Berlin Wall Fall

Berlin, Germany: June 1990

After the end of communism in East Germany in November 1989, my mother and I embarked on a pilgrimage to the Wall.  We needed to see it and tear some of it down ourselves.  This Wall had kept half my family confined and oppressed for 40 years, with some members young enough to know nothing else.  The feeling of relief and joy was overwhelming.

We arrived by bus from the West, and all the usual stamping of papers and nonsense was still being performed to enter the East.  But, this mattered not to us. We had hammers in our luggage, ready to go at it!

After settling in the hotel Westerland, we found our way to a piece of the Wall.  It was like a party going on, but a super weird one. Some people were somber and emotional, some elated and partying.  But, everyone wanted a piece of this large relic of WWII, a symbol of old communism being smashed to bits.  It was awesome in the original sense of the word.

I’m proud that I can say I was part of this event and saw first-hand the moment of change from old to new, from bad to good, and from oppressed to free.

Interested in visiting Berlin, click here.

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