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A FEW ANECDOTES, COUNTRIES AND CULTURES, VOL. II
“Frenchmen kiss on the lips, but in Australia men kiss down in the bush.”
On Australia’s School of the Air the teacher called the roll. When Johnny answered the teacher asked where he had been for the past week. Johnny said he had a bad cold. The teacher told Johnny, 500 miles away, “Keep away from the mike. I don’t want to catch it.”
In Tonga’s largest church, boys fidgeted near the end of the service. When the final syllable of the word amen came from the pastor’s mouth, little boys were airborne, in the direction of the door. One church in Tonga had a sign "War for Christ." Another church is said to have had a sign "There is no hell," while the sign of the rival church nearby read "The hell there ain't." A billboard asked Tongans to “War for Christ," with a picture of a war club. What a peace-loving religion!
Hawaii. Lahaina, on Maui, was long a popular port for crews of sailing whaling ships. The pretty Polynesian women, as on many other Pacific islands, swam to the ships naked and entertained the sailors, without charging a fee for their services. When missionaries became stronger they forbid the women to go to the ships. The angry sailors fired many cannon rounds at the town. In the 1830s a fort was built to protect the missionaries from the sailors.
New Zealand. Nearly all kiwis are honest. In many towns newspapers are set outside of stores on a stand. A customer takes a newspaper and leaves the proper coins on top.
When we rode a train on the South Island, I saw a flock of sheep ahead. They were headed for a break in the rock fence along the track. Our engineer saw them also. With perfect timing, just as the lead sheep approached the break, the locomotive emitted a long and terrible blast. The terrified sheep ran away from the break.
Australia. In summer in the “Outback,” we often had to do the “Australian salute” with both hands--swatting flies. Flies go for the moisture of the eyes, nose, and mouth. They seem to like 100% Deet.
Many newspapers in Australia have many columns of “personal ads,” placed by a man or a woman, seeking a partner, long-term or only for one night. In Perth I counted 28 columns of the ads in a full-size newspaper. At least half were placed by women. Perth is known for its tall blondes with big bones.
In Tasmania we visited a large sheep station. They are also contract growers of about 80 acres of opium each year, for the British government. Like most farmers, after harvesting a crop they permit livestock to graze on leavings in the field. One year there was enough opium left so it changed the personality of the sheep. They even attacked the sheep dogs! The frustrated dogs had to be taken to a vet to diagnose and cure the problem. After six months the sheep had gradually returned to normal--sheepish.
One evening I joined a group of Australian bus drivers in a lounge. One told about taking a group of tourists in a large fishing boat. He said the boat was crowded, and the wives were behind the boat. Only later did I learn that it was waves that were behind the boat, the wives were with their husbands on the boat.
A large group of “Abos” or Aborigines attacked with frozen kangaroo tails a policeman who carried an abo away from the middle of the highway near Alice Springs. He got to his radio, called for help, several police cars arrived. At the trial the judge asked, “Where is the evidence?” The tails had been eaten.
We made several trips through the former Soviet Union. In cold weather everyone must check the coat and other outerwear. When a performance is over the crowd surges toward the check-stand. Once we finally arrived near the front. Out of corner of eye saw a stocky Russian woman shoving her way to the front, knocking men out of the way like bowling pins. When she hit me I thought she must be a Soviet tank.
We went to the Moscow Circus during 2 of our trips to Russia. The most popular program was a fight between Apache Indians and cowboys, with 6-shooters blazing away. Another time we waited near the front of a group waiting to get into a museum. It was late opening. I understand little Russian, but I knew the crowd said bad things about the museum employees and their mothers. When the door finally opened we surged through like a cork coming out of a champagne bottle. Everyone laughed.
In Leningrad, now called St. Petersburg, our guide in 1984 showed us an article on the back page of Pravda. It stated that President Reagan “had declared the Soviet Union to be illegal, and the missiles will be launched in five minutes.” Our guide said “We know he’s a cowboy, but do you think he meant it? Should we run for the bomb shelters?” As soon as we could we took a taxi to the US embassy. They said “unfortunately, its an accurate quote. The president was horsing around, but he didn’t know the mike was open so reporters could hear.”
It was too windy to land in Tbilisi, Georgia, so our Russian YAK-40 returned to Yerevan, Armenia. We were again taken to the Ani Hotel, the same room, where the lonely mouse awaited me, so he could again crawl through my hair at night.
Estonia. There are many “fountains of youth” in the world. The Vijudumae Nature Reserve has a small river with water that “makes anyone youthful.” Each drink is said to make anyone 10 years younger. I was careful to take only a few sips of water, but I seemed to be the same age. A legend tells of a woman whose husband told her he wanted a younger woman. She drank too much of the water. When her husband found her she was only a crying baby!
Latvia. Riga’s James Church no longer has bells in the belfry. I asked why. The bells were said to ring every time an unfaithful husband walked nearby. The steady ringing of the bells made neighbors so mad that they finally climbed the steeple, tore out the bells, and threw them into the river!
Lithuania. I visited a successful farmer on his farm. A real go-getter, he would do well in Iowa. When the nearby big State farm split up, by “midnight requisitions,” he acquired two tractors with big wheels, two tractors with track treads, a combine, truck, and much other farm machinery. He re-acquired the 20 hectares (50 acres) that his grandparents had owned before the socialist government took it away. He also had 12 more hectares, bought at a low price from his inefficient neighbors. When he learned that I had grown up on farms and I admired his farming skills, I was the guest of honor. He boasted that in five years he will have 300 hectares. I learned to fake the drinking of my glass of vodka after the first two drinks for lunch. His four-year old granddaughter sat alone almost unnoticed in the living room, near an opened bottle of vodka. It was almost empty when she quietly lay down to nap.
Bulgaria. In Gabrova’s Museum of Humor the hundreds of cartoons from all over the world are changed every few months. One shows a faithful dog bringing a condom to his master, who has just begun to kiss his new girlfriend. Local people are said to be so stingy that they stop clock hands at night to save power, they use half-cups to serve guests tea, and they put a lamp in a window between two rooms to save lamp oil. A mother churns butter, the vertical dash is attached by a cord to the cradle, also rocking the baby.
Albania. A host gives his word or besa to protect his guests, even if the guest had killed his brother. Guests are required to check their weapons with the host. Blood feuds continue for generations, especially in the north.
During our visit in 1995 Albania had many autoskolles to teach people how to drive. I saw many schools, all closed. Based upon drivers that I saw, I believe all of the students flunked out.
Hungary. Magazines at eye level in kiosks and stores display on the front cover a front view of beautiful nudes, usually female. This is also common in Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, Croatia, Yugoslavia, the Czech and Slovak republics, Scandinavia, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, and most of Europe.
Topless or nude sunbathing is common in Europe’s parks and on the beaches. Nudes are usually in a separate part of the park or beach. Examples are English Park in Munich and several parks in Berlin and Warsaw. But on the crowded beach in Nice, France, where I went to school for two months, I was surprised. A beautiful girl arrived, took off her street clothes, but she had no bathing suit underneath. She wore only a wrist watch and a necklace. Women who fail to go topless are usually from the USA or Britain.
Billboards and TV ads in Europe often show a topless woman. In Amboise the middle-age Madame and Monsieur that I lived with often watched TV during dinner. In one program two young women and a man frolicked, each wearing only a little sign with the name of the TV station, covering only the genitals. Even my family were aghast when, in horseplay, the threesome tore away the little signs. Another evening a beautiful model advertised various products as her clothes fell off, one by one. After two minutes or so she was nude. I forgot what products she advertised.
Poland. Many cars made in Europe are small. Gasoline costs about 3 times what it costs in the USA. The Polski Fiat usually has a 650 cc engine. Jokers tell about an 8-year old boy who asked his father what was the high wall alongside their Polski Fiat. The father replied “That’s not a wall. It’s the curb.”
Norway. One Sunday morning my wife and I wandered on the narrow winding streets of Bergen. A lady, hearing us speak English, said “I want to sell you my house.” Surprised, I asked why she wanted to sell. She replied “A commune moved in next door and they make noise all night long.”
Norwegians, like many other Europeans until 100 years ago, slept sitting up, often back-to-back with someone else. In winter this gave them more warmth. Sliding doors or curtains around each bed gave some privacy when a family lived in one room.
Denmark. The telephone directory, consisting of two volumes of white pages, lists many sons: Anders(son), Christian, Hans, Jens, Johns, Oles, Peders, Peters, Rasmus, Sorens, and others. Neatness is important in Denmark. Danes enjoy a high standard of living, with many government benefits bought with high taxes. However, I saw several men and women rifling through garbage cans near the railway station, looking for food. I saw no beggars in any of the Scandinavian countries. Walls in Denmark had more graffiti than in other Scandinavian countries. Danish society is more permissive. In a park I saw many young men and women stripped to the waist, quietly trying to get a tan in the weak sunshine.
Germany. On my first trip through East Germany, in 1990, I saw many Trabants, the “paper car,” with a plastic body and a 2-cycle engine. Oil and gasoline had to be mixed, they sound like a lawnmower. I often saw one being pushed on the street. When I lived with a family in Weimar, East Germany, in 1992, a neighbor had a Trabant. Now they are collector’s items.
East Germans had been the wealthiest people behind the “Iron Curtain,” but they after Einheit Tag or unification, on October 3, 1990, they soon realized they were much poorer than their wealthy West Germany neighbors. My Weimar landlady said they were always afraid of their neighbors, who were probably spies for the STASI organization. It was much more effective than the Soviet KGB. More than one-third of the men, women, and children either worked for STASI or was a paid informer for it.
My Weimar class spent several days in Berlin in 1992, with our teacher, who grew up in East Berlin. He took us on several walking tours, telling us the history of each place. We saw few people on the streets in East Berlin. He asked us why. I guessed that they were shopping in West Berlin. He said “No, they are in their apartments, watching VCR-TV movies from the West that were unavailable to them until recently.” In Berlin’s flea market we could buy complete new Soviet military uniforms, stolen from some warehouse. One of my classmates, for less than $100, became a Soviet pilot, complete with insignia and medals. Another became a submarine captain.
Germans are known for being strict disciplinarians. One of my teachers said it is common for parents to hit a small child during discipline almost every day. I agreed, based upon observations of the German families that I had lived with. She asked us whether hitting a small child is a common form of discipline in our countries. The 14 students from 12 European countries either said children are no longer hit in their country, or it is even unlawful.
The 30 Years War, 1618 to 1648, was one of Europe’s most devastating wars. Germany, half Protestant and half Catholic, was hurt the worst. A strong Protestant army was prepared to destroy the Catholic town of Dinkelbuhl. However, Laura, around 12 years old, begged the Swedish general to spare her town. She reminded him of his daughter, so the army spared Dinkelbuhl. A Catholic general captured the Protestant town of Rothenburg ob Taber. The mayor offered to drink nearly a gallon of beer without pausing for breath if the army spared his town. The mayor did so, the town was spared. In a few days the mayor recovered
Italy. Milan is the large commercial and banking center of Italy, also a good place to people watch. It rivals Paris and New York for high fashion. Many girls wear a leather miniskirt that fits tighter than when the cow wore it.
Sicily. After a week in Sicily we returned to Rome in a bus, an eight-hour trip. We speak Italian and were the only foreigners. As we left Catania a woman shouted Senza me marito! The driver calmly answered no problema. Cambiarlo. [Without my husband! No problem, get another.] When we left the bus on the ferry for the mainland the driver asked us to re-board promptly in 25 minutes, adding “Remember, we’re not Germans.”
The Vatican. Michaelangelo’s famous Last Judgment, painted at one end of the Sistine Chapel, is said to originally show all men descending to Hell to be without clothes. During my first visit to the Vatican my guide said a cardinal complained to the pope that nudity was improper and he asked that Michaelangelo be ordered to put on clothes. The pope replied “My jurisdiction is in Heaven, not Hell.” When Michaelangelo heard about the conversation he painted clothes on the men but he also painted the snake of idolatry wrapped around the figure representing that cardinal
France. One cold day at the end of World War II I wandered alone in the old part of Le Havre, France. My friend from pour ship had decided to stay in the USO to drink coffee, eat doughnuts, and flirt with the girls. Most buildings were badly damaged from bombs or shells. When I rounded a corner two men, one with a butcher knife, insisted that I give them my warm seaman’s clothes. They were shivering in rags. While I tried to decide whether to comply, I noticed that they also wore wooden shoes. I darted away as fast as I could, expecting to feel that knife in my back, through four layers of clothes, at any time. After a block or so the clop clop of their shoes on cobblestone ended.
Airport security did not use x-rays when I first departed from Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport in 1983. However, security guards usually gave a pat-down search before passengers boarded. They ignored me, but a male guard made a thorough pat-down search of the pretty young woman ahead of me in line.
Nantes made a museum of the home of Jules Verne, a popular 19th Century writer of semi-scientific novels. One room represents a voyage to the moon. His spacecraft had no extra oxygen and little food or water, but it had something more important to a Frenchman--his dog.
Is France going to the dogs? They love the animals but don’t like to clean up their mess and ignore laws that require scooping. I admired the beautiful railway station in Nantes, with tile floors just cleaned. A dog made a big mess. Several men and women stepped in it, tracking the mess everywhere. An attractive Madame, well-dressed to leave on an important trip, fell in the mess. Her beautiful clothes were ruined, but she continued bravely on. Tourists can’t look at the handsome people or beautiful old buildings, they must watch where they put each foot. In Nice I ate lunch in a nice restaurant. At the next table a man held his dog in his lap, they were eating from the same plate! Some French even take their dog to movies and plays. When a “doodoo tax” was proposed many French raised a terrible howl.
In 1989, during celebrations 200 years after the French Revolution began, my wife and I attended language schools in Provence, France for several months. We went on an all-day excursion nearly every weekend and were always the only foreigners. When a driver did something stupid, like passing on the shoulder, or with head-on traffic, the French tourists were quick to shout autre Parisien, il est fou!
Spain. When I attended a school in Madrid we made several excursions in a big bus. Most of the students were young Spanish señioritas. When we went to Toledo the Spanish bus broke down. Immediately several girls said Como todas las cosas en España! --”Like everything in Spain!” On the return trip to Madrid the bus driver made the mistake of playing popular flamenco songs on the loudspeaker. The energetic girls danced in the aisle. Two played toreador, taking turns being the bull or the fighter. The big bus rocked from side. The driver, fearing that it would tip over, stopped it and pleaded that they calm down.
Portugal. It is easy to find a corner grocery store. Follow your nose. A store often has a few big slabs of salted codfish stacked in a corner. The smell must be too strong for the cats.
England and Scotland. My wife and I hiked the Coast-to-Coast walk across northern England, 190 miles long. At times we walked close to a big bull. If it charged I knew I couldn’t outrun it, but I could outrun several others in other group, to safety behind a tree.
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COUNTRIES and CULTURES of the WORLD, THEN and NOW, VOL. II
by Wesley M. Wilson, BS, MBA, JD
ISBN # 57087-303-8, 410 pages plus 100 black and white photographs, with captions, 6 X 9 inches (15 X 22.5 cm)
. NEW LOW PRICE $18 per volume, or $42 for all 3 volumes + $2 per vol. P and H in USA
- To order books: from Professional Press, P.O. Box 4371, Chapel Hill, NC 27515-4371, checks or major credit cards OK, Tel. 1-800-277-8960, FAX (919) 942-3094, M-F 9:00 to 5:00
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In this volume the author first takes us to the SOUTH PACIFIC. We begin in the Philippines. In Fiji we visit many isolated villages on three islands, and enjoy the kava ceremony, their singing and dancing. In Tonga we go to church and learn how mats are made and why they are so important. After Western Samoa we stop in Hawaii, then enjoy Tahiti's Polynesian and French culture. We follow Darwin, looking at the wildlife in the Galapagos Islands. The author crisscrosses New Zealand and Australia, sometimes staying with friends met on a prior trip.
Next, the author takes us on three trips through much of the FORMER SOVIET UNION, noting the good and bad points of socialism. We then take a slow trip in a van in 1995 through the three Baltic countries and learn why they were so anxious to become independent. We follow the author through nearly every country in EUROPE, beginning in Greece and Turkey. We learn the history and background of each of the Balkans as we travel through them. Why they have had so many wars? What is their future? We continue by land north through parts of the former Yugoslavia, to Poland. We see how some peoples are lost when the blinders of socialism were removed in various countries. After trips to all of the Scandinavian countries we compare East and West Germany. The author has become proficient in German and Italian, and fluent in Spanish and French. He has completed 14 "total immersion" language courses abroad and has lived with many families in Europe. He tells us the history of each of the countries of Europe. He describes in detail the cities and countryside of Germany, Italy, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, and other countries. We visit most of Europe's great museums, many castles, and other tourist sites. The author compares the economics and cultures of the European Union with that of the U.S.A.
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EXCERPTS, COUNTRIES AND CULTURES, VOL. II, Copyright 1997
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Tonga, girl dancing Tau'ulonga Bulgaria, Rila Monastery
[Excerpt, P. 18-22]
Independent State of [Western] Samoa
[Excerpt, Samoa, p. 21-22]
Two-thirds of the land is held commonly, cannot be sold, and requires group approval for leasing. The "family" is the extended family of 50 to 500 people. Disputes often go to court. Our hostess used coconut strands on a short pole to chase out geckos (lizards). When Samoan parents get old all children must return from abroad to care for them. The "old folks' home" has only those who can't be cared for at home. A woman, married or single, can own land, buy State land or freehold land. The soil is rich, they must prune a lot. All of the extended family come to a funeral or wedding to eat and drink, but they also contribute. In 1994 taro was killed by a virus, some people went hungry. The average family has eight children, each child has many foster parents. Kids may walk eight kilometers (5 mi.) each way to school. Parents must pay for tuition, lunch, and books. Roofs thatched with sugar cane or coconut leaves leak, must be replaced after a bad storm, and are now more expensive than metal. A thatch roof must be changed every three years, even without a storm. Some mats are unrolled only for sleeping. Our hostess said "if a Samoan requests our mats or anything else we can't say no." Mats are woven for a baby before its birth, the fiber is boiled or sunned to make it soft. Soft coconut fibers were stuffed into a baby's clothes, used like a diaper. Fine or sacred mats are for gifts, to wear for weddings, or other special occasions. The talking chief has a staff (long carved pole), whisk, and special necklace. We took pictures of a talking chief with much stenciling from his waist to mid-thighs. It is painful and expensive, requiring six months or so for a male and three months for a female (on only the thighs), "but it must be done." Traditions are strong. For tapa cloth, dye is put on a carved stencil board, which is pressed against the cloth to make designs. At night tapa cloth is hung on two cords in a fale to partition off three rooms. They tap wild rubber trees to make cricket balls. Our hostess said "Samoan cacao has the best flavor." For an eating plate Samoans use a fine-woven mat or a big leaf. Big cords of tobacco are wrapped with banana leaves and smoked by men and women. There are no thieves, "but we borrow from our neighbors and may not tell them." No one can marry within the village. A minister cannot be ordained until he is married, there would be "too many temptations," too many willing girls, for a single minister.
Like most Pacific islanders, Samoans do not carry things on the head. Samoans use hammocks for Sunday afternoon lounging but don't leave them hanging, they might be "borrowed." Samoans and polite guests take off shoes before entering a home, a common practice also in Fiji, Tonga, and most of the South Pacific. We left one breakfast to see the parade of women, soon to leave for the annual meeting of the International Association of Women, in China in 1995. In long colorful dresses, they walked under different banners, usually while singing and carrying fans. Samoan women can vote, but they want equal pay and equal rights to plan village projects. Our guide said Margaret Mead was never in Western Samoa, only on an island of American Samoa, where "as a girl of 18 or 19 she was seduced by a man called Napoleon."
[Excerpt, Countries & Cultures, Vol. II, P. 69-71]
Former Soviet Union
P. 76 History P. 79 The Former Soviet System P. 80 Russian Federation P. 93 Ukraine P. 96 Georgia P. 98 Armenia P. 100 Uzbekistan P. 104 The Baltics P. 105 Estonia P. 109 Latvia P. 113 Lithuania P. 120 Outlook for the Former Soviet Union P. 122a Photographs
History. In the 9th century A.D. the Kievan Rus began to organize local tribes in what is now Ukraine and Russia. Prince Vladimir in 988-989 declared that Christianity would be the religion. In the 12th Century a strong prince held much land in Vladimir and Suzdal. In the next century Mongols under Genghis Khan and others took much of the southern territory of the Rus, forming the Golden Horde. The Moscow prince began to organize local tribes, sometimes defeating the Mongols. By 1400 Timur-i-Lang (Tammerlane) had captured a large part of southern Asia, with his capital in Samarkand. His cruelty was often shown by burying men alive. A hundred years later the cruel empire had crumbled and the Uzbeks took control of part of the area, settling down to mix with other tribes. Ivan IV of Moscow called himself Tsar, (Czar) but he was better known as Ivan the Terrible. By 1580 his troops had controlled much of western Siberia. In a fit of anger he killed his son and heir, Ivan. When he died his sickly son, Fyodor, became czar. When Fyodor died Boris Godunov became czar. The "Time of Troubles" began. The other son of Ivan IV, Dmitri, apparently died a mysterious death, perhaps killed by Godunov. Several men, called "False Dmitris" claimed to be czar. A group of citizens and clergy in 1613 chose Mikhail Romanov as Czar Michael I. He was the first Romanov czar.
Peter the Great, 1689 to 1725, was a grandson of Michael. He grew up in the neighborhood of Moscow where foreigners lived. He was impressed by foreign things and ideas. He created a modern army, tried to modernize Russia, introduced manufacturing and culture, and he developed St. Petersburg on a swamp on the Baltic sea. By defeating Sweden he took over much of modern Latvia and Estonia. Catherine I of Latvia began as Peter's mistress, but they were married in 1712. She became empress, and ruled for two years after Peter died in 1725. Some 37 years later Catherine II (the Great), a German who was born in Poland, became empress. She collected art and lovers, took part of Poland, and took the Crimea and more after defeating Turkey. She died in 1796. In the early 19th Century Alexander I defeated Napoleon's army with the help of a cold winter, and got Finland. Russia expanded south in the Crimea near the Black Sea, and east to Alaska. It fought Turkey and, at times, Britain and France. The condition of the peasants was terrible, and Alexander II's attempt to abolish serfdom in 1861 did little to better their condition. The Trans-Siberian Railway was completed shortly after 1895. Russia occupied Manchuria after China's "Boxer Rebellion" against Western countries in 1900. Japan was worried that Russia was becoming a rival in the Far East. The Czar's backward army was defeated by Japan in 1904-1905. A revolution of city workers in 1905-1907 was blunted by the Czar and the Duma.
The last Romanov czar, Nicholas II, and his wife asked a mystic, Grigory Yefimovich (Rasputin), to cure their son Aleksei, a hemophiliac. While Nicholas II was near the battlefront in World War I Rasputin was soon telling the czarina what to do, while seducing women right and left. He was shot and thrown into the Neva River in December, 1916.
In World War I, 1914-1918, Russian troops were poorly equipped while fighting Germany, resulting in many losses. In October (November 6 by the later calendar), 1917, Lenin led a revolt of "Bolshevik" workers in St. Petersburg. The Romanov family, Czar Nicholas, his wife, their son, and apparently all four daughters, were executed near Ekaterinberg on the night of July 16-17, 1918, by Yakov Yurovsky, a Bolshevik officer, and his men. The "Red Army" had many battles with the "White Army," sometimes winning. After much cruelty and hardship by both sides the Reds won, establishing Soviets to govern. When Lenin died in 1924 Joseph Stalin became dictator. He dismissed Leon Trotsky as secretary of war in 1925, and had him, a rival for power, banished to Mexico in 1929. Trotsky was assassinated in 1940. Stalin established the First Five Year Plan in 1928. Landowners and peasants who resisted the collectivization of land were killed or sent to death work camps in Siberia. Private industry was also forcibly collectivized. The Five Year Plans tried to speedily increase the electrification of villages, and increased production of farm machinery and heavy industry, not consumer goods. In the Great Purges of 1934-1937 some 10 million "enemies of the people" (of Stalin) were killed or exiled to Siberia, sometimes after secret trials.
On August 23, 1939 Stalin and Germany's Hitler made a secret agreement to take over and divide among themselves several Eastern Europe countries. The Soviet Union took eastern Poland and more. However, on June 22, 1941 Hitler's military attacked the Soviet Union. The Soviet military fought a retreat as it reorganized. Hitler bragged that he would eat Christmas dinner, 1941 in Leningrad's (St. Petersburg) Astoria Hotel. The Nazi army almost surrounded Leningrad from September 1941 until January 1944. Some escaped over frozen Lake Ladoga to the northeast, but a million people in Leningrad died, 60 percent of them from starvation. The U.S.A. sent many thousands of planes, food, and other supplies to the Soviet Union. In the Battle of Stalingrad (now Volvograd), beginning in August 1942, Germans almost captured the city but the Soviet army surrounded Germany's large Sixth Army, taking all survivors as prisoner, in January, 1943. That was the turning point, as the Soviet Army slowly began to push westward. Soviets lost at least 20 million dead in World War II, the U.S.A. lost 407,000, including non-battle deaths.
Stalin established military and trade alliances with all countries in eastern Europe that lie between Finland and Greece. (See German Democratic Republic--East Germany, and the other countries.) The Soviet Union exploded its first atomic bomb in 1949 and maintained a strong military. Leaders in Eastern European countries who were not friendly to the Soviet Union were purged, in various ways. The "Cold War" with the West began around 1947. Lavrenty Beria was the head of the spy organization, NKVD. He was secretly arrested and executed shortly after Stalin died in 1953, on charges that he was planning a coup. G. M. Malenkov became premier. He wanted to increase production of consumer goods but he was replaced in 1955 by Nikolai Bulganin. However, Nikita Khruschev had become first secretary of the Communist Party. He soon had the most power. In 1956 Khruschev denounced Stalin, his errors, and his crimes. In 1957 the Soviet Union put the first satellite, Sputnik I, into orbit around the Earth. Khruschev made visits to the U.S.A. and elsewhere, and relations with the West slightly improved. Khruschev lost some of his support when a U-2 spy plane of the U.S.A. was shot down in 1960, and it was learned that spy planes had often been flying over the Soviet Union. Khruschev began to place missiles in Cuba in 1962, denied that they were there, but backed down when the U.S.A. produced in the United Nations many photographs of them and made it clear that war was likely. Khruschev removed the missiles. He was forced to retire in October, 1964.
Leonid Brezhnev became first secretary of the Communist Party, then general secretary also. In 1969 Soviet and Chinese troops fought each other in a border dispute in Manchuria. A Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT) was signed in 1972 with U.S.A. president Nixon. In 1979 Soviet troops began fighting guerrillas who opposed Afghanistan's pro-Soviet government. The Soviets were unable to win, and ten years later Soviet troops were withdrawn. Brezhnev died in November 1982. Yuri Andropov, head of the KGB spy organization, became the general secretary of the communist Party. Andropov soon became quite sick, dying in February 1984. Konstantin Chernenko became general secretary. He died in March 1985. Mikhail Gorbachev became general secretary of the Communist Party. Gorbachev agreed to some economic and political reforms, and to elections for members of Congress. Gorbachev supported glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) of the government. Boris Yeltsin, head of the Russian Republic, wanted faster reforms. Yeltsin and many other "radicals" resigned from the Communist Party. On August 19, 1991 many conservative senior Party officials declared a state of emergency and attempted, in a coup, to take over the government. They held Gorbachev a prisoner and announced that he was sick. Yeltsin led a general strike, there were big demonstrations in support of Yeltsin. The military refused to attack the demonstrators. Activities of the Communist Party were suspended. Yeltsin asked to establish a new commonwealth of independent nations. The Commonwealth of Independent States became operative in December 1991. Gorbachev resigned as Party general secretary and the Soviet Union ceased to exist on December 26, 1991.
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Moscow, St. Basel's Church on Red Square St. Petersburg, St. Isaacs Cathedral
Odesa, Ukraine, Ptomkin Steps Tbilisi, Georgia, where Stalin lived, & Kura River
Istanbul, Turkey, Taksim Square & the Republic Monument
Excerpt, Countries & Cultures, Vol. II, P. 131-139]
ROMANIA
Population 22 million (0.4 % per year natural increase); area 239,000 sq. km. (92,000 sq. mi.); GDP $65 billion; average income $2790; literacy rate 97% Population of Bucharest 2.1 million
HISTORY & BACKGROUND. Modern Romania includes Wallachia in the south, Moldavia in the northeast, and Transylvania in the north. The Car pathian Mountains cover much of Transylvania, the Transylvania Alps forms the southern border of Transylvania. Thracians arrived in the Balkans earlier than 1,000 B.C. A branch of the Tracians, the Dacians, had established a kingdom before the Romans invaded around 101 A.D. People speaking Latin moved into the rich agricultural valleys. Modern Romanian is a Latin lan guage with many Slavic words. Moldavia and Wallachia had become feudal states by the 14th Century. The rulers of Wallachia, Moldavia, and Tran sylvani for nearly 100 years prevented the Turks from getting a stronghold north of their part of the Danube River. Before the 16th Century began, until late in the 19th Century, Wallachia and Moldavia were under control of Turks.
In 1877 Wallachia helped Russia fight Turks, being rewarded with Dobrudja on the Black Sea. In 1878 Wallachia and Moldavia were recognized by the Turks as independent Romania. Transylvania, somewhat independent, came under control of the Austria-Hungary Habsburg Empire. It joined Ro mani after the Balkan wars in 1913. When Austria, Hungary, and the other Central Powers lost World War I Romania became an independent country, consisting of all three provinces, plus Dobrudja. In 1940 Stalin took part of Moldavia into the Soviet Union, it became independent in 1991. In World War II Romania fought with Nazi Germany. Soon after Soviet troops invaded in 1944 Romania agreed to fight with Soviets against Germany. After the war northern Transylvania was returned to Romania.
The constitution of 1948 allied Romania with the Soviet Union. After Nicolae Ceausescu became president in 1947 he gradually made Romania independent of the Soviet Union. Several American presidents treated Ceausescu as a hero because he remained independent of the Soviet Union. The land of rich farmers was made into large State farms. Other farm land was taken for smaller co-ops. Private homes, industry, and shops were also nationalized. In villages homes were torn down without payment to the own es, residents were told they had to by an apartment in a high-rise building. To buy a car required payment of the price in full, then the buyer's name was put on a list. After waiting more than five years some people got a car. The external national debt was paid off, with great sacrifices by the people and the country. Kent cigarettes became the common currency.
In mid-December, 1989 demonstrations against the government began in earnest. Security forces shot some demonstrators, leading to more demonstrations in Bucharest and elsewhere. Ceausescu returned from Iran on December 21, speaking from a balcony in downtown Bucharest. He was unable to stop protests. The next day the army sided with demonstrators. Ceausescu was tried on December 23, he and his wife were found guilty of genocide, and they were executed on December 25. A republic was declared and parliament was elected. Many of the leaders had been active in the communist party. After 1991 many non-competitive industries were shut down. Beginning in 1990 land was given back to the original owners, now elderly, or their descendants, up to three hectares each. State farm workers received up to 10 hectares (25 acres). However, some had never lived on a farm. Few had money to buy tractors, horses, equipment, seed, or other things necessary for efficient farming. Irrigation pipes were dismantled. Production dropped. Co-ops were reestablished, to share the use of equipment and labor. Apartments in large homes were sold cheaply to the occupants, but former owners of the big homes received little or no payment.
In 1995 unemployment was around 45 percent, inflation was 400 percent, and Romania had become one of Europe's poorest countries. Some people bought a used car made in western Europe, selling it a few months later for a big profit. Many trained people emigrated to Canada, the U.S.A., or Aus tralia. There is a shortage of accountants. The Communist government had not trained accountants, but they are important in today's market economy.
The Ceausescu government tried to increase the population and the work force. Contraceptives and abortions were made illegal. Orphanages and institutions were soon filled with abandoned babies, handicapped and others. Residents of the U.S.A. and other countries adopted some of the children. Many gypsies sold their children. Laws have been passed recently in Romania to control adoption by foreigners. Schools are crowded, many have three shifts. Eight years of school is mandatory, although many gypsy children don't go to school. Gypsies often live in older or poorer homes on the edge of villages. They are discriminated against in many ways. Many fled to Ger many, some were sent back to Romania. Some 43 percent of the land is arable. There are 224 people per square km. of arable land. Ion Iliescu, president, pardoned nearly all of the jailed former communist leaders. Emil Constantinescu of the center Democratic Convention Party won the election for president in 1996. Michael I, king until 1947, has been permitted to return, with his citizenship, but not his kingship, restored.
TRAVELS. My wife and I arrived in BUCHAREST in 1995, to tour Ro mania, Bulgaria, and Albania with a small group. From the plane I noticed that Romanian villages often spread out along a highway, they are less compact than in many European countries. Bucharest has ten percent of Ro mania's people. Ceausescu tried to industrialize the country and move people out of rural areas into cities. A Pizza Hut and a Sex Shop stood next to our Soviet-style high-rise hotel. We changed dollars for leis at the hotel. Our TV received several Western European stations by cable. However, the bathroom sink faucets and toilet ran continuously, typical of many formerly socialist countries where maintenance is poor. The toilet paper was also like thin card board. During the night some of the dogs finally wore out their lungs and stopped barking.
In Bucharest, Nicolae Balcescu Avenue, going north and south, passes many of the tourist sites. It changes names both north and south. The 22 floor tall Hotel Intercontinental is on Balescu. Calea Victorei Boulevard parallells Balescu a few blocks west. It has Palace Square, the former communist headquarters, and the Art Museum. Uniri (Unity) Boulevard, going east and west, connects a plaza and a park with Palace Square and the huge building of Parliament and several government ministries.The United Nations Plaza and an old shopping district are north. The Stavropoleos Church, Stock Exchange, Victory Square, Cathedral, and Museum of the History of Romania are nearby. The next main east to west street is Republic Boulevard, with University Plaza. The stadium, Ministry of Foreign affairs, embassy row, and the big Heraustrau Park with a lake and the Village Museum are north. The Dim bovita River flows across the city in the north.
The next morning we rode east to the DANUBE DELTA, near the border with the Ukraine. We passed through a rich agricultural area, with donkeys or horses pulling wagons, fields of sunflowers, wheat, and corn. Hay was being cut, often with hand scythes. Men, women, and children raked hay and loaded it onto wagons with pitchforks, riding on top to the village, where hay is stacked around a tall pole. A capable girl less than 10 years old drove a wagon loaded with wheat straw. Women wearing headscarves used a half-round hoe to cut weeds in fields. In the absence of trees farmers built brush lean-tos for shade. The only fences were around village homes, where a vegetable garden and fruit trees filled up all of the space. Each village has at least one well with a metal crank to bring up the bucket of water. In the village cemetery big white crosses mark the graves. Each farmer has one or two cows, and they often have a few sheep or goats. The village animals are watched during the day by someone from the village. One boy slept in the cool shade while his sheep foraged along the busy highway. Each village has a clinic, marked with a red cross. Medical and hospital care in State hospitals and clinics is free, as in much of Europe. Medicine is free for children under seven and for pensioners. However, private clinics require payment, and physicians expect a "gift" for each visit. A surgeon expects a gift equal to several hundred dollars for a major operation. Gypsies often pitch their tents on the outskirts of a village, perhaps staying for years. Many live in homes, though they tend to be smaller or older. Romania has around 500,000 gypsies. They are blamed for much minor crime.
We stopped in a village with several restaurants and stores to use the pub lic toilets, always leaving a small tip for the guardwoman. Nearby some 12 or 15 young women prisoners, apparently all gypsies, were guarded by a husky woman and a man. The prisoners, for "minor crimes," serve a few months, cutting weeds and brush along the highway. A few kilometers further we saw men prisoners doing road repair work. Walnut and linden trees are planted along the road. We stopped to talk with men driving three empty wag ons, each pulled by one horse, to get more hay. One man offered us a drink from his bottle of vodka. If the drivers become drunk, perhaps the horses will stay sober. Big trailers loaded with beehives are hauled to where a particular plant is blooming. We saw a few covered wagons like those once used in the U.S.A., plus gypsy vans, and fast two-wheel carts.
Soon after we arrived in TULCEA, the city on the Danube near the delta, a rain storm hit. Water soon filled streets with water up to the hubs on bicycles. Vehicles stalled. An hour after rain stopped most of the water had disappeared and men began to scrape and haul away mud. We visited the Delta National Historical Museum, in an old mansion. Silt from the Danube is making Romania grow some six meters (20 ft.) each year into the Black Sea. The museum has many stuffed animals and birds from the delta--badger, wild cat, otter, hermine, hare, fox, huge wild boar, heron, swan, Great Bus tard, and others. The aquarium has many local live fish, including long eel and big sturgeon with a diamond-shape black and white design.
We spent a day on a boat on the lower Danube. Water was high and brown from recent rain. We passed a few ships and many idle gantry cranes of the once-busy port. Romania is trying to re-establish exports to some of its earlier markets--Russia, Ukraine, and Cuba. All are now too poor to buy much. Soon we left the Danube, turning up the Baatul Sulina, passing near the Ukraine border. We passed small farms where the men also fish in rowboats. Soon we began to see many birds--heron, ibis, egrets, ducks, and others. We saw several cormorants, they have little oil, so they can go deep into water for fish. The many willows reminded me of two magnificent stories by Algernon Blackwood, The Willows and The Wendego. They were set some 700 kilometers (437 mi.) upstream on the Danube. The water became clear and blue. I saw a small beautiful irridescent blue bird. We stopped to buy fish at a fishermens' hut made of brush. Our crew cleaned, cooked, and served the fish to us. With garlic sauce and mamaliga, a tasty kind of yellow cooked corn meal, it was delicious.
We returned to BUCHAREST, and ate a tasty dinner in the patio of the Casa Manila restaurant, in an old mansion. It was formerly available only to scientists. Under communism some groups could live well, though they had little cash. Eating dinner required from three to four hours of our time each evening, service was not fast. The next morning, the city tour took us through a neighborhood of French-style homes a century old. Romanians admired the French. The main square has an old red brick Orthodox Church, dwarfed by large government buildings--the former communist party headquarters where Ceausescu made his last speech from a balcony, the home of the local spy organization, the former national palace, and the national library. At the end of a wide avenue with fountains, formerly Victory of Communism Avenue, now Dechivald Avenue, is "the world's 2nd-largest building." Ceausescu had hundreds of homes torn down to build the monstrosity, with several basement levels of bomb shelters and food storage, a huge carpet, and carved cherry wood doors and window frames.
On a hill not far away is the cathedral and bishop's home of the Romania Orthodox Church. The exterior walls of the church have icons showing heaven and hell. Many Romanian churches, particularly in northern Moldavia, have beautiful paintings of scenes from the Bible, used to educate people who were illiterate. Some 80 percent of Romanians are baptized in the Orthodox Church, and go there for weddings, births, and funerals. Inside, several layers of icons go from the floor to the top of the high domes. Priests were singing and chanting, women kneeled and made the sign of the cross. Not far away, St. George Church is used for "kilometer zero" to measure distances in Ro mania. Near the Hotel Intercontinental, stone crosses mark the place where in 1990 miners attacked demonstrators from the nearby university. A few kilo meters away, the Romanian TV headquarters building and nearby buildings have bullet scars from 1990. The tall Russian-style "wedding cake" building is home of a newspaper. The statue of Lenin that once decorated the front en trance was removed several years ago, leaving the empty pedestal found throughout eastern Europe. A nice neighborhood on a lake in a forest, off-limits to most Romanians under communism, has the mansions of gov ernment officials. Under communism, as George Orwell hinted, everyone was equal, but some were far more equal than others. Ceausescu's former pal ace is now N.A.T.O. headquarters, our guide said.
The Village Museum has 42 old houses and many outbuildings, brought from all over Romania to the 10 hectare (25 acres) site. An old mountain house from Transylvania has big hand-hewed oak boards. Near the door there are many holes to hide the key. Most houses have a guest room with icons. The family crowded into the other room. Homes were decorated with an en trance gate of carved wood, the more elaborate the carving, the richer was the family. Thorstein Veblen's conspicuous consumption has long been found in many lands. One gate has carved figures of Adam, Eve, and a serpent. A wooden church 275 years old, with a tall tower, has a fortified front room. In times of trouble men stayed there to defend the village, women and children hid in the back. Some houses had a wine cellar, and a wooden barrel for mak ing fruit brandy. Each village had handy benches for gossips, serving as the village newspaper. In southern Romania homes were half underground, for cooler summers as well as to hide in case an enemy came near.
Our bus headed north on National Road No. 1. Vendors sold bagels, cab bages, tomatoes, watermelon, and cantelopes. Men or women led a cow on a rope to grass along the busy road. There are still many State farms, where clear title to the property by previous owners was not clearly proven. Prisoners help to harvest crops on State farms. Soldiers help with Romania's harvests, as in many European and Asian countries. Ploesti was a major sup plier of petroleum for the Nazi Germany war machine. It still has two busy refineries, using Romanian oil from other regions. Nine railway tracks led Allied bombers to it in 1943. My brother-in-law asked me not to tell Romani ans that he flew 13 missions in a B24 against Ploesti. Nearly one-third of the bombers of the first mission were shot down.
We entered the scenic Carpathian Mountains. SINAI has a cablecar that goes to the site of a casino (now closed). Another cablecar continues to the summit, some 2,500 m. (8200 ft.) high. Under communism the hotels and ski slopes were largely free for members of a union. Now they are too expensive for Romanian workers. Nearby there are several castles. King Carol built one in 1883, using his family's money. When he died he gave it to Romania for a museum. The modern castle was built with central heat and electric power lines. One statue is of a Polish count who confiscated land of a monastery. The pope ordered him to wear a chain and a beard. He did so, but many oth ers sympathized, also wearing a chain and half a beard. It became the fashion. The weapons room has 4,000 items from the 15th through the 18th Centu ries--armor, oriental weapons, pistols, and knives decorated with precious stones. A German knight had full armor for himself and his horse--a 15th Cen tury "tank." In the king's study he stood along with guests, to keep inter views short. In the library, books hide a secret stairway. The consul room has purple chairs and paintings of nudes. The dark dining room has a dumb waiter connecting with the kitchen. Reception rooms are decorated in Moorish, Turkish, and Italian styles, their use depended upon from where where the guests came. To make the castle strong, the shadow--only the shadow--of an officer was buried. How is a shadow buried? He died within a year. His ghost is said to live in the castle.
A nearby castle was built by one of Carol's sons, Ferdinand. He was gay, but his pretty wife, Queen Mary, had six children. The queen was said to en tertain her male guests in a queen-size bed. Her son, Carol II, was a playboy. He married Princess Helen from Greece, divorced her, and ran away with a mistress, Magda Lupescu. Carol returned, became a dictator, but was forced to abdicate in 1940, in favor of his son Michael.
The Sinai Monastery has an Orthodox Church built in 1695, with alternate red and white layers of bricks. Turks robbed the emerald eyes of frescoes of the saints. The new church, built in 1850, is used for regular services. Since religion was discouraged under communism, it is now popular. Many young men aspire to become a monk, but the two year training eliminates many. As in all Orthodox churches in Eastern Europe, a trained monk cannot become a priest until he marries. The people uniformly agree that to have a bachelor priest "would cause too many problems." The museum has icons, paintings, tapestries, carvings, clothes worn by priests over the centuries, and the Bible in several huge editions.
On Romania's roads a traveler sees many broken-down vehicles. Many have a flat tire but no spare wheel. Vehicles, whether or not functional, often stop on the busy paved roadway, for a minute or several hours, with no warning signal. Traffic has been light, there has apparently been little training in highway safety. The many roadside shrines often have a cross, a photo of the youth killed in an accident, and flowers. The shrines often appear at in tersections, apparently in lieu of a yield sign. In towns and villages dogs without collars run wild, often barking much of the night. We talked with several of the sheep or goat herders. Shepherds control dogs by whistles. Dogs protect the animals against wolves and bear. Each shepherd carries a long straight stick. The shepherds said they are used to hit wolves.
We visited BRAN CASTLE, on a hill. In Transylvania, it protected the border with Wallachia. Nine villages financed its construction. Counts re quired that anyone crossing the border at Bran Pass in the narrow valley pay a three percent tax. Built in 1377, it is said to be the model for the castle in Bram Stoker's popular novel about vampire Count Dracula, published in 1897. Vlad Tepes, 1430-1476, is said to be the model for Dracula. He was the son of Vlad Dracul, or Vlad the Devil. Tepes was a nobleman who is said to have impaled people on stakes. He also wandered around in disguise, picking up women, who often disappeared. A huge table some 25 cm. (10 in.) thick was made from one piece of oak. A tower has an organ that plays music when the wind blows. The parapet, guarded by archers, later by cannon, pro vides a good view of the road below. A well in the courtyard has an escape tunnel. Nearby, vendors sold beautiful local sweaters, tablecloths, and wood carvings.
BRASOV was an 11th Century German town. It has Romania's largest church, called the Black Church because of a fire long ago. Members of each guild had particular seats assigned to them. Across the street is a secondary school where classes are in German. The nearby Town Hall Square, with the town hall, a fountain, and a nearby pedestrian street, is a pleasant place to shop, stroll, or sit and watch people. AVRIG has a pleasant village church protected by a fence and a carved wooden gate. The church has frescoes painted on outside walls. Monuments list the names of village people killed in World War I and World War II. A man cut grass with a scythe, women raked it with long-handle wooden rakes. Another man loaded hay into a wagon with flaring sides, pulled by bullocks. Across the street storks nested in a chimney.
SIBIU has a playground where children slide down the trunk of a concrete elephant. The medieval town is the home of both the world-wide king and the emperor of gypsies. The big main square is lined with 13th and 14th Century buildings. A 13th Century doorway leads to the ancient lower town. The city had three rows of fortifications, some are well preserved.
We followed the Olt River southeast through the Carpathian Mountains. Every village home has a grape arbor for summer shade and for grapes to eat or make wine. Fenced-in yards have a vegetable garden and fruit trees. Some also have grass, which is never mowed, as in much of eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. A red tower of brick and stone marks the old border of Transylvania and Wallachia. There is much trash along Romania's roads and in villages and some cities. Sulphur Springs and resort hotels attract many Romanians, even during today's poor economic problems. Villages often have new homes under construction. Under communism any new construction re sulted in a government inquiry as to the source of money, often resulting in prison. Many brick homes have much wood framing and a protruding red tile roof. We bought fresh plum brandy from a family, they make it from homegrown fruit in a small distillery, and store it in a wooden barrel. Roma nians are often handsome, usually thin. They have not had enough to eat for many years.
Returning to BUCHARIST, we relaxed in a park, took a boat trip on a lake, and rode to the railway staion for our train south to Bulgaria. Barefoot gypsy women in long dresses patrolled up and down in the station. Our small group had two-person compartments. We lowered windows for the cool even ing air, which also brought hungry mosquitoes. Repellent kept most of them away. On the slow train we had great views of village life. Families cooked in back yards in pots over open fires. Several covered wagons of gyp sies looked for a camp site. At the border we talked with a friendly Roma nian soldier. Men are drafted at age 20, to serve a year. Their pay is only about three dollars monthly. A line of cars and trucks several kilometers long waited at each side of the border. When we crossed the big bridge over the Danube we were in Bulgaria.
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