In sixteen wonderful, fun-filled days I recently visited four
countries and enjoyed the sights and sounds of London, France, The Netherlands
and Germany. I joined throngs of people visiting Buckingham Palace and Windsor
Castle to visit the State rooms (where official receptions are held). Some of
these individual rooms are larger in size than my one bedroom apartment
at Franke.
A boat from Portsmouth in Southern England took me to the
Normandy peninsula and my first stop was at the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, a place of remembrance and reflection where 9387 American
servicemen and women lay at rest, many of them killed on D-Day 1944.
I went on
to other places that many Americans know only from movies, e.g. Omaha Beach
(“The Longest Day”) and Point de Hoc (“Saving Private Ryan.”) To stand there
and try to imagine what it was like on June 6, 1944, is to take a deep breath
and let it out as you feel your eyes water.
I traveled to Der Hag in The Netherlands to sit in on the
trial of the war criminals from Yugoslavia, however, arrangements to enter the
court needed to be made in advance.
Moving on by train to Hamburg, Germany, my first stop was
the “Miniatur Wunderland,” the world’s largest model railway and, most recently, airport, exhibition. The
major purpose of my trip was to see this famous creation of varied scenes adapted from
Switzerland, Scandinavia, America, Germany, and Bavaria complete with miniature trains, airplanes, vehicles, and
representations of people.
A tour boat around the
amazing harbor enlightened me me why Hamburg is the world’s second largest port. Only
Rotterdam is bigger, I was told.
In addition to visiting the palaces in London, I rode the
London Eye, a Ferris wheel with sealed cars which lift the visitor for a
fantastic view of Parliament and the entire city. I also took in a major exhibition of the Cecil Beaton's wartime photography 1939-1945.
Because of my previous work background
and long-time personal interests I visited the headquarters of MI 6, the British Secret
Intelligence Service. I asked a Londoner to take my picture outside the building
(dedicated by the Queen in July 1994) on the bank of the River Thames at
Vauxhall Station and he said, “Sorry mate, I can’t take a picture of that
building.” (
I had less trouble taking a picture at the Sherlock Holmes Museum on Baker
Street.
