In the fall of 1980 Lee and I decided to take a trip to Rome, Italy. We had visited Venice in 1979, and it is beautiful. The boat ride to Venice was a little hairy because even though the boat has a plaque that states the maximum number of passengers, they just keep piling more and more people in the boat. Pretty soon there was only a couple inches of boat visible. Thankfully, it was only a short ride, and we all survived. We walked all around Venice with its narrow passageways and magnificent architecture. Saint Mark's Square which is the undisputed symbol of Venice, and of course Doge's Palace and the Bridge of Sighs. The Bridge of Sighs that houses two overlapping corridors was built at the beginning of the 17th century and used to serve as a link between the Old Prison, in the Doge's Palace, and the New Prison's situated beyond the Palazzo River. Legend has it that one could hear the sighs of the condemned as they were being lead to prison.
When we had decided to go to Rome, I had casually mentioned our plans in a letter to a close friend of ours who lives in New York. Florence wrote back and informed me that she has relatives still living in Rome. Fortuitously, for our family, one of her cousins was Pope John Paul ll personal secretary . Florence proceeded to write a letter for us which enabled us entrance into the Vatican. As you might imagine the instructions were very specific. There is a cadre of Swiss Guards in front of the Vatican who guard the entrance, they are the guards who wear the "Pie man Hats" which are purple and gold colored. I approached the guards and showed them the letter which Florence had sent us. It was incredible, within seconds we were escorted into the halls of the Vatican, and within a few moments a diminutive elderly Monseigneur appeared and greeted us.....in Italian! For an instant I was disappointed that we may not gain entrance into the Vatican. However, there was no need to worry because the situation was quickly rectified, a middle age Irish priest was summoned to give us a tour of the Vatican. He took us through the archives which are located in the recesses of the basement of the Vatican. There were several scholarly looking young men scattered around the Archives engrossed in research. Then Father Flanigan took us to some rarely used, sort of "secret or concealed" stairways up to the top floor of the Papal Residence. There was a window at the top of the stairs which when opened revealed a breathtaking view of the private, beautiful, and serene Vatican Gardens. The gardens are lovely and completely devoid of any electrical wires or other encumbrances. Father Flanigan invited us to take as many photos as we wished. Ironically, the best picture I have retained all of these years is the imprint on my brain of these lovely private gardens. (I will explain after I discuss the absolutely wonderful experience of being touched by Pope John Paul ll)
Our tour of the Vatican culminated with a blessing from Father Flanigan with all of us joining hands. His final word to us was "take care of each other and love one another." It was a special moment, I shall never forget. We exited the Vatican with our feet not quite touching the ground, with the knowledge that we had experienced and witnessed something special, and unique, something that few people get the opportunity to experience
Next on the agenda was the Papal appearance in St. Peter's Square at 1300 that same afternoon. Another friend of ours had suggested that we visit the USO which was not far from The Square. The USO was originally a place for the American soldiers to go to on their time off. Sometimes there would be some sort of entertainment there, cigarettes, stationery, and conversation were available as well as the camaraderie of other young men who were also displaced from their families and their country. The lady who ran the USO was an elderly woman who had a tale to tell, she was actually in her mid 80's. She really seemed to enjoy our daughters, who at the time, were ages 11 & 13 yr. old. She proceeded to tell us that she had lived in Italy during the fascist dictatorship of Mussolini. The woman explained how she and her family had escaped from Italy and the brutality of Mussolini to Switzerland, unfortunately not before they witnessed many atrocities, and acts of cruelty to their fellow countrymen.
The woman asked us if we were going to St. Peter's square to see the pope, and we of course answered in the affirmative. She said "I will tell you exactly where to stand, and you can pretty much be assured to see Him up close." We got there early and stood precisely where she suggested. There were very few people in St. Peter's Square at the time. As the time for the Pope's appearance grew closer, the people appeared in throngs and the Square filled up to the point that I became anxious, and somewhat fearful. Lee and I and the girls were in the front row and the crowds behind us started to press against us. This indeed was scary. Just about the time when I felt like I was going to be pushed to the ground the Vatican police commenced to using their "Billie clubs" on the people who were shoving from behind us. These police were forceful and hit hard, they meant business, there was no doubt about it. Therefore, it did not take much time at all for the crowds to be under control. I for one was very grateful. It was not long afterwards and the Pope appeared in his Pope mobile, they drove slowly up and down between the various rows of the people. Lee and I were taking pictures like professional shutter bugs. I took 2 rolls of the Pope myself. My hands were trembling in anticipation of seeing the Pope, especially so physically close, it was an exciting, wonderful experience in my life. As the Pope mobile approached us, for some reason they decided to stop directly in front of us. The Pope asked us where we were from, and of course we stated we were Americans. He took our hands in His and cupped our hands together, and blessed us before He continued on through St. Peter's Square. My eyes filled with tears, to have been touched by the Holy Father, this "little ole Catholic girl" felt truly blessed. The lady in the USO was spot on with her directions and I will be forever grateful. For me it was the thrill of a lifetime, one I shall always savor. After we returned to Heidelberg, we packed up all of our film in a large envelope and sent it to the processing company which we had used for the entire 2 years we had been in Germany. About 10 days later we received a letter from the photo processing company stating that our film never arrived there. According to the company they only received a torn envelope and the check which we had enclosed intact inside the envelope. You can draw your own conclusions of what you think happened. Every time afterwards when I saw a closeup picture of the Pope, I'd say to Lee "There is one of our photos." I will always believe that someone saw an opportunity and took advantage of it.
Luckily, I do have a few pictures of Pope John Paul ll which were on the end of another roll which I did not send in for developing. The beautiful Vatican Gardens are but a memory though since those pictures were among the ones which were sent in the mail. I will always have the vivid memories of that beautiful blessed day, they belong to me alone.
While in the Rome area we decided to take a bus tour of Sorrento, Pompeii and Naples. Sorrento is beautiful with its lovely houses built into the cliffs along the Mediterrean. It seems that no matter where we traveled in Europe we were always surprised and charmed at the beauty and quaintness we found.
We continued along on our bus tour ate a delicious lunch of fried calamari and salad, and of course Lee and I enjoyed a lovely glass of Italian wine.
As an aside, the people of Italy, especially the male gender, were very fascinated by our two daughters, both who are very fair skinned, one with very blonde hair, the other a strawberry blonde. A man sat next to our almost 14 yr old daughter on the subway, he proceeded to tell her several times, how beautiful she was, etc. Unbeknownst to him, Lee and I were sitting directly across from him. When the subway stopped at the next station, Lee and I stood up, and our daughter took a hold of her dad's hand as we disembarked.
Ciao,
Carol
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
"Volksmarching" our way through Germany
One of the most popular pastimes for families on the weekends was to go on a "Volksmarch." It actually translates into "people walk," and is not only a wonderful opportunity for families to spend time together, but also a great way to stay physically fit. I am not sure how many of these walks our family participated in, but sufficed to say at least 50. There were 2 choices for the distance which we could traverse. One choice was 10 kilometers (6 mi.) or 20 kilometers (12 mi.) Wherever the march was laid out, it was always breathtakingly beautiful. It could be serene farm land with grazing contented cows and babbling brooks, or lush green forests with the melodious songs of the indigenous birds of that area serenading us in the background. The reward for completing the walk was a medallion which were made of bronze, silver, or gold. The one we received depended on whatever we registered and paid for. There was a fee to participate in these walks, it was a method of raising monies for the individual clubs. The Americans had a club as did the Canadians, etc. and the fees were used to purchase medals for future walks, and various other expenses. Usually, we participated as a family, but once in a while if I really liked the medal which was given at the finish, I would go alone. One Saturday in particular Lee was on call and I decided to do just that. It was a 20 kilometer or 12 mile walk, or in my case, run. I initially started walking, but found it rather boring so decided to run through. If my memory serves me correctly it took me 2 hrs to do it.
Another weekend when Lee was on call the girls and I went on a walk with a friend. Actually, she was also a CRNA and Lee's supervisor. She had no family to accompany her on her assignment to Germany therefore we included her in many of our family activities. On this particular Saturday, she drove. After the walk and refreshments we were ready to start for home. My friend could not find her car keys, we looked high and low with no luck. There were lots of people of various nationalities milling around, I decided to try and converse with someone to see if they had found a set of car keys. The German word for key is "schlussel," so I started asking people in German if they had seen the keys. One man acted like he had found the keys, "Die Schussel, die schussel" he shouted. I said "yes, yes!! He said "Nein", so after a few minutes it was clear that he had not found the keys. However, this middle age German man whom I did not know, and had never seen before, handed me his car keys to a brand new 5 speed Ford Fiesta. He even showed me where the registration was located. We were incredulous! I mean how many times does someone offer their car keys to a total stranger, from another country?? I explained to him that I lived in Heidelberg and it would take me over 1 hour to get there and then of course the same to return. It was fine with him he said, so I drove to Heidelberg and back with the keys for my friend's car. By the time we returned with his car, he had raised the stein more than a few times, and was in a very jovial mood. We were truly grateful for his generosity and we went on our merry way back home. I really don't know what we would have done with out his generosity. He told me his name was "Johnnie," I saw him many, many times after that at the "Volksmarches. "The first time I saw him again after I had used his car, he told me, "My wife, she was so-o angry that I gave my new car to an American woman." He laughed and laughed when he said it"and I knew he would do it again if the occasion arose. There were other instances where Lee and I were the recipients of German hospitality, simply because the individual told us that "they liked Americans."
Another instance of German hospitality occured when Lee and I attended the famous celebration of the "Ocktoberfest" in 1979, but that is another episode.
Auf Wiedersehen,
Carol
Another weekend when Lee was on call the girls and I went on a walk with a friend. Actually, she was also a CRNA and Lee's supervisor. She had no family to accompany her on her assignment to Germany therefore we included her in many of our family activities. On this particular Saturday, she drove. After the walk and refreshments we were ready to start for home. My friend could not find her car keys, we looked high and low with no luck. There were lots of people of various nationalities milling around, I decided to try and converse with someone to see if they had found a set of car keys. The German word for key is "schlussel," so I started asking people in German if they had seen the keys. One man acted like he had found the keys, "Die Schussel, die schussel" he shouted. I said "yes, yes!! He said "Nein", so after a few minutes it was clear that he had not found the keys. However, this middle age German man whom I did not know, and had never seen before, handed me his car keys to a brand new 5 speed Ford Fiesta. He even showed me where the registration was located. We were incredulous! I mean how many times does someone offer their car keys to a total stranger, from another country?? I explained to him that I lived in Heidelberg and it would take me over 1 hour to get there and then of course the same to return. It was fine with him he said, so I drove to Heidelberg and back with the keys for my friend's car. By the time we returned with his car, he had raised the stein more than a few times, and was in a very jovial mood. We were truly grateful for his generosity and we went on our merry way back home. I really don't know what we would have done with out his generosity. He told me his name was "Johnnie," I saw him many, many times after that at the "Volksmarches. "The first time I saw him again after I had used his car, he told me, "My wife, she was so-o angry that I gave my new car to an American woman." He laughed and laughed when he said it"and I knew he would do it again if the occasion arose. There were other instances where Lee and I were the recipients of German hospitality, simply because the individual told us that "they liked Americans."
Another instance of German hospitality occured when Lee and I attended the famous celebration of the "Ocktoberfest" in 1979, but that is another episode.
Auf Wiedersehen,
Carol
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Life in Germany, and Europe
Our life in Germany was rather magical, for me, anyway. Maybe that is because I was just a farm girl at heart. Actually, the American compound where we lived was just about five miles from the commissary and Military Post Exchange. So we were out in the country with lots of farms all around us. Some people chose to stay on the compound exclusively. It really had everything a person could want. There was the 130th Station Hospital which was a 100 bed hospital. This is where Lee worked, and it also has some history there, it is the place where Gen. George Patton passed away. It was also where I ultimately found gainful employment. If military personnel or their dependents needed a specialist we referred them to Landstuhl Air Force Base. The military compound had churches, youth centers, movie theaters, snack Bars, Bowling alleys, the Enlisted Clubs, the Officer's Club.
There were several stores or kiosks which specialized in German products as well as products from several other countries which could be purchased at a less expensive rate than outside stores. They had a separate store where beer, wine, liquor, and soft drinks could be purchased, also at a reduced cost, and of course no tax. By this time we had established a good relationship with Herr Hartman and purchased most of our wines from him. Lee and I certainly did use the facilities for grocery shopping etc. however outside of the boundaries of the military posts was a whole other world which beckoned to us. Besides having privileges to the American facilities, we also had the availability of the French commissary, and the Canadian facilities as well. So you can understand how easy it was for us to develop our palates to include some of the delicious breads, cheeses, wines and other delicacies such as foie gras which were prepared daily and available to us. Besides all of these military facilities, of course we had the countries themselves to explore, savor and enjoy. As I stated earlier the American dollar was not strong during the 3 1/2 years that we were assigned in Europe, consequently we tried to stretch our money as much as possible. One thing that we always did however while visiting a different country was to sample the cuisine from that area. I was amazed at how much our daughters loved snails smothered in garlic and butter, and deep fried squid. I remember vividly one trip to Switzerland we all cross country skied 12 miles, then took a cable car to Murren which is a small town nestled in the Swiss Alps. It was snowing heavily, a beautiful winter wonderland. We were ravenous by the time we arrived in the small town which is accessible only by foot or cable car. A small cafe beckoned to us with the wonderful aromas of Swiss and French fare wafting through our senses. Our lunch consisted of hot steamy bowls of french onion soup and a quiche Lorraine which was hastily devoured. The meals are always accompanied by petite loaves of the most heavenly crusty french bread, and if you choose, a nice glass of french red or white wine. Just recalling these wonderful gourmet meals brings me back to those dimly lite cafes where fine dining was the norm. This is just one of so many hundreds of vivid and delicious memories of our experiences in Europe. When we moved back to the states Lee and I tried and tried to replicate the wonderful breads of Europe to no avail. Our breads are delicious, but I am certain that the romantic ambiance of Europe no doubt enhanced the foods even more.
I could go on and on, as you may appreciate I absolutely love traveling, fine dining, and meeting new and different people. Actually, I was in the best physical condition of my life while we lived in Germany. I ran 6 miles religiously every day so I could eat what I wanted, believe me it was worth it. That coupled with the fact that we resided on the third floor of our apartment bldg which by the way provided laundry rooms in the basement, kept me physically in great shape.
Au re voir,
Carol
There were several stores or kiosks which specialized in German products as well as products from several other countries which could be purchased at a less expensive rate than outside stores. They had a separate store where beer, wine, liquor, and soft drinks could be purchased, also at a reduced cost, and of course no tax. By this time we had established a good relationship with Herr Hartman and purchased most of our wines from him. Lee and I certainly did use the facilities for grocery shopping etc. however outside of the boundaries of the military posts was a whole other world which beckoned to us. Besides having privileges to the American facilities, we also had the availability of the French commissary, and the Canadian facilities as well. So you can understand how easy it was for us to develop our palates to include some of the delicious breads, cheeses, wines and other delicacies such as foie gras which were prepared daily and available to us. Besides all of these military facilities, of course we had the countries themselves to explore, savor and enjoy. As I stated earlier the American dollar was not strong during the 3 1/2 years that we were assigned in Europe, consequently we tried to stretch our money as much as possible. One thing that we always did however while visiting a different country was to sample the cuisine from that area. I was amazed at how much our daughters loved snails smothered in garlic and butter, and deep fried squid. I remember vividly one trip to Switzerland we all cross country skied 12 miles, then took a cable car to Murren which is a small town nestled in the Swiss Alps. It was snowing heavily, a beautiful winter wonderland. We were ravenous by the time we arrived in the small town which is accessible only by foot or cable car. A small cafe beckoned to us with the wonderful aromas of Swiss and French fare wafting through our senses. Our lunch consisted of hot steamy bowls of french onion soup and a quiche Lorraine which was hastily devoured. The meals are always accompanied by petite loaves of the most heavenly crusty french bread, and if you choose, a nice glass of french red or white wine. Just recalling these wonderful gourmet meals brings me back to those dimly lite cafes where fine dining was the norm. This is just one of so many hundreds of vivid and delicious memories of our experiences in Europe. When we moved back to the states Lee and I tried and tried to replicate the wonderful breads of Europe to no avail. Our breads are delicious, but I am certain that the romantic ambiance of Europe no doubt enhanced the foods even more.
I could go on and on, as you may appreciate I absolutely love traveling, fine dining, and meeting new and different people. Actually, I was in the best physical condition of my life while we lived in Germany. I ran 6 miles religiously every day so I could eat what I wanted, believe me it was worth it. That coupled with the fact that we resided on the third floor of our apartment bldg which by the way provided laundry rooms in the basement, kept me physically in great shape.
Au re voir,
Carol
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)