The colors of Eastern Europe need a comment or two...

In 1991, S2 and I pedaled through eastern Germany, Poland, what was then Czechoslovakia, and Hungary.  The lack of color was noteworthy.  Having recently jumped ship from the Communist bloc, there were lots of new things going on, and I suspect getting rid of the dull, drab, concrete grey was not as high on the priority list as a few other things.  Actually, a German colleague of mine, who grew up in the east, told me the first thing she wanted to get when The Wall came down was a Barbie doll for her daughter and to try Nutella (they could get western advertising In the east).

So, this time through, I've noted substantial differences in the color of houses.  It started just after Prague, when driving passed Brno, I saw apartment blocks (at least 20 stories, or more, high) that were painted lovely pastel colors ....  Liliac, mint green, periwinkle, soft begonia, and lemon yellow.  What does it do to one's disposition to wake up in the dead of a cold, grey Northern European winter and look at a 20 story lilac building?  Surely, it takes the edge off of any grumpiness.

The colors are evident everywhere we drive.  I like to try and decide what to call them.  I have identified Barney purple, E.U. Blue, Holland orange, Christmas green, carnation pink, dusty rose, daffodil, mauve, aquamarine, teal, sky blue, ocean blue, lagoon blue, lagoon green, emerald green, red orange, burnt orange, coral, apricot, peach, WYO brown and gold, sand, mahogany, chestnut, UPS brown, and maroon.  Those shade of purple and green are the real eye catchers.  Not only houses are painted these colors, but shops as well.  I wonder if we had the SHADE of yellow that Andy's grandmother's house was, perhaps we would have been able to find it!  :D