Random thoughts

The night before last there were six of us in the garden at the hostel having a few beers. I was by far the oldest with a French guy at 34 next in line and everyone else under 30. I had mentioned that I was in Berlin in 1985 before the wall fell, and Peter (Aussie) and Ryan (Bostonian) stared at me as though I said I had been present at the Virgin Birth! I felt a wee bit older after that but it made me realize that History changes so quickly. To anyone under the age of 25, the fall of the wall is an event they probably don't remember and can only understand through the context of history books and videos. I wonder what Peter and Ryan will have experienced in their life that will awe the next generation?

Krakow is a lot different than I expected. It's sort of like Prague but without the attitude. I guess what it reminds me most of is the movie, "Sophie's Choice" I can't remember if it was filmed in Krakow, but Meryl Streep's educated elegance is reflected in Krakowians of today. It's a big university town so there's lots of students running around and it has a young feel to it.

The strangest thing by far about Krakow is the amount of nuns, priests and monks. The first night here I was walking to the hostel and passed a doorway where a nun was coming out in full battle regalia. It truly scared the hell out of me! Like something out of a Dracula movie! They all wear robes and gowns and all the paraphenalia, in all honesty, it's sort of creepy.

Even though it's been 16 years this next month since the wall fell, the differences between east and west are still apparent. It's very noticeable in Berlin. The first 4 days I was only in East Berlin and it wasn't until the final day that I ventured west. The difference was like night and day. I think it's a reflection of the fact that Germans don't move around a lot so the easterners have stayed at home.

The other notable observation was that for East Germany, the reconstruction was funded by the West Germans so it took on a decidedly West German flavor. That of course isn't all that surprising or notable but when you compare East Germany to Poland you can see the difference of having it all done for you by a wealthy big brother and having to go it alone. I wonder if East Germany wouldn't be a better place today if they hadn't had all those Deutschmarks to rely on?

The iPod rules! Londoners and Berliners own them by the thousands. I've only sighted a few here in Poland but I'm sure there's quite a few around.