Jan wanted me to come to Braunschweig to see his student life and university before he left for the USA and his final year - he leaves in a week!

I packed a bag and headed for BS on a quick ICE. Nice journey - the Brits could pick up a few tips from such comfortable and quick, sleek intercity train. Although he had an exam later, Jan picked me up at the railway station and we trundled to my hotel. We had great weather throughout my three day stay. It was a week before my flight to the UK.

The first day was seeing the town and his flat and flatmates and getting used to his second bicycle - a nice yellow ex-post bicycle complete with carriers front and back and parking wheels. I liked it and it is a comfortable bike to use around town.



Each morning Jan came to my hotel to pick me up and off we went to explore the area for the day.

The second day was really interesting. We went to a small town south of BS, called Wolfenbüttel, where some Duke of BS in the 1700's had built a palace and a library and started to collect books from all over Europe. Jan is pictured posing outside this library and I am pictured posing inside it! It is apparently one of the three most important libraries for 'Enlightenment' - Renaissance texts in all of Europe.

There is a pic of me standing next to a facsimilie of a book valued at €32 million. Yes, so much. The original is in a safe and comes out six weeks a year for special showing. Wowee!

Next day we hired a canoe and canoed around BS. That really was an experience -

seeing the town from its quiet, green, leafy inner city waterway. I took the pics of that tour. We also met some of Jan's mates at a bar on the side of the river and cycled around town, went to his uni buildings and ate in a 'student' restaurant they go to.

All in all, it was a wonderful experience for me and quickly took me back to my students days many years ago. I wouldn't have missed it for anything and have happy memories of the days there which are important as he packs his bags and prepares to fly to Rhode Island for his final year of study there. Pity he can't take the yellow post bike with him!

I went to Wannsee with 'oldie' Hermann. I have no pics of him because he hates having his pic taken and flees whenever someone takes out a camera. Lets just add the pics and I'll try to add comment for this is the second attempt! Thanks Google for destroying all my earlier work!

Ah .. I have four pics - now to try to get the others ....

Looks like it worked this time. I had heard so much about the Wannsee Conference and Villa Wannsee at the lake called Wannsee that I decided it was time I went there. I suggested it to Hermann and he was open to the idea. He was a tourist guide in the GDR so I knew he would be open to such ideas.

The villa is infamous as the location of the meeting in January 1942 where all the big Ministers and their civil servants met to discuss how to resolve the problem of getting rid of all the Jews, Gypsies and Homosexuals they had in the lands they had recently conquered. The old methods of mass shootings and starvation were not quick enough to remove the estimated nearly 12 million people who were not needed in the new Reich.

They met in the dining room of this villa and over a light lunch lasting about one hour, they approved a document already prepared to 'industrialise' the process by building more specialist concentration camps with facilities for gassing, burning of corpses and disposal. Then they went back to their offices and later home to relax with their wives and children - and perhaps comment on what a hard day they had had at the office!

I have been to Auschwitz so I could cope with this villa and its evil meeting, but I recommend all tourists to come here when they visit Berlin. The local government can be thanked for the way they have opened the villa as a memorial to the millions who died as a result of this meeting.

Earlier I had been to the Max Liebermann villa, which is almost next door, and so wanted to see the larger Wannsee Villa which housed this horrendous lunch meeting. Try to see both at the same time.

My favourite quote is that of the artist Max Liebermann who on hearing that Hitler and his party had come to power in 1933, said --- I can't eat as much as I want to spew on hearing this news! Loose translation by me.

He had the right idea! He died a few years later leaving a sad wife who committed suicide on hearing she was to be arrested and sent to Auschwitz. Pity they didn't get out long before. Even on a bright summer day the villa has a sad and unwelcoming atmosphere.

As some of you may know, I have been busy begging and getting computer parts from members of our teachers association to assemble and give to those less fortunate than we are! One is Gregor at the same Protected Home as Hans, and my 'oldie' friend Micha. Now to the pics --- okay so far.

Gregor has made great progress with his computer which has helped him to learn new things including music which is his world. I also got one for Vanessa at the home but so far I have not been able to get a pick of her with her computer - she wanted one to practice writing.

One the left we have Micha with a laptop a member gave me. I added a learn to type programme and a picture programme and he is making progress. He has even joined a computer course for 'seniors' at his local adult education college starting at the end of September.

He also calls me when he has learnt something new and I give him tips to start on the next phase of learning. Well done, Micha!

Teresa agreed to come to Karlshorst in late May to see something of my area, Let's try with the pics to start the story --- So far so good --- we went on a bicycle tour around my area and took in the famous museum not far from where I live. In this building the document was signed to end the Second World War - on the 8th May 1945. Yes, my second birthday but I didn't know then that I would eventually live here. We had a great day and the last pic is of Teresa relaxing in my garden over a cool glass of sekt. Must do it again next year Teresa and with Marga.

Here are pics of Katrin and Steffen, who are my students and we meet each Friday evening in my living room.

We stopped for a summer break. I needed to go to England and they went away on a short holiday. I add them for they are also part of my summer story.

So I joined in the celebrations for Emma. She has a big personality and warmth with a large friendly smile. You always feel better after spending some time with her. These are a couple of pics showing here with Lydia, who started the season with her birthday in mid-May.
Emma is wearing the white top.































There was Jutta's birthday to celebrate at the 'BucherStübe' , where I used to work on a project. Very nice women with great personalities and I am happy that we still keep in contact and invited to share birthdays and other events - even though I don't work there anymore.






The birthday breakfast started with a song from Gabi and then a large and tasty breakfast. I took my 'Baby' Asus to show Jutta because I know she likes all things to do with computers.

Here I have pics of her opening and using the 'Baby'. Happy memories of a nice morning - and then I got an invitation to return for Emma's birthday party.

I took these pics of the view from my kitchen looking onto the balcony and garden in early summer. I was asked to just take some pics to be used on the cover of our teacher association magazine representing what summer meant for me.

I thought about it for some time then decided on this view for it is the first I see each morning when I stagger out of bed, lurch into the bathroom and then into the kitchen to open curtains and squint out to see what the weather is like. Same routine each season but when I see these colours then my brain tells the rest of me that it is summer! My favourite season. I really like April and May - at least I was born at the best time of the year!

This summer I sat on my balcony, had a light breakfast and finished off two interesting books. I can really recommend them. The first is 'God is not Great' by Christopher Hitchens. The second is, 'The God Delusion' by Richard Dawkins. I suggest you read them in this order although I read in the reverse order!

I think all religious people should read them and then ask honest questions to themselves about the basis of their 'belief' and the nature of organised religion. Not a nice history and both writers believe, as I do, that religion is very dangerous for the future of 'humankind' just as it was in the past. Read the books for they have been translated into many languages.

Dawkins has a great web page. Visit and then bookmark for quick return reading of latest news and stories. Pity that Dawkins has received death threats just for expressing his views and these death threats are from religious believers and practitioners! Here is a link to his web page. www.richarddawkins.net

Now to show you my balcony in early summer. No I can't -- they start the story! I must still be doing something wrong. Perhaps I should start with the pics and then add text - but why can't I add text wrap around each picture? Hello Google --- why not?

So far so good ...... but it is still publishing pics and comments in reverse order to what I want, Grrrrrrrrrrh!!!!

I

Back to the drawing board. How can I get this thing to add pics in the order I want? Please do not talk to machines, John.
Okay, I won't but I am near to having the Nose Full of this - as they so nicely say in German.

Let's try again for it appears I have lost all the pictures I thought I had posted.

I wonder if I should just leave this Blog and set up another private web page!

It seems that all my posts are in reverse order to my photos. Sehr komisch!!

Just after my Big birthday I was invited to visit Wörlitzer Park. The offer came from Horst and Thomas. We fished around for more Oldies but they were either on holiday or had other things to do so we met and set out for a day's adventure.

I knew nothing of this area but I soon learnt/learned. It is to the east of Dessau near to the river Elbe in the federal state of Saxon-Anhalt. It was one of many small areas then making up what in 1871 became known as Germany. When the park was created it was a 'Dukedom' or 'Principality' under the political direction of Prussia based in Potsdam/Berlin in the early 1700's.

Apparently the Duke had some kind of connection to England. Let's not forget that the Duke of Marlborough had led an English army around the area with the support of the Hanover Kings and they later became the Kings of England following the death of Queen Ann. Sorry that I don't know more, but for me history is more than that of Kings and Queens and if I had my way I would hang the lot of them!

Anyway, this Duke person galloped around the south of England and saw some new garden layouts, including that of the above mentioned Duke at his new estate, and decided it was really great and he must have some of the action and so when he got back to Dessau he told the local workers/prols to get their hand dirty and build a park including a 'small' palace for himself.

The place is really important to historians of architecture and garden layout and I have to admit I would be happy to live there! Nice and relaxing but you would need a bit more than the pension I now have to keep the whole show on the road. I can imagine swanning around the place, including floating around on the small connected lakes and canals and listening to baroque music while sipping champagne and commanding a servant to peel me another grape!

Back to reality and the pics I took. We start the show with a pic of Horst and Thomas at my local station - with Horst's aging and infirm little dog in a basket. For some reason his wife would not have der Hund for the day so we had to put up with it wheezing and whining in a basket they carried around.

I had lunch with Hans mother and sister yesterday. I met them at the main railway station and then went down a few stops to a nice area where I got my first job in Berlin - and met Hans in the first class - and then later taught at the British Council Teaching Centre which was there for a number of years.

I took him to his mother's 82 birthday party in spring. She is very lively and active and even goes to an English Senior Club each week where the members practice and keep their English up to date.



A week earlier I had taken Hans on a bicycle tour to the south east of Berlin. It was along one of the waterways and we found a nice restaurant with seats overlooking the water.














The cigarette before, during and after! He is a chain smoker so you really can say that he eats between cigarettes!

Next week we are having a trip to Bernau, which is a nice historical town to the north of Berlin. He has never been there, but I used to work there so know it quite well. The week after I shall be with him on his bi-monthly visit to the hospital for injections, followed by a visit to a local restaurant he likes. A week after that I shall take him on a cycle tour to the east of Berlin and then end with coffee and cakes in his sisters house-garden where we shall meet her husband and sons. The day after, I am flying to the UK to see some of my family and friends. I'm looking forward to it for I haven't been there for two years.

I am feeling rather empty at the moment. The reason is that I went to David's funeral earlier and it was a sad experience. Those of you who used to read my private web page will know that he was a neighbour at my last address, and I helped him with his English. Unfortunately the brain tumour took over and he had to go into a hospice. I saw him there just one week before he died. When I walked in he immediately switched into English and refused to answer me in German - which he had always done. What a waste to die at 31 for he was so popular and talented. The building at the cemetery could not hold everyone - a crowd tried to listen from outside - which testifies to the love people had for him and how much he will be missed.