China Daily Exclusive

From Brussels to Berlin - luck, by chance

By Su Qiang (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-10-07 09:35

BRUSSELS - The thought of visiting Germany had not even crossed my mind until a Foreign Ministry official asked me in a Brussels hotel if I would like to accompany Premier Wen Jiabao's delegation to a small town near Berlin for a specially arranged meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

As if I had been asked if I was willing to marry a pretty girl I'd been courting for years, "Sure, I will," I replied without batting an eyelid.

Within a matter of hours, our plane touched down at the tiny Tegel Airport in Germany. And 30 minutes later, we were lifted off the ground in four helicopters.

Gazing out from the windows of the chopper, I was amazed at the greenery that stretched as far as I could see. I could literally smell the fresh air inside the roaring helicopter.

After 25 minutes of pure bliss, we landed on the lawns of the Meseberg Palace, some 70 km north of Berlin.

As I stepped out of the chopper, Europe's early autumn wind, chilly enough to set your jaws trembling, greeted me.

Walking toward the luxurious palace, I saw the foreign cameramen had already taken their positions along the red carpet laid in front of the main building.

A German official told me the mansion, which was built in 1738, had now been turned into an official guesthouse for extremely important visitors.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and former US president George W. Bush are some of the esteemed guests that have walked the floors of the Meseberg Palace.

Premier Wen broke into his symbolic amicable smile when a woman in the crowd shouted: "Premier, please wave your hand."

Wen, who was then shaking hands with Merkel, immediately lifted his hand to wave to the crowd as flashbulbs went berserk.

The two leaders soon disappeared into the palace, and we, the accompanying scribes, were guided to a nearby restaurant for a quick meal.

I knew coffee would steal my sleep, but I still went ahead and ordered a couple.

Those two cups of coffee are the only reason I was awake enough to finish this piece after I returned to my hotel room in Brussels late at night.

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