Tagged With "Germany"
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Re: Finding Reiner: Disaster to Discovery
Thanks for the start of an extraordinary journey, which also reminds us that travel isn't only for pleasure, or even always voluntary. It is also important for us never to reduce history to acts of state and leaders and lose sight of all the Reiners of the world.
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Re: Finding Reiner: Disaster to Discovery
What a discovery! And thanks for taking us along. I can't wait to hear what happens.
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Re: Finding Reiner: Disaster to Discovery
Baited, hooked and (almost) landed, like I'm some kind of reading marlin! Can't wait for the next installment! Wonderfully done, HistoryDigger! Thanks so much for sharing this story with us!
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Re: Finding Reiner: Disaster to Discovery
Fantastic! A WWII story, personal journey and travel story all rolled into one! I'm totally hooked and will be following your unfolding story this summer, Whitney! All luck!
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Re: Finding Reiner: Disaster to Discovery
Merveilleux!! Un vrai bijou! Thanks so much for sharing this amazing story. Can't wait to read more.
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Re: Finding Reiner: Disaster to Discovery
This really is a wonderful post, Whitney. I love the family history you have there. And fantastic photos! I'm looking forward to reading more of your writing.
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Re: Finding Reiner: Disaster to Discovery
Thanks, Jessica, for your kind words. I'll check out your blog as well.
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Re: Finding Reiner #2: Chasing Ghosts
what a great way to start a Sunday! can't wait to read more. I'm with you in spirit Merci pour ce beau partage historique et familial.
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Re: Finding Reiner #2: Chasing Ghosts
Merci encore une fois, Vivie. Je suis sur le point de partir. Thanks for reading. I'm about to depart. Hope you'll follow along.
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Re: Finding Reiner #2: Chasing Ghosts
I found myself racing to the computer this morning to read Part 2 of your incredible and moving series. It's made me reflect on what war does to a family .
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Re: Finding Reiner #2: Chasing Ghosts
Another brilliant post, HistoryDigger! Thanks. I think you've described the situation many young German men were in, and it's a lesson for all of us to fight tyranny at every step and with all we have. It is also a reminder to me how a government that is "a friend of the people" can crush those same people if their power isn't checked. After the Nazis had seized power, there was no tolerance for dissent. You were either with them -- or you were in big big trouble (possibly even fatal...
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Re: Finding Reiner #2: Chasing Ghosts
Here we go! I am so eager to learn more about that old house which is pictured so beautifully in the mountain idyll of Poland. My fantasy is of undiscovered family treasures in the attic which the Polish police, who now occupy that building, would gladly be rid of. Whit, don't forget to search the attic when you get there. Ha! I am sure glad you are Finding Reiner.
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Re: Finding Reiner #2: Chasing Ghosts
Dr. Fumblefinger—yours is a fascinating response. How lucky your father was to have escaped and survived. I'm glad he told you his story, which I would like to hear. Where was he from? Reiner's family members were also born in now Poland. Episode 3 will detail more of the Nazi oppression in Cologne that trapped Reiner and his family.
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Re: Finding Reiner #2: Chasing Ghosts
So compelling! Keep the posts coming. I'm hooked! Absolutely.
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Re: Finding Reiner #3: Inside Old Shadows
Reiner was such a dutiful letter writer that we have this info allowing us to retrace these steps. Amazing resources - Reiner's letters and Whit's dogged research. Loving this story more each day.
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Re: Finding Reiner #3: Inside Old Shadows
This makes a fascinating read, well done! My father-in-law Hans Esser was from Cologne (had sung as part of the choir in Cologne cathedral) and served on submarines (unwillingly) during the 2nd W.W. war. Their sub was attacked several times and finally they were forced to surrender. He was taken prisoner and interned in England. The prisoners then helped on the local farms which was where he met his future wife Vera. They married just after the end of the war and had the difficult privilege...
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Re: Finding Reiner #3: Inside Old Shadows
Mac-TG Guru--Fascinating story, yours. Your parents' romance reminds me of such fictional stories in the British series Foyle's War . Have you seen that? The show highlights romance between German POWs and English farm girls. I would love to know more of your father's history. I also wish I could interview your father or find other elderly residents who remember life here during the war. So much better when it comes from a resident than from a historian who was not here then. How long were...
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Re: Finding Reiner #3: Inside Old Shadows
Thank you for the continuing story, and especially to the link for the Stolpersteine. It is so important (I keep saying this!) for us to remember the people more than the "leaders," and not allow them to become mere numbers.
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Re: Finding Reiner #3: Inside Old Shadows
Whitney your story about Reiner and retracing his steps gets people thinking about their own life and family too, so beyond being fascinating history, it's very relevant to us all.25 years ago this summer I went through an incredible ordeal in Europe. Your journey for Reiner has me thinking back to that time and has me thinking of retracing some steps too.Keep it up and thank you!
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Re: Finding Reiner #3: Inside Old Shadows
Travel Rob, I hope we will hear more about your ordeal. You've got me hooked with that teaser line.
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Re: Finding Reiner: Taking a Break in Cologne
Thanks,I really enjoyed your tips for Cologne. The food looks great Hans meal alone sounds like it's worth a trip there!
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Re: Finding Reiner: Taking a Break in Cologne
A River Cruise from Amsterdam through Germany (inc Cologne) , France then into Switzerland is an amazing journey. http://www.vikingrivercruises....basel/itinerary.html Or you can follow the Rhine from North to South by car and stop wherever you please. The road runs along side the River for most of its journey !
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Re: Finding Reiner: Taking a Break in Cologne
Next time I'll take that river cruise. Thanks for the update.
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Re: Finding Reiner 4: Who Was He?
Thanks for another moving piece. Those illustrations by Maria Lebedeva are museum quality!
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German worry: WiFi lag hurts business and travel
You'd think Germany would be rich in WiFi, like many of its neighbors, but it turns out that public WiFi is scarce, and often unavailable to restaurant and hotel guests, because of a 2010 legal ruling. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has promised to...
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Following the European Beer Trail: Oktoberfest to Sorrento
To answer your question. Yes, Italians drink beer. It’s not a well-known pastime of Italy, however it is becoming more common. But before we get to Italy let me tell you about my beer adventure that led me to central Italy. I started the...
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Cologne Cathedral, Germany. Where Gumbo Was #83
Gumbo was visiting the magnificent Cathedral in Cologne, Germany. The puzzle destination was recognized rather quickly by Roderick Simpson -- congratulations Roddy! I first saw Cologne’s Cathedral on a...
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Look east! Gallery re-examines East German interior decor
A glittering new gallery in Berlin, just off Karl-Marx-Allee, is taking a new look at mid-century design in the former German Democratic Republic, along with contemporary design from elsewhere in the East bloc and the west. East German (and...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, March 8, 2015: Bernkastel-Keus, Germany
Bernkastel-Keus is a beautiful small town situated on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. The town has a traditional marketplace with timber-frame houses and flowers decorating the facades. The district is known for its wine (mainly...
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Get Your Drink On at Hofbrauhaus – Munich, Germany
Samantha and her husband had a great time drinking a liter of beer, listening to music, enjoying a pretzel, and making new friends at Hofbrauhaus in Munich, Germany. Check it out while in the area. You won't be disappointed.
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Union Square Holiday Market - Annual New York Tradition
Samantha and her husband spent some time in New York City last Christmas. It was magical and they loved walking around the Union Square Holiday Market. It is a New York City tradition.
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Emperor Ludwig's Ettal Monastery and Abbey, Bavaria
Samantha and her husband really enjoyed their visit to Emperor Ludwig's Ettal Monastery and Abbey in Bavaria, Germany. It is absolutely gorgeous.
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Autobahn driving hazards: ducks and planes
Last week was not the best for traffic on Germany's high-speed autobahns, as two major tie-ups were caused by totally unexpected events: a flock of orphaned ducks, and a disabled fighter plane. On Friday, near Kiel in northern Germany, a...
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Berlin: New scandal, but no new airport yet
Germany's reputation for precision, quality work and punctuality has already taken big hits because of construction delays and engineering errors at its still-under-construction new Berlin-Brandenburg airport for Berlin now has the additional...
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'World of Brothers Grimm' opens soon
Hansel and Gretel, by Alexander Zick (1845-1907) The Brothers Grimm are known to most of us as authors of some of our most famous fairy tales, including Cinderella and Hansel and Gretel, but Germans also know them as authors of the first-ever...
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Germans' surprising 'top city' pick: Hamburg
In Hamburg's Alster harbor area Photo: Butterfly1172 / Wikimedia While Berlin and Munich are the tourist meccas most often thought of in Germany, a poll of Germans asking what city they'd most like to move to or...
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Oktoberfest in Alexanderplatz
Oktoberfest is an annual 16 day folk festival that runs from mid-September to the first weekend in October. The largest gathering is in Munich, Germany, which is attended by more then six million people (who consume more than six...
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German drivers ready for speed limits...sort of
Ready for limits? Germans say maybe... Photo: Jochem Teufel / Wikimedia Germany has no overall speed limit, and is famous for allowing extremely high speeds on its...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, October 13, 2015: A Senior in Mainz
Picture of a senior in Mainz, Germany. This elderly gentleman was getting ready to leave the coffee shop he was at. I think it was his slow, deliberate manner in preparing himself that caught my eye.
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, November 12, 2015: Berlin TV Tower, Berlin, Germany
The Berlin TV Tower (German: Fernsehturm ) is a television tower in central Berlin, Germany (close to Alexanderplatz in Berlin-Mitte). The tower was designed by East German architects Fritz Dieter, Günter...
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June 27, 2018: German Fleckvieh (Simmental) Cows
Samantha shares a few of the many pictures she took of the brown and white German Fleckvieh (Simmental) cows.
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Walking the Center of Berlin
Jonathan L shares a walk through Berlin's heart and tells us how he fell in love with it.
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July 1, 2018: Gendarmenmarkt, Berlin, Germany
A historic market site in central Berlin. Join Jonathan L to explore it.
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The Memorials of Berlin, Part 1
There are many memorials to the victims of the Nazi regime in Germany. Jonathan L introduces us to some of the smaller, lesser-known ones in Berlin.
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The Memorials of Berlin - Part 2
Jonathan L continues his exploration of the Berlin memorials dedicated to those murdered by the Nazis