Great Barford visits Wöllstein
Visit to Wöllstein 24 – 28th May 2013
On the evening of Thursday 24th May, once more we boarded the coach at Great Barford Village Hall to visit our friends in Wöllstein. The journey was not without incident. Having negotiated the English Channel safely on the ferry, we were on our way through Belgium when we heard a very loud bang from the underside of the rear of the coach on the right hand side. Our driver carried on very carefully until he could pull off the road safely into a large layby. Here we waited for help to arrive. During this time the coach and the right hand rear pair of tyres were examined repeatedly to try to find the source of the problem.
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Eventually the cavalry arrived and the decision was taken to remove the outer tyre in order to check the state of the inner one. Here lay the problem. The tyre was badly shredded and needed to be replaced. Messages were sent to Wöllstein to warn them of the delay. Meanwhile we waited and watched the sun rise over the wheat and oil seed rape fields. There was a solitary but picturesque church to photograph on the horizon. The layby was very big with toilet facilities. A woman was there cleaning when we went to investigate. She had a hosepipe and cleaned everything with this:- toilets, sinks, walls, cubicle doors …. everything. She said she was nearly finished and asked us to wait while she swept the excess water out of the door.
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On arrival at Wöllstein Village Hall we were to be treated to a drum performance by pupils of the Wöllstein Primary School. As we were very late the children had returned to school, so unfortunately we missed this treat.
Another disapointment awaited us on Saturday 25th. We were to meet at the clubhouse of the Wöllstein Rifle Club for the "Walk of Fairytales". Along the course of this walk there are statues of each fairy tale character to mark the way. It was planned that we would pause for refreshments of rolls, sausage and wine at the hut in the valley of the River Apple. Unfortunately this excursion had to be cancelled because of rain so we spent time with our hosts.
At 6pm we gathered at the Village Hall for the official Partnership Evening and dinner. The dance group Jacke vom Applelbach performed for us.
We went up the Altportel (The Old Gate) which is the remaining tower of the medieval west gate of the city of Speyer. It is one of the original 68 towers built into the walls, or guarding the gates, in order to defend the city. The old gate was built between 1230 and 1250 on the ruins of a previous tower. The bottom of the 13th century tower survived and, in 1511, Speyer's mayor ordered that the tower be rebuilt on this foundation. The top portion of the tower is thus newer than the lower portion. These renovations were completed in 1514. Today the Altportel is one of the largest, at 55 metres (180 ft) high, and most architecturally significant of the remaining city gate towers in Germany. It houses a small museum.
In Medieval times the Jews in Speyer built a synagogue which was dedicated in 1104. Very little of it remains. However the ritual bath, the Mikveh, survives. It was located a short distance from the synagogue and is the oldest installation of its kind in central Europe.
After our guided tour of the city we enjoyed lunch at the Domhof restaurant followed by an opportunity to explore Speyer with our hosts. |
Sunday 26th was a very full day. Unfortunately again it rained continuously all day. However, suitably dressed, we boarded the coach for a trip to Speyer where we had a very interesting guided tour. We visited the Lutheran Church and climbed the stairs to the top gallery which is lined with beautiful paintings. In the nearby cathedral there were a group of Americans singing in the front pews. The acoustics of the building are such that sound resonates throughout the Cathedral in a very etherial way - hence the building is known as the 'Singing Cathedral'. We were very sorry when they finished their song and left. .
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Some of us chose to visit The Speyer Technik Museum (technology museum). This museum of contains a wealth of iconic exhibits. When we arrived we could not miss the Lufthansa Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet. In the slideshow below can be seen the enormous ramp which has been constructed to allow access to the aeroplane. Braver visitors can venture on to the wing of the aircraft to enjoy the view across Speyer towards the Altportel from which we had spotted this aircraft on the horizon earlier in the day.
Also on display outside the building is the U9 submarine which was launched in 1967 and decommissioned in1993. It was powered by two Mercedes Benz 4 stroke V12 diesel engines each coupled to a generator to provide electrical power. Its maximum speed was 10 knots (19 km/h). Though obviously enormous it had to make every centimeter of space inside count for its four officers and 18 enlisted men.
Immediately recognisable, this Space Shuttle is not 'Made in the USA'. This is the huge Russian Space Shuttle prototype BURAN OK-GLI. At 36m long, 16m high, and weighing about 80 tons it was designed for testing gliding flight and landing after re-entry into the atmosphere. Buran completed 25 atmospheric flights between 1984 and 1989. However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, further developments were stopped and the program was discontinued in 1993. |
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On Monday 27th we visited Juwi a multinational company specialising in renewable energy. They are responsible for the growing array of giant wind turbines in evidence on the hills round about. We arrived at the Clean Energy and Mobility Centre to find an array of old historic 'Hybrid' cars illustrating the early development of battery powered vehicles. We had a guided tour of the operational headquarters of Juwi where employees are given great freedom as to when and where they work. The company looks after their staff extremely well providing a nursery school for their children. Babies are cared for in the nursery and their mothers are encouraged to breast feed and given time to do so. There is also a fully equipped gymnasium and swimming pool for the use of staff.
We ate lunch in the staff cafeteria choosing our meals from the same menu as Juwi employees. The food was excellent.
We ate lunch in the staff cafeteria choosing our meals from the same menu as Juwi employees. The food was excellent.
On Tuesday morning we said fond fairwells to our Wöllstein friends and boarded the coach for home.
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At 6pm on Monday evening we had our traditional games evening with the traditional darts, skittles and carpet bowls competitions.
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