2023
Great Barford visits Wöllstein Thursday May 25th to Tuesday May 30th 2023
28 people travelled to Wöllstein this year. Most of us went by aeroplane. We had a coach to take us to Stansted Airport. When we arrived at Frankfurt Airport, Helmut and the Burgermeister, Johannes met us in the Arrivals lounge and whisked us off to Wöllstein in their coach.
When we arrived at the Village Hall all of our hosts were there to greet us with handshakes and hugs. Our hosts gathered us up and took us off to their respective houses for a well urned rest and refreshment.
We gathered once more at Great Barford Village Hall car park in time for departure. Travelers who needed to were able to leave their cars in the Village Hall car park over the weekend. At 03:30 am the coach left for the overnight trip to Germany and our twin town - Wöllstein.
We traveled to Germany via the Channel Tunnel. This was our second trip in the Tunnel, this time in the other direction. Our coach drove in to a train carriage and we were able to leave the coach and walk about in the train compartment as the train took us through the Tunnel. Once again it was a very quick and efficient way to travel.
We planned to arrive at Wöllstein Village Hall at about 14:30 - 15:00. John Vincent telephoned ahead and all of our hosts were there to welcome us in the car park when we arrived. In the Village Hall we were given wine and beer and listened to the official welcoming speeches. The Parish council's gift of sand pit toys for the Kindergarten, was gratefully received by Wöllstein's Mayor, Lucia, on their behalf. Our hosts then took us home for a well earned rest.
Thursday was a free day to catch up with our hosts and friends. Many people took the opportunity to go shopping and visit local vineyards to taste and purchase wine.
The Official Welcome and Partnership Evening began at 17:00. Before the meal we were entertained by pupils from a local school, who danced for us. |
Thursday evening is, traditionally, Games Night. This year the games were organised by local school children included Carpet Bowls, Table Skittles, Welly Wanging, and Ping Pong Ball Hoopla. This year the Edmund Petri Trophy was won by Wöllstein so we had to leave it behind in Germany. |
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Before a wonderful buffet, bottles of several different local wines were distributed for a wine tasting lead by this year's Queen of Wine. At the end of the evening, John Vincent, on behalf of Great Barford, invited our Wöllstein friends for a return visit to Great Barford in 2020. Mayor Lucia was pleased to accept. |
On Saturday we had a full day's trip to the Rhineland-Palatinate Open Air Museum which included a guided tour. We had free time to explore the buildings and talk to the reenactors who were showing visitors how the buildings would have been lived in. Nearly 40 historic buildings were moved stone by stone, wood by wood, and rebuilt in the Open Air Museum true to the original down to the last detail. We finished the day with an evening meal at the local Brewery at Bad Kreuznach. On Sunday we returned to Britain on the Cross Channel Ferry
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We look forward to seeing our Partnership friends once more in Great Barford in 2020 at Great Barford.