More recommended reading

[mccoyxyz]

There appears to be, among some Jews, a desire to do the tourism thing in Poland, Auschwitz and such.
In another group, I expressed the view this was largely a waste of time and money; that as much or more could be learned by reading a particular book. (people were nasty)
So, I'll stay away from controversy this time and simply recommend Lily Brett's "Too Many Men", a fictional account of such a Poland journey in 1999 by a survivor father (80-y-o) and his daughter.
It's some history, also a look at 1999 Poland, where they have developed a sickly cynical tourism industry, ghouls profiting off all this.
As well, it shows something of the 2G issue, Second Generation, children of survivors. The daughter proves to be a good bit more neurotic than the father; a finding congruent with other 2G writings.

Now, you see you cannot go BACK anywhere, it all changes. Years ago, I had moved away from a particular city; returned for a visit two years later. My favorite restaurant was now a gay haunt (and very flamboyant!), the menu prices twice as much. My favorite pizza place was gone, an office building now there.
Simply how it is, any form of nostalgia travel is pointless. If you really want to go back in time, read Isaac Bashevis Singer.

[Laurasia]

I have heard similar groanings amongst reincarnated Nazis that I've spoken with. I would absolutely love to visit Germany, yet many of my fellow reincarnated Nazis warn me that "You won't like it, especially Berlin". I ask them why that is & they tell me "Berlin looks nothing like it did when we were last there...It's much too Soviet now."

I mean, I guess if someone were niave enough to visit Berlin & expect it to look just as it had during the Reich...then yes you're going to be severely disappointed. Who would honestly expect to go there & have it look the same? Perhaps I'm just more aware of the past being in the past? I don't know.

I still would love to visit Germany...just as it is nowadays.

Sincerely,
Laurasia

[mccoyxyz]

I've been to Germany, three months during the summer of 1980; two months on a course, one month hiking in the Black Forest.
I doubt if you'd like it, it all seemed so overpowering.
You have to wonder, there are store owners washing those windows every working day. Gives one a sense of inferiority coming from grubby Canada, who Conde Nast magazine once called a "third world country with carpets".
As well, look at those cars, didn't see anything older than 4 or 5 years; I assume they were unloaded on the used car market in Spain or such.
However it did leave me with an understanding of how much driven energy the German nation possesses. In those days, they were (thankfully) devoting it to nice cars and six weeks of vacation a year.

[Miss Bothmann]

I would love to visit Germany as well. I would not expect it to look the same, but I would probably still get the nostalgic feelings of "it used to look like this" or "I remember it like this".

[mccoyxyz]

All right, to give a few more impressions of 1980 West Germany.
For a real German to read Bild tabloid was considered low class; for a foreigner to do the same, it was good, showed they could.
Some people thought I was Dutch, as I tended not to make the mistakes most English speakers do.
When those USAF fighters went up, you could always tell whether it was a real radar alert or an exercise, different sound.
The level of people's honesty was staggering to a North American. Cigarette vending machines out there in places where they wouldn't last two days in NA. The town I was in, Blaubeuren, near Ulm, about 8,000 population in those days had stores closed between noon and 2:30. Some stores just left racks of stuff out on the sidewalk during this. (?)
Lot of Turks.
Nicer coffee roast than NA.
Better candy, less sugary, more fruit taste.
Wonderful ice cream, far superior.
Better deli meat.
Restaurant prices posted outside, so you didn't have to guess.
Limited shopping hours, open Saturday morning, only one Saturday afternoon a month. Sunday, only gas stations, bars and restaurants open.
What was really comical, you'd see a large crowd of bikers out on the sidewalk, cross the street; then see some little old lady simply elbow her way through that crowd. Non-violent bikers, yikes, what is the world coming to?
Modular concrete construction, readymade blocks being ferried into position as opposed to pouring on site. And a bit strange, some of those truck drivers had sandals, not safety boots. (?)
Mannheim had a fabulous relaxed wonderful atmosphere about it, very akin to London, Ontario, Canada. The commonality is both have insurance company head offices. Presumably this draws a more relaxed crowd of worker, as opposed to the dog eat dog competitive sort.
Nuremberg was poorer than other areas.