last thoughts on Cologne

The patio outside the renovated farm house where the Sedlaceks live. I believe this part of the house used to be the stables, around 200 years ago.

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It`s my last morning here in Cologne. (Well not really Cologne, but we`re in more like a suburb, called Pulheim). It is over a month since Ayse and I arrived here from the workshop in Switzerland and although we have been a lot on the road and I have only spent a few days here in between our travels, this feels pretty much like home.

The Sedlacks (Ayse, Heinz and their two kids, Timor and Aylin, aged 18 and 15 respectively) live on a huge old farmstead sectioned off and converted into about six apartments. The down side is that it is in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by fields, mainly cornfields and the nearest bus or train station is miles away. The good thing is that it gives you such a feeling of spa…aaaaa….ce. Not only is the apartment huge it is also sparsely furnished, which makes it only look bigger. And there is also a garden at the back full of trees and singing birds and a patio where one can sit and meditate.

Here and there, in the house, you find a painting on the walls. In the living room a huge, colourful piece of modern art behind the TV and stereo, with slashes and blobs of red and yellow. In Heinz`s room which could accommodate two or three Bombay apartments, a portrait of Marilyn Monroe by Andy Warhole hangs on the wall near the door (Warhole? Right spelling? No, I`m sure not). Anyway, next to it are two small speakers on stands.

The only clutter around the room (apart from my suitcase and everything spilling out of it) is Heinz`s stereo equipment and he will kill me for saying that because he treats it like a beloved baby. It consists of numerous boxes, amps and other related gadgets which I have not been able to quite identify in spite of it all having been explained, a turntable and CD player, and numerous speakers. The biggest and most impressive equipment which he recently acquired are these two enormous horns on legs, coloured a deep maroon, which Heinz sits in front of and constantly drools over.

“Say something,” he pleads with me one evening, after plying me with detailed info about why they are the best speakers in the world and when I do, he turns to me with an exasperated, “What do you mean? Just hmmm? Go on, is that all you`ve got to say?” And I sit there feeling quite stupid and tell him, well, it sounds good, this new speaker set. Really very good. (I mean what more can I say!) And I can see that although that makes him feel better it doesn`t really console him too much.

Anyway, back to the house. The vast expanse is relieved by plants. All over the place. Plants in small pots and in huge pots. Creepers along the central pillars. In fact come to think of it, most houses I`ve visited in Germany are so nicely done up. People really take trouble over their homes. There is such attention to detail, to the way some figurine is placed, candles for “atmosphere”, crystal thingummies hanging by the window reflecting sunlight, colourful cosy looking rugs on the floor.

The Sedlacek`s kitchen too, is vast as any other room and done up in chrome and wood and glass. Very chic and very Heinz. The cooking range is bang in the centre of the room, a large platform with a ceramic (electric) cooking range and more than enough room for pots and pans and chopping boards and sundry other knick knacks to be kept. So, in fact, most often they are. Packets of Kleenex, keys, mobiles (which are then misplaced so that at any given moment two people are busy searching for their phones or for some other accessory), glasses, someone or other`s bag. But then Heinz comes along and with a determined flourish sweeps it all away and the place recovers its look of pristine elegance once again.

Recently Heinz went and exchanged his old TV set for a new one – a flat screen which is huge (in keeping with the rest of the house) which has completely bowled me over. (Oh god, and I have to get back to my 14” set back home!) We`ve been watching quite a few movies, the last three being The Aviator, then one whose name I`ve forgotten which is about this guy in the south American jungle who is initiated into a Ayahuasca ritual which helps him to look at his life clearly and to get over his fear. Shit, I must remember to get the name of that movie from Heinz.

That`s it. This afternoon at 2 pm I take the train to Munich where Thomas will pick me up and then together with Ariela, who is meeting some big shot in Munich this evening, to discuss her movie script, we will drive to Prien after dinner - the town where the Bogenbergers (Ariela, Thomas, Luisa, Julia and Felix) live on the Kiem Lake, and where I will spend two weeks.

Uma and Heinz on the patio, at night. Unfortunately this was the only half way decent photo of Heinz I could lay my hands on. After the movie he was bugged by something which Ayse and I said (even forgotten what it was!) and refused to sit for another portrait.

And this takes us down memory lane, back to Turkey and to Istanbul - to a hookah cafe overlooking the Bosphorous river - just for you to get a glimpse of Mme Sedlacek.