2023-04-29 52 8

Location

This Geohash is located on a field in Amerika.

Participants

Fippe

Expedition

In the morning, I e-cycled via Sevelten and Cloppenburg to Amerika. This Amerika of course is a village in the Garrel municipality.

The weather was much nicer than yesterday. My first stop was the Geohash, which I located on a field and recorded proof.

Afterwards, I continued to the nearby meetup place at the Amerikastein, Amerika stone, where I was meeting with a local guide, Mrs. Blömer. Because of its name, Amerika makes the local newspaper sometimes, especially when people from the United States visit. It has become somewhat of a tourist magnet, and they started giving out certificates certifying that the holder has reached Amerika without using a boat or a plane. When the coordinates were announced yesterday, I called to sign myself up for one of those certificates.

Mrs. Blömer explained the history of the village. She offered to different explanations about how the village got its name: Centuries ago, it was very difficult to get from Garrel to Cloppenburg because of the bogs. It was said that it was easier to go to America than to go through this area. Also, it happened several times that people from the area emigrated to America, didn't like it there, and returned, and upon returning often resettled in the area which is now called Amerika. Just like the United States, Amerika elects a president, and the first president (1855-1925) lived in a white house. The current president, who lives in a different house, stopped by while Mrs. Blömer was explaining. He is 90 years old and regularily patrols the village by bike to make sure everything is alright.

Mrs. Blömer showed me the guestbook, in which every visitor could add an entry, and she showed me entries in the guestbook by Americans from the larger America. Adding another entry, I revealed that I was from there by birth too, which seemed to delight her. She offered me a shot of Amerika-Tropfen schnaps, and certified that I reached Amerika without using a boat or a plane. I asked if anyone had ever flown here, since Varrelbusch Airport is right around the corner, and it had indeed happened at least once. After thanking her, we went our separate ways.

On the way back, I cycled via Varrelbusch and Cloppenburg.