At around suppertime, this evening, DW and I are supposed to be getting on a plane, in Montreal, and flying to Brussels, on what was supposed to be the start of a great adventure of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany.
I was really looking forward to this trip, not only because I was excited to see some cities and countries that I have never seen before, and because I was looking forward to seeing a couple of my friends, who live in Germany, but because I was looking forward to returning to a city that, when I was there more than 32 years ago, I was there during a very different time for that city.
Berlin has held my interest since my teens, when I was an avid reader of spy novels. This Prussian capital has gone through many changes, particularly in the past hundred years, with World Wars I and II, and the Cold War, during which the city was divided both physically and ideologically.
When I visited Berlin, in May of 1988, the Wall was still firmly in place. The 23-year-old me was both fascinated and anxious when I walked along the concrete barrier that separated the free, western citizens from the Communist folks in the east. And, when I finally crossed into East Berlin, I was afraid that I'd never get out again.
One of the photos that I like from that lonely trip (I went by myself and sometimes went for hours without speaking) was from the top of the Victory Column, Siegessäule, looking down Bundesstrasse, toward Brandenburg Gate. If you look carefully, you can see the Berlin Wall just in front of this famous landmark.
There's a stark contrast between the lush green of the Tiergarten and the concrete jungle of East Berlin.
I was so looking forward to climbing this tower and taking a similar picture of what Berlin looks like today. I guess I'm going to have to wait another year or two before I can do that.
Happy Friday!
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