Sunrise, Sunset

(Vilnius) Sunday was 1940 in Vilnius. We started at 10 am in the old Jewish ghetto where we met our guide, the daughter of an Auschwitz survivor. The next few hours transported us back to a time when Jewish residents of this city were forced into a small area where streets out of the ghetto were blocked and windows painted over; people were prisoners in these few blocks. If you were Jewish you wore a yellow star. And then it got bad as Jews were herded into one small area of houses, houses that were then set on fire with ghetto residents in them. Vilnius had 80,000 Jews before WWII, 3,000 after the war. There were 105 Jewish houses of worship before the war in this city knows as the Jerusalem of Europe. One synagogue remains. It was a sobering morning.

The afternoon was free time to do that final shopping or go to the top of the rebuilt castle tower for a last look at Vilnius. That evening we had our group goodbye meal at an Indian restaurant owned by a friend of Dr. Morgan. The food was excellent and the company even better. After dinner, Lithuanian-American friends of Dr. Morgan took everyone out for ice cream at Sopranos (yes, that’s the name of the gelato place—more American culture exported).

And it finally came to me: there is a pop culture reference to this country. Think, Cole Porter. Think, “Let’s Do It.” Here’s the verse:
In Spain, the best upper sets do it
Lithuanians and Letts do it
Let's do it, let's fall in love

Leaving on a Jet Plane

(Vilnius, Budapest, Monday) We had until early afternoon for that last minute Lithuanian lunch or pastry (both if we were really lucky). Then it was time for us to hustle into seven taxis for the ride to the airport. With relatively warm weather throughout our stay, we were all surprised as it finally started to snow just as we were leaving. But there was no problem getting there or getting through security. They called the flight and then many of our students were in for a surprise. We were loaded onto a bus that drove us along the tarmac to our plane parked on the field—a propeller plane. It was one of those 64 seat short hop props, the first time many had been on that sort of plane. So, as our student Amanda suggested, we weren’t leaving on a jet plane…but we did have a great ride. We stopped in Warsaw long enough for a quick brat and then onto another prop plane exactly like the first. Another smooth flight and we were on the three vans to the hotel.

The hotel is the nicest yet and one of historical significance. It is one of the oldest hotels in Budapest. Hitler used to climb up to a top structure (no longer extant) and look down at the Jewish ghetto below. The 1956 student revolt started with a rally in the lobby. And every major event seems to have started with a meeting in the lobby here. Our first night here we walked around the local area and saw where soviet tanks rolled down the streets in 1956. You can see the bullet holes in the area were students protested during those times and the soviets finally tried to end any dissent. We continued on and had a great group dinner.

On Top of Old Buda…

(Budapest, Tuesday) It was a day to learn about everything Hungarian. First stop, the history museum. We saw artifacts and learned everything about the culture going back more than one thousand years and continuing through WWII, the Soviets, 1956 and freedom in the 1990s. Then it was on to the market on the banks of the Danube for some goulash or sausage or stuffed cabbage for lunch. After that, we got a wonderful four-hour bus tour of Pest and Old Buda including a chance to go into St. Matthias church and a chance to see the city from the highest peak in Buda. A magnificent view and great afternoon. Our guide had some great insight into life during Soviet times as well as adjusting to the transition. We are all tired but having a great time, learning a lot, and enjoying this magical central European city.