Ohh, ok. I really wondered what an American has done in Erfurt - because if ever, visitors from the West were only allowed to visit East Berlin and/or Leipzig (because of the Leipzig fair). I have been to Erfurt and Thuringia right after reunification as a kid, and it was so ugly. Now that I recall it, the whole 80´s were pretty ugly - compared to these days, of course. ;-)
I remember seeing many Russian soldiers in some of the towns.
Besides Erfurt, I was in Eisenach, Eisleben, Wittenberg, Leipzig, Weimar and other areas in the East.
Was almost 2 weeks in many of the cities in West Germany.
Enjoyed the historical and beautiful areas in Germany.
Many of my ancestors were from Germany
…if ever, visitors from the West were only allowed to visit East Berlin and/or Leipzig (because of the Leipzig fair).That's not true, actually. I have been to several East German cities including Erfurt during a GDR tour back in highschool, also in the 1980s.