Gremlin’s Fireside Chat

Just returned from a fabulous weeks holiday staying with a friend in Berlin. Thanks Margaret, and what a fab apartment you have.

I have always wanted to visit Berlin – a place of culture and a place associated with one of histories odious and fascinating men, Adolf Hitler. Below is a picture of me standing 30 feet above where he sought his own personal “final solution”.

I find it funny that where one person considered to be the centre of a “great germanic empire” is no more than a car park at the back of some 1980’s DDR flats.

Anyway the family had a great time – being a carnivore I enjoyed the German food, especially the bludwurst, and the beer.

More postings when I recover from the trip back….

I am an avid reader of military history – WWII, Ancient Rome, Medieval are my favourites – and am reading one of Osprey Publishing excellent easy to read and understand books called “Soviet Rifleman 1941-1945″. The Osprey books are really good and well worth buying if you are into military history. Anyway, although I have not finished the book yet the first fact to make me think is the one that states that the average conscript into the Red-Army had a vocabulary of 500-2000 words!!!! And this was enough for day-to-day life in 1930’s Russia!!!!

What I would want to know is “what are those 500 words”, would be interesting to find out what the 2000 words are as well. The ability to get by on only 500 words (be they spoken or gestured) is mind boggling.