Week 3 - Friedrichshafen, Germany

This is my third week in Germany with my parents .... how time goes... and I am getting very lazy (what else is new) .....

On Monday, my dear friend Anita (Highschool friend) has a day off and spends it with me - hurray!!!  We drive to Ravensburg, a small town about 1/2 hours drive away.  We wonder through the old city centre - Xmas market is on!  I finally find a pair of winter boots... and we have a yummie Chinese lunch.  It is cold, but no rain - thank goodness!

We then visit another friend, Julianne (Highschool friend) in Tettnang (another small town close by) - a surprise visit - she does not know yet I am in town.... she serves us coffee and homemade Xmas buiscuits... yum!

After this flying visit we meet yet another friend, Hanne, for a drink/dinner.  This is going down memory lane, Hanne and I worked together (in another lifetime) at MTU - where I absolved my apprenticeship as secretary.

What an amazing and wonderful day!  I am so blessed to have friends like Anita to organize such a lovely day!

On Tuesday, it's raining.... again.... My mom and I decide to visit the school museum in town and then go to the Xmas market for a hot coffee / hot chocolate in the circus salon carriage.

The school museum is very interesting - we need more time to take it all in... but we got there late and closing time is here in no time.  Mom tells stories about her schoolday memories... and I have flashbacks too....

At the Schulmuseum Friedrichshafen (school museum) it´s like going back to school. During your visit you will find out how schools developed and what classrooms looked like in 1850, 1900 and 1930. Historic teaching materials and quaint exhibits like old slate pencil boxes, satchels and the big cardboard cones filled with sweets and little presents received on the first day of school, bring back fond memories of long-gone schooldays. On the two seater school bench you can try out writing on slates. Negative aspects of former school life are represented too, for example how discipline and obedience were enforced on pupils by caning, shaming them on a wooden donkey or making them kneel on a three-sided piece of wood.

 'Huetekinder' - cheap child labor imported from Switzerland and Austria during WWI until 1914... These children came from poor farmers - and only went to school during winter.  During summer they were sent to Southern Germany to be auctioned off at 'child markets' to local farmers as cheap help - while their children went to school....  This was all sanctioned by the church.

There is nobody at the Xmas market,as  it is cold, raining and miserable.... but we enjoy our hot drink and the atmosphere in the carriage (original salon carriage from a famous German Circus).  After we warmed up, w are ready to walk back home.....

Anita organized a mini reunion in Tettnang on Wednesday evening - unfortunately, not all the ladies can make it... but we are Four... Anita, Juliane and Karin and myself.  We reminiss and have a lovely time together - it is so nice that they still consider me part of the group, even though I only visit every few years... We also  have fun teaching Juliane to send SMS on her mobile (she is one of those who does not use the internet nor mobile) ....  so we can be in touch! 

I feel the need to visit my grandma's grave... I feel her spirit close with me! (She has been with me when Hisham died.....).  I go for a walk to the cemetry and search for her grave.  There is a big area dug up... I can't find the grave and am scared that it is gone.... But then - Hamdullilah - there it is... she is buried with her third husband, Mr. Wocher, who died at the age of 53... my granny was 53 when he died.  She lived to 86 years of age... She is my inspiration! She had an amazing life - married @ 16, had 4 children, the youngest son died during WW I, she lost 3 husbands, was internally displaced during WW II, worked in an office... she was fit both mentally and physically till close to when she died....  What a life!

My granny as a young woman!

On Friday, I catch up with another girlfriend, Elke.  We used to grow up as neighbours. Our parents still live 2 houses apart in the Zeppelindorf.  We used to be a whole lot of children in the neighbourhood when we grew up... playing outdoors most of the time....

Zeppelindorf is a suburb of Friedrichshafen.  It was established between 1914 and 1919 by the Zeppelin Organization for their employees. The suburb included different types of houses with huge gardens, so people could live self contained ie. grow vegetables and fruit and keep farm animals. It also had a supermarket, a butchers and a restaurant. 
The Zeppelindorf was greatly damaged during World War II, was rebuild and is today a heritage site, a 'garden city'.

My parents' home...and small part of the garden...

Elke takes me to a very nice Italian restaurant.  And I order a pizza - it is very big (almost American size) but very yummie!  We talk and talk and talk - and don't realize how late it is.... It is so great to catch up!

The weekend is rainy... what else... but my parents and I still manage to go for some nice walks.  One of them was along the Rotach (a creek), which is overflowing from all the rain.  It leads all the way into the Bodensee.

View of the Swiss Mountains across the lake...

Creek - Rotach

What a wonderful week I had!

S & D