Another Great Memory

From Smitty, W6CS:

Unless your TV has been broken, you know by now that today is the 20th
anniversary of the iconic Berlin Wall coming down.

We were on a European trip and by chance were in a West Berlin hotel
when */it/* happened. After a few hours the excitement calmed down and
East Berlin/Germany, for the first time, was allowing tourists to cross
over the wall at the Brandenberg Gate to visit the city. I decided to
see if I could cross over for a short tour of that communist city. As I
learned later, I was one of the first tourists - and the first American
- to cross over. The wall didn't come down in the literal sense at that
time, but temporary ramps were built up & over in a few places
permitting visitors to enter East Berlin.

I left my dear Aileen in the hotel for a few hours not wanting to
subject her to what might be a somewhat 'dicey' situation. So I walked,
and walked, and walked - or did I say that already? - Since I couldn't
speak German, I didn't feel comfortable taking public transportation -
streetcars, buses, etc.

After several hours of walking alone into the neighborhoods, business
sections, etc., I headed back west to the crossing. As I walked by a
street car turntable on which a streetcar was in the process of being
turned around 180 degs. getting ready for the return trip, the two crew
members saw me and recognized that I was probably an American. They ran
up to me. grabbed my arms and - all smiles - led me onto the "tram".
They couldn't speak English and I certainly didn't speak German but that
didn't stop them from explaining - in rapid Deutsche - what we were
seeing out the window as we traveled through the neighborhoods. They
let me out at the wall and also left me with a stunning memory.

Yes, the world has changed. A lot.