Ghosts of the Past

Treptower Park Soviet Memorial in Berlin

Very cool memorial in E. Berlin.  The Soviets weren't big on subtlety.  See the monument on the left.  It's a brawny Soviet soldier holding a liberated kid while holding a broadsword and stepping on a busted up swastika.  It's hard to tell from this picture but this statue was massive and was several stories high.  Rather than the German memorials that mourn the loss of their sons to the German cause, this Soviet memorial screams "We conquered, we're #1."  I supposed it makes sense when you put things in context for the time.  Kind of.

Unlike many of the other Soviet monuments around this region, this one is in really good shape.  I read that one of the conditions of the Soviets leaving East Berlin after the wall had fallen was that the new unified German government would take care of this monument.  To their credit, they have stayed true to that promise. 

 

Symbolic Religious Statuary at the site of the former InterGerman Border in Fulda

 

It's hard to see in this picture but these statues not only represented the stations of the cross but also alluded to the German oppression under communism.  Notice the color of the hammer.  In the next statue, one of the Roman soldiers was depicted in an East German helmet.  BTW, the trail in the picture to the right was the E. German patrol route that was parallel to the border.  The border was found about twenty feet to the left of the trail where the vegetation line is.  Over this hill, one can find OP Alpha which is an old US Army outpost as well as the E. German counterpart on the other side of the road.  Not as dramatic as Checkpoint Charlie but still very cool.   

Random German-Soviet Friendship Gate in E. Berlin (Mitte?).  NOTE: Notice how someone removed the German flag from the design.  At one point there was a German flag where the rusted part is located.  Sure, you hear a lot about "Ostalgia" (especially in the writings of Rick Steves for some reason) but I doubt many Germans would actually prefer reverting back to the 1950s.  This gate is a good example of that.  This is especially true in Berlin where, at the moment, the counterculture movement and free expression are flourishing.  Very exciting times!  None of that would be permissible under the old guard.  or example, I remember a display at the DDR museum that described how the communists created a dance called the Lipsi as an attempt to counter the influence of western style music and dancing.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipsi_(dance)

Soviet liberation monument in Szczecin. 

It's no surprise that the Poles let this monument go to pot.  For good reason, they are still seething from half a century of "liberation" by the communists who saw fit to keep Poland under their boot.  The Poles are extremely proud people and I think the Soviets weren't too keen on this back when Poland was part of the Warsaw Pact.  Seems like they were more inclined to make nice with the East Germans who were more permissive.  As a result, Poland appeared to suffer under communism and was left to crumble.   

 

Bavaria!

2016 started off right with some new adventures.  NATO saw fit to send me to Oberammergau, Germany for some training and while I saluted smartly and drove on to yet another hardship location, I brought my snowboard with me.  In all honestly, Oberammergau is a slice of heaven.  It's deep in the Bavarian Alps just up the road from Garmisch Partenkirchen.  The Baldwin fam took many trips to Garmisch back in the day. 

One of the highlights of this trip was x country skiing (Nordic skiing).  My old boss and great friend, Dr. Kersgard, told me about her time back in Idaho logging some hours on the Nordic tracks which got me really curious about the sport.  Unfortunately our time in Boise was too short and I never got the chance to try it out.  This time, however, I made it happen thanks to some awesome conditions.  2015/2016 won't be remembered for it's incredible snow conditions.  In fact, you'll see in an earlier post that I had to bail from a Dec ski trip to Zakopane due to the lack of snow.  In early Jan in Bavaria, the snow was falling...falling hard that is. 

I delayed by Nordic skiing until the final day of my training and was blessed with some epic blue skies and packed/groomed powder.  Ahhh, kill me now!  It took a little getting used to but after 30 minutes or so, I got the hang of it.  Not much to it especially even if you're a novice.  In fact, I think it's easier for those who haven't skied before on downhill skis.  I say this because downhill skiers will "skate" or push out the inner edge of their ski to propel themselves forward on flat ground.  I've done it a thousand times and even got a massive blister from this motion when I went ski skating around our Barber Station house in Boise after an epic snow storm.  Nordic skiing is extremely linear.  No kicking out to the sides although I understand that style of Nordic skiing is growing in popularity.  Anyhow, it was a great way to get out and enjoy this Bavarian paradise and to burn off the few beers from the previous night.  Sidebar: I ran into a Dutch colleague from our course and he was the coolest.  I quit after three beers while he lost count.  Good times. 

This is one of the reasons I had to get back to Europe.  Oberammergau, Garmisch, Innsbruck--these are the places to be in early January!