May 2016 Eastern Europe Reformation Tour

Monday, May 2nd

We gathered at the church to ride in the 2 vans to RSW – security was simple for me, since I walked right through, TSA pre-approved, I know not why. Some people were wanded, others were patted down. Onto United plane and had to relinquish carry-on to go straight through to Krakow, but did get rest of boarding passes, which Pam and others did not. Ride to Newark was bumpy, but OK, because we were excited to get underway. It was a long trip between concourses and onto HUGE Lufthansa jet with 320+ passengers. Fine service, dinner at 10 PM, then switched 6 hours and it was breakfast at 2 AM old time! Watched movies and slept on and off until we landed at Munich and transferred to a smaller Lufthansa for 2-hr. trip to Krakow.

Tuesday, May 3rd

We made it to Krakow after a light lunch on plane, bus to hotel, and then out to see city. Bathroom is great, and so is room. Marketplace (old Cloth Hall?) had food and crafts galore. 5 PM chimed in St. Mary’s and then trumpet played! It was the trumpeter of Krakow.

I had read the book several years ago, but did not realize it was based on historical story! We walked back to Hotel Andels for very nice welcoming dinner and talk. In bed by 9:30 PM and slept well!

Wednesday, May 4th

We bounced up by 6:30 AM to have our first huge European breakfast and be on bus by 8:30. We toured the Jewish section and learned they had blue 6-pointed stars in Poland.

Our guide, Marilyn, pointed out Helena Rubenstein’s small shop, where she started her cosmetics business. After that, there was a tour through the “ghetto” Jewish section, all on the south side of the Vistula River. Back on the north side of the river we were dropped off to tour the Wawel Castle, dating back to 11th century. Original housing an enormous Roman Catholic Church, it was filled with huge coffins of kings, ginormous candlesticks, engraved plaques in ornate Polish script.

No pictures were allowed inside the castle, but it was gorgeous, tapestries telling many stories, and plenty of huge rooms. We made it back to the Marketplace in time for 11 AM trumpet! Then we sampled our first pierogies and learned how to order still water! A golf cart cab ride took us back to the hotel just in time to get back on bus for trip to Auschwitz. It was a very sobering experience with huge displays of glassed-in collections containing shoes, suitcases, clothes, shawls, brushes and combs, prosthetics, human hair. We toured gas chambers, crematoriums, barracks, dormitories lined with photos of inhabitants, so much sadness and anguish in their faces.

It rained and made our umbrellas turn inside out to make it a little more miserable. Then we drove a few miles to Birkenau. There were the railroad tracks right down the middle where all the Jews were unloaded to go to Auschwitz to work or to be gassed there at Birkenau.

Many groups wearing bright blue jackets with March of the Living were there. That was taking place the next day. Later at dinner, Pam’s dinner never appeared, so she got a free wine and a very belated plate of food.

Thursday, May 5th

We were up early and off to Salt Mine by 8 AM. It was awesome, with an elevator ride down, then 800+ steps further down. There were all sorts of dioramas, 2 and 3D reliefs carved out of salt.

In the Kinga Chamber, there were chandeliers with salt crystals, all of Jesus’ life engraved into walls, and a huge place used for church on Sundays.

The guide was quite good and had many little quips to keep us entertained. He took us through banquet halls, chapels, by sculptures, down to pools of water at the lowest level. Many of the areas were originally used by miners as places to pray for safety for the perilous jobs of mining the salt for many centuries. As we divided into groups for walking and the elevator ride by to surface, we learned that our guide Marilyn was not happy about being so many feet underground, a type of claustrophobia. We returned to the hotel and then trudged back to Marketplace for lunch. As it began to rain, waiters swooped us up into the Viennese House, a former confectioner’s bakery, refashioned into a spectacularly decorated restaurant.

Food was wonderful, and relatively inexpensive. After the rain, we shopped a little while, listened to the trumpeter again, and headed back to our hotel. Many attempts at dinner spot were planned, and we finally got reservations at the Wasele. It was painted inside with flowers, a chandelier of hanging silk flowers, hearts, and apples overhead.

Linda and Bill, Pam and I had a spectacular platter for 4-6. It had chicken, sausage, roast beef, pork, ribs, and roasted potatoes. We ate and ate and ate, then took back two boxes of leftovers!

Our cab rides and dinners cost $22 each, a real bargain! The waiter, we decided, was very gay and very inattentive. We did enjoy the accordion player that began his evening right behind us, just as we left for the evening. We were told that there are 40 million people in Poland, with 10.5 million in Czech Republic. So, we packed and re-packed as we were leaving for the Czech Republic in the morning.

Friday, May 6th

We left on bus by 8 AM and went all the way to Prague. It was chilly and 50 in the AM, but by afternoon it was a sunny 70! We had a toilety stop as we crossed the border, but no one had the correct coins, since we had just changed from Polish plotskys to Czech kronen, so Marilyn gave us the proper coin. We stopped at Novy Jicin for lunch, to exchange money, and look for ice cream! We traveled 400 miles that day to the Ambassador Hotel in Prague.

We were met in the hotel foyer with Sangria to refresh us! We had to take 2 elevators to get to our room. First one went up to 2nd floor and next one took us back to first floor! The room was very elaborate, but the shower was only 2 ft. wide! We headed to dinner, but got lost and ended up taking stairs to get down to the dining room! We had a very filling dinner with drinks, bread, salad wrapped in cucumber, chicken (very tasty), parsley potatoes, veggies smothered in cheese, and apple strudel with chocolate drizzle! Maureen, Lilian, and I took a dusk stroll to the shopping area, where we saw a pig turning on a spit, and a man propositioned all 3 of us!

We decided we were ready to return to the crazy elevator situation, and found my room first shot!

Saturday, May 7th

We left the hotel at 8:30 AM for Prague Castle and toured it. We delighted in another Roman Catholic Church, which was very beautiful.

Then we walked downhill for the next 2 ½ hours with our guide Marcella, who sounded like Natasha from Rocky and Bullwinkle! It was very crowded going across the pedestrian bridge with 30 statues.

Our guide said she would only tell us about 3 or 4, because they weren’t all that important! We found them awesome, to say the least. There were interesting places to eat all the way back, so we picked one and I decided instead of soup and salad or sandwich, I would have ice cream. Ordering was a problem until some lovely lady from the next table translated for me! I had lots of chocolate, toffee, caramel, and whipped cream on top of the ice cream – yummy!

We shopped a little on the return to the hotel. Lilian and I ended up in a high-end jewelry store. She bought an awesome amber pendant set in gold. I picked out earrings of amber set in silver. Dinner was a Czech bier garden with performances. It was quite a show, commencing with cinnamon schnapps and wine, water, more wine and salad, kebabs with chicken and beef, veggies, potato cake and more wine. The wine steward had clear globes strapped to shoulders, with tubes down to his fingers, one with white wine and the other with red. He shot wine into glasses, nonstop, and kept everyone highly entertained!

A mallet dulcimer, 2 violins, dingereedoo-type horn, pump n bag with pipes, too, provided all sorts of music. Singing and dancing were nonstop. Crepe suzette with cherries and apricots plus chocolate and vanilla ice cream finished our eating, but not the drinking.

Mike Bicknese played the washboards with a spoon, then danced. Martha Halverson was also swept up to the dance floor, doing quite well. Pastor Tim had two very tall beers, but waved away the third! Back on the bus, Marilyn served peach schnapps for all in little shot glasses. I liked that! Packed and in bed by 11 PM with pics of my sailboat Gopher Baroque and crew of 8, ready to race back home off Ft. Myers Beach/Sanibel.

Sunday, May 8th

Breakfast and 15-min. church service. It’s Mother’s Day, and they do celebrate it, but not as much as we do in the USA. Off to Germany we went, and were in Dresden by 10:30 for walking tour. Everything was very green and blooming.

It was quite flat and better for Pam to walk around the streets. She also bought sandals, so made her feet happier! We saw a cathedral with Meissen bells that chimed away, plenty of spires, and newly built edifices, since most was razed during WWII, and more was built in 1990’s.

It was explained that many fine sculptors and artists from universities were hired to do all that new work. Spent several hours touring, ate lunch at a Japanese restaurant, the Gelato! I had prawns over mangos, veggies, etc. – excellent! Of course, we found ice cream, then discovered the Meissen display was closed because it was Sunday. But we managed to find a small shop at the Hilton with Meissen porcelain for sale.

$6 (Euros) zodiac medallions were all we could afford! We tromped back to bus for trip to Erfurt. There was a huge traffic jam, so we were way behind schedule by almost 2 hours. When we arrived at 10th floor of hotel, the rooms were best described as utilitarian, like the same glass door for toilet and shower. Everything was in squared off areas of red and white veneer, and barely enough room to open suitcases, but we survived. In bed by 10 PM, exhausted!

Monday, May 9th

Up and off to breakfast and on road to Luther’s younger years and university, then walked downhill a looooong way through winding streets and bridges, then on to plaza near hotel.

A few of us walked all the way back to the last bridge and found Information place with plenty of souvenirs. Walked to hotel and nobody there, so back to bridge area and found everyone eating lunch!

I had wienerschnitzel for lunch and back on bus for Erfurt Castle.

What a climb, but 19 of the 24 of us made it, a few by cab! We spent 1 ½ hrs. inside with a great guide, who had keys to each room. Everything was being “dehumidified” to keep it from crumbling of old age. We gazed upon the room where Luther stayed in self-imposed exile, and returned just in time to walk to the Gold Swan for dinner.

Another scrumptious meal and back to hotel to collapse. Packed up AGAIN.

Tuesday, May 10th

We were off to Leipzig by 8 AM, then on to Wittenberg for our hotel. Stopped for toilets and experienced the self-cleaning toilet seats. Rolls of laughter from the toilet stalls, but no one took a video for proof! Bought chocolate and ice cream, then back on bus to go through tunnels.

They were not through mountains, just to get under and around other roads! In Leipzig, Bridgette the guide was quite good and went slowly enough that we felt at ease. Her husband passed us going the other way, also giving a tour!

J.S. Bach lived here for almost 30 years, had 20 children with 2 wives, and the St. Thomas church with the Bach organ and 455 pipes was awesome.

We visited Bach’s tomb inside the church, listened to an organist playing Bach, and found a wonderful gift shop.

We had a marvelous dinner of asparagus soup, fish with veggies and potatoes, ice cream with berries (I did a job on the white tablecloth!). It was wonderful.

Wednesday, May 11th

Up early again, darn that 4:30 AM bird tweeting! Off we went on a walking tour of Luther’s church in Wittenberg.

Katja was a very well-spoken guide. We learned about Cranach, who painted most of pictures of Luther, Katarina (his wife), and religious pictures of the period.

Then we checked out University of Wittenberg, which is very tiny.

It only has theology students and foreign exchange students from Wittenberg College in Ohio! The rest of the university is in a nearby city.

We saw church where Luther posted the 95 theses.

This town is so small and is not at all ready for the hordes of people due there next year for the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. Dinner was at “In Vina Veritas.” Prawns, lambchops, steak, cod, etc. Free appetizers for 14!

Thursday, May 12th

We drove off to Potsdam and into city, walking through the Cecilienhof Palace and viewed all the related aspects of the Potsdam Peace Conference of 1943.

We couldn’t view all the rooms, but the big round red table for Churchill, Lenin, and Truman was truly impressive. All the importance of sharing equally – entrances, huge chairs, rooming, etc., very highly orchestrated. Then we walked through the Gardens of Sans Souci.

King Frederick loved to raise fruit and veggies there in huge terraced areas. His only failure was his fig trees! He lived there and his wife lived in another palace, but he had many male friends visit him! His very plain grave is there in the gardens, with the smaller graves of 8-10 dogs.

In the afternoon we drove to the area where Dietrich Bonhoeffer lived, walked for more than a few blocks to his house.

Two retired Lutheran ministers gave us the tour after much explanation of Bonhoeffer’s efforts for the Resistance.

It was again quite sobering how he was executed right as the Allied tanks were driving in to liberate the Germans there in Berlin. We checked into the John F Hotel, a very upscale building with JFK’s image everywhere.

Room was way modern, even with recessed lighting around the high-backed bed. It was a great meal after a long walk, with lots of interesting food, again. Christoff spent a long time walking us back to the hotel, and we learned that he really enjoyed driving the bus!

Friday, May 13th

We rode in bus to Brandenburg Gate, got out and walked around.

We stood on bronze plaque where Ronald Reagan stood and said, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”

Then we went to Checkpoint Charlie and looked at it.

After that we went to the portion of the Berlin Wall still standing (maybe 150 ft.) and the all the explanation of this area.

Mike wore his Tenor (in cursive) shirt from Leipzig, that looked like it read “Lenore!”)

Later Vicky, Allen, and I walked the city, all the way back to the Holocaust Museum with dozens of gray rectangles artistically depicting the loss of lives, where we took pictures, but did not line up to go underground to the actual museum.

After much walking and asking, we made it to the Buddy Bears, very colorful statues A-Z, for every country, famous for being scattered around the city.

Finally, we hit the Chocolatiere, and bought lots of chocolate to take home.

We had a final dinner to celebrate the end of the trip, with free drinks! I tasted a dark beer and passed it to someone else to enjoy!

We packed and complained that the trip was over too soon!

We’ll miss you “talkie boxes!”

Saturday, May 14th

We were up at 5:30 AM, off to Berlin airport. With Pam in a wheelchair, we whizzed through customs, immigration, and security. From Berlin to Frankfurt went quickly, then on a huge Lufthansa to Newark, but seats were not comfy and we were crabby.

We spent a boring 4+ hours in Newark after spending an hour with the porter from hell whizzing Pam in wheelchair through to United, then abandoning us! We were home at church by 1 AM and then really home after that. Didn’t sleep extra long first night, but many odd waking and sleeping hours for days to come!

Overall, we learned about a whole different set of cultures, enjoyed the landscape and spring flowers immensely, and followed Martin Luther’s path. It was awe-inspiring to visit places that I have previously only experienced in books, on TV, and vicariously through other people’s journeys.

Other tidbits:

Polish money was plotskys. I think it was about 25 plotskys = $1 US. Czech money was kronen, about 5 = $1 US. Germany uses the euro. 1.15 euros = $1 US. We found prices much lower than we expected for food and souvenirs in most instances.

Weather turned much warmer than we expected. Plus, the rain quit after first 2 days! I had to buy short-sleeved t-shirts and a light-weight jacket.

There was much night life that we did NOT experience. These Europeans were excited to be outdoors after a long, rainy winter and spring. If you need a better explanation, talk to the Halversons about the street parties until 4 AM outside their hotel windows for two nights! There was also a parade-like march in front of the hotel one afternoon while we were eating lunch outside. It was a protest against making marijuana legal – many parents pushing strollers, hundreds of students with their backpacks, bikes, a few “floats” with banners and marijuana signs proclaiming its ban. The next day a 5K run would be in the same street, so the area was already partially closed off.

Post offices and stamps were interesting episodes, from 24/7 post offices to deli-like lines with numbers… I found mailing postcards from hotels were much more convenient!

Most interesting aftermath was Kinder Toy eggs, chocolate inside plastic egg with toy to assemble within plastic case. It turns out there is a law about importing those into the US, $2,500 fine for doing so!

America considers the toys dangerous to children who might swallow them and suffer physical damage or death… I didn’t expect to learn that. My suitcase was randomly searched, but they were not found, thank goodness! Pam said she would have bailed me out of jail!!!

On Monday after we were home, I made myself a BLT for lunch. Tuesday night I went to MW my dinner and found the bacon still in there. Guess I had an LT the day before and didn’t even realize it in my sleep-deprived, jet-lagged state!

View Full Photo Album