hostage to fortune

“I’m really looking forward to today….”  I knew almost as soon as I’d said it that I was asking for trouble.

Our hotel is located in rolling countryside a few miles north of the town of Herford; Herford lies roughly halfway between Dortmund and Hanover.  

There are hills and woodland behind the hotel and we take a stroll alongside wheat fields basking in the morning sun.  From various points we can see, to the north, a line of hills running from east to west.  Not mountains as such, but massive enough to completely dominate the horizon.  The densely forested hills take on a blueish hue in the sun.  

Somewhere along these hills, about 40 miles or so north west of Herford lies the site of the legendary Battle of Teutoburg Forest.  In 9 AD Germanic tribes ambushed and destroyed 3 Roman legions (17th, 18th and 19th) plus auxiliary units - some 20,000 dead.  It’s been called Rome’s greatest defeat and a turning point in world history.    

The reasons are complex and academic but run something like if Rome had dominated and unified the Germanic tribes in much the same way as it had Gaul, then what is now Germany might have had a different history.  Particularly as the Germanic leader, Arminius, became a symbol of German nationalism in the 19th C and with the Third Reich.  

Anyway - back to today.  There’s a new museum and archaeological display at the battlefield and as the rest of the band don’t arrive until tomorrow, we decide to use the time for a little cultural R&R.  We get within about 5 miles of the site and then find the road closed with no diversion signs.  We know we’re close because we can see a group of Roman soldiers standing on a roundabout.  Anniemay takes the map into a petrol station and asks for directions.  Despite only knowing the German for ‘hamster’ and ‘brassiere’ she comes back armed with instructions.  We follow them to the T - and come to another full stop.  We seek yet more help, get more instructions and get stuck yet again.  To cut a long story short we end up driving over 40 miles to cover those lost 5 miles.

We wander round and as we’re now much later then we intended, are probably too hungry and thirsty to make the best of our visit.  We see some interesting stuff and then head to the museum restaurant for a late lunch.  When I come to pay the bill I discover that they don’t take credit cards.  If you read yesterday’s blip you’ll remember I don’t have any euros (only Australian dollars).  Again my money problems attract the attention of other diners as we discuss with the waitress what to do.   She tells me there’s a bank a just a few miles away “you can’t miss it - I write the name down…” (yeah right…) “I’ll stay here and he can go - I’ll be your hostage…”  Anniemay reassures the waitress.  

I set off, not at all confident that I’ll be back anytime soon given my lack of German and the confusion caused by the road diversions.  We had not passed anything remotely looking like a bank as we drove round in circles on our way here.  But I did find one - even though I had to go into a Netto next door for confirmation that said building might indeed be a bank - and drove back to pay the ransom.  

Not the day we had expected but I’ll guess we’ll laugh about it when we’re old and grey. 

My blip shows a replica of a Roman cavalry mask, found at the site in 1990.  Not life-size obviously.  Otherwise the Romans might have won.