The coastland times with which is combined the pilot and herald of Belhaven and Swan Quarter., 1962-02-23
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MRS. WHITE RECOUNTS
FURTHER GERMAN TRAVELS
Dear FOLKS:

8<1Cnt 0Ayo IA oAAs ~>-->> - 80
trip. Could write a book on jus
things we saw. Before going to Ber
| lin, you wonder just exactly VIII,
we are needed over here; after !
trip you realize the real purpose!
The army was certainly nice t
| the women and children who mad
the trip. Only "a in all going u
when went (and IL children), bu
about so coming back k-becaus
some stayed the trip before fe,
, extra days. Took us by bus fror
Augsburg to Frankfurt Airport
is hours drive-made 8 stops alon
the way to eat and rest. Got on tn
train in Frankfurt at 8 pm. an
arrived in Berlin at $3.50 Sun. morn
ing. We were held up at East-Wes
German Border, at Helmsted, wher'
our passports and travel ORDER
were checked. And the train has
to switch from a West German
Motor to an East German motor
That's where the Russians were
patrolling the tracks. Walking back
and forth. We waved to them from
the window. Some smiled and wav-
ed and some frowned and stared
or turned away. Gives you a spooky
feeling. The husbands were at the
train station to meet the wives and
Army Buses took us straight to the
hotel. Army hotels, new and mod
ern-and real nice-only 75c day.
The hotels had no restaurants
so for every meal we had to make
a 10 minute walk to the PIX and
Army Snack Bar (restaurant). But
|it wasn't too bad-except that it
rained all a days / was there. We
ate supper nights in the MOO Club
restaurants-meals from Soc to $1O0-
all you can eat.
Berlin itself is a huge city. Big,
tall, modern buildings built since
the war. Still lots of bombed out
buildings. A bombed out building
can't be torn down until after Is
years-to give the owner chance to
claim it. If he doesn't--the govt
destroys it. That's why there are
SO many nice buildings now-not
much more than Is years after
World War II. Berlin is $40 square
miles-S,S 100000 population!-West
Berlin has 100000 population
and East Berlin 100000. Monday
morning we took 3 hr. tour (army
bus)-of all West Berlin-the air.
port, the suburbs, the city and all
around the "Wall", and right up to
Brandenburg Gate. West Berlin had
IL districts. Each district with its
own town hall and mayor! We saw
quite a few of the town halls. Mod
ern churches being rebuilt (40O and
some churches in West Berlin
alone!). Big hotels, the shopping
section, memorials and tombs and
dig modern apartment houses con-
tributed by U.S.A. and, next to the
pentagon, the largest building in
the world. We saw the second big
gest building in the world forgot
what it was supposed to be-some-
thing to do with government.
We rode by the river where so
many people have tried to swim
across from East to West-some
have made it-some haven't. We
bought qquite few slides and
made some movies!
The trip along the wall was
really pathetic. It really brings
tears to your eyes! You see so
many people especially old people,
just standing there looking-and
waiting to see if they might see
some of their own people! They
look so bad. Some have placed
wreaths of flowers and memorials
on the sidewalks in front of the
homes that once were theirs, or
where their people might have liv-
ed! The houses themselves are East
territory-the sidewalk in West
Berlin-windows, doors and street
entrances are bricked-up. The thick,
brick wall must be about $40 or IL
feet high-separating the entire
East from the West. On top of the
wall are thousands of pieces of
barbed wire on top of that-then
there is a second wall of barbed
wire, and third wall of wooden
fences about IL feet high. At one
place we climbed up on platform
and looked over on the East side.
There are Vopos (police) and
guards walking back and forth
with guns - some had machine
guns. Some Vopos even had "tree
houses" that grew along the other
side of the wall. They stared right
at US as we went by in the bus
some with binoculars. We drove up
within a few yards of the Branden-
burg Gate there it's guarded on
both sides by both the East and
West-with barbed wire all around
it. On top of the Brandenburg Gate
is a little shed where one Vopc
stands guard "a hours a day with
machine gun and binoculars. We
were told we could take pictures
and movies Of everything - even