Today is the final day of the "cruise" portion of the trip as we check out of the Viking Astrid tomorrow morning and head for Berlin. We have excursions along the way and should arrive in Berlin late tomorrow. A full schedule on Thursday in Berlin then head for home Friday afternoon. Unlike yesterday which was rainy and very chilly, today was bright blue skies with crisp temperatures in the upper 50s/low 60s. I enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate on the top deck overlooking the river as we had a V-E-R-Y leisurely morning. Then a FIRST for a Viking Cruise for me. I've been on eight Viking cruises and never, ever have we had a cookout/barbeque on deck. But that is what was provided for lunch today as Patrick, the Chef, and Rick, the Program Director manned the grill and whipped up burgers, grilled shrimp, steak and chicken....all served with many sides including tasty fries.
Shortly after lunch we boarded the bus and headed for Torgau and Hargenfels Castle. It was about an hour bus ride. Probably one of the most interesting days, and to be honest it reset the entire tone of the trip for me. First, we entered the town square and were given a basic lesson in German economics. The entire premise which drives the economy is the small "middle class" businesses (between 5-to-500 employees) as they are all individually owned and collectively provided 95% of the tax base. The premise is NOT profits but sustainability and all Germans would rather pay the extra Euros to the small businessman and get the service and care that comes from the small business than to buy from big chains. Examples abounded on the square. The photo below is of a toy store that was founded in
And another thing, most of these small businesses only accept cash - in fact, we were told - only about 14% of Germans even HAVE a credit card! Our first stop was in front of two homes that sat side by side.....
Our guide, Christian, who was THE most passionate Germany guide we've met gave the first of many impassioned talks. He pointed to the house on the right and said to compare it to the house on the left. An OBVIOUS difference, no? Well, just 30 years ago, right before the reunification of Germany when East Germany was under Communist control he said nearly all buildings looked like the one on the right. But through private ownership and government help, most of East Germany now looks like the building on the left. It was through this plea, and his later stories that it occurred to me for the first time that since we'd first booked this trip two years ago I've always said and thought about the trip as we were "going to Germany." But it was only TODAY that I realized that everywhere we went on this trip we were in what was just 29 years ago EAST Germany - I mean, I was in my full-time career, out of college and people here where we've spent the last ten days were under Communist rule.
Next we made our way to the Hargenfels Castle. The moat used to be full of bears! But then 200 years ago the French army under Napoleon killed and ate them all. In the 1990s they replaced the bears with a few who now live there permanently. We went through the castle gate and into the courtyard. There we could see the spiral staircase and we were given free time to climb to the top, which we did :)
We gathered in front of the fountain and exited the castle through a side passage and made our way down to the Elbe River to a most historical site. And this was where Christian related his most impassioned story.
Here, on this spot is where the Allied troops of the US & Britain met the Red Army of the Soviet Union and effectively sealed the fate of Nazi Germany. But what most people do NOT know is that the agreement between the three moved the division line putting some six million east Germans who thought they were on the "right" side of the demarcation into the Communist area and forever changed their lives and those of their ancestors. Christian related the facts that so much is not known how the Communists treated the Germans. Two facts/stories he told made a huge impression. The Soviet soldiers regularly took liberties with the German girls, or they were shot. Recent DNA studies show that more than 300,000 Germans born in East Germany between 1946 and 1947 with "no father" show their heritage to be Russian. And these children/people were regularly ostracized. This really hit home when Christian related that HIS grandmother was dressed from five years, as a teenage girl, like a boy to avoid this treatment. The bus pulled up and we headed for home. Unlike every other tour, Christian came up and down the bus asile and asked for questions and comments and the entire hour was filled with discussion over the former East Germany and his perspective. A very enlightening day.
Here, on this spot is where the Allied troops of the US & Britain met the Red Army of the Soviet Union and effectively sealed the fate of Nazi Germany. But what most people do NOT know is that the agreement between the three moved the division line putting some six million east Germans who thought they were on the "right" side of the demarcation into the Communist area and forever changed their lives and those of their ancestors. Christian related the facts that so much is not known how the Communists treated the Germans. Two facts/stories he told made a huge impression. The Soviet soldiers regularly took liberties with the German girls, or they were shot. Recent DNA studies show that more than 300,000 Germans born in East Germany between 1946 and 1947 with "no father" show their heritage to be Russian. And these children/people were regularly ostracized. This really hit home when Christian related that HIS grandmother was dressed from five years, as a teenage girl, like a boy to avoid this treatment. The bus pulled up and we headed for home. Unlike every other tour, Christian came up and down the bus asile and asked for questions and comments and the entire hour was filled with discussion over the former East Germany and his perspective. A very enlightening day.
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