Kategorie: SNOT 2018 Juli/Aug – Coffee in Prag > Icecream in Prag (Seite 2 von 3)

Near Antjes & Thomas´ residence, Burg Tannroda, is a field of wild poppies. Evidently this is a very good year for poppies (very hot and dry spring). We saw many fields but none as spectacular as this one.

One day trip was to Nationalpark Hainich, and it’s Treetops Park. Within the elevated board walk are sections of rope paths. While designed for children, we managed to maneuver ungracefully through the various potentially strangling obstacles. It made reaching the apex all the more rewarding. After a loud yell in Höhni’s direction, the heat of the day sent us back down to the cool forest floor. Elke found great humor in my ‚lower pocket‘ info packet.

Not liking to remain ’squished insects‘ we pitched our tent. Many spots were found to be wanting, mostly the hourly dust cloud from the daily renovations or native ground rocks. The final spot was next to the ‚Turm‘ (tower). The property itself has an interesting history and while one may think of castles as large and showy, that is not always the case. This one does have a working tower, which the town (the previous owner of the property) has kept in good working condition. The other functioning building houses a local, renowned basket museum. Although Antje & Tom have renovated apartments for themselves and a tenant, there is a great deal (that is an understatement) left to do before their dream is realized.

But our main sleeping difficulty lay with the surrounding sounds. Only 3 weeks away from the summer solstice, the sun rises early and set quite late in Germany. (Sunrise 5 am, sunset 9:45 pm.) Combine that with the adjacent church and you can have only, at most, 5 hours of quiet per night. „Zwitschern“ (bird song or bird singing) starts quite early, about the same time as the local train – 4 am. (Of course, there is also a local RR crossing and it’s strong, artificial alarm.) At 5, the church announces every hour and least one forgets, every 15 minutes, with a corresponding chime. By 11 pm, one either has gone mad („Verrückt!) or numb to dinging tones. Our 3 nights stay was not long enough to immune us to Castle Tannroda’s cacophony.

We are back from our week long trip. It was looong, fun and full of small adventures, both annoying and funny.

First day leaving Hannover we visited a natural park known as The Harz. It is mountainous and similar to the Black Forrest of southern Germany. The tallest mountain, Brocken, is reachable by foot or by narrow-guage rail car, pulled by a smelly, old-fashioned steam engine. Very cool (very touristy) and worth pursuing. We ran/walked/crawled up a steep road to make the train. Unfortunately the signs indicating a mere „10 minutes“ walk from the parking lot was for meant for Nordic marathon runners. We sadly heard the warning whistle and then the sound of the engine pulling away from the station. (Smelt it too … yuck.) Many emotions flooded through us. The additional hours wait for the next train, compiled with leaving my so-called disability information back in Hannover, cinched the deal to walk back down the hill. (In Germany, many tourists attractions offer reduced rates for the disabled, some as low as free.) That, the cloudy weather and the high cost of the tickets made for plan B – find a bathroom and then ride the alpine coaster.

There are many things to do and see in the Harz. One of them is the longest of its type, suspension foot bridge. It is a bit unnerving to be that high up and swinging a bit. Elke found the only time without out throngs of tourists squeezing by for these pix. Underneath is a bungee swing (no way!) and a tandem zip line. Next time that zip line is ours! (… Or for at least one ride.) Pretty geil (meaning sexy cool in hip german) to watching people fly down via the zip-line to the other side of the dam.

Somewhere along the way we chanced upon a stave church. They are usually ornate and extremely old and rather rare, originated in Norway. This one was a more recent remake, perhaps 19th century. While beautiful, it was fairly dilapidated and going to be relocated and hopefully, renovated.

That evening we arrived at Antjes & Thomas´ dream residence – Castle Tannroda (www.burg-tannroda.de) close to Erfurt.  Had dinner in Erfurt, walked the famous „Krämerbrücke“. First night, we slept in Anke’s car, side by side, snug as a bug in a rug. And never again – squished bugs!

Ahhh, Berlin. Nice town. Here we are at the Wall, a saturday only asian food street market, hanging out with Mirjam, watching a Tango dance, at one of the large Holocaust Memorials (the peg block thingies), tying out a seasonal alcoholic drink (rather delicious). We did a lot of walking and public transportation riding those 3 days.

What do we find we when come up from the U-Bahn station at Check Point Charlie? Why Vulvas of course! One note said: „Viva la Vulva! The Vulva is dead. Long live the Vulva!“. Had to, just had to, have a picture of that…

A different part of the wall. It is near Check Point Charlie and left plain. Rather moving to read about it and see it in person.

Of course the Tor of Brandenburg. Supposedly the most touristy thing to see but also the heart of Berlin. Many Berliners told us to go see it. There was a demonstration there for equal rights and pay or somesuch, when we arrived. Hundreds of moms and dads and babies and small children. Very impressive. The next day was the Neo Nazi demonstration and the people who came out to protest against the protesters. That one we were nearby and it was quite a hulallaboo. You can read about it on the internet. We did witness the just before or just after event (mentioned on the news) at one of the S-bahn stations between these people and the police. Very aggressive energy and a bit frightening. Riding in the train with them was a tense moment. Berlin police show of force – wow! Also a bit frightening but very very organized and respectful. I was impressed!

The Reichstag – Deutscher Bundestag. Having a card that says disabled is very useful in Europe. (I use my Metro-North card.) Many places offer a reduced admission. Or faster access. Such was the case for getting in to the Reichstagsgebäude. The „Kuppel“ (dome). It sits on top of the main seat of government building for Germany and getting in can take hours! (Security screening – metal detectors, pat down and background check.) Spectacular piece of architecture and fun to see the whole city, as well as the fun-house effect inside.

One experiences (or at least I did) being put into a different perspective when experiencing the The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (Holocaust Memorial). One’s reference to the outside streets drops away and you are left with only these straight lines of sight that waver up and down, both on the ground and in height. Unique.

Ahhh, Enya and Anton, the therapy horses. Learning how to interact with them is always a challenge and a treat. Directing a horse with only your emotions, body gestures and intentions is a trip! Kicking a fitness ball and it kicking it back (sort of) is a lovely feeling. But playing with a hula hoop and inviting both horses to join in was the best! I got them to bite the hoop at the same time. Kind of like playing tug a war with 2 dogs and then letting go, leaving the two tugging it between themselves. It felt like a real achievement, LOL, which is counterproductive to my instructions.

The last pix is of our visit to Oma, who is 99 with an ok mind and ailing body.

In these pix we were first in Bonn and then Essen. Bonn had a museum exhibition of Marina Abramovic „The Cleaner“.  She is a world-renowned performance artists. (Wow – super intense and great.) Then we visited the Zeche Zollverein, one of the last big coal & coke mining/smelting plants still standing, now a World Heritage Site. Last year we saw one half. This time we finished the other half. Also, super great stuff.
(The last pix we are in the bottom of a 90 meter chimney.)