24th Sept 06 The last visit to Niesky

I left Cottbus about 12pm Sunday, i had intended to leave much earlier, but the night before i was with some people at a club...well i say club, it was a disused airplane hanger, i should have guessed when earlier before i asked the name, and they said 'Hanger 5'. i drove south for a hour or so, getting lost as usual....until i saw the road sign for Niesky, a place i had been many times, a place i loved, because of the people i had met there last year.

When i got to Niesky i called Martin from a payfone at the local petrol station and he came in his car, i then followed him to Horka, where the family have a nice big garden, there Rainer showed me the huge summer house they are building....it was pretty good, there to was Horst and Erna, Anetts grandparents, i had not seen them since Apr in Berlin. I had a beer, and some food....it was nice German food. The weather was great.. Me and Martin then went back to Niesky, he took me to some sights, some i had seen before with Anett, some not, but my heart was not really in it.....

Below i wanted this picture....I got Martin to stop, some hours later i drove past it in the dark for the very last time.

Martin and his friend took me to Rothenburg air museum, where i had been in the summer of 05, with Rainer, Katrin, Jeromie and of course Anett....this time it wasnt the same.

As we pulled up, i could see 2 new planes that were not there last year, and i had to tell Martin and his friend what they were, even before we got up close

Below is almost the same foto from last year, with the man who works at the museum....i cant belive its 15 month since i was last here, but with one big differance, i now have hair (hair today-gone tomorrow) and im sure the man has lost his....

Here is Martins friend and me, in the same Helo i was with Anett, exactly the same foto had she been there with me.

I also got Martin to ask if the man had the huge sign in German, that i have at the start of my home page, showing me smoking when it says i should not.....the man could not get me the sign, i wanted a picture to compare from last year, but then again this year, something else important to me was missing that i also had last year...........

This year i took no English flag....and its really a false smile on my face

Anett showed me this tank memorial last year, but i had no fotos of that...i wanted to go back this time, so i did have one.

I signed the guestbook at the airbase museum, like i did last July, i took a look at what i wrote last year with Anett, and it was Martin, not me who noticed last year i put 'Jules der Englader' oops

Me with Rainer just before i left for the last time.....I should always remember to stand the other side, my nose always looks way wonky from this angle.

I said a sad farewell to Rainer, he showed me some great places and was such a good person from back in 05, and it was so sad to leave, i never had a father to show me things as a kid or when i was growing up, i did have my grandfather, but i told Rainer he was like a father to me, he was a such a good person.

I have some very good memories of the Klupsch family from Niesky, that i will never forget, some of the most wonderful people i have ever met on my travels, and i have travelled far......

Jules