As countries restrict travel to help slow the spread of coronavirus, some separated couples are meeting each other at their nations’ closed borders.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many couples are being forced to discover if distance really does make the heart grow fonder. Government efforts to slow the coronavirus’ spread have left many lovers apart and uncertain of when they will next be able to unite. The closing of borders in places where travel was previously restriction-free, such as in Europe’s Schengen Area, has also resulted in some couples suddenly finding themselves in long-distance relationships, despite living close by.
One couple navigating this new relationship territory is Andrea Rohde and her partner of more than a decade, Markus Brassel. Rohde calls the city of Konstanz in southern Germany home, while Brassel lives just a few kilometers away in the Swiss village of Tägerwilen. A 10-minute car ride usually divides them, but since the border between Germany and Switzerland closed on 16 March, the short journey has become impossible.
However, Rohde and Brassel have found a way to still see one another. Several times a week, they each head to the German-Swiss border that divides the cities of Konstanz and Kreuzlingen, to catch up in person through the newly installed border fences. Rohde says Skyping her partner doesn’t compare to being able to have him in front of her. “It’s just something else, even if we’re 2m apart,” she said.
The in-person meetings also allow Rohde to have some contact with the couple’s dog, Niro. The seven-year-old Parson Russell Terrier usually splits his time between his owners’ homes, but the pandemic has meant that he, too, is stuck in Switzerland.
Rohde and Brassel are far from alone. In fact, on a recent weekend, more than 100 couples split between Switzerland and Germany headed to the Kreuzlingen-Konstanz border to come as close to one another as presently possible. The rising temperatures are likely to draw even more lovers in the coming days and weeks.
Before the current coronavirus-related travel restrictions, people had been able to move freely between Kreuzlingen and Konstanz since 2009, said Kreuzlingen’s mayor, Thomas Niederberger. He explained that the cities have essentially merged into one another, with many residents moving between the two on a daily basis. “It feels like one big city,” he said, “that happens to have an international border running through it.”
The cities’ intertwined nature helps explain why so many have been separated by the current situation and have been heading to the closed border. At first, a waist-high fence was installed, resulting in loved ones embracing and kissing while standing in different countries. More recently, a second fence running parallel to the first has been put up, to keep a safe distance between those meetings.
The opportunity for a face-to-face romantic encounter hasn’t just been attracting locals to the Kreuzlingen-Konstanz border. Many are traveling from further afield, such as Natascha Dematteis, who drove for more than an hour to sit 2m from Micha Roth who lives in Konstanz. The two had connected online and were making plans to meet offline when the travel restrictions were announced. Dematteis said that meeting up at the border was the only way to see whether their chemistry was as strong in person as it was over the phone.
After spending their first date talking through the fences for six hours, the duo decided to officially pursue a relationship, despite not having made it within 2m of one another. Dematteis described the whole situation as “absurd” but said it has resulted in them getting to know one another on a deeper level. “It’s not just about the physical attraction,” she said.
While no-one knows when the border will reopen, Dematteis said that she and Roth can hardly wait to see one another without fences. “If there is any way, we will be the first to seize the opportunity,” she said.
Another couple sharing their sentiments from a different border is 89-year-old Karsten Tüchsen Hansen from Germany and 85-year-old Inga Rasmussen from Denmark. Since falling in love two years ago, the widowed pair have spent almost every day together, with Rasmussen usually staying the night at Hansen’s home 15km away in Süderlügum. They made the tough decision to quarantine apart, each wanting to stay near their families.
Since the border between Germany and Denmark closed on 14 March, the couple has continued to see each other daily. Rasmussen drives to the border from her town of Gallehus, and Hansen usually rides his bike from Süderlügum. The two meet at the barricades dividing them and their respective countries near the town of Aventoft with chairs, coffee and occasionally schnapps to sit and have a drink. “Between 15:00 and 17:00, no matter the weather,” Hansen said.
Only on Sundays do they meet a little earlier, to share a lunch made by Rasmussen. He describes the time they spend together as the highlight of his day, and while he misses taking his partner in his arms, he said that health had to be the priority at the moment.
The cross-country lovers plan on taking a holiday once everything is back to normal, with a boat trip along the River Danube currently being the leading contender. Until then, they will support each other through this difficult time and continue to enjoy their special bond.
“I never thought I would be so in love at 89,” Hansen said.
by BBC
News.Az
