Vaterland

I hope I didn't upset anyone yesterday and if so I apologise. There is not a single thought of decrying Armistice or Remembrance Day. I continue to observe these days as much as any other. My words were simply saying, it's a bit more difficult to do so here on Armistice Day, simply because the locals have other festivities and  my view of Remembrance Sunday is limited to what people abroad get to see of matters in the UK. And in the media there is a concentration on London, the military pomp and ceremony and which of the Royals is standing/wearing, what & where, is considered more worthy of mention than the circumstances which caused the event, or the role of the royal cousins of Europe having a family feud.



I don't think the German TV stations showed any footage from the UK's commemorations  but they did indeed report the Battle of Jutland commemorations on the Orkney's earlier this year.


I do think a commemoration day for all victims of war, military and civilian is quite a positive step. Nationalism, hatred, violence and war are being given social acceptability nowadays. One would hope the UK PM knows the history of her predecessors Macdonald, Baldwin and Chamberlain.
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As to todays Blip: Vaterland a word I can't ever remember being used by a German friend in the 26 odd years I have been here. At most it appeared on some banners from national-socialist skinhead types in the 90's and 00's. The new wave of "acceptable" German nationalists (a la UKIP) use the word "Abendland" (Evening land, where the sun sets) usually in the context with "Christian" and compare it to the oriental, sun rising Near East, muslim  "Morgenland" (Morning land). Seems even they are aware of the negative sounding Vaterland.

The shrine is directly on the side of the road on the edge of the garden of a stand-alone house (see map). The inscription (extra photo) is dated 1956 and said to be a "Gelübde" - a vow or oath by a Maria Reffler. I'm not too sure it actually fulfils that but I still found it interesting. When I think of my own circumstances, I have to admit that my roots have always bound me to Norfolk where my father was born - my father's land:

Where God's sun first shone for you, where the sky's stars first lit for you, where his lightning first manifested his almightiness to you and his storm winds set you in terror as they rushed through your soul; there is your love, there is your Fatherland.


(I'm not sure about the first line words "Mensch Gottes Sonne": whether it is "you a person saw God's sun" or "you a person in God's image, saw the sun"...Perhaps it's both!) Need B-i-L Bliper PurbeckDave to put me right.