Get Lost!
Well I finally left the Netherlands and started heading south. I decided to spend a day and a half in Germany to check out some ancestral places before taking an overnight train to Florence. I thought an act of bravery would rid myself of complacency. Driving a car in foreign territory, fending for myself with maps, and nothing planned would do the trick. I'm happy to report... maybe relieved is a better word... that I survived.
My sister enjoys genealogy as a hobby and gave me some names of areas to discover. However, at the train station in Frankfurt, that exciting process was still a world away. First, I had to get out of Frankfurt and try to find those places on the pre-marked map my friend, Diana, got from CAA, which happens to be completely different than the one I got from the rental car company.
The main highway has no speed limit as you likely know, but others have 120 or 130km limits, however, slow down to 80km for construction and come to a dead stop for accidents. Don't they know speed kills? The towns are so close together that if you blink you will miss them.
Picture this... You are driving a Fiat (small but expensive) in an attempt to keep up with traffic and cause as few horn honks as possible and then you blink. Damn you just missed an exit... or did you? *note, Asfaht is not the name of a town, it means 'exit'. I thought the backroads might be easier (by the way, there are no backroads).
Now, picture this... you're driving along, faster than the norm but it seems okay; you're enjoying the scenery and you spotted the next town toward your destination; then you come to a T-intersection with the name of one town to the right and one to the left; your hesitation has caused a traffic jam so you randomly choose (only to later find out that neither of those towns are even on the map); 20 minutes and 5 circular miles later, you are back on course. Now picture doing that 10 times in one day. I'm not even being dramatic. It took me 4 hours to get to my 2-hour destination.
The Landau area, former home of the Frölichs, my Mom's ancestors, is lovely. There are vineyards and picturesque villages everywhere. It reminded me a little of the Okanogan area and smells wonderful. No one speaks English and with 40,000 people it is a bustling place.
There are only 3 hotels, two 5 star (with no vacancy) and one a little dumpy. Guess where I stayed. It was huge but there were only nine other guests who were in Landau on a study program. One of them apologized to me on behalf of Germans for the inadequate service.
I spent the next morning wandering through a cementary looking for familiar names. It was actually a beautiful place. There were couples there (I suspect volunteers) taking care of it. I'm talking real flowers and cleaning the tops of the graves. The Germans really know how to take care of their dead. It seemed to be only 20th Century so I only found a couple of family names fairly recent but lots of names from my home town area in Saskatchewan.
I had wanted to check out some more places but after all the driving in circles and stopping to get my bearings, I gave up. It took me five hours to get back to Frankfurt but I still had a few hours to explore the city. Its quite nice, with the Main river running through it (reminded me of the Bow). I like the way they mix the new architecture with the old bulidings.
If you ever decide to go on an adventure such as this, take along your patience and be prepared to get lost!
posted by Ilsa @ Wednesday, July 12, 2006
2 Comments:
Lisa, I am really enjoying reading about your wonderful adventures. Just got back to the farm from the trip to B.C. so I am trying to catch up!!Thanks for sharing. Others, including Debbie and Carol anxiously await your next post. Stay safe and away from areas at War,please.
Lot's of love
Mom
Lisa...you looked so "pretty" in Weesp. And, such lovely photos lately...sometimes hard to believe you're actually "out there taking it all in". You're seeing new landscapes and I'm seeing bums and bottles! Wanna trade places? Just for a bit! Had a great time with the Bennetts @ Susan's wedding. I got lots of compliments in your Mexx outfit from Jason's wedding! Love ya-take good care. Carmen xo
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