HANOVER - Das Kirchentag

So, what is there to say about a large German festival which basically takes over an entire city for the best part of a week, with services, worship and bizzare drum related music wherever you go?

Well, if I keep struggling with this funky German keyboard then very little. What amuses me most is that the caps lock needs one key to start it off and another one to get rid of it. So much for German efficency... Anyho, Hanover. Its a fine city which seems to have been done no justice by the guide books who claim it doesn't have much of a central point, and other such thing. Load of rubbish, I say. True, there is an overabundance of sixties architecture, most of which is off the "lets just build something" mentality. (I recommend the several truly depressing Rauthaus models of the city which attest to the fine job the Brits did of bombing the place to oblivion to explain this) However, and perhaps this has a lot to do with four hundred thousand people descending on the place, but Hanover has carved itself out a fine identity around its several large churches around a thoroughly pleasant marketplace. And a bunch of fountains which spread water both everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

EDIT: Now back from Germany and not stifled by the uncertainties of the continental keyboard, I feel more able to expand on some of the more interesting Kirchentag type discoveries.



Quite possibly my favourite church building ever. Bombed by the Brits (sorry 'bout that), windows gone and pretty drafty. But, my goodness, do the Germans know how to take advantage of a big ruined space when they want to. Check out those window hangings.



If you read the Robbie Worship posts, you'll know that I was finding the lack of English a bit of a pain in the arse at times. So, therefore, I tended to gravitate towards and signs of my mother tounge. Bizzarely, one of the few that could be found in the main Kirchentag marketplace (the "Marketplace of Oppotunities" to be precise) were this lovely bunch of Christian bikers and their affectionate slogan, "Turn or Burn!"

It turned out that they were all absolutley charming and had some great stories to tell about travelling around German cities and sharing faith with the biker crowds. However, it has to be said that being both (A) Crazy bikers and (B) One of the only German groups speaking English in the entire place did make them unreasonably scary as well. Cutting edge evangelism. Possibly involving switchblades.



Of course, it's not only church groups at the Kirchentag. Some of them just want to take your hand in cover it in hot, coloured wax. I never got to find them (hands here provided by Rob, Simon and Charity) but I am assured that they don't just do hands. Uh huh.

Can't leave without a word for the mighty Liverpool FC. Whose sudden turn of form kept us in the pub when the complete lack of service for almost an hour would imply we should go elsewhere. If Dudek hadn't been so busy dancing in the goalmouth in Istanbul, he could have been at the Kirchentag.