European Adventures - 7. Hotel Schiffchen, Wolfhagen

7. Hotel Schiffchen, Wolfhagen

Bad Arolsen was our goal for the day. Why this spot? Well, I wanted to go places where I had never been before. Not revisit places like Rothenburg op der Tauber but find ‘new’ places to visit. 

Bad Arolsen

We have time to spare, we only have to be in Heidelberg by next Friday, and so there is no hurry. Today is Monday and I have found this neat palace that is like a mini Versailles, still partly lived in by the owner, so yes, occupied for over 300 years now. The house of Waldeck and Prymont has a long history. Bad Arolsen has a charm all of its own. Not a lot of American’s come here to visit, but many Dutch people want to see this place. Why?  Well, let’s see, how can I explain this quickly?

Emma von Waldeck was born here. Emma was the Mother of Wilhelmina, the great Dutch (Holland) Queen of the Netherlands. 

A Mini Versailles

Emma was the Queen’s (Wilhelmina’s) Regent and Consort and also her Mother. You see, Wilhelmina was just a child when she became Queen of the Netherlands. Emma reigned with her, helped her, and stood there in lieu of Wilhelmina (her Daughter).

Sounds complicated?  It is… read the link above, but to make you understand better:

Emma was born here in Arolsen, she married, had a daughter named Wilhelmina who later became Queen of the Dutch. 

Amazing Gun Collection in the Palace

The Dutch liked Emma, she was a good Regent. Emma made sure Wilhelmina got the correct education, was trained to be a Queen. 

Emma, even though she was born in Germany, was a good Dutch Royal proponent. Emma observed all the Dutch rules and acted like a Dutch Queen.

We had a lengthy visit at this Palace and we took a guided tour and really dug into the history of the place as you can tell from above.

Lunch Spot Near the Palace

Then we had a wonderful lunch, outside the Schloss (Palace) in an outdoor café. The weather was hot but the lunch spot had a huge tree to give us shade. It was one of those spots that was just ideal. Here we are, enjoying a great meal, overlooking the grandness of the Castle. It was a ‘make believe’ spot, similar to a Walt Disney movie set. But this one was real; Bad Arolsen is such a spot. The Palace does look like a small version of Versailles; don’t you think?

Wolfhagen's Half Timbered Buildings

We drove after lunch to the town of Wolfhagen, only 12 km away from Bad Arolsen. The town of Wolfhagen is known for its many half timbered buildings and we made the Hotel Schiffchen our stop for the night. 

The weather by now had turned really hot. Of course, as you can imagine, those old hotels, those half timbered affairs do not have A/C.  Neither did our Hotel. I tried living in the room we had above the bar but the room with a southern exposure, was way too hot. We closed the curtains, tried to make it shady, still too hot. So, I went on a search of a standing fan, the hotel did not have any fans.

Hotel Schiffchen

I asked people I saw in the street where I could possibly buy a fan and was directed here, there and everywhere. The first 2 stores did not have a standing fan but the last store, by now about 3 km away from the hotel had a delicate looking thing “Made in China” that might work. I bought it and now had to carry this rather large box all the way back. Phew!  It was hot. It gets hotter when you have to carry something on your shoulders in this heat. 

View From Our Window

Back at the hotel I had to follow the directions in the box, had to use my improvised screwdriver and voila, much better. The fan worked great. The fan had adjustable speed, could be rigged fast and then somewhat disassembled for further transport. It rotated, or better swiveled from side to side automatically.

We carried this fan with us on the backseat of the car from then on. I had to take it partially apart but the fan was ready for action at any given time, just find me an outlet and we had some air movement.

Ahhh - How Refreshing

Carol and I slept OK at the Schiffchen that night.

 By now it had cooled a little so we ate outside.

Carol and I were sitting with a beer, watching the coming and going of the village traffic. The hotel is right on a busy intersection and there is lots of traffic. It was not boring; we were kept busy just watching the people. 

Cooling Off

Breakfast, again was very good. 

You know by now, I love those breakfasts.

6. 2nd Cousin Franno

2^nd Cousin Frano

We had a leisurely drive going east, towards Ahlen, the town my Mom is from. 

Again I had made arrangements to meet another cousin from my Mom’s side this Sunday, May 27 at 1PM.  We took our time driving from Essen to Ahlen; it’s just a 1 hour drive. 

When I was young, every school vacation I had, I spent in Ahlen. It was like a 2^nd home to me. I used to live with my Mom’s sister Lene (Helene) and her family. I never realized at that age that I might ‘overstay’ my welcome. But it was not up to me then, it was my Mom’s doing, I had to go. I just had to obey and live with Tante Lene. Another long story that is now no longer relevant. We have a saying in Germany: “Let the grass grow over it”.

Naturally we arrived early enough in Ahlen to still drive past the housing where my Mom grew up. The actual house is still there. The house is now occupied by Turkish Immigrants. When my Mom was small she was the Polish Immigrant. It was nice to see that not much changed in this neighborhood. My Mom’s School still functions as a school; the streets still have the same name. Only the people are ‘new’, different. 

I drove past the Restaurant/Bar where my parents met, still there, still the same name “Dicker Stein” (large boulder).  Not much seemed to have changed in Ahlen but then when I met my cousin Frano and his wife Marianne, I heard story after story of what did change. Frano is just one year younger than I am. So we are the same age, more or less. But Frano is the child of my cousin Sofia, just for the record, because it, again, does not really matter.

Ahlen was always different than Krefeld. Here the people were smart, friendlier and much more family oriented. But, I grew up in Krefeld, my father’s town.

Like I said previously, in Krefeld they wanted the youth to be tough as Krupp Steel. Not so in Ahlen, here brawn was replaced by brain.

Cousin Sofia

Ah, we had a wonderful visit. Marianne outdid herself, again. There seems to be truly nothing this woman cannot do. Her kitchen acumen is legendary but she also is the dynamo that charges everybody else around her. Frano has learned to live with that, he comes across as laid back and just smiles, but I know better. Frano is a very bright man. He must have inherited that from his Mom, Sofia, my cousin.

Franno - Sophia's Son

Sofia’s eyesight is now almost totally gone, she can hardly see any shadows any longer, yet at 92 years old she is still walking every day, still visits the graves at the cemetery, still does her routine albeit now pushing her walker. Sofia looks great. I really want to be as active at her age, be mentally with it as she is now.

Thank you for the BBQ you made, Frano.

The cake you prepared, Marianne.

Marianne, Franno's Wife

We were there until about 6 PM, so all afternoon. Time flew by. Marianne was good, she spoke to Carol in English, and it was good for Carol to be able to talk, too. 

When I was younger I always envied the way the people in Ahlen lived so harmoniously with each other. Everybody had their own house, everybody had good jobs, and everybody was friendly and forthcoming. 

Hasn't He Had Enough Already?

I still envy you, Ahlen, for your lifestyle, for your way at looking at life.

Sofichen, stay as you are…….Du bist in Ordnung!

Sofia is my Mom’s Sister’s oldest child. Sofia and I are cousins. Frano is Sofia’s son.

We found a Hotel in the Center of Beckum, the hotel Samson.

It was easy to park, easy to shop, had a good breakfast, and was quiet for sleeping in a good bed.

But then it was Sunday… during the week it might be impossible to get to the hotel since it is in the middle of town, in the ‘walking only’ section, the shopping street in Beckum.

No matter, a good place for us, we slept well.

European Adventures - 5. Villa Hügel, Essen

Villa Hügel, Essen

It was another fabulous breakfast after a better night’s sleep.

Today’s journey takes us to the town of Essen, a major industrial town in the Ruhrgebiet; the heavy industrial section of Germany. 

Founder Alfred Krupp, 1812-1887

Our goal is Villa Hügel, an estate owned previously by the Krupp family. 

If ever you tour Germany, go there. It, for sure, gives you an insight into Germany before and after both World Wars. The family Krupp was in the heavy industry business and made almost all the weaponry for both World Wars. Krupp Steel was and still is the epitome of well made metals. Hitler’s weaponry for the German Army and Navy were built here.

Hitler wanted his youths to be:  
- Quick as a whippet?(windhund?) = dog

- Tough like leather and

- Hard as Krupp steel

Something my father wanted me to be, too.  Ha-Ha!  Peace!

Main Villa Under Renovations So No Admittance

We learned a lot at our visit to the Villa.

There is still a Krupp firm today. It is now a conglomerate of a few companies that still sell engineering to the world at large.

 

Unfortunately, we could only visit the ‘small’ house at the side of the Villa. The main house is under restoration and closed for a while.

Well, the ‘Small’ House is not so small with the 60 rooms it has, but that is what it is called. 

The Small (?) House

The Small House contains the historical exhibition of the Krupp Family and it was, for me, an interesting read. It really would be much better with English on the signs attached to each exhibit item or picture. Right now it’s just in German. The whole complex has 269 rooms spread over 87,000 square feet.

Dogwood

The Villa sits on top of a hill overlooking the Ruhr River in a park-like setting of 69 acres. There are many other, supporting houses on the grounds, but they seem puny when compared to the Villa. 

The grounds themselves are worth a visit, they make a great walking tour, too.

Azalea

Front Gardens

The best way to get there is by car. Yes, they have some guided tours but we did not take them, we did our own exploring, especially since the Main House was closed for renovation.

Seamless Train Wheels = Krupp Symbol

We spent about 2 to 3 hours taking in all the place had to offer and then drove to find our hotel.

Hotel Franz

The Hotel was unique. Within a larger complex set up for the physically and mentally handicapped was our Hotel. The actual Hotel was very modern and seemed almost new. Hotel Franz, as it was called, is owned by a foundation and run by the Catholic Church. All the profits from the Hotel go to fund the running of the complex for the handicapped.

The total complex is extensive and while some of the older facades have been kept in their original state, the interiors are all very modern and everything is built to make it easier for the handicapped, whether they need wheelchairs, walkers, or crutches. The details were amazing and well thought out and yet, it did not feel like a hospital, it felt like a hotel. Some buildings on the grounds were residential units, where rehab patients could live and learn to live with their handicap. 

Old Facade of What Was a Children's Hospital (?) 1940 - 43

A plaque outside the older looking building explained that during the war years, the time from 1940-1943, this was a hospital for the mentally handicapped and it was mainly occupied by children at the time. 79 of those patients, mainly Jewish patients, were put to death by injection or gas during those years. 

There is a past, a history at almost every corner in Germany. Some of the atrocities happened not in a concentration camp, but right here, in the middle of the city, in a residential area, or at a hospital.

Newer Rehab Building Next to Our Hotel

The new complex, specially designed to be of help for the disabled is an amazing place. The ‘new’ hotel we were in was outstanding. Our room was air conditioned and very good. The only thing that kept us up a few times during the night was a wedding party that was on the same floor. Their banging doors could be heard and felt throughout the floor we were on. Well, some people are like that, it was not the fault of the hotel, though.

Hotel Lobby

Breakfast was plentiful and very, very good.

No flies here……..  parking was free, restaurants nearby, it was a good spot, a good hotel. From the street, a bit hard to find, but luckily we had our GPS.