Prague it was only a cough and I bought some Czech tablets for sore throats but they weren't much help. Took a long walk by myself through the old, narrow twisty streets and came to the famous Charles bridge over the Vltava River. Also stumbled on the house where Johannes Kepler the famous astronomer used to live. Took a street car back to the hotel. They run them by threes there and the lady conductor goes from one to the other at stops. That night we went to see the Laterna Magica, a famous Czech combination live acting and movie production in which people come out of the picture and onto the stage and then go into the wings and reappear on the screen. I'd first seen it in Mon- treal in 1967 and then again here. Only this time I had actually walked that same afternoon through many of the streets where the film was made which made it all the more interesting.

FRIDAY - Long trip of about 40 miles into the country to the medieval Karlstejn Castle, a really impregnable fortress on the top of a hill with its village down below it. The Czech countryside looks just like others and the trip wasn't so great. I had the feeling it served to keep us busy for the better part of the day. Couldn't tell whether it was my own expectations or imagination but I kind of got the feeling of an overall sense of resignation in Czeckoslovakia. A glance at the map makes it clear. The little country is right in the center of Europe surrounded by other Socialist countries except for a few miles of border with Austria. It is important to Russia that it not become too westernized as a bad example to the other buffer states so their situation is a bit hopeless and with the Russian's heavy hand all over there is little they can do but they aren't as happy about their situation as residents of the other countries seem to be about theirs.

SATURDAY — Off today early for East Berlin. Flew in an old Russian made turboprop which was crowded and uncomfortable. Lots of for- malities and delays at the E. Berlin airport but finally made it to the bus for a tour through the city. Of course, E. Berlin is simply a city sur- rounded by its own countrside rather than a completely walled off city like W. Berlin, so you come on the city slowly. Happened to be the first day of school for the kids and we saw lots of children walking home from school with their parents who had taken them the first day to help break the shock probably why they had it on Saturday. Each child gets a big cornucopia of goodies to help ease the experience. They were about 30 inches long and mostly the parents had to carry them. Also observed that most of these kids carried a kind of briefcase-knapsack carrier strapped on their backs. Inquiry from the guide revealed that these were for their school books. I asked how come so much for the

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