Latest / Rhein, Sieg und Westerwald Rundklick / #90 The little britain inn 16th May 2026

Transcript

#90 The little britain inn 16th May 2026 · Rhein, Sieg und Westerwald Rundklick

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You really when you imagine the idyllic german ryanland you are
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anticipating a very specific, you're deply romantic as that.
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Oh, absolut it the winding waters of the ryan this step
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vinerts. Right anchant crumbling castle
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rowins of a head and well this quint timerframed Hauses Lineing
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Coble Stone streets. You're expecting a landscape to
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find by d pistorical rutes and a really trankal University.
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It is a region that threes on perficaly manicure tradition,
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we're i be one visiting expect to scenery to fit perfical in to
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that picture asc historic postcard.
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Ja, exactly then you this i to take a strol for a lokal
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University. Just you know taking in the
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Serien forest there and sendly that postcard is just rip to
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shrets. It.
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Eterna corner and stumble porn a bright red double Decker,
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British. Pastor Bus.
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Have to know. Here i don't know there and a fu
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stops for there e spot, a lipesized for here of
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quinelizabet sitting on a park bench next to of all things a
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grining mr. Bean.
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We just just surreal. It is and if that visual
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collision was and jaring in of you like pastor red telefon box
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and finders of stiring strate down the barrel of a Fifty two
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ton military tank draped in union jacks.
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I'm you have to imagine looking out you're on kitchen window and
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a quiet german down. And sing a Massive Armored war
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Machine Part next door right, it's the absolut definition of a
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visual and cultural shock. It really is so we're jumping
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straight into and incredible querky location in the German
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Rheinland today. Call of the little britan in and
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it's sichuated in vetal shoes so that is vetal shoes and it is
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very close to the hilly historical area of riman nosan
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that is perance to riman on. And the mission for this deep
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dive go's farbe on marveling imported red telefon boxes or
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chuckling at the sure volume of British.
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Kitch because there's a lot of kit.
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Oh a massive amone, but we are diving in to a stack of sourses
2:00
today from lokal news featers to detail to hotel brusers to
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explorer the deeply emotional human story of the insounder
2:07
Gary Blackburn. Is genualy fastnading we are
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really trasing how a man go's from bing and expatry tresergant
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to be coming in on the ficial. Hilly Excentric, Ambassador of
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German British Friendship and a long the way we really have to
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examant a fersly to bated controversy of a that three two
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tons in turian tank you. Know elephant in the Garden.
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Xxloring the inquredly complex question of weather, a web and
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build for war can have a truly be recintexualized as a monium
2:38
it for peace. Right so to understand how a
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massive military tank and zapart next to an agg of the christie
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themed hotelrim we have to start with garry himself he'd in a
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rive in germany with the intention of opening a
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hospitality Empire or amuseum. No not a all.
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He'ribed in nineteen every five originally hailing from
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linkinshir in the uk, bringing a hily specific hily sot out of
3:00
skillset, gary was a train tresertin.
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We just such an neesheing the brang.
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Over it is he it's actually study that the mirst with
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agrcultral coologin sorry and work.
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Legendary sure what Forest? I have that detail bringing
3:13
arborial expertise from the metical home of robin hood overs
3:17
in the rainland it is a brilliant detail.
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You're relius. Because at the time, his
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specific technics and arboricals your we're quiet, rare and kind
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nental your you was an lomberjack you know he was
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nertica trees down for temporate you was basically a Sergeant for
3:32
anchant miniomental trees ja, this involves introkit proceders
3:36
like Kind reductioned really stress on all your rudes.
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Or in stalling complex cableing and brising systems to pervent
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massive centrisol lems from splitting during storms.
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So he was literty praservan history.
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And his skills we're in such hide man that he evan work for
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the chancery in bone tending to the governance trees and he
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saved angent spessments at lokal castles.
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Spare on. He founded a company called
4:00
bomdinst sevingaburg with grewin to a highly respekted family
4:03
business and today it is actually run by his suns kevin,
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alexander, luke and william. He are all filly trained your
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pan tree workers them selbst. Socary it's band thirty years
4:14
building or really sucess for life.
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You was literly infigatively deeply rudid in Germany tending
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to landscape razing of family and just becoming Portal lokal
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fabric. Ja, a British man completely
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integrated in to the european projed.
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Xacly and then the twenty three time Brexit Referendum
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completely rocked is foundation. Yeah, the sources disribed as a
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genuine crisis of identity for him watching is home contery
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polaway von the European community was profounly
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disressing. It mix we one they're i you're
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react. If the two haves of you're
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identity, we're people to part by geopolital forses.
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I'm can i sort of compare is responsed to brexit to some one
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packing up birchalded bedriment to a suukase one music right.
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All that it's a create analogy. Thanks, but he is doing it on a
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massive architectual skill just to code with the emotional
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distance. Gerry didnt just right in angery
5:06
letter to in editor he be can'sly collecting british
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memerabilia to create a physical perminent statement of german
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British funchup. He Build a sanctuary.
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Because one the political landscan be coms trashered in
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uncertan human psychology off and drives as to create tendable
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manifistations of unity. We know it's some and we can
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touch. Persisly Gary One of to proof in
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a physical undeniable way that despite what every legal or
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political separations or happling invest minister the
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cultural and emotional connection between brittan in
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Germany was Unbroken. He need it ankorhams of.
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He's connection to the specific region of germany.
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How i was it just a random toes of geography he't just find a
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convenient cheat plot of land to parksom vintage bosses.
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No he's time to the area ran ramagian actually that back to.
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Is chalted, we really how to's a work.
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We'll as a boy and brittan gerry was deeply captivate by the
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nineteen nine film. The bridge a ramagine.
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Oh right the warfilm. Ja, the film to pics the Real
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haroing world war to battle for the ludendorf Bridge.
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We served is a crusal desprecrossing point of the rine
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for the LA forces advancing in to Germany, so is a side of a
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mans historical way. And he carry to that childhood a
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wordness with them to germany. Later as an a dolt working as a
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treseargent and your by urbal he start it connecting deeply with
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the older lokal. Yeah was out, they're talking to
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people. The sources Menschen he met of
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former German Personer of war who confided in him about the
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surprising we fair treatment he received wild in British
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captivity. And another lokal, he befrented
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was a man name Mr. Bush. Bring the all that events and
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Mr. Bush was just the Young boy hit been force to hide in the
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dark damp lokal Tunnels just to survive the bombardment well.
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That is in tens. It is and to adden and krabbleer
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of historical poetry to it. Mr. Bush is on grandfatter was
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the stone mazon with originally Build the massive Stone Towers
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of the Remagine Bridge. Oh what that is amazing, but i
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end like in at these in couners and I'm ping back a bit thinking
7:09
about the mechanics of how this conversations if in have and
7:12
like how just triming tree brunch.
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Just leap to international diplomacy and on are think
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deckates of buried worldward to troma.
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If that's you like a leap do's not.
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Right, but when you think about the daily reality of a tree
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surgeance work at I'm so like's perfect sens.
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You are off and working on private historicastates spending
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outers in the gardens of all the generations you are you are
7:33
treeding trees, the they have watched kro for duckates perhaps
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trees that parents plented so you are tending to the rutes of
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a community quiet literity. Hebre quires in a mins amount of
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trust to it's so one operate on a three hundred eurold oak tree
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in your back garden. You're stepping in to they're
7:50
private centure. It's actly.
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So and you're a really british expat who's just spend the
7:55
apprion carefly reserving in the cherers landscape.
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It is very natural for them to and vite you art of the padio
8:01
for capacofi. And inno's quiet moments, the
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conversations and navidity driftorts the history of the
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land, the scars of the past and personal memories.
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He became assort of costodian of the stories.
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It's like examining the rings of an all tree you can see the
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years of draud the years of fire and the years of healthy grove.
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That is a brilliant like a pudding it.
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Gerry was seen the tramatic rings of this community and all
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of this encounters. The stories from the former POW,
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the harreling childed memories of Mr. Bush coupled with is on
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profound dismay of the fracturing effects of Brexit.
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Get all comminated in a desire to create a power for minimate.
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A grand simble to represent the overcoming of that dark history.
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Right, what's bring us to the minimate he shows all boy.
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Ja, we'll people invision a minimate dedicated to peace in
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frenchip they Gravity Tors University inters good simbles.
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And all of branch, a dove, perhaps two hands shaking cast
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in bronce the usual. Suspects.
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Here, re, blackburn, the cito, the Alternative, Peace and
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International franchip was and nineteen three British Centurion
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Tank a. Fifty Two ton military tank and
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mean it is an absolute. We stagering decision he
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purchased the reck we from this was harmy for thirty thousen
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euros. And the sources, no this
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actually for filled a live long dream spartan.
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He was just threeersold have for he's father give to them a toy
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model of a centurion tank. So he was committeed to.
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This idea, so he bies the real fullsize machine and a regually
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place is on is on private property in the town of unkle.
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And unkle is geograficly situate vericles to rimagine so for the
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lokal residence, the some of a massive webin of war in there
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quiet naborhood. It notic's actually evoke
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feelings of peace. No, I can't maß and it.
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It's Sparta Mass of Furious backlash the outrage esculator
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with such intensity that the dispute actually bipest lokal
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consles and reach the land tag. The State Parlement.
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As the state parlement of ryanland paladm that.
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But we i have to jumpin here is and gerry's promise here
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incredible toned def. I'm you can't just drob of two
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ton machine of destruction, a vehicle literally engineer to
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crash buildings and n life's right new aside of herific
10:13
worldware to tragity paint a union jack on it and magicly
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rebrandet with a peace label. I see you can.
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You can't in tent trily override the visual physical reality of a
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webin trily the reality with override the person's good
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intentions. It is or really for a point, but
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the framing this is a study and simy outex.
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Of the study of Science and simbles reveals exackly white is
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clashicard. Ok, also.
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Because an object meaning is in tirly dependant on the cultral
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context of the observer. If we like a Garry's
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Perspektive, it liance perficly with an a British or a light
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cultral framework in the uk is we'll as in France biljum in the
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evolence. Military virus from the alliate
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forces are frequely displayed in townsqueres on village greens
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and at momorials you're in the specific culters a tank is
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funamentity viewed as a monument of liboration it represens the
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stoping of tyrney it is a right some of the trubes we'd back to
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the. Connam so Two British xpat the
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tank signals, we stop the war and now we are friends.
11:15
Xacly but in Germany the culture reflex to military hardware is
11:19
diametricly a post. A tank on a streekwarner is not
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a simple of liberation. It is a stark terrifine spector
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of trauma of core, you're represents the darkus days of
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the twenty assentory the destruction of there's cities
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and a devastading war the Tor, there's society apart.
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So both perspektes are deply and grane and in tiroly valid.
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Absoluty. The nabor's out rage was a
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completely understandable reaction ruded and generational
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troma and gerry's intention was sensually ruded in his on
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cultural understanding of how you cumemory the end of a
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conflict you was an imuvable cultural collision.
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And this profound so see you logical clash of or historical
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memory quickly to all them to a bizarre burecradic grid locked
12:00
it that it. Really because.
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The Lokals referies the lokal munusopality have to step in.
12:05
But lokal government's do you have a zoning ordinance for a
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culturity incensitive military hardware?
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No, there's rightly do not the german baugaset's book or a
12:15
building code is nothoriasly there o but it is not aquiped to
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setl emotional dispueds of a historical Sami outex, so the
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lokal thirdies need it a legal mcan is them to for scary to a
12:26
move the tank they do hermin that because the three two ton
12:29
tank was compley stationary likeing any independment means
12:33
of propotion. It technically qualfight is a
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structure or a building a build and under german law arrecting a
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building of that size and mass and a residential garden
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requires a formal building primit with gerry aviasly
12:47
denopes as. It is brilliant burecradic logic
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they are basic. We can't legislate your tasting
12:53
garden ornaments, but we can regulate unpermitted structures.
12:57
Exackly. But gerry's workout is a struck
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of absolut genius. He realize that the entiral
13:03
legal argument rested on the tank being stationary right if a
13:06
stationary tank is legaly a building, then a tank kit will
13:10
of independant movment is legaly of viacal and you do not need a
13:14
building permid to park of viacal on your on.
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Let so he liste the help of a mechanicly's go fren name
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Michael. This is my fairer part.
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To get they manage to engineering and stone electric
13:23
motor in to the back of this massive Vintage war Machine.
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I'm think about the absurdity of this, they assentually create it
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the words. Very two tonne e tank.
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And e tank. It is like stroping an elektric
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scuder motor on to a binkfalt, but giving the tank the physical
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capability of move mit via electric power it a ficily buy
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pass the structure classification of the
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baugesatsbuch it was legaly reclassfight as a viral.
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It was a hilly unorthidax wildly inventive legal lopal.
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Absolut ebraliant. How every out's are in the lokal
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counsel on a technicality this not manfences with her nabors.
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No, i suppose not. The Friction and Uncle ramain
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popable Ultimate Lee reckignising that his vision
14:07
required more welcoming enviramment gerry move the tank.
14:11
Along with is rabbidly growing collection of british mamrabilia
14:14
to a new location in calanborn I'm part of vital shos.
14:18
And moving to vital shos is with the project absolut the exploses
14:21
from a quarki personal collection in to a full blone
14:24
kitch kingdom. It really does.
14:26
What's start of as a man bying a tank to cope of the emotional
14:29
fallout of Brexit transforms and to the little britanin in when
14:32
you dolvin to the details of the hotel brosers the scale of it is
14:36
spectaular. It avalved in to a massive
14:38
Hospitality in Event Space. The Hotel features maticulisly
14:42
themed Rimes designed and painted by a townted lokal
14:46
artist to go's by the name andimo yeah.
14:48
You can book a realm rapton agg of the Christine mysteries, a
14:51
sure lock homes we a harry potter, rim and a cores the
14:54
deeply as centrick mr. Bean rim.
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Guests or waking up in a completely emersive british
14:59
cotage atmosphere right in the mittel of the rheinland.
15:02
And they live. It they really do the in of
15:05
bosss a nine point for rateing on travago.
15:07
Oh well. Yeah, you stop out of you room
15:09
and finders of invite to it traditional avronunity served
15:13
inside a genuin imported root Master Double Decker Boss from
15:16
the nineteen sixies. And one of the mo strikeing
15:18
contrast the in tire operation is the infrastrukture powering
15:22
it. Visually you're surround about
15:24
mid centry in the stalgia and nineteen three tank nineteen
15:27
things diesel bosses fintage telefon bosses, but it he's the
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surface the inoperates on higly modern hyperficient green
15:34
energy, which. Is such a contrast.
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The udalize expensive solar panels to generate the
15:39
onlicricity they private teslet churging stations for the guests
15:42
and the entire properties heat. It is in a block heating plant.
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No I've down the Block Heating plant Detail Fasoneding.
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For there's on familiar a block heating plan or a combined heat
15:53
and parasystem is an incredible efficient way to us energy.
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There, you efficient. And a normal engine say in a
15:59
car, i he'd german of the energy generated by burning fuel is
16:03
just wasted as heat loing out the exost pipe and as.
16:07
Just last. Exactly but a block heating plan
16:10
capture's all that wasteed and recycles it.
16:12
So the Engine generals a like tristity for the in and the heat
16:15
perdus dring that process is capture and piek dragly in to
16:18
the hotel to warm the room. And provide hotwater for the
16:22
guest showers. That is brillian.
16:24
The also you solar thermalenity the contrast is romarkable you
16:27
have a fifty two ton relac of mid centry Industrial Warfare
16:31
siting quiet Literity next way one hundred Prozent Sustainable
16:34
close Loop Green Energy eco System.
16:37
It is a perfect metafor for the holplace.
16:39
Really repurpising be have a inefficient machineery of the
16:43
past and to something warm and welcoming for the present.
16:46
That is a grate we to like it. But i want to higlate hogery
16:49
handle the lingering scaptis is in the lightor community have to
16:51
the move. Relocating a tank and building a
16:54
British theme park and vetalshes didnt magicly arays all the rays
16:58
i'braals from the lokals or the lokal press.
17:00
No integrading a project of this magnitued with inharedly
17:04
challenges, the traditional static of a german minus
17:06
appality requards significant diplomacy if you act aggressivly
17:11
or defensivly the community will simply reject you.
17:14
So in Stud of fiding is critics in a butles or engaging and
17:19
endless legal batals gueri deploid the most power for.
17:22
Disarming Webbin in the Bridge cultural arcinal Huspitality.
17:27
Huspitality x Equity the source's a kind of specific
17:29
insident or he invited is must vocal critics incuiting the
17:32
editorial team von the lokal newspaper the westorwald run
17:36
black over for a traditional afternoon t it.
17:38
Is a master class in the escalation onosly he set them
17:42
down in this world surreunded by his collection and served I'm
17:46
fresly big scones, clotate creme and t just.
17:50
Brillian he. Just talk to them human to human
17:52
it is. Is incredibly diffical to
17:54
maintane a fearsly and taginistic stands tor a man who
17:58
is warmly poring you a club of ral grey and Arthur new Jam.
18:01
It real is. He is the universal language of
18:04
sharing food to disal of the tention and to there questions
18:08
and builded camunity consenses from the grandup.
18:10
T diplomacy it is simple. Get profanly effective.
18:14
Absolute. One we stop back in the entire
18:17
arc of the step dive. The journey is a stanishing.
18:20
We have a higly skilled expat resurgant spending deckates
18:24
carefully reserving the angent forests of the rinland.
18:27
Them the political frackway of Brexit hits fracturing hisens of
18:31
home and triggering a deep personal identity crises.
18:34
Right and he ernsters that geopolitical crises by physical
18:37
constructing a minute United King to in Germany.
18:40
All on the way he navigates a complex web of world war to
18:44
historical trama. In it wordly triggering a
18:47
statelevel political controversy of the simeotics of a centurion
18:50
tank plays far to clused to the tragicistory of again.
18:55
And then he beats the strict german building bureaucrasy by
18:58
stripping and elektric Motor to a war machine, transforming it
19:02
in to the world have you as e virical and ultimity builds and
19:06
nine point for star rated cultureal bridge in vetal shus.
19:09
This quit to resmate he. To can'sideed your and
19:13
transformed it in to a vibron. Outly excentric and deeply
19:17
walkoming Embassy of German British franchip.
19:19
It service is a profan testiment to the human desire for
19:22
connection and rudidinus and i think it league of the fast and
19:26
that you're ponder really was that will if a two two ton
19:28
machine build for destruction can be mechanicaly and symbolity
19:32
retrofit it in to a monument of peace and a quarky kitchfill
19:36
Hotel can't sucessly service diplomatic Embassy.
19:39
With see me the amuvable conflicts and a onlives my be
19:41
was all simply by shifting are contacts that.
19:43
Is a grate question? Or perhaps what have he burtons
19:46
my be lifted just by sitting down with are critics for a
19:50
simple cup of t it. Is a brilliant reminder that
19:53
some times the have just upsticals can be moved if you a
19:55
play a little ingenuity and a lot of worms are wely partcast
19:59
are created valentarity if you like or podcasts to supports by
20:03
one falling in two sharing, we would be happy to get more reach
20:06
thank you.