The Berlin Wall ... Sort Of!

Yesterday, I mentioned Berlin ... And, if you know me, you know what that means ...

Yeah, when I lived in Germany (1985-1988), there actually was a "WALL" right here ...

The Berlin Wall.

Then, like just a year after I left, yeah, THE WALL "came crumblin' down"!

Well, "sort of"!

They did leave a "little bit" of it up, you know, so future generations could actually see what took place "back in the day" ... You know, for the sake of HISTORY.

Like the Great Wall of China ... Yes, there is still parts of it still standing, and other parts where it has been gone for centuries ...

And yes, when I took that trip across China back in the day, I made sure to see "both sections"! Both 'THE TOURIST" section, and then, yeah, I had a taxi driver take me to "THE OLD" section ... Where there are still parts of it still standing, but in really, really bad shape.

Turns out, people found out that the stones made pretty good houses, you know, even centuries later!

Lots of the "wall" is gone completely!

I wanted to see what it was all about ...

And then, a few years after THAT, yeah, I found myself back in Berlin, and yeah, came across THIS!

And yeah, just had to take a photograph of it!

I have mentioned that I did actually major in HISTORY back in college, right? Yeah ...

Started out with Criminal Justice, back when I wore a MP band on my left arm, back when I wore a "younger man's" Marine uniform! Yeah, over in Japan, what? Like, a semester, and a half (22 Oct77) but yeah, then my younger sister was murdered, while in college herself, down in Florida, and yeah, that ended that!

Once I got out, in March, 1979, and waited until it warmed up a bit, yeah, I headed back to Up-State New York, where I began my "real" college journey, first in Liberal Arts (I did mention I was a "VOCATIONAL STUDENT" in high school, right? Yeah ... And "a few years" older than your "NORMAL" first year college student!

Yeah.

But yeah, I had always been a "history buff", you know, after living over in Greece as a kid, for a couple of years, and again, as an "older kid", yeah, over in Japan. and getting the chance to visit several other Asian countries, while on that Navy ship for a month ... Oh yeah, that was WILD!

What? Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Thailand ... Yeah, once I got off that darn ship, yeah, it was a pretty cool "adventure" ... But yeah, getting "stuck" in that Typhoon around the Phillines, yeah! That was not fun!

We never did actually land! Three days going round and round, and UP and DOWN kind of killed the whole FUN out of being stuck on a Navy ship, well, for me anyways!

But, as long as I can FORGET that, yeah! GREAT TRIP!

But yeah, I wasn't meant to be a sailor, that is for sure! And yeah, although he never talked about it, I really got a better understanding of what my uncle went through, during his time in the Navy, back in World War Two.

And then there was Iwo Jima ... Yeah, one of the battles he fought in ... Then I KNEW why he never brought up his time in the Navy with me ...

UNREAL.

But yeah, back to Berlin.

Living in Bremerhaven, Germany, where my then-wife was stationed, yeah, they offtered a FREE train ride for military members (and their familes) to Berlin ... Perfect!

Like, I said, I went over several times!

Even drove over there once, when my high school football coach's (and math teacher!) daughters came over to visit us one year!

Wait! Let me explain that one ...

Yeah, once my mother remarried, like, my SENIOR year in high school, yeah, I wanted to finish my school where I began it! I stayed behind, and first lived with my grandfather up in Mannsville, NY, which yes, is in a different county! That was not the issue here ...

No, I drove a motorcycle.

In Up-State New York.

They have "REAL" winters' up there! You know, with real SNOW!

I was "young and (really, really) foolish, and yeah ... I think I even bought an old car ...

It got cold. And snowy ...

My football coach/math teacher, and his wife, ahh, my English teacher, yeah, they took me in once the snow started to cut loose! Did I mention that my grandfather lived way up this old, gravel road, up in the woods? Wood stove, hand-pump out the the hall ... An "Out-House" out in the wood shed ... Yeah.

So yeah, I actually ended up living with my teachers, and their two, very young, daughters until I graduated! Yeah, like back in 1973.

So yeah,YEARS later, like around Christmas,1987, yeah, the two girls came over for a little visit! And that was when we took off to Berlin! I drove over so they could experience the whole "IRON CURTAIN" thing ... With the big, Soviet soldiers, and those big, Russian "Fur Hats" they wore! Oh yeah, the girls enjoyed themselfs!

That was a FUN trip.

Where was I?

Oh! Of course! That, ahh, "BERLINER MAUER 1961 - 1989" image.

OK, I checked, looks like I took this photo back in 2009, that summer I went over to Germany,and met up with my friend, who had stayed in the Marines, and was now over in Germany himself ... And "invited me over" to hang-out with his son, who was also visiting him that summer ...

Yeah, talk about CRAZY times!

Long story short, I got over there, my friend was in the hospital, where he just had neck surgery, you know, the same kind I had, again, like, YEARS later ... His doctors sent him home ...

His son and I went on "A LITTLE ADVENTURE" for a month around Europe, with a little, short, visit, over to North Africa, just because we could! Heck, we were so close when in Southern Spain!

I love maps!

Oh, and once we got back, yeah, I thought it best if my buddy ahad another week "free" from the demands of being a dad, and a Marine, whatever he was at that time ... So yeah, his son and I, took a little flight over to Ireland for a week ...

Really.

Drove around Ireland, with a bunch of those little tickets that allowed us to stay in any home with that big, SHAMROCK poster thing in their window, or you know, something like that!

Oh yeah, it was CRAZY!

Hey, I did what I could to help out my buddy!

What a week! Even made it up to Northern Ireland! A place I had wanted to visit for YEARS, even more than, you know, IRELAND!

Talk about a WILD, and CRAZY, Summer!

Yeah, when I saw the date on this photo, oh yeah, I KNEW!

THE SUMMER OF "2009".

Yeah, one that, pardon me, "will go down in infamy", for me, anyways!

Love it.

But yeah, I knew it was AFTER I had left Germany ...

I love the "POWER" of photography!

The STORIES! The MEMORIES!

Now, YOU get out there, and see what you can come up with!

Hope you have as much fun as I do.

And did.

And will have here, you know, this Christmas season!

Good luck with that!

Get out there, and MAKE your memories!

I know I will.