Mini-OE to Germany–Day 10

After leaving Frankfurt we had a smooth ride to Wuppertal. Only interrupted by the usual traffic jam around Cologne. This is something which hasn’t changed in those 13 years we have been away. I want to give Lilo a special mention for her driving. She never had any problems apart form using the windscreen wipers instead of the indicator. She easily switched back to driving on the right hand side and even got her old swear words back. And the most amazing thing is that she still remembered where to go. So it was easy to find the hotel we have booked.

Lilo’s dad lives in a small apartment just above the main train station in Wuppertal. They were a bit upset that we chose to stay in a hotel as parents always are. But to be honest, the thought to stay in a small apartment wasn’t made more pleasant by the fact that Lilo’s dad due to his medication is always cold and is running the central heating even in summer.

The hotel room was functional and clean. It was a good choice Lilo made and we got it for a good price. And it was only 5 minutes by foot from her dad’s place. We moved in , stowed the suitcases and made our way to Lilo’s dad.

I was never a big fan of Wuppertal. And I hope I am not unjust with the things I am going to say. I also think the situation is worse around main train stations in big cities in Germany. But to call Wuppertal the dumpster of Germany isn’t too far off. We saw drug users, beggars, street people and so many drunk people in all stages of drunkenness. There was the slightly boozed up beggar, the aggressive drunk and people who couldn’t even walk let alone stand anymore. And it was late afternoon. We even saw completely drunk people on Sunday morning at around 7 am. Every time we walked past this area we saw drunk people or people drinking. We also found that there are more people smoking cigarettes than there are in New Zealand. And everybody throws away their buts. Even cars open their doors emptying their ashtrays while waiting in front of a traffic light. The floor in the underpass we had to use to get to Lilo’s dad’s place is covered in black dots. After a while I realised that these are the stains of old chewing gums spat out by thousands of people over the years.  I often felt uneasy when we walked to our hotel during dark.

The situation wouldn’t be that bad if Wuppertal would be a nice city. But this city had a bad time during WWII. The whole area was an important centre for the German war industry and it was bombed by the allied forces accordingly. Most of Wuppertal was destroyed and then rebuilt in the 50ies. I know a number of cities in Germany which are similar, i.e. Mannheim. When they rebuilt these cities they didn’t really care about city design, recreational areas and green parks. It had to be functional and it had to be done quick. Those cities lack any atmosphere and have no flair. And on top of this they are cities for the working class. Compared to e.g. Karlsruhe which is a city of courts and administration and also has a big university, Wuppertal is affected by working people who don’t earn huge salaries and once they finished work are looking for simple entertainment, meeting their mates in pubs or watching sport on TV. I know it sounds stereotypical but I think the majority is like this. Wuppertal is like a beautiful girl who got pregnant, lost her job and now has to work on the streets to earn the money to feed her children. Once beautiful she now shows the signs of her suffering and even her makeup can’t disguise the deep wrinkles in her face. You feel sorry for her but also hope she won’t talk to you when walking past.

It was great to see Lilo’s dad Jochen and his second wife Jutta again. As with our other family and friends they looked good. Lilo’s dad had a stroke 3 years ago and this was one of the most important reasons to go to Germany and see them again. But he is improving permanently. His eyesight was affected but is much better now and he already took the car for a drive twice. It must be really hard for him to be dependent on public transport even in Germany where public transport is easily available everywhere.

Of course we arrived just in time for lunch. More food although good but it slowly takes its toll on me. I gained already a lot of kilos, when I bend over to tie my laces I have some belly in the way. But even worse, it affected my metabolism and I started to get joint inflammation in my right food. I suffered from metabolic rheumatism – which is a nice word for the old gout - in the past and know the signs. Walking was painful and only possible by taking anti-inflammatory medicine. Since we arrived we had meat every day often in combination with luncheons and sausages for breakfast. my body isn’t used to this anymore and protests. I decided to take it more easy on the food but it is impossible. We are force-fed with every visit and it is a personal insult if you refuse to accept a second serving. I didn’t want another piece of roast but it was just ignored and my plate was filled again. Should I just leave it on the plate and insult the cook or grin and bear it? I chose the latter one.