Germany Day 12

Today was an eventful day that included an ambulance ride, a cast and some grateful people that it isn't more serious.   First and foremost, to ease everyone's minds,  let me say everyone is fine - nothing life threatening.   So... want to hear about our day?

First we got up, had our bags out by 8 and then had breakfast at the hotel.  The breakfast was amazing!   It was a buffet and I filled up on fruit and extremely crispy bacon - I love crispy bacon.  The coffee was also good.  We sat with a nice couple from Minnesota - we didn't get to know them very well and I still don't know there names, but they were nice.

Afterwards we went upstairs to get our bags and then headed out to face the day.   Our first stop was the train station where we caught the ICE from Dusseldorf to Berlin.    If you are curious ICE does not mean ice - it stands Inner City Express.  Mainly it is a high speed passenger train.   We were up to 150 MPH at one point - it was much more in KM which makes it even more interesting when you look up and think "oh crap that's fast" lol.   We rode in first class and I'm grateful given the trip was 4 hours.

The ride was exceptionally smooth!  Mama slept and Jack and I just enjoyed the down time.    We had waiters in the coach and they brought our lunch to our seats which was nice.   We had Chili... it was awesome, but did not taste like chili I'm used to.  It had a lot of beans in it, was not spicy and had a different flavor, I really liked it.  

After 4 hours of down time we left the train and headed for the bus.   On the way out you ride up an escalator, turn right and then ride up another one.  Because of the number of people turning there was a slight build up at the top of the first escalator ... but the first escalator doesn't stop, so we almost had a major pile up with bodies falling everywhere... it would have been bad.   But people got the clue and started moving faster - catastrophe avoided.

So then we walked out of the train station to go to the bus.   The roads and the sidewalks are the same color and the lips are very small maybe 3 inches?   Just enough for Mama to trip over... she fell and when she fell she fell hard - she landed full body plant on the sidewalk.   She scrapped her head a bit and banged up her arm, but she seemed ok.  She quickly got up, said she was fine and we headed to the bus.   Let me say that the group jumped into help very quickly and were all concerned.  We have a nurse here with us and she was extremely helpful, but Mama said she was fine and we went on.

A bit later she said she thought she had hurt her arm, but it would still bend so I honestly thought it was just bruised.  I told her if we need to stop and go to the hotel or the hospital to say the word...she said she would, but for now she wanted to continue.     At the end of the tour, 4 hours later, as we are getting to the hotel she asked to go to the hospital to have it seen about.

I spoke to our tour director, who spoke to the reception desk, who called for a "doctor".  I was planning an getting a Uber to the hospital... however when they said they called the doctor I thought maybe doctors here made house calls or something.   No... 10 minutes later up rolled an ambulance.   The first paramedic did not speak English, but Pasquale our tour guide helped.   They got her arm stabilized and off we went.  At first they said only I could go in the ambulance which we would have dealt with, however then I hopped in the back with her - I think they wanted me up front, but that wasn't happening - So Jack got to ride in the front and off we went.

The second paramedic who came in (they work in teams of 2) spoke English so he was in the back with us.   He took some information as we drove and soon we had stopped at the hospital.  However, the staff came out and told the driver that the entrance they pulled into was under construction and we needed to go to another one - so back in the ambulance we went.  

Once we got to the right entrance we got out and they told Jack and I to wait in the waiting room - well that wasn't happening.   I told them Jack would go to the waiting room, but I was going with her - period.   So... Mama and I went to the exam room.   4 people swarmed in - all speaking German - and began to examine her.   5 or 6 minutes later a lady looked at us and said English or German?   LOL - We said English and finally got to really talk to someone.  It was so odd - like watching a movie in a foreign language without subtitles.

They took us down to XRay and we sat and waited.   A few minutes later a lady popped out and X Rayed her arm, then they sent us back to the original room.   And by sent - I mean sent.  They didn't walk us just pointed and said go... so we wondered around until we found our way.

Once there I was giving the lady Mama's medicine list - which is long - when the Dr. came in and said... "It's broke - you need surgery".   My heart dropped!  I said when?   At this point she pulled up the X Rays and showed us where it is broken in the elbow.  I don't see what she was talking about but trust her.   She said it needs surgery within a week or it will begin to heal the wrong way and possibly have to be re-broken.  I said can it be done today?  She said no - soonest she could do it was Friday and Mama would have to stay in hospital until Monday or we could fly home.  Well - answer to that is no we are not staying in a German hospital for 4 days.   So we asked a few more questions about what happens if it is not done in a week, what are they gong to do to keep it from getting worse, etc...

She said they would put a cast on it and given the pain medicines she is already on she could continue to take those for pain.   They said they would give us a CD with the X Rays and we could give them to our Dr. for a second opinion.   We said ok ... and went to wait on the cast.

While waiting we discussed what we would do.  I explained to Mama it is really up to her - We can fly home tomorrow (somehow) and we can get her to a DR and get the surgery. OR if she isn't hurting and feels like it she can take risk and wait 9 days instead of the 7 or less we can finish the trip.  As of now she is opting to finish the trip - I will be watching her and we will take it day by day.

We then went to get her cast on.  Now this hospital is apparently a teaching hospital - so there is Mama surrounded by 6 people as a Dr. explains how to do a cast.   He went to show how on the wrong arm and one said "wrong arm" just as I was about to do the same.  He said "I know - I was just showing how it would work".... If the consequences of this weren't a broken arm that sucks to high heaven it would have been hilarious.  Who am I kidding - Mama in a room full of interns all speaking German while setting her arm was hilarious.   It was just amazingly funny.

Once the cast was on the doctor told us he would give us a write up (in German) and we could leave.  I asked about the bill and he said they would handle with the insurance we gave them earlier... so we walked to meet Jack in the lobby, got an Uber, and came back to the hotel.  The entire ER visit took less than an hour!   AN HOUR!  Can you imagine that visit in the US ?  We would have been there half the night and probably into the morning.

We got back to the hotel and I sent Mama up with Jack to the room to drop stuff off, use bathroom, etc.. while I went to find our tour director.  He was eating lunch and I caught him up on the events.   As of now we are planning to stay... we shall play it by ear.     Several group members asked about her in the dining room which made me feel good.

I then went up, collected Mama and Jack and we came back down to get dinner.   We walked in and the entire group clapped in welcome.  It was really nice of them.   We sat down and had dinner which was really good - salad - honey baked chicken with carrots and potatoes then a chocolate mousse.  The conversation amoung the three of us was also good - it was just a nice enjoyable dinner.

After dinner I went to help Mama get settled in and ready for tomorrow, had to get desk clerk to come show us how to operate the phones because I couldn't figure it out, and then I came to my room and started getting ready for tomorrow.  

It was a good day until it wasn't and even then it wasn't bad.  My stress level is high and I'm worried about her, but I also know that we are in God's hands and all will be well.   She is 72 years old and did a 4 hour tour with a broke arm ... I hope I'm half that good when I'm older.

I also want to talk about the tour, because we did see some things I want to remember.   Pasquale left us with a city guide who was very funny with political and other jokes, however he had a monotone voice... it was good though and when I wasn't watching Mama to see if she was really ok or no his commentary was interesting.

I honestly have no idea what we saw as we drove through the city.   I do know 90 percent of it was not standing after WW2 - they rebuilt it and they did one of 2 things.  Rebuilt it back how it was or went super modern with it.  So the architecture is very different from one building to another.

We stopped at the Brandenburg Gate, which is in former West Berlin and took a few pictures.   This thing has had a life.  It was finished in 1795.  Then Napoleon moved it to Paris during the French Occupation (1806).   It was returned in 1814 - being declared a symbol of victory.  It was damaged during WW2 and was restored between 1956-58.  It stands very close to where the Berlin Wall stood and there is a line of pavers you can walk that show where the wall was.

We then drove by Checkpoint Charlie - we will see more of it tomorrow.   We then went to Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedachtnis-Kirche.  A church that was destroyed in WW2.  It has a bell tower standing that is still damaged from the bombs.   We walked around outside, took some pictures and then went to buy a few post cards.  It looks really neat from the outside.  My pictures aren't great though - I was focused on other things.

We went back to the coach and seeing we had a few minutes I left Mama with Jack and went to take a few more pictures.  I then realized you could go in the damaged tower... so I grabbed a few from inside too.  Inside it is amazing - Gold tile all over the place with mosaics.  It was absolutely gorgeous and I'm sorry Jack and Mama missed it.   I also went  into the new church they built.  It is a glass structure that is blue on the inside due to the glass and the reflecting light.   It has a large alter with a Christ hanging on it and that was it.  Very Very Modern and I didn't really like it.  It was dazzling sure, but not pretty - I took some pictures and then made it to the bus with a minute to spare.

We then went to the Holocaust memorial that is made of concrete blocks.   It is treated more like a park with people sitting on the monuments and talking.   It seemed common, but seemed odd to me - at the same time it's in the middle of a very busy square and takes up the entire square so it was inevitable I guess.   Mama went back to the front area to rest while I poked around for a few.  I tried to pray and thank God for my life.  I tried to think of the Jews who had lost so much and of the atrocities that occurred to warrant this monument, but I found myself unable to really do so.  

I hopped back on the bus and he finished the tour at the hotel at which point you know the story.   It's been a long day and I'm going to bed.  Here is praying that tomorrow is a better day - praying Mama is not in pain - praying she can enjoy the rest of this trip  - praying -