The First Class of Fulbrighters - Fulbright-Kommission

marriage, and encountering the spirited city of Munich. The
new changes were uncharted. They were beautiful and
inspiring. These are the sketches I bare from my memory.
Flo and I had been married for three months when we
left for Germany. We have now been married almost fifty
years.
We arrived at the Munich central train station with other
Fulbright students from the Rhineland orientation program.
Staff members met our train, some from the American Consulate
and the Fulbright administration. We were assigned
to nearby hotels where we remained until permanent quarters
were located.
MUNICH WAS NOISY AND FRANTIC. Reconstruction
was a twenty-four hour process. Heavy construction
and engineering equipment were everywhere. The city was
in a state of transition from war to rebuilding. The ugly
Ringing in the New Year in their
small Munich apartment.
A toast to the last night in Bad Honnef, Ben
(right, standing) and Flo (center) Freedman
celebrate with new friends.
scars of war, bombings, fire, and death were everywhere. The
conversion from destruction to restoration was evident.
Noise and dust mingled with the aroma of lumber and welding.
Flood lamps blazed all night, assisting the construction
workers. The heavy odor of freshly poured concrete, wet
sand, chemicals, truck emissions, the traffic noise, the cooking
of street vendors, all made a strong impression. The
smell of sausage, baked goods, cheese, kerosene, and fuel oil
added to the mix. The city streets were filled with food and
peddlers. The thick smell of beeswax candles in the churches
and damp stone streets were unforgettable. Famous beer
halls and restaurants and fine specialty shops added to the
vivid sensations. They are explicit and express the rich character
of this great, Bavarian city. The sting of winters’ cold,
crowded restaurants, public markets and small shops were
memorable, impressive, and unforgettable.
Freedman and several other
Fulbrighters studied at the
Akademie der Bildenden
Künste in Munich.
Dressed for Fasching, the Freedman’s
attend the Modell Ball in the Haus
der Kunst.