There are still traces of the old and the drab in Eastern Germany, but not many. This has been the biggest rebuilding project of our time,rivaling the reubilding of Europe after World War II and exceeding that rebuilding in speed. Everything is new, from the railroads to the autobahn to the telephone system. The pace of change has been breathtaking, and that has had its downside as well as its benefits.

Many people in the "new" German states (the former German Democratic Republic) are still reeling from the end of the former regime and the "merger" into the Federal Republic. If Americans want to know what they faced,they might imagine that the USA suddenly merged with the United Kingdom. Suddenly there would be a new government, new laws, new money,new court and legal system, new educational system, even a new culture. Professionals in law or education could not count on just "continuing" their profession.

That so much positive has happened in Eastern Germany is a testimony to the adaptiveness, persistence and determination of people here. But major challenges continue, particularly with unemployment rates that reach 25% in some areas. There is still a wide "wage gap" between workers in Eastern and Western Germany.

The media has made much of the "neo Nazi" phenomenon in Eastern Germany. It is real, although in my observation not widespread. Germans themselves continue to strongly oppose these nationalist radicals. But discontent is one of the prices of extreme unemployment among the young, and one hopes that continued movement of Western companies into Eastern Germany will soon alleviate this.

The "new states" are certainly worth a visit. They represent genuine value in travel, and their restored cities present a rich offering of culture, history and the good life.