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Germany: Introduction

[This section is in the earliest stages of development: 28 December 2006 ]

I have visited several different parts of Germany on various occasions. For instance, my first holiday on my own away from Britain was walking and youth hostelling down the Rhine, in western Germany. Later I twice visited the Bavarian city of München (in the south). More recently I have visited Haupstadt (and Hansestadt) Berlin in the east, Hansestadts Hamburg and Lübeck, in the north, and the Schwabian cities of Tübingen (a life's dream fulfilled), Stuttgart, Mannheim (and Maulbronn Monastery) in the south west. As well as having travelled to, and within, Germany by airplane, ferry, riverboat, express train, local train, U-bahn, tram and bus, I have driven through the Black Forest and on Schwabian autobahns. Although Easyjet (low-cost airline) began operating direct flights from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK to Berlin, it was with KLM, via Schipol that I most recently flew to Berlin (Tegel).

I love modern Berlin, with its history and its cutting edge architecture, its vibrancy and its cosmopolitan atmosphere.

I regret that I currently know few German people. Silke, my sister-in-law, is from northern Germany, where her family and friends still live, such as Klaus and his family. However, for some years I have seen neither Francine in Hamburg, nor Angelika in München. From time to time I have befriended various German people staying for a while in Durham, UK.

I am able to speak a little German, and I both admire and enjoy aspects of German culture:

 literature, e.g.

 Herman Hesse (I am well familiar with all of his writing that has been translated into English, and believe Hesse, himself a patient of Carl Jung, to be the person most influential on my personal philosophy, even though I am more in tune with the philosophy of Carl Rogers),

 Thomas Mann (The Holy Sinner, Death in Venice),

 Klaus Mann (Mephisto),

 Gunter Grass (Die Blechtrommel [The Tin Drum])

 Heinrich Böll (The Lost Honour of Katherina Blum)

 fine art, especially the Expressionists and Abstract Expressionists, and also more modern work e.g. Beuys;

 classical music, e.g. Beethoven, Mozart, etc.;

 cinema: e.g. years ago I watched many films directed by Fassbinder, and I have on DVD Lola Rennt (Run, Lola, Run).

  p.g.h@btinternet.com