Day 349: Swimming at Wannsee
36yearsago.com
Vienna 1971—A Student Journal
A year of music, study, travel, sightseeing &
friends.
Day
349 — Swimming at Wannsee
16-Jul-1972
(Sun.)
TRANSCRIPT
Berlin loves modern architecture
BERLIN
Again breakfast. Already, I’m fighting with her that
she is too nice. Also the husband and her mother.
When I return I will definitely come here.
Thinking about future plans. Will be quite different
than I thought. Mainly because of money. I think that
I will be only able to spend a few days (the most) in
traveling after Berlin. Perhaps Munich and then
possible side trip, or direct to Wien. Then direct to
Paris, and I hope I’ll see Anjali there.
Went swimming. Beautiful day. Went to large bathing
place on Wannsee. Quite a few people. Big beach.
Water is all right. Where did all the hippie girls
go? Ha. Quite a few sailboats on the lake. Nice
wooded area also. Berlin has everything.
Afterwards. Seem to have gotten quite a good burn.
Find that money in bathing suit from Michael (in
Malomice).
Night
– Avant-garde
In concert hall of Rundfunk. Pretty nice. Heard
Gorsskopf. Some things sound interesting but still
misses.
Met the girl [from pension] at a dancing place. All
right. She leaves tomorrow.
REFLECTIONS
Money
is flowing. It looks
like I will only stay a few days in Berlin as the
money is running out. How much am I spending? From my
“financial ledger” that I found, it looks like I am
spending the equivalent of one month’s Vienna living
expenses for this one trip to Berlin. Also, I am
constantly cashing what is left of my American
Express traveler’s checks. At some point, I will scan
and talk a bit more about my finances throughout the
year. Perhaps continuing on in the blog. It is
interesting that I do not “just sit home” and do
nothing because of the money. Thank goodness,
otherwise I would have experienced nothing.
Planning.
I’m trying
to figure out the end game for the rest of my year in
Europe—totally controlled by the amount of money
left. Munich—Wien—Paris. Who knows?
Wannsee
swimming. It’s
Sunday and I’m swimming at Lake Wannsee. It seems
like there are a lot of people and I get a
sunburn—lotion, John. I don’t seem to meet any girls.
I remember being surprised about the sail boats on
the lake. Here we are in the middle of West Berlin,
surrounded by communism, and the people seem to be
enjoying life to the fullest. Another real-world life
lesson for the book-schooled kid.
European
nudity. During
my year in Europe, I saw very little social nudity.
The exception was in the saunas during my ski
vacations. When reading a bit of Jonathan’s European
travel blog yesterday, he mentions that on his visit
to Wannsee there was a wall that separates a clothed
beach from a clothing-optional beach. The Europeans
are open to nudity and it’s no big deal. When my wife
and I visited Switzerland a few years ago, there was
an immense section of indoor and outdoor saunas (10
of them), solariums, showers, cold pools, outdoor and
indoor seating areas—all totally nude—within the
context of a larger swim and health club that also
had totally amazing indoor and outdoor swimming pools
and thermal baths. Incredible. We have something to
learn from the Europeans.
Night music. At
night, I see a concert from the avant-garde music
festival at the Rundfunk concert hall, which I seem
to enjoy. I end the night with dancing with the girl
from the pension. Planned?
Modern
Berlin. Even in
1972, Berlin was a modern city. Modern in spirit, in
culture, in art, in music, and in architecture.
Berlin celebrates being young and being modern.
Either of these photos today may be the Rundfunk
Concert Hall or another concert or museum venue.
Some more Berlin architecture
John
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