Its the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall, It’s 20 years since the monumental fall of the Berlin Wall, and the city is celebrating this historical event.

In January 1990, I received a rather heavy package in my office, postmarked from Germany. Although I wasn’t expecting anything from Berlin I was curious of the content. When I opened the box a note was on top in an envelope. It was from a travel industry colleague from Germany, who was aware of my interest in the Berlin Wall during my last visit to Germany several years before. The note simply read “a wall to remember” and it was signed, Hans.
Inside the box were actual pieces of the Berlin Wall.  I was completely astonished Hans would remember such a small detail of our past conversations, and honor me with a true piece of world history. To this day the wall still adorns a section of my office bookcase.

As I think back to 1961 when the wall was originally built, I think of the German people who’s lives were separated for years, how families were torn apart, how the wall stood for a symbol of communism and capitalism butted together. I also think of the people who lost their lives attempting to reach freedom in the west. For those of us living in the U.S. we forget how fortunate we are to live under the symbol of freedom with our flag flying high. We lose perspective as we forget that freedom comes with a price. I think of the day President Reagan stood in Germany and told the communist leadership to “tear down this wall”, and within a year it became a reality. So many suffered and for what?

The German people are a strong and powerful breed. They have learned to forget the past and focus on the future. They live life to the fullest. They are an economic power in the world today.   They choose to not use their military strength to reflect their position on issues. Though I doubt they can totally forget the past, they certainly don’t dwell on it. They re-built their country and re-united their people. That can’t be said about many other war torn countries. Yes, they were provided help, but it was their forbearance that carried them thru the darkest hours of their existence.

Germany today is a beautiful and scenic country, rich in tradition and steeped in history. For all those who enjoy the breath of freedom, they should take the time to reflect on what the German people endured.

The piece of the wall I possess is a symbol of not only the freedom of the German people but my own freedom as well. I am a proud member of the world community, because of the “wall to remember”.

For those who have not traveled to Germany I encourage you to do so, enjoy the food, enjoy the sites, experience the history, enjoy the people and enjoy the freedom.

Written By: John Monestere

Tags: Berlin 20th anniversary, Berlin Wall, German, Germany, hoteltravelrewards.com, Travel, Travel blog

This entry was posted on November 10, 2009 at 5:58 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Posted in Berlin by James Gray No Comments Yet