[Rick Lee]

Another good ride I had was from around Bielefeld to Magdeburg. This was just after the Berlin Wall had come down, so E. Germany was still pretty close to the real E. Germany. An elderly couple picked me up at the exit of a rest area. When they heard my accent, they asked where I was from. When I told him, he lit up, said he had been sent to a POW camp near Lake Erie, had the time of his life, had never eaten so well and loved the US for it. They dropped me off in Magdeburg and I started walking into town. An old lady on a bicycle figured I looked really out of place, asked if I needed directions. I said I was headed toward the train station. Again, my accent prompted her to ask where I was from. Again, this lady lit up, said her husband had been a POW and was sent to a camp near VA Beach, said it was the best he had ever eaten and he so loved the US.