European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 13, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                On the rail travel Europe 1992 in Paris the curious and the worshipful still flock to Jim Morrison s grave left. The outdoor cafes Are symbolic of the City s lifestyle. Continued from Page 7 Black sport coat. Quot each week i am Here Quot he says. Asked Why he struggles for an answer he can communicate before putting his hands in front of him toward the ground. Then he turns his hands and brings them to his face and says  some people come to the grave every Day he says. There Are two reasons to come. To party he says and to pay respects to Morrison who was 27 when he died one year younger than this parisian. The flock of visitors to the grave has become itself an attraction. Quot we re Here to see the people not Jim Quot says Kevin Helfand of Toronto who is gallivanting about Europe for a few weeks. Gazing about at the dozens of. What mourners worshippers. Helfand says Quot it s very  by the time the train has stopped in Niernberg the trip will have covered 228 hours. Of that 56 were spent either on trains or waiting for trains. In All 12 trains were required to make this circular route around Europe. The eur rail pass is an economical Way s4s Ron Jensen to make such a journey. The pass Cost $280. A travel agent says the train rides taken during the trip if purchased individually would have Cost $720. The pass allows a Freedom not found on packaged Tours taken with Complete strangers. Stop Here. Stop there. Ride All night. Ride All Day. Don t ride at All. Adventure has gone out of general travel in recent decades. A eur rail pass can help put it  help in Paris drop in on the Uso by Ron Jensen staff writer Beverly a. Cerchio director of the Uso office in Paris had been going Over last year s records counting the number of hotel reservations the office made in 1991 for its constituency of military customers. Quot it s in the thousands Quot she says. Quot and we still have three months left to  the Uso office in Pershing Hall is perhaps As much of a must see place As the Eiffel Tower for tourists with ties to the military. During the summer months the visitors at the office on Pierre Charron Street come in by the hundreds every Day. Quot when they arrive in Paris we suggest they make this their first Stop Quot says Cerchio who has been director for five years after More than 20 years at the Uso in Rome. Besides making hotel reservations the staff can suggest restaurants and Tours. Through agreements with several tour companies they offer discount prices to Many sights. They also can arrange tickets for such nighttime entertainment As the Moulin Rouge. Quot most people want to see the Eiffel Tower. That s the big thing like the coliseum in Rome Quot says Cerchio. Quot and most people want to go to the louvre. I think they re the two most exciting  a amps Ron Jensen Paris Uso director Beverly a. Cerchio. There is another one now. Euro Disney recently opened outside Paris and Uso offers membership cards to the magic kingdom club which is Good for discounts at the Park. Quot we be already got several group requests for the Spring and several want to go to euro Disney during their stay in Paris Quot Cerchio said in Early april. An important service provided by the office that everyone Hopes to avoid is to help people who lose their Luggage or their Money while in Paris. Cerchio said the Uso cannot make Loans but it can work with the american embassy which can arrange for a traveler to get a salary Advance from his or her installation. A common problem the office faces is that of stranded travellers who missed their tour bus when it left Paris. When this happens Cerchio says the office arranges for the salary Advance and then provides travel information to get the traveler Home. On this april Day staff sgt. Robert Sheehan and his wife Cecilia were in the Uso office buying souvenirs. Quot if i m going to come to Paris i Call the Uso and make a hotel reservation Quot said Sheehan stationed at Lindsey air station in Wiesbaden Germany. Quot they can help out to Many ways. It s a Good connection for the  the Uso has been in Paris since 1954 and in this building since 1976. There Are some changes going on that May or May not affect the organization. The building which was the Home of the first american legion Post and managed by the organization was recently taken Over by the dept of veterans affairs with instructions from Congress to redevelop the building. Over the years the building designated As a memorial to Gen John Pershing has fallen into disrepair. Quot the occupants were not charged enough to keep the building up Quot says Robert b. Eidson director of Pershing Hall redevelopment for the Eva. His task is to find a Developer who will come up with a Quot Best use Quot plan for the building that will generate income. That income he says will be sent Back to the United states and used for programs for veterans. But that Means current tenants like the Uso Boston University the association of american wives of europeans and the Council on International education Exchange among others May have to find a new Home. Quot we went to All the occupants and said sorry folks but within a year and a half you la have to leave Quot Eidson says. Some May stay. The Uso for example May get priority because of its service to the military Eidson says. Cerchio says Quot that s what we re hoping. We Don t know yet. I m trying to stay Calm about  in the meantime the office s three full time and one part time employees will continue helping americans. One of the full time workers is Bernard Weinberg who has been with the Uso in Paris since 1973. Quot it s the Contact with the people Quot he says when asked the Best part of the Job Quot being Able to help people when they re in  in his time he has helped hundreds of people who lost their Luggage had their Money stolen or just run into trouble in a big foreign City. One staffer he recalls served As a witness in a wedding when a service member married just before deploying to operation desert shield in 1990. Cerchio says much the same thing after More than 25 years with the organization. Quot it s very Gratifying to get that instant feedback from people a the appreciation Quot she says. Quot in All my years with Uso i be noticed How appreciative people Are. And they Tell you. Quot they walk in the door and say boy Are we glad you re Here we get that All the time. They really Are glad we re Here Quot s travel Europe May 13, 1992