The visit to Berlin was before the fall of the Berlin Wall.  The City was divided into the West and the Communist controlled East Berlin. 

John:  The train has arrived and I am now in West Berlin.  Out for an evening stroll and my destination is my first look at the Berlin Wall.  The map tells me it should be right around this corner and then two blocks away... 

On the train, my car eventually filled up... but there were only Germans.  Nobody said a word.  It was like the Orient express, faceless silent travelers.  Berlin is an island within East Germany.  So, most of the trip was in the Communist area.  As we crossed into East Germany there were fences and barb wire ditches.  On the ground were boards with nails sticking straight up.  If you jump the fence to escape, you land on nails....

I'm turning the corner, but can't quite see The Wall yet.  I'm going to walk directly to it.  I really don't know what to expect. 

So, back on the train... when we crossed the border, there were swarms of military guarding the crossing.  I  guess they were East German troops.  More ditches were in the process of being dug along the barbed wire fences.  The soldiers stopped and watched the train pass.  Once in East Germany, the scenery changed.  It was like going back in history.  Old model cars...

Oh, just ahead of me now, I see the tower.  East Berlin has a huge radio tower.  It is a contradictory symbol, the old with the new.  It looks like a giant microphone with an antenna on top.  It's about... I don't know how far that is from here, maybe three miles away... 

As we passed through the East German countryside, I saw small shacks, no bigger than trailers.  Like a garage, but people were living inside.  Then upon entering Berlin itself there were the fences again with the nails sticking up.

I discovered the train station is dead smack in the middle of the city.  Exiting the train station, there was a buzz of activity, cars and people crossing the huge plaza. 

Across the street, was a large cathedral.  Again a contradictory image, the modern West Berlin city with the old cathedral steeple blown off.  It looked like the side was bombed away too.  I don't know the background but the impression sends a message. 

Oh, this here might be the Wall.  Wait... no, there's a sign up here... "End of British Sector, Do Not Pass This Point". 

Oh, there it is!  It's right there!  The Wall!  Oh... yeah, here's The Wall definitely.  It's a real wall, can't get over that.  Up there is an observation deck that you can climb to look to East Berlin.  Some pretty artistic graffiti written on it.   

Looking now atop the platform.  It's not one wall, there are actually two walls, maybe a quarter mile apart.  In between are barb wire fences and... yeah, they have nails sticking up from the ground.  And guard towers.  It would be quite tough getting across that. This place gives me the creeps.

Thursday, August 12
Location: AT THE HOTEL

John:  I just found out an interesting fact.  As I had learned, you see, if you grow up in West Germany you have to be in the military for a certain amount of time.  Mandatory.  But, if you move into West Berlin there is no military service required.  So, West Berlin is largely a young population.  They're all dodging the draft.  That's why there are so many discos and night clubs. 

Last night as I was walking down Kurfurstendamm, the main drag through West Berlin, a guy came up to me and started talking in German.  He switched to English and said, "Now don't get scared when I tell you this, but I've just escaped from a mental home."  He said he was in the "Big House" for dope, it turned out to be heroin.  He shot up in his hand, he showed me.  He was in jail for two years and then two more in a mental home.  Then he escaped.  He was about to turn himself in to the authorities because there was no place else for him to go.  He asked me for money.  We had a nice conversation, and I gave him 30 Pfennigs and and he asked for more, so I gave him another Mark.  He was an engaging guy. I generally find mental patient dope addicts to be helluva guys.

Earlier in the day, I took a ride up to the Olympic Stadium where Hitler hosted the 1936 Summer games.  These were the Olympics of Jesse Owens and the great showplace of Nazi propaganda.  I surprisingly was not stopped and was able to bike directly into the stadium.  The stadium was relatively modern, in fact there is a track meeting next week.  I walked right up to the torch, now graffiti covered and took some pictures.   

Stadium Entrance	Olympic Stadium
Winners	Olympic Torch