23-07 Hamburg-Germany 11

Hamburg-Germany 11,

July 18, 2023,

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to visit Wilhelmshaven for family reasons. My father spent 6 years of his life in the army beginning at age 20. He was a D-Day vet landing at 8:30 in the morning with the Canadian Army at Juno Beach with the Regiment de la Chaudiere. He later was with the Signal Corps attached to the Royal Canadian Engineers. He was a radio man, a corporal, and had a truck resembling a Jeep Cherokee with a canvas roof, run flat tires and armoured. He had 2 drivers with him. He lost 4 during the next 11 months. He was stationed just outside of Wilhelmshaven on May 6, 1945 and they were supposed to attack the town when the war ended. They knew that the war was about to end but you still had to be careful as there were still snipers and not everyone knew about the imminent surrender. On May 7th he was allowed to celebrate with alcohol but on May 8th he had to remain sober, driving around to pick up the boys who couldn’t make it on their own back to camp.

Wilhelmshaven is a deep water port that was largely destroyed by bombing during the war. The town has been rebuilt but the architecture is not really significant. There is a beautiful beach promenade that stretches for several km. They advertise a non sandy beach which consists of grass, leading to a stoney beach and stairs to get into the water. The water was cool but ok for swimming although there were few takers even though it was 25C. I had a sundae and a cappuccino for lunch, the Sunday had enough calories for my next 3 meals. The tourists were all German out for a weekend. I can understand why the Germans prefer to holiday in France, Italy or Greece. There is no comparison with the atmosphere and architecture of the Normandy, Britany or Mediterranean sea ports.

My bike is great on the highway but a little heavy for maneuvering in the city. My Triumph vibrates much more at highway speeds but is much more nimble in city traffic. I got off the bike to park it which I can easily manage without putting down the side stand which I can easily do on my Triumph. You must put down the side stand before dismounting the BMW. The balance is different. Well, I dropped the bike. No damage done to the bike, only too my pride. I couldn’t lift the bike by myself. A truck stopped right away and the 2 guys smiled and righted my bike. Lot’s of dunkes.

I walked around the town and crossed the Kaiser Wilhelm Bridge which is the biggest ‘swing’ bridge in Europe. If you have nothing to do in a European city, you can always visit a church. The atmosphere inside is always very calming although I am 100% against the philosophy.

I managed to lose a saddle. How? I don’t know. Maybe an excuse to buy a Birkenstalk tomorrow in Munster.

Love, Brian