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Victoria
Downtown skyline as seen from West Bay at low tide.ESTONIA AND GERMANY by plane, train, ferry and bicycle... And only a week until lift-off, yet still so much to do! Sounds like a common lament of travellers, doesn't it?
My trip to Europe is meant to be a voyage both into the past and the future. Early this year I stumbled across the website of an international theatre festival, "Theater der Welt", to be held in Halle, Germany in June. My discovery provided the impetus to wanting to see what's out there in the world of theatre and other performing arts. It took some meticulous planning, but I've managed to select the dates and buy tickets (through the efficient www.ticketonline.com) for a wide variety of hopefully cutting-edge stage presentations, including an Italian puppet play, African fusion dance, multi-media outdoor shows and even an opera performed in an old church. The location of this festival happens to be a mere stone's throw from Leipzig, the birthplace of my paternal grandfather (Halle and Leipzig share the same airport).
Last time I visited my homeland was exactly 20 years ago, so attending this three-week performing arts event seemed as good an excuse as any to return and experience the eastern portion
Ferry skipper
"This is your captain speaking: Welcome to Victoria Harbour Ferries!" (photo by Jeannie Yates) of Germany that was then stuck behind barbed wire fences, mine fields and machine-gun encrusted guard towers. And while I'm over there, why not also visit my mother's birthplace, Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia? As World War II refugees, none of her family dared return during the Soviet occupation of their home country. Neither she nor my father lived long enough to see independence return to Estonia or the fall of the Berlin wall with its accompanying reunification of the two Germanys. And, of course, I couldn't go back without visiting my own hometown, Hamburg, where both my parents lie buried.
I am readying myself with mixed emotions. I have heard and read much about the architectural beauty of Tallinn's old town, and I feel badly about not having learned the language. I also wonder if things in public life and officialdom have loosened up a bit in the new Germany, or are people still as stuffy as they used to be in the days of my youth? I shall soon know.
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suzanne
non-member comment
Your great adventure
lies in the self-discovery and the connecting of the dots that you are about to engage in. Go with a clear eye, an open mind and a tender heart. I will be following you from a distance.