Britta's Letters from her life divided between city-life in German's capital Berlin and life in a Bavarian village

Monday 9 May 2016

High-flying


Dear You, 
I stare at the many posts of you that I have missed. So sorry!
I look out of the window and see that the swallows are back.
I swallow hard.
The last weeks were - wonderous. Unreal. Now it is time to land back on earth (a very appropriate metaphor - can you imagine that I - yes: I! - steered an airplane? A Cessna - and of course with a pilot at my side. It were some of the most glorious 20 minutes of my life - I love, love, love to fly (but will not start taking lessons).
And then I drove through the sunny countryside with a Jaguar Mark II - creamwhite and red leather seats.
Well - and now I'm back to everyday life.
Which is less uneventful at the moment, but beautiful and reassuring too.
The syringa starts to flower, enveloping whole streets into dark, beguiling deep lilac perfumes.
Reminds me of a poem by Gottfried Benn: 

Bar 

Lilac in lathy vases, 
hanging lamps, hushed light, 
and the Yanks go wild, 
when the singer speaks ... 

I have roughly translated the first stanza of this poem (1953) for you - the second one is a mixture of American and German, and maybe I will pluck up courage and translate it on my poetry blog www.burstingwithhappiness.blogspot.de.
Demands the same courage as to steer a plane...






23 comments:

  1. I hope they gave you a parachute. When I flew glider one time the real pilot said it's pointless to have a parachute. If we crash we crash he said.

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    1. Gwil, should I shudder now? We had no parachutes (does one wear them in a motor aircraft?) There were airbags in the safety belts - but to be honest: I didn't even think of it, when the pilot on our flight back suddenly offered me to fly.

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    2. Airbags? I suppose they would help if you hit a tree or a wall but if the joy stick broke or the rudder or the flaps fell off or whatever they have to glide the thing didn't work and you came down nose first . . . I shudder to think.

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    3. Well, I came down sound and safe - and happy :-)

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  2. What a thrill! I want to hear more about the trip in the Jaguar! Where? With whom?

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    1. Now "reply" works: a long journey through Brandenburg, to vist an astonishing Baroque church.

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  3. A friend offered to let me fly the plane once. I declined; he was doing a wonderful job. The car, however....
    Welcome back.

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    1. 1. Dear Shawn: can't reply above - always get from blogspot: "Error". So I answer here: a long journey through Brandenburg, to vist an astonishing Baroque church.

      2. Dear Joanne: thank you for the welcome! I had to jump into writing... And steering a Cessna: I would always repeat it!

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  4. I once worked for a man who was also a pilot. We often flew from one store to another to take care of business. He allowed me to steer with his supervision. It is a giddy feeling.

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    1. Dear Emma, I envy you the many trips (of course with a feeling of joy for you). I loved it throughout, first the sort of nosedive - jyippie! - then finding the right altitide, then seeing the beautiful Baltic Sea under you, and then the country...

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  5. flying is breaking free from the bonds of mediocrity and letting your spirit soar high without having to die first! ha ha ha ha I love it too!

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    1. Dear Mohaverat, now "reply" works again: that is a beautiful description of flying. And I love the soaring high of the spirit!

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  6. Well now, aren't you the adventurous one? What fun! I think it would be absolutely glorious to pilot a small plane. (But not TOO small...)

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    1. Same error as with Shawn, so same procedure here:

      1) Dear Mohaverat, that is a beautiful description of flying. And I love the soaring high of the spirit!

      2) Dear Susan, yes, sometimes I am astonished how many adventures are offering themselves, when I am ready. The Cessna is not very big --- I think it only has two (or were it four?) seats. Makes you feel like Snoopy flying - reckless - and I even wore a dark-pink scarf!

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  7. What an amazing time your having Britta ....... much more exciting than me, laying on the sofa with my sprained foot raised up on cushions with an ice-pack !!!!! XXXX

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    1. Oh Jackie, what a misfortune! I will hurry to your blog to see what has happened. And I wish that you get well soon!

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  8. That must've been quite an exciting (and brave) experience, Britta. A friend of ours, who pilots a glider, keeps telling me that I should go fly with him, at least once before I die. Ever seen how small the cockpit of a glider is?! He will never get me into one of those tiny capsules, ever! Greetings Maria x

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    1. Dear Maria, I am always so glad to hear from you! I don't know whether I would fly with a glider - it might be silly, but I feel I have more control with a motor :-) Small they are, all these little machines - but I am glad I did it! Greetings, Britta x

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  9. When I was a girl I thought I'd like to fly, but it is something that was pushed aside, and then eventually became somewhat unimportant. I have no desire to fly these days. Kayaking and canoeing are more my style. When we lived in northern Alberta we'd fly out to Edmonton in a four seater, or in in an enormous old cargo plane - they were equally uncomfortable!

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    1. I see the attraction of kayaking and canoeing, dear Pondside - but (for me) nothing compares to being up high in the air and look down at the smooth Baltic Sea in a soft evening sun.

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  10. Last time I was in a Cessna, it was to take aerial photographs of a campus in 1967. The pilot had to fly the plane sideways so I could get the proper camera angle. I have not flown in a small plane since. You are a brave person!

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    1. Thank you, Geo. - sometimes I think that the older I get the more courageous (some might call it reckless) I become. I see the risks, but think: living/experiencing a moment deeply is worth a lot.
      Sideway flying, as you did when taking photographs, is very exciting - and nosing down and up again too!

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