How I Saw Hitler on My Summer Vacation

by Kathleen A. Reed

  We wandered around the market until noon. Since we seemed to be accumulating little else but dirt and germs, we rounded up a bus and returned to town. It is strange how we feel we need to take taxis to our destinations, but we always find a bus that takes us back. After lunch at the Pam Pam — Bar de la Paris, we searched for the shop of a dressmaker, who had been recommended by a friend. Instead of being a dressmaker, this lady turned out to be an excellent modiste, (milliner) who was such a good saleslady that she talked me into buying a hat! I am crazy about this hat! The style of the veil is one that I have always longed for. This unplanned purchase, forces me to get out my list of things to buy in Paris, and cross off the word “Dress.”

  Margy wanted to look at a ring she saw in the window of a jewelry store on the Ave de l’Opera, and I came out with a ring, as well! It only cost 50y and is bee-oo-ti-ful. She succumbed to the lure of a lovely handkerchief, on our way to the Place de la Concorde. We taxied to the Eiffel Tour and took an elevator to the highest platform, from which we could see for miles. The view towards the Trocadero was lovely, but the most spectacular sight was the glistening whiteness of the Sacre Coeur in the far distance. L’ascenseur (the elevator) which took us to the top of the “tour” (tower) was quite unusual. We kept transferring from one “cabine” to another. The cabines were little glass rooms that moved up and down via pulleys. I believe the tower is second only in height to the Empire State Building in NY City. Rumor is that they are planning to take down the Eiffel Tour in a year or two. It seems like such a shame.

  At the Opera, we had grand velvet covered seats in a box for eight. This seating was only available because most Parisians are on holiday in August. The beautiful staircases and elaborately framed mirrors make it one of the most magnificent opera buildings in the world. We saw Salome, (the story of John the Baptist,) a Swan Dance, and an interpretive dance called Elvire. There is no such thing as a sensible bedtime these days!

  Date: August 30, 1938

  Place: Paris and Chartres

  Weather: Cloudy, but fine.

  Traveling from Paris to Chartres, we drove past the military camp in Satory, and caught a glimpse of several hundred soldiers involved in all kinds of activities. Just beyond the former Abby of Port-Royal, a tire on our car blew out! The poor chauffer had to struggle with the tire while we wandered around picking flowers. The town of Chartres was once the site of Druidical worship. The greater part of the present church dates back to 1200-1400. The stained glass Rose Window is truly divine. There are four entrances to the Cathedral, which are distinct in structure and in meaning. I found the south entrance with its figures of “The Last Judgment” and the twelve apostles the most interesting of all. The touring car wound its way back to Paris, arriving at 6:00. We dined once more at “Restaurant les Ministeres” and then hurried home to go to sleep early for once.

  PS: A funny thing happened today! We had asked the tour company for our former guide, Geoffe, to accompany us on this trip. “Geoffe” we got, (we thought) but imagine our surprise when our guide “Joffe” told us he was a twin brother of Geoffe! I still cannot believe they are not the same person! I do think that Geoffe knew more about architecture, whereas this Joffe was better looking!

  PPS: I love the bells on carts and bicycles here — they tinkle in a most harmonious manner.

  PPPS: We saw many women washing their clothes in the river — it seems to be the custom.

  Date: August 31, 1938

  Place: Paris, Versailles, etc.

  Weather: Cloudy but no rain.

  Our first stop was at Malmaison, which derived its name from the fact that it was a hospital for sick people, (mal) before the Palace was constructed. This was the favorite residence of Napoleon and Josephine. She continued to live here after they divorced. It later became the property of the French Government. We viewed some of Josephine’s dresses, Napoleon’s hats, and his camp furniture. At Versailles, we first visited the Grand Trianon Palace used by Louis XIV, XV and XVI. The rustic simplicity of the little farm of Marie Antoinette contained many small houses and stables. Here she loved to forget about the affairs of state and just enjoy herself. The temple of Eros and the lovely woods were particularly attractive. The elegant Palace cost 40 million pounds, and the interior elegance can be summed up as a treasure trove of gold, crystal and art masterpieces. We visited the chapel where Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were married. The Gallery of Mirrors was the height of magnificence with its 17 huge wall length mirrors and 17 corresponding doors opening onto the terrace and the gardens. The Treaty of Versailles was signed here in 1919, after the World War. The gardens of the Versailles Palace consist of beautiful flowers, rows of statues, numerous wide terraces, and elaborate fountains. After returning through beautiful countryside to Paris, we dined at the newest Café Voltaire.

  Date: September 1, 1938

  Place: Paris

  Weather: Fine.

  TIMELINE: Hitler demands that Czechoslovakia immediately concede the Sudetenland portion of its country to Germany.

  Today, our first visit was to the Conciergerie, which was the prison for those to be slain by the guillotine. Our French-speaking guide talked so distinctly that I had no trouble understanding him. It seems that the prisoners were of two classes — those who could pay for their rooms, and those who could not. The latter class was herded together in a long dark disagreeable cell. Around the corner from the cell were the stairs leading up to the tribunal where all were judged. Subsequently, the prisoners went directly to the court and thence to the guillotine. We saw the cells that housed Marie Antoinette, Robespierre and others. In Marie’s room, there was a special niche for the guards to stand — just opposite her dressing table, however she was allowed to have a screen for privacy. A chapel now contains all sorts of relics, including the guillotine knife, Marie Antoinette’s chair, and the pinpricked note by which she attempted to escape. Our next visit was to the Sainte Chappelle, which is all that is left of the old Palace of Justice. This beautiful 13th century church is a perfect example of Gothic architecture in Paris. The colors of the glass windows seem to penetrate your soul, producing a magical effect. These windows are carefully taken down in times of war, even though it takes years to put them back in place.

  Back in Paris, we visited the Pantheon where we viewed the tombs of Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Voltaire, Zola, and others. We strolled through the Luxembourg Gardens then shopped for cheap suitcases to hold our many purchases. The suitcases we bought are not much more than cardboard boxes with handles, but they will do. We ended our afternoon at the Café de la Paris, sipping Dubonnet and watching the crowds throng by. They say if you sit here two hours, you will see someone you know. Our evening out included a lavishly produced show at the Folies Bergere. It was indeed an elaborate spectacle, which reminded me greatly of the Ziegfeld Follies — with a little more nudity. I think I enjoyed the Opera more.

  Date: September 2, 1938

  Place: Paris

  Weather: Fine.

  After breakfast, a shopping excursion was followed by a visit to the American Embassy. We were to meet a Mr. Lester Mallory, to whom I had a letter of introduction. He took us to lunch at the famous Rougier Rotisserie. He ordered a strange mixture of lobster and fish, called Bouillabaisse, which is one of the typical dishes of Southern France. We also sipped wine from the South of France, and enjoyed a dessert of fruit compote in cognac. It was an excellent lunch and Mr. Mallory made an interesting host. We parted at 3 p.m., so there was not much left of the afternoon. Of course, I made a special trip back to the Louvre to see the Venus de Milo. After dinner at Pam Pam, it is time to finish packing and so to bed.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Germany

  Shocks and Surprises — What’s a Girl to Do?

  Date: September 3, 1938

  Place: Paris to Cologne

  Weather: Fine.

  After saying good-bye to our nice little chambermaid, and Mr. Roffatti, we taxied over to the train for Cologne. Our basket
lunch never materialized, so we nibbled on chocolate and made that do until dinner. We arrived in Koln (Cologne) at 5:30 and were happy to see our representative from the Eden Hotel. It is a lovely Hotel, situated near the station and the Cathedral. Everything seems so very clean here. We have what looks like a huge pillow all over the bottom portion of our bed. I have my legs tucked under it now and they are warm as can be.

  We enjoyed a fine dinner at the hotel, which included steak, soup, and five vegetables. After dinner, we purchased a Rhine River Panorama booklet then walked along the banks of the Rhine. Tomorrow we take off for Coblenz by steamer boat.

  Date: September 4, 1938

  Place: Cologne to Coblenz

  Weather: Fine, but definitely chilly.

  What a day! We left Cologne at 8:00 a.m. After getting our belongings settled, we sat down at one of the tables to enjoy our 6-½ hour Rhine River journey. The outdoor seating consisted solely of tables and chairs. Due to the chilly weather, most of the table tops soon contained cups of hot coffee for warming the passengers. We found one other English-speaking couple on the boat. There were flags of all countries at the tables, but since we were with our English friends, we sat under the British flag. A mist hovered on the Rhine until after lunch, but nonetheless, the trip was captivating. We glided past Bonn, (Beethoven’s birthplace,) in addition to many unpronounceable mountains and castles. Lunch was served in the dining room downstairs. The famous Rhine salmon was delicious! We are told that they are plentiful in this river. There was a big party of German people having the best time. We have decided that we really like the Germans! They are most jovial, very polite, and the most cordial people of any country we have visited so far. By the time we arrived at the Riesen Furstenhof hotel in Coblenz, it was 4 p.m.

  Our grand top-floor room in Coblenz faces the Rhine, and has lovely vistas and a view of the pontoon bridge shifting to allow the boats to pass through. We never grew tired of watching sections of the bridge-on-boats move away and back again.

  Pontoon bridge on the Rhine River at Coblenz

  The city of Coblenz is one of the places where American soldiers were stationed after the last war, so the citizens are somewhat accustomed to having English-speaking people around. Curiously, three little girls followed us on our stroll through the town, pointing their fingers at us and laughing. We walked up to the very imposing statue of Wilhelm I, on horseback, which was situated at the confluence of the Rhine. It is THE landmark of Coblenz, and can be seen silhouetted against the sky for miles around. It was interesting to note the different colors of water at the confluence of the two rivers in Coblenz. The Moselle was tinted a much darker green than the Rhine.

  After an excellent dinner at our hotel, with music by a German orchestra, we set out to meet our English friends (from the Rhine River ride,) at the bridge. We planned to walk together to the Weindorf Restaurant for some music and dancing. While we were waiting on the upper part of the bridge, four fellows came by and insisted that we go to the Weindorf with them! They would not take “No” for an answer! After I struggled with my English, German, French, and sign language to indicate that we were waiting for friends, two nearby English girls, conveyed our message. We thought things had settled down for a bit, until two drunks came staggering by and they scared us all over again. Since our other friends were late, we continued on to the Weindorf with the two new English friends, one of whom could speak German very well. We found a table outside and drank German champagne which tasted like cider.

  The Weindorf turned out to have a party atmosphere and we had such fun! Handsome fellows would come up and stand before you, bow deeply, then click their heels and ask you to dance. You felt impelled to dance with them when they asked you in such a charming manner. It was the thing to do! They were excellent dancers — one and all! Some of the German musicians wore huge comical straw hats. We sang at the table and we sang while dancing. The two English girls went home and left us with two fellows. Margy was with a blonde man named Helmut and I spent my time getting to know a dark-haired fellow called Toni. Helmut was really the best-looking man there but Toni had such romantic looking eyes. They wanted to take us home, but being a little wary of that, we declined.

  We left there at 12:30 then discovered another place where we sipped coffee, danced again, and met two new fellows. Margy’s friend, Wilhelm, could speak English fairly well. I had a quite a struggle talking to my new companion, Herman. He knew only 10 English words, but we had lots of fun! Margy and I arrived home at the shocking hour of 4 a.m. It certainly did not take us long to fall into bed.

  PS: It is hard to become accustomed to the way people keep looking at us. In the dining room this evening, it was almost comical to watch them stare when we were on the way out the door. They shall all have stiff necks tomorrow morning.

  Date: September 5, 1938

  Place: The Rhine — Coblenz to Heidelberg by steamer

  Weather: Cold!

  It was difficult to drag ourselves out of bed, but the boat to Mayence was due to leave at 10:15. Wilhelm was down at the dock to say goodbye and he brought some cough drops for Margy’s throat. He really was quite sweet and thoughtful. Herman (the lazy thing) was still in bed and told Wilhelm to SEND his best wishes. Today’s steamer trip was not as pleasant as that of yesterday because it was uncomfortably cold with intermittent rain. Some people were wearing fur coats. We just sat and shivered. This journey was described as the most interesting part of the Rhine, offering stunning views of castles, the Lorelei Rock, and the haunting statue of her. One of the waiters pointed out the Lorelei Rock to us. He dashed upstairs to retrieve my camera. I rewarded him with some of my Lucky Strike Cigarettes, which I brought along to give away. As far as the rock goes, I could not exactly see the sirens combing their golden hair, but my imagination did a fairly good job of it. The weather turned frigid, so we finally retired to the salon, where Margy slept and I read. The boat landed at Mayence at 6 p.m. We grabbed a taxi, and hurried across town, arriving at the railway station just in time to catch the train to Heidelberg. It was quite dark outside when our train arrived in Heidelberg, so we could not see much except the thousands of lights twinkling below our Hotel Schloss. We were met by the hotel bus and taken for a ride up the mountain, as they called it. Our hotel was at the very top, and the staff welcomed us as though they had just been sitting around all day waiting for our arrival.

  We were escorted to our room, which was so large that we were almost got lost while walking from one end to the other. Our first — but very unromantic — impression of Heidelberg was one of blessed comfort! The room actually had heat! We clung to the radiator in delight. In no other place during this trip has that extraordinary phenomenon occurred. There is a balcony off our room from which we gazed down upon the brightly illumined river. The Neckar peacefully flowed under the old bridges. It was fortunate that we saw the beauty of the town by night, for the next morning it was pouring rain! Again, we gave thanks for the heat. Rain or no rain, we wandered all over the town and environs, visiting the famous Heidelberg Castle. This huge building has been the victim of wars, fires — even a lightning bolt — yet is still an overwhelming sight. The rain somewhat dampened the romantic effect, but we called upon our ever-ready imaginations. We are in such a quiet hotel, and would love to stay here a week!

  Date: September 6, 1938

  Place: Heidelberg to Nuremberg

  Weather: Rain except at night.

  TIMELINE, September 6-12: — (Nuremberg Rally) Hitler demands right of self-determination for the Sudetenland Germans.

  Last night this place was so quiet that Margy and I slept as though we had been drugged. The hotel manager arranged for us to join a morning bus tour of the city. Although it was pouring, we managed to see quite a bit of the town, the University of Heidelberg, the odd road signs and the headquarters of the Student Prince. We journeyed alongside the Neckar River to the picturesque castle, which is now the home to concerts. Margy and I left the tour party at the castle
and wandered back over to our hotel. There was just enough time for a hurried luncheon before we headed for the railway station. My train was to depart for Nuremberg at 2:00 p.m. and her train was leaving for Freiberg at 2:30 p.m. This was the scene of our planned parting, which prompted many hugs, well wishes, and quite a few tears. Margy will travel down through the Black Forest to Switzerland. She will then return to Paris and sail home on the Queen Mary. I felt terrible after leaving her and matters did not improve one bit.

  In my train compartment sat four German soldiers, with poor little Helen squeezed into one corner! I was petrified because I thought all German soldiers were monsters or something. I was reluctant to move about, or even attempt to speak. The combination of being surrounded by soldiers in a smoke-filled compartment, and feeling bombarded with a constant flurry of German words, made me queasy — and things did not improve! They never ran out of things to say! The soldier right next to me used the ashtray between us continually, letting his cigarette stub just sit there and burn. Upon arrival at the station in Nuremberg, I struggled to bring down my heavy suitcase but not one of them offered to help me! I was quite disgusted, still feeling a bit light-headed, and looking forward to getting some fresh air.

  I departed the train amidst a swarm of military uniforms and managed to acquire a porter who hoisted my suitcase and carried it on his back. One could hardly walk in a straight line, as the street was filled with groups of soldiers, who were going in every direction. My suitcase-toting porter led me through the thronging crowds of men, to the Wittelsbach Hotel. I feared we would be separated, so I struggled to keep him constantly in sight! Upon arrival in the hotel lobby, I received some devastating news! After the porter had dumped my suitcase and left, the desk man said that they had no place for me to stay! He said that they had notified my travel agency that there would be no room for me! I was completely flabbergasted! This was my first night without Margy, and I might have to sleep on a park bench!