Auf Wiederschen Deutchland

It is our last night in Germany and the blog finds us sitting outside this beautiful medieval town called Rothenburg ob der Tauber on a gorgeous summer evening and I’m over it. Be it old buildings, cars, arts, weapons, colleseum,  methods of correction/torture, political systems, roads and anything else that is impressive in isolation but mergers into a pixilated digital blur with the millions of other rare artifact of old. I have become immune to impress and the airbed under a shady tree has more appeal than to view anything older than…………my dear wife. Gotta be careful here.

  

Or so I though till Igor from Czech Republic rocked up beside our tent with his bike, tent, little table and cooker.

Mellsop in 30 yrs was my immediate thought but this was quickly revised this when I realized his machine was nearly as old as the rider.

Igor is 84 yrs old and is touring Germany. Don’t you just love it. 84 and still touring the world with a motorbike and a tent. Unfortunately he lost his wife 6 years ago and now uses the sidecar to carry a few extra’s for the old bones but the spring in the step, the twinkle in the eye and the sense of adventure gives me hope that I have many years remaining.

Maybe I can have that nap on the airbed under the shaded tree and that remarkable relic of old can be seen and appreciated in another space and another time.    

East Germany

Eastern Germany has impressed me. There is little remaining to indicate that it was once a communist bloc country and we visited a village, Moedlareuth which was split with the Russian wall (It is known as the little Berlin for a reason) and we could not tell which side formally belongs to which. The east has serious agriculture with good equipment and large farms.

We were fortunately that Bart was staying with some friends who had space in their loft over the shed for us and we enjoyed the family telling us about living behind the wall, issues around land ownership and feeding us potato dumplings stuffed with meat gravy and stewed red cabbage on the side.  

Grandma's feather bed

Cutting grass for the Rabbits_ meat

 The German personality

The Germanic personality absolutely lives up to its reputation with order, rules and regulations for just about everything in life. Our very first encounter was been told by this old codger that we should not walk through an empty site to our tent and Bronni was personally escorted around the proper way. Henceforth she labeled him as Ivan

[dislaimer; any resemblance with any said person the reader may know is totally coincidental].

Sitting in a meeting, a clock was obviously not working. Okay flat batteries thinks Les, but a chap adjust the time to the correct time twice before removing it from the wall and putting it on the floor.  He could not stand looking at a clock that does not “vork”. It is just not right.

We go to a swimming pool and are processed in a Lean, six sigma order of paying, toileted, undressed and showered before even seeing the water. There is a special place for you shoes, shirt and towel. Special lockers color coded (so you can easily spot the empty ones) for you valuables and different ones for your clothes. ……and when you come out the process is reversed. Very quick and slick.

On the roads there are signs for trucks and signs for cars and special signs for motor bikes.

Each rule and regulation is good and proper with sound reasoning and unlike their happy Italian neighbors, everyone obeys them and is quick to show you the error of your ways when you don’t. This is a safe country because the rules are obeyed.

The only exception to this controlled orderly country is the autobahn where there is no speed limit and they drive like maniacs. Like the American guns laws it defies logic but the Germans defends this right as if it is their last bastion of freedom.200km/hr is not uncommon and you spend more time watching your rear vision mirrors then looking forward.

The rule says you must stay in the right lane/s unless passing and like all good Germans, rules must be obeyed. So they are now weaving across lanes (can be 4 wide)  at 200km/hr as they move around the slower vehicles. No this is not limited to the high performance Merc’s, Audi’s and Porsche’s  (they fly past at 250 clicks) it’s a pedal to the metal regardless of the vehicle (trucks and trailer thankfully are controlled at 90 km/hr).

I cannot work it out. These people are so safety conscience, eco-friendly, and energy conservative and yet their brain seems to disengage as they slip their vehicle into overdrive.

I guess we all have our contradictory elements in our personalities and it is easier to see these things in others rather than yourself.

I do like the Germans probably because my natural personality feels comfortable in this world of systems and structure.

Thank you Bart, Stephan, Eva, Falk and Connie for sharing your homes, family and lives which has been a priceless experience more valuable than any museum can capture and much better than the airbed under a shaded tree.