the course of the taxi ride to the hotel from the airport that the truly run down nature of Athens and its surrounds became overwhelmingly apparent. The reason for this civilisation in decline I shall illuminate a little later.
The traffic, dust and smog combined with a vigorous pre-Olympics public works program left nothing discernable other than complete and utter bedlam. Mediterranean madhouse. So much of Greece has been destroyed by so many wars, crusades and various other invaders that city after city has been built on the ruins of the previous buildings. The Turks ruled here for 450 years after the Venetians until their Ottoman/Ozmanian Empire was thrown out in 1821.
A good example of the modern day mixed up heritage is the national flag. A blue cross on a white background in the top right hand corner with the remainder covered in horizontal blue and white stripes. The blue and white stripes are from the flag of Bavaria. Southeastern Germany some 2500km’s away to the north. The country has been taken over by Turks, Egyptians, Italians, Germans and even the allied forces in WWII. Empires with names like Roman, Ottoman, Franks, Venetian, Byzantine and Mycenaean have held claim to it at some point in time. The Germanic influence in Greece goes way back, Queen Victoria being Kaiser Wilhelm II grandmother, Queen Victoria’s daughter later married Kaiser Friedrich Wilhelm and then Elizabeth II marrying Phillip who is himself a Greek. The extension of European blue blood lines. The English, German and Greek royal families have interbred for years. Princess Diana was the first royal to marry inside the British bloodline for over 300 years.
No sooner had Greece emerged scared and battered from WWII than they were flung into a civil war from 1944 till the end of 1949. The right wing won defeating the Stalinist left. They then had a succession of ultra right / conservative fascist dictators running the place. The most notorious being Papadopolis who in 1971 rolled out the armies tanks in response to a student demonstration, killing over 200 of them. The Chinese were not so original in Tiananmen Square. Not a pretty history even in the 20th century.
We finally arrived at the Divani Apollon Palace & Spa in the southern suburb of Vouliagmeni. The Vaucluse of Athens. Green, leafy sprawling suburb on the beachfront and a regular oasis after the helter-skelter taxi ride to get there. The property is only 2 years old and is touted as the best in Athens. I managed to get 2 free nights there courtesy of Leading Hotels of the World. We were given a really nice room on the top floor with our balcony overlooking the beach below and out across the Saronic Gulf towards the Peloponnese in the west. The room was comfortable but not overly large considering the price tag of 600 euros (AUD$1000) per night. I would never fork that much for a room like that no matter how wealthy I was. Still a freebie is a freebie and all the more enjoyable because of it. They even threw in breakfast which I have to say was really good. Lots of freshly made Danish pastries and exotic fruits with a large pot of coffee makes for a great start to the day. We didn’t bother to eat anything else in house as there were so many cantinas along the beachfront serving traditional Greek cuisine and the hotels menus were to say the least was ridiculously exorbitant. A cheeseburger at the coffee shop style brasserie was approx AUD$28. A cup of coffee, which is always a good indicator was about AUD$9.50. As I found out upon checkout, they even managed to slug me about AUD$20 just for some ice in the room to mix with my duty free supplies. Cheeky sods.
At any rate on both evenings we tramped a little way along the beach path a selected a cantina and set about hitting the menu with gusto. Calamari, surely the nicest I have ever had, taramasalata and garlic dip, chicken and lamb souvlakia etc. etc. etc. All washed down with a liberal quantity of Mythos Hellenic lager beer. Probably the closest thing I have discovered to Victoria Bitter since arriving in Europe. Just magic. The only disturbance to mar the relaxing sound of waves gently rolling up the sands was the squelching rumble inside my own head as I munched and guzzled my way towards olfactory nirvana. As we walked back from a local marina the tide had come in and a lot of the cantina’s table and chairs were sinking at odd angles into the sand as a foot of water swirled around beneath their stricken legs. No one seemed to care. Maybe they all get washed back up the beach by morning and it saves having to wipe them down. I would not put it past them.
Our first full day there was spent doing the traditional tourist trip. Having consulted the doorman Yannis as to best routes into town, we struck out for the nearest bus stop. Public transport is way cheap in Athens. Only 45 cents a ticket to anywhere in town on the bus. Bargain!
We arrived in the central city outside the parliament building where they also have the war memorial. Every Sunday they have the traditional, “Changing of the Guard”, ceremony between the sentry boxes in the front square. Dressed in billowing white shirts, red fez caps, trousers better suited to Sinbad the Sailor and shoes with large upturned toes and red pom-poms attached to the points, they make for an interesting sight. There must have been forty of them in the squad and all shouldering the ubiquitous Lee Enfield .303 rifles. They even had the full military band to march them out of the square and onto the main street where they disappeared off around the side of the parliament.
We then walked down the hill to The Plaka (market) an ancient suburb, which borders the Acropolis and is made up of a higgledy-piggledy maze of cobbled stone lanes and streets. The central area for tourist shops and a myriad selection of cafes, ouzeri taverns and restaurant tavernas. Music and televisions blaring forth from the open doors and the pervading smell of charcoal fires as they sizzle the fresh calamaris and souvlakia. The Greeks are a notoriously loud people. Just about any place you go into has a gigantic television set blaring away up on the wall, the radio turned up to distortion level behind the counter and everyone in the place screaming to be heard over the mind numbing din. With every second car and truck driver leaning ferociously on their horns mixed together with the machine gun staccato of the passing scooters and the general rumble of cars and trucks, it is a cacophony of sound on an immensely grand scale. You really have to watch where you walk as well as the footpaths have holes disappearing into cellar and black looming spaces. Some have a steel mesh grid thrown over the top but a lot are just left open. Seriously dangerous for the unwary. I would not recommend Athens as a place for someone to go to de-stress. However there were small places of sanctuary to be found as we wandered along. Some of the lane ways and the buildings therein were so quaint and rustic that it really was like stepping into bygone century. Nothing compared to what was to come however.
For so many years just a dream and now my first true holiday out into the vast expanse of Europe. Fifteen days in Greece. Yahoo buckaroo! Land of Jason and the Argonauts, of golden fleeces, of numerous famed gods on mountain tops, of great mythical one eyed beasties, of blazing bouzouki’s and ouzo and courageous feats of plate smashing. My kind of place!
I had no doubts that this was a place I truly needed to see and experience first hand. Well it was certainly different to what I expected and it certainly served to prove to me just how abysmal my knowledge of European history is. Never the less it turned out to be a wonderful living history lesson in itself, a great deal of which shall remain firmly imprinted in my memory.
Bettina and I flew down with Lufthansa from Frankfurt to Athens, (2658km’s as the crow flies) not one of the cheap flights unfortunately as none of the peanut and cola airlines go there as yet. No doubt there will be a surge of them, either with or after the Olympic Games in mid 2004.
We had a real mixture of weather during our stay down there with about 3 days of rain, several with grey skies and howling northerly winds but the remainder was all blue skies and sunshine pushing the temperature up to 22 degrees which for Winter is none to shabby.
It was in the course of the taxi ride to the hotel from the airport that the truly run down nature of Athens and its surrounds became overwhelmingly apparent. The reason for this civilisation in decline I shall illuminate a little later.
The traffic, dust and smog combined with a vigorous pre-Olympics public works program left nothing discernable other than complete and utter bedlam. Mediterranean madhouse. So much of Greece has been destroyed by so many wars, crusades and various other invaders that city after city has been built on the ruins of the previous buildings. The Turks ruled here for 450 years after the Venetians until their Ottoman/Ozmanian Empire was thrown out in 1821.
A good example of the modern day mixed up heritage is the national flag. A blue cross on a white background in the top right hand corner with the remainder covered in horizontal blue and white stripes. The blue and white stripes are from the flag of Bavaria. Southeastern Germany some 2500km’s away to the north. The country has been taken over by Turks, Egyptians, Italians, Germans and even the allied forces in WWII. Empires with names like Roman, Ottoman, Franks, Venetian, Byzantine and Mycenaean have held claim to it at some point in time. The Germanic influence in Greece goes way back, Queen Victoria being Kaiser Wilhelm II grandmother, Queen Victoria’s daughter later married Kaiser Friedrich Wilhelm and then Elizabeth II marrying Phillip who is himself a Greek. The extension of European blue blood lines. The English, German and Greek royal families have interbred for years. Princess Diana was the first royal to marry inside the British bloodline for over 300 years.
No sooner had Greece emerged scared and battered from WWII than they were flung into a civil war from 1944 till the end of 1949. The right wing won defeating the Stalinist left. They then had a succession of ultra right / conservative fascist dictators running the place. The most notorious being Papadopolis who in 1971 rolled out the armies tanks in response to a student demonstration, killing over 200 of them. The Chinese were not so original in Tiananmen Square. Not a pretty history even in the 20th century.
We finally arrived at the Divani Apollon Palace & Spa in the southern suburb of Vouliagmeni. The Vaucluse of Athens. Green, leafy sprawling suburb on the beachfront and a regular oasis after the helter-skelter taxi ride to get there. The property is only 2 years old and is touted as the best in Athens. I managed to get 2 free nights there courtesy of Leading Hotels of the World. We were given a really nice room on the top floor with our balcony overlooking the beach below and out across the Saronic Gulf towards the Peloponnese in the west. The room was comfortable but not overly large considering the price tag of 600 euros (AUD$1000) per night. I would never fork that much for a room like that no matter how wealthy I was. Still a freebie is a freebie and all the more enjoyable because of it. They even threw in breakfast which I have to say was really good. Lots of freshly made Danish pastries and exotic fruits with a large pot of coffee makes for a great start to the day. We didn’t bother to eat anything else in house as there were so many cantinas along the beachfront serving traditional Greek cuisine and the hotels menus were to say the least was ridiculously exorbitant. A cheeseburger at the coffee shop style brasserie was approx AUD$28. A cup of coffee, which is always a good indicator was about AUD$9.50. As I found out upon checkout, they even managed to slug me about AUD$20 just for some ice in the room to mix with my duty free supplies. Cheeky sods.
At any rate on both evenings we tramped a little way along the beach path a selected a cantina and set about hitting the menu with gusto. Calamari, surely the nicest I have ever had, taramasalata and garlic dip, chicken and lamb souvlakia etc. etc. etc. All washed down with a liberal quantity of Mythos Hellenic lager beer. Probably the closest thing I have discovered to Victoria Bitter since arriving in Europe. Just magic. The only disturbance to mar the relaxing sound of waves gently rolling up the sands was the squelching rumble inside my own head as I munched and guzzled my way towards olfactory nirvana. As we walked back from a local marina the tide had come in and a lot of the cantina’s table and chairs were sinking at odd angles into the sand as a foot of water swirled around beneath their stricken legs. No one seemed to care. Maybe they all get washed back up the beach by morning and it saves having to wipe them down. I would not put it past them.
Our first full day there was spent doing the traditional tourist trip. Having consulted the doorman Yannis as to best routes into town, we struck out for the nearest bus stop. Public transport is way cheap in Athens. Only 45 cents a ticket to anywhere in town on the bus. Bargain!
We arrived in the central city outside the parliament building where they also have the war memorial. Every Sunday they have the traditional, “Changing of the Guard”, ceremony between the sentry boxes in the front square. Dressed in billowing white shirts, red fez caps, trousers better suited to Sinbad the Sailor and shoes with large upturned toes and red pom-poms attached to the points, they make for an interesting sight. There must have been forty of them in the squad and all shouldering the ubiquitous Lee Enfield .303 rifles. They even had the full military band to march them out of the square and onto the main street where they disappeared off around the side of the parliament.
We then walked down the hill to The Plaka (market) an ancient suburb, which borders the Acropolis and is made up of a higgledy-piggledy maze of cobbled stone lanes and streets. The central area for tourist shops and a myriad selection of cafes, ouzeri taverns and restaurant tavernas. Music and televisions blaring forth from the open doors and the pervading smell of charcoal fires as they sizzle the fresh calamaris and souvlakia. The Greeks are a notoriously loud people. Just about any place you go into has a gigantic television set blaring away up on the wall, the radio turned up to distortion level behind the counter and everyone in the place screaming to be heard over the mind numbing din. With every second car and truck driver leaning ferociously on their horns mixed together with the machine gun staccato of the passing scooters and the general rumble of cars and trucks, it is a cacophony of sound on an immensely grand scale. You really have to watch where you walk as well as the footpaths have holes disappearing into cellar and black looming spaces. Some have a steel mesh grid thrown over the top but a lot are just left open. Seriously dangerous for the unwary. I would not recommend Athens as a place for someone to go to de-stress. However there were small places of sanctuary to be found as we wandered along. Some of the lane ways and the buildings therein were so quaint and rustic that it really was like stepping into bygone century. Nothing compared to what was to come however.
8.11.03
Cannibal Slugs And Marauding Trees
With all the rain we have had of late the garden has gone bezerk but it has also brought with it a miniature plague of slugs that threaten the veggie patch on a nightly basis. To counter the slime oozing hordes we have taken to doing nightly rounds of the garden with tin cans to collect them. Bettina with her yellow rubber glove of death and I, her trusty slug-spotting sidekick, make for a formidable team.
Plucked from their slithering meandering they are ruthlessly flung into the awaiting tin can and are then treated to a hot water bath, with the temperature hovering around boiling point. Strange creatures actually as the boiling water literally dissolves their outer skins instantaneously into a veritable slime broth. We place their remains in a pile, down beside the compost heap, where it has been surprising to note that every evening we find quite a few dining on the corpses of their mates. That right folks, these little suckers are cannibals. Kind of justifies the nightly mass annihilation routine to my mind.
We harvested our small crop of poppies the other day for the seed which Thomas uses in his sour dough bread making. The tomatoes and green runner beans are truly bounteous and my imported butternut pumpkins are doing just fine although the season here may be to short to allow them to bear any decent size fruit. The mulberry tree has gone absolutely ballistic and as a result we go out every evening and collect them from the drop sheets spread around beneath. So far we have stuffed every bit of space in the three freezers downstairs to capacity. We are going to defrost the lot and crush them for wine the weekend after next as the tree seems to be just about finished much to everyone’s relief. Messy little suckers. Generally you can use the green mulberries crushed between your hands to remove the purple stains of the ripe ones. Now that the season is just about over there are very few green ones left which only leaves one acceptable method, being a solution of citric acid and water, to clean your hands with.
Work on the house renovations continues but at present we are concentrating more on the exterior whilst the weather permits. We have put a new roof on the old Germanic style garden shed (circa 1928), replacing the roof tresses and recovering with tar paper and bitumen sealants; the traditional method here. The house having been built in 1928, has seen better days in regard the integrity of the mortar between the bricks.
The walls of the cellar have slowly started to ooze moisture over the past winter so we are courageously digging a trench six feet deep all the way around the exterior walls to expose the outside of the cellar. Next step is to remove the old crumbling mortar, replace it with fresh mortar and seal it in with a modern water repellent skin. Quite a big job but it is being done piece meal without raising too many blisters and bad backs. The toughest part is getting through some of the monster tree roots that have made their way from the surrounding trees to the cellar wall. I think a lot of these are largely responsible for the seepage problems we have begun to encounter.
Plucked from their slithering meandering they are ruthlessly flung into the awaiting tin can and are then treated to a hot water bath, with the temperature hovering around boiling point. Strange creatures actually as the boiling water literally dissolves their outer skins instantaneously into a veritable slime broth. We place their remains in a pile, down beside the compost heap, where it has been surprising to note that every evening we find quite a few dining on the corpses of their mates. That right folks, these little suckers are cannibals. Kind of justifies the nightly mass annihilation routine to my mind.
We harvested our small crop of poppies the other day for the seed which Thomas uses in his sour dough bread making. The tomatoes and green runner beans are truly bounteous and my imported butternut pumpkins are doing just fine although the season here may be to short to allow them to bear any decent size fruit. The mulberry tree has gone absolutely ballistic and as a result we go out every evening and collect them from the drop sheets spread around beneath. So far we have stuffed every bit of space in the three freezers downstairs to capacity. We are going to defrost the lot and crush them for wine the weekend after next as the tree seems to be just about finished much to everyone’s relief. Messy little suckers. Generally you can use the green mulberries crushed between your hands to remove the purple stains of the ripe ones. Now that the season is just about over there are very few green ones left which only leaves one acceptable method, being a solution of citric acid and water, to clean your hands with.
Work on the house renovations continues but at present we are concentrating more on the exterior whilst the weather permits. We have put a new roof on the old Germanic style garden shed (circa 1928), replacing the roof tresses and recovering with tar paper and bitumen sealants; the traditional method here. The house having been built in 1928, has seen better days in regard the integrity of the mortar between the bricks.
The walls of the cellar have slowly started to ooze moisture over the past winter so we are courageously digging a trench six feet deep all the way around the exterior walls to expose the outside of the cellar. Next step is to remove the old crumbling mortar, replace it with fresh mortar and seal it in with a modern water repellent skin. Quite a big job but it is being done piece meal without raising too many blisters and bad backs. The toughest part is getting through some of the monster tree roots that have made their way from the surrounding trees to the cellar wall. I think a lot of these are largely responsible for the seepage problems we have begun to encounter.
9.10.03
Family Visit And Schloss Frankenstein
In mid-September I had a visit from my brother and his family. Time was tight but luckily we had the use of Bettina's parents’ car which assisted in squashing quite a bit of sight seeing into the 3 days that we had however like all these things there is never enough time. We also managed to get in a day trip down to the Heidelberg Castle. My second visit but a first for the others. A great opportunity to get everyone a ride on the ICE train for free.
I just love Bettina’s rail pass. It was a good day out and apart from the castle sightseeing we spent time looking around some of the shops on the high street. The weather held up magnificently and we even managed to dine al fresco in the town square for lunch. On one of the other days we managed to get to a couple of other castles that I have never seen before including Schloss Auschaffenberg and Schloss Frankenstein. It is the original castle which was the centre of the legend and people still come every year from as far away as America to celebrate Halloween there. As we walked through the main entrance into the castle grounds which contain nothing more than the remnants of the buildings and some of the walls and parapets, Auston yelled at Inez, “Look out behind you!” Inez turned around and there on a balcony, above the walkway we had just walked through was a giant 7-foot werewolf dressed in a black cape. Inez let out a yelp like a dog being hit with a water pistol. It really did look quite realistic. I presume they were starting to set up for Halloween, which was only 6 weeks away.
The old castles are all fascinating in their own way. The Schloss Auschaffenberg had some really neat towers to climb and one of the arch walkways between the parapets and the main tower actually had a full-blown tree growing out of the cobblestones of the bridge. I guess the root system must have spanned both directions on the bridge. Probably what was holding it all together. Later on that afternoon we managed to have a bit of a wander around Darmstadt and see some of the local sights.
At the Mathildenhöhe Gardens we were lucky enough to catch an exhibition by the Slavic sculptor Igor Mittoraj. Really cool castings and statues. Inez managed to crawl inside one of the brass heads lying on the grass and poke her head out through the eye socket. I would have had no problem getting inside it either - it was massive. A lot of people were playing boules on the gravel area in the gardens and Auston took the time to get some photos of them playing. It is a very popular sport all over Europe.
We visited Bettina’s sister’s house for lunch and to give Inez the opportunity to meet some German kids her own age. We spent the afternoon in part helping the family with their annual apple harvest. Most of the crop from the 40 or so trees ends up being crushed for wine and for breakfast juice. I had also purchased a control line kite for Inez but best intentions were thwarted when the wind failed to blow.
Really good to catch up with them and to let them see a little of my life here.
I just love Bettina’s rail pass. It was a good day out and apart from the castle sightseeing we spent time looking around some of the shops on the high street. The weather held up magnificently and we even managed to dine al fresco in the town square for lunch. On one of the other days we managed to get to a couple of other castles that I have never seen before including Schloss Auschaffenberg and Schloss Frankenstein. It is the original castle which was the centre of the legend and people still come every year from as far away as America to celebrate Halloween there. As we walked through the main entrance into the castle grounds which contain nothing more than the remnants of the buildings and some of the walls and parapets, Auston yelled at Inez, “Look out behind you!” Inez turned around and there on a balcony, above the walkway we had just walked through was a giant 7-foot werewolf dressed in a black cape. Inez let out a yelp like a dog being hit with a water pistol. It really did look quite realistic. I presume they were starting to set up for Halloween, which was only 6 weeks away.
The old castles are all fascinating in their own way. The Schloss Auschaffenberg had some really neat towers to climb and one of the arch walkways between the parapets and the main tower actually had a full-blown tree growing out of the cobblestones of the bridge. I guess the root system must have spanned both directions on the bridge. Probably what was holding it all together. Later on that afternoon we managed to have a bit of a wander around Darmstadt and see some of the local sights.
At the Mathildenhöhe Gardens we were lucky enough to catch an exhibition by the Slavic sculptor Igor Mittoraj. Really cool castings and statues. Inez managed to crawl inside one of the brass heads lying on the grass and poke her head out through the eye socket. I would have had no problem getting inside it either - it was massive. A lot of people were playing boules on the gravel area in the gardens and Auston took the time to get some photos of them playing. It is a very popular sport all over Europe.
We visited Bettina’s sister’s house for lunch and to give Inez the opportunity to meet some German kids her own age. We spent the afternoon in part helping the family with their annual apple harvest. Most of the crop from the 40 or so trees ends up being crushed for wine and for breakfast juice. I had also purchased a control line kite for Inez but best intentions were thwarted when the wind failed to blow.
Really good to catch up with them and to let them see a little of my life here.
22.9.03
Found!! The Fountain Of Youth
News Break*** Plastic surgeons in the States are now using fat sucked from peoples gluteus maximus (bum to some) to inject into the back of peoples hands to remove wrinkles and to give a more youthful appearance. Finally mankind discovers the fountain of youth and we’ve been sitting on it all along.
24.7.03
One More Shot Of Joe
Our office is having its annual office party here on the 24th August. They are having a evening cruise on the Main River with DJ, drinks and buffet dinner. Unfortunately it is the same day/night that we are having our annual house party so it is one event I will have to give a miss. I do however recognise that office parties have to be one of the deadliest events on the social calendar and as such I am not so disappointed in not being able to attend.
This weekend is going to be quite busy as we start to stock up for the party. There is quite a large amount of non-fresh food shopping that can be done in advance as well as wine and the picking up of additional equipment. Last year we had around 50 people and if some of my work mates come along we could well exceed that this year. At least we have the 50 litre barrel of Glucks Pils confirmed which will serve 125 glasses at 400ml.
It was surprising last year how with people drinking wine and spirits, the beer was pretty much left completely to a dedicated handful of us. Hopefully this year we will see a similar story and the barrel will last well into the evening. We are planning on a cold spread this year to avoid the cooking hassle. A lot of people have offered to bring salads and cakes etc. so this will be a huge effort saver.
One addition to the galley weapons this year is the all new whiz bang espresso machine. Replete with Lavazza coffee beans in the grinder we are all set to dilate everyone’s pupils. God how I love Lavazza. There are mornings when getting out the door to catch my bus to work can be severely hindered by the desire for just one more shot of Joe.
This weekend is going to be quite busy as we start to stock up for the party. There is quite a large amount of non-fresh food shopping that can be done in advance as well as wine and the picking up of additional equipment. Last year we had around 50 people and if some of my work mates come along we could well exceed that this year. At least we have the 50 litre barrel of Glucks Pils confirmed which will serve 125 glasses at 400ml.
It was surprising last year how with people drinking wine and spirits, the beer was pretty much left completely to a dedicated handful of us. Hopefully this year we will see a similar story and the barrel will last well into the evening. We are planning on a cold spread this year to avoid the cooking hassle. A lot of people have offered to bring salads and cakes etc. so this will be a huge effort saver.
One addition to the galley weapons this year is the all new whiz bang espresso machine. Replete with Lavazza coffee beans in the grinder we are all set to dilate everyone’s pupils. God how I love Lavazza. There are mornings when getting out the door to catch my bus to work can be severely hindered by the desire for just one more shot of Joe.
25.6.03
John Howard And The Randy Newman Connection
Poor old Oz is looking a bit grim at the moment. It is pretty much what happened in the first few years of GST in NZ but take heart, it only took them 11 years to get it back under control where it worked nicely for about three years and then collapsed again.
I´m still amazed that John Howard even went down that road given the history of NZ and Canada and thier near economic demise.
Sadly I think that the demise of Ansett, Daimaru, Pasminco and tourism are just the tip of the iceberg. With all this global warming it shouldn’t take too long before some other big chunks melt off and sink into the murky cess pool of GST reform. I guess when you’ve got squillions in the bank and invested off shore as Johnny Boy no doubt has, the issue of life quality for the average Aussie doesn’t rate a second thought.
I think that someone should start plugging request lines and get Triple JJJ to play Randy Newman’s, ´Don’t Want No Short People´, thirty times a day in the run up to the federal election. People may not vote for him in the hope that the radio may never dig the song out of its archive vaults ever again.
I´m still amazed that John Howard even went down that road given the history of NZ and Canada and thier near economic demise.
Sadly I think that the demise of Ansett, Daimaru, Pasminco and tourism are just the tip of the iceberg. With all this global warming it shouldn’t take too long before some other big chunks melt off and sink into the murky cess pool of GST reform. I guess when you’ve got squillions in the bank and invested off shore as Johnny Boy no doubt has, the issue of life quality for the average Aussie doesn’t rate a second thought.
I think that someone should start plugging request lines and get Triple JJJ to play Randy Newman’s, ´Don’t Want No Short People´, thirty times a day in the run up to the federal election. People may not vote for him in the hope that the radio may never dig the song out of its archive vaults ever again.
24.5.03
Rhine On Flame
Copied From The US Overseas Military Portal
"During the summer months, Germany offers a fascinating, unforgettable display of fire, water and light, all set in the majestic landscapes of the Rhine River. The Rhine, Europe`s busiest waterway, flows 820 miles from its source high in the Swiss Alps through Germany and northward to its North Sea outlet in The Netherlands. The Rhine has carved a beautiful 90-mile gorge from the German villages of Bingen to Bonn. This area is popular because of its splendid castles on the rocky heights of the river and its superb vineyards. Throughout the spring and summer months, villages in these areas host many wine festivals and Rhine A Flame events. During the Rhine A Flames, villages, parading ships, spectators and the river are illuminated by dramatic pyrotechnic shows. Under the colorful explosions sparkling in the sky, the towns, fortresses, palaces, and castles glow in the red light of Bengal lights (a type of firework that burns with a brilliant, sustained light) creating a ‘ burning’ effect. The Rhine A Flame festivities begin in May and last through September.
The Night of Bengal Lights at Bonn is on the first Saturday in May (5th for 2001). From Linz to Bonn, the Rhine`s historic buildings are illuminated with 2,000 red Bengal lights as a fleet of 60 ships sails along the 16-mile stretch of the river. During the weekend, each town along the way hosts celebrations from festivals on the riverbanks to music and dance programs. The Night of Magic Fire at Bingen / Rüdeshem is on the first Saturday in July (7th for 2001). Bingen, Trechtingshausen, Rüdesheim and Assmannshausen light up their castles and churches with Bengal fire. The Mouse Tower on its island in the river is illuminated, as is the Niederwald Monument and its vineyards high over Rüdesheim. Spectacular fireworks displays are launched from the castles Reichenstein and Rheinstein and the cities of Assmanshausen, Bingen and Ruesdesheim as a light parade of 50 ships sails past. Information can be obtained at Binger Loch, between Trechtingshausen, Assmannshausen, Bingen and Rudesheim.
The Rhine in Flames in Koblenz, the “Mega Night,” is on the second Saturday in August (11th for 2001). Koblenz currently claims the largest and the very first "Rhine in Flames" which took place in 1766. A fireworks show was put on in honor of the prince elector Johann Phillip von Walderdorff. The name of the show was coined in the 1920s by tourist promoters and revived after World War II. The current spectacle dates from 1956 when the Rheinland-Pfalz Tourist Office undertook the promotion. From Spay / Braubach to Koblenz, six towns along the Rhine "burn" as a flotilla of 80 ships sails past. The convoy sails 10 miles down the Rhine, past the "burning" buildings while multi-colored rockets from eight fireworks shows light up the sky. Around 30,000 people watch from the ships and another 500,000 line the shores. The high point of the evening comes when the fleet reaches the German Corner in Koblenz. Ehrenbreitstein, the enormous fortress above the convergence of the Rhine and Mosel rivers, is "set afire" with Bengal lights as a huge fireworks presentation sparkles overhead. Information can be obtained at Koblenz, Coblence.
The Night of 1,000 Fires is on the second Saturday in September (8th for 2001). Festivities are centered on Oberwesel, a town noted for its wine, and the Lorelei cliffs. Forty Rhine steamers will sail from St. Goar along the 4-mile stretch to Oberwesel. The “Symphony of Fire,” a pyrotechnic display synchronized to music, greets the flotilla as it sails past the Lorelei, the legendary rock at the deepest and narrowest point on the Rhine. The procession continues to Oberwesel, where the medieval town with its 16 towers on its ramparts will be bathed in light. Information can be obtained at Boat parade and the Oberwesel am Main website.
Lorelei Night is on the third Saturday in September (15th for 2001). The festivities focus around the sister towns of St. Goar and St. Goarshausen that face each other across the river. This is the last Rhine in Flames of the season. The "fires" illuminate their three castles, the Rheinfels, Katz and Maus. Seventy ships filled with visitors witness five big fireworks displays from the St. Goar harbor, from the Katz and Rheinfels castles and from the middle of the Rhine at each end of the convoy of ships. Information can be obtained at the St. Goar website.
Information, schedules, and maps about all of the fireworks displays on the Rhine River can be obtained by visiting the Fireworks on the Rhine River website. The exploding firecrackers and brilliant cascades of light on the Rhine River create unforgettable impressions of the most beautiful spectacle offered during Germany`s summer nights, the Rhine A Flame.
"During the summer months, Germany offers a fascinating, unforgettable display of fire, water and light, all set in the majestic landscapes of the Rhine River. The Rhine, Europe`s busiest waterway, flows 820 miles from its source high in the Swiss Alps through Germany and northward to its North Sea outlet in The Netherlands. The Rhine has carved a beautiful 90-mile gorge from the German villages of Bingen to Bonn. This area is popular because of its splendid castles on the rocky heights of the river and its superb vineyards. Throughout the spring and summer months, villages in these areas host many wine festivals and Rhine A Flame events. During the Rhine A Flames, villages, parading ships, spectators and the river are illuminated by dramatic pyrotechnic shows. Under the colorful explosions sparkling in the sky, the towns, fortresses, palaces, and castles glow in the red light of Bengal lights (a type of firework that burns with a brilliant, sustained light) creating a ‘ burning’ effect. The Rhine A Flame festivities begin in May and last through September.
The Night of Bengal Lights at Bonn is on the first Saturday in May (5th for 2001). From Linz to Bonn, the Rhine`s historic buildings are illuminated with 2,000 red Bengal lights as a fleet of 60 ships sails along the 16-mile stretch of the river. During the weekend, each town along the way hosts celebrations from festivals on the riverbanks to music and dance programs. The Night of Magic Fire at Bingen / Rüdeshem is on the first Saturday in July (7th for 2001). Bingen, Trechtingshausen, Rüdesheim and Assmannshausen light up their castles and churches with Bengal fire. The Mouse Tower on its island in the river is illuminated, as is the Niederwald Monument and its vineyards high over Rüdesheim. Spectacular fireworks displays are launched from the castles Reichenstein and Rheinstein and the cities of Assmanshausen, Bingen and Ruesdesheim as a light parade of 50 ships sails past. Information can be obtained at Binger Loch, between Trechtingshausen, Assmannshausen, Bingen and Rudesheim.
The Rhine in Flames in Koblenz, the “Mega Night,” is on the second Saturday in August (11th for 2001). Koblenz currently claims the largest and the very first "Rhine in Flames" which took place in 1766. A fireworks show was put on in honor of the prince elector Johann Phillip von Walderdorff. The name of the show was coined in the 1920s by tourist promoters and revived after World War II. The current spectacle dates from 1956 when the Rheinland-Pfalz Tourist Office undertook the promotion. From Spay / Braubach to Koblenz, six towns along the Rhine "burn" as a flotilla of 80 ships sails past. The convoy sails 10 miles down the Rhine, past the "burning" buildings while multi-colored rockets from eight fireworks shows light up the sky. Around 30,000 people watch from the ships and another 500,000 line the shores. The high point of the evening comes when the fleet reaches the German Corner in Koblenz. Ehrenbreitstein, the enormous fortress above the convergence of the Rhine and Mosel rivers, is "set afire" with Bengal lights as a huge fireworks presentation sparkles overhead. Information can be obtained at Koblenz, Coblence.
The Night of 1,000 Fires is on the second Saturday in September (8th for 2001). Festivities are centered on Oberwesel, a town noted for its wine, and the Lorelei cliffs. Forty Rhine steamers will sail from St. Goar along the 4-mile stretch to Oberwesel. The “Symphony of Fire,” a pyrotechnic display synchronized to music, greets the flotilla as it sails past the Lorelei, the legendary rock at the deepest and narrowest point on the Rhine. The procession continues to Oberwesel, where the medieval town with its 16 towers on its ramparts will be bathed in light. Information can be obtained at Boat parade and the Oberwesel am Main website.
Lorelei Night is on the third Saturday in September (15th for 2001). The festivities focus around the sister towns of St. Goar and St. Goarshausen that face each other across the river. This is the last Rhine in Flames of the season. The "fires" illuminate their three castles, the Rheinfels, Katz and Maus. Seventy ships filled with visitors witness five big fireworks displays from the St. Goar harbor, from the Katz and Rheinfels castles and from the middle of the Rhine at each end of the convoy of ships. Information can be obtained at the St. Goar website.
Information, schedules, and maps about all of the fireworks displays on the Rhine River can be obtained by visiting the Fireworks on the Rhine River website. The exploding firecrackers and brilliant cascades of light on the Rhine River create unforgettable impressions of the most beautiful spectacle offered during Germany`s summer nights, the Rhine A Flame.
30.4.03
Bush Humour
Some humorous comments that I have overheard in the last month include comments relating to corporate fraud in America.
· In relation to the WorldCom accounting scandal, “ I wonder how it feels to one day be the CEO of the worlds largest telephone company and the next day to only being allowed one phone call!”
· In relation to Dubbya’s stance on congressional laws against corporate fraud, “ From now on whenever you buy a senator you will have to get a receipt.”
“Dick Cheney the Vice President has said in a recent speech to congress that he will do what ever it takes to fight corporate crime in America and to prove the point he finished the speech by punching himself in the head.”
· In relation to the WorldCom accounting scandal, “ I wonder how it feels to one day be the CEO of the worlds largest telephone company and the next day to only being allowed one phone call!”
· In relation to Dubbya’s stance on congressional laws against corporate fraud, “ From now on whenever you buy a senator you will have to get a receipt.”
“Dick Cheney the Vice President has said in a recent speech to congress that he will do what ever it takes to fight corporate crime in America and to prove the point he finished the speech by punching himself in the head.”
29.4.03
Drifting Into Spring
The seasonal tables are slowly turning are they not ? As we drift slowly out of Winter, we here are seeing the beginnings of quite an early Spring or Frühlings. A large number of our fruit trees in the garden are a mass of white blossoms accompanied by the crocus and daffodil blooms.
They have a name for cowslip over here which is Schlüsselblume, Schlüssel being a key and blüme for bloom. More simply the key bloom and it is known as such as it heralds in the beginning of Spring and is usually the first to flower.
The weather has been extraordinarily wonderful of late with mild days in the high teens and lots of sunny spots permeating through the scattered banks of clouds to warm away the ice fingers of the Winter past. As the ground slowly defrosts from the permafrost set deep down in the earth, the water table rises and seeps through to the surface where it moistens and sustains the bulbs and roots of the Spring flowers and the fruit trees in bloom.
The local neighbourhood is currently a riot of white, pink and purple blossoms as well as the yellows, blues and lavender of the ground dwelling plants.
They have a name for cowslip over here which is Schlüsselblume, Schlüssel being a key and blüme for bloom. More simply the key bloom and it is known as such as it heralds in the beginning of Spring and is usually the first to flower.
The weather has been extraordinarily wonderful of late with mild days in the high teens and lots of sunny spots permeating through the scattered banks of clouds to warm away the ice fingers of the Winter past. As the ground slowly defrosts from the permafrost set deep down in the earth, the water table rises and seeps through to the surface where it moistens and sustains the bulbs and roots of the Spring flowers and the fruit trees in bloom.
The local neighbourhood is currently a riot of white, pink and purple blossoms as well as the yellows, blues and lavender of the ground dwelling plants.
24.8.02
That Horrible German Language
The Language
This little bit on the end is only for those of you who want to look at some German grammar. I have chosen three really basic words being the, it & but to show just how messy this german language caper is. These basic words change in there structure in virtually every different sentence you use them in. It is little wonder that Mark Twains book on his attempts to learn the language is called ``That Horrible German Language ``.
the, before vowel.
I. def. art. der, die, das; pl. die; (a) the voice of the people, die Stimme des Volkes; the arrival of the guests, die Ankunft der Gäste; the Martins, die Martins; George the Sixth, Georg der Sechste; (b) he's not the person to do that, er ist nicht einer, der das tun würde; the impudence of it! was für eine Unverschämtheit! (c) (with adj.) the beautiful, das Schöne; translated from the Russian, übersetzt aus dem Russischen; coll. the poor, die Armen; (d) paid by the day, tageweise bezahlt; ten pence the pound, zehn Pence das Pfund/pro Pfund.
2. (stressed) he's the authority on that, er ist die führende Autorität auf dem Gebiet.
II. adv.
1. it will be (all) the easier for you as you are young, es wird um so leichter für Sie sein, da Sie jung sind; so much the better, umso besser.
2. the ... the ..., je ... desto ...; the sooner the better, je eher, desto besser; the less said the better, darüber schweigt man am besten.
it, pers.pron.
1. (a) (subject) es n; er m; sie f; (b) (direct object) es n; ihn m; sie f; she took his hand and pressed it, sie nahm seine Hand und drückte sie; (c) (indirect object) ihm m, n; ihr f; bring the cat and give it a drink, hole die Katze und gib ihr etwas zu trinken.
2. (impersonal use) (a) (subject) es; who is it? wer ist es? it's me, ich bin's; it's the children, es sind die Kinder; that's just it! das ist es ja gerade! it's raining, es regnet; how is it that...? wie kommt es, daß...? it's said that..., man sagt, daß...; (b) now for it! jetzt geht's los! there is nothing for it but to go back, es bleibt nichts anderes übrig als zurückzugehen; she had a bad time of it, sie hat es schwer gehabt; he hasn't got it in him, er hat nicht das Zeug dazu; the worst of it is..., das Schlimmste daran ist....
3. (with prep.) da-; dar-; of/from it, davon; out of it, daraus; to fall in it, (da) hineinfallen; I feel the better for it, danach fühle ich mich besser.
but.
I. conj. aber; jedoch; b. I tell you I saw it! ich sag dir doch, daß ich es gesehen habe! b. yet/all the same, aber trotzdem; (b) (after negative) sondern; he is not English b. German, er ist kein Engländer, sondern ein Deutscher.
II. adv. nur; one can b. try, man kann es wenigstens versuchen; had I b. known, hätte ich das nur gewußt.
III. conj. & prep. (a) (except) all b. he/b. him, alle außer ihm; the last b. one, der vorletzte; anything b. that, alles nur nicht das; he is anything b. a hero, er ist alles andere als ein Held; nothing b. water, nichts als Wasser; he all b. drowned, er wäre fast ertrunken; (b) b. for, ohne+acc; b. for the accident he would have won, ohne den Unfall hätte er gewonnen.
This little bit on the end is only for those of you who want to look at some German grammar. I have chosen three really basic words being the, it & but to show just how messy this german language caper is. These basic words change in there structure in virtually every different sentence you use them in. It is little wonder that Mark Twains book on his attempts to learn the language is called ``That Horrible German Language ``.
the, before vowel.
I. def. art. der, die, das; pl. die; (a) the voice of the people, die Stimme des Volkes; the arrival of the guests, die Ankunft der Gäste; the Martins, die Martins; George the Sixth, Georg der Sechste; (b) he's not the person to do that, er ist nicht einer, der das tun würde; the impudence of it! was für eine Unverschämtheit! (c) (with adj.) the beautiful, das Schöne; translated from the Russian, übersetzt aus dem Russischen; coll. the poor, die Armen; (d) paid by the day, tageweise bezahlt; ten pence the pound, zehn Pence das Pfund/pro Pfund.
2. (stressed) he's the authority on that, er ist die führende Autorität auf dem Gebiet.
II. adv.
1. it will be (all) the easier for you as you are young, es wird um so leichter für Sie sein, da Sie jung sind; so much the better, umso besser.
2. the ... the ..., je ... desto ...; the sooner the better, je eher, desto besser; the less said the better, darüber schweigt man am besten.
it, pers.pron.
1. (a) (subject) es n; er m; sie f; (b) (direct object) es n; ihn m; sie f; she took his hand and pressed it, sie nahm seine Hand und drückte sie; (c) (indirect object) ihm m, n; ihr f; bring the cat and give it a drink, hole die Katze und gib ihr etwas zu trinken.
2. (impersonal use) (a) (subject) es; who is it? wer ist es? it's me, ich bin's; it's the children, es sind die Kinder; that's just it! das ist es ja gerade! it's raining, es regnet; how is it that...? wie kommt es, daß...? it's said that..., man sagt, daß...; (b) now for it! jetzt geht's los! there is nothing for it but to go back, es bleibt nichts anderes übrig als zurückzugehen; she had a bad time of it, sie hat es schwer gehabt; he hasn't got it in him, er hat nicht das Zeug dazu; the worst of it is..., das Schlimmste daran ist....
3. (with prep.) da-; dar-; of/from it, davon; out of it, daraus; to fall in it, (da) hineinfallen; I feel the better for it, danach fühle ich mich besser.
but.
I. conj. aber; jedoch; b. I tell you I saw it! ich sag dir doch, daß ich es gesehen habe! b. yet/all the same, aber trotzdem; (b) (after negative) sondern; he is not English b. German, er ist kein Engländer, sondern ein Deutscher.
II. adv. nur; one can b. try, man kann es wenigstens versuchen; had I b. known, hätte ich das nur gewußt.
III. conj. & prep. (a) (except) all b. he/b. him, alle außer ihm; the last b. one, der vorletzte; anything b. that, alles nur nicht das; he is anything b. a hero, er ist alles andere als ein Held; nothing b. water, nichts als Wasser; he all b. drowned, er wäre fast ertrunken; (b) b. for, ohne+acc; b. for the accident he would have won, ohne den Unfall hätte er gewonnen.
22.8.02
Our Annual House Party
The annual house party for Bettina and Margarite’s birthdays was a great success. We had a similar turn out to last year with some 50 odd punters showing up to assist with the festivities.
For the second year running the prerequisite barrel of Gluckspils was acquired by Thomas and I. The purchase of which sent us down to the hobby brewery at Morlenbach to meet with the master brewer Joachim. I personally feel that the sampling of the wares prior to bulk purchase is essential, particularly when free and served in endless racks of half litre glasses. Our host Joachim made us very welcome and after being presented with a 500ml bottle of plum schnapps from Thomas he invited us to sample some aged apple wine. Wow, great stuff! Runs at about 8.9% and really kicks. Normally most apple wine lasts about 12 to 14 months. This stuff was over 2.5 years old. Apparently it is possible but you have to maintain a very steady temperature and occasionally rebalance the sugars and acids with additional additives.
Turned out that Joachim is a Cold Chisel freak so I have since sent him some additional albums for his brewery bar collection.
It took us a long time to get home, touring along back roads through the Odenwald hills with our 50-litre keg riding snug in the back. Thomas showed me some of the lesser known villages and routes on the return trip which were really pretty and very old.
It took a couple of days to prepare for the party given the shopping and general setting up of the cellar areas and outdoor settings. A lot of people brought food with them which in turn created a spread to rival any party banquet I have seen, bar the occasional wedding. The day brought a mild climate in the mid 20’s and it stayed pleasant enough throughout to enjoy the garden atmosphere and the plethora of scents from the flowers and fruit trees.
Unknown to us, as we settled in for lunch in the back garden, the street out the front had come alive with dozens of riot police. Dressed in their army greens, visor helmets, machine pistols, bullet proof vests, batons hung from waists and riot shields slung across their backs they resembled an invasion of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Apparently there had been a policeman shot dead at a soccer match two weeks earlier in another district and one of the teams playing on that occasion were playing down the road at our local sports ground. The police had barricaded all routes to and from the grounds in the hope of locating several of the supporters they were searching for. Some of our guests arrived looking around somewhat dubiously at all the commotion. Once I had explained that it was just security for our party and that Thomas had gone a little bit over the top when organising it, people tended to relax and settle in to enjoy themselves. A little later in the afternoon a flight of 5 Blackhawk helicopters went over in formation directly over the house. I looked over at Thomas and said, “Airborne security as well, nice touch! A little bit over the top but nice!" Some of the people we were expecting to come along to really help with drinking the beer failed to show but we found out later that they had arrived but had been deterred from coming in by the throng of 30 police and six police transporters hanging out at the front gate.
Not to be deterred by the lack of serious beer fiends hanging at the bar Thomas and I valiantly poured, coerced and roped in unsuspecting wine drinkers for a glass of pils. Given the size of the keg there was little we could do but resign us to the fact that Sunday was going to be a party day as well. Everyone enjoyed the afternoon immensely and a couple of Bettina’s mates from Heidelberg hung in till the early hours blowing the froth and chewing the fat.
Sunday was a glorious day and perfect for the back yard activities we had in mind. Kicking back in a deck chair, feet up on the bench seat and within arms reach of the beer tap. Bliss!! We had a lot of left over food and this was attacked in due course throughout the afternoon. A great weekend.
Our next-door neighbours had an engagement party for one of their daughters the following weekend. They had put up marquee tents around the side of the house and hired professional caterers, disco and bar staff. We were invited to come over and join in on the festivities. It is an old custom here to take an old cup and saucer to this type of occasion and to smash it in the driveway when you come onto the property. When all of the guests have arrived the bride and groom to be get to sweep up the smashed china as their first task together in married life. I guess they are getting in training for the inevitable, “Pottery In Motion”, which marriage brings.
Thomas tells me that just after he finished his national duty in the army transport corps, he was driving tip trucks for a while. A friend of his was having his engagement party and had invited him to the party. Thomas arrived at the party in style, reversing his massive tip truck up to the entry of the front drive. His mate came barrelling out of the house shouting No, No, No, please No! He knew all to well that Thomas was likely to have found some way of filling the truck with a large amount of old china and the thought of having to clean up the ensuing blitz of shattered crockery was frightening. Alas it was all too late, the truck was blocking the gate, and his mate could not get out front to where Thomas was manipulating the controls. The truck tray rose up higher and higher and with a metallic, skittering scrape, a single cup and saucer fell out of the back onto the driveway. Sighs of relief and screams of howling laughter all round. Nice one.
For the second year running the prerequisite barrel of Gluckspils was acquired by Thomas and I. The purchase of which sent us down to the hobby brewery at Morlenbach to meet with the master brewer Joachim. I personally feel that the sampling of the wares prior to bulk purchase is essential, particularly when free and served in endless racks of half litre glasses. Our host Joachim made us very welcome and after being presented with a 500ml bottle of plum schnapps from Thomas he invited us to sample some aged apple wine. Wow, great stuff! Runs at about 8.9% and really kicks. Normally most apple wine lasts about 12 to 14 months. This stuff was over 2.5 years old. Apparently it is possible but you have to maintain a very steady temperature and occasionally rebalance the sugars and acids with additional additives.
Turned out that Joachim is a Cold Chisel freak so I have since sent him some additional albums for his brewery bar collection.
It took us a long time to get home, touring along back roads through the Odenwald hills with our 50-litre keg riding snug in the back. Thomas showed me some of the lesser known villages and routes on the return trip which were really pretty and very old.
It took a couple of days to prepare for the party given the shopping and general setting up of the cellar areas and outdoor settings. A lot of people brought food with them which in turn created a spread to rival any party banquet I have seen, bar the occasional wedding. The day brought a mild climate in the mid 20’s and it stayed pleasant enough throughout to enjoy the garden atmosphere and the plethora of scents from the flowers and fruit trees.
Unknown to us, as we settled in for lunch in the back garden, the street out the front had come alive with dozens of riot police. Dressed in their army greens, visor helmets, machine pistols, bullet proof vests, batons hung from waists and riot shields slung across their backs they resembled an invasion of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Apparently there had been a policeman shot dead at a soccer match two weeks earlier in another district and one of the teams playing on that occasion were playing down the road at our local sports ground. The police had barricaded all routes to and from the grounds in the hope of locating several of the supporters they were searching for. Some of our guests arrived looking around somewhat dubiously at all the commotion. Once I had explained that it was just security for our party and that Thomas had gone a little bit over the top when organising it, people tended to relax and settle in to enjoy themselves. A little later in the afternoon a flight of 5 Blackhawk helicopters went over in formation directly over the house. I looked over at Thomas and said, “Airborne security as well, nice touch! A little bit over the top but nice!" Some of the people we were expecting to come along to really help with drinking the beer failed to show but we found out later that they had arrived but had been deterred from coming in by the throng of 30 police and six police transporters hanging out at the front gate.
Not to be deterred by the lack of serious beer fiends hanging at the bar Thomas and I valiantly poured, coerced and roped in unsuspecting wine drinkers for a glass of pils. Given the size of the keg there was little we could do but resign us to the fact that Sunday was going to be a party day as well. Everyone enjoyed the afternoon immensely and a couple of Bettina’s mates from Heidelberg hung in till the early hours blowing the froth and chewing the fat.
Sunday was a glorious day and perfect for the back yard activities we had in mind. Kicking back in a deck chair, feet up on the bench seat and within arms reach of the beer tap. Bliss!! We had a lot of left over food and this was attacked in due course throughout the afternoon. A great weekend.
Our next-door neighbours had an engagement party for one of their daughters the following weekend. They had put up marquee tents around the side of the house and hired professional caterers, disco and bar staff. We were invited to come over and join in on the festivities. It is an old custom here to take an old cup and saucer to this type of occasion and to smash it in the driveway when you come onto the property. When all of the guests have arrived the bride and groom to be get to sweep up the smashed china as their first task together in married life. I guess they are getting in training for the inevitable, “Pottery In Motion”, which marriage brings.
Thomas tells me that just after he finished his national duty in the army transport corps, he was driving tip trucks for a while. A friend of his was having his engagement party and had invited him to the party. Thomas arrived at the party in style, reversing his massive tip truck up to the entry of the front drive. His mate came barrelling out of the house shouting No, No, No, please No! He knew all to well that Thomas was likely to have found some way of filling the truck with a large amount of old china and the thought of having to clean up the ensuing blitz of shattered crockery was frightening. Alas it was all too late, the truck was blocking the gate, and his mate could not get out front to where Thomas was manipulating the controls. The truck tray rose up higher and higher and with a metallic, skittering scrape, a single cup and saucer fell out of the back onto the driveway. Sighs of relief and screams of howling laughter all round. Nice one.
29.7.02
1st Anniversary Reflections
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.
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 !
10.6.02
Let's Dig Holes In Deutschland
My partner currently has 4 weeks holidays so this down time between jobs has occurred at a really good time. It means I can be here to give her a hand with some of her house renovation tasks as well as to go out and about for walks in the forest and soak up some of this wonderful, warm, spring sunshine.
This week I have been out at Heppenheim at Bettina’s parents house for 3 days. They are having the front of the house remodeled to incorporate a 3-story staircase that will run from the upstairs apartment down to the basement swimming pool. As most of the construction is going to take place over the existing front garden, all of the flowers, trees and shrubs that they wanted to be saved had to be dug up and replanted in the back garden. On top of this they wanted to save as much of the topsoil as possible given that good soil is very expensive here and what they do have, has taken over 30 years to build up with composting. You may recall from an earlier post that the entire region here is part of the Rhine River Valley and most of the soils have a very high sand content. As a result I ended up digging up some 20sq meters of garden beds and lawn and transporting the "mutter erde" or mother earth into long piles along the fence, away from the building site. We also had to locate the power and water lines for the excavator operator which meant digging a trench some 1.5 meters deep from the house out towards the front gate.
The front pathway from the gate to the front door at the house was paved with granite slabs set in steel reinforced concrete. All of these had to be taken up, numbered and stacked so that they can be re-laid later on as a new patio area. This was one occasion where German engineering was not so overwhelmingly appreciated. It took both of us more than a day to angle grind and hammer drill the 54 slabs off. I could not believe the construction of this path and I have no doubt that, if left alone, would still be in faultless form some 2000 years from now. Heavy-duty stuff. The retired old boy who made the path and front fence in 1970 was a master stone mason who apparently had an arrangement with the local undertakers to collect the granite off cuts produced from the making of tomb stones and crypts, he then used these to build stone walls and pathways. In some ways it all seemed perversely laughable as not only did I discover about 100 muscles that I didn’t know existed until the next day but it left me feeling that I may have to order my own slab of granite for a tombstone. I am still recovering from the ordeal as I write. What a job!
The steel mesh and concrete slab underneath the path was around 40cm thick in places. This had to be cut through at both ends so that when the excavator came to rip it up the steel mesh would not pull at the stone fence or house entry foundations. Talk about totally over the top engineering. At any rate the area is now ready for the builders to move in later this week. Side benefits of the job included getting to try out Alfred’s new sauna after work, drinking his beer and consuming large quantities of Margarite’s traditional German home cooking 3 times a day. Piggy, piggy. To sum up the week I find myself sore as hell and somewhat fatter.
This week I have been out at Heppenheim at Bettina’s parents house for 3 days. They are having the front of the house remodeled to incorporate a 3-story staircase that will run from the upstairs apartment down to the basement swimming pool. As most of the construction is going to take place over the existing front garden, all of the flowers, trees and shrubs that they wanted to be saved had to be dug up and replanted in the back garden. On top of this they wanted to save as much of the topsoil as possible given that good soil is very expensive here and what they do have, has taken over 30 years to build up with composting. You may recall from an earlier post that the entire region here is part of the Rhine River Valley and most of the soils have a very high sand content. As a result I ended up digging up some 20sq meters of garden beds and lawn and transporting the "mutter erde" or mother earth into long piles along the fence, away from the building site. We also had to locate the power and water lines for the excavator operator which meant digging a trench some 1.5 meters deep from the house out towards the front gate.
The front pathway from the gate to the front door at the house was paved with granite slabs set in steel reinforced concrete. All of these had to be taken up, numbered and stacked so that they can be re-laid later on as a new patio area. This was one occasion where German engineering was not so overwhelmingly appreciated. It took both of us more than a day to angle grind and hammer drill the 54 slabs off. I could not believe the construction of this path and I have no doubt that, if left alone, would still be in faultless form some 2000 years from now. Heavy-duty stuff. The retired old boy who made the path and front fence in 1970 was a master stone mason who apparently had an arrangement with the local undertakers to collect the granite off cuts produced from the making of tomb stones and crypts, he then used these to build stone walls and pathways. In some ways it all seemed perversely laughable as not only did I discover about 100 muscles that I didn’t know existed until the next day but it left me feeling that I may have to order my own slab of granite for a tombstone. I am still recovering from the ordeal as I write. What a job!
The steel mesh and concrete slab underneath the path was around 40cm thick in places. This had to be cut through at both ends so that when the excavator came to rip it up the steel mesh would not pull at the stone fence or house entry foundations. Talk about totally over the top engineering. At any rate the area is now ready for the builders to move in later this week. Side benefits of the job included getting to try out Alfred’s new sauna after work, drinking his beer and consuming large quantities of Margarite’s traditional German home cooking 3 times a day. Piggy, piggy. To sum up the week I find myself sore as hell and somewhat fatter.
6.6.02
Spechen Sie Deutsch?
I have now completed my first 13 week language course which I have to say has raised many more questions than answers. By gad what a dastardly language it is.
The golden rule is that there are no rules and you must learn the way of it more by the general melody rather than by hard and fast grammatical rules. Mein Gott !!!! As my work has several different start times I cannot enrol in any of the standard evening courses on offer as I would miss 2 out of every three due to finishing work at different hours. I have decided to commit 2 single weeks a year of my 10 weeks annual leave to doing intensive week-long courses. At least every six months I will have something new to chew on as well as being able to upgrade to different levels if I find that my skills have improved dramatically since the last course.
All told though I am surprised at just how much I am able to understand and read day to day. It is more the speaking part that is proving awkward given the weird tonal inflections which alone separate one meaning from another. Onwards and outwards irrespective. Do or die in Deutschland !
The golden rule is that there are no rules and you must learn the way of it more by the general melody rather than by hard and fast grammatical rules. Mein Gott !!!! As my work has several different start times I cannot enrol in any of the standard evening courses on offer as I would miss 2 out of every three due to finishing work at different hours. I have decided to commit 2 single weeks a year of my 10 weeks annual leave to doing intensive week-long courses. At least every six months I will have something new to chew on as well as being able to upgrade to different levels if I find that my skills have improved dramatically since the last course.
All told though I am surprised at just how much I am able to understand and read day to day. It is more the speaking part that is proving awkward given the weird tonal inflections which alone separate one meaning from another. Onwards and outwards irrespective. Do or die in Deutschland !
28.5.02
Finding A New Water Hole
My friend from the English Club, Nicole, had her birthday last week and to celebrate, David and Lynne along with Bettina and myself caught the train on Saturday night to Egelsbach, about 3 stops up the Frankfurt line, to meet up with her and her partner, Frank. We went out for a very nice meal and a few drinks at one of the local club bars. After much scoffing and sculling we eventually made our way back towards the train station and hence to the hotel over the road named, The End Station, where some more beer sampling was undertaken until the train arrived. Great friends and top food = good times!
To celebrate my newfound job, David and Lynne came around and hijacked me to the infamous Bayerischer Biergarten in North Darmstadt. What a humungous beer garden! It is set in around 5 acres of grounds with 100´s of tables and oodles of chairs spread around in all directions under the huge spreading elm trees. At this point in time the trees were all still bare with only a few starting to show the regrowth of new leaves. Apparently during the summer months it just simply heaves with people. It is known also as a Wirtshaus or host house, which is a name given in reference to the fact, that you can purchase, along with copious quantities of beer, traditional German foods such as pigs trotters and super fatty bratwursts (multi-preservative, high fat, offal tube) and the like. We sampled some of the schwartz bier or black beer as well as a dark wheat beer. Both were very good indeed and it was only the cooling evening that eventually sent us packing. I can imagine it would be a very nice place indeed to while away a lazy summer’s afternoon or two in the shade of all those beautiful trees. Strangely enough the weather seems to be improving almost every day of late. Kismet?
To celebrate my newfound job, David and Lynne came around and hijacked me to the infamous Bayerischer Biergarten in North Darmstadt. What a humungous beer garden! It is set in around 5 acres of grounds with 100´s of tables and oodles of chairs spread around in all directions under the huge spreading elm trees. At this point in time the trees were all still bare with only a few starting to show the regrowth of new leaves. Apparently during the summer months it just simply heaves with people. It is known also as a Wirtshaus or host house, which is a name given in reference to the fact, that you can purchase, along with copious quantities of beer, traditional German foods such as pigs trotters and super fatty bratwursts (multi-preservative, high fat, offal tube) and the like. We sampled some of the schwartz bier or black beer as well as a dark wheat beer. Both were very good indeed and it was only the cooling evening that eventually sent us packing. I can imagine it would be a very nice place indeed to while away a lazy summer’s afternoon or two in the shade of all those beautiful trees. Strangely enough the weather seems to be improving almost every day of late. Kismet?