Recent History
Recent HistoryOne interesting detail in every nation’s organization is the way they deal with recent history – the references of a political regimen are celebrated in many monuments, until the day when a revolution turns gods into demons and the monuments are destroyed or replaced.
The true history is what remains after that “cleaning” sequence. In my visit to Berlin, the red army and its victories in WW2 were still clearly present, side by side with the communist symbols, these already fading. My comment to Fernanda was which one of those monuments would survive, after the changes about to start.
She didn’t agree, wishing that, despite all changes, the signs of history would remain, no matter their origin or meaning. I was not convinced, and that is one more reasons why I keep saying that I WANT TO SEE GERMANY AND BERLIN AGAIN.
Language tricks
My idea was to travel from Koblenz to Bingen (with the car in the boat) and proceed from there to Strasbourg. I asked (in English) at the ticket booth a ticket for “a car with two adults and two children”. The lady gave me the tickets and I paid them.
Moving to the boat, I discovered that there was no car access, and went back to the lady asking her where to enter – “No car, no car”. How to argue in German that I demanded a ticket for the car and thought that I’d paid for it? It was a very hard discussion, but I couldn’t leave the car behind.
After a babylonic nightmare, the lady decided to accept back the tickets, but returning only 90% of the charged price.No it was not a great experience, my “Rhine cruise”!
Lorelei
Lorelei
I think you must read in advance to appreciate this place: Lorelei is a common high mount in Rhine’s banks, that doesn’t mean much to those who didn’t know the stories and the legends that it suggested.
It’s a funny thing when travelling, to be in a place that we had in mind from several readings, and that, suddenly becomes real, in its simplicity.
