Film Setting For ‘Spencer’ at Schlosshotel Kronberg, Germany

The Schlosshotel Kronberg will provide the setting for an American production of ‘Spencer’, a drama featuring Lady Di’s life.

The Schlosshotel has been chosen to represent Lady Di’s real birthplace, the country estate of Sandringham in Norfolk, where she was born on 1 July 1961. Princess Di herself reputedly has never been to the Schlosshotel herself.

Some historical facts about the hotel:

German Empress Victoria (German title: Victoria Kaiserin Friedrich), a daughter of the English Queen Victoria, purchased the Villa Schönbusch from a business man named Jacques Reiss in 1888. This was also the year her husband, Emporer Friedrich III, died.

She then had Friedrichshof Castle built in its place, and she used it as her summer residence from 1894 until her death in 1901.

Schloss Friedrichshof in Cronberg i. Taunus

Note the spelling of Cronberg in the left-hand corner of the postcard. This was the official spelling before it became Kronberg in November 1929.

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After her death, the castle went to her youngest daughter, Margaret of Prussia (German title: Prinzessin Margarethe von Preußen).

After WWII, the castle was confiscated by U.S. occupation forces, and used as Officers’ Club.

In 1954, the castle became a luxury hotel, convention center, and a special place to receive and host VIPs, such as the Dalai Lama in 2017.

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Princess Di is played by the actress Kristen Stewart. The Hessian Film Funding Group will support the movie making with €250,000.

The movie’s release is planned for early 2022.

German Word of the Day: der Kassenzettel (receipt)

Recently, when shopping at our nearby supermarket, I noticed a different quality and color in the receipt paper. The first time, I figured it was just the end of the paper roll. Today’s receipt looked the same, so I finally took a closer look, and found the explanation on the back of it.

Up until now, receipts from EDEKA supermarket, used to be white in color, and somewhat shiny due to their chemical lining. Hence, they were not meant for the paper trash, but the plastic trash. All this has changed.

Environmentally friendly receipts

The new receipts are better for the environment. See pointers.

  • ohne chemische Farbentwickler (without chemical color enhancer)
  • über das Altpapier entsorgen und recycelbar (please add to the paper bin, it is recycable)
  • beständig gegen Umwelteinflüsse (resistant against environmental impacts)
  • zugelassen für den direkten Kontakt mit Lebensmittel (paper approved for direct contact with dry goods)

This is a good sign in regards to our environment. When we use fewer chemicals and reduce plastic trash, we’re heading in the right direction. Thank you, EDEKA.

The Mountain Lodge at Camp King, Oberursel before its Major Renovation

A reader just asked me for photos of the Mountain Lodge, Camp King, in Oberursel before it was changed to this modernized state.

This might be an interesting visual tour for all the enlisted personnel, who were stationed at Camp King, but did not get to see the NCOs building from the inside.

Mountain Lodge, Camp King, Oberursel in August 2016

 

The photos below I took when the Candy Bomber paid us a visit back in June of 2013. The guest of honor at the tour and discussion was Col. Gail S. Halvorsen USAF (Ret.), one of the last surviving pilots of the Airlift.

This is a medley of interior photos. If anyone can help identify the location of some of the rooms, please share it under comments. I have posted the photos in the same way I walked through the house.

Attic of the Mountain Lodge, Camp King Oberursel

 

Open House at the Mountain Lodge, Camp King

 

 

Hallway at the Mountain Lodge, Camp King in Oberursel

Manfred Kopp and the Candy Bomber, June 2013

Hope you’ve enjoyed this tour.

DaF Test: Registration and Confirmation with the Goethe Institute Frankfurt

If you are looking for confirmation to your DaF proficiency test registration, check your  automatic response carefully. If you see the following words below in your mail, you are in.

Teilnahmebedingungen: akzeptiert

(eligibility requirements: approved)

Over the years, I heard from various sources about this lack of written communication between test applicants and the Goethe Institute in Frankfurt, once registration for the test has been made.

An outdated IT department sends out automatic responses in German, which clearly need an update.

As the test applicants are foreigners, I had wrongly assumed that they had just missed the written confirmation of their registration, or it might have ended up in spam.

Not so, it seems. I signed up my daughter on 28 December for the German proficiency test on 7 Feb. In response, I got a standard reply, listing my given data and asking not to reply to this e-mail.

Hinweis: Diese E-Mail wurde automatisch erstellt. Bitte antworten Sie nicht auf diese E-Mail.

(This is an automatic response. Please do not reply.)

So I contacted the Goethe Institute Frankfurt via private message on its Facebook page four days ago. It seems they have no social media manager, nor page administrator either.

Then I lost more time trying to find a contact e-mail address in regards to the test. No such luck. On the other hand, the contact e-mail address for signing up for a German course is clearly visible though…

I went back to the automatic response, and then I found it. In tiny writing, pressed between lines of data, I found it: Teilnahmebedingungen: akzeptiert

In spite of being German, I had a difficult time working my way through this. The registration confirmation procedure definitely needs improvement and a more customer-friendly service.

For a euro 200 test-taking fee, I expect more service, such as a clear statement of admission and links to important information.

Mountain Lodge, Camp King Oberursel October 2014

I passed through Camp King earlier in the afternoon when I found the lodge in scaffolding.

Much has been written about this area again, since there are plans to build another housing complex right behind it. I’d suppose this would cover the meadow between the Mountain Lodge and the forest area. We shall see.

Mountain Lodge Camp King Oberursel

Mountain Lodge Camp King Oberursel

Mountain Lodge left

Last, but not least, another billboard ad around the corner stated that eight out of the ten apartments have been sold.

This one shows its future design. Note the white and sterile design for the living room (second photo on the bottom left). We will get used to the idea.

Mountain Lodge Ad

 

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