First things first. Apologies dear readers for two faux pas. In my article dated April 20, 2017, I erroneously mentioned that our beloved pastor, the Rev. Wyatt T. Walker of Canaan Baptist Church, was deceased. Nothing could be further from the truth. He is alive and well. Secondly, my guest columnist was unable to cover for me last week in my absence because of a scheduling conflict.
Now, can I tell you how amazing my trip to Europe was? Flying throughout the night on Air Berlin with my longtime friend and District Leader Earnestine Bell-Temple was a dream. Dividing my time equally between watching “La La Land,” listening to Usher’s latest album, “Hard II Love” (which I couldn’t get enough of) and sleeping, we landed in Dusseldorf, Germany before I knew it. Our friend and host while in Germany, Christain Stolzenberger, was there to meet us with open arms. He took us to breakfast at the nearby Sheraton Hotel, where we had Champagne to celebrate our arrival, the life of Garrett and my birthday while we awaited the arrival of our third traveling companion, Lisa McDonald, flying in from Chicago.
The train ride from Düsseldorf Airport to Dortmund, Germany covered the countryside with passengers getting off and on along the way, many with bicycles but all wrapped up warmly because the temperature was slightly above freezing. We stayed in the cutest little hotel, each with our own room with breakfast included. In short, Dortmund was clean and friendly, and the streets were lined with stores, churches, a mile-high museum, and a plethora of excellent restaurants serving the best beer ever, not to mention the best prices ever. You could reasonably feed an army and have change left over.
You may recall my telling you in an earlier article that my childhood friend, Garrett Anderson Williams, son of Lennie Williams, brother of Langston Williams, had been living in Dortmund, where he was a recognized artist, for the past 25 years. You can see some of his works by visiting the website, www.artetates.com. He left a provision in his will for an all-expense paid trip to Dortmund for his funeral. That act brings me to the point of how important it is to have a will, and if you don’t have one, see your lawyer now and get one, for if it isn’t in writing, it doesn’t count. Notice I said lawyer and not DIY (do it yourself) or the $99 special, that is, if you really care about your loved ones.
Although conducted entirely in German, the funeral was beautiful. I was so moved to approach the podium and sing a verse or two of “Ava Maria,” as it was something Garrett would have done.
The next day, Saturday, it was off to London, where I had planned a side trip. I was relieved to speak with those who spoke English but disoriented by having to switch money from euros to pounds.
London is a slightly scaled down version of New York. The three of us girls stayed in a lovely “flat” across from Kensington Park, which is akin to our Central Park and the home of Kensington Palace, where the late Princess Diana lived. We walked close to 20,000 steps on Sunday, through the park, across to Harrods Department Store, where we had lunch at the Champagne Bar. I had a crab cake that came straight from the Norwegian waters. So delicious. Of course, we couldn’t do any shopping there because prices were through the roof, but it was fun to look. I picked out several ball gowns. If only…
On to the other side of town we stood looking in a daze as to where Buckingham Palace was and broke down laughing when told we were standing right in front of it. Talk about non-descript. Finally composing ourselves, we made it over to the London Eye, which is a Ferris wheel almost as high as the Empire State Building. Riders enter a little capsule, which takes you slowly around the circumference, giving a bird’s eye view of the Thames River and London as far as the eye can see. Weary but happy, we headed back to the Bayswater section where we were staying, dined in an Indian restaurant, where the three of us ate soup to nuts for $70, including tax and tip, before turning in.
The night, however, was cut short because it was extremely early to rise. Earnestine and I were off on Monday for a one-day trip to Paris. Lisa chose to stay in London and visit the museums. She was also in search for a pair of ECCO walking shoes because no sooner was she to arrive back in Chicago, she is off to the New Orleans Jazz Festival.
Traveling around London is very easy because there is a bus to take you anywhere you want to go. We were headed to the rail station, where we caught the Eurostar to Paris. After traveling at high speed across the English Channel we got off the train and boarded the hop-on, hop-off bus ready to see the sights. What can be said about Paris? (Besides it was back to the euro and away from the pound, and get it straight because each country is very particular about their money). Paris is Paris. Charming, Old World with romance in the air. Our bus tour took us through the northern part of the city, where we passed the Louvre Museum, Arch d’Triumph, Champs Elysees, Eiffel Tower and Sein River. The streets are loaded with restaurants, all with outdoor seating because people watching is a favorite pastime.
With not a skyscraper in sight and narrow streets bustling with activity, it is hard to imagine a bomb going off. Yet all throughout Europe the people remain staunch and brave in the face of terrorism, refusing to give in. They are bold, brave, courageous and friendly, willing to trust their governments that they in charge will take care of the situation. Eventually, peace will reign again. We just have to get rid of the bad blood.
By 8 p.m., we returned to the Eurostar, ready for the return trip to London. Tuesday we would fly back to Dortmund to have one last dinner with Christain and prepare to return home on Wednesday. We almost accomplished our goal of keeping everything to schedule, but I had to get in the last-minute bit of shopping, this time for just a few trinkets, causing us to go off schedule. We missed our flight back to Dortmund! Can you believe it. No worries, though. The agent at the airport re-routed us to Koln (Cologne) Germany. Koln is the fourth largest city in Germany after Berlin, Hamburg and Munich. Now is a good time to mention that all of Germany is relatively new in architectural design. Each city was once surround by a stone wall, which is why each city is circular in its layout, to protect them from one another. The whole country was nearly flattened during WWII. Hence, very little remains of the old cities, except perhaps a cornerstone of what once was the old wall. If planning a trip to Europe, I definitely recommend including any city in Germany as part of your itinerary. Though clean, orderly and quite, the art is fantastic and they party.
On arriving in Koln, we were able to pick up a train that carried us straight into the city of Dortmund. Leaving the next morning was a sweet goodbye, filled with unbelievable whirlwind memories and loads of good shopping. You will be happy to know that while in Paris, I was able to purchase a bottle of my favorite scent, Chanel 19. It is no longer sold in the United States or in a few other countries as I was told by the saleslady. That was a must. Everything else was a treat, and overall the whole trip was a blessing.
Back on the soil of the good ole U.S. of A.
Until next week…kisses.
