Author: Annikki

My main reason to come to Hannover was my granddaughter, who spends a school year there. It was good to see how well she had adapted to the system and was feeling well. It was wonderful to meet the friendly host family. I was invited to their lovely home and they took me into interesting parks and museums. I could also meet a friend from my own exchange year 55 years ago and her two younger generations.

Covid rules in Germany were most strict of all these countries i had visited. The covid certificate was asked in every cafe, restaurant and museum. Masks were also obligatory everywhere.

Germany seems to be a center point welcoming of Ukrainian refugees. My train passing Danish border stayed for one hour and passports were asked from everybody. I also had an Ukrainian lady sitting beside me. She was kind of surprised of the support she had encountered when fleeing from Odessa through Slovakia and Germany. It was also goo to hear she was full of hope and in contact by whats app with his husband fighting there.

During my one night stay in Amsterdam bikes are the most memorable image in my mind. You really had to be aware of them coming from different directions with high velocity. At the station there were thousands of bikes outside and a big hall for them inside. Maybe I come an other time.

London and Southampton were my targets in UK. London was busy and crowded like a nest of ants. An oasis there was the Kew Gardens where we spent one day with my brother, who joined me for my last day. Spring was still early, but you could find beautiful flowers inside the glasshouses.

The hotel that I had chosen was with mini tiny rooms, but friendly atmosphere. I wanted to stay near St Pancras international station to get easily to Eurostar in the morning. Friendly Georgiu in the reception helped me with sim cards and adviced us a nice Italian restaurant that was lively with locals. Just before leaving for Europe I happened to check my email, and learned I need a negative Covid test result to get to Netherlands. After a small shock we could find a laboratory near the station and I got negative result from an antigen test.

Irises of Kew Garden for us Ladies

In Southampton we celebrated my niece’s wedding with a good group of the family. It was an emotional day first in a beautifully set registry office and after that a party in Juniper Pub. It was exiting to learn to know the English family and their ways to celebrate.

Hugging new Ms Seaman

After the wedding day we walked around in the New Forest Natural park, seeing the old trees, free horses and dears and enjoyed the tea with scones in old English tearoom.

Wedding of my dear niece gave me an excuse to travel again. Corona is hardly over and Russia is invading Ukraina, but among all that there is still hope and joy.

Matera Sassi is the area, where people until the fifties lived in caves carved inside the rocky limestone land. This is one of the Unesco heritage areas and this year 2019 Matera is also one of European culture capitals.

Our room here is also in a cave, it looks rough outside, but inside all is nicely renovated. It was a bit difficult to find this place in the old town, but a friendly reception boy came to fetch us after the dark.

To me Salerno is the best place to explore Amalfi coast, because

• It is a town of local people not just tourists
• It has reasonable prices
• It has a railway station
• My favorite hostel Ave Gratia Plena with its atmosphere, views, patio and fountain.

During one day we hopped on and off buses and boats along the Amalfi coast. The scenery during the boat rides were of course great, but the bus rides with the local buses were more exciting when the bus was climbing up the narrow mountain roads with a view to the sea down. We first took a bus to Cetara, which is a fishing village, with peaceful and clean beach and more serene atmosphere than the next famous towns, Amalfi and Positano. they are beautiful but full of tourists even in October. Our final goal was Sorrento, where I once had a best pizza of my life. Although we could not find that place, the pizza was good. On the way back to Salerno with train the small problem was that Pompei station, where the train from Sorrento stops is two kilometers away from that Pompei station from where the train goes to Salerno, so taxi was needed as it was dark already.

When heading south we staid couple of nights in Bologna, the food capital of Italia. To us it also looked as a capital of stylish people, porticos along the streets, colors of okra, big piazzas and a hidden canal under our hotel.

Men had stylish, well cut hair and beards. He is the man from the reception proud of his gramophone.

Over the Alps along the Albula and Bernina route. Instead of the Bernina express we used the regional train with our Interrail tickets. Not much text is needed, let the photos tell.

The main reason I wanted to go to Hamburg was the youth hostel am Stintfang. From the breakfast room and bar you have a magnificent view over the harbor. You can easily also reach the new Hafencity by walking along the Landungsbrucken walking path by the seafront.  In the train we got a hint from a friendly boy to climb up to the plaza of the new Opera and concert house Elbphilharmony. From there it was a great scenery to the skyline of the city and the harbor. In total Hamburg is still kind of challenge to me, I do not quite understand that city, probably I need to go  back once more.

After Hamburg we made a 6 hours train journey to Augsburg. In this train there was a restaurant car with white table cloths and proper food.  Six hour’s journey was not feeling long when we could enjoy a nice meal with desert and coffee.

In Augsburg we staid at local youth hostel, which was also a good one. It is near the old town and very peaceful. Every room has even its own balcony.  During our two night stay, we had to use one morning for finding a laundry for washing the cloths and the rest of the time looking around the city. Suddenly I also realized that I had been in this city during my working time at a paper mill Haindl Papier, currently owned by UPM.  During business trips you hardly see the town, it is often that you arrive in the morning and fly back the same day.

Augsburg is hometown for Bertolt Brecht. He was born here as his father worked for the Haindl Papier. Later I also learned that Walter Brecht, who is famous among the paper makers, and was a professor of paper making at Darmstadt university, was  Bertolt’s brother. During this journey I have first understood that not only the Jews but also the artists had to flee from Germany during Hitler’s time. Bertolt was in exile for 14 years.

Augsburg is also famous for is its water supply  system. Part of it was first built already during the Roman times, and since the 15th century it has been used. It has recently received a Unesco heritage status. The town is surrounded with three rivers, Lech, Wertach and Singold, which get their waters from the Alps. Several canals are crossing the whole city area, so you can hear the sound of water where ever you go in the town.

Although school history has been wiped off my brains I knew that Luebeck is an old Hansa town, maybe best impressions of Hansa time in my head come from the novels of Indreke Hargla and pharmacist Melchior who solves the crimes in those novels. However, the European Hansa museum in Luebeck opened up that era a lot and woke up new ideas and thoughts of current trade alliances. The museum is modern and very well organized and illustrated, really worth a visit.

Except being center of Hansa Luebeck has been hometown to many famous people. Thomas Mann, Gunther Grass and one Herbert Frahm, later known as Willy Brandt were from here. I had at least seen films based on Thomas Mann, and Gunther Grass, but surely will be reading the Buddenbrooks in the future.

Blechtrommel, also a film based on Gunther Grass’s novel.

We also spent time in Willy Brandt’s house. His life opened up In a New way. It was ashtonizing how quickly the Nazi time developed, and hehad to flee to Osloand later Stockholm. His time in power was the cold war time. Again I could imagine the situation based on Le Carre’s novels, when one of his close coworkers was a spy of DDR and he decided to resign as a chancellor.

Luebeck is also a town of several churches. In one of them we were participating the Vesper with Orgel music and short speeches of the pastor. He talked about Picasso, who said: Ich suche nicht aber ich finde. I do not search but I find.

The life on the streets on Saturday was lively. Students were celebrating with funny hats and cloths their one week before the university starts. On the market place there were bands playing and people dancing. Rain showers wetted us, a couple of times, but dry socks were found from one Euro shop.

Luckily we were wise enough to take our umbrellas and warm clothes when leaving home. Europe seems to have cool days with showers the coming week. After Alps warmer and dryier weather is forcasted.