Tank Park Capers Revisited

Having recently returned from another visit to Lüneburg and inspected the barracks again I can confirm that the former tank park mentioned in my blog 'Tank Park Capers' has undergone a drastic change - it has shrunk. Without doubt the overall length of the tank park appears much shorter than I have always remembered it to be. There is only one reason that this has happened. It has been left out in the rain. Obviously in the fifty or more years since me and my tank driver cronies raced up and down, well at least up, the said tank park, a great quantity of rain had fallen. Beneficially, it has caused the trees adorning he barracks to grow to a fair height, while at the same time causing the fabric of the tank park to shrink. Dilemma solved. Sadly, most of the barracks were on my last visit empty and silent. Where the Royal Hampshire regiment once held sway there were signs of activity and bureaucratic industry - some division of local or regional government I was told, now happily beaver away.

Where the 8th Hussars had once cavorted and helped to safeguard western democracy there is silence. No cavalry trumpet calls, not even an echo of one, to force the sluggards from their beds and hurry them to breakfast, the tank park or office. There was a sign of life in the former guard room. Apparently a guardian of the kaserne inhabits that one time spotless, almost sacred domain of the regimental policeman with, however, a different agenda the raising and lowering of the barrier. I am told by my German friends that plans are afoot to develop the whole site into an apartment complex. Maybe Schliefen Kaserne will have a new role in the 21st century ?

Previously, in 2006, I had stayed in the Lubecker Hof, which was basic but quite comfortable, and had been the scene of many an entertaining evening. In those days the place was run by Frau Lubcke and some nights, she or her daughter Heidi would have to remind us - in the nicest possible way of course - that we had ten minutes to get back to barracks ! During my latest visit to the town I stayed at a delightful, family run B&B tucked away behind St Johannis Kirche. Run by a charming couple with a young family, enjoying the friendliness of a German home was the icing on the cake of a worthwhile visit to Lüneburg. And the Earl Grey green tea at Rauno's Cafe was great !

I had this time decided to journey to Germany on the Night Train to Hamburg which meant I left London at 7.30pm and arrived in Brussels when everyone in Belgium had gone home for the night. Waiting over an hour in a murky ill-lit train station for the 11.40pm to Hamburg is not to be recommended - very little train information was available except by closely scanning illuminated time tables and a skill at reading very small typeface. The electronic displays appeared to be dozing. But all was forgiven, when, at 11.25pm 'assorted happenings' took place. The platform escalators rumbled into life, the electronic display blossomed into light and railway staff made an appearance.

Once on the night train it was comfortable enough and the journey to the German frontier was smooth enough to induce sleep. However, that all changed at Aachen! The DB locomotive took over the traction with a great bang and bump and off we went at speed, which increased the sound level while the centrifugal forces on the curves made sleeping a little difficult - to this was added the fact that DB appeared not to be altogether fond of ex-8th Hussars. Every piece of equipment found on the modern electric train, including some yet to be invented, was in my compartment. Even more to the point it was under my bed. Most of the night, with a two hour respite at Dortmund when the train was stationary, I was entertained by a cacophony of hisses, burbles, clunks, rattles and sighs from either the braking system, the air-condition system, the stabilising system and the plumbing in concert or as solo artists. What made the trip endurable was the fantastic dawn I observed as we sped across the north German plain and the rather good boxed breakfast and very good coffee provided by the attendant.

In Hamburg the weather was bright, sunny and warm enough to persuade me to take a trip on a tour bus, which was instructive and enjoyable. I saw more of Hamburg in two hours than I ever had all the time I was stationed in Germany. I blotted my copy book later though, when having attempted to obtain a ticket to Lüneburg from an automatic machine I was defeated by the English instructions. Using my perfect and fluent German that is admired by all, I asked if I could buy a ticket on the train - I understood the answer as 'yes you may' - which was a big mistake. The answer to my question in retrospect was 'no way can you get a ticket on the train'. On the train I was shouted at by a very incensed administrator who was accompanying a trainee ticket collector. I tried to retreat into my stupid foreigner mode to no avail. When she demanded to see my DB tickets, she discovered that in fact there was ticket to Lüneburg in the folder - in mitigation I must say it didn't look like a train ticket it was just a small square of flimsy paper with €6.50 written on it. No destination or name whatsoever. In the event I was shouted at again, this time because I was an old, stupid foreigner. But I was having such fun that the time passed very quickly and soon we were slowing down for Lüneburg - where once off the train, I was to have a great time !