I traveled to another COUNTRY!
Got up this morning and went for my usual Koffie (coffee). The owner of the hotel and his girlfriend are the nicest people and they laugh every morning at me. I just can't get my body kick started until I get my first cup of coffee, so I walk out every morning with my sleeping britches, an Inzane 5 tee shirt and my flip flops - with my hair standing straight up (that which I still have). As soon as they hear my door open, out comes the pot of coffee and it is waiting for me when I get to the counter. (This is the reception area upstairs at the hotel and the breakfast room). I always take my coffee, thank them profoundly and plod back to my room - having my morning backside scratch with one hand and holding the cup and saucer in the other - yep, more laughter......
Super nice people.
Went outside and gladly loaded my dirty laundry into the back of the rental car that the company gave me. As I am having my morning smoke in the grey coldness of the morning, before getting in the car, I talk for awhile with a Dutch couple who were mounting their bikes. She was riding a Magnum and he was on an Intruder. Nice bikes! The Intruder had Harley squared fenders, spoke wheels and white walls. Both were nice bikes and I waved as they rolled off into the grey coolness.
THANK GOODNESS, I found a place to do my laundry today! Whooo-Hooo! My laundry after 2 weeks here was reaching critical mass. It was almost getting to a "long road trip" phase - you know, if the socks ain't sticking to your feet, you can get a second day and the good old, "turn-flip-turn-flip" approach to getting 4 days out of your drawers. Well, that is a moot point now, since I got to do the wash.....WHEW! I had a cup of coffee while waiting for my laundry to finish. Folded everything up and stuffed it in the car's boot and off I went - PANCAKE hunting baby!
Well, I don't have a printer in my room, so I went to Mapquest Europe and scribbled some notes down on how to get to Oul Aalden and I drove around for more than an hour and just couldn't find it. When I asked directions, nobody knew where it was. One note I had scribbled down was if I arrived in Lutten, I had gone too far. Well, needless to say, I arrived in Lutten. Right as I rolled into this little village, there was a huge Church or Tower of some kind. I haven't been able to find anything on it on the web. If it is a church, people must walk to it because it is surrounded by sheep fields and there is no parking anywhere near it.
Now, I knew nothing of any history of any place I went to today - I was just driving. So, after more driving, I wound up in this village that had a neat windmill that was built in 1870.
Well, I had ridden around about all I wanted to find this place with the pancakes so I finally said "frick it" and headed back down the road towards Emmen with pancakes on my mind. When I got to Emmen, I remembered that someone told me that Germany was about 15-20 minutes down the road, so I figured that Germany would have some good pancakes - I reckon. If nothing else, I can grab a sausage or something. So east bound and down - Germany baby!!!!! Crossed the border and the 4 lane turned into a nice two lane. Came upon this little hotel, so I stopped figuring they could whoop up a pancake - I betcha.
A really neat place! They had this Doberman that roamed the dining area and would actually talk to you. The lady brought out her husband because she couldn't communicate to me in English. I asked him if he could make me a pancake? Ya! Ok, then I will take a couple of those bad boys. I think one is good - ve make dem BIG! Ok, bring me one......
Boy HOWDY! He wasn't lying! I ordered mine with bananna. I mean, it had at least a whole nanner in that bad boy! Sure wasn't a frozen toaster pancake!!! Man, it was KILLER!!! Yep Brother Tundra, well worth the ride! That is my knife in the picture for size proportion. He brought out powdered sugar and syrup if I needed it - the powdered sugar was just fine. Oh yeah, and washed down with another cup of joe. Oh yeah, over here everytime I have had a cup of coffee, they bring you a chocholat, a gingerbread cookie or a biscotti with your coffee...that has been every cup I have had here - nice touch. I don't think Hard6 could have eaten a "stack" of these billy bad boys.
I was thinking about getting back on the road and heading back the way I had come, but I had a couple of hours to kill before it would be time back home for me to get back to the office in Emmen and calling Red, so I saw this town in the distance - the town of Meppen, Germany so I scooted over to it. WOW!!!!!!!! I mean, MEGA-WOW!!!!!!! I passed a market, so I found a parking spot and walked around. WOW! I took some shots of some buildings I thought were neat and didn't find out what I was looking at until I got back to the room and looked up the place on the net.
I saw a church spire in the distance so I walked over to it. A very neat building I thought.....Wow, gargoyles and everything.
Then when I get back to the room, I find out that the name of the church is Katholische Propsteikirche St. Vitus. It is said to be one of the oldest places of worship of the Emsland district and is over 1000 years old. WHAT? Over 1000 years old! Didn't look a day over 900 to me.
Then I found this place that the color struck me.
Well, come to find out, this place is called The Windthorst Gymnasium, which is a school and church, and is said to have made a name for itself as a “jewel of Baroque church architecture and art”. The school was founded in 1642 by Jesuits and is the oldest high school even beyond Emsland. In 1982, the school was named after Ludwig Windthorst, a German politician who fought against the secularization of schools his whole life.
So, as I walk towards the market that I had originally seen......
I came into the plaza and there was this really neat building that was being used as a cafe. I thought it was neat. They had a nice water fountain outside.
Well, come to find out, this was the old Town Hall. The foundation walls of the Town Hall, built from mere boulders, originate from the year 1408. The building had been enlarged and changed into the renaissance-style between 1601 and 1605, not only expanding to two floors, but also adding pillars to increase the surface area of the facade.
I find out that I spent the afternoon in a town with the following history - and never even knew it.
945 — Emperor Otto the Great grants the town the rights to mint coins and to collect tolls, followed in 946 by market rights.
1252 — Meppen becomes part of the Niederstift Münster.
1360 — Meppen is granted the right to build city fortifications by Bishop Adolf of Münster, and thereby, town rights. Over the next three centuries until 1660, Meppen is built up as a fortified town.
1762 — At the end of the Seven Years’ War, the fortifications are demolished. However, some walls remain standing today.
1803 — Meppen becomes the capital of the dukedom of Arenberg.
1811 — Meppen is incorporated into the First French Empire as a cantonal seat.
1813 — 1814 — Occupation by Prussia.
1866 — Hanover becomes a province of Prussia.
1946 — The state of Prussia is abolished after the Second World War. Meppen becomes part of the newly created Land of Lower Saxony.
How cool!!!!
So while I was there, I wanted something special...so I asked a duck what was good. He quacked back to me in German so I didn't understand.
But this place looked cool - the yellow building. It was a new construction and was recently built in 1830.
I figured since I was now in Germany...hmmmmmmm.....about some warm apple strudel (not the toaster kind) with vanilla ice cream and vanilla creame? OH YEAH BABY!!!! And another cup of joe.
Let me tell ya, that was some of the best, melt in your mouth stuff I have ever eaten. IT WAS SOME GOOD! Plate lickin' good.
It was getting close to time for Red to wake up, so I shot back across the border.
Went to the office and called Red for the first time in over a week and spent about 30 minutes making sure everything was OK back across the big pond - it was.
Back to room and get my clothes put up and walked around the square here in Emmen for awhile. Talked to owner of the hotel for awhile....then it was time for dinner before calling it a night back in the room and the net to post this. Tonight it was Tagliatelle alla Cacciatora - Extra gevulde jagersschotel van varkenshaasstukken met olijven, kappertjes, uien en rode wijn met Verse Tagliatelle en Rauwkostsalade - which translates to: Additional hunter filled dish of pork pieces with olives, capers, onions and red wine with fresh tagliatelle and Raw vegetable salad. And that is a Fanta orange (different over here) not a beer. I think this is the first time I have a meal that was filled with capers. Those things are good - they have kind of a orange-raison taste. Good.
Well, a great day. I thought the buildings were neat - I never realized they were like 500-1000 years old. You know, the town of Meppen was cool enough.....I might just have a craving for some strudel or a sausage or something tomorrow.....
Safe winds ya'll.......
