Frankfurt part 1 - memories

A highlight of Rebecca and Peter's time here was being together in our childhood home of Frankfurt.  Above we are at the Eschenheimer Tower, a quick five minute walk from our old apartment, and part of the old city wall.  We really lived right downtown and loved it.

Yes, we're pointing to my bedroom window on the left.  Our father built a wall with a sliding door through this room so that each of us had our own room.  Rebecca's was with the window on the right.  What a wise man he was!

Lots of the downtown streets have been converted to pedestrian zones, which is a great improvement.

  At the Hauptwache, a shopping area, we saw this sign (Protestant and Catholic City Church) outside a church.  The bells were ringing noon.

We went in and listened to an excellent homily on a Christian's responsibility to be inclusive, welcoming of strangers, helpful to the needy etc... It could have come from a Mennonite pulpit.  It was just a regular day.  Apparently these "midday prayers" happen daily. We were impressed.

We met up with Johannes, the son of my father's maternal cousin.  This was a rare treat!

We retraced our path to school, which always led through the Holzhausenpark and past this tiny "castle" surrounded by a moat with ducks and swans.

 Above is our high school named after Goethe's mother, Elisabethenschule. We couldn't go inside because renovations were going on.  It's a beautiful old building and we recalled lots of memories.

 In the late 1960's Frankfurt voted to restore the bombed out old opera house, even though we'd long been enjoying the new opera house.  I remember donating a bit of money and feeling like I'd done a good deed.  Now no one questions the wisdom of that earlier decision to restore its glory.

Frankfurt has been a financial and commercial hub since the days of the Romans. Today it's the financial capital of the European Union.

I could show lots of sleek skyscrapers, but this will have to suffice.  Rebecca and I both felt that the city was cleaner and more beautiful than when we were young.

 Rebecca and I loved having Peter and Jack there with whom to share the experience.  They were good sports about all our nostalgia and hard-to-explain peals of laughter!

 And I mustn't omit the famous Römer Rathaus

and the eggs with "Grüne Soße" (7 green herb sauce! cost $12.50! way more expensive than the various sausages the rest ordered)

Sightseeing - Hamburg (many pictures)

Hamburg, 2nd largest city and biggest port in Germany - lots of water, fish, and new friends!
Rebecca introduced us to Christine and Jorge, with whom she has been friends since in Mexico when Sasha was born.  Peter introduced us to Jens and Brigitte, his friends from Denmark, who came to spend time with us.

 (note the bunker in the background!)

 Jorge, a musician, gave us a great Beatles tour!

Of course we took a harbor cruise and saw the many kinds of ships and activities in the harbor area.

The best view of the new symphonic hall is from the water.

Every German city has its Rathaus = townhall and square

 At another square we hear a man with a loud mike inviting persons to speak up on the topic tonight: Frieden = Peace

We rest a bit at the Binnenalster, city lake.  We watched a man capsize his racing shell and get rescued from the cold water.  Rescuing his shell seemed to take twice as long.

 Water scenes like this

 and the old Speicherstadt = warehouse district, that is accessed by water

Police were out in force for a large demonstration against racism.

A super fun museum was the  Miniature Wunderland

More on this amazing place will come from Jack at some point.  We spent a day here!

We saw the famous St. Pauli district, but also enjoyed walking through the Altoona district.  Hamburg is a multifaceted city.

Below is bombed out Saint Nikolai Church- left as a memorial and reminder to choose peace.

The devastation of Hamburg was thorough - the result of firebombing the city in Operation Gomorrah  July, 1943. At the end of the seven days of bombing, nearly 43,000 civilians were dead, 37,000 wounded, and virtually all of downtown Hamburg destroyed. (For more details, see the Wikipedia article.)

In the cellar of the earlier church the present museum displays figures that flanked the former altar.

Amazingly, you can take a fast elevator to the top of the remaining tower and get a great view of Hamburg!

Upon leaving we walked around the outside that used to be the church building.  A gripping sculpture reflected my feelings.  How could this destruction and death have rained down on this city and how can we still be repeating such destruction today?!  Lord have mercy.

JOB AVAILABLE

This job is still open!

Coordinator Friedenshaus Ludwigshafen 
FTE: 1.0 Start date: as of June 2018 Term length: 3 years   

The Friedenshaus Ludwigshafen is seeking a new project coordinator or coordinator team beginning in June 2018. 

The Friedenshaus (Peace House) is an urban community initiative in the Ludwigshafen Mennonite Church. It is a project of the German South-West Conference of Mennonite Churches (ASM) and is supported by Mennonite Church Canada and other Mennonite organizations. Serving as a bridge between the church community and the surrounding neighbourhood, the Friedenshaus promotes relationship building and a culture of peace in the city. Established in 2016 in the wake of the refugee crisis in Germany, our work has primarily focussed on the refugee and immigrant population of the city. Through volunteer-taught German courses, a quilting circle, homework help, potluck meals, and more, we offer a safe haven and meeting place for newcomers and long-time residents alike.
The new project coordinator(s) will bring their own gifts and vision to the Friedenshaus to build upon existing programs and encourage new development. 

Location description
Ludwigshafen is a mid-size German city of about 100,000 residents and is situated on the Rhine River. It is a part of the greater Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan area, which includes the neighbouring city of Mannheim (250,000) across the river and the university town Heidelberg. The largest employer in Ludwigshafen is the chemical concern BASF. Heavily bombed in World War II, the city had to be nearly entirely rebuilt. There is a large immigrant population since the 1960’s, mostly from Turkey, Italy and the Balkans. The recent refugee population is predominantly from Syria, Afghanistan, and various African countries. 
The Ludwigshafen Mennonite Church has existed since 1703 and currently has approximately 50 members. Unusually for the area, where most Mennonite congregations are in rural areas, the Ludwigshafen church is located in the city centre in walking distance from public transportation and shopping centres. The public transportation is excellent, and the city is easily walkable and bikeable. 

Qualifications
1) Strong German language skills, or a commitment to reaching a high level rapidly.
2) English language skills, other languages (French, Arabic, Farsi…) a plus. 
3) Experience navigating cultural differences; openness to other cultures and religions. 
4) Strong organizational and management skills. 
5) Self-motivation and the ability to work independently and creatively. 
6) Readiness to invest in relationships outside of working hours. 
7) A personal Christian faith and discipleship and a commitment to non-violent peacemaking. 
8) Readiness to become actively involved in Ludwigshafen church life. 

Responsibilities 
1) Running the day-to-day programs of the Friedenshaus. 
2) Finding and managing a team of volunteers. 
3) Exploring new directions and initiating new activities. 
4) Building and sustaining a network with church and other organizations within and outside of Germany. 
5) Attending German Mennonite meetings and events; preaching and presenting in local churches. 
6) Writing and submitting funding applications. 
7) Managing website and social media. 

Website: https://www.friedenshausludwigshafen.com

Questions and applications (cover letter and resumé) can be sent to Wolfgang Seibel at asm.buero@gmx.de and FriedenshausLudwigshafen@gmail.com. 

Sightseeing - Berlin (lots of pictures)

Some of you have seen lots of Germany, while others are still looking forward to their first trip.  Today I thought I'd show a few pictures of Berlin - kinda to whet your appetite.

 Spree River above and below. 

 Siegessäule - Victory column commemorates 3 wars before WW1 and has gilded cannons from each of the defeated armies!

 Der famous Tiergarten - zoo

 Kaiser Wilhelm Rememberance Church, where the old bombed out spire was left while the new was built right beside it.  The blue windows bring a wonderful peacefulness to the new chapel.

 Checkpoint Charlie, where Canadian and U.S. citizens like us crossed the Wall from 1961-1989.

 Berlin is filled with amazing, huge, beautiful buildings

 Memorial to the Jewish holocaust

 Bundestag, government building from the back.

We spent an entire day in the Pergamon museum with ancient artifacts.

more art and history museums...

 largest protestant church - we liked the banner

 Brandenburg Gate

 These last three are all from a few minutes walk from our airbnb apartment.  The Wall went right along our street, Bernauer Straße and now Wall parts remain and other places are memorials.

Part of the Wall has been offered to international artists -