Subject: guarantor heroine

From: "Florence Wood" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 16 Sep 2006 09:43:41 +0300

The train did not reach Berlin until after dark.
Meanwhile the numberless irritations of a strictly rationed life wentsteadily on.
Yet this magnificent highway was virtually empty oftraffic. Nowhere did I seeragged, unkempt persons. Yet the lower middleclass seems to be inordinately in evidence. Here, as elsewhere,objections seemed to have been rarely made except for reasons alreadyexplained. Soon we arrivedat what had originally been a large farmstead, now transformed into aninn.
It stretched like a vast pall over three greatnations and might soon spread to other lands as well. Nevertheless, they look good,though I doubt the efficacy of their resistance to rain and cold.
I am sure ofthis, both from what I was told and from my own experience. That was the grimreality which suddenly confronted the German people.
The many children who waved to our passing wererosy-cheeked and smiling. It must be one of thosetwo, he said, as I got out and paid him. He could not buy ordinarycotton or linen ones, because that required a local clothing card. They were hardly needed for the few motor cars andoccasional buses that crawled slowly by.
Between a survey I was making with a Washington colleague, H.
He cannot visit the fortified coasts ofthe North Sea and the Baltic. Fortunately a colleague was going my wayand came to my rescue. I explained the situation, stating that I was a total stranger. Soon we arrivedat what had originally been a large farmstead, now transformed into aninn.
The Elephant Houseis the name of Weimars splendid new hotel.
Tomy great pleasure the chief guest was Alexander Kirk, our ChargedAffaires in Berlin. Generally popular, he does not hesitate to speakplainly when he needs to. One of my acquaintances had a severe headcold and needed to buy some handkerchiefs.
Flanked by convoys ofsputtering motorcycles, they thundered endlessly past. It was mid-afternoon when we reached our hotel, one of the best in thecity. The high spot in the program was a militaryband, which was really thrilling in its spirit and fire.
Small wonder that it hardly made a dent onCuban thinking, except the sugar phase.
Together we sallied forth into the pattering rain.
Between a survey I was making with a Washington colleague, H.