European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 13, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Hotel rooms Are a scarce ommodi1y East Germany was not oriented toward accommodating individual travellers. This fact creates interesting challenges for Western tourists who want to see the Region before it is caught up in the upward sweep of Prosperity that propelled West Germany into the realm of economic giants. The biggest Challenge is lodging hotels Are few and far Between and there is no real network of bed and breakfast places. One German publisher has put out a Book called Privat quartiere in Der Der private accommodations in the German democratic Republic. It contains More than 16,000 listings of families that rent out one or More rooms by the night. Looking at this Book you could get the impression that there would be Little difficulty finding a place to stay. But the reality is far different. A a in the Peak travel season the Supply can barely meet the demand. And in the off season Many people do not rent. In Bergen on the Island of Rugen we went to two places where the people said they did not rent in the off season because the rooms Are not heated. One Man said he really did not want to rent anymore despite the Zimmer Frei sign that was tacked to a Post out front. The woman at the other place said nearly everyone rented Only in summer. And a Young girl on the Street told us her family was also in the Book Quot but Mutti has to know the Day before so she can get it the room a in Waren in the Mecklenburg Lake District we searched in vain for a Zimmer Frei sign. Finally we talked to a bus Driver who told us that in the Winter All the sighs Are taken in. We ended up staying in the Solidarity a former communist party ramp a facility. In some of the main resort areas the former communist leadership constructed huge Barracks like facilities where unions and other official organizations could Book group vacations. The one where we stayed the Nord hotel Seeman Klause in Sas Switzon Rugen has no rooms with Baths. All Shower facilities Are in the basement. The Only town where we got a room in the first place we looked was in Wittenberg the last Stop of our trip the hotel Goldener Adler is on College Strasse the City s 1 main Stro it pal three Hun 1mm St Hir Kaiho. nailed up his it a these. It is a hotel personality. From the front it is attract be and Uris maintained. The lobby and entry was Are a to pm Cotal in. Though they Are furnished w Ith w hat look like set Ond rate office furniture lion the in of. The up the stairway Are dark anti shiny with varnish. But it is on the was to the rooms that the person adv change takes place. The Hall floors till left or right and croak with every step. They Are covered with an ancient filthy Brown carpet worn thin by generations of Teet and spattered with White paint. Beds Are like something urn might find in summer Camp a Only worse. They Are furnished with compound three. Cushions. This might not be bad in itself but when you lie Springs Sag and the cushions separate t kept waking every couple of hours w Ith a backache from steeping across the Gap. The endless cavernous hallways looked like something you might find in a red army Basic training Center the bathroom toilet Only set a personal record. It was farther away a 110 feet a than in any other hotel i had Ever stayed in. The Bath Shower was 40 foot farther on lie floor below. A Hen i w ent to me the tub it was already occupied by a i olt h. But it politely w heh i wanted to gel to. A a j fete Are a Tew tip to keep in mind when looking Lor a place to 4ay m the for mor. Ice Man i Emo crate Kepi Lii. A plan to arrive destination Early Erbough in the a div so that you have afloat two hours of Daylight to Seari h Tor a room. 1 his tune of ear that Means no later a than 2 . A most plans in easier n Germany even the major resorts a still do not have official tourist Oil ices. A Tew have Quot information offices that can provide limited listings of private accommodations. The few Privat travel Ager i Sand Zimann room booking. Agencies a that have sprung up a ill also assist visitors in finding rooms. A it is usually easier to gel a hotel mom on the weekend than during the week. Bee Ruso of the Rush toward economic development hotels in some areas Are tilled w Ith Western German businessmen monday through. 1 thursday t hotels that have no vacancy will Niton furnish names of families that rent the lobby of the Nord hotel Seeman Klause in Sass Niu where All the showers Are in the basement. A since it was november and not the tourist season we Quot would have a Good Chance of getting a room but this was the one time workers and peasants state. We got an indication that it might not go As we had hoped from the receptionist s greeting Quot what do you want Quot we asked for two single rooms and were told Quot no we have nothing then we asked for two doubles. Agabiti she said Quot no Quot but conceded that she might have one triple room she was not sure because the room had been reserved for some people who were attending a conference at the hotel but they might not stay the night we asked when she would know and she 6 o clock Quot / / we could not afford to wait that Long so we walked Back toward town and stopped at the hotel Muller Jager on the main Street. There was not a single Light on / in the building and three boys about 0 years old were sitting on the front Steps. I looked for a Doorbell and one boy asked if we wanted a room when i said yes he said Quot wait a minute Quot opened the door with a key and went inside. A a a. a r a a Quot. A minute or so later he came Back out and Saint Quot unfortunately my father said there Are no rooms. Tonight Quot i looked again at the darkened windows and asked if there was any other place where we could get a two rooms. He mentioned the Only other hotel in town the hotel Deutscher Haus near the Church where we had parked our car. I told him it had a sign in the window Quot closed for vacation Quot and asked if there weren t some private rooms for rent he thought a minute looked at his friends arid said Quot yes maybe my he told us to go up to the next Side Street walk Down about 100 meters turn to the left Down a narrow alleyway look for the name Robe Rick under the Doorbell press the Buzzer and go in through the entryway. We found the right House went inside and waited a few seconds until a Young woman came but and spoke to us Down the stairs from the second floor Landing. No she did t have anything she said. Her rooms a weren t ready yet. We asked if she knew anyone else. She thought a moment and said yes there might be a possibility. There was a family on the other Side of town that owned a Nursery Florist shop on Bergstrasser at the other end of town. Next door to the Nursery was another family that also sometimes rented rooms. We got directions and continued on our Way. By now it was nearly dark. We hiked Down to the opposite end of main Street through the old City Gate and found the Rusty Street sign for Bergstrasser Down around to the left and past a pile of Coal in the Road we found the Nopper family s Florist shop. Ursula Nopper spoke with us while she put together Christmas wreaths. No she did not have two rooms but she had one room with a double bed. We looked at each other and thought Quot Well we re desperate but that would he. Carrying togetherness on the Job a Little too but we. Said one of us would take the room and we would try to get another room at Timur directed us to the Schneider family s House just two doors away. We went to the Gate which had a Quot vicious dog Quot sign of it and rang the Bell a face appeared at an upstairs win Down and then an elderly Man opened the window and leaned but. Quot yes what do you want Quot we explained that we needed a room for the night Quot wait a moment Quot he said and clucked Back inside. Just then the front door opened and on elderly woman shouted to us across the Yard. We repeated that we were looking for a room. She said Quot wait a minute i ii come . A a when she had walked Oul the path to the Gate we explained that we had arranged for one room at the toppers House but that we really needed another. Room. She said that she really did not want to rent rooms this time of year but people kept sending visitors to her door. We said we would be very grateful if she would rent to us. We would have begged if we thought it would help she thought it Over a minute and said Alt right she would rent us a room. We should come Back a Latef after we had eaten so she would have time to get a a the room ready. A a. A a a we both heaved a sigh of Relief and walked away. Chuckling to ourselves. We would manage to get through another night in the workers and peasants a Paradise without sleeping in the car or on the hem lies in a train station. A a a
