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15. I took a bus tour of the wall when I was in the Army...

Sat Nov 9, 2013, 10:23 AM

Nov 2013

(Not the berlin wall - the fence running between the divided country) In 1982 or 1983. I was in Nuremberg from 80 to 83.

On the tour we stopped at a wide spot in the road and looked at an East German textile factory. They told us that occasionally the girls would come to the windows and wave. If they did the guide told us - don't wave back because they have high resolution zoom cameras. They took pictures and sent photos of people waving through the chain of command and if they had a picture of you waving - you would be punished. Sounded like a bullshit story to me, but I didn't wave at anyone on the other side. Which wasn't difficult because I didn't actually see anyone that I can recall. We literally went through hell and back (although it was spelled different). There is a community named hell. Apparently, they had some kind of hot springs that discharged steam with sulfur, certain times of year it looked like hell (or so the your guide told us).

I'd like to go back and see how much different things are. It was beautiful countryside with a huge unattractive fence running through it. It's hard to believe that the countries were reunited so long ago.

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24 years ago today---maybe it seems like no big deal now, but back then? The earth moved. [View all] DFW Nov 2013 OP

That must have been quite a moment. mgc1961 Nov 2013 #1

What a great post. I love posts where I learn something cali Nov 2013 #2

That is an awesome post. I remember that time and seeing what was going on from Colorado and could gtar100 Nov 2013 #3

Great post! rosesaylavee Nov 2013 #4

how cool! gopiscrap Nov 2013 #57

Great post KurtNYC Nov 2013 #5

Thank you for that account at history Martin Eden Nov 2013 #6

Thank you so much for the first hand account UtahLib Nov 2013 #7

We have to wade through so much bad news, here, on a daily basis, but... Ferretherder Nov 2013 #8

I was there shortly after they opened the wall AndrewRN Nov 2013 #9

Standing in lines DissidentVoice Nov 2013 #13

I remember that day well and how happy I wilsonbooks Nov 2013 #10

At that time George H. W. Bush managed to sell another enemy to the American people cpwm17 Nov 2013 #55

Quite well I remember it DissidentVoice Nov 2013 #11

The time before everyone sobered up was like floating on air DFW Nov 2013 #12

"Ostalgie" DissidentVoice Nov 2013 #14

Yes, we've heard this often enough. DFW Nov 2013 #18

Er nicht beklagen "Be�erwe�is?" DissidentVoice Nov 2013 #33

Nein, er bekl�gt keine Besserwessies DFW Nov 2013 #35

My friend has relatives who are elderly now, and who got stuck behind the wall. MADem Nov 2013 #41

As long as you don't hear "Arschloch" DissidentVoice Nov 2013 #52

Hee hee! nt MADem Nov 2013 #53

I took a bus tour of the wall when I was in the Army... Blanks Nov 2013 #15

Not to nitpick, but it was 24 years ago. truebluegreen Nov 2013 #16

You are so right DFW Nov 2013 #19

Yes, momentous in more ways than one. sulphurdunn Nov 2013 #17

Yep, from one extreme to another, mountain grammy Nov 2013 #20

Nice post, thank you. mountain grammy Nov 2013 #21

Imagine there is no heaven It's easy if you try No hell below us Above us only sky libdem4life Nov 2013 #22

The Man Who Opened the Berlin Wall: trof Nov 2013 #23

Here's link to my OP back in April. Interesting story. trof Nov 2013 #24

Our own Berlin Wall is crumbling: the GOP. randome Nov 2013 #25

These events are like a dam that has stood for a century DFW Nov 2013 #26

Nicely put. randome Nov 2013 #30

That's right gopiscrap Nov 2013 #27

I remember the picture of the guard on the wall TrogL Nov 2013 #28

I remember in the 70s and there were border checkpoints with guards with machine guns.... Spitfire of ATJ Nov 2013 #29

I remember almost getting shot at a checkpoint in Lubec in 1967 PeoViejo Nov 2013 #31

I remember it well. Hissyspit Nov 2013 #32

The hotel probably had CNN, but we watched it on ARD DFW Nov 2013 #34

I remember staying up all night on CNN headline News Hissyspit Nov 2013 #36

We didn't get a lot of sleep that night either. DFW Nov 2013 #42

I was pregnant with my first child, then. OldEurope Nov 2013 #47

I remember, as a teen, watching the evening news as the wall went up. GreenStormCloud Nov 2013 #37

I was in Berlin when the wall fell. It was an amazing experience. n/t FourScore Nov 2013 #38

In Berlin, the air must have been like it was full of static electricity DFW Nov 2013 #62

Even from California, it was staggering. I was 13 when they built the Wall... Hekate Nov 2013 #39

Kicked and recommended. Uncle Joe Nov 2013 #40

K & R dipsydoodle Nov 2013 #43

Very few of us get to experience a "you were there" moment of history like that DFW Nov 2013 #44

Thanks for writing this. MadrasT Nov 2013 #45

I traveled to Leipzig a few weeks after reunification DFW Nov 2013 #64

DFW Diclotican Nov 2013 #46

To put a variation of Obama famous phrase DFW Nov 2013 #48

DFW Diclotican Nov 2013 #54

wonder what would happen if mexico pulled down "their side" of that fence? Sunlei Nov 2013 #49

Germany was a special kind of situation that history has rarely duplicated DFW Nov 2013 #50

very interesting story about the breakfast, so many people died in try to cross that border Sunlei Nov 2013 #51

The Cold War leanforward Nov 2013 #56

I arrived in Germany, my first duty station, 2 days after the Wall came down. Aristus Nov 2013 #58

I can't even begin to imagine what that was like RFKHumphreyObama Nov 2013 #59

When it happened I couldn't believe it. Javaman Nov 2013 #60

Remember the phrase "Peace dividend"? It was a comedy, of sorts. nt Romulox Nov 2013 #61

I was teaching college at the time, and Lydia Leftcoast Nov 2013 #63

Even in the western German leftist student press, the wall was blasted DFW Nov 2013 #66

"Mr. Gorbachev. tear down this wall!" hfojvt Nov 2013 #65

Bonn was always a sleepy, pretty college town on the Rhein. DFW Nov 2013 #67