FREIBURGER ZEITGEISTLITERATURE (Satis Shroff)

SUMMER WIND (Satis Shroff) It’s a lovely morning, the blackbirds are awake and singing. Towards St. Peter and Stegen the sun has arisen in all its golden and scarlet splendor. It’s six o’ clock in the morning on my balcony. A wind blows from Maier’s hill and the rows of pine trees begin to sway. The blackbirds, finches and sparrows begin chirping and twittering in stuccato rhythm. My neighbour’s weeping willow tree on the hill begins a dance of its own, with its long flaying green branches and twigs. The wind on the pines creates a steady wave-like howling din which increases in intensity. It begins to pitter and patter, as the rain is unleashed gradually by the grey rain clouds above. Out in the blue mountainous horizon of the Schwarzwald, the sky still has a yellow glow but in Kappel, a storm seems to be building up. I sit on the chair in the balcony and drink my cuppa Earl Grey tea pepped up with garam masala, and register the rainy phenomenon. Mrs. Loy’s blue lavender,...

  VISITING MOZART: IMPRESSIONS FROM VIENNA (Satis Shroff) In the EC train from Munich to Vienna you get pampered by a brunette stewardess in a tight stretch skirt. She seems to have a Ukranian accent, and you’re served water, newspapers, mags and snacks. A delight in comparison to the German stressed stewardess. Austrians are good at service management. The train is speeding at 140kmph past meadows and forested areas. A big lake to the right, mixed deciduous forests, past maize fields. The sky is blue with scattered fluffy clouds, detached Austrian houses with dark brown, wooden balconies, decorated with geraniums on the windows and house fronts. A saw mill with piles of planks near a forest. Another lake to the right with sailing boats and the vast sky above.  There’s no wifi connection between Munich and Salzburg. The Austrian telecommunication takes over from Salzburg. This is because there’s no agreement between German and Austrian railways in this regar...

  A WALTZ WITH YOU (Satis Shroff) Ah, the sound of Vienna begins. I execute a perfect circular waltz, With you in a gown And I in tails, After the pre-ball sekt.   It’s amazing how even teenagers Go voluntarily to learn How to waltz, And how to kiss a lady’s hands, Impeccably.   I learned it at socials Organised by the nuns of St. Helen’s And the Christian Brothers of Ireland. When the ‘ladies choice’ was announced By the Master of Ceremonies, You could feel the adrelanin Surging in your young blood.   It helps to develop your self-confidence, In a society where balls are a way of life.   But a waltz in Vienna, Is a legacy of Habsburg Emperor Franz Joseph. Strauss and Mozart rule the dancing floors. In palaces, concert halls, posh hotels, The 19 th century Sofiensaal.   You dance in your polished best, For the Viennese or your society. The art of formal ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKKknTXlwv4 SIRTAKI AND GREEK WINE By Satis Shroff Georgos is a Greek and and Hans is a German. They’re old student friends sitting at their Stammtisch in a tavern in Freiburg-Kappel. The two have ordered Weizenbeer and say: ‘Prost!’ and take big gulps. ‘So what’s up in Europe?’ asks Hans. Georgos: ‘A lot.’ Hans: ‘Grexit?’ Georgos: ‘Looks like it’s inevitable.’ Hans: ‘Can Athens be saved?’ Georgos: ‘Not before Alexis Zorbas, I mean Tschipras, comes up with concrete reforms. Hans: ‘But Tschipras did come smiling with his baby-face and new savings plans and reform suggestions lately. Georgos: ‘Wolfgang Schäuble(CDU) dubbed it as an ‘extraordinary,  difficult summit debate. The European governments have lost confidence in Greece’s latest leftist government ever since they took charge in January. The hope that was evident in the past months has disappeared.’ Hans: ‘What does Jeroen Dijsselbloem, Chief of the Euro-group sa...

Liedernachmittag in the Afternoon (Satis Shroff) Went to a Liedernachmittag under the Tree of Wisdom in Kappel to sing with the mixed choir on July 12, 2015. It was a lovely day with a lot of friendly, fluffy clouds and the people were amiable. The dark-green pine trees behind us looked like sentinels. The choir sang? International and German dialect  songs and it was fun: tum balalaika, Tiritomba, Pod kopinom, Mit Leb bin ich umfangen, Dat du min Leevsten büs, Du fragsch mi, wär i bi. What we all sang? Heut kommt der Hans zu mir, Fein sein, beieinander bleiben, Vem kan segla, Only You, Jan dan duja and John Hilton’s ‘Follow me.’ There were snacks, drinks and nice chats. It’s always a delight to sing with other people. I met a couple who’d gone to Nepal to do trekking earlier three times. And there was a young lady from California staying with a German family, Lisa Blaas to be precise, and gathering valuable foreign experiences with languages and cultu...

THE MIRACLE OF GREECE (Satis Shroff) The Greeks are getting euros To stay in line to get money From the bankcomat. A measly 60 euros a day, For a whole family. In the streets of Greece a refusal To pay the Odius Debt makes the rounds. The debt was imposed on Athens, Not to help its people but to run banks. A breakfast for 5 euros: A toast bread costs 1,45 euros, Feta cheese for 3,49 euros, A liter juice for 1,18 euros. A coffee for 2,50 euros. Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. A taxi in Athens? 68 cents per kilometer. Petrol costs 1,57 euros per liter. If Athens bails out, Would it be the disintegration of Europe? A referendum is professed to throw light: If it's a no, Tsipras and Varofakis want to resign. Ah, it's time for lunch: Another 7 euros. A pound of paste for 86 cents, A tomato sauce to go with it 99 cents. Eating at home for 3 euros, Eating out costs al...