1998

JANUARY/FEBRUARY

I went on a staff hiring trip to Eastern Europe, Austria, and the Netherlands with CCUSA.  (I think it was CCUSA and not Camp America.)  Unfortunately, I did not keep a journal, so I am depending on my photos to help "recreate" the experience.

Travel Companions: I don't remember most last names, but there was Jane from Easter Seals, Terri from NJY; Tom, Charles, Cheryl, and Owen.  I also met two of our Dutch counselors in Amsterdam -- Chava and Sarah.  

POLAND

WARSAW

We started our journey on Warsaw.  Of course, since it was late January, it was cold and snowy!  We did take quite a walk the evening we got there, including the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the wall of the Warsaw ghetto.  We made a stop at the only surviving synagogue in Warsaw.

CZECH REPUBLIC

PRAGUE

We flew to Prague on Czech Air. Our hotel in Prague was the Hotel Movenpick.  Although it was a bit out of the city center, it had one really cool thing -- a funicular joining the upper part of the hotel with the lower!

We had a lot more time in Prague, giving me the opportunity to explore the city for the first time.  I would be back twice more.  We went to Prague Castle and toured Jewish Prague. I crossed the Charles Bridge a few times and enjoyed sitting in the Old Town Square.  I also had the chance to see the "Kouzelny Circus," which is entertainment consisting of music, dance, costumes, and clowns!  This picture is from the old Jewish Cemetery where bodies are buried on top of bodies!

SLOVAKIA

BRATISLAVA

We took the train from Prague to Bratislava where we stayed in the Hotel Kyjev.  I loves Bratislava, although we were only there for a little over a day. There were statues everywhere, before they started to pop up in cities throughout the world.

The only photographs I have of people on the trip were taken in Bratislava.  We had dinner at the Restaurant Slovenska Izba, which offered traditional Slovakian cuisine.  I can't believe I just remembered that I had pork medallions, and they were delicious!  What I also remember is how inexpensive the meal was!

AUSTRIA

VIENNA

We arrived in Austria in the late afternoon and were able to book an evening tour with a local guide.  Most everyone else decided to take a rest, but with less than 24 hours in Vienna, I wanted to do as much as I could.  I took the subway to the Schoenbrunn, the summer palace.  When I got back many of us went across the street for dinner at Das Restaurant Fuhrich before taking our night tour.  I woke up early the next morning and took a walk around the city, strolling through the Burggarten and visiting the Jewish Museum with Jane.

We stayed at the Hotel Astoria which was centrally located in the Vienna.  This allowed us to see a great amount in a very short time!  We were also faced with a protest on the main street as we followed our tour guide around the city; she suggested we return to the hotel when we finished to avoid any problems.

NETHERLANDS

AMSTERDAM

We had some delays on our flights from Vienna to Amsterdam, with a layover in the Copenhagen airport. Jane and I walked around and visited Anne Frank's house.  I was a bit surprised by the family's rooms; of course, being locked in that attic for years was beyond horrendous, but I guess I always imagined the small stage that we performed on in The Diary of Anne Frank many years ago!




We did have two counselors from the Netherlands in previous summers, and it was wonderful for them to come to Amsterdam with a friend of theirs to visit me!

MARCH

GEORGIA

SAVANNAH

Paul and I took a trip to Savannah; when I talked about the trip recently I always said it was for our anniversary, our 25th anniversary, but that would have been June 2000, so perhaps it was to celebrate my birthday?  Whatever the celebration, we made the mistake of going St. Patrick's Day weekend.  We didn't realize that it hosts the second largest parade and that River Street becomes one big party!  We stayed in the Planter's Inn, a lovely boutique hotel that was way too close to the party!  But, we did have a nice visit before our plane was diverted because of snow, delaying our drive to NY to pick up Josh for spring break!

Travel Companion: Paul Bousel

Here is a post card from the Planter's Inn:

Here is the only photo of Paul from our trip; I don't have any of me!

We took a few tours, including the Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil tour, as well as a tour of Bonaventure Cemetery.  Here is a photo of the Mercer house, made famous by the historical fiction.