A Visit to Minden Rotary Club

Five intrepid Rotarians set off for Heathrow  from their Hotel last Friday morning for an early flight to Hannover. Due to the exalted status of one of the group in BA’s Executive Club, check in through First Class and Fast Track security enabled time for breakfast in the Business Class Lounge, before taking the exercise of a stroll to the other end of the terminal to board a BA cattle truck for the drive to the plane.

In Hannover our transport an 8 seater long wheel base Mercedes V class people carrier was waiting. By Saturday under Paul’s expert guidance we had worked out how to access the rear row of seats without dismantling half the vehicle.

The weather was very English , pouring with rain, as we headed off down the autobahn , with Rex at the wheel,  to Petershagen, where we stayed in the Hotel owned by a relative of Ulli Mehlman .

Lunch had been arranged in Minden , and we were hosted by a charming octogenarian Rotarian, Volker Schafe , at an Indian restaurant ( something of a rarity in Germany). Renata Mehlman accompanied us, and said how she loved the Goa Balti. Ulli does not like Indian food so he went off to prepare for the evening event. After lunch we were shown around the Minden Cathedral and its treasury by Volker, which has items dating back 1200 years, before returning for some refreshments in Petershagen.

Friday evening was the night of the main attraction, a concert by the Bundeswehr Musikkorps, the premier army band of the German Army, which has in excess of 60 musicians, who are all also combat medics. This band is the only non-UK military band ever to be invited to perform Beating Retreat in front of the Queen on Horse Guards Parade, which they did to celebrate the 200 anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. The music was superb and varied from Jubel, (includes the tune for our National anthem) Wagner (Lohengrin , which includes the wedding march “here comes the bride “) to “ The Sound of Ireland”, which included “Auld Langs Syne “ !!!, and the soundtrack from “Two Steps to Hell “, in addition to some rousing German marches.

Minden Rotary had sold c 900 tickets and the event raised c 16,000€, for a charity promoting maths and technical education.

We were treated to a post- concert reception where we met most of the other 71 members of Minden- Porta Wesphalica Rotary and partners together with local dignitaries.  It was great to meet so many young Rotarians.

On return to our hotel , all was in darkness so we were deprived of a nightcap, (clearly the staff knew about our late night drinking from previous visits and had chosen to take an early night).

Saturday dawned fine and now with the President at the wheel, complaining about the lack of power from the engine,  we set off for a museum and castle about 30 km away.  The museum featured mechanical music machines and slot machines from the late 19^th century until the late 20^th century, when modern electronic gadgetry took over. There were over 200 exhibits including a wide range of Juke Boxes and many were operated for us by the museum staff. The Engineers in the party were fascinated by the complexity of the various mechanisms, and nearly two hours were spent looking at the exhibits, before adjourning for coffee and cake, as our calorie intake was clearly below par by German standards. A stroll around the castle grounds, and the English Garden enabled the digestive juices to operate before returning to Petershagen. The bar was open but Paul was waylaid by another guest who eventually had to be escorted away by the burly chef. (there is obviously more to be told - ed.)

In the evening we were invited to an early supper at the Lindgart Hotel (formerly the Holiday Inn) by the owner, who is also a Rotarian, and he insisted on plying us with drinks and then making us eat a fillet steak. A short walk took us to the Minden Theatre , where together with President Helmut , Peter Meyer, Ulli and their wives, and Volker we saw a Buddy Holly Tribute Show, which involved lots of audience participation by clapping and standing, (all very Germanic). We felt at home as the average age of the audience was well north of 60.

After the performance it was back to Volker’s  penthouse apartment for drinks and a light supper. Volker has the most superb apartment, converted from a former Italian restaurant, and it is about the size of the first floor of the Marlborough Golf Club.

Fine Bordeaux, Burgundy and excellent German wines appeared, which caused the President some distress because, as the driver, he had to stick to water. Finally we made our farewells at 1.00am to return for a nightcap in Petershagen. (the bar was open this time as the hotel was hosting a 40^th birthday party) so Gerry finally obtained his Jaegermeister and the rest of us had schnapps, to round off a long but incredibly varied day.

Sunday it rained as we headed back to the airport, planning how we would match the Minden Rotarian’s hospitality when they next visit us.”