AN ANSWER TO “WHATEVER HAPPENED TO . . . ?"
Recently Cynthia Kasmy posed the question “Whatever happened to . . .?” and gave us a tale of treasured possessions from her youth - often thought about, and fondly remembered.
This prompted a memory I should like to share with you.
Some years ago a dear cousin and I travelled to Europe and took in a leisurely tour down the Rhine by the “Rhinepfeil (”Rhine Arrow”) jet-boat service from Cologne, stopping off at whichever of the small villages took our fancy on the way down. This was an excellent way of seeing the area, as one paid for an overall ticket, and left the boat and boarded a later one once the current possibilities had been explored.
There was one unexpected drawback which we had not appreciated until we were actually drawing into the landing stage. Frequently a village that looked picturesque and delightful from the middle of the river, proved to be less so when seen close up. So, it was necessary to gather one’s possessions and be ready to step off onto the landing stage within a minute of arrival, or decide to press on to the next stop if the village did not rise to expectations.
But on one occasion, although the appearance of the village was charming from the river, when we stepped ashore confident that we would find a delightful restaurant and a hotel for the night, the reality did not measure up. Far from it, as rounding a corner, we were met by heaps of the most unpleasant junk piled on the sidewalks. “Whatever can this mean, what a lot of slobs must live here,” we thought; it seemed so unlike the neat, tidy and extremely house-proud Germans we had met on our travels.
Unknowingly, (and this was only explained to us much later) we had stepped ashore on the one day of the year allocated by the local Town Council for the collection of old fridges, stoves, television sets, and other kitchen appliances. The rule is that articles must be placed on the sidewalk, but only between certain hours, and only on one specified day of the year, although each town or village has a different day throughout the year.
On the designated day the Council trucks come round and collect the goods and take them to a disposal point. Germany and Austria is very conscious of the dangers of polluting the environment, and they have extremely rigorous and strictly enforced laws against dumping and environmental degradation. The residents must clean up the area afterwards, but to ensure that everybody complies with the rule, the authorities are prepared to see that the rusted fridges, damaged televisions and so on, are taken away, and correctly disposed of. A fee is charged, but at least the residents who require the service, know that everything is being done according to “ze rules”.
So, disappointed in this “untidy” village, we hefted our suitcases and waited for the next boat, and subsequently spent an enjoyable and fun evening at the next charming village down the river, enjoying the black and white half timbered houses, the cobbled streets, and the delicious Rhine wines which accompanied our enormous schnitzel dinner!
Some time later, I was watching television in my daughter’s home in Austria, and to my amusement, saw that the rubbish collection story had been made into a clever tv advert. This was promoting a certain brand of clock, the idea being that with an accurate timepiece, mistakes could be avoided. The advert featured a householder staggering down to the sidewalk carrying an enormous fridge; only too see the Council truck roaring off in the distance. He then has to resign himself to making other arrangements to remove the appliance through his own efforts, and not through the Council services.
Later still, I read that at one time, many Poles and ‘Ossies’ from East Germany, came over the border and, on the correct day, made a regular round of the nearest towns where they loaded the rejects and cast-offs to be taken home. These would be repaired and re-painted and sold, thus eking out a meagre living for the enterprising entrepreneurs.
So, perhaps this is an answer to Cynthia’s story about “whatever happened to?”
And now we know where so many of the old fridges and television sets go when they have come to the end of their useful lives in Germany!