Trier, Germany

August 12, 2013

We're back!  Somewhat weary and glad for a quiet evening of reading, blogging and yes, napping again!

Lony and Jemp picked us up after lunch and we took a short drive over to Trier, Germany. Trier is the last place in Europe Grandpa Tripe was posted and where Mom went to school for a year. We knew that we wouldn't see the barracks - one of the buildings was turned into a 2-room school for Canadian kids - as they were taken down many years ago but, we did want to see the many other popular sites.

As you can tell by now, I am continually observing the similarities and differences between life here and life in Canada. Here's a really smart design for parking your vehicle in a car park. As you enter the parkade (in Trier), there are digital signs that indicate if the parkade is full or if there are spaces available. Once you get your little ticket and through the gate, there are more signs pointing to the levels that have open spots AND how many at each level! Off we went to Level A (A for Anne!) where we found lights above each parking stall on the ceiling. Those occupied by a vehicle had red lights above it. The empty stalls had green lights. Brilliant! It's the little things.

Okay, back to the day trip. We walked to the centre of Trier, to Hauptmarkt. This is the central market place that is bordered by some pretty amazing structures. In the picture, look for the tall lady wearing a yellow sweater; that's Lony who is next to Jemp and Mom. Gives some perspective.

 

The weather was cool and while milling about, we had to take cover twice from the rain.  The umbrellas were in the car!  

A brief understanding of Trier, Germany: According to the information on Wikipedia (love this site), Mom and Jemp, this city is believed to be the oldest city in Germany dating back to 16 BC. There is an inscription on a building in the market square that translates to, "Thirteen hundred years before Rome, Trier stood / may it stand on and enjoy eternal piece. Amen." Had I researched Trier before going, I would have taken a picture of that.

The Roman Empire was present in the 1st century BC which explains the architecture and Roman baths. Per Wikipedia, Trier celebrated its 2,000th anniversary in 1984. Hang on, gotta pick up my jaw from the floor. TWO THOUSAND YEARS!?

There were many, many wars fought in and around Trier during those years. In relation to the purpose of this blog, over 60,000 British prisoners of war, captured at Dunkirk and Northern France, were marched to Trier where they were held until being sent to German prisoner-of-war camps. Trier was heavily bombed in 1944 during WWII. Grandpa was stationed there in 1953.

While Lony ran an errand, Mom, Jemp and I wandered down toward the Porta Nigra. We took time to take some photos of the elephants (a little teaser for ya) and, naturally, sat for a cold beer (Bitburger) and water in front of the Porta Nigra.

What the heck is the Porta Nigra? Honestly, I had no clue until Mom and Jemp educated me. Porta Nigra is, "...today the largest Roman city gate north of the Alps and has been designated as a World Heritage Site." It was built between 186 and 200 AD.

Per Wikipedia: "In Roman times, the Porta Nigra was part of a system of four city gates, one of which stood at each side of the roughly rectangular Roman city.  The Porta Nigra guarded the northern entry... Of these gates, only the Porta Nigra still exists today."

Next stop, the Cathedral of Saint Peter, another World Heritage Site.  Wiki tells us that this church was built on the foundations of Roman buildings and is the largest church in Germany.  With all of the wars over the centuries, it is a wonder this structure stands intact.

What Wiki isn't telling us is that this church is "The Sanctuary of Christ's Seamless Robe."  Not to be confused with his "Death Shroud".  Here is the sign posted in the church "for prayers only".

This "Seamless Robe" or "Holy Tunic" is believed to have been worn by Jesus either during or just before his crucifixion. There are several traditions that claim to have this robe.  The Cathedral of Trier is one of them. Each year since 1996 there is an annual ten-day religious festival and viewing of the tunic. The last viewing was April 13 - May 13, 2012.  We did not see the tunic or know where in the church it is enshrined.

Here are some photos of the amazing interior. They do not encompass all that there is to be seen in there. There were a lot of people in this cathedral and all were respecting the quiet atmosphere that was being asked of them, even the children.

Adventures in Banking & Shopping

August 12, 2013

This morning after a really nice evening of chicken, rice and broccoli (Mom figured out how to use the convection oven!) with Jemp as our guest, both Mom and I woke feeling a tad foggy.  While the landscape was covered in fog, our fog was due to consuming a couple of bottles of red wine!

Mom was up before me, as usual and after a light breakfast she returned to bed for a snooze and I stretched out on the couch to read my book.  There was some snoozing on my part too.  The phone rang at the pre-arranged time and within 15 minutes I was out the door to meet Lony for a trip to the pharmacy.

There was a small error in my prescription in that I didn't receive enough painkillers.  Lony came in with me to translate and the pharmacist was gracious in giving me the remainder of my prescription. No extra cost and a sincere apology.  Everyone here is so very nice!

Then we scooted over to the shopping complex so I could get some more Euros and Lony and I could pick up a few more groceries.  The first bank I went to, I thought was closed.  The door wouldn't open yet there were people inside.  Hmmm...now what?  Then two good looking men in suits were on the other side of the double doors smiling at me...just standing there smiling at me.  I know I'm cute but, this was a tad awkward.  The left-hand door suddenly opened automatically and out they went greeting me with "Moien!"  I looked more closely at the door and saw a small button with two charactures of a man.  Each had an unlt light underneath; one green and one red.  There was also a sticker advising the place was under video surveillance.  I took a risk and pressed the button.

Green light and the sound of a lock!  I gave the door a push and SUCCESS I was in.  Almost in.  I found myself caught in limbo between the street and the inside of the bank.  In front of me was a second door with the same button and indicators.  I pushed that button and waited, and waited and when the door I first entered closed, the lock on the second came free and I could finally enter the bank.  Whew!

The 'teller' spoke English and advised she couldn't help me withdraw Canadian funds from my account to convert to Euros.  She suggested I go to the bank futher along in the complex and maybe they could help me.

Bank #2:  I approached the doors and now knowing what to do, pressed the necessary buttons to enter into the financial fortress.  I was met with the same answer to my money inquiry.  Now what?  This teller made the suggestion that I put my debit card into the bank machine outside and it should give me Euros.  Well, duh!  The last time I was in Europe was 23 years ago and banking was a tad different then.  I remember my sister and I taking travelers' cheques and converting them at exchanges and banks as we puttered about the Costa del Sol in Spain.  It didn't even dawn on me to get funds the way we do in North America.  It worked.  Saved!

Off to meet back up with Lony to shop for replacement items and a few more goodies to tide us over.  Having been at this store once before, I was confident I would find everything I need.  I even communicated with the nice gal in the deli that I needed 100 grams of garlic salami.  No problems.

Now the check-out.  Lony was at the self service check-out and being a tad nervous about using one (actually, I didn't want to look stupid) I headed to the lines that were being served by people.  I only had a few items and seeing the line-ups decided to suck it up, back up and try the self service.  Lony was nearby and if alarms went off, she would probably bail me out.

The check-out looked similar to our North American ones and I thought it would be pretty basic. Seeing no English I jumped in by starting to scan my items.  Um, no dice!  I scanned the Perrier and put it to the side.  The computer started beeping at me and telling me something in German.  Eeek!  A lovely, smiling face wearing the supermarket uniform appeared next to me and she started to talk to me in French.  Eeek!  I smiled and said, "I only speak English."

She continued to talk in French...more slowly...and showed me what buttons to push to get started. Thankfully, she stayed close as I scanned each item and at this point Lony was there to assist.  Time to pay!  Which button?  She asked me a question.  I smiled and took out my wallet guessing she wanted to know how I was paying.  I guessed correctly. I pulled out my newly withdrawn Euros and she made the selection.  In went the cash and out came my receipt!

As I was packing my goods, she asked me to step over to another machine to show me there is an English option, "For next time." she said.  Groan!  There's that looking-stupid moment.

Following Lony out of the cashier area, we were stopped by a turnstile.  Lony pulled out her receipt, scanned it, the machine wouldn't register it and finally the smiling staff person overrode it and let us out.

I tell ya, security is tight here!  Thankfully, the people are very nice and patient with Canadians who opted out of continuing French in high school.

Adventures in Making Things Work

This is how Holly and I are figuring out to make things work here. It has become an exercise in ingenuity and Oh My Gawd-ism!

Trying to figure out the showers has been a challenge, they were all different and required one to stand there naked with the glasses on trying to figure what to push, pull or turn. Holly actually managed to have a Jacuzzi bath in the first hotel and I couldn't figure out how to let the water out! Each toilet has a different flushing mechanism which is kind of fascinating but not difficult to figure out.

Then there are the blinds. They are metal and are operated electronically. We discovered this at the above hotel by pushing on a switch next to the light switch by mistake and hearing a noise which prompted us to immediately stop it in case it was some kind of an alarm or something. Then we figured it out when the room became a bit darker! Duh! These blinds are also used for security. Our great host in Echternacherbruck (across on the German side of the Sauer River from Echternach) had these blinds on all her windows and the doors in the suite we stayed in. So to get out, you had to unlock the door with a key and then raise the blind with a switch. She already had had 3 breakins.

We took one electrical converter gizmo with us. But we constantly needed to charge one or other of our electronic items - 2 cell phones, 2 laptops, 1 camera, 1 curling iron. Then we have to find the plugs. Josee gave us another converter which has helped considerably. So now that we are here at our wonderful host Claude's apartment, the routine is to plug the phones into the converter in the kitchen and the laptops into a plug in the dining room. Dizzy and bored yet?

Paying to go to the toilet was fun as well. Holly had to do that at the train station in Luxembourg when she arrived a bit early and she "needed to go" and the lady couldn't speak English and they were trying to figure out "how much". We also used a "pay to go" place in a mall in Brugge but we had Lony with us who could translate as we put our coin in and went through a turnstile.

And now we come to cooking here at Claude's - an adventure in appliances. The fridge is pretty well standard - Thanks Be! The sink and faucet were easy. I have yet to figure out the DeLonghi Magnifica coffeemaker. I can see where the beans go but can't figure out how to put the water in so have been using instant coffee. The microwave took a few tries to get the dials and on and off thingees working together. I have left the best to last - the Induction Stovetop. I finally had to look online for instructions! I kid you not! And here's the video that told us what to do - http://youtu.be/5Z1wZANhHG8. This woman was 'way too chipper but we suffered through it and managed to get supper and not do any damage. It is kind of neat!

We now have dry clean clothes after trying different settings on the washer and dryer. You must understand that the settings are all in German so there I was last evening with my iPhone in one hand with Google translate on the little screen and typing in the settings from the machinery. Whatever we did worked because as I said we have dry clean clothes. I did note that one of the websites that asked the same question came from an American student at a German university who couldn't figure it out either. I felt a bit better. My German is rudimentary at best.

Tonight we learn about the oven because we're cooking for guests and I'm making chicken with trimmings.

When? How old were you? Relating to the Past

Often as I hear these stories and work on putting them in order in a timeline (this is the linear thinker in me), it takes a bit more thought and my brain begins to focus on where those stories fit in that timeline.  For those of us who weren't there due to time or space, the list below might help in understanding that time and space:

1939 - 1945 World War II (the most widespread war in history)

1939: Philip Valentine King Tripe left his girlfriend Elizabeth Ann Rannie in Canada to join the Royal Air Force in England  

1940 (May): Elizabeth (19 years old and pregnant with Anne) left for Chester, England with her father by ship to marry Phil

1940 (July 29th): Anne Margaret Tripe was born in Chester, England

1945 (January 16th): Phil was shot down by friendly fire in As, Belgium - he was sent home to Canada shortly after

1945 (June): Elizabeth (pregnant with Robert) and daughter Anne sailed back to Canada

1945 (September): Robert Leslie King Tripe was born in Ottawa, Ontario

1947 (June): Louise Elizabeth King Tripe was born in Trenton, Ontario

1949 (November): Donald Philip King Tripe was born in Ottawa, Ontario

1953 (October): The Tripe Family returned to Chester, England as Phil was posted to Trier, Germany

1953 (December?): The Tripe Family moved to Echternach, Luxembourg (to be closer to Phil's post in Trier)

1954: At 13 years old, Anne met her new friends; Josee, Mely, Emelye and Jemp in Echternach (this blog focuses on that time in her life)

1954 (September): Gordon Peter King Tripe was born in Bitburg, Germany

1956 (October): The Tripe Family, including Phil, returned to Canada on the SS Homeric - Phil was 38, Elizabeth was 36, Anne was 16, Rob was 11, Louise was 9, Donald was 6, and Gordon was 2.

May 1940 Wedding!

(l-r - RAF Chaplain, Phil, Elizabeth, Aunt Hilda, Grandpa Rannie)





To Rob, Weese, Don and Gord: we may have a few details wrong here.  Our apologies.  Mom is sitting across from me writing a blog post about European appliances (you should see us try to figure them out) and I'm interrupting her with questions.  Please do comment and correct any errors you see here.

There, now I have my head wrapped around the early years and I hope this helps you!

Brussels

August 8, 2013 - On our way back from the Belgian coast, we drove into the heart of Brussels to see the Grand Place. It really is something! I won't remember all the details of the history and names of the fabulous buildings so here's Wikipedia to tell you that part - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Place.

While we were waiting for Jemp and Lony to park the car in an underground spot, Holly and I waited in a little square where we found a wonderful statue of a man with his dog.

It turns out this is the man who was responsible for the last restoration of the Place. Here is what Wikipedia says - "In the late 19th century, mayor Charles Buls had the Grand Place returned to its former splendour, with buildings being reconstructed or restored."

On the way to the Grand Place, we walked by this marvellous building. It's called Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert and is a fantastic shopping plaza.

And now here are some photos of the Grand Place -

 
 

And of course we bought some souvenirs for friends.

 

As, Belgium Revisited

When Bill and I went to As and Opglabbeek in Belgium three and a half years ago to see the place where Dad had bailed out of his plane, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever get back. But I did and Holly did too. Our friends Jemp and Lony drove to the Mardaga on Monday, August 5 where we met our old friend Karel. Jemp told us that my Dad was his first hero – how about that! He said that Dad didn’t say very much about his being wounded and shot down but I guess that was enough for a teenager who had read all about the Spitfire pilots.

We walked in the hotel and there was the plaque that my cousin John had designed and had made hanging on the wall in the lobby. And Karel had arranged to have two pieces of the plane framed to hang beside the plaque. It was quite moving to see it again.

 

 

 

We met Karel who took us to all the spots – Y32-Ophoven airfield, the school where the officers and pilots stayed and where the hospital was that treated the wound in Dad’s right arm. And then we went up behind the Mardaga to see the crash site of Dad’s Spitfire. I had seen the area very briefly in the winter of 2010 and did not walk in but did this time. I felt kind of odd and awed by it. There’s nothing to see on the ground. There are trees now, there weren’t any back then. It’s very peaceful now. 

 

 

We all went out to supper as the Mardaga’s restaurant was closed on Mondays. Karel told us that his and William’s book on the war will be coming out in 2016. They are finishing up some interviews and the mayor has most generously agreed to pay for the publishing. This book was started, in part, as a result of our visit three years ago. People have just now started talking about what happened in their community all those years ago.

Since Lony and Jemp had not heard all the details that Karel had been sending to us, they asked lots of questions and it was good to hear it all again.

 

 

Karel had brought 3 pieces of the plane with him for me to take home. There is a pump, an exploded piece of ammo and a piece of aluminum which could have come from the body or the wing. I will be bringing these back to Canada.

 

 

There are not enough words to thank Karel and all the other people who have helped me and my family understand and know more about who our Dad was in a vital part of his life.

And for those who haven’t seen the whole story of my Mom and Dad’s life during WWII, you can go to that blog which was done over a period of years – Dad’s flight logs, Mom’s diaries, photos and the story of the 2010 trip to commemorate the end of Dad’s war - http://philtripe.blogspot.com/.

A Little Medical Drama

August 9, 2013

After a whirlwind driving tour of the Belgian coast that included one night in As, two nights in Brugge and a day trip to Brussels, we have arrived back in Luxembourg to rest and regroup at Claude Friedrich's condo. Our gracious hostess and her son are on holidays in Greece which has afforded us this opportunity to have a home base...a very beautiful home base until Mom leaves on the 15th.

We’ll add more about our trip to Belgium soon.  Promise.

Mom and I discussed whether I should make a post about the recent drama (the only drama) and we figured, it has formed a part of this trip and added to our learning more about life in Luxembourg. The drama actually started before we left...

In my efforts to increase my fitness and to conquer running/jogging, I started r-alking about 6 weeks ago. Hiking Baldy Mountain wasn’t challenging for me anymore and since I never really achieved a “runner’s high” as well as seeing people less fit than I running 10k marathons, I thought, “Pfft...I can do that.” To my friends in their 20’s and 30s, you see your youthful vitality and bounce begin to decline in your 40s  if you don’t consistently keep up with your exercise regime. Don’t stop exercising or this will happen to you! There, I got the moral of the story out...now the story.

So, just days before jetting to Europe on an adventure with Mom, I reached a personal running milestone! I ran the entire route from my place all the way down to Shawnigan Lake. Yes, it was tough and the route consists of blacktop and wooded trails. I did it! Yay me! As my reward, I walked back home. Actually, I felt a little wiped out from the run and could only manage walking back. On my way home, I ran into a colleague who joined me on the last few steps to my place. He swung by for a visit and I invited him up for a chat on the deck. Guess what I didn’t do and guess what I did do.

Now, I’m looking at this from the perspective of hindsight. At the time, I thought nothing about this series of events as they played out. I was feeling pretty darn great about what I had just done and I was happily sharing that with my roommate and colleague. What didn’t I do? I didn’t take the time to take stock of how my body was doing nor did I stretch! What I did do? Sat on a deck chair in the cool evening in sweaty running gear chatting it up for about an hour. It was only until after my guest left that I realized I was sticky and getting stiff. A quick stretch and a shower before dinner and all was right with my world.

Over the next few days I noted a small twinge in my low back. You can see where this is going! I followed my chiropractor and massage therapist’s ongoing advice on the appropriate stretches and took a little extra time with my relaxation yoga. Everything was good and the twinge remained a minor issue. Off to Europe!

A 10-hour plane trip followed by a 4-hour train ride and then touring about by car each day to see sights and visit with old and new friends took its toll. Each day as I sat in cars, restaurants, tour buses, patios and living rooms, I became increasingly uncomfortable. Whenever possible, I stood up and walked about. Walking was pain free until this morning.

We spent about 6 hours in a car driving through Belgium yesterday with only a few stops and a one hour walking tour of the Grande Place in Brussels. I had been eating two Tylenol Extra Strength pills every 4 to 6 hours since the day before and by the time we reached Luxembourg all I wanted to do was stand and walk.  

At our new place, over bread, cheese, and meats I put a nice dent in the bottle of wine (see me raising a glass in an earlier post) and then popped a muscle relaxant. I hit the hay with a thud and woke in the dark and early morning hours only able to roll out of bed. I had hit the wall of pain and couldn’t keep a stiff upper lip any longer. I was immobilized and went back in time when I cried on my Mom’s shoulder because “it” hurt and I felt bad about putting a damper on our trip.  

Once a Mom, always a Mom. She hugged me, supported me and applied a warm compress to alleviate the muscle spasms. She helped me back to bed, gave me more Tylenol then researched the Net on how to make the pain go away, hopefully forever. Later in the morning after the scheduled phone call to our host, Jemp, I was on my way to see his GP, Dr. Daniel Mart in Luxembourg City. Diagnosis: no mechanical damage, the tissues surrounding S5 to S1 vertebrae are so inflamed that the entire lower back is immobile. Frack!!

What does this mean? I must rest for the next three days. No lifting, no twisting, no running, no sitting for long periods. I am allowed to walk! Thank goodness! I don’t do sitting still very well anyway. Thankfully, we are here at Claude’s until the 15th so I guess I’ll work on my tan, the blog and finish the book my dear friend Lisa lent to me for this trip.  

The positives / silver lining / happy lessons are:

1. I have to lie around on a lovely rooftop patio overlooking the Luxembourg countryside reading and writing.

2. I have great drugs that take away the pain and inflammation and give me back my smile.

3. I have to spend more quiet time with my Mother laughing over our photos and trying to remember where we were and when for the blog.

4. I had to see a very nice doctor with beautiful eyes and a gentle bedside manner.

5. I spent some nice one-on-one time with Jemp as he shuttled me about in his Mercedes convertible...through the Luxembourg countryside.

6. I had a very positive experience when needing medical attention (so did the poor Scottish woman we met at the doctor’s who was in far worse pain than I yet, she still smiled and wished me well).

7. The cost of the doctor visit and medications didn’t require me to take out a loan against my first-born.

8. I treated my poor self to a chocolate ice cream cone (the silkiest I have EVER had).

9. Mom made me spaghetti for supper (my childhood favorite).

10. The pain has subsided and this has given Mom and me some drama to talk about for the next while.

Noting the length of this post, you can see I have some time on my hands. There will me more, however the focus will be on our visits, the sites and the wonderful people. Not my back.

I keep saying to Mom, “You have such nice friends!” Its true. Her friends from her teen years are just as lovely as her current friends back home. It must be because my Mom is such a nice person herself. As Mom would say, “Enough of the sappy stuff!”.

Thank you Mom for taking such good care of me.

Thank you Jemp and Lony for making appointments and shuttling me about.

Thank you Dr. Mart for being gentle, yet firm and for having kind eyes.

Thank you Claude and Louis for giving me a lovely place to recuperate.

Good night!