CEu01 - Central Europe

We  aim  to  begin  and  end  this  trip  in . .  Berlin  . .   Germany   . .

Adolf  Hitler's   "NAZI"   Capital   during  World  War  2.

Thirty  years  have  past  since  we  first  stepped  onto  German  soil  . .

visiting  daughter  Pam . .  studying  there  as  a  Stanford  sophomore.

Year  2015  . .  marks the  . .  70th  anniversary  . .  since  the  . .  end  of  . .  WW2

. .  and  the . .  decision  . .

signed  (1945)  in  Potsdam . .  to  divide   Germany  into . .  East  . .  and  . .  West

( Rusty & Wrinkles  were  8 years old   and   4 1/2 )

The  West  side . . to be  sub - divided  by . . Britain . .  France . .  and  the . . U.S.

and  the  East . .  to be  controlled  by  the  . .  Soviet Union

There was  NO  Berlin  'WALL'  (1945)  . .  separating  the . . East  side of the city from the . . West.

Rather quickly . . more than  2  Million  fled . .  East  . .  Berlin

escaping  . .   Stalin's  "COMMUNIST"  rule . . .

and  almost  overnight  . .  UP  . .  went  the  'WALL'  . .  to  keep  people  . .  'IN'.

Pam  jogged  along  that  Wall  waving  at  the  Guards  in  1985.

It's  always  fun  to  'return'  to  a place  . .  this  time  with  double  pleasure.

We  get  to  reminisce  our  visit . .  and . .  East & West Berlin  . .  have  since  become  . .
a  single  city  . .   Capital  of  Germany

We'll  stay  on  the  East  Side  this  time  . .  close  to  many  major  historical  sites.

And  we'll  peek  in  on  the  people  . .  now  . .   "RE - united - citizens / friends / relatives"
( . .  no longer . .  subjects - suspects - victims )

to  witness  their . .  life  . .   after   . .   (German)   ☛  'Nazism'

AND  . .  life  . .  after  . .  the  END  of  . .   Soviet  (Russian)   ☛  'Communism'

suffered  and  endured  . .  by those  formerly  trapped  on the  EAST  Side.

From  Berlin  we'll  head  east  ➤  ..   hoping  to  see  a  lot  of   ..   Poland

Torun 
Gdansk - Sopot - Gdynia

Westerplatte

Hel

Malbork Castle

Warsaw

Kraków

Schindler's  Factory

Auschwitz - Birkenau

( Then  on  to  ..   Hungary )

Budapest

( Maybe  by  boat  to  ..   Austria )

Vienna

( A  potential  day  trip  to   Slovakia's  capital   .. )

Bratislava

( turning  north  to  ..   Czech  Republic  .. )

Prague

( It  would  be  fun  to  see  'Cesky Krumlov'  ..  a  bit  out  of  the  way

the  Czech  equivalent  of  Germany's  'Rothenburg' )

Terezin  Concentration  Camp

( then  back  into  ..   Germany .. )

Dresden

Potsdam

Berlin

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This  is  going  to  be  a  ..   'Meat  &  Potatoes'  ..  Journey

Meaning  ..  Lots  of  serious  stuff  ..  Important  topics

Take  your  Vitamins  ..  Buckle  Up  ..   Let's  'dig in'  together.

Central  Europeans   love  their  ..   LIBERTY

( their  hard - fought  ..   relished  and  appreciated  ..  MAIN  DISH )
'Dessert'  matters  too  ..

Rusty and Wrinkles   ..   are  going  to  enjoy  it  with  them !

Having  you  along  is  a  ..  sweet  treat !

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( We  depart  U.S.   Tuesday,   September  8  ..  using  a   Travel  Together  Ticket )

( each  ticket  gets  50%  discount )

1  week  out  ..  we're  packed  ..  and  ..  as  usual  ..   a  little  jittery 

..  reminding  ourselves  that  ..   each  day  goes   'educationally'   well  ..

every  moment  is  a  ..  lesson   ..   of  one  kind  or  another.

Consider  joining  us  -  in  person  -  on  one  of  these  ..   boot  camp  safaris  !!!

( We  admit  it's  a  little  . .  mind - boggling )

A  tiny  map  overview

"We've  Only  Just  Begun"  ..   And  yes  we  are  ..

Rusty  ..  Wrinkled  ..  Rattled  ..   AND  ..   Really  looking  forward  to  it  all !

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