Our meeting in Wolfsberg Austria



Museum entry Wolfsberg

Wolfsberg lies in a valley amongst the last of the Austrian mountains, close to the Hungarian and Slovenian borders. It has good rail connections, it was a garrison town, and generally far from Front Lines. And a 'recent' history as a place to gather people caught up in European wars. Refugees from Russian and then WW I troubles in the early 20^th century were kept in a Wolfsberg camp before being returned to Russia after the war.

Early in WWII it was used to keep captured Polish Officers and then French and Belgian personnel. But then the size and role of the camp was greatly increased to hold the large number of POWs captured during the ill planned and poorly executed Allied defence of Greece in April 1941. Up to 10,000 English, Australian, South African, and New Zealand men found themselves as part of Stalag XVIIIA . After the German invasion of Russia, the camp size was further increased so that by 1943 up to 45,000 men were being held at Wolfsberg and its subsiduary camps in surrounding areas. A large majority of the men were assigned for work on farms all over this part of Austria.

 

At welcoming drinks

Over time Italians and Americans were also housed here as were Slavs and Croats. The largest contingent were French at about 18,000. Sadly the Russian prisoners especially were considered as 'sub humans' and they were poorly fed and treated. Many Russians died in Wolfsberg camps.

Then at the end of WWII, the camp was used to hold suspected Nazi people. After WWII, when the British left Austria, the camp was gradually dismantled and today there are no visible signs that this was ever a prison camp.

 

Welcoming drinks

From 22 April 1941 until the end of the Eropean war on 8 May 1945, Randall's father, Roy Kingsley, was one of these POWs. Roy was fortunate enough to eventually spend his years here on farms around the lovely city of Graz.

Now Wolfsberg people are now recalling this past and currently have a special exhibition on the camps in their local museum. And thanks to the initiative of Englishman Ian Brown, whose father was a POW here, about 100 descendents and families have spent three days as guests of Wolfsberg, exchanging experiences.  Also see http://www.stalag18a.org.uk/

 

 

Brunch at Wolfsberg castle

So we have enjoyed a fantastic opportunity to gather with others whose lives were largely created through this experience of war. We have exchanged very similar stories and expanded our knowledge. We are all using the often scraps of information we have on our father's/grandfather's/uncles/etc lives for over fours years here to see if we can make new contacts.

And some have exceeded their wildest expectations as they turn up in hamlets or farms or houses to find the people who are in their old photographs are still living there and eager to tell their versions of what happened here.

At a personal level, Randall had with him one letter handed down from his father and which was sent to Roy in 1946. It was written by an Austrian brother and sister who knew Roy Kingsley when  the POWS and a young Austrian family were sharing the same Government assumed monastery at Vorau in 1944/45. The letter describes how these young people survived the last days of the war.

 

 

Meeting the girl who wrote the letter

 

And now a circle of events has been closed as thanks to a local Wolfaberg professor who navigated Randall through a maze of Government people and records in Graz in a couple of hours, Randall was able to meet the girl who knew Roy Kingsley and who is now in her mid 80s. This was real life 'Who do you think you are' and very satisfying. This lady told us something about life in those times in the taken over monastery. A once in a lifetime event to be remembered for a long time.

 

 



Stift Monastery Vorau

Auf Wiedersehen Germany

In my obtuse ways I find it interesting to discover just how different two people can be, even after spending 40 plus years together. Whether the differences are between the sexes, set by genes or develop as you are educated, I know not. But they exist and so might be worth a thought or two.

 

In our tour group the differences show up more markedly when figuring out what to do with each day, where to eat and what to eat and drink.

One of us is constantly looking for a destination and then trying to figure out how to achieve it. It is no good arising in the morning to face a blank activity or destination. It is no good turning up in a new place without a map and/or a list of things to 'achieve'. To be contrary, another one in the group is more focussed on 'doing' something. This can be as simple as having a coffee 'over there' or, recently, just finding a convenient spot on the Rhine to watch the world economy in action.

One of us is a 'communicator'. Arriving at a new hotel means first checking for wifi, then internet, then skype/viber and if that fails then what is on the TV? Another one in the group wants to drop the bags and head off into the place, lay some territorial markers and see if there is anything to report.

One of us wants to know what everything is on the menu before thinking about what we could possibly drink and/or eat. Another one in the group will order a soft drink/wine/beer according to mood and then scan the menu to see if anything can be recognised/translated and once satisfied then will forget about the rest of the menu.

How could we be so different after all this time together?

Today we spent almost all of the day on the train systems from Koblenz to Geneva. One of us was happy enough dozing off from time to time as there was little to do. This one jumped into action when we had to change trains, quickly identifying timings and platforms to get to. Another in the group thought he was leading this activity too. But times and responsibilities have changed now that one of us has travelled alone to the deep North of Scotland.

 

Maybe the other one in the group will change a bit too. The travel computer is the point where our worlds meet and so far he has retained control. But for how long?

Summer time and the livin is easy

 

So we have turned the corner in a few ways now. We have drifted down the Rhine to Koblenz and turned the corner heading towards France via the Moselle. In our heads we have also just turned the corner and started thinking about when we pick up the pace from Geneva onwards in a day or so. We are about the half way mark in this journey. Drifting along by foot is fine enough but wheeling the ever growing bags around trains and boats is never that much fun. Good weight training but not something you want to do all the time.

The weather is set to hold above or about 30 degrees for at least the next week as we get around eating our ice creams and drinking a little more than usual. From here we head into warmer Austria so the pace of things is likely to be similar to here.

 

We took eight days to cover the Rhine and Moselle rivers, staying in Wiesbaden, Bacharach, St Goar, Koblenz and Cochem. And the flow of the river systems helped us to slow down almost as much as the unusually warm weather. Around here, life at the moment is very relaxed.

 

The River ferries schedules do vary as we found in Braubach the other day after we hopped off a ferry to visit Marksburg castle and have lunch in this very smart village only to discover that our mid afternoon ferry was not running that particular day. So we spent an extra hour just sitting in the park near the river chatting to two different German men. One was waiting for his wife to return by ferry after a day bike riding up the Rhine; the other was simply out and about for a chat, even if with foreigners. Randall had made a short visit to the castle in 2012 but had exited before the guided tour he had joined was completed. So it was good to finish the tour this time.

 

We also had a good bike ride along the Rhine the other day together with the rest of Germany. All shapes and sizes getting around and a great place for bikes as it is nice and flat. Seats a little hard though. And unlike quite a few, we did not have power assisted bikes.

 

We also thought about taking the train up the Moselle to Cochem instead of taking the ferry upstream (5 hours plus) as planned. But the train idea went out the window due to timetable change so we went back to the original ferry plan. It was a very leisurely day on the Moselle from Koblenz to Cochem, a tourist oriented town not disimilar to Rudesheim in that regard, although Cochem is a more up market town. But we did feel that an afternoon and night in Cochem was adequate so we finished off our river tripping by catching a Monday morning train to Trier, one of the oldest towns in Germany for a short visit before taking the train back to Koblenz. Trier has a Roman heritage and a well presented old town which we gradually walked around, despite the heat.

 

Our German is improving and we are finding the people to be friendly and helpful. Sure some are carrying a bit of excess weight at this time of the year especially, but they are out and about all the same. The Moselle is a summer playground for many Germans with boating and camping heaven and there were groups of people along the whole river enjoying a rest in the shade or a dip in the river, boating or skiing. Can I have another wieswine/Rose/appfleschorle please?

 

Although Germany might be carrying Europe economically, this is a relaxed country, confident in itself. The Rhineland is an interesting place to visit and observe. But as it is with the tourist life, we must move on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Scottish sojourn

My tour of the west coast of Scotland and the islands was a wonderful experience. As a small group of fifteen from 7 different countries we set out from Edinburgh on a five day tour of the islands. Myself and two others then joined another tour at Spean Bridge and headed to the Orkney Islands.

 

The highlight of my tour was seeing the puffin birds on Staffa Island. We travelled by ferry to Mull Island then a further ferry to Iona Island and by this time the weather had set in. Very windy and very wet. For the optional boat trip to Staffa Island the skipper warned us it would be very very rough and this was in a much much smaller boat. Some decided to spend the day on Iona but I somehow put my faith in the skipper and I thought I could do it. The skipper could not guarantee we would be able to land.

But land we did although it was very rough and coming into to the island my photos were often the side of the boat or people as the boat rolled. We could walk across basalt rocks to visit the cave immortalised by Mendelssohn in his Hebridean Overture "Fingal's Cave". Once again we were warned this was very dangerous as the salt water and rain together made the path very slippery.

 

With my history I opted out of this and climbed up a steep stairway to walk along the cliff tops to see the puffins. The sea gulls in this part of the world are scared of people, so once they left the puffins came in. The puffins like people and came very close. I just wished I could see better through the rain on my glasses and camera and the wind blowing. But I did see them and took many photos, some of which are quite clear. I had hoped to see puffins again on the Orkney Islands but it is rare in that part of the world. They fly in from the Baltic Sea to nest and are only around for a few weeks.

 

I did however enjoy driving through Glen Coe and onto the Isle of Skye. On the Orkney Islands we visited many archeological digs which were fascinating, some only being discovered in the 1990's.

Altogether we saw some spectacular scenery of the rugged part of Scotland, both mountains and seascapes. We visited villages, castles and took walks in beautiful glens, forests and a spectacular gorge. We savoured fresh seafood and breathed the clean air. What more can you ask for?

 

Scotland was brimming with tourists, not a vacancy to be seen. All my hosts were friendly and gave great service. All in all it was a wonderful wee taste of bonnie Scotland.

When froggy meets Scotty

Saturday evening and a day of travel for the wandering duo. Randall goes to Wiesbaden by taxi and then train along the Rhine. He backtracks past the villages where he walked in 2012. They look much the same and wonders what Yvonne will think of these places when we visit in a few days time.

Yvonne catches a bus from central Edinburgh and arrives very early to make sure she gets the flight. And on time and as planned your duo resume their lives together.

The Wiesbaden area is quite industrial and apparently nothing to compare with the Highlands. Looks tough. Smells different and a bit of a culture shock. Germany is on holidays and in any case there is no commercial activity from early Saturday afternoons until Mondays so the city centre is very quiet.

 

Nevertheless the duo walk through the old town whilst Yvonne downloads heaps of stories about puffins on Staffa Island, Inner Hebredies (now wants to go Outer Hebredies), Orkney Islands and Edinburgh. Wonderful people, wonderful seafood and a great learning experience. If you are lucky then you might get a proper blog or two from Yvonne on her Scotland experience.

 

Apparently Scotland is much much better than a boring old walk in the backwaters of the Rhine. Nevertheless, Randall does manage to get a few words in about his walk from time to time.

Now we are well rested and ready to explore the better parts of the Rhine area. Staying in Bacharach for a few days now. Cute town and surprisingly not much going on. A few tourists about but not as many as we expected. Are we here with some geriatrics and Americans looking for a different experience? Is the European economy really that bad? How will we ever know? But we are here in the now and enjoying the area.  

 

I'm walkin, yes indeed I'm walkin

 

After nine days of walking we are nearing our destination of Braubach. The trick here is to stay focussed as due to tour booking reasons, we are booked for two nights in Koblenz-one day short of Braubach.

A couple of prospects here. Maybe I will give tomorrow a miss, rest up a bit and get ready for life after the walk? In reality it is all about the journey and not the destination? This is just a fun thing after all so why not have a second rest day so I will be fresher for the events that I am going to over the weekend?

No. It is really the destination that I am seeking so it is very important for me to finish the last leg and tick the completed walk box and pick up my T shirt.

Well actually I have nothing else scheduled for tomorrow so I might as well walk. The weather is still good and warm so what could be better than a walk in this fine part of the world?

From a Rhine point of view, Koblenz is perhaps the most important place. German corner where the Rhine meets the Moselle is very important to most Germans. And the river traffic is more prolific.

And after 9 days of good walking, good company, hearty food, drink and conversation, we will leave the walk refreshed and ready for the next part of our busy lives. Australian politics rarely gets a mention as we all agree that we would not feed almost all of the current crop of people in that role. We often fall back to sport as a conversation starter, as a lot of Australians seem to do. Not tennis, not bike racing, not rugby but perhaps cricket. Family connections and events have been very well covered as has the fantastic countryside around the Rhine and the many interesting sights that we see as we slowly traverse this part of the planet. Some discuss business and business conditions and others relate events in their lives as they interact along the way.

This has beena great experience and we all understand just how lucky we are to have this opportunity to walk together for a few days of our lives. Where will we walk next?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Technology keeps us in touch-wherever

Restored castle above Konigswinter

This contribution comes from Bad Honningen when the walking club is having a rest day. Unfortunately one of the seven has had to stay behind for a couple of days rest to recover from a bronchial condition, possibly picked up from his kids before leaving home. The remaining walkers are savouring the rest. There is more than a good chance that we will be back as one unit soon, perhaps today.

Sometimes we feel like this

As we move a little further south each day (unlike that terrible soppy song that moves one further north in QLD), this walk seems to have toughened up. For the last few days we have walked more kms each day and the terrain is a lot hillier as we dip back towards the Rhine for a few kms only to turn around at the edge of a river town to climb back up to the heights again.

They know how to create great walking and cycle space

It rained almost all of the second day and the paths in many places remain quite boggy. Whilst going uphill is ok in such conditions, we are careful on the downhill bits to avoid slip, slip slipping away. To draw an analogy to the recent walk in France, it is a bit like the last couple of kms where you drop down into Conques, which is hidden away deep in the valley, about 8 times a day. Not a favourite pastime for Yvonne.

Dracula could be living here

Within this group we are well armed with techology. Ipad, Ipod, Netbook, mobile phones, smart phones and it is routine in France and Germany to have wifi access in hotels and B&Bs. Is this needed or desirable as 'we get away from it all'?

On the road again

So this morning whilst I am writing this blog, others are watching an AFL live and a replay.   There is little interest in a Wallabies replay.  The net has been searched to find a local massage place for those interested. Trip Advisor is being used to assist with eating optons and tourist opportunities. And we are well aware of global news. And of course I have been able to keep a daily contact with Yvonne who is now in the Orkney Islands and enjoying her exposure to more one of the more remote parts of Europe.

Central Linz-would like to get back here

But aside from the tendency of technology to temp me away from the experience of simply enjoying the walking opportunity and the challenges when living within another culture, this has been another great week.

 

 

 

 

 

Like Wille Nelson-on the road again

 

I have a advertisement up on the wall next to my desk at home which shows a big fat man trying to heave himself out of a swimming pool. There is the pool ladder just next to him and the caption is something like "Why do things the hard way when....".

And sometimes I wonder if our travel is a bit like that man.

For me, there is something endlessly fascinating as us humans get around the world. And airports, train stations and major tourist sights really bring these feelings to the surface. How do we get from station to hotel? What do we want to do/see/eat/buy when we get there? Why do people do things that way? How long does it take from Paris centre to Charles De Gaulle airport? Which airport-1,2,3? Are Randall and Yvonne heading for the same terminal? (answer No, of course).

From Brussells, do I want to take the Chunnel to England? Now that I am in Cologne, how do I get to next destination Bonn? Where and what will I eat tonight? Why don't I just line up with others to buy the whole travel experience and leave the thinking to others? And so on.

 

The answer so far is that is you learn when the unexpected turns up just around the corner. When you meet and talk for just a few minutes perhaps over a meal with strangers. When you see Eiffel tower/Conques/Estaing/rural France/Rhine river/Cologne cathedral for the first or subsequent time. When your your train/plane connections are out by minutes/hours/days. When you really enjoy/pass up/not like that cafe/brasserie/hotel/meal/service.

Today Yvonne starts her tour of Scotland, looking for big views and feelings and perhaps something to paint later including a few puffins. Randall heads for Bonn and to join up with friends to walk the northern part of the Rheisteig from Bonn to Braubach. The weather in Germany is warmer than we experienced in Paris but the threat of rain remains for at least the next few days.

I wonder how things will turn out before we catch up with each other in 12 days time?