I aware about I’m a day late with writing about October 3rd. But with me feeling a bit under the weather yesterday (perhaps a beginning cold) I did not really much during the day and ended up in bed early.

October 3,rd - the Anniversary of our Reunion with the eastern parts of Germany, the former DDR.

Today 18 years later things have widely balanced and leveled a lot and both parts have grown together in many ways. Besides some structural differences living here or there does not really make much of a difference anymore.

The year the official celebration was at Hamburg and it was the first time the politicians confessed about mistakes they have made during the past. Hah! Not that normal people wouldn’t have been aware about that already be themselves.
Since today we have to pay some additional tax month by month and for sure there are things left necessary to be done.

Curious, the government founded Bank KFW originally thought  for taking care about all that money, recently gave a 300 million Euro credit to some American Bank, one day before they were oficially bankrupt.  …. Money we certainly will never see again!  Isn’t that a drastic sign for them just dealing with too much money? Someone should really have a closer look on them …. Requerying things!

But for the normal folks like you and me, October, 3rd today it is more or less just a very welcome public holiday and this year with it falling on a friday a pretty nice extended weekend for all to enjoy.

For me the real scaring point about is, that the reunion now happend 18 years ago …

So once again for me it is lived history! While for a lot of grown up folks today it is just some story mentioned in history books they were forced to read at school. While I certainly will never in my life forget about the border check I had to pass through once back in 1987 when I was visiting east Berlin - the most worse check  I’ve ever had in life - they will never have a real idea about how it really was …. some not too far away days back in history. 

Yesterday I arrived home again after a pleasant flight. Being used to longer flights, this time I had the feeling that the flight itself was no more than a double night at the movies. And I even had the chance to watch the movie Indiana Jones IV which I had missed earlier. Ok, not a realy "must see" though.

Now being home at Germany talking with folks is again somewhat easier ;-)  and curious people here do understand me far way better. Thinking back what challenges I had to go through recently ordering some Latte at Dunkin’ Donats (skimy or whole milk, hot or cold, what flavor?) for example. Hell! I only wanted a good tasting coffee.

Or how difficult it was sometimes to purely refuel your car (prepaid, Cedit Card .. some saver?!, lift or not lift the noozle) being back home gives indeed some kind of relief. Perhaps they should just come over to see how easy things can be …

Finally at Frankfurt … and I would have suprised about it would have been different! one piece of our luggage was missing. But filing my case was easy doing and British Airways folks were friendly and helpful. They must be used to it!

Then later back home I received a SMS telling me about my luggage would have been already found by them. And later on I got a phone call telling me, luggage would be delivered to my front door until 10pm same day ….

You can imagine I felt tired after the flight?! :-/

Now, surprise surprise, for sure no one turned up until 10pm when I finally headed to bed more dead than alive. And even this morning no one turned up so far.

A bit grumpy  I’ve called them again and happily someone told me that they have found my missing piece of luggage! How cool! Isn’t it?!

What do they think? That telling me again and again it is found will make me not recognising that they are not able to bring it too me by time? Is that really "Good Service"?

Today I have the feeling to walk through an overall easy day. After a few days of hectic and stress things seems to ease and calm all today.

A customer "from hell" who dragged me now for years is nearly finally handed over to someone else and all the phone calls we actually have about his migration are very relaxed and easy. They are filled up with terms like great, glad you can help, thanks god you remember … We even started again joking with each other while talking …. And in just a few weeks it will be done and past.
Not sure I really will feel sad then though.

As an update for those who aren’t aware. Germany has won the soccer game against Turkey and will now fight for the European Soccer Championship versus Spain on Sunday. I followed both semi- final games and have to confess that the Spanish Guys did a more as excellent job beating down the Russian Team 3:0 yesterday.

I’m sure it will need them all all to give for our boy on sunday and I’m very much pressing thumbs for them to win.

But looking back I’m aware it was another news, highly await by me, reaching me yesterday by sms and finally making me seeing this week as easy, special, happy and overall positive at all.

Ok then! Guess it’s now time for me to think about an early weekend, starting to prepare myself cheering for our boy on sunday evening, for them going for the CUP and bringing it home!!

I guess everyone here in Germany is holding his or her breath today awaiting to this very special football match Germany versus Turkey to start this evening. It will be special in many ways and although we Germans are sure about it will end, many of us are nervous and I just can hope that it will stay calm and pleasant everywhere.

I’m not really much into football myself, but I will for sure follow the game as for it will be an appreciated distraction from a lot of stress I have actually. It’s so much going on actually that I really can cope with a break clearing mind for a few hours.

There is a bigger and critical move of a whole application landscape I’m actually working on. Some customer in the USA permanently coming over with issues and questions and on top some contact in Asia I have shouted for a helping hand yesterday. And that are just the work issues I’m actually deal with ….. 

Coming to the end, I wish everyone interested an exciting, but fair match this evening …. and a very close friend of mine all luck on earth for a very special day working out tomorrow!!!!

This past weekend was just great - sun, mild temperatures and no single drop of rain at all!

Right on friday I tried to finish all really necessary task getting the freedom to be able to use all the time of the coming two days. Especially this year with a dragging rainy and cold April the wish to stay outside and enjoy nice conditions is strong.

So on saturday morning right after breakfast I went for my biker gear (you know? that “real bike” stuff), dressed up and move my Suzi out of the garage. Heading into the nowhere without having any idea where the street will lead me I ended up in scratching the border between France and Germany a few time, having a real enjoyable coffee and cake in some “outside” restaurant to finally return during late late afternoon more or less tired but overall happy with myself, the day itself and the world in general!

Nevertheless there were the need for some grocery shopping left and so I finally did take the car driving to some supermarket and ending up in an bigger electronic store (huh … thats late evening shopping until 10pm ) looking again for such an MacBook Air …. duh I guess sooner or later I will end up with such a thingy …

Then again on sunday I was keen to repeat my other day adventure again. So I directly heading to my Suzi again which I even hadn’t brought back into the garage for the night and left home straight away.

This time my way and the street did lead me into the so called “Old World”! It is a lovely and quiet piece on earth. Mostly covered with beautiful farmland and broken up with smaller and bigger patches of forest, a little bit back in time compared with the more urbanised and industrial area here where I live.

It was such a wonderful day that I even nearly got lost about cruising all these small and narrow little countryside roads forward and backwards for ages and had to use my map to be able to find my direction out of this area finally heading home in the evening! Such day should never end!