Impressions of America

Ted. I have really missed our family and friends but the US - not so much.  On arriving back in the States after 19 weeks, several things struck me. So here’s the good and the bad in no particular order:

Consumerism

My goodness, we Americans buy a lot of stuff. The storage unit industry continues to boom as people scramble to find places to stash all the possessions that don’t fit in their homes. I see advertising billboards everywhere as I drive around and have to endure blaring ads every time I turn on a TV.

Infrastructure

Most everything works pretty darned well (I can’t comment on the NYC subways since I don’t go there anymore).

Bigness

I had forgotten how big everything is in this country. The highways are massive with lots of extra lanes. Coffees, pizzas, grocery items, houses, cars and most everything else that I see are shockingly large. I swear that my youngest grandson, Oliver seems twice as big as when we left!

Open spaces

There is so much land in this country that it is easy to find vast areas with no people, in spite of the fact that our population continues to grow.

Passionate politics

Since 1800, our citizens have screamed their politics to friends and foes alike. I had forgotten how much fun it can be to watch someone turn beet red, shouting and cursing about “the most important election in the country’s history!”

Diversity

For the most part, and in spite of what I read about my country, I see people of all faiths, all colors, all cultures that are working, playing, yelling and laughing together.

Return to Checkpoint Charlie

Ted. It is great to be back in Georgia, where we have been welcomed with open arms by family and friends, but I do find myself drifting back to Europe in my mind. One string of memories was reopened when we took our 15-year-old grandson to Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin. Parker has accompanied us on several trips out of the US so it was only natural that he should fly to Germany to accompany us for the final two weeks of our RTW trip.

I was 22 back in 1974, not much older than Parker when I first crossed the border into the DDR (East Germany). A friend of mine planned to visit friends there and I jumped at the chance to tag along. Was I scared? I don’t think so. I strode through Checkpoint Charlie confident in a belief (still held by many US citizens) that “I’m an American so nobody will hurt me.” Visiting with a family "behind the Iron Curtain” started out as an adventure but ended up as a deeply moving experience. As a Lutheran minister in a Communist country, Heinz was considered a dissident. He was carefully watched and his family was subjected to many hardships. We really bonded and, in the ensuing years, maintained a correspondence and growing friendship.

In 1984, Judy and I decided to travel to Europe again, this time with two children in tow. We added the DDR to our itinerary, more as a mission than an adventure. We had routinely sent packages to Heinz and family containing blue jeans and gifts for their four kids. So, we flew to Berlin and I found myself at Checkpoint Charlie once more with a backpack stuffed with contraband. I had the usual ham, chocolate and jams that were impossible to find there. I also stashed West German newspapers, magazines and books that were strictly forbidden. When the burly East German border guards started to open my pack, Judy pinched our 2 year old to make him cry. The annoyed guards gave up the search and waived us through. This was soon followed by a tearful reunion with our friends. Judy was dumbstruck by the life they led.  There were no fresh fruits or vegetables to be found. Secret police sat in on youth meetings at Heinz’s church. Their oldest daughter had been informed she could not attend a university. The list went on and on. But yet, they found joy in life. I asked Heinz if the Berlin Wall would ever come down. “Yes,” he assured me, “but not in our lifetimes.”

Communications became increasingly difficult over the years but we reconnected eventually and earlier this month, we were able to visit that same small village, now in a unified Germany, for another tearful reunion.

So, when Parker stood at Checkpoint Charlie, which is just a museum piece now, I thanked God that one small barrier between peoples had tumbled down, giving me hope for the demise of those that remain.

Back in the USA

Judy. After 51,000 total miles, thirty-two flights, twenty-five airports,  four rental cars, two buses, three boats, four trains, thirty-one hotels, fifteen homestays, four Airbnbs,  nineteen countries, four chiropractors, and countless new and old friends and experiences, we are back in Georgia, reveling in being with children, grandchildren, and friends.

I learned more than I ever imagined, most especially that I know so little. While I was shocked and surprised at some things I saw, I realize that a week or a month in a country only gives me a glimpse of its problems. Sometimes a random comment by someone we met suddenly put things in perspective. I might not agree, but I could see their viewpoint.

I learned that most everyone is disgusted with his government to some degree or another. In every country, we were asked about our President and how/why he was elected.

I learned that we desperately need downtime and to release the need to control, and that we need to keep communication with each other open.

I learned that while we all have much in common, each culture has its own fascinating difference—or differences—and if I accept those, it’s more fun.

I learned to eat indigenous foods and more fish & chips, hamburgers, and pizza than you can imagine. I do not care to repeat the last three.

We found that we CAN take what we need in two suitcases and two carry-ons, but we’re sick of our clothes and ready to trade out.   

We look forward to seeing family and friends for the next few weeks, as well as working at our church's Reading Camp. In August we head out again, to Denver, the Pacific Northwest, Hawaii, and to Mexico for an extended visit, returning to Georgia in November for the holidays.

And it’s still fun.

Travel costs by country

Ted. We are back in Atlanta again and, in my capacity as VP for Logistics, have been reviewing our expenses. Since we are now living on a fixed income, it is important to balance our time between more expensive and less expensive countries. I prepared a little comparison of the countries that we have visited over the past four months using some approximations. These figures include the cost of a hotel plus three meals. I did not include local travel such as trains and taxis or entertainment (museums, etc). These prices are for our style of travel. To give you an idea, in the US we typically stay at Holiday Inn Express type lodgings (breakfast included), enjoy one decent meal with wine for lunch and a simple salad or sandwich at night. This averages around $160/day total for the two of us (not per person).

More expensive than USA

Australia - $185/day

Germany - $185/day

New Zealand - $170/day

Same as USA ($160/day)

Botswana - $160/day (safari type lodge)

Canada - $158/day

Less expensive than USA

Hungary - $130/day

Malaysia - $100/day

Much less expensive than USA

South Africa – $95/day

Zimbabwe - $89/day

Bulgaria - $82/day

Cambodia - $66/day

Indonesia - $62/day

As always, email us with questions at LosingShore@gmail.com

Ending with a bang? Or a whimper?

Judy. The last month has been a whirlwind of visits to people we love and places we wanted to see. We’ve actually been too busy to blog!

We returned to Budapest and took off with Chris, Dilyana, and Nicky for a few days in the Hungarian city of Eger—lovely little city in a wine country area. It was great fun walking the town and spending quality time with family.

On our return to Budapest, we celebrated our 40^th wedding anniversary with a day visit with friends from home, Nancy and Mark and Sarah and Ralph, who had finished their river cruise there.  We met for lunch at a small Hungarian restaurant, where we surprised Ralph, who didn’t know we were there. After an afternoon of chatting, they invited us to their cruise boat for dinner. It was a super way to honor our anniversary. 

The next day we took a train to the town of Visegrad, on the Danube, and hiked the mountain to an ancient castle, then returned to the river and took a boat back to Budapest to share champagne and cake with family.

Then it was time to leave Hungary and head to Germany to meet our grandson Parker.

Our friends Bettina and Klaudius and their daughter Paula, who live in Backnang, hosted the three of us for a few days, taking us around the town, driving us for a gorgeous day on the Bodensee (Lake Constance), and hosting a barbecue with some of the Syrian refugees Betti has been helping resettle. That evening, they told us stories of leaving their home—some at age 15—to travel from the war to safety. It’s a visit we won’t soon forget. 

From Backnang, we rented a car and drove through Nuremberg, where we visited the Reichs Coliseum, which Hitler built to host his rallies. The museum explored his rise - a great lesson. Interestingly, when the museum was built on the site, a hallway was placed as a "stake through the heart of the coliseum." Pretty powerful. 

We lunched in the square of the beautiful city of Nuremberg, and headed out toward Budapest to drop Parker for a few days to spend time with cousins.

What were Ted and I to do for three days? We headed to Pecs, another Hungarian town near the Croatian border. 

We absolutely fell in love with this little city. In 2001, it was named a European Cultural Capital and so it has retained sculpture, music, art and history. Our hotel resembled The Grand Budapest Hotel and it was just off the plaza so we walked all over, including to see third century Christian gravesites and to the Zsolnay Cultural Center to see Zsolnay porcelains and tiles. It was terrific. 

Back to Budapest to pick up Parker (who, incidentally, had a fantastic time), and a drive through Brno and Prague in the Czech Republic before arriving in Oybin, Germany, where our old friends Heinz and Ulrike still live.

We first visited them as a family in 1984. Oybin was then in the DDR—East Germany. Heinz was a Lutheran pastor, and therefore, a dissident. They had so very little at the time, but shared all they had with our family. For years, a photo of two of their children and Leslie hung on Leslie’s bedroom wall. Heinz was so ill during our first visit; we found out later that he had chronic dysentery due to shots given him by his doctor, on orders from the Stasi (secret police).

 

When the Berlin Wall fell, he was one of the few people untouched by ties to the Stasi, and served for a while in politics in Saxony. Now he is retired and they still live in the beautiful mountain village where we first visited. We walked into areas once forbidden to us—they were on the border of what was then Czechoslovakia—and climbed to the ruins of the Oybin Kloster, which has now been restored, and sometimes used as a venue for concerts.  Once again, we were treated as royalty—they even drove us to see the Black Madonna of Rumberg in Czech! Their sons were able to visit with their families, although their daughters live too far away. It was an absolutely joyful time, and hard to leave.

BUT, it was time to head to Berlin, where our friend Robert, from Poland met us for the three days. He arrived with a Polish dinner - smoked meat, homemade pickles, beer and a potent alcoholic beverage! Great celebration in our tiny hotel room. Parker and Robert headed off on their own a couple of times. We hope Robert's son, Piotr, also 15, can visit Parker next summer. 

For me it was great to take a photo with Parker at the former Checkpoint Charlie, where in 1984, we crossed with Leslie and Stefan with so much fear. Now, it’s almost like Disneyland. We did quite a bit of walking and didn’t see nearly enough of the city, but there just wasn’t enough time. For Parker, the highlight was going to Just Music Flagship store (7000 square meters of musical instruments), and playing a 2500 euro bass for thirty minutes.

OK, I admit it.  We overbooked ourselves in Europe.

But there are friends we really wanted to see, and places we wanted to visit. I’m not sorry about any of the wonderful places or people who make my life fuller and more interesting, but we are exhausted.

Here in Europe, we are on somewhat familiar ground, and wanted to see everyone and do everything. I’ve loved every minute of being with friends and seeing new places, but the driving in unfamiliar territory has been rough on both of us.

So this whiney part of the blog is a reminder that you can do it all, but you’ll pay the price in one way or another. Note to folks who try this—find down time. Note to friends we’ve seen—hope we were not annoying. Note to family at home—we’ll need to sit a bit.

Still, it has been a dream come true.

And deep thanks to family: Chris, Didi, and Nicky for enveloping us in your arms and lovely apartment; to Bettina, Klaudius, and Paula for showing us beautiful parts of Baden-Wurtemburg and feeding us like good Germans. You guys gave us the quiet time we needed. And thanks for welcoming Parker and sweeping him into your lives for awhile.

To Heinz and Ulrike and their family, thank you for embracing us with so much love and care, for giving us quiet time, walks, amazing meals, and a German breakfast we’ll never forget.

And to Robert, who traveled by train for ten hours to be with us, you are family. Thank you for Polish gifts and food, and hours of walking and chatting.

Back to the US now, for much-needed hug time with family and a change of clothes before we take off again.  Next post from the USA.