20th January 2018 - Oświęcim

Today was Oświęcim.  Otherwise known as Auschwitz as renamed by the Germans at the time.  I’m never really sure how that works... How do we get Sweden out of Sverige (wish I could do phonetic stuff - but that’s not said how you probably think it is 😜)

I rugged up, expecting it to be really cold, and honestly I was glad to be going in Winter - somehow seeing the place of such atrocities first hand in happy sunshine didn’t seem appropriate.  I was picked up from the hotel pretty much on time.  I wish I could remember the driver’s name - I suck so badly at names! And then went to pick up the rest of our party, four youngish Brits who were all really nice.  I could tell by their accents they were from the south coast, but figured they were one county over (not that I could remember which county that was), based on their accents.  I was right - they were from Somerset.  

So the tour is in two parts.  First part is at Auschwitz  1 - the original camp and the second part is at Auschwitz II - Auschwitz-Birkenau, which is about 3kms away.  The entire complex is massive in every way.

The original camp (with the famously offensive “Arbeit Macht Frei” gate header (Work makes you free) (as if)!, was actually an army post that they took over, that had about 20 single-storied buildings.  So they added second stories to most of those buildings and then built a few more.

I don’t know if any of my German friends are reading this, but I do hope they know that I, and most of the world knows the very huge difference between Germans and the Nazi regime. So that’s my disclaimer, but honestly, if any of my German friends are reading this, they know me well enough that I am fully aware of the difference anyway.  (I’m also writing this after what, for me, is a goodly amount of alcohol - 2 drinks).

This could be one of those visits that I come back to in my head time and again over the next few days, as I process what I saw.  Nothing I saw was new news to me.  Nothing was anything I hadn’t read about or anything like that.  But seeing some very tangible evidence of the attempted annihilation of not just one race, but others (apparently they had targeted the Roma (Gypsies) as next, but didn’t get that far, along with anyone caught being gay, disabled or politically unsympathetic to the regime, was a very different matter.

When they show you a tonne of human hair - taken from the corpses post gas chamber, pre-oven - and say that it took approximately 40,000 people to create that much hair, and that 1.1 million people were killed at Auschwitz alone, you start to SEE the enormity of the Holocaust.  It’s really confronting to see that... to see the pile of glasses, the shoes, the suitcases with names on them....  really confronting.

So I really think today will be something that is not processed quickly.  And maybe because I feel that I KNOW the German people, I find this so hard to comprehend.  I know that they are, by and large good people. (Every race has it giant knob-jockies, we all know that).....  I know that they are not racist and don’t see Poles and Czechs as sub-humans.

Birkenau was completely different, less talking and information and more walking.  We walked from the train platform, where new arrivals were sorted (90% going straight to their deaths in the chambers) to those same chambers.... to show how little time people had to be alive, once they arrived.  It was maybe a 5 minute walk at most.... if you walk slowly.

Look, I get that it’s not a tour for everyone... but if you have a reasonably strong heart (emotionally speaking), I think it’s definitely something most people should see while it’s still there (the wet is getting to it and they aren’t really sure how much longer it will be able to stay open).  But if you’re notionally squeemish - possibly not.

I will post photos in one or more subsequent posts (as many as needed to post all the photos I want to) as this has been a long one as it is.

After my morning tour (and Marketa went to Wawel Castle) we met back at the room and went to tour Oscar Schindler’s Enamel Factory.  (Hint - it’s not his factory at all - it no longer exists - it’s a museum of the last 100 years of Polish history, pretty much).

I found it really difficult to see so much actual Nazi hatred in one place.  They had managed to save a lot of the proclamations, flags, even floor tiles.  Of course in a museum is the only place this sort of stuff can be displayed/owned in Europe - but I’d never actually seen it face to face... quite disturbing. I will be adding photos tonight and again tomorrow probably - I need to steal some from Marketa :)

19th January 2108. Kraków - more photos

19th January 2018 - off to Krakow

We set sail at about 20 past nine this morning and got to Krakow, without incident, at around 3.45pm....we then drove around for the best part of an hour because the centre of town is a nightmare system of one-way streets and some were blocked for work!

We finally got to the Hotel - and Oh My Goodness - it’s as posh as the photos look.  It’s bloody amazing.. I so do not fit here LOL.

I’ll take some photos in the morning, when it’s light. But we overlook the old town square and have a balcony too!  There’s even a piano in one of our rooms......  Swish - very swish.

We went out to explore a bit, bought some souvenirs.  We then brought them back and went out to dinner - very nice.... tried a very typical Polish drink - Żubrówka with apple juice. Very tasty and VERY dangerous - you really can’t taste the vodka too much at all - and so it seems like you’re just drinking apple juice until whammo! You’re three quarters pissed.... (we all know I’m a lightweight when it comes to drinking - but I will say that I have drunk more on this trip than in the last 5 years put together, I think)!

Marketa has discovered the definitive answer to any argument (which came after drinking 500mm (yes - she said millimetres to start with - so you KNOW that one is sticking forever), which is:  Coz - Yeah!  And that my friends, is the shut down to any and all arguments!

We went to a local store to grab water for our trips tomorrow - I’m off to Auschwitz, but that’s not something for Marketa, so she’s off to Wawel Castle instead. We shall meet back up afterwards and compare notes.

As a finale for the night, we had a 25 minute horse carriage ride through the old town - it was just lovely and the horses were fantastic afterwards.

More photos in the next post.

17th and 18th January 2018

17th January

It was snowing again for most of the morning.  Once Marketa was home, we stopped to get her tyre looked at (luckily nothing wrong with it - just the tyre cap was dodgey - replaced that and all good to go.

We then went to pick up Svartava (her Mum)  and off to Karel’s (her Dad’s) for lunch.

My goodness that man can cook!  I was already 3 parts pissed with two generous Becharovka’s in me before we started eating!

He seemed to like the cuff links (made from 1c pieces) that I bought him, which was nice.

Svartava also had gifts for me - a beautiful gold Swarovski pen and a crystal studded ball necklace.

And then when we got home, Marketa had a surprise for me - a ‘Travelogue’ kit.  With continental cards so you scratch off where you’ve been, and also a great travel note book, for the planning, the trip and handy info while travelling!

I will get started on the scratching of where I’ve been - but I think I will leave the notebook until next trip as there’s the whole planning section etc......  keep a whole trip of ‘vorfreude’ and all together!

18th January

Bit of a nothing day - slothed.  I did a lot of nothing - it was awesome!

15th and 16th of January 2018

15th January

Didn’t really do I too much today.  Forgot to write that last night Marketa and I were double teaming it on our respective electronic devices to get me booked and organised to get to Anne’s funeral on the 26th.

Logistically speaking - it’s not the straightest of forwards!  It’s a work day, so train from Hradec Kralove to Prague Main Station, then the airport bus to the airport.  Direct flight with Czech Air to Stockholm. Flybussarna (Airport bus) to Stockholm Central. Train one stop, then change to the Slussen line out to Saltsjöbaden.  Can walk to the hotel from there.  Alternately, if I’m feeling unsure or if the weather is particularly shitty, I may take a taxi.

I can walk to the service which is handy.  All planned and booked.  Need to go shopping though - Jeans are entirely inappropriate for a service.

I really hope that the service does act as a sort of ‘beginning of the closure process’.  I keep waking up in the middle of the night and remembering all over again that Anne is gone. Or thinking “I need to remember this, for my next phone message to Anne (she was too sick to speak on the phone very often, but her answering machine had 10 minutes of record time per message, so I would phone regularly with updates and ramble on to try to entertain her and keep her up to date with all the latest family news and what was going on etc), and then realising that I can’t do that.

Anne’s been my little sister and my sounding board on so much for so long, and we’ve always considered ourselves sisters.  Anne was the oldest of her biological sisters, so I think she liked being a little sister for a change....  I honestly feel like someone has ripped out my heart and stomped on it and shoved it back in, all damaged and expects it to work like it did before.  Intellectually I know Anne is better off and finally out of pain....emotionally I am selfish and just want my sister back.  Maybe the service will be that catalyst to start accepting the new reality.  I hope so, because I don’t want to feel like this forever.  I want to remember Anne and be happy and remember all the good times without the fact that she’s gone overwhelming me because knowing Anne, she would hate that and if I wallow I will feel like I’ve failed her.  And I want to honour her life and live mine the best I can since she didn’t get to.

Sorry - bit of a depressing post this one, hopefully the new reality will settle soon.  I will think of the good and smile and not break down.  Time brings acceptance, I know. Maybe it’s too much free time at the moment...

16th January

Snow!  The world is white again.

Had a lazy morning watching the snow fall - it was pretty constant all morning, and then we went out to the local Mrs Fat Bastards shop and found an outfit for Anne’s service.  It will do for work afterwards, and it’s a big relief to have found something.  However, I’m happy to report that as of today, I have lost 6kgs while on holidays.  Being able to move and do stuff and not eating shit food really works - who’d a thunkit?!

14th January 2018 - Prague - take 1

(We know we will be going to Prague more than once)

We went to the Petřín Observation Tower first.  It looks a little like the Eiffel Tower.  You can walk up to it - but it’s a long, way uphill, so we took the funicular railcar up to the top of the hill, first time I’ve been in one of those, so that was pretty interesting.  The we took the elevator to the top of the tower - can’t trust my knee not to cave in part way up and keep people waiting.  I could do the steps - but it would have been slow going as I babied the stupid knee if it decided to have an attack.

This is the tower:



Below are some photos taken from the observation desk:

This is a panorama shot (hope it works) in the mirror maze house and the last shot is a memorial to the people lost (physically or otherwise) during the communist occupation of the then Czechoslovakia.

12th and 13th January 2018

12th January

Got up early this morning (well, early for being on holidays) for a Skype interview with the firm from Brendale.  We had a few technical difficulties at first, but sorted that and chatted for about an hour.  It was pretty informal for the most part, but I got a really good vibe from her though and she’ll email me through the week and then we’ll touch base when I’m back, face to face.  So that was a good start to the day.

After Marketa came home from work we did some shopping and then met her mother to vote.  Presidential elections are happening at the moment, voting is today and tomorrow - so let’s see if she manages to get rid of the guy in the moment, as he’s Putin’s bitch - so she really wants him gone.  We will find out tomorrow after the polls close.

After the voting, we went out to dinner.  It was pretty freaky, because Mum and Dad had been in that exact restaurant with Marketa, Svartava and Karol 8 years previously!

The food was lovely, I had chicken with Parma ham and chips :)

Stayed up late talking - but tomorrow is lazy day as Marketa is whacked after a long work week so we have nothing planned.... let’s see if she wakes before noon......

13th January

Marketa beat noon by ten minutes LOL.
We just hung out today, it was one of those really great, lazy days.

10th and 11 th of January 2018

10th January

Nils moved in upstairs today, and this evening Bernard came over and we had another cheese evening, which was really nice.

I felt really bad because I didn’t actually invite him to come to Australia if he wanted to, but Mama’s been trying to fix us up I think.  He’s a really nice guy, and I have nothing against the fact that he’s a farmer (a very successful one at that) - but even if I felt like that about him, I don’t think I am cut out to be a dairy farmer’s wife (anyone’s wife, really).  He needs a young ‘un to have kids with so the farm stays in the family.  

As a last evening, it was really good.

11th January

Time to say goodbye to Germany and Mama and Papa.

Even Nils came to the station (mind you, Papa is his ride to work, so I’m not sure he had a lot of choice LOL).

The train was a little late leaving, but I had plenty of time in both Hannover (had to wait through one other train on that platform actually).  In Berlin I had plenty of time, and the the train was already sitting there, so I jumped on and settled down.  I even managed to sleep a bit on the train.

Had some minor issues getting to where Marketa was parked - but managed it in the end.  I followed the signs to get to where the busses where (per Marketa’s instructions) because the only escalators up to the bus platform were taped off as they weren’t working.  So I went up on the nearest train platform, hoping I could back-door to the busses - which I did.

Then we stayed up waaaaay too late drinking raspberry wheat beer - don’t knock it - it’s pretty blood nice!

I really needed a sister hug after this week.  

8th and 9th January

8th January

Shitty day - didn’t sleep much at all. Kept waking up, remembering and crying some more. Who knew your body could produce that much snot from nowhere?!
I feel desolate, and am torn between wanting to go home right now and hug my parents and brother tightly, and wanting to get to the Czech Republic and hug Marketa so tight nothing bad could happen to her.  And I really would love some love from my white fluff-ball Yuki.

But Anne fought and fought for every scrap of life she could manage and the best and only real way I can honour her (too short, and too shitty end part of her) life, is to live my life as fully as I can.  And to be grateful that when I snag my back, I can take medication that will help, or get a massage.   Or just the simple joy of hanging out with my friends, my family, my cat.  Anne’s life was reduced to a shell of existence and sadly she had nothing ahead but further pain and suffering.  I don’t know how a body can carry on in the face of such adversity - it seems so cruel of nature to allow it to have gone on for so long and to have made her suffer.  Why someone as good and with so much integrity should have been stolen from us, when there are much shittier people who just keep on keeping on.  I am not mentioning names, but why a particular lying, miserable bitch gets such a long life, and Anne, our beautiful Anne got royally screwed over... Okay, rant over - not worth spending my time thinking of that other miserable bitch.

I went tot he shops in Jemgum today - partly just because, but also to get a sympathy card to send to the Ortegren’s.

9th January

Just a lazy day today - went down to the shops in Jemgum so I could collect my winnings from the wrong lotto tickets I bought.

I know I should be taking joys in all the small things - but it’s easier said than done...  Intellectually I know Anne is so much better off now, but a world without her seems really bleak right now.

7th January 2018

Had a late brunch with Maike today which was really nice.

Mama and Papa went to see Almuth (Mama’s sister) for her 80th birthday, but she has advanced Alzheimer’s and sadly didn’t really know what was going on.

We then went over to Bernd and Svenja’s for dinner - all manner of yummy goodness that they brought back from local farms in Austria.  Different sausages, cheeses, liverwurst...  amazingly good stuff.

But today is possibly the worst day of my life so far.  When I went up to bed I checked my phone and the world crumbled.  My wonderful, funny and so so sweet sister Anne passed away yesterday and I am beyond capable of putting into words just how gutted I am. She was smart and funny, and so passionate about the environment and then about advocating for ME/CFS, for research and proper treatment.  But the road ahead for Anne was nothing but increasing pain (which she was already in more than she could take), and no hope of any miracle cure as she was so sensitive to drugs, from trying everything and her body fighting all the way.  So even if a miracle drug was found - she couldn’t have taken it without nearly dying from adverse reaction.

So she chose to leave this world, on her terms, before the added pain and suffering drove her beyond sanity.

For Anne, I am so glad she is at peace, and out of pain.  For the rest of us, the world has changed forever, and not for the best.

Rest In Peace little sister - you will be loved and missed forever.

6th January 2018

I tried to go for a walk today - it was supposed to be 6 @ 4 today - but it started raining - and like a knight in today’s equivalent of a white stead, came Papa in his silver X5 to rescue me and take me home :)

This evening we went back to the church in Loga (where we went to the musical concert) to see “Room One” a six piece accapella group.  I really enjoyed it, they had good voices and good arrangements.

After the concert we met Maike and I was able to treat everyone to dinner at La Cucina as a small way of saying a big thank you.  The food was excellent.

Most of us had a tomato and blood orange soup - sounds odd, I know - but really tastey!  Maike had some sort of goat’s cheese thing - which she said was also really nice.

Papa had a pizza, Mama a pork pockety type thing - pocket from the crumbing of the pork that also had goat’s cheese in the pocket, Maike had tuna steaks and I had pork medealions with goat’s cheese on top - all very nice.  No room for desert though :)

5th January 2018

No walk today - it was raining on and off pretty consistently, so it wasn’t worth the risk of getting drenched.  It’s one thing to get wet in summer in Australia - but when it’s only a few degrees above freezing - it’s a different matter entirely.

This evening I joined Mama and Papa at their monthly Platt speaking club at the Seelhaus.  I may not understand too much, but I love listening to Platt - it always sounds so friendly.  They always spoke to me in German though, and I was able to follow a lot more of the conversation than I thought I would have been able to.  It was a really fun night and I met Bernard’s parents, and Christian and Edith were also there, so it was great to catch up with them.

4th January 2018

Today was a 6 @ 6 Day.  6 (6.1 to be exact) kilometres at 6 degrees.  The weather looked a bit iffy - but I thought I would risk it.  It nearly didn’t go so very well.  It started to spit on the way, twice - but really only a few drops, so I pressed on.  The on the way back it started to rain very lightly a little before I got to Bernard’s place and I figured if it really started, I could duck in there and take refuge... but it stopped again so I kept going.  Luckily it held off until after I was at home so I got my full walk in.

This afternoon Mama went to the hairdressers which gave me the chance to wander through the mall in Leer.  I headed straight for Douglas for something pretty fab-o I’d seen online... but they didn’t have it in store.  The lady was super helpful though and ordered it for home delivery (takes 2 -3 days).  I cannot say here what it is - but it will bring happy happy joy joy to someone so it’s one of those air-punch moments.  The staff were all really nice too - I really must find an online yelp-type thing for them to leave positive feedback!

Then we collected my BINGO winnings and headed home to enjoy a cozy evening, while the wind howled outside.

3rd January 2018

The storms are back - insane winds at the moment. If the forecast is right - they would be around the 110 km/hr mark - but I don’t know if that’s what it’s ended up being.  All I know is that while the temperature isn’t so cold, the wind is, it’s insanely strong and it’s barely stopped raining all day.  The ground around here is so waterlogged - it’s actually giving me a sense of déjà vu - with the pre 2011 flood sogginess. The rain is less torrential, but it’s just as relentless.  Mama says she thinks it’s pretty much rained (at some point) every day for most of 2017 and 2018 isn’t starting any better... hopefully it will dry up soon and let the ground settle.  All the drainage canals are almost full (which has always been why I’ve never worried when there are reports of floods in the north - those canals collect all the excess rain- but I feel like I’m back to watching the Brisbane River when I look at them.  In some places that I see on my walk, they are very close to breaching their banks.

So the day was a bit of a quiet one - and then it was off to Bremen (by train) to see Maike and have dinner.  Papa’s car shat itself and is at the mechanic’s being fixed, and he has a loaner, but we’d never have driven anyway - and in this weather it would be a really stressful drive.  Better to sit back and do the hour on the train.  (There’s very little difference in travel time car versus train anyway).

It had sort of stopped raining for a little bit when we got to Bremen and we had planned to go earlier and have a wander through the shops - but there didn’t seem to be any point with the crappy weather. When it started up again, we gave up and went to the restaurant early and had a drink instead, while we waited for Maike.

The restaurant - Rodizio Boi Na Braza - is a Brazilian restaurant and so we elected to enjoy the proper, full experience and have the traditional Rodizio - where they come out with various meats cooked on large skewers and they slice some off as wanted.  We started with chicken, there was also various pork, beef and lamb skewers.  There was NO way to go home not full after that!  The food was amazing, very flavourful, and not dry at all.  It was a fanstastic experience.

Luckily the train ride home was also uneventful (tweaker at Bremen train station trying to scrounge money - but that seems pretty standard everywhere these days).

Oh - today I was also in the paper - not specifically for me - but as part of the group that went on the Jemgum village walk.  Mmmm - technical issues - the photos of the article won’t load.....

2 January 2018

Went for another walk today, since the rain is holding off.  I pushed myself a bit further and walked 6.1kms today.

If I can add a bit each day, I’d like to see if I can walk to the church in Marionchor, as it’s extremely old (built in 1479 - can you even comprehend that?  I know I find it hard.  It was built before Christopher Columbus (re)discovered America!  Let me see if I can find a photo online to steal..... Okay - I found a couple.  You can see it’s had some subsidence over the (many) years - but the church is still in full use and I believe the subsidence has been halted with modern engineering, but from memory they thought it might damage the church if they tried to correct it.  So the church has a lean - and you can feel it inside when you’re sitting on the pews - I’ve attended a concert there).  But it’s 5.3kms away - I could easily walk there - but not sure I can manage 10 plus k’s at the moment - but it’s a goal!

This evening we went to the train station as Mama and Papa needed to arrange tickets for a group holiday they are going on.  The further out you buy your tickets, the cheaper they are here for distance travel.  I thought I was doing us all a good thing and bought us 2 Bingo tickets each - but got totally the wrong ones (they look similar) - but who knows - it’s 6 chances to win ten thousand Euros - so meh!  My bad :(

The storms are coming back tomorrow - more rain and severe winds.  Looks like 7kms might not happen tomorrow - bugga!

1st January 2018

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Ready to see the arse-end of 2017, that is for sure!  2017 sadly pretty much kicked my arse up until the last little bit of it.  Shitty health, played like shit because of the back issue, put on even more frigging weight from being inactive (and, eating shit food because I was in a bit of a funk), my job got outsourced to Kuala Lumpur.  Really a bit pissy over that last one, since I really owned that role.  The FSD was my baby. I nurtured it from ground up and built its reputation into a solid, go to help desk. But it’s also a (forced) chance for a new beginning.  We all know I’ll be working for another 20 years probably, with the way things are going - so plenty of time to choose a new direction and get stuck in.

Enough venting - on with 2018 - and the hope that it shits all over 2017 😜

So - I decided I needed to start the year right - and tried out my new ‘running’ shoes.... (that would be walking for me - but whatevs).

Turns out - the Swiss don’t just make good watches, chocolate, army knives or pantaloons (c’mon - you’ve SEEN those funky duds of the Papal Guard - no - he’s a sneak peak:

Sexy stuff huh?

The Swiss also make pretty damned amazing shoes!  Took me a while (and Googling it, since their on shoe banding is weird to read), but the brand is ON.  So bloody comfy and supportive etc - everything a shoe needs to be.  I walked a little over 5kms today - so a good start to the year.

This afternoon Mama and I joined a tour group of a walk around Jemgum.  The guide was really knowledgeable and had some interesting things to point out about the church, the windmill and the oldest house in Jemgum (built in 1565, if I remember correctly) - and still standing and still in use.  They really DON’T build them like they used to.  It’s up for sale and needs a little TLC - but still perfectly serviceable house to live in.  Unless you’re old or somehow not as able bodied as the average person - apparently it has a lot of ‘interesting’ stairs.  Probably means they wouldn’t pass today’s standards of uniformity etc - but it’s heritage listed - so those stairs are as protected as the rest of the place :)

After our walk we watched BINGO - and I actually got one Bingo, which means I won a little over 22 Euros.

I also found a very interesting Help Desk role for a telecommunications company IN MARGATE - so  I’m hoping my luck still holds as I have prepared my email to send through. 

31st December - New Year’s Eve

Today was a very long day.

Early afternoon we went over to Menna and Dieter’s for the traditional Speckendicken.  They are like a pancake, sort of, made out of a special rye flour mix, with syrup (so they are a bit sweet than pancakes) and have slices of wurst in them.  Super yummy - and the flour mix is only available at this time of year, since this is when you eat them.  I will see if I can find the mix, and see if border control will let me keep it :)

Bit of a nap after that, and then Mama and I went to church for a service done in Platt.  I understood very little, but I like the pastor’s delivery... he sounded very genuine and caring in the way he spoke.  Looking at the words for the hymns to be sung - you can see how much closer to English Platt is.  I said that to Mama and said, I know it was the Saxon’s who came to England, but if you went by language - you’d think it was the Ostfriesens instead.  But apparently back at that time, the Saxons where here too - so that explains that!

This evening Wolfgang and his partner Hermine came over and we had a mammoth fondue feast. I can’t remember any time in the last few years when I’ve eaten so much! I think I need to learn at Mama and Papa’s to take less (as in not enough) on my first serving because they think I’ve barely eaten if I don’t go back for more... tonight was more like... you stopped eating after only and hour and a half (okay - fondue is slower eating, as you wait for each piece to cook, but that’s the beauty of it - you talk and catch up as you eat.  I need to eat smarter :)

At midnight we toasted as normal etc and then went outside to see what the neighbourhood was releasing for fireworks.  They are legal here and many people buy them to let off for new year’s.  Being so flat here, and being the last house before open fields, we pretty much has 360 degree views of fireworks, and the boats in harbour letting off flares.  We could see fireworks over in Emden,  down in Bingum and loads of places all around.

Finally getting to bed at nearly 2.30am....good night - and Happy New Year!!!!

29th and 30th of December

And the year keeps racing to its end......

29th - Today was a quiet, lazy day.  I caught up with Maja on Skype, which was great, we did a quick shopping run and that was about it...... heaven.

30th - Mama and Papa’s 45th Wedding Anniversary.

After a lovely breakfast and relaxing morning, Papa drove Mama and I to a church in Leer Loga for a concert, where we also met Tina. The players all played really well, and I knew some of the pieces, though not all.  Social difference between Germany and Australia - no clapping at the end of each piece as thanks/appreciation....but the clapping at the end more than made up for it - it went on for a long time.  After the concert we ran into Almut (ex-Conrads).  She had seen us from the seats above and waited to catch up.

After the concert we met Papa back at Tina’s apartment (hello! Gorgeous - over the river and just stunning views of Leer)... Where we had some Sekt (okay - the rough translation is Champaign - but since only champagne produced in the Champagne region is legally allowed to be called that - it’s Sekt, which is more correctly - bubbly wine).  (But the French want to produce Cheddar cheese and call it that - I don’t bloody think so - and neither do the good folks of Cheddar)!

We had an 8 o’clock reservation on the Spiekeroog III - a small ship that has been turned into a restaurant.  The food was amazing and the atmosphere really lovely.  Only about 30 seats in the inside section (for the warmer months, there’s also seating upstairs, which is outside).  The waiter was friendly yet professional and the service was perfectly timed, I would say.  Not too fast, and not too slow.  I would definitely highly recommend it to anyone who asked for a good place to eat in Leer.

28th December

Today I went for a walk to the harbour and back.  I took a lot of photos of Jemgum as it changes each time, just a little, but I don’t know if I’ve ever really taken that many photos in the village.

These are just a few of the shots.

Just near Mama and Papa’s place - I love this avenue of trees - whatever the weather

At the harbour

This evening Mama and I went to see Jumangi - Welcome to the Jungle - it was actually really funny. I’d like to see it again in English, but I don’t think anything was lost in translation at all.

27th December

Early in the evening (after Miniaturland) we watched the movie I got from Maike for Christmas “Wilkommen bei den Hartmanns” which was pretty funny and in the evening, one of Mama and Papa’s neighbours, Bernhard came over for a cheese n chat night.

He’s a nice guy, and a hard working farmer.  I have a sneaking feeling Mama used to try to set me up with him as he’s single.  I don’t know if Mama realises how stringently single I am :P