GERMAN CHURCHES AND CEMETERIES

A Different View

When biking from Munich to Vienna, the first church we visited was in Michaelbach, Germany. This was our trial run so was only about a 20-22 mile day.

Our guide explained, “It is the custom in this part of the world to have the cemetery within the walls that surround the church. The wall surrounding the property’s perimeter is usually concrete and about five to six feet high. Then above each grave in the cemetery is a raised bed for a flower garden. This little garden is often enclosed with a concrete ‘curbing’. Relatives often tend these mini gardens with great care. Sometimes the family hires someone to do it and there are people, often elderly women, who make an occupation of just tending these little gardens.”

I thought what a nice custom.

Inside the church there are many many angels. It was explained, “Years ago the angels were a source of contention with church officials, but the people persevered and the angels remain today. Most of them are gold. This church was built in 1728-31, but it took nearly forty years to furnish.”

“Why did it take so long?” someone asked.

“Lack of money and some wars.”

The guide continued, “In 1988 this church was restored at a cost of three million marks. The organ, over a hundred years old, dates back to 1867.”

Each time we visited a church, and there were many, a docent was present to tell us the history. Personally I liked that as we learned so much more than if we had just stuck our head in the door.

As we were leaving getting ready to bike back to the hotel our guide explained, “Outside the perimeter walls of most churches you will find a war memorial. Here, each war is listed separately and the names of all the villagers who lost their lives are listed alphabetically for that war. The date of death is beside each name.”

The church is the center of the village and the ever present memorials are a nice way to remember those who made the supreme sacrifice for their country.

WILDEBEEST

An Unusual Animal

Unplanned and unknowingly we were in Kenya during the wildebeest migration. What a bonus! The first time we saw thousands of wildebeests followed by hundreds of zebra galloping across the savanna out guide told us, “Both of these animals are migrating south to the Serengeti. There are 1.7 million wildebeest in Kenya and this migration is the largest animal migration in the world.”

On that afternoon game run my son, who thought we’d miss the migration, said, “What a sight!”

I replied, “This is what the migration of the bison across North America must have looked like before their extinction,”

Another day when we again saw herds of animals migrating our guide with a grin told us, “The wildebeest is a combination of many animals. He has the face of a grasshopper, the chin and beard of a goat, the horns of a buffalo and the tail of a horse. When it came time for a brain there was only room for an insect brain which is why the beest runs sideways, stumbles and easily gets confused.”

The young, old and sick are easy prey for hungry predators, and we saw that too.

GOOD TO KNOW

                              MORE ODDITIES AND ENDS

Stadle Stones
In the English Cotswolds I ran across a mushroom shaped stone under the barns, more or less as support. I learned the mushroom–shaped stones are called stadle stones, not saddle. They provided air circulation/ conditioning for the barn and also kept out the water as well as any varmints that might want to get in the barn. I have never seen stadle stones elsewhere.

Vodka
In Russia, we learned the five rules for drinking vodka. 1.Vodka should be chilled but never have ice put in it. 2.It should always be drunk from small shot-type glasses with food---a little vodka, then a little food to prevent a headache. 3.Vodka should never be mixed with anything bubbly and avoid bubbly drinks after drinking vodka. Vodka is sometimes mixed with fruit liqueurs. 4.Do not switch alcoholic drinks when drinking vodka. 5. One should always drink with friends.
In Mandrogy, Russia we visited a vodka museum where 2600 different vodkas were displayed. I didn’t drink a lot of vodka in Russia, but when I did I actually drank it straight!

Danish Farms
It is said there are twice as many pigs in Denmark as there are people. Danish ham is a big export item. Danish farms are built U shaped and include the main house and barns that surround a central court. Quite different from our farms.

Smorrebrod
A Danish smorrebrod, no resemblance to our smorgasbord, is an open face sandwich with any combination of thinly sliced items, usually vegetables, you want. They are made to order, usually in a bakery or specialty shop. The only limitation is one’s own imagination.

Children’s Split Pants
It was in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China that we first saw a child with split pants. As mothers held their small ones, little bare cheeks peeked through split pants. As we traveled, it became a familiar sight. As much as I would have liked to snap a good picture, I felt it was just too invasive to ask permission to take a photo of a child’s rear end!