heritageofscotland.com

[auld argonian]

Hey...that's everywhere you go...Chicago is no exception...nor is Washington DC (3 t-shirts for $10), Toronto (I'd like a NICE Leafs jersey, please), etc. It's weird to me that this still even happens in this Global Village...there's still a market for Tourist Tat? Kultural Kitsch still exists? Okay...so I brought a bunch of plastic sushi replicas back from Tokyo but that was Kool Kitsch...I did pass of the wooden shoes in Holland, didn't I?

The guy that I know that has had some of the worst times bringing back souvenirs is the guy who tries to bring back a six pack of brews from where ever he visits...he has some 'splainin' to do. He once took two cases of Old Style on a flight to Philadelphia as carry on luggage...

Best

AA

[KiltedKnight]

I was never big on souvenirs though I've picked up a few in my travels as a GI, usually as a gift for my mother when she was still alive but recently, over the past few months one of my old Commanding Officers who has become a good friend over the last 35 years or so decided that since he was getting on in years and being that he retired over in Germany and the Germans wouldn't be interested in such memorabilia, he has been sending me so much in the way of curios and militaria from the mid 1940's to the near present that I'm having a hard time trying to figure out what to do with it all and he still has more to send me!

Some of the militaria was made by hand by German goldsmiths just after WWII ended and it is incredible as to the detail. Sets of coins and paper notes from many different countries, beautiful wallets made from elephant hide, some of this stuff is incredible.

I feel like a kid in a candy store but that is dampered by the fact that he is giving these treasures to me because he feels that his time may be soon. I will have a hard time finding the proper place to put these things until I too must give them away either to my sons or grandsons. I do intend to donate some of the militaria to museums of some of the Army Divisions but that will take some time to figure out what goes to which outfit. I'll need to get help on finding out where some of these patches and crests belong, it might turn into quite a task.

Chris.