The Christmas Truce 1914

On Holy eve 95 years ago, amidst the already entrenched armies of the British Expedition Forces and the germans, it happened. While the Brits had an extra ration of rum, the Germans received small trench fitting christmas trees. At this place near La Bassee, East Flanders the trenches were not 300ft. away from their enemies counterparts. German soldiers began to sing christmas carols and were heard by the Brits, who suddenly started to join in. The German troopers put up their lightened trees over their parapets and shouted Happy Christmas to the british parapets. So did the Brits and after a while the First Soldiers left their trenches on both sides and met in No mans land. They exchanged small presents like a can of beef or tobacco, showed each other their respective family pictures and some scottish soldier even produced a football, so the soldiers played a match, which the Germans won 3-2. This informal truce lived about a week, before the respective High Commands ordered them back to fight, the Brits removing the two involved regiments. The war continued. Have you all a merry Christmas! :-) Tadah Pilgrim

Strange Day

This morning at 11am CET we had the 6 - week mass for Sam, his parents asked me to hold a sermon obout him and his life and provided me w/input before, that I never knew before. I was stunned, not by the fact they handed me out his life before I had knoen him, but the sheer amount of stuff, i.e. his diary. ´Nuff said?! Anyway, it was a nice mass and prbly. the first ever with Eminem songs instead of organ and choir. Needlss to say the church was full, his akumni from lycée as well from uni, his family, my Gf. and me. And I was the least bit sad! :-) ...In other news, this weekend we have christmas vacations and I´m glad to see my family and friends in H.town again. It will take me some days to speak an agreable german, but fortunately they speak english, french, turkish or arabic, so a convo will not be that hard to lead! :-) In good mood...Tadah Pilgrim

Lost weekend

Hello world, I´m still alive! :-) But yesterday and today are like black holes in my mind. As for today I went to Sam´s grave on Cimétiere Montparnasse, where I sat on a bench like a homeless, talking to alternatly him or his neighbors, le Général Aupick, his wife and strpson Charles Baudelaire about this day, having a 3 ltr. bottlle w/a mix of Osbourne bramndy and Fanta with me as warmer and only nourishment.It was feeling temps. like -4C, but I sat there, clochard like, from like lunchtime till it was dark. My only chance since my Grandma´s grave is near H.town, 500 or so, miles away.No yummy christmas cake and coffee for me, but an exercitium. Bet my confession father would not approve such one. But as the saying is; chacun a sa facon! Laters Pilgrim...and I promise to post more often again. Take my word!

December 7, 1941

Y´all might be familiar wit this date, you might know the Memorial in the last and the burning, sinking pic but the middle pic shows USS Arizona in all her beauty and glory in New York Harbor ca. 1939-40.  Laters Pilgrim

A better day

 Was in mass today for the first time at St. Ignace, the jesuite church here. I had a nive talk w/a chaplain after and he told me, that it´s no big thing to enter the jesuite laicist brotherhood, just being catholic and a devout follower of our Lord! ´kay, a bit of evening or sunday school are unevitable, but not like 2 yrs., as I presumed. So I can make it witin a year! Yay! ...John, you must really have a different church calendar, if you still insist on a 9 weeks rememberance mass, here it is 6 wks.! So far for now, got no further news, exept a 20 -17 loss against ENA last day, but that is prbly. only interesting my dear New Zealand reader(you know who you are). Laters Pilgrim