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The Gypsy in Me: From Germany to Romania in Search of Youth, Truth, and Dad
The author of Jupiter's Travels details his 1,500-mile journey through Germany, Poland, Russia, the Ukraine, and Romania, offering a personal look at Eastern Europe in the throes of change, from the German homeland of his mother to the birthplace of his Romanian-Jewish father. 15,000 first printing.
318 pages, Hardcover
First published June 24, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 15, 2019
Ted Simon walks most of the way from the Baltic to the Black Sea, a fantasy I've entertained in the past.
I like BIG WALK books and this is one of those. Actually, the most interesting element of the book comes from it being written and published just after the fall of the Soviet bloc and before the internet age.
Well worth reading if you see it in a charity shop.
I like BIG WALK books and this is one of those. Actually, the most interesting element of the book comes from it being written and published just after the fall of the Soviet bloc and before the internet age.
Well worth reading if you see it in a charity shop.
October 24, 2018
Not as good as his Jupiter books. Started off good but towards the end of this book he tends to just provide too much information about his day to day itinerary that it became a little of a chore to read. if you are going to start reading his books start with the Jupiter books.
July 25, 2012
This is the tale of a British man who, after his estranged father died, walked from Germany to Romania (1500 miles) to try and find out more about his Jewish Romanian father. The walk takes place during the Clinton administration and the Bosnian War.
Most of the hike through Germany is along lake shores. He is surprised that there is nothing to mark the border between East and West Germany. The people in East Germany are angry about the collapse of Communism, for, although they were poor, they had food. Now everyone was out for himself and willing to steal from others.
His usual practice upon entering a town was to select a promising-looking person and stay with them. This person would connect him to others who could be of better assistance. Some of the most unlikely people were the most helpful.
Ted's goal was to go to his father's hometown of Brailla, Romania and see if anything from his fathers' years there still existed. Also, find out how he had gotten from there to being a London businessman wearing a suit, derby hat and umbrella. And how did he know so many languages?
The difficulties he encountered were lack of knowledge of the language, lack of dictionaries, and lack of records. The Ukranians, Romanians, Germans and Poles all hated the Jews and were glad they were gone. Their only regret was that the "Jews made it work" - meaning the towns were clean and looked nice, the buildings were beautiful when the Jews were there. Often the old buildings were razed when the Jews were expelled, and ugly concrete apartment blocks went up in their place. Since the Jews were gone, they now blamed their problems on the still-thriving Gypsies.
Read it, you'll like it.
Most of the hike through Germany is along lake shores. He is surprised that there is nothing to mark the border between East and West Germany. The people in East Germany are angry about the collapse of Communism, for, although they were poor, they had food. Now everyone was out for himself and willing to steal from others.
His usual practice upon entering a town was to select a promising-looking person and stay with them. This person would connect him to others who could be of better assistance. Some of the most unlikely people were the most helpful.
Ted's goal was to go to his father's hometown of Brailla, Romania and see if anything from his fathers' years there still existed. Also, find out how he had gotten from there to being a London businessman wearing a suit, derby hat and umbrella. And how did he know so many languages?
The difficulties he encountered were lack of knowledge of the language, lack of dictionaries, and lack of records. The Ukranians, Romanians, Germans and Poles all hated the Jews and were glad they were gone. Their only regret was that the "Jews made it work" - meaning the towns were clean and looked nice, the buildings were beautiful when the Jews were there. Often the old buildings were razed when the Jews were expelled, and ugly concrete apartment blocks went up in their place. Since the Jews were gone, they now blamed their problems on the still-thriving Gypsies.
Read it, you'll like it.
August 18, 2014
Simon has written the greatest motorcycle travelogue of all time (Jupiter's Travels), so I can't fault him for writing something mediocre. The Gypsy in Me takes place many years after his round-the-world moto journey. Simon, now in his 60's, decides to try and walk from Germany to Romania to trace the roots of his Romanian Jewish father who abandoned him early in life. Since I, a Romanian Jew, am heading to Romania in a few days, I wanted to give this a read before leaving.
The book was not all that insightful. Simon ends up walking "only" 300 miles. And though he seems to gain a great deal from this experience, not a ton of that is transferred to the reader. It seemed like what might happen if you set out to have an epic, book-worthy adventure, and end up just having a pretty interesting trip. Simon does an admirable job meeting people and creating interesting situations, but ultimately "walking" across part of Europe can't really compete with a four year Earth-encompassing motorcycle journey.
The book was not all that insightful. Simon ends up walking "only" 300 miles. And though he seems to gain a great deal from this experience, not a ton of that is transferred to the reader. It seemed like what might happen if you set out to have an epic, book-worthy adventure, and end up just having a pretty interesting trip. Simon does an admirable job meeting people and creating interesting situations, but ultimately "walking" across part of Europe can't really compete with a four year Earth-encompassing motorcycle journey.
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September 22, 2008I've traveled by most modes possible overseas, but not yet by foot. Ted Simon's recounting of his trek has lodged the idea in my head. This is not just a travelogue. Comments on history, race, religion and people provided the meat. As an addicted traveler, the soul-bearing insights and thoughts that Mr. Simon recounts struck a chord and validated some of my own "adventures".
November 12, 2012
Simon is a great travel writer. He walks through eastern Europe to track down his parents and grandparents family. Very funny. Not much else to say except it makes me want to hike and I hate hiking.
February 28, 2016
Very funny, articulate book about a man's travels through Eastern Europe in search of his roots. I enjoyed it very much.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews