travel preparations.
this is the picture i took as the plane flew out of Chicago. bungalows and industry, echt. it was raining. i had three seats all to myself.
***
from: mira m.
to: erika o.
date: Tuesday, March 29 23:30 -0500
subject: sanctuary?
hi there. i'm sorry i haven't contacted you before now about staying with you for a few days this summer, but the sun hasn't been out at all for four months and the summer seemed too far away to even think about. i hope you're doing well in berlin.
my friend caitlin and i are going to be in europe from mid-may to mid-june, & in berlin from may 17 to may 22 or 23. we would really, really, really like to stay with you for at least part of the time we're there. we obviously won't expect you to do anything for us except provide a little square of floor for us to sleep on, and maybe point out exciting places where we can go. we're small and quiet, and neither of us snores. we'll be eternally grateful and willing to compensate you in any way we can.
also, if you can give us any advice about trains, mostly whether we can get from berlin to krakow or from prague to berlin with as little hassle and residual communist bureaucracy as possible, that would be really, really nice.
with vast amounts of truly sincere gratitude,
mira
***
from: mira m.
to: caitlin m.
date: Tuesday, March 29 23:50 -0500
subject: further plans
i just sent an email to erika, the girl i hope we can stay with in berlin. it was full of, you know, ostentatious gratitude, the sort of thing i would expect if i were in her place, because i am a middle-class american with a deep fear of imposing on people. in any case, though, she's a very nice girl, she's from california, she's very pretty, and talks in a way that makes you imagine she had a lisp as a child, so yes, i like her.
mostly i am interested in knowing if you have in mind any specific things we should do in berlin/krakow/prague, (aside from the salt mines, obviously) or even any vague-ish ideas or assumptions you have. i talked with my father the other day and he was incredulous that i wasn't particularly interested in the standard tourist things -- you know, guided tours and such. similarly, of course, i don't want to go to auschwitz or terezin or other such Tragic History Spectacles, since i would feel disgusting and vulturish. in any case, i'm not interested in consuming berlin. i suppose what i'm mostly interested in is running around and seeing things and talking with people, & while i expect you're interested in that sort of thing mostly too, did you find anything exciting in those guidebooks of yours? i've been looking at travel resources on the internet, but most of the things i've found that have not been very standard and unhelpful have been travelogues written by americans complaining about post-communist inefficiency and making obvious, truistic remarks about europe. (for instance, this: nice pictures, unfortunately written by a man who is clearly a colossal jackass.) you know, i used to read a lot of travel books when i lived in salem.
incidentally -- bourek says not to go to bratislava, that there isn't anything there and that we should go to trencin or piestany, which are closer to the czech border in any case.
the sun came out for the first time in months this afternoon and triggered my catlike instincts. i slept for hours.