Oh...I just read your response on driving in with D license plates...I totaly don't know what that means but I'm guessing it has to do with military/government? I went over with a big group of people in a military sponsored tour bus...military had to wear their uniform and we had to put our passports up to the windows for the East Berlin border guards to see but were told not to look at them...it was so strange.
What did you do while you were there Lola?
I remember going to a Russian shop to buy linen...I have two beuatiful lace tablecloths and I remember the store being a bright yellow.
One store, a record shop, had a way of crowd control. You could not enter the store without a basket...even if you were a couple, each person had to have their own basket. As a person left the shop they put their basket in a box by the door...a person wanting to enter the store picked up a basket and entered...if you didn't have a basket you waited outside until someone left and handed you a basket.
I also remember going to a huge department store on Alexander Platz (I think)...the display windows looked great but once inside it was really bare and there wasn't much to buy. I still have a pinecone wreath I brought from that store...it has pink accents on it.
In Alexander Platz we were sitting cooling off and taking a break from walking around. We noticed a line beside a large building but didn't know why people were lined up there. The line continued to grow. After awhile a small window opened at the front of the line and someone started selling ice cream. After awhile, for no apparent reason, the window closed despite people still standing in line. There were no complaints, no knocking on the window protesting...people just patiently waited for the seller to open up the window again. No one compalined in East Berlin ever that I saw. No one smiled, either. I remember the buildings being gray as was the atmosphere. Except for a few shops, like the Russian store, which was painted a bright yellow.
Gosh, I could go on and on...Lola...tell us about your experiences...should we start an East Berlin Experience Forum?