A long day warranted an early
start. I had settled with Gigi the previous night that we would leave at 7.30
am after a cup of coffee. Gigi was to have left earlier than us for an
appointment and hence, had arranged with his wife to direct us to the highway.
Gigi was still at home in the morning when I had got ready. So we had a cup of
coffee together before he left for work. I spent some time with Gigi’s wife
understanding the education system in Switzerland and the reason why they
decided to let their children stay on and study in Zurich. The education system
in Switzerland is quite different from that in the rest of the world – they set
high standards for entry from other systems with a view to discourage it.
Entrance to University is easier from local schools than from International
Schools and other countries.
It had rained overnight and there
was a light drizzle when we started off. Gigi’s wife travelled with us in the
car to the place from where the highway signs were distinct, she bade us
goodbye and returned home by bus. The Navigator was also active today in
guiding me to the highway. As a double check I had jotted down the names of major
cities en route – so it was Schafenhaussen, Stuttgart, Hanover and Hamburg to
watch out for on the way to Benefeld. Within 40 kms of Zurich I reached the
border. There were no formalities to be completed and the German Autobahns
could be used free of charge. Joby told me that they are in the process of
putting together a tolling system. The roads were superb; the best I have used
so far, even with the road works in progress. However, some of the temporary
lanes are so narrow that I had to swerve once very quickly to avoid going into
another car in the next lane. The side view mirrors of both cars shook hands,
though. What I liked best about the German roads is that there is no speed
restriction on the motorway except the temporary ones that range from 60 to 120
kmph. The authorities, I understood, believed in the concept of ‘driving
responsibly fast’ and the onus is on the road users to monitor themselves. The
condition of the road, signage and driving discipline are all top class and
meshed with the concept. Later I also came to know that once you are given a
license it is for life. There is no retest or reapplication, even after one has
become a senior citizen!
I consistently maintained speeds
above 120 kmph and at times touched the top speed of 180 kmph. The road
condition being such there was strain in driving the long distance to Benefeld.
We only stopped to fuel in three locations and for breakfast and lunch. One
peculiar feature after entering Germany was that WiFi locations were never
mentioned publicly and enquiries at fuel stations and restaurants only brought
dissatisfied and unwelcome looks and grunts. We remained out of touch with
family and the social media.
We were to stay in Benefeld with
Fr. Xavior, my cousin. Kamalamma Chechi, Fr Xaviour’s sister, rang up from
Hengelo when I was driving to Milan. The phone call was stranger than fiction to
me for it was just the previous day I was wondering how to contact Chechi and
Bernie Chettan since I was travelling through Holland! During the phone conversation
they suggested two changes to the itinerary; first that we stay in Benefeld
with Fr Xavior instead of Gottingen and Hamburg and second, that we should go
through to Hengelo instead of Bremen on the return from Norway. I agreed to re-visit
the itinerary along with Google maps and return with possible revisions. Upon
reaching Milan I redid the itinerary as suggested and confirmed with Fr Xavior
that we would reach Benefeld on the 9th. About 60 kms short of
Benefeld I rang up Fr Xavior, who confirmed that he would wait for us till a
half past 3 pm. After that he would have to go to a church in the parish to
introduce the priest who was on holiday in Benefeld and had agreed to say Mass
at one of the churches in his parish. Almost on cue the traffic slowed down due
to a patch of road under repair. Sensing that I would not be able to make it to
Benefeld by 3.30 pm we got into a fuel station to tank up and have lunch.
The Navigator helped me reach
Benefeld and the address given by Fr Xavior without a hitch. As we reached 20
Kirchestrasse I found Fr Xavior waiting near the small circulating area in
front of the Church; he had just returned from the church he had been to. Fr
and I had met just once before – at the wedding reception of his niece in
Bolgatty Palace, Cochin. However, he looked a carbon copy of Kamalamma Chechy,
his older sister in Hengelo. The rapport that Lal and I stuck with him was that
of long lost friends and it did not take long to establish. He made us
comfortable in the house he was staying in next to the St Mary’s Church.
Fr did not take it amiss when we
asked if we could use the washing machine. A load of soiled clothes had to be
done. That was loaded into the machine before we left on a walk to the forest; Benefeld
is a village within close proximity of Bremen (50 kms), Hannover (75 kms) and
Hamburg (100 kms). Within a few minutes of the walk we entered a thick forest
of huge pine trees. Fr told us that the area was used quite substantially for
the manufacture of arms and ammunition. Large underground bunkers full of live ammunition
were discovered after WWII by the Germans themselves. The dumps were dynamited
to destroy the cache lest it fall into wrong hands. In the forest can be found
building with tall trees growing on them; it was meant to hide the ordnance
factories from suspicious flying objects! There are many plaques in the forest
explaining the past activities there; it being in German I could only surmise
from the pictures given alongside that it was indeed an active factory where
many Germans and POWs worked. Fr told us that it was one of the means employed
by successive governments to sensitise citizens against war; that Germany
should never be the reason for another catastrophe. At the edge of the forest
were meadows of Heide that flowers occasionally – normally not every year. We
were fortunate to see a field in bloom – the purple carpet was a joy to behold.
Fr then took us to the flour mill operated by lifting water from a stream. The
Mill is now a Museum. The rather simple mechanism – which I had seen in
Aurangabad, India too – lifts water from a flowing stream using a wooden wheel
and turns the shaft of the flour mill, which powders grain.
We returned to the house after a
good walk of the village, where farming is the mainstay. Fr told us that they
raise three crops a year. The seeds are sowed in one round and the harvest is
taken in rounds as each of the crops get ready. The next crop is a tuber from
which sugar is extracted. Dinner consisted of Wourst (big sausages) and salad
with red wine. The theme had been set for an interesting discussion on life
experiences thoughts of evolution. The most elevating concept was what Fr
explained as the evolution of man from the state of Homo Erecticus to Homo
Asceticus – the slow and painful evolution of man from a cannibal to an ascetic
(or sublimated individuals)! His theory is that the Supreme Being sends an example
of Homo Asceticus to Earth once a while to infuse in the present man that that
is what they will all become one day; that it is their future. What a powerful
thought! Lal and I said, almost sotto voice, that we were destined to travel to
Benefeld, altering the established itinerary, just to partake of that game
changing concept.
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