United Birthday

Many think Germany has more public holidays than most. In fact today is the one and only German national public holiday. Yes, the one and only !
AND if it falls on a Saturday or Sunday thats tough, assuming one is a "normal" Monday to Friday worker.

Amongst other things no shops open, no post, no newspapers but yesterday the German "Bild" newspaper delivered free copies of their 25th anniversary of the unification of Germany edition to all households.

The 3rd October 1990 was my third day as an employee of a German company having just been transfered from the British mother concern, Grand Metropolitan plc (nowadays Diageo plc). Fourteen days later I was told the company was being sold and whether I wanted to return to the UK!

The holiday is not generally widely celebrated and mainly marked by loads of TV programmes of the "Wessis vs, Ossis" (West /East Germans) debate, both sides complaining still but luckily we now have a generation of people who never knew the Iron Curtain.

Whatever ones standpoint, it has to be said there are probably few countries in the world that could have managed the process of integrating 17million people (the equivalent of Holland) and a run down economy, so well. Talking of which, the Bild on the back page showed headlines it hoped to publish in 25 years time including "Thank you Climate change - Holland gone, Germany now at the seaside". Probably a bit more realistic than the rather optimistic headline "Sepp Blatter finally retires at 104".

Volkswagens two full page adverts were I expect more badly thrown away money.

By the way - other public holidays are the responsibiluty of the 16 States  to decide.