Category Archives: Germany

My husband was born in Passau, Germany. Or, so they tell him; he doesn’t actually remember. It is named as his birthplace on his papers, which always causes some consternation at border-crossings, because he has a Hungarian name and an American passport. His parents escaped from Hungary after the Soviet Red Army invaded in September 1944. Some years later, when my husband was five, they emigrated to the USA with […]

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Bavaria. When I think of Bavaria, I think of buxom blond women in dirndls (traditional white blouses, laced bodices, full skirts and aprons), and moustached men in lederhosen (leather breeches). I think of medieval castles, charming villages, and beer in copious steins. But, it is also home to expanses of dark forests that stretch from high up in the Bavarian Alps down to the […]

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The cities of Europe – even those which are lesser known to those of us who spend little time there – are fascinating for their charm and their long and rich history. Regensburg, sitting at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen Rivers, has been the centre of trade, political battle, and religious turmoil since the Stone Age. Located […]

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History is written by the victors. So, how do the non-victors manage to tell their stories, especially to future generations who are looking back on conflicts with very different historical perspectives? How do descendants of those who were seen as perpetrators of crimes or atrocities reconcile themselves with their own histories? How do the future generations, who are often still seen […]

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