River Cruising Water Cooler

[ural guy]

Notamermaid-  I was telling the spouse I would love to go to Gdansk.  Looks like a great area to explore.

 

While in Krakow, I told the tram about 25 minutes out to the suburbs/planned community of Nowa Huta.  It was built by the Communist Government in the early 1950's to house 200,000 people to support the new steel works plants (litterally the meaning of Nowa Huta, New Steel).  When you look on Google maps, it appears like a Tetris board, the way the buildings form common courtyards for playgrounds and outdoor space.  I've seen them featured on history and travel shows, Rick Steves has had quests on his radio show that grew up there and talk about it.

 

So I go to the museum, which has a display on child hood life (it apparently was very nice from the kids perspective, lots of other kids to play with, always something to do), and the bombshelter under the building.  The women who I bought my ticket from gave me a map, and told me to be sure to visit the second fallout shelter, its part of the museum, about 1.2kms, and UNDER the high school.

 

Oh yeah, you just walk in the building, dodge the kids changing classroom, head down the stairs following not great signage, and at the end of the hallway is another fallout shelter you can explore.  They had a nice display of the number of spaces/per country's population, schematics of different classifications of shelter by shielding, etc.  Vaguely interesting, being a soldier on the other side of wall in the mid 80's, so glad we never had to use any of the stuff.

 

Anyway, the part of that I found amazing in that a tourist from wherever can just wander into a school with kids in it, and head down to the museum.  Only issue I had was the lady running the little snack bar/canteen at the schools entrance did not want a picture taken of it, whether she was in frame or not.  I complied and left.

 

Walking around the area, all the trees were mature and it was very quiet walking through at 11 am.  I would have really liked to have seen inside a few people's apartment, but without doing that, it surprised me as it looked like a nice enough spot to live (if you have to live near a city).

 

For the record, I'm 318 miles from Central Park NYC (or the big scary city as I call it), and it's 146 miles down the Hudson from Albany and JP to the Park.

[RDVIK2016]

On 10/24/2023 at 6:30 AM, notamermaid said:

Interesting. We do not actually have a tree topper other than a star or a special bauble construction, you can look at photos under Weihnachtsbaumspitze. Those two types are traditional but perhaps in other parts of my country? Never had figures in my family. Do not recall seeing them with family and friends.

 

Will look at phrase suggestion.

 

You are right the Christmas tree is our German way of invading every English home. Ha!!

 

But seriously, do nurseries cultivate the trees or do you mainly get imports? We have a tradition of the fathers going out with the boys to the special nurseries for "Christbaumschlagen", at least I hope they still do it where possible. You walk around the nursery and go "yes, that is our tree". Then you are allowed to cut it yourself or an attendant does it for you.

 

notamermaid

 

My wife's family here New England used to have a Christmas tree farm. We grew several different types of tree. Some trees hold their needles longer than others, some of stronger boughs to support more or heavier ornaments, some of a stronger scent, and of course some species grow better in some areas than others. We had a variety of fir (Tannen) and spruce (Fichten) trees to be selected in the fields for cutting. There is almost always a topper used and will be an angel or a star.  I'd like some time to get a Nürnberger Rauschgoldengel.

[RDVIK2016]

On 10/24/2023 at 6:30 AM, notamermaid said:

Interesting. We do not actually have a tree topper other than a star or a special bauble construction, you can look at photos under Weihnachtsbaumspitze. Those two types are traditional but perhaps in other parts of my country? Never had figures in my family. Do not recall seeing them with family and friends.

 

Will look at phrase suggestion.

 

You are right the Christmas tree is our German way of invading every English home. Ha!!

 

But seriously, do nurseries cultivate the trees or do you mainly get imports? We have a tradition of the fathers going out with the boys to the special nurseries for "Christbaumschlagen", at least I hope they still do it where possible. You walk around the nursery and go "yes, that is our tree". Then you are allowed to cut it yourself or an attendant does it for you.

 

notamermaid

 

My wife's family used to have a Christmas tree farm. We grew several different types of tree. Some trees hold their needles longer than others, some of stronger boughs to support more or heavier ornaments, some of a stronger scent, and of course some species grow better in some areas than others. Fraser firs where our most popular tree. The big farms in northern New England grow mostly balsam firs to be cut and shipped south to be sold as pre-cuts. We had a variety of fir (Tannen) and spruce (Fichten) trees to be selected in the fields for cutting fresh. Even had a type of Kiefer (pines) for a while but they did not go well.

 

There is almost always a topper used and will be an angel or a star. I'd like some time to get a Nürnberger Rauschgoldengel. 

 

The Kaberettist Toni Laurerer describes the selling of biologically safely grown "Tyrolean giant dwarf firs" (Tirolische Riesenzwergtannen). LOL. If you have 10 minutes and are not scared off by his Oberpfälzer dialect you might enjoy this story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfIvgkWkRtY&t=604s

 

[notamermaid]

All Saints' Day is a Remembrance day for the Saints but as Catholics the tradition is to visit your relatives that have passed away and honour them with candles on their graves. So I went with my family to visit my relatives and also had a look at friends and acquaintances final resting places . A distant colleague, a neighbour, a friend of the family... I have been in a somber mood for several days, I think it started when I remembered that just before Halloween quite a few years ago now my neighbour's cat appeared at my kitchen window giving me quite a fitting fright. The cat passed away last year and I still miss her.

 

The candles where lit in the chapel and there was a priest in attendance. We talked a little. The path to one relative's grave took us past the war graves. It struck me again that several were from the same day. Civilians. One fateful day in autumn 1944. Among the graves of the last five years was one that ended in the same number for both birth and death, a baby not even one year old. Sad, I really wondered what may have happened.

 

When I am on holiday I tend not to go to cemeteries, some people do, but I generally do not go, famous ones or the local ones. I just pass through when they are near the village church for example. It is then interesting to look at the names. They do differ within Germany. Some names are more regional some are ubiquitous of course.

 

When you go to older cemeteries especially you can "study" cultural and social aspects. It does not matter whether you are Christian or not, the symbolism of and on the gravestones and sometimes additional personal references can be really interesting.

 

November is the somber month, as I call it, in the Christian calendar of course with several days for remembrance, of reflection and prayer. Coincidental or deliberately in that month.

 

Yesterday I noticed the first poppy on a jacket of a British reporter on television. I do not actually know on which day this tradition of attaching a poppy to your clothing starts. We do not do this in Germany. As a day of remembrance after many years of debate the second Sunday before the first Sunday of Advent was chosen in 1952, so this year it is 19th November.

 

notamermaid

 

[gnome12]

57 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

Yesterday I noticed the first poppy on a jacket of a British reporter on television. I do not actually know on which day this tradition of attaching a poppy to your clothing starts. We do not do this in Germany. As a day of remembrance after many years of debate the second Sunday before the first Sunday of Advent was chosen in 1952, so this year it is 19th November.

Here in Canada the wearing of poppies officially starts on November 1st, although politicians have been wearing them for a few days already. They are worn until Remembrance Day (November 11th) and recent tradition has them being left at cenotaphs and war memorials after a Remembrance Day service there. 

[Canal archive]

https://www.I’m.org.uk/5history/why-we-wear-poppies-on-remembrance-day

 

This is the Imperial War Museum site interesting how many nations were involved in this little red flower becoming a symbol.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Building off the last few posts (in a slightly different direction):  last Saturday I went to a 'virtual pilgrimage' to Assisi led by my church's Third Order Franciscan community, and one of the photos was of a field of poppies just outside Assisi that provides a perfect 'post card view' and should be in bloom at the time of my visit next May.  I was thinking how beautiful it will be (especially since I won't have to worry where the produce of those poppies is going to end up...)  Maybe I can pluck one and pin it on, even if it's the wrong time of year.

[gnome12]

3 hours ago, Canal archive said:

https://www.I’m.org.uk/5history/why-we-wear-poppies-on-remembrance-day

 

This is the Imperial War Museum site interesting how many nations were involved in this little red flower becoming a symbol.

Correcting your link (I think auto-correct reared its head)

https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/why-we-wear-poppies-on-remembrance-day

 

It all started with a poem by Canadian doctor John McRae,  "In Flanders Fields"

 

Edited November 2, 2023 by gnome12

[Host Jazzbeau]

12 minutes ago, gnome12 said:

It all started with a poem by Canadian doctor John McRae,  "In Flanders Fields"

We all learned that poem in school (in the US).  Sadly, they don't learn any poems in school anyone, because "it's not on the [standardized] test."

[Canal archive]

Sorry I really thought I’d checked it I’m getting a bit fed up with tech at the moment heaven help when AI takes over.

 

Another poets name we forget is Laurence Binyon who wrote - For the Fallen and Burning Leaves.

 

 

[franski]

One of our cruises spend a great deal of time in the Netherlands - with a focus being on the history of WWI and WWII.  We stood where Lt. Col John McCrae was stationed at the time he wrote that poem.  So moving...  We also had the privilege of attending the Menin Gate ceremony in Ypres...  Lots of sober and emotional moments on that cruise. 

 

Fran

[CPT Trips]

I appreciate that Grand Circle Travel/Overseas Adventure Travel stops at the the American Cemeteries on many of their trips and also at the Cemeteries of our Allies and our former enemies when nearby. 
 

I also appreciate that the Premier League kits have a poppy on them today. Waiting to see the NFL uniforms.

[capriccio]

19 hours ago, franski said:

One of our cruises spend a great deal of time in the Netherlands - with a focus being on the history of WWI and WWII.  We stood where Lt. Col John McCrae was stationed at the time he wrote that poem.  So moving...  We also had the privilege of attending the Menin Gate ceremony in Ypres...  Lots of sober and emotional moments on that cruise. 

 

Fran

We lived in Belgium for 3 1/2 years in the mid 90s and our kids attended an international school.  The annual 5th grade (9 and 10 year olds) field trip was two nights in Flanders (including Ypres and Bruges).  We had already taken our kids to each but the reaction of our almost 10 year old son to the school field trip was memorable.  He came home and said they had seen Last Post at the Menin Gate and after the crowd dispersed the 'old' (probably mid 60s) 5th grade teacher read "In Flanders Fields" to the group prefacing it with the announcement that her father had fought there, survived, and came home to England to have children including her.  She did this every year for the many decades she worked at the school and I'm sure it is one of the things most remembered by the students (and their parents).

[Canal archive]

I have a great uncle who’s name is on the Menin Gate and his brothers name is on the memorial on Southsea Common he went down on HMS Shark at the battle of Jutland.

Wherever we’ve been in the world we've visited the War graves looked after by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and other count groups - Lest We Forget.

[notamermaid]

The Remembrance Days of Jewish Life in Germany are coming up here. Every year in November with Commemorations, wreath laying and speeches. Also some talks and exhibitions tend to take place at this time of year.

 

I have mentioned this elsewhere but for those interested when on a land trip or on a river cruise you can look at the plaque scheme. This is designed more for those people that do not have a proper grave, each is a memory not just for Jewish people: https://www.stolpersteine.eu/en/home

 

On a happier note. A few years ago I happened to meet through work (tourism) a young man visiting my area. While talking it transpired that he was on a "look at the place where your ancestors lived" tour and his grandfather wanted to know a few things. He only had three days left to find the Jewish cemetery and some more info before flying back to the US but it was difficult as that was over a weekend when offices are closed of course. Thankfully through a history project I was familiar with the cemetery and knew local contacts so I could help him and especially stayed longer at work. I really enjoyed doing overtime for that.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[sharkster77]

WWI was a five year horror for the UK, as compared to the one-year+ time the US was involved.  A generation of young men was lost, especially in Scotland.

 

When we were in Scotland last September in the days leading up to the Queen's funeral, we noticed that every city and town, large and tiny, had a WWI memorial in town, which ended up being the place for leaving flowers etc., mourning the queen.  The notes left were quite heartfelt.

 

Downton Abbey fans may remember that the village planned and built a WWI memorial---something that happened everywhere in the UK.

[Canal archive]

We were at our place in Scotland when the Queen started her final journey to London and watched her pass by I can just say even in the most out of the way places the sides of the road were full. What an amazing lady.

[notamermaid]

1 hour ago, Canal archive said:

What an amazing lady.

I can assure you that she was and still is regarded very very high in Germany. "Als die Queen kam" when the Queen came in 1965 it was such an exciting time, what an honour after hard years for my country. In Bonn, our then capital, she laid down a wreath at a memorial for the victims of wars. The funeral was a sad day.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[Daisi]

Most Canadian cities and towns have memorials for the two wars. We will be down at our ceremony on Saturday to lay a wreath for my Grandfathers, who met during the war, and then 10 yrs later reunited when my parents got together. We have found some secrets hidden in my Great-Aunt's papers that showed she worked for Sir William Stephenson. I wish we had know that when she was alive.

[notamermaid]

We have a Prussian memorial one from the war of 1871, WWI and WWII. An unusual story is the memorial of General Marceau, a much revered general of the French coalition army. The memorial pyramid is in Koblenz-Lützel on the French cemetery. No English info unfortunately: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franzosenfriedhof_(Koblenz)

 

Hmmm, I think I could put this in the Rhine thread with some more details.

 

notamermaid

 

[Canal archive]

A little U.K. WW2 waterways history because most of the men were otherwise engaged women were recruited to operated the canal fleet. The canals were operated by a government agency whose name included Inland Waterways. They all had to wear badges and the acronym got corrupted to ‘Idle Women’ which of course they certainly were not. In WW1 the war ministry used the Kennet & Avon Canal to train soldiers and horses to work boats so their newly acquired skills could transfer to the rivers and canals of Europe.

[franski]

12 hours ago, Daisi said:

Most Canadian cities and towns have memorials for the two wars. We will be down at our ceremony on Saturday to lay a wreath for my Grandfathers, who met during the war, and then 10 yrs later reunited when my parents got together. We have found some secrets hidden in my Great-Aunt's papers that showed she worked for Sir William Stephenson. I wish we had know that when she was alive.

Sir William Stephenson....  A Man called Intrepid.  The training camp - or "Camp X" was in Whitby - where I live.  Lots of nods to the man and the history.  Streets & parks named in his honour. 

 

My father served in WWII.  Enlisted into the Queen's Own Rifles at age 17.  He hardly ever talked about his time abroad. Apparently did land on the shores on D-Day - but not on the first wave.  He never told us - but did share that with my husband.

 

We owe our soldiers a huge debt...  Our freedoms are so special today - especially given the lack of freedom we witness in the world right now.

 

Fran

[Daisi]

11 hours ago, franski said:

Sir William Stephenson....  A Man called Intrepid.  The training camp - or "Camp X" was in Whitby - where I live.  Lots of nods to the man and the history.  Streets & parks named in his honour. 

 

My father served in WWII.  Enlisted into the Queen's Own Rifles at age 17.  He hardly ever talked about his time abroad. Apparently did land on the shores on D-Day - but not on the first wave.  He never told us - but did share that with my husband.

 

We owe our soldiers a huge debt...  Our freedoms are so special today - especially given the lack of freedom we witness in the world right now.

 

Fran

Neither of my Grandfathers talked about the war much, except with my husband and then it was transport & tanks (one transported tanks, the other drove them). Ironically, they actually met up in the Netherlands close to where my Father-in-Law lived, as one transported the other's tank. Guess they got together as they were both from the same area (east Ont., west Quebec). 10 years later when my parents started going out and introduced the parents to each other, they recognised each other! Would have loved to hear some of the stories they told amongst themselves, as one was a bit of a character. 🙂 

[pontac]

On 11/1/2023 at 8:59 PM, notamermaid said:

As a day of remembrance after many years of debate the second Sunday before the first Sunday of Advent was chosen in 1952, so this year it is 19th November.

 

11 November was chosen as remembrance day in the UK after WWI; the armistice that ended the  fighting in WWI came into force on the 11th minute of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918.

 

Now in UK the ceremonies take place at 11am on the first Sunday after 11/11*. I will be at  the War Memorial in my city on Sunday morning.

 

Poppies on clothes in the UK show the wearer has made a contribution to the Royal British Legion, a charity that looks after ex-service people. One gets a poppy from the volunteers that sell them in supermarkets, streets, rail station etc, or a tray of poppies and a collecting box on pub and shop counters.

 

* a pleasure to use shorthand for a date that will mean the same for US readers and readers in the rest of the world.

 

[pontac]

On 11/4/2023 at 10:35 PM, notamermaid said:

I can assure you that she was and still is regarded very very high in Germany

 

😉Her family name is (was) Saxe-Coburg.

 

(It was only changed because of the unpleasantness between UK and Germany that started in 1914.)