Crossing the Pond

[Cd.]

It was in 1988 that I first visited Europe. I was 26 at the time. I had graduated from College the year before and was working as an architectural draftsman. I worked for a construction company. That year I was laid off from my job but had some money so I decided to travel.

I decided to go to Europe because I had friends who went there and told me it would be a good time for me to go while I was still young and had the opportunity. I thought about it and decided to see Eastern Europe. I chose to go there because one of my closest friends said that Prague and Budapest were not to be missed.

Though I did not like the idea of being on a packaged tour, it seemed to be the best way of going because I did not know the language or local customs. Furthermore, it just seemed safer.

I arrived by plane in Frankfurt. I was at a typical tourist hotel at the edge of the city. I noticed that the Frankfurt airport was much like a shopping center. There were all kinds of stores there. I got to my hotel and steeled in. It was surrounded by forest. It seemed like Wisconsin or Minnesota to me. The air was cool.

That day I went to downtown Frankfurt, to a square called the Rohmer by locals. There was a band playing with medieval instruments and people dancing. I had a lunch of hot dogs, beer and one of these gigantic pretzels. The city looked medieval but it was in fact rebuilt after WW 2.

That evening I relaxed at the hotel. I drank some of the beer that was in the wet bar (to my regret the next day as I discovered it was very expensive) and watch music videos on TV.

The next day I got in the bus and met some of my traveling companions. We went by bus across the East German border. There was a great deal of military presence on both sides of the border. On the west side we saw German soldiers wearing camouflage. At the border West German guards waved us nonchalantly. The East German guards then inspected our passports. They were silent and emotionless. Their uniforms looked oddly like the Nazi uniforms except that they had the eagle and swastika replaced by the hammer and compass of the German Democratic Republic.

In East Germany, as in the rest of communist Europe, one saw highways built of concrete. Everywhere concrete. We also saw a road construction gang of men toweling down wet cement. It seemed rather laborious. One of my companions told me it was the communist way to ensure everyone was able to work.

In East Berlin we got to our hotel. It was late. We had dinner downstairs. The staff were these blonde headed teenage boys and girls who served our dinner. They said nothing to us. They brought the salad but before we could finish whisked it away and brought the soup. Then they whisked away the soup and brought the main course. The manners seemed rude to me but maybe it was how dinner was served in Germany.

The next day brought us to West Berlin. The contrasts between the two Berlins were like day and night. Berlin was a city totally destroyed in WW 2. During the allied occupation two separate cities grew, each very different from each other. The east was solemn and sober. The west was vibrant. In the west, modern architecture was found. There were brightly lit signs proclaiming Sony, Panasonic, Mercedes and so on. The variety of foods were amazing. You had McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut, countless Turkish restaurants and so on.

Then after that we continued into Poland. Poland seemed a bit freer than East Germany but it was also a very poor country. In the countryside you could see farmers using horses to harvest crops.

The city of Warsaw was a monument to concrete. The entire city appeared to be like a giant housing project with its high rise buildings. The old city was interesting though. The old city was a monument to the heroism of the Polish People. It was totally destroyed during WW 2. We were told that the Nazis suppressed an uprising by the Polish Home Army as the Soviet forces waited across the river. The soviets refused to liberate the city until the Germans finished their dirty work because they feared that the Polish underground would try to resist them as well. This was one of many reasons why the people of Warsaw never trusted the Russians.

Probably the most moving thing I saw in Warsaw was the monument to the Ghetto Uprising. In 1943, Jews from the ghetto, armed only with pistols and grenades fought the German forces. They were eventually defeated and were almost entirely put to death.

I remember also seeing in Warsaw people lining up at a butcher shop. Meat was a rare commodity in Warsaw. I also remember trying to get film in a store but the store had only cheap black and white film.

We then went to Krakow, to the old Castle. I found it to be a small but remarkably nice city. Its people were very friendly.

Then we went to Budapest. Budapest was a picturesque city. It did have a few seemy sides. The downtown was very nice though. I made a point stopping in a few bars there. I found that people were not very talkative towards strangers though.

I mainly remember Budapest as being the site of an ill-fated 1956 battle between patriots, most of them working class partisans and the Soviet army and their collaborators. As one may expect, not a single monument was erected to remember this bloody struggle.

Vienna was next on the agenda. It felt good to be once again in a free country. Vienna was a beautiful old city. Its people were kind and spoke English, for the most part. We did see the state opera house, we saw the Spanish Riding school, famous for its Lippenzer stallions. One of my favorite things in this city was a coffee house where we had iced coffee (with ice cream) with Strauss music in the back ground.

One very funny incident to report here. Our local guide pointed to a monument guarded by Russian soldiers. It was the soviet monument to the liberation of the city. Our driver told us later that the only thing that the Austrians were “liberated” from was themselves. That in Austria, more people were members of the Nazi party than any other place in the German Reich.

Then we came to Prague. As before we came to a border crossing. The Austrian guards (who wore the old fancy tall military caps) waved us by and we were scrutinized by Czech guards who wore military fatigues. One very funny image I remember from this place was a sign showing a white dove with an olive branch and the words “Peace”. Standing in front of it were two paramilitary guards each with sub machine guns. I wanted to get a picture of it but remembered the old warnings not to photograph military personnel.

Prague was an old city, most of it in the Baroque style. It is a city with a long, somewhat tragic history. It was here in 1968 that reform minded communists under Alexander Dubcek attempted to establish “socialism with a human face”. They released prisoners and had a general amnesty. They reformed the police and military. They allowed freedom of speech and the press and were even speaking of allowing free elections. This ended in August as Soviet tanks entered the city. Thousands of Czechs entered the streets in a defiant act of passive resistance. Many of them were killed. As in Budapest, not one monument existed to remember this.

In Prague I saw Stare Mesto, the old town known for its clock tower which had mechanical figures of the 12 apostles which emerged from a window. We also saw the castle, still used as the seat of the government. We visited the Castle Karlstein outside the city.

The following day, after a stop in Pilsen (nothing to report, a dirty industrial city full of dirty people, most noted for its beer) we crossed the German border. After crossing we saw a column of West German soldiers. They were there for the autumn Nato maneuvers. I remarked to an older lady from New Zealand who was part of our group, its nice to see some of those who are on our side. She replied “They have some rather unpleasant qualities as well”. She then added “You are a bit too young to remember the last war”.

We then stopped for the final destination of our tour. We visited Nuremberg. It was a pleasant place in spite of its tragic history. It had a charming medieval center. We did see the stadium where the great Nuremberg rallies were held. Today it’s a sports field used by the US Army. We also saw the courthouse where the infamous Nuremberg trials were held. Finally we relaxed at a German restaurant. An older lady served us and was unusually polite and friendly. She told me that German beer is better than American beer and added, I don’t know how you people could drink that water. The music played and the people at the table next to us sang in German. It was wonderful to know that there are still places in this modern world where people still sing in bars. I did not wish to leave that place. I knew the next day that the bus would whisk me back to the airport. Back to the world I left behind. At home, I would have to endure the anxiety of looking for work, of paying bills. The normal life back in the US states would be waiting for me. But for now it was the song of those German people singing. If only the song could go on forever.

[Manu]

Wow, Tom, it is amazing your recollection of the trip so long ago.

During my hiatus from school and work, I saved a lot of money. Part of it is for my 'future' but a large part of it is for a European trip.

I wanna find a way to spend 3-6 months there, working odd jobs and the like and just living there...

Its awesome you were able to go to Europe at that time.

[Cd.]

Originally posted by Manu
Wow, Tom, it is amazing your recollection of the trip so long ago.

During my hiatus from school and work, I saved a lot of money. Part of it is for my 'future' but a large part of it is for a European trip.

I wanna find a way to spend 3-6 months there, working odd jobs and the like and just living there...

Its awesome you were able to go to Europe at that time.

That would be awsome if you can do that. If you really can get 3 to 6 months to travel like that I would urge you to do so. Get away while you are still young and you wont regret it.