In the 1980’s, I used to visit my brother in Leipzig, East Germany and we’d frequently have to cross the border from East to West Berlin via Check-point Charlie, an Allied post famous for witnessing numerous attempts to escape from East Berlin. That drive from East to West was always surreal. On the East side would be grey, lifeless buildings and high walls topped with chicken wire. The East Side of the Berlin Wall was austere, the only markings were what I imagined were bullet holes. I’m not sure if they really were, but news frequently filtered out about people being shot trying to get over the wall- so I saw bullet holes everywhere.
From to August 13, 1961 to November 9, 1989 The Berlin Wall cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin. The official purpose of this Berlin Wall was to keep Western “fascists” from entering East Germany. This ended when the head of the East German Communist Party announced freedom of movement for all citizens across the wall.
My brother told me about how he once attempted to smuggle a mix-tape of all his favourite songs across the border, on his way back home. (No You-Tube back then!) Well, he got caught, ended up in big trouble, but luckily they let him go- only because he was a Diplomat’s son, and a foreign student. He recounted the ordeal as being particularly horrific.
On one of our trips, he captured an image of myself and my nephew on the West side of the wall. This wall, in contrast to its opposing side was a splash of colour; graffiti everywhere. And yes, you could take pictures here. It was ‘verboten’ on the East side. This pic was taken in the summer of 1989, a few months before restrictions were lifted.
Me- June 1989 (On the West Berlin Side of The Wall)
November 1989- Freedom
I returned to Berlin this summer (2017) and was amazed at the change in infrastucture. Check-point Charlie was now a tourist hub. Thankfully, large parts of the wall were still intact; a painful, but necessary reminder of a dark part of history.
Pics of the Wall as it is today
September 10, 2017 at 12:08 am
The art is beautiful!!
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September 10, 2017 at 1:12 am
Thank you 🙂
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September 10, 2017 at 1:40 am
Thank you for sharing your memories 🙂 💛
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September 10, 2017 at 1:53 am
Thank you for taking the time to read them😊😊
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September 10, 2017 at 1:54 am
I enjoy them 🙂
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September 10, 2017 at 3:46 am
I loved the mini history lesson . I love seeing wall art
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September 10, 2017 at 9:16 am
Thank you😊
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September 10, 2017 at 4:16 am
This is beautiful. I was in Europe when the wall went down and it was an exciting time.
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September 10, 2017 at 9:14 am
That must have been amazing!
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September 10, 2017 at 9:56 pm
it’s such a lovely post! I really enjoyed reading it and the wall art is beautiful indeed.
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September 10, 2017 at 9:58 pm
Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you ☺
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September 11, 2017 at 3:07 am
Thank you for this. Learnt more about the Berlin Wall. And the Graffiti on the wall is just pure Art
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September 11, 2017 at 4:55 am
Thanks for reading 😊
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September 13, 2017 at 12:49 am
I’ve been obsessed with Berlin, since I could think. First there was Christians F. Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo, then it became the 1920s and ’30s. To the point of writing my dissertation on the subject. Went to Poland in 1984, when I was twelve, and my mom had to hold me by my feet so I wouldn’t fall out the train window, that’s how much the guards fascinated me.
From the picture you posted, I’d venture a guess that we’re either the same age or pretty close. So I’m sure you remember Visage and Fade to Grey. Another obsession. Steve apparently wrote it when he visited Berlin.
Finally moved to Berlin in 2004 for a while, and lots of weird things happened. I’m actually not opposed to moving back there at some point.
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September 13, 2017 at 9:21 am
You have some adventures I see. How was Poland? I’m a teeny bit older than you….but yes, I remember Visage and Fade to Grey (have just posted it on my FB page)- brings back memories.
You should visit Berlin again….sounds like you have a lot of material for an autobiography 🙂 🙂
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September 14, 2017 at 2:16 am
I have been thinking of going back. Berlin was great. Found some past life spots, spooked some people good and proper. And other weird stuff.
Love that you remember Fade to Grey. At that age all my close friends were older. And now you’re tempting me to add you on FB. 😉
Btw, that song was my lifeline when I was a kid. Played around with some of the images from the vid. Might post them here.
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September 14, 2017 at 2:51 am
Poland was . . . I’ll pm you about it. I have a love-hate relationship with the place, which at that time was all love. Poles are extremely hospitable, providing you’re the right color and nationality. 🙄🙄🙄 Racial and anti-Semitic slurs pose no problem. I used to go rounds with an uncle who’d spout racist dreck just to get a rise out of you (don’t even get me started, there are other ways of bantering with someone, but he’s too dumb to notice). The country I keep mentioning in my posts “whose name I don’t want to mention?” It’s Poland. My mum was born and raised there, but to me she’s not Polish. I speak the language, so I get to hear all the good stuff. 🙄
What also gets me is that no matter how long your family has been there, if you’re Jewish, you’ll always be The Jews. My great-grandmother converted to Catholicism and that was very hush-hush. Even though her maiden name was Herz, which made it really obvious. I’m Jewish on my dad’s side, but he became atheist due to the war.
Poles are also the first to go on about immorality, but then will steal and cheat. Not all of them, of course. But cheating your family out of inheritance and scamming them is more normal than not. Of course that can happen anywhere. And take what I say with a huge pinch of salt, because I really hate the place.
What also gets me is that you’d meet Poles who were always complaining about how the educational system in Britain and America was so much worse than back home. They demand others assimilate, but they don’t see the need to. Again, not all, but significant numbers. What I found is that the British and American systems made you think for yourself, where the Polish system spoonfed you.
My typical example would be the type I always seem to encounter from
Poland. You know how when you meet an expert in any field your instinct is to ask that person questions? Well, the type I mean will tell you everything about your field as though they were the expert. This, to them, is how they prove their intelligence.
My main gripe is a total lack of empathy I’ve encountered. Apologies if you have friends there. To me you are from the place you say you’re from, regardless of whether you look like the average or stereotypical person from there. I hate this classification of “the Jew,” “the Nigerian.” Except they wouldn’t understand that Nigeria is a country, since to them Africa is a country.
Another example is, my cousin has been living with his partner for over fifteen years, but they’re not married. They have two kids though. Triggers a lot of comments. His best friend asked him to be godfather to his son, so my cousin decided to go to confession, and the priest wouldn’t give him confession, because “he was living in sin.” That kind of arrogance and stupidity always gets to me. Again, I’d use more colorful words, but since this is not my blog, I’ll refrain.
Sorry about the rant. Clearly I need to work out a lot of stuff here.
To me it was so natural growing up the way I did. I wouldn’t change it for anything. But it never seemed adventurous, just interesting. And normal. Your brother willingly (more or less) studying in East Germany, now that’s the real adventure to me.
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October 30, 2017 at 11:03 pm
Thanks for sharing. My family and I lived in Berlin in 1983 when the wall was up. We visited the museum at Check point Charlie. I still get chills recalling what I saw there. As a child I tried to imagine an adult contorting themselves to fit into the compartments in those tiny cars. What an ordeal.
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October 30, 2017 at 11:33 pm
Scary, I know
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