It's Rat44's Birthday!

[NavLinear]

Sweet - I can't imagine as that place rocked big time. Being there before the wall came down provided a good look into the contrast between East and West Germany. Did you get a chance to venture to East Berlin?

If I spent much more time in Berlin than I did I'd be speaking fluent German and I'd still be there - for better or worse. What a major party that was.

 

[pennysdad]

Sweet - I can't imagine as that place rocked big time. Being there before the wall came down provided an good look into the contrast between East and West Germany. Did you get a chance to venture to East Berlin?

If I spent much more time in Berlin than I did I'd be speaking fluent German and I'd still be there - for better or worse. What a major party that was.

I've heard the same thing being said a hundred times, that it was like walking from a colour movie into a black and white one, and it was true.
Just no colour. Everything was back or white or a shades of grey. Even people's faces were grey from the misery.
..... and only a wall [... and some barbed wire, and lots of machine guns] between the two.
After only 30 minutes, it was all too depressing and went straight back to the west. There was just nothing to see to save as a happy memory.

 

[NavLinear]

I've heard the same thing being said a hundred times, that it was like walking from a colour movie into a black and white one, and it was true.
Just no colour. Everything was back or white or a shades of grey. Even people's faces were grey from the misery.
..... and only a wall [... and some barbed wire, and lots of machine guns] between the two.
After only 30 minutes, it was all too depressing and went straight back to the west. There was just nothing to see to save as a happy memory.

You're so right - just the opposite of the Wizard of Oz. Bright and happy in the West and so different in the East. I spent a day there and had a chance to see a bit including the bunker where Hitler died, a museum that had some of the atrocities of WWII and what the East called a mall besides a few other things. I was in the service at the time and had a free ride from Italy to Frankfurt and then Berlin (a bit of a story there) so when we went into the East we were required to wear our dress uniforms. I was an NCO and most NCO's are the example for others but being me and since I came from a unit in Italy (just think of Mash combined with Stripes) my hair was longish - way past standards. The officer and NCO inspecting us prior to departing stopped and glared at me but didn't say anything. Good thing as I had just gotten back from partying and had just enough time to shave and dress - no shower tho... not enough time. We went through Check Point Charlie on the way in so that was cool and saw the museum there too.

Whilst in the East at the "mall" we ran into a 10 year old kid and one of the guys I was with spoke fluent German (American born in Switzerland) so we (actually he) struck up a conversation with the kid. A few minutes into this conversation three men came over and took the kid away as he was kicking and screaming - maybe Stasi but all the same it was not cool. I'm leaving a lot out of this discourse - lots of memories here.

 

[pennysdad]

I got the feeling that for every civilian person on the street there were another two watching THEM!
Weird....

 

[Rat44]

Small world.
I went to the East side once and it was just too depressing to go back.
Everything was so grey looking.
The people were very friendly to us .
We had to go to the Zone to fire our mortars,that meant a visit to Grafenwohr,Wildflecken or Hohenfels.

Dennis