Contrasts

It was the annual fall weekend away with Ilsemarie, Ulli, Klaus and Johanna, and this time we were off to Bochum. It's in the Ruhr valley, a sprawling indrustrial area full of coal mines and steel mills and related industries - many now defunct. Sounds like a real vacation spot, doesn't it? But it was new to us and we're still exploring Germany. And, hey, riding the train is still fun! Since 4 of the 6 of us have discount cards for the train, we can get 1st Class for pennies more than 2nd Class. That's worth a smile.

I'll spare you the image of the Marriott Courtyard where we stayed, a bit upscale and more modern than our usual digs, but everyone was impressed by the American-style amenities and the service. Staying in a charming downtown spot wasn't possible since 93% of the town was bombed to rubble during WW2.

There seemed to be limited tourist spots that were very appealing, but we finally landed on the German Mining Museum (Deutsches Bergbau Museum) in Bochum and the Villa Hügel in Essen as our major outings. I wasn't expecting much outside of good company, good food and relaxation.

Surprise!

This is the exterior of the Mining Museum with the huge - HUGE - winding tower used to work the elevators that carried the miners down and - more importantly UP - from the mines. I started to walk up from the elevator landing to the top of the tower but after one storey of looking through the mesh stairs and landings, I was sufficiently wobbly to say "enough". I'm turning into a real wimp when it comes to heights.

The exhibits included a mock-up of the underground world of the mine. Impressions: it was very dark, it must have been unbelievably NOISY and dusty / dirty, hot and claustrophobic. We saw monster machines that shaved and cut and drilled and blasted the coal. Nothing of it was inviting or appealing except that - based on the photos we saw - there was a camaraderie among the workers that must have made up for a lot. And there were the horses and ponies (and the occasional cat) who spent their entire lives underground, supplementing the machines and I imagine giving a certain normalcy to the mines

We asked each other how in the world they got these gigantic pieces of equipment so so so so far underground and we decided they must have been taken down in parts and then reassembled.

We could ask each other because THEY LET US LOOSE IN THIS PLACE ALL ALONE !!! In such situations, I'm reminded of Michelle's reaction to our visit to the bird park last year when we sat within pecking range of the giant pelicans - "they wouldn't allow this in the US - but isn't it interesting!" I suppose one of these days Germany will have to deal with lawsuits and damages, but till then we can get up close and personal with these exhibits.

Look at this: a tandem bicycle for the underground tracks.

There were above-ground activities too. No surprise, there was a festival going on that weekend, Essen am See - Essen on the Water. There was music and bratwurst and beer and crostini and sailboats. It was lovely.

Saturday we went to Essen to visit the Villa Hügel. Hügel means hill and this was the estate of the Krupp family, built - on a hill - overlooking a lovely lake.

The Krupp wealth came from steel production, so they were at the receiving end of the work done in the mines we saw the day before. Krupp Inc. also had close ties to the government (or emperor as the case may be) and provided more than a few cannon and tanks for the various wars that Germay participated in.

So, they had a lot of money and they built a really big house, not unlike the mansions of barons in England or railroad magnates in North Carolina or Coca Cola entreprenuers in Atlanta. Grand. Stone. Imposing. Beautiful. Extravagant.

Here's the group photo, all of us on on the back terrace. Pretty, sunny day.

This statue on the grounds overlooks the lake far below and is dedicated to the first Mr. Krupp. I think it is supposed to represent Fortuna but Werner thought it was the Ice Cream Queen holding 10-scoop cones in each hand!! I love ice cream; that sounds fortunate to me.

Saturdays, 7 games are played and the other 2 on Sunday. Werder Bremen was scheduled for Saturday, playing against Bayern Munich in Munich. All of you will certainly remember that Bremen-Munich is the equivalent of FSU-Florida.

The fans with us were REALLY excited when they found out that Bremen had beat the Lederhosen 5 - 2 and it had been 5 - 0 at one point and the Munich player who scored both goals was a former Bremen player so they thought the score should have been 7-0 Bremen ! Ulli showed this little sign to any and everyone on the street, in the restaurant and at the hotel !! Weren't we proud!

Two final pictures : one of a comical sculpture group in downtown Bochum illustrating the examination of a would-be university graduate who had squandered his time and talent and his parents' money but nevertheless thought he deserved a medal and a job leading the church if not the country even though he was totally unqualified. Sound familiar?

If you want to read the original poem (translated into English) you can find it here.

And here's the last picture. Our three guys, gray-haired or gray-bearded as the case may be, settling the problems of the world because THEY ALL HAVE BLUE SHIRTS. Blue rules. Without consulting each other, they all ended up wearing blue. Looked like triplets. But from different eggs.

Silly me. It was a great weekend and just as expected filled with fun and talk and relaxation and food and beer.

Oh. One last one. Don't forget the Currywurst.