December 1982. Amy visits West Germany as a part of a summer course credit option at Young Harris College. At age 18, she had only been as far as Florida. On the same trip, she visits Italy, Greece, Austria, and Communist-controlled Hungary before ending the trip in Germany. The American school group visited formerly American-occupied Munich, West Berlin, and the small town of Steyerberg.
It was here that she stayed with Henning Buuk and his family, who became her pen pal. She still has these letters and mementos. After being escorted around Budapest by armed guards and being served caviar for the first time, seeing occupied Berlin had a very “oppressive feeling.”
She could see Checkpoint Charlie, but couldn’t get near it. The Brandenburg Gate separated the British sector from the Soviet one and the checkpoint there remained closed until 1989.
October 2012. Caroline visits Berlin for the first time at age 24 after many trips to Europe. She stays a short walk from the East Side Gallery, a long piece of the Berlin Wall that has been turned into an art gallery. The wall came down when she was only one year old and now pieces are sold in souvenir shops on every corner.
She stops to buy a piece for her mother, who hasn’t been back since the wall came down. The Berlin of her generation is known for the alternative scene and international cuisines, of street art, mohawks, and doner kebabs.
Checkpoint Charlie is arguably the most overrated tourist destination in the city, where people can pose with actors dressed as guards in one of the only existing checkpoints from postwar Berlin.
Caroline grew up not understanding the Allied occupation of Germany, just understanding that there was a wall that needed to come down. Berliners are now free to be weird and the city to be poor but sexy. They don’t live in fear or oppression and creativity thrives.
Many thanks to my mother, pictured in navy above, for sharing her photos and stories with me and my readers. I’d also like to thank PLUS Berlin for hosting be during my stay.
It is really interesting to draw the history lines between the generations. Especially, with these huge changes in the History.
“being served caviar for the first time” made me smile :)
Such a cool piece! I love the way you’ve drawn the connections between your trip and hers. Very cool. When my mother was the same age as me she went to Nepal and visited Base Camp, I’d very much like to do the same soon and compare our experiences!
Thanks! I would love to read your story about you and your mom visiting Nepal!