I was going to call this blog post 'Fraternising with the Enemy' on a whim. But that isn't fair, nor is it true. But still, if my grandparents could have seen me this week they would have been surprised. For someone born in the '50s, and brought up on post-war videos I have experienced my first holiday in the country that bombed us, so we bombed them... you know how it goes.
In one street we passed a young father strapping a toddler into his car seat. He said 'Hände hoch!' and we had to smile. Those words are imprinted on our minds as a phrase shouted repeatedly by young German soldiers rounding up prisoners and pointing their rifles at them, in war film after war film. Hands up!
But. I must say. I like the Germans; I can hardly believe that the landlord of our B&B had grandparents that probably fought our grandparents. It was a bit surreal...
Now that we have a son who lives and works in Germany we had a good opportunity to visit. We landed at Frankfurt and dropped into a loud and trendy restaurant with a Disney buffalo theme [see above]. It was an eyeopener for parents in their 60's, but such fun.
Our son lives about an hour from Frankfurt in a quaint village where everything is in walking distance. We were most interested in the cafe which opened at 6.00am, and we strolled over for breakfast and feasted on hot coffee and rolls. And later in the evening, we drove to the next town to sample authentic German schnitzel; Schweineschnitzel. We visited his friends and families in their homes, which were mostly quaint and old-fashioned but imbued with a definite sense of homeliness and warmth.
The village that we stayed in had a giant tower that is encased in a red cover topped with an electric candle which lights up during the Christmas period. We were a bit too early to experience their Christmas Market, but stalls had begun to be set up in the cobbled market square. I am sure the area must be bustling when the market starts but honest to goodness, we hardly ever saw a soul. The odd passerby was glimpsed through our windows, but where was everybody? It appears they all get up earlier than us and are at work by the time we are having breakfast.
My misconceived impression of Germans as stiff and stoic, joyless and authoritarian was completely overturned, I mean - just think of that candle. When we were with his friends we had a hilarious evening or two; they laugh loud. They did like to goad us about Brexit, but I refused to go there. I withstood teasing about my Tetley tea bags that I had fortunately brought with me; they called it Brexit Tea.
About tea. Proper tea - it needs looking for. I mostly got offered Earl Grey, which is nice in its own way, but not acceptable when you are needing a big mug of builder's. Or they had Rooibus, which was, quite frankly, disgusting. That is not their fault. I would find it disgusting in any country. Anyway, here are some pics...
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