In the summer of 1939, shortly before the outbreak of war, Charles Merrill made a trip to Berlin and Warsaw, and on to Bucharest, Vienna and Prague that launched a never-ending fascination with the history, culture, and daily life of Central and Eastern Europe. The narrator, starting out as a naive 18-year-old, made well over a dozen visits to Poland and Czechoslovakia and tells what he learned walking along the cities' streets and talking with the friends he gradually made until he found himself somewhat of an insider.

(Key Words: Europe, Charles Merrill, Travel, Berlin, Warsaw, Bucharest, Vienna, Prague, Poland, Czechoslovakia).