Gosh, you were able to roam more than I ever had the chance to, Dee. Very little good served a dip brat in East Berlin. There really is not much to tell. I only popped in for the day to visit my Dad, who was not expecting me until I called him to send a car to pick me up from the Bahnhof. When the car came, the chaffeur said he was just going to zip through and make it look like the trip was just an errand business to the West and back. And, to act casual and not curious. Was your group watched for the duration of your stay?

I also recall queues of people waiting outside shops. One particular one had a long queue just to buy bread. My curiosity however was with the Trabant and wanted to have a spin in it but was not allowed to. Got a Russian watch from Dad though. One with a hammer and sickle. I still have it tucked somewhere in my bedside drawer.

Apart from my Dad's company, I never really had fun in the East because of Dad's restrictions as well as protocol. And I like to explore nooks and crannies on foot when I travel. I only had a day and if it were not for family reasons, the day would have been tooooo long. Switching place cards at Dad's dinners offered more thrill. But then again, East Berlin was not a place to look for fun but offered a study of a people in controlled environment. Was'nt it such an appalling crime?

And you know what's really sad? My Dad always wondered whether the wall would come down in his lifetime. He passed away a month and a day before it happened.