Mr. Gorbatchev, Open This Gate

[Anna C. 4]

You forgot the Trabbies !

I used to drive an A35 van and it was like a Rolls in comparison...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...tin_A35_van.jpg

That's what we had... They were sooooo loud, stank so bad and didn't have seatbelts. All three of us sat in the back never buckled in.

Oh boy I loved the Nissan which we bought right away. Electric window openers... I played for hours with those

[Ms. Squirrel 11]

Good post Anna!

[Captain Oates 911]

You forgot the Trabbies !

I used to drive an A35 van and it was like a Rolls in comparison...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...tin_A35_van.jpg

That's what we had... They were sooooo loud, stank so bad and didn't have seatbelts. All three of us sat in the back never buckled in.

Oh boy I loved the Nissan which we bought right away. Electric window openers... I played for hours with those

I remember the train station in east berlin before the wall came down - dozens of guys standing around chain smoking in worn out dirty uniforms.

Full employment indeed !

Not too different in Local authorities etc in England. I ended up there for 2.5 years and came from a hot shot company.

I computerised my job and cut the real work load from 10 days a month to 2

Then I played on the Internet all day for the other 18 and educated myself further... The top managers used to snore loudly in our almost daily meetings.

I see the same stuff all over the word when it comes to office bound government jobs.

It does help to go to these palces and make sure it's a first hand experience and not just propoganda - but I won't be going to North Korea just to check...

[Otto 83]

Did ya know you can now take a Trabi Safari?

http://europeforvisitors.com/germany/dresd...afari-tours.htm

[SuperDuper! 230]

Did ya know you can now take a Trabi Safari?

http://europeforvisitors.com/germany/dresd...afari-tours.htm

Wow, so now we know how Otto REALLY rolls!

[Ms. Squirrel 11]

After Nicolas Sarkozy, Dimitry Medvedev, Hilary is now up holding a speech and the crowd fvcking loves her!! Unfortunaltey they just cut her off because of the Tagesschau at 8:15pm. Nothing stops the Tagesschau.

[jundp 191]

Just wanted to say that November 9th was also the night of the 'Kristallnacht' and that it should not be forgotten.

Today is the 70th anniversary! I realized that when I was talking to my students about the beginning of Kindertransport earlier. We were discussing the Mauerfall and then one kid said "Wait. November 9th was Kristallnacht." It was an odd moment with all these teenagers so quiet...

Here is the BBC interview with Joachim Neumann the tunneler I met in Berlin last year. My friend found this and posted it on facebook. We hope he was able to be at the Wall celebrations.

[SuperDuper! 230]

After Nicolas Sarkozy, Dimitry Medvedev, Hilary is now up holding a speech and the crowd fvcking loves her!! Unfortunaltey they just cut her off because of the Tagesschau at 8:15pm. Nothing stops the Tagesschau.

Unstoppable indeed. She is so hot!

[jundp 191]

Anything of value to add to this conversation?

Anna, I just read your post. Very nice and completely understandable too. I don't think anyone would consider you materialistic.

[Ms. Squirrel 11]

Just wanted to say that November 9th was also the night of the 'Kristallnacht' and that it should not be forgotten.

Today is the 70th anniversary! I realized that when I was talking to my students about the beginning of Kindertransport earlier. We were discussing the Mauerfall and then one kid said "Wait. November 9th was Kristallnacht." It was an odd moment with all these teenagers so quiet...

Here is the BBC interview with Joachim Neumann the tunneler I met in Berlin last year. My friend found this and posted it on facebook. We hope he was able to be at the Wall celebrations.

It's been 71 years Jennie

The tunnel just shows how despreate people where to get out of there. I forgot to mention my thrid eastern colleague - her mom and her actually escaped in the trunk of a car. Imagine that. The fear they must have had.

[Anna C. 4]

The tunnel just shows how despreate people where to get out of there. I forgot to mention my thrid eastern colleague - her mom and her actually escaped in the trunk of a car. Imagine that. The fear they must have had.

Wow. BTW there is a rather kitchy movie about the tunnel thing on Netflix with English subtitles, I think it's called the Tunnel. I rent those movies to watch some German stuff every once in a while.

We don't have such stories in my family, but my paternal great grandparents left East Germany before the wall was built, they went back to their original home near Stuttgart. My dad's uncle left a couple weeks before the wall was built at night because he was about to be arrested for anti-government remarks. His wife and kid were able to join him a couple days later.

[Captain Oates 911]

Just wanted to say that November 9th was also the night of the 'Kristallnacht' and that it should not be forgotten.

Today is the 70th anniversary! I realized that when I was talking to my students about the beginning of Kindertransport earlier. We were discussing the Mauerfall and then one kid said "Wait. November 9th was Kristallnacht." It was an odd moment with all these teenagers so quiet...

Here is the BBC interview with Joachim Neumann the tunneler I met in Berlin last year. My friend found this and posted it on facebook. We hope he was able to be at the Wall celebrations.

My father was born on the 9th November 1914 and died on his 81st birthday 9th November 1995.

His father was killed at Oppy Wood, Arras on Thursday 3rd May 1917

9th November seems to be a busy day - it's one I will always remember and it seems many others will remember it for

other reasons...

Edited November 9, 2009 by saywhat

[Anna C. 4]

Oh here is the link: http://www.netflix.com/Movie/The_Tunnel/60...mp;trkid=222336

Hubbie swore the main character looks like the German version of Bruce Willis (though Bruce is half German anyways )

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

You forgot the Trabbies !

I used to drive an A35 van and it was like a Rolls in comparison...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...tin_A35_van.jpg

That's what we had... They were sooooo loud, stank so bad and didn't have seatbelts. All three of us sat in the back never buckled in.

Oh boy I loved the Nissan which we bought right away. Electric window openers... I played for hours with those

Trabbies sucked - my first car was a 1968 Wartburg 353. Ah the memories...

Edited November 9, 2009 by Mr. Big Dog

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Just wanted to say that November 9th was also the night of the 'Kristallnacht' and that it should not be forgotten.

Today is the 70th anniversary!

It's the 71st anniversary of the Kristallnacht. That was 1938.