We will be visiting Paris and Berlin for the first time in thirty-six years. I pulled out my travel journal from back then to see what has changed.

This is a portion of the entry from 17 März 1990. The next day would be the first (and only) free elections in East Germany. The next election was after reunification.

I’ve preserved the capitalization, clearly my English was German-influenced at the time.

On the east side of the wall, we found a line from Mending Wall by Robert Frost, “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall / that wants it down…”

I believe the distant part of this view is now the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. The foreground is now the US Embassy.

Then off to Checkpoint Charlie. The U-Bahn stop is one block away. The wall edge is filled with concrete sellers. The going price is DM5 for a 5 cm piece. A short wait at the checkpoint, DM5 for the visa (they didn’t stamp my passport, it is still a virgin) and we’re in. The Linden on Unter den Linden weren’t blooming yet. Oh yes, on the way we passed Democratic House, the home of New Forum. A DDR (Deutsche Post) TV van was set up outside, ready for the election coverage tomorrow.

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