Exploring East Germany…Past & Present

G’day everyone!
Just back from travelling around East Germany and now I finally feel that I can say I have a broad experience and perspective on Germany, both its history and the vibrant and interesting country that it is now. So much negative stuff in the past but with the European Soccer Cup on now, there are German flags flying from car windows and decorating streets. We have been told by many people that this public display of patriotism is very new.,.only a couple of years old….and is a healthy sign that the Germans themselves are lifting their heads up proudly and looking forward to the future. Good on’em!

Wonderful to hear from you Heather. Not yet in Scandinavia but almost there! Can’t wait when YOU are travelling overseas and I get to read YOUR blog! :-)

But now, here’s a brief [supressed giggle] account of our last few days…..

Saturday, 7/6 - Packing up a new life
OK...maybe my 5 weeks in Fulda can't really be classified as a 'new life' but it has felt different than a holiday. Sending Norbert off to work in the mornings and then doing everyday tasks like cooking and shopping has meant that it has felt more like 'living' to me, rather than 'holidaying'. And of course for Norbert this definitely has been a new life as he has lived and worked here for over 5 months and has really settled in.

But Saturday was our final day in Fulda, so while Norbert raced around doing errands (ie returning a borrowed bike, closing his bank account etc), I stayed home and tried to sort everything into lists, bags and boxes....what has to be sent back to Adelaide...what we will throw out....what we need for the next few weeks etc. Aaargh!!! Its amazing how one accumulates stuff in such a short time! In the afternoon, Norbert chuffed off to Frankfurt to see an Aussie Rules football game and brought the new tennant back with him. Theo is a young EDAG employee from Cameroon in Africa, and he was absolutely thrilled to bits to be taking over the apartment. It meant getting out of the teeny room he'd been living in AND the end of his regular 4 hour commute to Fulda each day.

By 7pm the car was packed, and with final best wishes to Theo and a glance back at what had been our 'home', we pointed the car toward the horizon for our journey to Steinau which was our planned stop for the night.....about a 6 minute drive away. [laugh] Actually, we thought it was smart thinking to pack up and leave the apartment but not go too far on the first night as we were both tired, and there was really no hurry. When Norbert first came to this area he stayed at the Rhönblick Gasthaus in Steinau for 3 weeks before he found the apartment, and it was here that we decided to stay for our very last night. Sort of a nice circle...don't you think? :-) It was also a chance to see Stefan (the owner) one more time as he and Norbert had become friends. It was lovely to have a relaxing tea although another thunderstorm came through again and we finished the day watching the night sky being lit up with jagged forks, followed by the inevitable deep rolling of thunder overhead.

Sunday, 8/6 - Checking out Luther's past... and really skinny houses
I woke in what was total pitch-blackness, and almost fell over the suitcase moving my hands along the wall to find the door to the bathroom. Found my way back to bed looking forward to at least another couple of hours sleep and glanced at the clock to check the time. It was 8:20am!!!!!!!!!!!! Most buildings here have either shutters or outside blinds, and this Gasthaus had the reeeeeally efficient type of outside blind which turns a room into a level of darkness you can liken only to midnight in a coal mine. Luckily it was Sunday so breakfast was being served late and we made it in time for the usual Gasthaus spread and wonderful hot coffee served with 'kaffeesahne'....which is really creamy milk. Yummmmm... [grin]

We were late getting onto the road but it didn't matter as we were only planning on going as far as Eisenach....a bit more than 6 minutes away [grin] but nevertheless, not too far away. Eisenach is a large-ish town in what was East Germany, and while the ravages of history aren't as obvious in regional areas, the deterioration is much more evident in the roads and buildings of the larger towns, although much is being done to assist. As a child I grew up in a Lutheran community, so I was keen to see the 'Luther House' where Martin Luther lived during his later school years before he went off to University at Erfurt. Quite interesting, but not enough English again so although Norbert wrote 'mehr Englische' on the feedback book, it didn't help me at the time and I had to content myself with asking him for translations. Checked out Luther’s statue while we were there. (see photo).

Random question for you....how big is a house? Of course this is a silly question (like how long is a piece of string), but what if I asked...how THIN can a house be? Eisenach has a house which is only 6' 8" (220cm) wide at its widest point, and goes back 34' (10m) deep between 2 taller buildings getting narrower as it reaches back. Where would you fit the 3 piece lounge suite? Come to think of it, where would you fit the BED??? Norbert took a photo of me in front of it and its not much wider than my outstretched hands. Apparently it is a normal home though with people living in it. [shakes her head in amazement].

The day was still young-ish (like us [grin]) but we had to postpone our planned trip to Wartburg Castle (pronounced Vart-borg), as apparently it closes early so off we went on our usual 'Zimmer Frei hunt'. The first stop proved unfruitful as there were no rooms available but the woman recommended another house down the road and we found this easily and settled in for a quiet evening.

Monday, 9/6 – Travel, Train and Toilet troubles
Enjoyed a lovely breakfast in our host’s dining room (complete with lighted candle!) while listening to the German speaking budgie in the kitchen. I’m not kidding! He seemed to have a vocabulary which far exceeded mine! [grin]

We had hung around Eisenach because we were particularly keen to see Wartburg Castle…but here is where I would like to bring something to your attention. There are heaps of fantastic castles right across Germany and they are well worth seeing if you are visiting here. But…(and a big BUT)….what you need to keep in mind is that the whole reason they were built at the time, was to watch over the town below in order to warn of approaching enemies. Which means one thing. ALL German castles are UP !!!!! One can’t get around this small fact! [laugh] This particular one only needed a half dozen rest stops to climb all the steps so I must be getting fitter, but be warned anyone who is planning a trip like this and saying “…sometime in the future…when I retire…when I’ve paid off the house…when my kids are off my hands…etc etc.” I’d suggest not waiting too long. There are often little buses to help the elderly and incapacitated up the hills, but is this what you truly want? [disbelieving look] Wouldn’t you rather experience the feeling of climbing thousand year old steps through forests of tall trees? [grin] OK..OK…maybe the little bus idea sounds good to you, but be warned that not every castle has these anyway…especially the more inaccessible ones.

Anyway, Wartburg Castle was where Luther holed up for 10 months translating the New Testament into the modern German of the time so that the people could read it for themselves….before that it was only in Latin. We even saw the room where Luther was staying during his time there and where he did his writing (see photo). When I was a kid, one of my father’s favourite hymns was ‘A Mighty Fortress is our God…” and I was quite interested to know that apparently Luther wrote this because of his fondness for this castle and his time there. I really enjoyed this particular tour, especially because we had a really good guide who spoke excellent English and made the history come alive…a rare talent among tour guides.

Norbert was particularly keen to go to Wernigerode where a mate of his from the Schützenhaus had recommended a train tour which was supposed to be quite lovely. The map told us it was 100km away as the crow flies, but the GPS insisted it was a 2.5 hour drive. What to believe?? Norbert spent much of the next 2.5 hours arguing with the GPS but she consistently ignored him and kept saying “In 500 metres, turn left.” In fact, she said ‘turn left’ so often that I seriously wondered if we were travelling in ever decreasing circles and would end up back where we started from! But we finally arrived in Wernigerode…unfortunately far too late for any train rides. [sigh] Oh well….it will have to be like our previous Neuschwanstein experience and we will put it on our ‘must do’ list for next time.

Oh….while I’m giving travel warnings, ALWAYS make sure you have 50c on you. Always! Imagine this……you are busting to go to the toilet but you have to wait for ages because small towns don’t have public WC’s. You finally arrive in a larger town and YES….there is a public loo next to a park. You grab your purse (because you know it always costs money to go to a public loo in Europe) and race across the road. Finally…finally…almost there! [concerned look on face] You notice that it is an automated door which means the door won’t open unless you put 50c in a slot. So with legs crossed, you rummage around in your purse and come up with 2 x 20c and 1 x 10c. Almost there…almost there… [very worried look] And it is THEN that you notice that the automated door ONLY accepts an actual 50c coin. And you don’t have one. Am I getting some empathy out there???? Stop laughing everyone…it wasn’t funny!!!!! [stifles a chuckle]

With nothing left to do in Wernigerode and an appointment in Leipzig the following day, we had tea at a pavement café and set the GPS for Leipzig. It was already 8:30pm though and I was beginning to feel a bit seedy (Skye…empathising with your ‘holiday troubles’ lately) so we stopped at Nachterstedt to find somewhere for the night. But by now we were heading deeper into the east part of Germany, and perhaps a brief pause here to offer my impressions of the states previously dominated by Communism. One can still see the marks. The roads are being worked on but they are still much more run-down. There are many more run-down buildings and what I found a little disturbing is that so many buildings that I thought were old sheds, actually had lace curtains in the windows. There are rectangular apartment buildings put up by the Communist regime and still in use, however attempts have been made to renovate them with the addition of external features and colour to make them more attractive. Everything looks a little shabby, because for so many years the people had to ‘make do’ with what they had. They couldn’t work harder to improve their living conditions and besides, the goods were not available to buy anyway. But please don’t think that I’m describing a place that looks like Communist Russia or something because it doesn’t. The countryside is still beautiful with rolling green pastures and forests.

But it does explain that for Monday night, we ended up staying in an apartment in Nachterstedt which was quite expensive, breakfast cost extra, and the furnishings where somewhat run-down. Quite comfortable though and I’m not complaining….just noting the differences.

Tuesday, 10/6 - Leipzig….and gaining a new awareness of East Germany.
A truly memorable day, and new friends made. Started with breakfast outside as the weather was so nice, then crammed everything into the back of the car again (which was a complete shemozzle by this time) and set off for Leipzig…our final destination before Berlin.

First priority was finding a place to stay, and I was a bit concerned that it would be expensive if we stayed in the city area. Nevertheless, Norbert checked our GPS which gave us several hotel options and we hit success at the second one. It looked a bit fancy as we walked in the door and I balked at the 4-star sign however Norbert said it was still worth asking the question. So he did. [shocked look] Apparently the rate for a room was 290 euros!!!!! We looked at each other and Norbert informed the receptionist straight out that this was far too expensive. I resigned myself to more searching around to get a roof over our head for the night but in the meantime there was much fast conversation in German which I was finding hard to follow…but it ended with the girl handing over a key! Huh? [confused look] Did he really agree to pay 290 euros for one room for one night!!! But no….apparently Norbert told her that he could use the internet to find a cheaper hotel so the girl said she would check their internet rate…..and it was 81 euros. Quite a reduction! So….deal done, we threw our stuff on the bed, parked the car in the garage below the hotel, and walked to the main road to the tram line, bought a day ticket from the ticket-machine and went into town.

Visiting Leipzig was a priority for me, so let me explain……during the first part of 2008 I have been learning German in preparation for travelling in this country, and during this time I came across a website where one could make contact with native speakers…the idea being to help each other learn one’s own language. I made contact with a lady called Brigitte who lived in Leipzig and who wanted to improve her English, and at the time we talked over the internet using Skype. I was very keen to meet her in person and this was the day. We were sitting in a café and it was exciting to hear a German voice saying (in English)…"May I join you?" [pleased grin] We spent a wonderful couple of hours being personally escorted around the centre of Leipzig and having many buildings and places explained, and when her husband (Wolfgang) finished work he joined us and we had a delightful dinner at an outside café, finding lots to talk about. It is always fantastic to actually meet someone whom you have only previously spoken to on the internet….you feel comfortable with them straight away.

I really don’t want to bore anyone but I’ve mentioned before that I am extremely interested in the history of this country, especially the recent history. Brigitte has been the first person I have met who has directly experienced the time of Communism, the GDR and being behind the wire fences in East Germany, and she told us the most disturbing yet fascinating stories of growing up in an environment where one was watched and controlled. For example, she told us that her parents had some very good family friends whom they trusted….but they later found out that these people were informing on them. Imagine finding out that your very best friend that you have always trusted, is, in fact, your worst enemy! She told us that she had a pen-pal in Japan but later learned that the letters arrived with black texta covering anything which was considered slightly inflammatory….she wondered at the time why her pen-pal didn’t respond to her comments. She described how her mother got her to line up for hours to get a kilo of bananas the very first time they were available. Her stories were all about being watched…being scared….and most importantly, NOT being free.

But what enthralled me most was her direct involvement in ‘the Wall’ coming down. She took us to a church (St. Nikolai Kirche) where on 9th October 1989, the evening service was followed by a peaceful demonstration for freedom and the end of the GDR…everyone walked the city circle with banners. (Remember..this was a Communist country at the time so it was a very dangerous thing to do!!!) The demonstrations grew and grew as an ‘every Monday’ event and eventually there were 500,000 people walking around the city! Before long, similar peaceful demonstrations were happening in other places. It was televised on West German TV and this overwhelming ‘people power’ directly led to the breakdown of the Communist Regime and the breaking down of the wall. To mark the place where this all began there is a plaque on the ground outside St. Nikolai Kirche (see photo) It’s one thing to read history in a book, but another to sit at a café and have somebody talk about what it was actually like because they were there. At the time, Brigitte was married and had 2 small children. She went to the church on 9th October, 1989 although colleagues at work warned her that it was dangerous and she could be arrested or even shot. Her husband stayed home with the children becase they didn’t want their children to be orphans! Over the next weeks, she went on one Monday, and he went on the next….only ever one at a time ‘in case something happened’. Unbelievable!!! [shakes her head in amazement]. Can you imagine being that desparate just for the basic human right to be free? And she told us about the evening she first heard that the wall had been broken through in Berlin, and how it seemed like a dream. Two weeks later they packed their 2 kids and their luggage into their Trabant (an east German car which they’d waited 7 years to get) and set off for Bavaria….it must have been like going to a different country! She laughingly described how the Bavarian farmers stared and stared at them as a family of East Germans in a ‘Trebbie’ was an unusual sight! [grin]

The day was such a good experience and I have been left with an impression of Leipzig which is quite different than if I’d just come in as any other tourist and walked around by myself. I feel I understand some of the ‘whys’ as well as the ‘whats’. Right now there is construction happening across the city and it is as if there is a desperation to ‘catch up’. So much of Leipzig was destroyed in the wars and the Communist regime was not interested in rebuilding it as it was. During the Cold War everything went even further downhill as there was no money for rebuilding or for construction of any kind other than the strictly practical…..but thanks to massive injections of money which have been coming in from West Germany it is finally changing and becoming beautiful again. I felt a very real sympathy for the people of Leipzig as they have put up with so much horror and yet there is a feeling of new hope. Brigitte told me that although she once said that she did not want to die in this city, she now feels differently as it has changed so much and in such a positive way.

I could write so much about what Brigitte and Wolfgang told us, but this blog is long enough and anyway, the memories and impressions I will carry with me all my life. I am so grateful to both of them for sharing their lives with us so generously and I know that we will keep in contact in the future.

Wednesday 11/6 – Goodbye Leipyig and hello Berlin again!
Our last day of being ‘foot loose and fancy free’….no job, no home and no agenda. Lovin’ it!!!! [huge grin] Left the car in the ‘teifgarage’ at the hotel and grabbed a tram into town again. Brigitte had filled us with enthusiasm about other places to see so we began at the ‘Runde Ecke’ Musuem….the site of the original Stasi Headquarters (secret police). This place filled me with an overwhelming sense of amazement and horror as to the lengths that the Stasi went to in order to ‘keep an eye on’ ordinary citizens, as the exhibition included bugs & other phone surveillance systems, devices for opening letters, disguises, and even jars of ‘smells’….suspects would have to put small bits of cloth under their arms and then were made to run until they perspired. These cloths were then stored in jars so that police dogs could track and find the people in the future. There are still cupboards and cupboards of letters and packages there which were never delivered. The one negative to the visit was that, once again, it was all in German.

Really getting into the history thing again so we walked a short way until we found the ‘Geschichteerleben’ Musuem which is a modern museum with a more general view of German history. It could have been really interesting but despite checking with the girl on the front desk who assured us that there was much in English, there wasn’t. Nothing at all. Norbert wandered around reading but I found it extremely frustrating to not be able to understand when I really wanted to find out more. So I did a dummy spit! I was standing by the door by myself and an attendant came over and asked me (in German) to move away and stand somewhere else. This was the final straw for me so I said “Ich spreche kein Deutsch”…even though I did understand her….and then said “Ich verstehe NICHT! Gibt’s KEIN Englishe!!!” This is probably very bad German but she seemed to get the idea and went off and found me a folder with the main signs translated into English. Mind you…apparently it is necessary to ask. Anyway, I calmed down a little and went back into the museum to wander around again with the folder. It was better than nothing and gave me a general idea. Don’t get me wrong….I realise that it is my responsibility to know the language and I’m really trying to learn, but the type of language which is in museums is difficult for even Norbert to understand…..the people in charge really need to give us a hand if they want to encourage more tourism.

[deep breath] Anyway…I’ll stop whinging and whining now! [grin] Back onto the tram and a few stops took us to the ‘Völkerschlachtdenkmal’…a huge memorial to the battle that led to Napolean’s defeat in 1815. It might sound boring but it is actually one of those ‘take your breath away’ places! You walk into this amazing structure that stands 91m tall, to be confronted with statues which tower over one’s head, and even they are dwarfed by the massive domed roof which soars high above. Its one of the those places you just have to see and despite the fact that our Fodor’s book was not very complimentary, it was a great experience. Best of all…they had an audio tour in English, for only 1 euro! It was excellent and gave more background than even being able to read everything would have given me. Mind you, all the major signs were translated into English too so there was even lots to read. Well done to the people in charge of that place….very professional.

We had meant to leave Leipzig mid-arvo but it was 5:30pm before we were on our way. Luckily it was an easy run on the Autobahn and we were in Berlin having drinks with Hartmut and Marina by 7:30pm.

So what’s next?
We are spending a couple of days in Berlin to get organised and then we will be on a plane to Copenhagen on Saturday afternoon to begin our Scandinavian tour. First thing Saturday night we meet our fellow sheep…ummmm….tour passengers [grin] and then we have 16 days of ‘everybody on the bus’ and ‘everybody off the bus’ as we get herded around Finland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden. [laugh] I’m being facetious of course….there is nothing wrong with an organised tour, its just that after being ‘footloose and fancy free’, the restrictions and time limits may irk a little. And I just know that at one stage I will be very embarrassed when Norbert will be standing in a line going “Baa…baa..”. He’s like that. [laughs loudly] No matter, the advantage is that finding accommodation and the location of things to see is somebody else’s problem and we can just sit back and relax.

I hope to find internet cafes around Scandanavia but its all an unknown at the moment, however please leave a comment anyway as I will do my best to get online somehow and somewhere.

Cheers all!