From the Riesenrad to the Ocean

This flow traces a sequence of departures and crossings, using the characters’ journeys to connect private desire with political displacement.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The First Ride

A Small Journey Begins A ride above Vienna Viktor and Kata share a ride on the Wiener Riesenrad after meeting in the Prater. The cabin lifts them above the ordinary streets, giving their brief encounter a sense of separation from daily life. The view becomes part of Viktor’s memory of Kata. A symbolic route The wheel turns without taking either person away from the city. It foreshadows the way their relationship will repeatedly rise into private fantasy before returning to social reality.

The First Flight

Escape by Air Leaving the city The Landauer family boards a Swissair flight after German forces occupy Město. The crowded airport and military presence make departure uncertain until the aircraft is cleared to leave. Liesel holds Viktor’s hand as the plane accelerates. A last view From the air, Liesel recognizes the Glass Room below and weeps. Flight offers safety while making the distance from home suddenly visible.

The Train Through France

Border After Border A crowded compartment The family travels by train through France with visas and tickets that must be checked repeatedly. Each stop brings rumors about routes, borders, and whether the journey will continue. The passengers share a temporary enclosure in which even sleep is uncertain. A continent in crisis The route toward Bayonne passes through a Europe shaped by occupation and displacement. Travel becomes an experience of dependence on officials, documents, and chance.

The Ocean as New Horizon

A Different Landscape The ocean becomes present Liesel lives near the sea for the first time, hearing its constant sound beneath heat, rain, and unfamiliar music. The ocean becomes both a physical setting and a reminder of how far she has traveled. The tropical world is neither home nor a simple refuge. A future across water Viktor plans further movement toward the United States. The family’s passage away from Europe creates opportunity, but the idea of a final destination remains uncertain.

A Journey Back by Train

The Return Journey Marie follows a photograph Marie Delmas travels across Europe after seeing an image of the Landauer House in a book. Her journey is driven by a memory she has carried without fully understanding. She arrives in Město with a limited German vocabulary and a fragile sense of recognition. The destination opens the past The house brings Marie face to face with Ottilie. Her journey becomes not a restoration of home but a discovery that the past still has living witnesses.

During Viktor’s first encounter with Kata

March 1939, from Černovice aerodrome

During the family’s later departure toward Spain

During exile in the Caribbean

In 1990, from Paris to Město