European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 27, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                C continued from Page 7 to concentration Camps. It was dark and raining at the end of the tour. The lights from the Christmas Market reflected in the rain on the cobblestones of the City Square. It was a Beautiful sight and i was glad to have seen it. Somehow the sadness of the Day s earlier journey diminished. This Day began with some trepidation. It was dark moist and Chilly As i left krak6w bound for Prague about 300 Miles to the Southwest. My fear was geography based. The terrain from the polish Border to the capital City of the czech Republic was somewhat mountainous and i worried about the possibility of Snow or ice. I was told to follow signs toward Bielko Biala. This Road would eventually take me to the Border and on to Prague by Way of Brno where the autobahn through the mountains would begin. The Border crossing was again a confused Jumble of cars and trucks seeming to make their own lanes. A Young boy squirted water on my Windshield wiped it off and then held out his hand for Money. I gave him two $1 Bills. American. He sneered at the greenbacks and said polish  imagine. I rolled up my window and moved on. -. The mountains greeted me with a hard rain. A thermometer hanging from a Roadside pole gave both the air and Road temperatures. Both were minus 1, celsius slightly below freezing. My worries increased. This area is supposedly Beautiful but the rain and the dark Clouds hid everything. The rain continued but there was no ice or Snow. I reached Prague at Twilight and found the Patty hotel a few blocks from Wenceslas Square. It offered Security for the car at no extra charge but was pricey. My single room Cost about $70. The rain stopped but it was too dark for photographs. I walked to the City Center which was bursting with Large lighted advertising signs Hung atop 200-year-old buildings. Like krak6w, Prague had managed to escape the damage of War. One Guidebook says that the City is today As it was 500 years ago but that is an exaggeration of course. One of the two excellent English language newspapers in Prague had a cartoon. One drawing labelled Prague in 1893" showed a wonderful old victorian building. The next drawing labelled Prague in 1993" showed the same building but with a Money Exchange office carved in its ground floor. Prague is for walking Day or night. Find the old town Square called Staro Metske Amesti in czech. This has been the heart of the City for centuries. A Short walk away is the Charles Bridge a wonderful Stone Bridge lined with statues and offering the Best View of the City s Hilltop Castle. In Daylight the View is impressive at night it takes away your breath. Try to find a More Beautiful spot in Europe. Just try. I walked and walked. Finally i stopped for dinner at a restaurant named for the capital of Iceland Reykjavik. It the medieval Wall of Krakow s old town is a daily Art Market. Advertised great hamburgers but that was a lie. I considered a Stop at a jazz club called Roduta which i had visited on a previous trip. It came Well recommended and was Worth the visit but this Day had been Long and i needed sleep. Roduta by the Way is located Atn Rodni 20, not far from Wenceslas Square for jazz fans. My journey s final Day dawned with Surprise dark skies fog and the threat of rain. I planned to spend the morning taking photographs and so left the hotel about 8 . A. ". The City was Awakening slowly on this sunday morning. Wenceslas Square was quiet. I tried to picture two of the events that took place Here the Prague Spring of 1968 and the velvet revolution of 1989. In 1968, the czechs attempted to move away from soviet will putting into Power Alexander Dubcek who said he planned to make communism democratic. The Effort failed crushed at this spot by soviet tanks. A Small Marker commemorates Jan Palach a 21-year old student who set himself ablaze in january 1969 in j fruitless protest of the soviet Rule. Twenty one years after the Prague Spring Wenceslas Square was alive with the spirit of democracy once again. Demonstrations Here resulted in the resignation of the communist party Cabinet. Vaclav Havel a playwright was put in Power. But the Square was quiet As i walked toward the Vltava Street musicians find a willing Patron in Prague. River. I had a goal in mind. At a jewish synagogue near the River the Klaus synagogue a most impressive project was under Way. I had seen it on that earlier visit. The names of nearly 78,000 holocaust victims taken from the Region were being meticulously painted onto the synagogue s Interior Walls in letters less than 1 Inch High. The names including the dates of birth and deportation had first been recorded in this manner in the 1950s. But following the six Day War in Israel in 1967, All ties Between Czechoslovakia and Israel were broken and the synagogue was closed. Later the names were cover id with plaster in a communist restoration Effort. Since the Spring of 1992, the project to replace the names has been under Way. It will take years but each completed Section is a magnificent sight. Visitors can quietly watch the workers but no photos Are allowed. From there i wandered Back to the main Square. The sound of Money being made the old fashioned Way rang out. Two men were heating Metal and pounding out coins the Way it was done in past centuries. The coins Are quite Nice souvenirs. One last look at the Castle from Charles Bridge was required before returning to Germany. Parents were helping their Young daughter feed the dive bombing sea gulls which soared around and around to grab from midair the bread the girl tossed toward them. Hawkers were Selling everything from artwork and miniature Prague houses to cassettes of music by Mozart and to shirts bearing the image of Franz Kafka. It was near noon and i returned to my car. The five hour drive to Nurnberg was uneventful except for the rain that escorted me most of the Way. By journey s end i had covered nearly 1,100 Miles. Had my schedule been my own i would have spent an extra Day in each of the three principal cities of the trip wroclaw krak6w and Prague. Perhaps too i might have explored the Countryside a bit More. Southern Poland has some Well known resorts in mountains along the czech Border. Perhaps i will return. Driving in Eastern Europe is a bit More difficult than in the West but not by much. The Road system is less developed. Hotels Are As a Rule not As Nice but much cheaper. Good food is available. The language Barrier is More of a problem but people associated with tourism will probably speak English. It was a Good time and a journey i recommend. The american Mil tiry did not leave Europe after world War ii As planned because of the sudden threat of the Warsaw pact led by the soviet Union. That threat no longer exists. It is fascinating As an american to visit Eastern Europe to see the scar left behind by communism and to View that part of the world As it begins its journey toward Prosperity and democracy. 8 stripes Magazine january 27, 1994