Harzen 2.0

Well, we went to Harzen, Germany, again this year. I wanted to go to Vienna, Austria, but we had sold the "number 1", that is the car that should be the best in our private collection of cars, but which had become old, and DH didn't want to drive all the way to Vienna in my winter car without AirCon and speed-pilot - men! Well, fortunately Harzen is a large area so we just went to the opposite end this year. But we were so extremely lucky to get our brand new and shiny luxury limo the day before our holiday:

Yes, he looks happy - and he should, because he has got exactly the car he wanted most!

We lived at Hotel Victor's right at the eastern side of the old borderline:

Before the hotel a nice old convent were built on the ground, but Stasi tore it down, since refugees hid in it hoping to flee over the border at night. Yes, they really did such things. The hotel is now built in the same style as the convent.

At the hotel there were a huge spa, pool and wellness area - here is our bathing clothes drying:

When driving around you often meet signs like this telling us that Germany was divided into East and West until the end of 1989:

Here is the borderline, this is no man's land, where the flagstones were the patrol path. Here Stasi walked up and down in sharp uniforms and loaded machine guns:

Our city, Düderstadt, was nice and cosy and we found time for a café latte:

A statue reminding us how Germany was previously divided:

Many families were split for many years.

We visited Rammelsberg, which is the largest mine in Germany:

The mine workers' clothes and personal belongings are hanging up under the ceiling. The dark cloths are meant to hang their clean clothes in:

And here is the shared bath:

The red tubs are very large soap dishes.

You could go on different tours and since we had never tried an authentic trip with a real mine train before, it became our choice:

The wagons were meant for 12 persons, but we were only eight and we were sitting tight.

There was a museum with very large machines and engines:

 I love engines.

Opposite our hotel was the Borderline Museum:

This English text described how the world was back then and up to 1989:

I have used a telex machine like this when I was an apprentice:

It was the only way my company could communicate with African countries.

And here is a photo of one of the watch towers, they are still standing every where in Germany:

We visited an alternative bear park, which was fantastic. It was alternative in the way that the bears had lots of space and they really looked like they was having a good time:

I have not used zoom, we were really so close to him, quite scary.

Sleeping teddies:

My own bear:

Very frightening! 

And we also took a trip with the vintage train, called the narrow-gauge line:

Very expensive, but also very cosy.

Here they shovel coal for the next trip:

And I bought a few nail polishes for my collection: