Related by Marriage: Behind the Iron Curtain
In
1978, Mr. Irene's maternal Aunt, Martha,
and her husband, Wally,
treated Mr. Irene to a trip to Soviet-occupied Lithuania. The state forbad
families from hosting foreigners in their homes, so Mr. Irene's relatives connected
with the visitors in hotels and restaurants. The spaces were wired, of course,
so Mr. Irene learned quickly to watch his words.
Vilnius,
Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, 1978. Mr. Irene's relatives join their
visitors at a restaurant. There's a Šakotis (or a
"Baumkuchenas,"
as we called it) on the table. Mr. Irene is the fellow wearing glasses, and
that's Wally holding him.
1 comment:
Some additional memories from the "Behind the Iron Curtain" trip: it was impossible in 1978 to fly in from the West directly to Lithuania on any Western airline. We flew into Luxembourg frm Chicago and were picked up by Aeroflot, the official airline of the Soviet Union. We flew to Moscow for a 2-night stay and then to Vilnius, 1000 miles back to the west. I spent the Fourth of July 1978 in a Moscow bar allowing only Americans.
The lady seated to the right of the Baumkuchenas as you view it is Wally's sister who stayed in Lithuania in 1944. Seated to her right is her husband, Vincas. He was my Father's good friend and classmate. It's a small country!
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