Bristol Hannover Council

** ‘Anniversary II: The Return’ was accomplished in mid-September when members of the Bristol-Hannover youth exchanges of the mid-1960s emulated last year’s initial friendship revival.

Last year German members of the 1965 and 1966 exchanges spent a long weekend in Bristol happily reviving memories and friendships with their long-ago hosts. The event was such a success that, even before the Hannoverians flew home, a date for a Bristolian return had been agreed.

Hence a party of 19 flew to Hannover on Friday, September 9, to enjoy the remarkable heat of the late German summer and the warmth of Hannoverian hospitality right from the start with a meet-and-greet at the airport.

Early arrivees took advantage of the opportunity to take the ‘bending’ lift up to the top of the Rathaus dome before an informal social evening at the Freizeitheim Vahrenwald, refreshing memories from both last year and the last century.

Saturday was a stroll through the Rathaus park to study the models of Hannover through the ages, followed by a walk on down to the flea market, with a free afternoon which many spent renewing acquaintance with the city via the open-top hop-on hop-off bus.

Dinner had been booked at the Broyhanhaus opposite the Marktkirche which included token Bristol glass gifts to Ingrid Hueper – as ever the Hannoverian organising driving force – and to Klaus-Werner Auerswald who had undertaken many of the practicalities and was ‘tour guide’.

Sunday was a Herrenhausen day, featuring a stroll around the gardens in the morning then, a return, after an early-evening dinner at the Meyers Lebenslust, to enjoy the lights sparkling and dancing around the gardens and fountains at Herrenhausen (A pleasure also to meet Janika Millan there).

Then it was all over. Too soon.

Jonathan Radnedge

---