Back home in Cologne: Saddam is as popular in Germany as in Yemen
Early on Saturday morning the Al Yemenia aircraft slowly descends through a thick layer of clouds and mist down to take us back to German gray and rainy reality. From Frankfurt we take the train to Cologne were we arrive shortly before 11 o'clock in its hectic main station. Heavily loaded with bags in all hands, on our backs and in front of us we climb down to the tram station. Waiting for the right to arrive we pose our stuff on the ground.
One of the first eye catchers for me today is two sleazy looking guys enjoying their first (??? god knows how many bottles already this morning) bottle of Hansa Pils on a bench. The number 16 arrives quickly and spares me of putting some extra thoughts on the abuse of alcool in Europe comparing hardcore and random drinking here to countries like Yemen where alcool is totally forbidden. We fetch our bags and sweep with the wave of people in the tram.
The doors of the tram just closes and Clémence calls out: "Where is the basket?" as I see on of this doubtful figures picking up the basket from the platform lifting it high up in the air intending to tell us: "Hey folks, don't ya forgettin' ya basket!" Well, too late the tram is on its way through the tunnel. At the next stop I immediately take the next tram back to the main station. As I get off the train, the guy on the other side already signals me and starts walking to bring me the basket across. I still meet him yet on the other side for I have to take the next tram again. Meanwhile he assures me that nothing has been taken out and that he has been missing is tram which does not matter because he has time anyway. What a nice guy! Another lesson about prejudice. We chat a little bit and I wonder what I coud give him as a small thank you.
A little later his fellow budy - making use of the unexpected break opportunity - arrives with a big plastic bag full of beer bottles. Once again they asure me that nothing has been taken from the basket. "Well", I go, " There isn't really anything of good value: chocolate bars, dates, sun lotion, lighters..." The lighters! Right! That could be interesting for them. On the last day in Sana'a we had finally managed to find some of these wicked lighters that project through a little build in light a colored image of Sadam Hussein or Osama Bin Laden against any white surface. We got a whole bunch of them right away. I hand one of the lighters to the guys showing them the projection of Saddam against a newspaper that I hold in my hands. The result is fascinating. They love it! "Hey dude, that's bad! Were did you get that!?" The tram arrives and I have to leave. "Your lighter!" they call after me. But I tell them it is a present as a small thanks for "saving" the basket. They are very happy, keep on waving good bye to me and showing to more fellow Hansa Bräu supporters around them the projection of Sadam on the white parts of their Bild Zeitung. So, yet another lesson this grey morning: I really did not know that Sadam seems to be as popular in Germany as in Yemen!
One of the first eye catchers for me today is two sleazy looking guys enjoying their first (??? god knows how many bottles already this morning) bottle of Hansa Pils on a bench. The number 16 arrives quickly and spares me of putting some extra thoughts on the abuse of alcool in Europe comparing hardcore and random drinking here to countries like Yemen where alcool is totally forbidden. We fetch our bags and sweep with the wave of people in the tram.
The doors of the tram just closes and Clémence calls out: "Where is the basket?" as I see on of this doubtful figures picking up the basket from the platform lifting it high up in the air intending to tell us: "Hey folks, don't ya forgettin' ya basket!" Well, too late the tram is on its way through the tunnel. At the next stop I immediately take the next tram back to the main station. As I get off the train, the guy on the other side already signals me and starts walking to bring me the basket across. I still meet him yet on the other side for I have to take the next tram again. Meanwhile he assures me that nothing has been taken out and that he has been missing is tram which does not matter because he has time anyway. What a nice guy! Another lesson about prejudice. We chat a little bit and I wonder what I coud give him as a small thank you.
A little later his fellow budy - making use of the unexpected break opportunity - arrives with a big plastic bag full of beer bottles. Once again they asure me that nothing has been taken from the basket. "Well", I go, " There isn't really anything of good value: chocolate bars, dates, sun lotion, lighters..." The lighters! Right! That could be interesting for them. On the last day in Sana'a we had finally managed to find some of these wicked lighters that project through a little build in light a colored image of Sadam Hussein or Osama Bin Laden against any white surface. We got a whole bunch of them right away. I hand one of the lighters to the guys showing them the projection of Saddam against a newspaper that I hold in my hands. The result is fascinating. They love it! "Hey dude, that's bad! Were did you get that!?" The tram arrives and I have to leave. "Your lighter!" they call after me. But I tell them it is a present as a small thanks for "saving" the basket. They are very happy, keep on waving good bye to me and showing to more fellow Hansa Bräu supporters around them the projection of Sadam on the white parts of their Bild Zeitung. So, yet another lesson this grey morning: I really did not know that Sadam seems to be as popular in Germany as in Yemen!