Final observations - Eastern Europe

 After a 7.5 hour flight from Berlin to Newark, we waited about 4 extra hours for our flight to be cancelled to Greensboro.  We spent the night and arrived in NC about 3:30 the next day, this past Monday.

FINAL OBSERVATIONS FROM OUR TRIP TO EASTERN EUROPE.

Until the end of WWI in 1918 most of continental Europe was ruled by monarchies.  Most people were employed on the farms of their feudal lord (serfdom) or in the dirty cities in manufactures.  The majority of people were poor and uneducated, with the top 5% controlling 95% of all assets.  After 1917 communism had toppled the Russian Czar and in Germany the Kaiser's abdication led to a social democratic  form of government (Weimar), which barely had 10 years to flourish when the Great Depression came in 1929 ushering  in National Socialism (Nazism) in Germany.

Thus, since the breakup of the Roman Empire, the peoples of Europe had been governed by kings, then a fleeting moment of social democracy (other than France which beheaded their King - only to replace him with a reign of terror and then the dictatorship of Napoleon), and finally fascism scratching for a fight which led to WWII.  In 1945 the Soviet Union came to control the eastern half of Germany (GDR),  along with all other eastern European countries.  Then 24 years ago the fall of the Berlin Wall brings about "freedom".  So it is only in the last 24 years that most of these peoples have had a hand  governing themselves.

The good news is that a lot has been accomplished in 24 years, maybe more than has been accomplished since the end of the Roman Empire.  This is not to take away from their monumental buildings, great art and music, and the tremendous contributions to science, letters, and learning.  What they did not have was freedom, and now they do.  I believe Europe will NOT decline even as it teeters economically at the present.  I believe they will create a more responsible UNION that can one day be an economic powerhouse.  However, beliefs die slowly.  My bet is that the newer generations will not have the baggage of the old, and can design a society that is just to the producers, and then a modern renaissance is possible.  If not, then their low birth rate and low immigration will continue to contract their opportunity creating a land of what was, not what can be.

BTW:  everyone speaks English, most are very friendly and courteous, and they make the best beer in the world - great combination!

Historical consequences...

When I was a young boy, my father signed me up for the "book of the month" club.  I wanted to learn about military matters, notably WWII.  The first two volumes I received were part 1 and 2 of Air War.  Thus began a never ending fascination with politics, ideology, leadership, beliefs, power, and consequences.

This trip we are on was to help crystallize some of the perceptions I held about the impact of German aggression in the 20th century.  It should also help me understand how people react to divergent beliefs, political and religious.  Most of this interest began with conversations with my grandparents while I lived  in their home in the late 1960's.  They understood the impact from afar, even as they lived in fear of the potential spread to nazism and communism.

Of significance has also been the understanding of racism  in the US through the civil rights era, and how a multicultural US is shaping itself.  Even in a free country like the US, " freedom" has evolved throughout our history.

There is no clear conclusion of the political and social ramifications of the events that led up to both world wars.  What is clear, is that the repression of people  is not new, and it has destroyed and eradicated  cultures in antiquity, and not so distant past.  Today, people are as socially diverse as their political lords allow them to be.  They are also not disconnected from one another, and therefore understand that they can either  change their reality by fleeing or fighting .

The desire to be free is stronger than any repressive ideological, political or religious belief.  The Jews remain, the communists and the nazis are dust, monarchies are now ceremonial, and a child can grow up to impact their world in a positive way, with little need to destroy it in the process.

Berlin-Potsdam

Holocaust Memorial close to Brandenburg Gate

Dankeschön Claudia!

Dear Luis,

Well we do have more than 1000 museums in Berlin, all sorts of. What are you interested in?

Comparing the museums in Germany with the one in the US I assume that you might be interested in visiting some art museums in Berlin.

So I would recommend all the museums on Museumsinsel (Neues Museum, Pergamon Museum, Bode Museum, Ägyptisches Museum, Altes Museum, Alte Nationalgalerie… and don’t miss the Deutscher Dom – German Cathedral) as well as the Neue Gemäldegalerie.

Links would be:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museumsinsel   More details you find on: http://www.smb.museum/smb/home/index.php

Further museums you find on http://www.berlin.de/international/museums/index.en.php#tab1_2

Additionally some history might be interesting to you:

·         The DDR museum (GDR museum)

·         Walking along  the East Side Gallery (the Berlin wall)

·         Checkpoint Charlie (one of the border crossings between East and West Berlin during the cold war period)

·         Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer (Berlin Wall Monument)

·         Deutsches Historisches Museum (all German history)

·         Topographie des Terrors (about the SS and WW2)

What you should definitely not miss is Schloss Sanssoussi (Sanssoussi palace in Potsdam - next city, 20-45min by trainhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanssouci ), one of the palaces of Friedrich der Große (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_the_Great) with a beautiful garden around.

Berlin has a pretty good public transport as well as a good infrastructure for bicycles. By tube and train you get everywhere faster than by car and with a bicycle you are fastest ;-)

In Poland I would recommend to you (when coming from Berlin):

·         Wroclaw

·         Krakow

·         Warszawa

·         Gdansk

·         Poznan

These are just amazing cities.

All the best and enjoy your trip!

If you have further questions please use my private email address (see cc).

Cheers

.claudia

Day one coming up.....

http://wikitravel.org/en/Potsdam


http://sagittarius-news.eu/2011/01/discover-germany-potsdam/

                                                              The Glienicke bridge                                                               

Itinerary to Eastern Europe

DEPARTURE:  GSO 9:52 AM United/NEWARK 5:45 PM Lufthansa / ARRIVAL: BERLIN 8:05 AM

DEPARTURE: Berlin 9:35 AM Lufthansa/ NEWARK 12:40 PM United/ ARRIVAL: GSO 6:16 PM


Day 1:  Nh Berlin - Mitte, Berlin D, Germany.

Day 3:  Radisson Blu Sobieski, Warsaw, Poland.

Day 5:  Radisson Blu Hotel Sas, Krakow, Poland.

Day 7:  Hilton Budapest WestEnd, Budapest, Hungary.

Day 9:  Arcotel Wimberger, Vienna, Austria.

Day 11:  Angelo Hotel Prague, Prague, Czech Republic.

Day 13:  Nh Berlin-Mitte, Berlin, Germany.