German Reunification Day

Today was the annual lunch at Sorrento to celebrate the reunification 22 years ago. Having just got back from spending time in both former East and West Germany I feel that apart from fewer people there is now very little difference between the various former east and west states, other than that which you would normally expect.

It was good to see old friends from as far back as the 1960s. First there was the welcome by the president of the German Club, then an interesting speech by one of the members on Weimar, a city famous for its cultural heritage and a great centre of classicism. She read a poem by Schiller and one by Goethe, two great men of Weimar though there are other important people who flourished in Weimar like Liszt and Gropius, founder of the Bauhaus. We were in Dessau last month where we saw Bauhaus buildings too and in Weimar many years ago in the 1990s. Then she touched on the more recent history of the Weimar Republic and later still the infamous concentration camp of Buchenwald. Our speaker finished her speech on a happier note speaking about the annual Onion Market which goes back to 1653 and which takes place every October.

There followed a toast to Germany , then a musical interlude during which German music was played and sung , then the delicious buffet lunch was served.