I was there...well 4 months later

I am photographed here on the site of Hitler’s bunker, some 4 months after the fall of the Berlin Wall, 20 years ago. By the time we had arrived, there were scores of Turkish street vendors selling a multitude of East German tat at the Brandenburg Gate. The area had been located in the ‘No Man’s Land’ zone. I am told it is now all built upon.


This fella was a former East German Detective named Frank Bauer. He invited us to his flat in the town of Gräfenhainichen. It was basic and yet there certainly wasn’t anything but a warm welcome from him and his wife. He later showed us around the Police station where this picture was taken. Lori was 3 and as for Julie's hair, well it was the 80s!
I remember driving through a village on the way to Frank's. We saw a sign saying Bar/Cafe. We stopped for a drink and it was a bloke's house! We sat in his lounge as he poured out a beer, a wine and a Coke. It was a bizarre experience as we exchanged a few words in broken German. His initial foray into the world of capitalism trying to make a few marks was strange indeed.



The Soviet War Memorial was in fact located in the West. Consequently the Red Army soldiers who guarded it, were in turn guarded by British soldiers. You really couldn’t have made some of it up!

Apols for the poor quality of scans from old photos. As for the wall? It was a blot on the decency of humanity and all I could think at the time was bloody good riddance!


nick