Soltau, Germany (22-29 June '06)

One would wonder what in the world an Asian girl was doing in a small town called Soltau?

Well, I have a good excuse. My sister had a bad knee injury during her company trip to Germany and had to undergo a surgery. She was admitted to one of the two hospitals in Soltau, which was the closest town to an even smaller town she was in, Munster. Since her colleagues had to return to Malaysia, her company, DHL sponsored my trip to care for her.

I didn't see much of the town since I spent most of the time in the hospital. I was told the town was famous for its thermal spring, which I walked passed everyday from the hotel to the hospital.

It's a rather scenic town but not as nice as Baden-baden. People are friendly altho they speak little English. the hostess of the hotel that i was staying in spoke English and she was kind everytime i see. she also showed concern when she found out the reason i was in town. she was also my guide because she gave me a map and gave me instructions on the shortest route to the hospital, the way to the market, the grocery store as well as to the post office.

I went to the market twice during my 6-day stay. i would have loved to visit it more often but it was only opened from Thurs-Sat. the marketplace is not very huge (well it's a small town). it sells all kind of fresh food, ranging from vegetables to meat. there's also a variety of cheese, bread and fruits. i had a good helping of strawberries and peaches. would have loved to eat more apricots but the ones i found weren't too fresh.

I tried some local cuisine. not your typical german dishes in restaurants. they are basically home-cooked style, which i find rather interesting. can't say i enjoy all of them but the portion is definitely enough to fill the stomach for the whole day.

Also it's nice to watch World Cup matches at "normal" time. no need to worry of lack of sleep.

The highlight of the trip for me was meeting an elderly couple from Holland. I met them on my final evening in Soltau. we were staying in the same hotel and out of curiosity, they approached me to find out the reason i was in town. we spent the rest of the evening getting to know each other and having a pleasant conversation of cultures, politics and economic conditions in our respective countries. i found the experience very heartwarming and enriching. it's the kind of conversation that i enjoy the most: real, honest and open.

I guess i can add another tick to my list: Soltau - a place i never heard of prior to this, and one that i can say i've been and seen. perhaps i'll visit it properly the next time :)