I am glad you enjoyed watching these old slides I took.. It was a different world back then on both sides of the Curtain! I recently had the experience of travelling by air again after not having done so since the early 1980s. So much has changed there too. I noticed that at the airport so many people were walking around talking on their mobiles or carrying plastic cups of coffee!
Oh my goodness, that was a great video. Very interesting!! Thank you for sharing your memories, and all the hard work putting it all together. Much appreciated!!
ADMIRALSCORNER I was born in the early 1980's on the west coast of the United States. Growing up in a suburb of Sacramento, California's state capitol. In primary/grade school (grades 1-6) history was very local. Much time was spent on manifest destiny, and the gold rush that caused a migration boom in the 19th century. As I got older world history was required in our middle school (grades 7-9). Around this time is when I developed a personal interest in history. Partaly sparked by the lack of material being provided to me in school. Just the overview of WW2 was not good enough. I still think there isn't enough emphasis on world history in America. So at about the age of 15 I started reading pretty much anything I could get my hands on that was about world war 2. Then with the advent of the internet getting unbiased factual historical accounts became much easier. I would have never seen images like yours if it was left to the schools. I really do appreciate the time and effort it takes to post videos like this so thank you! Over time I developed a good understanding of Europe and Russia starting from the early 20th century on.Through my years I have learned that starting from about the time I was born perhaps a bit before a fundamental shift in American culture took place. While everyone from my generation has had to work towards a goal career wise we haven't been called to sacrifice any real part of our comfort for anything. In WW2 goods had to be rationed, foodstuffs rationed, and most metals were produced only for the war effort, etc. Now we wouldn't know a war was going on unless you read or watched the news. This doesn't coincide well with every major modern society over the past hundred years. We take a lot for granted, and history allows me to stay grounded. I bet 9 out of 10 people in America under the age of 35 couldn't name the allied power of WWI, or that the Russian army took Berlin to end WWII. Part of who I am comes from the brave men and women who came before me. I think that teaching the next generation about the past is vital in growing humility.
I do so agree with you. The more I have lived the more I have come to believe people can be good or bad as they choose in every country of the world.. The more we group people, groups, politics, religions and countries as all bad, the more we fool ourselves, which is not only blinkered, negative and dangerous but could lead to disaster in today's world.
@robmasterman Hi Bob. Thank you! It did take a lot of time as I had to coax an old Xp Computer into action as it is the only one i have capable of driving an old scanner that can process slides. It also took time for me to remember how to do it! Some slides just refused to be processed after many attempts and that raised my tempoerature! Never mind, I do now have preserved for the future, photos of a very special time in my life
It was a great learning experience for me. People aren't just labels but are all similar and really good at heart. Don't be put off by one bad example anywhere!
@@johnsmith7759 Not initially, fearing our hotel rooms may be bugged or if we went out on our own we may be followed but I don't believe either happened. People in the shops were very helpful even if back then they didn't have much to sell. I managed to get a typical Russian folksong LP thanks to the help of a Russian fellow customer who eventually understood enough of my English to explain what I was looking for.
That was an incredible collection of 46 year old images Mike....stunning and fascinating throughout....and finishing with that good looking young man!.....That took some work to produce, so thanks again....Bob
Thank you for the films. Here in the U.S. we were always taught that all the people living behind the iron curtain were miserable for propaganda reasons. I know of some that were happier in East Germany before the wall fell. we need to look at all aspects. Thanks again
The more experience of living I have had, the more I have come to realise that basically all people everywhere are the same , trying to make the best of what they have. It is politics that get in the way which can distort the truth. That is sad because really that should and could work to improve life for everyone.
I loved this ! - it bort tears to my eyes and soul going through Czech -thank-you and for the whole collection was All very interesting deffintly. thank you again.
jodyana blacklawrey So glad you enjoyed seeing the video. I am glad I was able to transfer it from my fading slides as those memories are precious for me!
An amazing record! I studied the eastern bloc countries during this period for my A-Level history. Such an interesting topic and great to see so many photographs of what these countries were acturally like. Thanks for uploading this.
Thank you for sharing the photographs of your fascinating trip. I have just returned from a visit to Krakow and this sparked my interest about life behind the Iron Curtain in the 1960s. Great to see that Excelsior Coaches is still going strong in Bournemouth.
That certainly was a life changing eye opening experience for me. I salute our courageous driver. I wonder if he is still associated with the firm in any way?
Thank you for posting these wonderful photo's. The architecture in both poland and in Moscow was stunningly beautiful. I seldom watch a complete film of this length, choosing to skip forward but I not only did not do that on this one I actually backed up a few spots so I could see something I missed as i'm watching full-screen. Again thank you for sharing this with us!
Thank you so much for these beautiful images. I am planning a trip to Eastern Europe next year and merely stumbled upon your video! Apart from the intimate insight into everyday life, it is also very refreshing to see no mobile phones or other such henous contraptions! Thank you again :)
Epic journey Mike. I love it when you do these types of films. You certainly got around. Perfect music too. I hope those blocks of flats don't exist any more. Good grief!!. Who was that young man at the end??? All the best Mike....Tim.
@downhill240 I was grateful for the chance to go there. Not many trips were allowed in those days.I agree about the style of the buildings which was very eye opening!
I enjoyed this very much. Being raised in the U.S. during the Cold War, this was like a glimpse into the "Forbidden Planet". I still remember the Civil Defense drills in school & thinking about those "lousy Commies". I'm glad that we all survived & I'm glad I found out that the people of Eastern Europe really are Human Beings after all.
I am glad you liked the video. It is so easy to brand groups of people together and class them as all bad. It doesn't make a good situation, and perhaps makes a dangerous one for everyone.
@@ADMIRALSCORNER Yes Sir, I realize that now but I was raised in a Veterans Administration neighborhood at the height of the Cold War. Several young men in my hometown fought in Vietnam. Some didn't make it home alive. An environment like that clouds the mind & causes irrational resentment. Thanks for getting back, Bob P.S. I can't help it but, Dr. Strangelove is still my favorite movie .
@@ADMIRALSCORNER Stanley Kubrick, a true film genius, was originally going to make a serious movie about nuclear war. He changed his mind & made a comedy about it because her realized that a serious movie would repel people. He was correct. Serious stories. about nuclear war turn people off. Well, I won't hold you up all day. I'm going to get a glass of vodka & rainwater & watch Dr. Strangelove.
@TriflingCircle It all fitted within my saved up holiday period which I believe was just a few more than the usual 14 working days.. There was no night travel which wasnt allowed then over the border! We had Minders with us in all the countries we travelled through, who were useful in getting us understood and controlled just where we could go.It was memorable though and i am glad to be able to save those old slides this way. Some colours are fading out!
Great and wounderfull pictures! There is a little mistake at 18:04: the picture does not show East-Germany, it’s the so called Ku‘damm in West-Berlin. ;))
I consisder myself very fortunate to have been able get that look behind the Iron Curtain as it was then, to a very different world the negatives of which thankfully no longer exist. Yet behind it all we are all very similar people!
Yes, you were very fortunate. I was too young to travel abroad on my own before 1989 but I remember that it was a definite "ideal" of mine as a child and as a teenager to take a long trip and have a (long) look "behind the curtain". I was borderline sad when the Hungarians started pulling down the fortified border with Austria and brought about the downfall of the whole Bloc, because it deprived me of that strange, "different" world I was so eager to see with my own eyes - although it was just fascination, not admiration, as I've always been staunchly anticommunist. So, yes, you were very fortunate to experience a world I'll never be able to experience.
@@yagi3925 I do remember that holiday with affection especially of the kind people I met. Things eventually got much better for the Russian people as relations with the west thawed. I find it very sad that now things have gone into reverse. It seems most probably down to one man's greed..
Very interesting photos and what an unusual 1960's holiday. I wonder how many days you were away. According to AA, Ostend to Moscow is some 1665 miles and 31 hours drive. Probably took longer then so I would not have got it into my annual fortnight. Did journey involve nighttime travel?
around the 11 minute mark, the all Soviet achievement exhibition centre..... VDNKh, hasnt changed much in temrs of the spectacular builings (even the old pine cone in the lake at the back remains) sadly the inside of the pavilions are now full of little stores and tat.. Had the pleasure of living there for 3 years, wish I could have seen it back then before the fall of the iron curtain, to compare
+MrJammybunn I bet that would have been interesting. It is good to know living there for a much longer time than I had was still a pleasurable experience..
@@ADMIRALSCORNER Thank you for your reply. I grew up in the 70s but never had the opportunity to travel behind the Iron Curtain. I find this subject very interesting. Could I assume your itinerary was not 100% planned by you? By that question, I am thinking the relevant state authorities would have had only "state approved" tours.
@@ivan7453 Everything was officially planned for us with a minder on the coach through out! I did have the opportunity one morning to roam around on my own in Moscow but not enough time to get very far!
I am glad to hear that. Our Toyota car we find was made there. And look how great Skoda has become, its history and industry impressed back when I visited
Will you come again to Czech republic? That had to be big adventure. (Sorry. My english speak is bad.) By the way, Iam really big fan of British serial Doctor Who. (I think, so you are from Great Britain)
That would be very nice - perhaps we can come by Tardis ! We will have to save LOTS MORE MONEY for a trip like this, especially since our Government is sadly taking us out of Europe.
the photo at 2 : 01 is in Pilsen , a view at Radbuza river and the river bank used to be called Charkovske nabrezi and now it has been renamed to Anglicke nabrezi , so the name Charkov [city in the USSR] didn't fly after fall of Communism but Anglicke {English} I guess sounds better or maybe not ?
Gunther Berghof No wonder I soon forgot the names of some of the places we visited! I am glad you were able to recognise some locations! It was a real eye opening holiday for me back then and a great adventure that I fully enjoyed!
I am glad you enjoyed watching these old slides I took.. It was a different world back then on both sides of the Curtain! I recently had the experience of travelling by air again after not having done so since the early 1980s. So much has changed there too. I noticed that at the airport so many people were walking around talking on their mobiles or carrying plastic cups of coffee!
Oh my goodness, that was a great video. Very interesting!! Thank you for sharing your memories, and all the hard work putting it all together. Much appreciated!!
I am glad you found the video interesting. This was a great holiday for me to experience!
Thank you so much for sharing these pictures. Such a wonderful look into a world not often seen in the west.
i bet living there over this time period has been very interesting!
ADMIRALSCORNER I was born in the early 1980's on the west coast of the United States. Growing up in a suburb of Sacramento, California's state capitol. In primary/grade school (grades 1-6) history was very local. Much time was spent on manifest destiny, and the gold rush that caused a migration boom in the 19th century. As I got older world history was required in our middle school (grades 7-9). Around this time is when I developed a personal interest in history. Partaly sparked by the lack of material being provided to me in school. Just the overview of WW2 was not good enough. I still think there isn't enough emphasis on world history in America. So at about the age of 15 I started reading pretty much anything I could get my hands on that was about world war 2. Then with the advent of the internet getting unbiased factual historical accounts became much easier. I would have never seen images like yours if it was left to the schools. I really do appreciate the time and effort it takes to post videos like this so thank you! Over time I developed a good understanding of Europe and Russia starting from the early 20th century on.Through my years I have learned that starting from about the time I was born perhaps a bit before a fundamental shift in American culture took place. While everyone from my generation has had to work towards a goal career wise we haven't been called to sacrifice any real part of our comfort for anything. In WW2 goods had to be rationed, foodstuffs rationed, and most metals were produced only for the war effort, etc. Now we wouldn't know a war was going on unless you read or watched the news. This doesn't coincide well with every major modern society over the past hundred years. We take a lot for granted, and history allows me to stay grounded. I bet 9 out of 10 people in America under the age of 35 couldn't name the allied power of WWI, or that the Russian army took Berlin to end WWII. Part of who I am comes from the brave men and women who came before me. I think that teaching the next generation about the past is vital in growing humility.
I do so agree with you. The more I have lived the more I have come to believe people can be good or bad as they choose in every country of the world.. The more we group people, groups, politics, religions and countries as all bad, the more we fool ourselves, which is not only blinkered, negative and dangerous but could lead to disaster in today's world.
@robmasterman Hi Bob. Thank you! It did take a lot of time as I had to coax an old Xp Computer into action as it is the only one i have capable of driving an old scanner that can process slides. It also took time for me to remember how to do it! Some slides just refused to be processed after many attempts and that raised my tempoerature! Never mind, I do now have preserved for the future, photos of a very special time in my life
Great video! Thank you for putting it all together.
It was a great learning experience for me. People aren't just labels but are all similar and really good at heart. Don't be put off by one bad example anywhere!
Thank you for sharing, that was wonderful.
How things have changed since I was able to visit back then!
That was a lot of interesting photos, thanks.
Thank you. I am glad I have been able to preserve them on TH-cam. Great memories for me of a different world.
Absolutely fascinating as a westerner who wasn’t around at the time great footage
It was such a different world back then and possibly even more potentially dangerous.
@@ADMIRALSCORNER Did you feel at ease on this trip? I bet it was like a different planet
@@johnsmith7759 Not initially, fearing our hotel rooms may be bugged or if we went out on our own we may be followed but I don't believe either happened. People in the shops were very helpful even if back then they didn't have much to sell. I managed to get a typical Russian folksong LP thanks to the help of a Russian fellow customer who eventually understood enough of my English to explain what I was looking for.
@@ADMIRALSCORNER Thanks for the reply
Thanks a million! WOW!
Memories are precious!
That was an incredible collection of 46 year old images Mike....stunning and fascinating throughout....and finishing with that good looking young man!.....That took some work to produce, so thanks again....Bob
Thank you for the films. Here in the U.S. we were always taught that all the people living behind the iron curtain were miserable for propaganda reasons. I know of some that were happier in East Germany before the wall fell. we need to look at all aspects. Thanks again
The more experience of living I have had, the more I have come to realise that basically all people everywhere are the same , trying to make the best of what they have. It is politics that get in the way which can distort the truth. That is sad because really that should and could work to improve life for everyone.
I loved this ! - it bort tears to my eyes and soul going through Czech -thank-you and for the whole collection was All very interesting deffintly. thank you again.
jodyana blacklawrey So glad you enjoyed seeing the video. I am glad I was able to transfer it from my fading slides as those memories are precious for me!
An amazing record! I studied the eastern bloc countries during this period for my A-Level history. Such an interesting topic and great to see so many photographs of what these countries were acturally like. Thanks for uploading this.
thanks for the historic record + the music pulls on ones heart.
Its very interesting to look at how things were back then.
Thank you for sharing the photographs of your fascinating trip. I have just returned from a visit to Krakow and this sparked my interest about life behind the Iron Curtain in the 1960s. Great to see that Excelsior Coaches is still going strong in Bournemouth.
That certainly was a life changing eye opening experience for me. I salute our courageous driver. I wonder if he is still associated with the firm in any way?
Thank you for posting these wonderful photo's. The architecture in both poland and in Moscow was stunningly beautiful. I seldom watch a complete film of this length, choosing to skip forward but I not only did not do that on this one I actually backed up a few spots so I could see something I missed as i'm watching full-screen. Again thank you for sharing this with us!
Amazing, MIke. Thank you so much for this. What an experience for you - and now for us, too. And good to see good old Excelsior coaches again...
Thank you so much for these beautiful images. I am planning a trip to Eastern Europe next year and merely stumbled upon your video! Apart from the intimate insight into everyday life, it is also very refreshing to see no mobile phones or other such henous contraptions! Thank you again :)
Congratutions what a throwback!
The world was so different then!
Such time-machine photographs!
What a great record. It would be interesting to go back now and try to match the locations for a then and now photo.
A nice trip down memory lane. Merci Mike.
Philippe
Epic journey Mike. I love it when you do these types of films. You certainly got around. Perfect music too. I hope those blocks of flats don't exist any more. Good grief!!. Who was that young man at the end??? All the best Mike....Tim.
@downhill240 I was grateful for the chance to go there. Not many trips were allowed in those days.I agree about the style of the buildings which was very eye opening!
I enjoyed this very much. Being raised in the U.S. during the Cold War, this was like a glimpse into the "Forbidden Planet". I still remember the Civil Defense drills in school & thinking about those "lousy Commies". I'm glad that we all survived & I'm glad I found out that the people of Eastern Europe really are Human Beings after all.
I am glad you liked the video. It is so easy to brand groups of people together and class them as all bad. It doesn't make a good situation, and perhaps makes a dangerous one for everyone.
@@ADMIRALSCORNER Yes Sir, I realize that now but I was raised in a Veterans Administration neighborhood at the height of the Cold War. Several young men in my hometown fought in Vietnam. Some didn't make it home alive. An environment like that clouds the mind & causes irrational resentment. Thanks for getting back, Bob P.S. I can't help it but, Dr. Strangelove is still my favorite movie
.
@@robertsansone1680 Oh yes what a great film and so many lessons to be learnt from it!
@@ADMIRALSCORNER Stanley Kubrick, a true film genius, was originally going to make a serious movie about nuclear war. He changed his mind & made a comedy about it because her realized that a serious movie would repel people. He was correct. Serious stories. about nuclear war turn people off. Well, I won't hold you up all day. I'm going to get a glass of vodka & rainwater & watch Dr. Strangelove.
@@robertsansone1680 I know you will enjoy both!
@TriflingCircle It all fitted within my saved up holiday period which I believe was just a few more than the usual 14 working days.. There was no night travel which wasnt allowed then over the border! We had Minders with us in all the countries we travelled through, who were useful in getting us understood and controlled just where we could go.It was memorable though and i am glad to be able to save those old slides this way. Some colours are fading out!
Such a lot has happened in 56 years!
It certainly has. So sad now to see Russia's leader going back to oppression at home as well as in Ukraine.
@@ADMIRALSCORNER Couldn’t have put it better myself.
@@ADMIRALSCORNER How right you are sadly. May I too say thank you for your old films too which are very nice and well done!!
@@ADMIRALSCORNER surely you jest!
Great and wounderfull pictures!
There is a little mistake at 18:04: the picture does not show East-Germany, it’s the so called Ku‘damm in West-Berlin. ;))
Thank you for the corection.
I consisder myself very fortunate to have been able get that look behind the Iron Curtain as it was then, to a very different world the negatives of which thankfully no longer exist. Yet behind it all we are all very similar people!
Yes, you were very fortunate. I was too young to travel abroad on my own before 1989 but I remember that it was a definite "ideal" of mine as a child and as a teenager to take a long trip and have a (long) look "behind the curtain". I was borderline sad when the Hungarians started pulling down the fortified border with Austria and brought about the downfall of the whole Bloc, because it deprived me of that strange, "different" world I was so eager to see with my own eyes - although it was just fascination, not admiration, as I've always been staunchly anticommunist. So, yes, you were very fortunate to experience a world I'll never be able to experience.
@@yagi3925 I do remember that holiday with affection especially of the kind people I met. Things eventually got much better for the Russian people as relations with the west thawed. I find it very sad that now things have gone into reverse. It seems most probably down to one man's greed..
Very interesting photos and what an unusual 1960's holiday.
I wonder how many days you were away. According to AA, Ostend to Moscow is some 1665 miles and 31 hours drive. Probably took longer then so I would not have got it into my annual fortnight. Did journey involve nighttime travel?
around the 11 minute mark, the all Soviet achievement exhibition centre..... VDNKh, hasnt changed much in temrs of the spectacular builings (even the old pine cone in the lake at the back remains) sadly the inside of the pavilions are now full of little stores and tat.. Had the pleasure of living there for 3 years, wish I could have seen it back then before the fall of the iron curtain, to compare
+MrJammybunn I bet that would have been interesting. It is good to know living there for a much longer time than I had was still a pleasurable experience..
What camera and lens were used? Most pictures are fuzzy, I wonder if a better scanner would make a difference, though.
@wsrpix Thank you! I still see that name sometimes on the side of coaches today, so they do survive in some form.
@PhilbruProduction Its nice to look back on, especially now Winter is here!
Wow, I love historic photography. Were you ever at risk taking any of these shots?
I don't think so. We were firmly told however when not to take photos which was quite often!
@@ADMIRALSCORNER Thank you for your reply. I grew up in the 70s but never had the opportunity to travel behind the Iron Curtain. I find this subject very interesting. Could I assume your itinerary was not 100% planned by you? By that question, I am thinking the relevant state authorities would have had only "state approved" tours.
@@ivan7453 Everything was officially planned for us with a minder on the coach through out! I did have the opportunity one morning to roam around on my own in Moscow but not enough time to get very far!
@@ADMIRALSCORNER Again, thank you for taking your time to reply. I am very grateful.
Awesome !!!
@HomeMoviePerson I bet things look very different there today!
Hello! I live in former Czechoslovakia! Now its just a Czech republic. :D Its wery nice here after comunism. :D
I am glad to hear that. Our Toyota car we find was made there. And look how great Skoda has become, its history and industry impressed back when I visited
Will you come again to Czech republic? That had to be big adventure. (Sorry. My english speak is bad.) By the way, Iam really big fan of British serial Doctor Who. (I think, so you are from Great Britain)
We had Skoda too! :)
That would be very nice - perhaps we can come by Tardis ! We will have to save LOTS MORE MONEY for a trip like this,
especially since our Government is sadly taking us out of Europe.
I see. So good luck with the investigation of money. I hope you manage to get here.
I gave you subscribe :)
@howarth004 I bet the roads dont have so much space on them!
the photo at 2 : 01 is in Pilsen , a view at Radbuza river and the river bank used to be called Charkovske nabrezi and now it has been renamed to Anglicke nabrezi , so the name Charkov [city in the USSR] didn't fly after fall of Communism but Anglicke {English} I guess sounds better or maybe not ?
Gunther Berghof No wonder I soon forgot the names of some of the places we visited! I am glad you were able to recognise some locations! It was a real eye opening holiday for me back then and a great adventure that I fully enjoyed!
I have emptied many good beers in this city : }}}
Gunther Berghof I can well imagine!
@Daikenboy Wouldnt that be great!
@siobhan104 I hardly recognise him myself!
Lots of pictures in this video are from the USSR.
Yes we visited several places in Russia. It was very interesting and informative.
I like the absence of Muslims and Hipsters!
Such a different world back then!
на 6 мин 19 сек - не Россия , а
Беларусь , Минск , Гродно .
Зачем врать и обманывать