Jonno

An Emotional return to our old life in Germany

RAF Laarbruch

After a few months housesitting around England we decided that we needed a little adventure to look forward to. Laying on a beach really isn’t our sort of thing so we thought we would go for something a bit different. How about a bit of a backpacking trip around Northern Europe? Sounded like a good idea.

One of the most important parts of our trip would be visiting old friends from our very first month of JWalking in Holland so we booked a Ryanair flight to Dusseldorf/Weeze airport in Germany. That meant leaving from London Stansted and an overnight stay in a hotel. How posh! So another train journey from London booked through the train splitting site got us there in no time.

Train from Kings Cross to Stansted Airport

The Hampton By Hilton at Stansted

The Hampton by Hilton is only a five minute walk from the main terminal so it’s unbelievably convenient especially if you have an early flight as we did. Plus they lay on a great buffet breakfast which could well be one of our most favourite things ever! As far as we’re concerned NOTHING beats a breakfast buffet.

Hampton by Hilton Breakfast Buffet
Hampton by Hilton breakfast buffet
Complete relaxation in the Hampton by Hilton

We always used to like Stansted but it seems to have just got busier and busier over the past few years and now feels like it’s bursting at the seams. It’s a big modern terminal with loads of natural light but it has become a bit claustrophobic and the walk from the security area through to the departure gates is like a retail bull-run. A horrific assault from all sides as you battle past people who seem to be transfixed by the goods on offer. Awful.

Stansted airport
Stansted Airport

JWalking Blog of the Week

Now Ryanair aren’t everyone’s cup of tea and get a whole load of bad press but let’s be honest, you get what you pay for and they are very cheap. Our attitude is that we can suffer the basic comfort for an hour or so to keep under budget. It’s no big deal. The flight was an hour and a bit and before we knew it we were leaving the aircraft in Northern Germany.

Ryanair

We’ve taken one or two flights previously into lots of different airports but landing at Weeze was the most emotional arrival we have ever had. It’s a small town in North West Germany and may seem nothing special to the majority of passengers but to us it was like coming home. Bit of a dramatic description?

Weeze Dusseldorf Airport
Dusseldorf / Weeze Airport in Nordrhein Westphalia, Germany

Return to a previous life

Let me take you back, way back, to the 1980s. Back in 1984 I was a member of the Royal Air Force and was posted to a station in Germany called RAF Laarbruch. I was an Air Cartographer, that’s a map maker to you, and was stationed at Laarbruch for 3 years. Jo joined me soon after I arrived and we found ourselves a lovely little flat in the town of Weeze living upstairs from a German family. We had never lived abroad before and our German was non-existent but we threw ourselves into it and had the most wonderful three years living with our adopted German family and travelling all over Europe.

Our work and social lives revolved around the base and with up to 5000 personnel and families posted there it was a busy place to be. Many of them preferred to live their lives on the base and didn’t venture far but we were away exploring virtually every weekend. Perhaps that’s what gave us the travel bug all those years ago.

RAF Laarbruch
RAF Laarbruch personnel back in the 1980s

Time Travelling back to 1984

So walking down the steps of the aircraft and seeing all of the original RAF buildings still skirting the runway was fairly emotional and gave us some serious deja vu. Apart from the main terminal building the camp seems to be the same as it was back in 1984. Rundown and overgrown maybe but still there.

We had an hours wait for our minibus transfer to Nijmegen so we headed off to nose around and see what we could see. As we walked old forgotten memories surfaced with every step. People and stories long-forgotten came back into our thoughts as we spent the most wonderful hour reliving our lives as a young couple on that marvellous adventure.

RAF Laarbruch
RAF Museum in the old cinema

There is a museum located in the old Astra cinema but sods law dictated that it didn’t open until 2.30 which was after our minibus was due to leave. Maybe next time? Jo managed to find her old office next to station headquarters and a broken window allowed her to see inside and stir up yet more wonderful memories.

RAF Laarbruch
Station headquarters

We could easily have wandered around all afternoon filling our time with ‘Do you remember that place‘ and ‘Wasn’t that where such-and-such worked‘ but it was time to get back and meet the transport. Sometimes when you return to locations from your past it can be a disappointing empty experience but we absolutely loved every second.

I’m sure that several Germans driving past must have wondered who those two laughing grinning idiots were as we walked hand-in-hand in the sunshine reliving our past. We didn’t even notice them though as we were back in 1984 having the time of our lives.

I wonder what we would have thought if someone had told our younger selves just how our lives would have turned out in 2018? They would never have believed it.

09/10 – 10/10/2018

38 comments

  2. Loved this post – so full of memories and nostalgia and why not – the 1980’s where another world, weren’t they? Lovely pics of Jo and we appreciated the photo of the breakfast buffet – agree that NOTHING beats a breakfast buffet – but not so much the hairy legs in front of the TV shot!

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    • Hairy legs? How very dare you! They are well-toned JWalking machines! It was a great time travel back to the 80s, may have to drift back that way again.

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  3. I’ve never been to North Germany, but spent a fortnight walking around the Black Forest a long, long time ago. I was interested to read what you say about the other personnel on your base. When I worked in Oman for 3 years, there were a few of us who took every opportunity to get out and explore the country, while the majority spent almost all their time within the area they lived and worked.

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  4. I do love revisiting places that make me say ‘remember this’.. haha nostalgia is a great thing! Also, you really can’t fault Ryanair for the price!

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      • They are the reason i’ve managed to travel all around Europe to be honest. I even got a flight once from Latvia to Norway for less than 10 euros! That was a steal, especially when I only ever travel with hand luggage.. Perfect!

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  8. I don’t think a return to Basildon could conjure such feelings? Maybe we need a trip back to Singapore but that’s a tad expensive for a spot of nostalgia.

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  13. Thank you i loved reading your blog on RAF Laarbruch my husband and i were stationed there from 1970 to 1973 at the then 16 Squadron. i loved loved every single minute of my time there carefree and free to travel to all sorts of places this has been so emotional recalling my very happy memories and like your good selves we also lived in an upstairs flat with a local German family they were just amazing people they had a pet goose who used to constantly fly at me as i tried to get logs for the burner from the cellar …ah happy days indeed
    Thank you for re kindling my precious happy memories.

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    • Thanks so much for your lovely comment. We lived our years at Laarbruch although they were a bit later being mid 80s. It was wonderful to return and rake a walk down memory lane.

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