Bath – Braunschweig Twinning Association Newsletter No 7 October 2016 In This Issue Monthly meetings Book Corner Choir visits 2017 Letter from Braunschweig AGM Did you know? DEG President visits Bath Forthcoming concert Monthly meetings are held in the Mayor’s Parlour in the Guildhall in Bath Next meetings:    Friday      4 Nov            2 pm    Friday      2 Dec            2 pm To join, contact: Hilary Elms, Secretary BBTA 208, Old Frome Rd BATH  BA2 5RH 01225 837790 h.elms412@btinternet.com Quick Links www.bath-braunschweigtwinningassociation.co.uk  www.deg-bs.de www.bath-alkmaar-eu www.bath-kaposvar.org www.mayorofbath.co.uk Book Corner In the absence of a new book from The book begins with an autobiographical account of the author’s life growing up in Hampstead and Highgate as the child of Jewish refugees who fled to Britain in 1934, and is dedicated to the memory of her grandmother Anna, who died in Theresienstadt, and to Anna’s mother Charlotte and grandmother Emilie. It is however far more than a holocaust memoir, as the author’s extensive genealogical research uncovers an amazing link to the Prussian (and hence British) royal family. Consequently, the book gives an insight into German history from the Napoleonic era, through the 1920s and 1930s and also through the years of the cold war. Despite the occasional historical inaccuracy and a style which mixes romantic fiction with – as the author herself writes – the atmosphere of a novel by John le Carré, this book is immensely readable and is ultimately a tribute to the survival of a family. Susan Feest and Judy Spencer Individual Exchange visits: are you interested in visiting Braunschweig? perhaps staying with a family in Braunschweig? and maybe inviting them to stay with you in Bath? Contact Barbara Heck at the DEG (see link)    2017 Recitals  by Choirs from Braunschweig The Ladies Choir from Waggum will visit Bath at the end of May and the St Blasius Church Childrens Choir will be in Bath at the end of June Visit of Dr Christiane Blass Dr Blass who is a General Practitioner in Braunschweig and also a member of the Normannia Rowing Club in Braunschweig visited Bath on 27 July 2016 as guests of Jane Giddins and Andy Hoyes of the Bath Minerva Rowing Club. Letter from Braunschweig Dear friends in Bath, The DEG was delighted to welcome 7 members of the City of Bath Pétanque Club from 1st to 3rd October in Braunschweig. We enjoyed spending some lovely days together with sightseeing, shopping, a social evening with a rich buffet and barbecue, a trip to Wernigerode including a trip on a steam train going up the Brocken (the highest mountain in Northern Germany where we even threw some balls in arctic cold) and the city Pétanque tournament organised by the FSV Braunschweig on 3rd October, German Unity Day. These days were another chance to enhance the links between our cities and to strengthen our connections. Thank you for your visit, dear Pétanque players. Katrin Landsmann (DEG) BBTA AGM Our AGM was held in July. Don Withers resigned as Vice Chairman and Margaret Burrows a long standing committee member also resigned. Jeremy Key-Pugh is now our new Vice Chairman and we welcome Judy Spencer on to the committee. We are very sad to report that Bill Waterfield, for many years an active member of the committee passed away in July. Did you know?   The Benz Motorwagen built in 1986 In 1988 Benz’s wife Bertha drove the car without her husband’s knowledge from Mannheim to Pforzheim and back, a round trip of 120 miles. This scenic drive in Baden-Württemberg is now known as the Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Stammtisch If you would like to practise your German in a friendly informal atmosphere over  ‘Kaffee und Kuchen’ come to the Stammtisch –  every Wednesday throughout the year between midday and 1:00pm, in the upstairs room at Cafe Retro, 18 York Street, Bath (by Bog Island). DEG President visits Bath Paul Kavanagh, new President of the Deutsch-Englische Gesellschaft of Braunschweig, visited Bath on 19 September. Over lunch at the Green Park Brasserie Paul brought us up to date with some of the DEG’s plans for further exchanges. He made contact with the City of Bath College to form a partnership with the Heinrich-Büssing-Schule in Braunschweig to initiate a robotics project. While in Bath he also took the opportunity to meet a member of the Bath Opera and Dramatic Society who have been invited to Braunschweig next year to give two concerts.  Song Recital Wed 11 Jan 2017 Antje Siefert, mezzosoprano Sybille Hempel-Abromeit, piano George Odam, composer Michael Tippet Centre Bath Spa University including works by Michael Tippet, Benjamin Britten, George Odam and many others. details from:   http://bathspalive.com *, *, *, Bath, Somerset * United Kingdom SafeUnsubscribe™ sguyett@yahoo.com Forward this email | Update Profile | About our service provider Sent by guestmartin@hotmail.com in collaboration with Try it free...

Bath – Braunschweig Twinning Association Newsletter No 6 July 2016 In This Issue Monthly meetings Book from Braunschweig Inter twinning Petanque Bridge between Twin Cities Letter from Braunschweig A special wedding car Did you know? Simply British Monthly meetings are held in the Mayor’s Parlour in the Guildhall in Bath Next meetings:    Friday   5 Aug               2 pm    Friday   2 Sep               2 pm    Friday   7 Oct               2 pm To join, contact: Hilary Elms, Secretary BBTA 208, Old Frome Rd BATH  BA2 5RH 01225 837790 h.elms412@btinternet.com Quick Links www.bath-braunschweigtwinningassociation.co.uk  www.deg-bs.de www.bath-alkmaar-eu www.bath-kaposvar.org www.mayorofbath.co.uk Book Exchange Our first book from Braunschweig, “Altes Land” by Dörte Hansen has aroused a great deal of interest and was recently discussed in the German Society. The evening was open to non-German speakers who examined one of the themes of the novel – the plight of refugees from Eastern Germany in 1945 – in the light of personal experiences. Last month, Bath library sent “Our Endless Numbered Days” by Claire Fuller to Braunschweig’s city library. In return we received “Das Mädchen mit dem Fingerhut” (Girl with a Thimble) by Michael Köhlmeier. Both books share the theme of children and their survival in a harsh world. Köhlmeier’s work is a modern fairy tale, with dark undertones. It is narrated in short, simple and often repetitive sentences which convey the difficulty of communicating when there is no common language. The three children at the centre of the story are therefore ultimately unknowable and their fate remains uncertain. This is an unusual novel which will leave the reader with some haunting images. Judy Spencer Inter Twinning Association Petanque Tournament Report on the Pétanque Competition between Bath’s Twinning Associations The Mayor and Mayoress of Bath, Councillor Paul Crossley and Mrs Margaret Crossley, recently attended the third annual pétanque competition in Queen Square between the city’s four twinning associations. Each association fielded 2 teams of 3 players, and after some very closely fought games,  the Bath – Aix-en-Provence Twinning Association emerged as victors.  Competition organiser Don Grimes said: ‘Provence is the birth-place of the game of pétanque so it is perhaps fitting that the team representing Aix-en-Provence won this year. Many of the players here this evening had not played boules before, so it was good to see everyone, including the Mayor, joining in so enthusiastically.’ BRIDGE BETWEEN TWIN CITIES “The long anticipated visit of our bridge playing friends from Braunschweig finally became reality at the beginning of July.  We enjoyed three tournaments together at Bridge and Games – Bath in Queen Square, and at Bath Bridge Club, culminating with an evening of team games in Queen Square, which was won by our German guests.  As well as playing bridge, the guests attended an official reception with the Mayor, Councillor Paul Crossley, and visited the Roman Baths, the Museum of Costume and many other places of interest within Bath and in the surrounding countryside. Guests and hosts agreed that the visit had been a very enjoyable experience and we are already planning a return visit, and hope that this exchange will lead to some lasting friendships between the citizens of our two towns. Judy Spencer The Winning Team Letter from Braunschweig Dear friends in Bath, We were very sorry to hear about the outcome of the EU-referendum leading to Brexit as it will have a great impact on politics, economy, sports and everyday life. Still, everybody is happy to read that the majority of people in Bath voted to stay in the EU. Our Lord Mayor also emphasized that the referendum will have no impact on the twinning. There is one thing I would like to point out personally and for the DEG in general: We all share your worries and feelings; however the close links between our two cities and all the twinning activities will remain and will even be stronger than before. Politics may change but our friendship will remain. There is so much exchange going on between Braunschweig and Bath: Petanque, Bridge clubs, Book exchanges, Rowing clubs, Theatre groups, etc. We must keep this in mind and carry on! And although you may be angry and sad at the moment you can be proud of your beautiful country and the adorable British people who are always polite, friendly and helpful. People in Germany understand that no one really expected the protest voters to be in the majority and that the aim was just to teach the EU a lesson. Best wishes And remain optimistic for the future! Katrin Landsmann (DEG) A special wedding car The wedding of Sam and Katrin took place at the Assembly Rooms on Saturday 14 May and it is probably the very first time an East German Trabant has been used as an official wedding car in the UK.  Katrin is from former East Germany and having seen ‘Hermann’ in Bath on several occasions decided that a Trabant would be wonderful for her wedding. Husband-to-be Sam had also seen the Trabi in the City and traced Bryan Chalker through the Museum of Bath At Work. Bryan explained to both Sam and Katrin that ‘Hermann’ was a little on the ‘scruffy’ side but Katrin was adamant; she wanted to ride in it from Maybrick Road to the Assembly Rooms and so the epic ride was duly organised.  Wedding guests...

Bath – Braunschweig Twinning Association Newsletter No 5 April 2016 In This Issue Monthly meetings Forced Walks Bridge BBTA Website Cafe Britannia News from the DEG News from Braunschweig Forthcoming concert Did you know? Monthly meetings are held in the Mayor’s Parlour in the Guildhall in Bath Next meetings:    Friday   6 May               2 pm    Friday   3 June              2 pm    Friday   1 July (AGM)    2 pm    Friday   5 Aug               2 pm    Friday   2 Sep               2 pm To join, contact: Hilary Elms, Secretary BBTA 208, Old Frome Rd BATH  BA2 5RH 01225 837790 h.elms412@btinternet.com Quick Links www.bath-braunschweigtwinningassociation.co.uk  www.deg-bs.de www.bath-alkmaar-eu www.bath-kaposvar.org www.mayorofbath.co.uk Forced Walks     (sequel) On 4th and 5th February Lorna Brunstein and Richard White led a small party of British and German walkers from Hannover to Bergen Belsen following the exact route of the forced march taken by Esther Brunstein (Lorna’s mother) in February 1945. The walk reminded us that a refugee’s journey is long and troubled and continues until they find safety, a welcome and a sense of belonging. For more information see https://forcedwalks.wordpress.com Inter Twinning Association Petanque Tournament After the AGM on Friday 1 July 2016, about 6.30 pm, venue to be confirmed BRIDGE BETWEEN TWIN CITIES Bath bridge players are looking forward to the visit of eleven guests from Braunschweig at the beginning of July.  Our guests are members of the “Bridge and Art”  club which recently featured in a local news programme of North German Television.  While in Bath they will be playing with “Bridge and Games – Bath”, who are hosting the visitors, and also with “Bath Bridge Club”.  We hope they will also have time to relax and enjoy the local attractions. Judy Spencer Individual Exchange visits: are you interested in visiting Braunschweig? perhaps staying with a family inBraunschweig? and maybe inviting them to stay with you in Bath? Contact Barbara Heck at the DEG (see link) POLITE  NOTICE Would members kindly note that Subscriptions for 2016-2017 are now due    (except for payment  by Direct Debit) BBTA websiteVicki Messam has handed over the management of our website to Simon Guyett. Simon works in IT and speaks German fluently. Many thanks to Vicki Messam for all her hard work in setting up and managing the website until now. Vicki will be in Braunschweig over the summer months and we hope to hear from her. The people of Braunschweig are happy to announce the recent opening of a great new café serving traditional English fare. Find out more:   http://www.cafebritannia.de  Anglo-German Association    of Braunschweig Dear Members and Friends, We are pleased to announce the election of our new Board and Committee members. President: Paul Kavanagh pkavanagh@t-online.de Vice-President: Barbara Heck   bjheck@gmx.de Treasurer:               Gudrun Schweimler-Löffler Secretary:                            Eva Grimpen Committee Members:              Jane Henke                                                Carmela Folgosa                                                Katrin Landsmann                                                Sabine Thomas                                                Amadeo Miller                                                Jutta Martens Deutsch-Englische Gesellschaft  (DEG) Anglo-German Association Braunschweig e.V. News from Braunschweig The Braunschweig Carnival was a huge success in February after the sad cancellation in 2015 due to terrorist threats. Though there were 50,000 fewer people  in comparison to previous years. The motto was (something like): Now more than ever! Jetzt erst recht! Following Angie’s motto “Wir schaffen das” (We will make it). The situation of the refugees has improved a lot, I think. There are now fewer people in the Reception Centre where everyone has to register first and instead permanent accommodation is being built (lightweight construction or gym halls are being used). A very nice gesture happened last week in the city centre. Refugees were distributing roses to the Braunschweig population in order to say Thank you for the warm welcome. That was very emotional and moving. Katrin Landsmann   Concert in memory of Gerhard and Marita Siefert  Concerts are planned in both Bath and Braunschweig to remember these 2 musicians who led musical exchanges between our twin cities in the 1980s.  Their daughter Antje Siefert will perform George Odam’s recent work Year Songs  for voice and piano which is dedicated to Antje. More details in the next newsletter. Did you know?                 The Harz 45 mins by train to the south of Braunschweig lies the picturesque town of Goslar, gateway to the Harz Mountains. The Harz is the land of German fairy tales, dark forests, mediaeval villages and wicked witches. Steam trains carry passengers on 140 Km of narrow gauge railway from the lowest point Quedlingburg to the  highest point Brocken at 1125 metres. Goslar     ©GOSLAR marketing gmbh, Stefan Schiefer                                                          Harz Narrow Gauge Railway © Foto:Wernigerode Tourismus GmbH Stammtisch If you would like to practise your German in a friendly informal atmosphere over  ‘Kaffee und Kuchen’ come to the Stammtisch –  every Wednesday throughout the year between midday and 1:00pm, in the upstairs room at Cafe Retro, 18 York Street, Bath (by Bog...

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