Farewell - in the Netherlands & Frankfurt

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31/10/05 - Saying farewell to Liesbeth and Michel was a sad event. Farewell to Liesbeth and Michel also meant that we were departing for Frankfurt so that Lorenza and I would also say farewell and for Lorenza to catch her flight home.

The drive to Frankfurt was uneventful, except for the speeds that people travel at on the German autobahns. At 172km/h (the highest speed we reached) there were still many cars pulling away from us and disappearing quickly into the distance. The traffic in the “slow lane” is doing 130km/h, in the middle lane about 150km/h. I had to brake at one stage to slow down for a vehicle which was holding the traffic up at 140km/h; it was amazing how slow that seemed after sitting on 150 for so long. When we encountered road works and we slowed to 100km/h it felt like we were standing still.

We had dinner at an Italian restaurant close to our hotel. It was about the only place we could eat. The hotel was located in a semi industrial area, about 10km from the airport. We were very surprised to find that the restaurant was one of the best we had dined at so far. Not only was the food great, there was also a pianist playing some lovely classic songs, like “When smoke gets in your eyes”, etc. A bonus for our farewell dinner!

We discussed the highlights of our trip to date and naturally, we talked about how much we would miss each other over the next few weeks. I gave Lorenza strict instructions to give Gus and Ella a big pat for me when she made it home.

Lorenza got her flight at 11.30pm; in the Qantas check in queue were lots of German teenagers who were obviously setting off on backpacking journeys in Australia. So, after check in they were upstairs at the same bar as us and when the weather forecast for Sydney came on the world news they all “oohed” when they quoted the temperature as being 28 degrees, as opposed to about 8 degrees that evening in Frankfurt.

180km/h is too fast for me in the rain!

1/11/05 - I did not sleep too well after parting with Lorenza at the Airport. We had a snooze in the afternoon, plus there was a fair amount of traffic noise, so I tossed and turned all night (missing Lorenza already!).

I awoke to a miserable day, cold and raining. After breakfast I got on the autobahn heading to Strasbourg (France), via Karlsruhe (Germany). By the time I reached Karlsruhe I needed a break desperately, mainly because it took so much concentration on the autobahn. It was pouring rain and visibility was down to about 5 car lengths, but still the big Mercs and Beemers were flying along at 160 to 180km/h. To them tail gaiting at that speed in the wet may be normal, but for me it was very stressful. So, at Karlsruhe I consulted the map and found an alternate route to France via Rastatt. This was a minor highway heading to Haguenau in France and the speed limit was a much less stressful 110km/h.

My alternate route took me across the Rhine River at the site of a large lock. I stopped and watched as a yacht approached and was allowed passage through the lock, an amazing bit of engineering and there are many of these along the Rhine which cater not only for pleasure craft, but also large cargo barges.

After the crossing of the Rhine into France, I stuck to the minor roads as much as I could and was rewarded with little traffic, plus lovely views of the autumn colours as I passed through some large forest areas. I had a pit stop in Haguenau for fuel for the car and myself. I grabbed a quick bite to eat in a takeaway on the Rue de Torture, I sincerely hoped that the street name was a reference to medieval times and that it was not a comment on the standard of food on offer.

All Saints Day

After lunch, I headed back to Niedermorschwihr, via Strasbourg and the A35. On arrival there was no answer to my ring at the door and I then realized that it was “All Saints Day”, which meant that most of the inhabitants of the village would be either at church and/or at the cemetery. This is a very big tradition in France (and I think Italy), but it is not at all so in countries such as Australia. So, if you want to track anyone down on the 1st of November, head for the church or the cemetery - I did so and found Jean, Beatrice and Nelly there, plus most of the inhabitants of Niedermorschwihr.

At the cemetery and on the walk back to their home, I was introduced to many locals, each time Beatrice ran through the explanation of my connection to Alsace, and our connection to each other. Jean assures me that Beatrice does not tire from explaining the brief history of our connection. I am glad she doesn’t because it certainly helps to break the ice with the people she introduces me to. Many of the older inhabitants of the village still have memories of my distant family from the time around WWII. No matter the reason, it is always nice to be greeted in such a friendly way and makes me feel much less like a tourist.

Aside from me, Jean and Beatrice have a visitor from Paris, Father Bernard. He is an ex-military Chaplin. He definitely looks the part of the Frenchman in his navy blue suit and beret. Bernard is an interesting man, and has visited Sydney. He described his impressions of Sydney in very fast French, so I caught about every fifth word, which made the gist of the conversation a bit hard for me to follow. Once, he slowed down I realized he had changed subject and was now talking about Rugby Union and the fact that Australia played some games against France not so long ago. Then he quickly changed subject again and upped the speed of the conversation and I was lost again. Hopefully over the next few days I can improve my listening skills, it may take a bit longer than that to improve my ability to converse fluently though!

Anyway, it is great to be back in Alsace and also to get a good nights rest in the comfortable room on the upper floor of Jean and Beatrice’s home. It is so quiet and warm that I slept like a baby.

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