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Again one of these cross country voyages from South to North on these marvellous highways. Thursday is a German religious Holyday. On those days the heavy trucks are forbidden to drive, so the streets are used mostly for entertainment of week end tourists. And to test the high performance cars, the Porsche, BMW, Daimler, Ferrari.
For 70 Euros in Diesel we have again 700 Kilometers ahead of us. Mimamai drives, I study the map to look for places, who invite my curiosity: Hammelburg, means Mutton Castle. The origin of the town roots back to the year 700. It's the oldest wine region in Germany, where Bishops and High Priests celebrated their summer time with costly wine - medicin for mysteries in the Middle Ages. |
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| In Hammelburg is the little river Saale, Fraenkische Salle,
cause this part of Germany north of Bavaria is called ''Franken''. Mimamai
belongs to this tribe, where people speak with a special akcent. People talk
German with different akcents from South in the Alpes to thd northern sea. We spend the night before the salt bath Salzschlirf - a silent healing and wellness paradies 25 Kilometers away from the highway. People, prices and atmosphere change step by step the further you drive away from the highway. One political promise once was, that no village should be further away than 15 Kilometers from the next highway connection. Thanks to existence that this promise was broken. |
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| Some buildings in these little villages are many centuries
old. If a fire or war catastrophy may have destroyed buildings, parts of a
village or cities completly, most buildings are renewed. Very seldom you see
any ruin. Old castles are hotels or restaurants nowadays, or church and
government have comfortable meeting centers in cultural monuments. Or in
music academies young people exercise artful performance for the tourists in
the evening. There still seems to be enough money for everyone and
everything. Five millions people are out of work. Some regions suffer from up to 20 % unemployemend rate, in Munich for example maybe around 7 % don't find jobs anymore. Or like Mima in the moment, who has a part time job only - 15 hours a week. From this so called 400 Euro job per month Mima has to give three quarters to the govermental unemployment agency, from where taxes pay her some money and the health insurance. Even she has worked all last seven summers in the public pool, she can expect unemployment money a short time only. We still wait for the exact data. When this support is finished, people have to use up their savings, all their savings, before they get so called ''Hartz IV'' support. This means 340 Euro per month plus health insurance. To get ''Hart IV''-money, the size of your appartment is limited.. To get this money you have to betray all little life secrets, if and where you have saved your last little money. People have even to sell their life insurances, before they get this minimum government support ''Hartz IV''. BTW Hartz is the name of a manager from the Volkswagen factory. Some Volkswagen managers have failed completly e.g. with the production of the most luxurious VW, called Phaeton. 10 Cylinders Diesel engine with around 250 horse powers. These days Volkswagen have a new little model for less than 10.000 Euro - develloped and designed in Brasilia. |
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| Sure government employes are happy, when many unemployed
people leave Germany, to find jobs e. g. in Austria tourist centers in
Hotels, Restaurants or health industry. My feelings: the election change this year the climate. The next new politicans will strengthen the military and industrlal complex. Strong organisations make individuals weeker. In consequence people in Germany have to work longer for less money. Workers in Germany have to compete with the payment of workers in East European countries, where people work for 70 % less money than here. More: workers e.g. from Poland invade Germany. In most slaughterhouses thousands of Germans lost their jobs, because East Europeans take their place. These workers live together with many men in one room and work under horrible conditions. The press reports such awful pressure in the flesh factories, that some workers have no time to go to the toilet. They simply shit in the factory in a corner, where the assembly line brings one pig corpse after another, workers have to cut into parts. |
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| In the cleaning industry or with food harvest similiar
changes are going on. The sex-industry has started this process years ago.
Nowadays even the health industry, special the caring for old people import
workers from East Europe. Many industries leave Germany for Hungary, Tscheslowakay or Poland. The engines for Audi-Cars Ingolstadt e. g. come by train from Hungary just in time for the cars, who leave the assembly line. From some Hotels in Berlin drivers bring all laundry to Poland and bring back clean the next day in return. When people like Mimamai in her age of 46 years have lost a job, for my feelings it will be very difficult to get any other work again. Even Mimamai makes all efforts with great creativity, to learn and find something new. Mimamai never listens to my pessimistic approach. My feeling is sure: The destruction of richness in the Western World in general and special in Germany has started and had to start. The positive sign: Western World and Germans have to share their richness with the poorer Eastern neighbors. In extreme: Asia begins behind Germans Eastern border. |
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| Back into my reality: At 4.15 a.m. the birds start their
impressive morning concert. Around 10.00 a.m. we present Nobydick, my
luxurious motor home, in a little town near Kassel. Nobydick is for sale now.
I don't trust the times, to keep up my little luxury. These feelings of
Life-Angst come up, when two weeks of rough cough demolish my health. In long bargain hours I demonstrate all advantages of my car to a VW-employee and mechanic expert, who has worked nearly 40 years for the VW factory. He is one year younger than I am, and his family with grown up son has build up a home in a beautiful forest village Spangenberg. The home is surrounded by grasland, where his dog runs on a line. This man offered 27.000 Euros by e-mail. After my long and careful presentation of Nobydick I am like drunk about all the advantages of my quickest Motor Home on German Highways with seven windows to open, all sheltered with mosquito net. These double polyester windows protect from cold and hot climate. Jalousies keep the light outside, even when you park under a shining lamp. |
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| When Angst takes over, I write wise words like these: ''Isn't
it one of the hardest thing in life, to let go, what we like and are used
too? Guess life opens up this book for many people, to learn these hard
lessons to lose.'' The VW worker finally offers 28.000 Euros. I want 28.500, even I tried to convince myself before this deal, not to accept any offer below 29.000. Leaving the scene my last offer goes even down to 28.250 Euro. The man mocks about my desire with the words: ''What do you want with 250 Euros more?'' ''That money is my consolation, that I loose so much money selling Nobydick,'' I explain smiling. The son looks sad, when we leave the scene. We relax in the public pool of Spangenberg, where big predator birds fly circles high in the blue sky. |
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| Young boys play beach ball in the sand, throw the ball over
into a little river over the fence. There the ball lies lost. I wonder about these guys, remember my youth, how hard I tried to get back, when I have lost something. For hours I search in the woods e.g. for an arrow, shoot in the woods. Sad these boys finish their game. I cross the fence, walk down in the river, where the ball hangs under a tree, get it back, kick my prey over the fence to Mimamai, who hides this gift in our pocket. So we win a ball. Nevertheless in mood of Angst I fantasy an opposite truth: ''Isn't it one of the hardest thing in life, to let go, what we like and are used too? Guess life opens up this book for many people, to learn these hard lessons to lose.'' |
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| There is nothing much to read in the books of paper. There
is endless richness to read in the book of life. My brain, body and hearts
feels old and experienced enough, to approach reality by intuition. In case
my experience fails, this will be another experience. Even with more than 15 years now as editior in the PC Magazin, with my 20, 25 working years, with all my payment of 60.000 Euros for my unemployement insurance, when I loose my job in maximum after two and half years I will have to ask for ''Hartz IV'' support. ''Hartz IV'' support only get those poor people, who have used up all their savings. Saved money is used up quickly, because for my costly private health insurance and monthly pay for our appartment I nearly need around 800 Euros. By this economical pressure I feel the need to reduce money to spend. That's my reason, that I try to sell Nobydick since monthes. Guess, this will succeed, because other people have not my pessimistic view. Friday I could have sold the car, when there would not be such strong desire, to keep my possession. 250 Euro, less than 1 % of the price, I was not willing to reduce anymore. So the car still is mine. |
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| The night to Saturday we spend in Bad Laer, where we visit
my old, old Mom with her sister, my Aunt. The first boiling summer day: still 27 degree Celsius, even all windows are open, to invite a cool breeze inside. It still takes hours till the car cools down. My body has forgotten in winter frost, how to adjust to nearly 25 degrees Celsius at night. The lazy Saturday at the public pool gives back health and energy. Old Mom and Aunt are so funny to meet. They are worth all the long voyage cross the country. With much humor my old Mom confesses: ''My feet can't walk good anymore, my eyes can't see good anymore and my ears can't hear good anymore. But I can still live very good.'' |
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| The salty water public pool in Bad Laer opens at 6.00 a.m.,
in German manner clean and disciplined organized. People in the country side behave more peaceful than in Munich stress society. Even Munich has not such social quarrles like e.g. Berlin, Dortmund, Cologne, Gelsenkirchen, Leipzig or Rostock.
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