Reading My Way Around the World

Saturday 3 October 2015

Reunification

An iconic image - the Berlin Wall after the fall of the wall in 1989

Today, 3rd October is German reunification day.  And this year is the 25th anniversary of when the two parts of the country became one.  It's not actually the day the wall came down - that was some 11 months earlier.  Can you remember what you were doing that day?  We were playing at a small gig in Strangford - I remember stopping playing and watching the TV - it was such an emotional event.

So today was a national holiday here in Germany and like every other country in the world, when there is a big holiday, what do people do?   They head out onto the motorway to go somewhere!   We were driving from Bonn to Kiel today - a journey that should have taken us about 5 hours maximum, but which ended up taking nearly 9 hours!   Every car in the north of Germany seemed to have been on the road.   Plus there were roadworks the whole way... Aaarrgh - why couldn't they just stay at home and watch the tele.

Anyway I just wanted to mark this day.   And I am half in jest - we got to where we were going - had two lovely gigs on either side of the journey, enjoyed the sunshine and  are safely tucked up in our hotel before tomorrow's journey.

Let us know where you were back then - do you remember it?

4 comments:

  1. I was six months old so I don't have any memories. I imagine there were nappies and gurgling involved. ;-)

    It does happen to be my friend's birthday as well.

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  2. I was 7! I remember seeing it on the news but that's all I remember!x

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  3. In Britain of course we would have shifted this day to the Monday. In Germany any holiday falling on a particular day STAYS on that day. A large chunk of your regular audience in Bonn was probably in supermarkets stocking up for a whole weekend without supermarkets...
    I hope those that weren't made your trip worthwhile - I certainly have discovered a new singer songwriter team to follow in you and Tom!

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  4. I don't remember well, but many years later, when I could think better :) I remember to think "wow, I am in a century with so many important things happening"... but then I thought "every century is that way, in the 19th century I bet people thought the same" - and what about Da Vinci, whoever could be with him? Hahaha, I felt like a fool for my thought :) Nevertheless a great event and I liked to read what you felt. 9 hours from Bonn to Kiel is horrific! Glad you are over it!
    DenisesPlanet.com

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