A good friend of mine in East Berlin suggested that we go together to
the Leipsiger Messe, (Leipsig Fair). So we went in my Volkswagen.
There, it was quite usual to stay with private people, who made some extra money renting rooms.
This man was our landlord in Leipsig. He is shining one of our shoes,
as was the custom in Europe in those days.....maybe even still. But
if I had known he would be doing it himself, I wouldn't have left
them out. He was a kind old man, whom I liked a lot.
Actually, Leipsig was quite friendly. I even went to a concert of the
Leipsig Gewandhaus orchestra, under their chef Franz Konwitschny,
while my East friend, Jochen, visited friends he hadn't seen for a
while. The orchestra played Beethoven's 7th quite
respectably.....except for the 6/8 rhythm in the first movement that
no one gets right.
Traveling through East Germany was nerve racking. But nothing
happened to spoil our stay.
© 2006 Mark B. Anstendig. All rights reserved.
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