East German trucks wait to dispel protesters. Taken from the other side of the wall, November, 1989.
In November, 1989 my husband visited Berlin. The next week the wall fell down, torn down by the force of millions of protesters energized in East Berlin. Originally, we (the girls and I) were due to visit the following week, during the time the wall came down, but with a ten-month-old baby, I decided to wait.
Oh, did I kick myself as I watched history being made that week on television.
Goosesteppers of the DDR. Notice the early 90's fashion in the background.
We instead visited Berlin the next summer, spending the Fourth of July in what would soon become one of the last Communist countries—formal reunification of the two Germanys took place a few months later.
Today I'm heading to Berlin again. I'll be interested to see the changes that have occurred since my last visit.
A few more retro pics below. When I return I'll post more photos, both old and new.
East Berlin underground station.
Daughter Number One walks with her dad in East Berlin, July 1990. (She was afraid to visit, after we told her we'd see the plaza where they burned Helen Keller's books.)
Russian war memorial, East West Berlin, November, 1989
Thanks for the great photos, what a reminder of where we have come from; Those days too often (perhaps gladly) forgotten. We will look forward to the newer photos. William
Posted by: William Kunke | October 18, 2009 at 03:07 PM
Thanks, William. I plan to take lots of photos today.
Posted by: KathyF | October 19, 2009 at 06:56 AM
I'm in that photo toooooooo
Posted by: lkf | October 19, 2009 at 12:55 PM
Has it really been 20 years? That October and November were months that quite literally "shook the earth". First, the Loma Prieta earthquake struck the Bay Area, then mere weeks later, The Wall came tumblin' down.
I was on the road for business that autumn. I remember just settling down in a hotel room in Boulder Colorado for the first game of the World Series when Al Michaels uttered "it's an earthquake" just as the TV went black. The fact that the San Francisco Giants were hosting the Oakland Athletics put more people in front of TVs than on the freeways that day. How many lives were save because they weren't on the Bay Bridge at that moment will never be known. Then not a month later I was in San Diego and returned to my room there to turn on the tube and hear what was at first unfathomable, unbelieveable. Then, as the images started to come in, undeniable. Right up there with such world-changing events like the assasination of JFK, the Challenger exploding and 9/11/01, I will always remember where I was on those days.
Thanks for stirring the random access of distant memories Kathy. You are still missed.
Posted by: Rodney | October 19, 2009 at 06:57 PM
Hey, Rodney, thanks for chiming in--I had forgotten about the earthquake during that time.
I've been taking lots of good photos, will post when I return home.
Posted by: KathyF | October 21, 2009 at 04:56 PM
Yeah, I might be walking, but there is a riding daughter too. VERIFY!
Posted by: Hannah | October 21, 2009 at 10:42 PM
Yes, Leah is also in that photo, at least the wheels of her stroller.
Posted by: KathyF | October 22, 2009 at 06:16 AM