262
DAN I EL BELL
phone had a dial, and once I ascertained from the desk clerk that I
could dial directly from the room, the only remaining difficulty–
as happened in only a few cases, fortunately-was reaching some–
one at the other end of the line, usually a maid, who spoke only
Polish and could not take a message. In quick order I was able to
reach individuals and set up appointments for the next few days.
Since my first visitor was not due for another hour, I took the
opportunity to walk to the Polish Airlines office, about half a mile
away, to confirm my return flight to Berlin. Armed with a small
map of the city that I obtained from the desk clerk, I made my
way easily to Constitution Place. The section I walked through
con~
tained many official buildings and had been constructed in the
heavy, pseudo-monumental type of the Stalinist period, much like
what one saw along Stalinallee in East Berlin. The basic building
material was stone, or stone facing over brick, and the heaviness of
the building material was emphasized by the bastardized classic
Eastern style: stone balconies with incised openings, heavy orna–
mental pediments over each window, stone louvers and square cor·
nices, all of it combining to accentuate the pressed-down, squat
feeling. Yet, much as this resembled the architecture of East Berlin,
there was a difference: The streets were crowded with cars and
cabs, and thronged with people. Open-air stalls and street markets,
pushcarts and great mounds of cherries, grocery displays of sausages
and canned goods gave it all the hum of a city. One had a sense of
openness, of vibrancy. Especially past the University area-with its
inner courtyards, small parks, and many statues-there was even a
sense of gracefulness.
In my favor was the fact that it was brilliantly sunny and
warm, and the ambiance of spring and early summer communicated
itself through laughter of children, the sight of boys and girls hold–
ing hands, the quick steps of people on the move.
If
it had been
rainy and grey (as happened a few days later), my first impressions
might have been vastly different; on a grey day, one sees the shabby
clothes, the worn shoes, the patched garments, the clogged sewers,
the angry resentment of the crowds trying to push into crowded
trams or make their way along narrow sidewalks. But it was sunny.
One felt a gaiety in the air, and it deepened my attachment to the
city. I bought some rolls in a bakery for two zlotys, some fruit from
