The Last March
(A reunion trip of ex-P.O.W.s from Stalag XVII B)

September 8th.

Vienna Austria. After a combined 16 hours in transit and seven time zones we arrived in the heart of Europe in the beautiful city of Vienna. Founded over 1100 years ago it has been the birth place of the Baroque style of architecture, the renaissance arts and especially music. Noted as the home to empires, kings, barons, saints and composers Vienna remain a physical link to the history and culture of the western world. The pictures above are typical of the city former glory. The Winter Palace, St James Church and a memorial to the victims of WWII.

September 7th.
A chance to explore the Vienna underground and nightlife. Sure enough I found a blues club not far from our hotel. A little place called the Louisiana Blues Bar and another called "Papa's Tapas". Both places were crowded with folks that party just as hard as any I've seen back in Texas. They have a real love of our classic 50's & 60's style of music and did great covers of songs by Otis Redding, Magic Sam, Elvis Presley & Buddy Holly. Only thing I noticed was a very few Europeans dance, at least not a these places. I also checked out a few other night spots that had a more pop and disco format and did see a few people on a small dance floor.

September 8th
More sites in the city of Vienna. Most of this day was spent visiting historic places like the concert hall where Mozart, Bach & Beethoven performed their timeless masterpieces. Most impressive was the extensive use of gold leaf and gold plated sculptures. One of the most touching was a fountain created at the end of the Black Plague with wiped out over half of the population of Europe. Don't let the ancient facades fool you, the insides of these building are state-of-the-art with the most modern of features.

September 9th
The Final Return
Today we visit the location of the infamous Stalag XVIIB where my father and his fellow 'Kreggies' were held prisoner during WWII. While nothing remains of the original camp site the ghosts of the poor souls who suffered and died here are evident in the eyes of these old survivors. One by one each recounted a story or experience that painted a gloomy picture of life in the camps. For what it's worth most of the POWs said the film "Stalag 17" was fairly accurate portrayal of camp life except for the atrocities that the Germans committed on the prisoners. Life expectancy for the Russians POWs was a mere 3 months! Anyway if you ever get a chance to see it, do. In case your wondering what I am doing standing in the middle of acres of Marijuna it turns out that 'Hemp' is a cash crop in Austria. Give me that country livin' back down on the farm in my Sweet Home Austria.

A visit to the past.
Just north of Krems and over looking the Danube river lies the Melk Abbey. Founded by Benedictine monks in around 700 AD the Stift Melk Monastery was the high point of my cultural experiences. I soon realized my digital camera was "optically challenged" trying to capture the sheer grander and splendor of such a magnificent place. I decided to buy a book at the souvenir shop which did indeed have much better pictures and a complete history of the Abbey. Hand painted ceilings depicting Old Testament biblical events soaring overhead as ancient gold encrusted icons of Christianity filled my field of view from wall to wall... and the spirit of the Lord was upon me.

September 10th
Back to Vienna:
Today was a 'free day' to explore the city and shop it's many stores and markets. That evening we all gathered together at a small restaurant located in the outskirts of Vienna. We were warned in advance of the strong wine they served at this dinner and of course we ignored the warnings and proceeded to get really drunk :-). As desert was being served we were treated to a 45 minute performance of  traditional German/Austrian music. To our surprise one of our own POWs knew how to play a squeeze box and he did a damn fine couple of polkas and a waltz. Yes I did dance but thankfully no one had any film left by then so my secret is safe.

September 11th
Budapest Hungary:
We take to the rails today! This was my first time to ride on a train and it was wonderful. Our tour guides had arranged for two full rail carriages for our two hour journey from Vienna to Budapest. This is living in style, from the crisp white linen table cloths and sharp dressed staff to the endless stream of European food and drink flowing from the on-board kitchen we were living like royalty.
Budapest has been at the crossroads of eastern & western Europe for over 2000 years and the influence of Moslems & Christians can be seen everywhere, sometimes they blend together like in the design of old city bath houses and some times they clash as you find a Muslim Mosque surrounded by the Baroque  palaces of emperors. The high point of the day was a dinner at one of the worlds top 10 restaurants, Grundels. Our five course meal was served in their famous wine cellar while we were serenaded by a ten piece chamber orchestra. Hey this was just like the TV show 'Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous', they used REAL silverware and 100 year old place settings. I was impressed to say the least. Before we left Budapest we made a journey to the huge public market in the center of   the city where I scored a really cool deal on some beautiful hand embroidered silk garments and fine linens. The day was destined to be etched in to my memory forever though for another reason because when we boarded our train we were told about the terror attacks in America. Life as we knew it was forever changed that day and the rest of the trip back to Vienna was spent in small groups discussing the ominous events unfolding half a world away.

September 15th
A day of travel through north Austria and southern Germany. Not many pictures because of the poor weather but the scenery was magnificent. We visited a German concentration camp for the Jews and Hitler's infamous 'Eagle's Nest' high in the Alps. Anyone with the slightest fear of heights would have hated this part of the trip. The ride to the top of the Eagle's Nest was on a one lane road carved in to the sheer face of a 3000 meter mountain of solid granite. When I looked out my window on the bus all I could see was clouds and the tips of pine trees floating in the gray mists, the rich green valley floor would appear briefly and I would pull away from the window catching my breath as if I was suddenly airborne without wings.
That night we had the grand finale dinner at the Salzburg Casino with bottomless champagne glasses and a trip to the gambling tables. Hey this ain't no Las Vegas slot house, we all had to wear dinner jackets and ties. So my trip comes to an end and with it a life long wish of being able to visit Europe is realized.
Life is good.

Thanks Dad, I love you.