Eurotary 87 Hannover

Our hosts were Langenhagen-Wedemark Rotary, and 118 participants came from Norway, Sweden, Belgium, France and Great Britain

Friday and the golfers enjoyed a beautiful day on the golf course and we won the Ladies' trophy

Friday pm: everyone gathered in the reception area of the Maritim Airport Hotel

Our initial doubts at staying at the airport were immediately dispelled on arrival as the facilities were excellent. The glass lifts however were not to everyone's taste! Apparently the hotel was designed to resemble an aeroplane which perhaps explains the hang-gliders overhead

Friday pm: Home supper party time in groups of 8 & 10 to meet our Rotarian hosts and their families. Our pumpkin soup was delicious with bread supplied by the local Rotarian baker

Saturday am: we all boarded coaches for a tour to Celle

The first stop was at the Lower Saxon State Stud of Celle where we watched a horse display and learnt how the Hanoverian horses are selected and bred. A stock of 130 sires cover approx 7,000 mares each year, mainly by AI. The stud breeds horses for the army, show jumping, eventing, dressage, riding schools etc. Hanover is the largest and most successful breeding area for riding horses in the world. After a walk through the stables housing the stallions, we boarded coaches to continue our tour

The next stop was at the new town hall of Celle where the Lord Mayor welcomed us and described how the old British Army barracks had been converted into brand new council offices. As Lord Mayor he reserved the right to speak only in German but he did have an interpreter for the rest of us. We all dutifully climbed to the 2^nd floor to see the offices, including the Mayor's.

We arrived in Celle at the Castle in time for lunch in the Hall of Knights where the Lord Mayor welcomed us again. After lunch we were taken round the Castle (built in 1292), the chapel and the exhibition which included, amongst many fine portraits, those of the amazingly ugly members of the House of Hannover

Saturday pm: the gala dinner and dancing at the Maritim Hotel.

The evening included a demonstration of the pommel horse by local gymnasts. Unfortunately the commentary was only in German so the finer points of this apparatus were lost to many of us

Overall a splendid weekend visit

Pam Pitcher