As we got closer, the blue sky was obliterated and headlights were needed in the middle of the day to negotiate through the pollution that hung low to the ground like a fog rolling in from the sea.
Chipping and tapping sounds could be heard, becoming louder as we neared the wall. There was a sense of great excitement. The crowd, wielding hammers and pick axes, were euphoric as they battered their tools into the brightly painted surface obtaining souvenirs for themselves as they demolished the cement barrier at the Brandenburg Gate.
We joined in, swept up in the celebrations. We wanted our own piece of history as the iron curtain was swept aside.
Thank you to Denise for hosting SSS
© irene waters 2018
My piece of Berlin wall. I didn’t have the thrill of being there myself but my husband happened to be visiting his sister in Germany at the time and he and her husband made the memorable trip.
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About Irene Waters 19 Writer Memoirist
I began my working career as a reluctant potato peeler whilst waiting to commence my training as a student nurse. On completion I worked mainly in intensive care/coronary care; finishing my hospital career as clinical nurse educator in intensive care. A life changing period as a resort owner/manager on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu was followed by recovery time as a farmer at Bucca Wauka. Having discovered I was no farmer and vowing never again to own an animal bigger than myself I took on the Barrington General Store. Here we also ran a five star restaurant. Working the shop of a day 7am - 6pm followed by the restaurant until late was surprisingly more stressful than Tanna. On the sale we decided to retire and renovate our house with the help of a builder friend. Now believing we knew everything about building we set to constructing our own house. Just finished a coal mine decided to set up in our backyard. Definitely time to retire we moved to Queensland. I had been writing a manuscript for some time. In the desire to complete this I enrolled in a post grad certificate in creative Industries which I completed 2013. I followed this by doing a Master of Arts by research graduating in 2017. Now I live to write and write to live.
Reflections and Nightmares- Irene A Waters (writer and memoirist) 
Lucky you! A wonderful piece of history.
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Roger lost his piece which makes me very careful of mine. Lovely to have a piece of world shattering history that I can hold in my hand.
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What an historic event and while you were not physically there, you’ve managed to describe the scene as if you were! Excellent descriptors. Very well done 6, I thoroughly enjoyed this.
You’re welcome, Irene! Thank you for participating 🙂
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Thank you Denise for your lovely comment. Made my day.
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Amazing to own a piece of history that you can hold in your hand. Your writing made me feel the depth of the fog and the spirit of the moment.
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Thank you for your comment. I’m glad the atmosphere could be felt.
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very cool Six!
(the story was sensually engaging*) and… and! being a page from an actual history book complete with an artifact.
nice
*in the more general sense, of course!
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LOL. Thanks
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An enjoyable story, Irene. An amazing keepsake you have there. We saw a large piece of the Berlin Wall when we were in the UK last year. We also saw a piece of the World Tower – that was a very poignant sight.
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Yes I am lucky to have a piece of history. I can understand how you were moved by the piece of World Tower. It brings it all back plus brings it home in a tangible way the enormity of what happened.
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Yes, a very well done and interesting six. I am glad your husband was able to take part, even if he has lost his part.
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LOL. Yes some memories stay with you as memorable and that will be one for him.
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Fascinating piece of history! It went up
And came down in our lifetimes
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So much has happened in my lifetime that is now considered history. I have to admit that I have a hard time getting my head around it. This paranoid part of history was fascinating – I just hope we’re not heading back that way.
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I’m glad to see your piece of Berlin wall. My husband bought a piece also. The owner of the shop said he took a chunk of the wall and carve it into pieces. I was afraid that everything was made in China!! Our tour guide said she was among the people who hammered the wall.
We took a trip to Germany and Austria, starting from Berlin to Vienna. My heart was so heavy in Berlin, and it gets lighter as we went south. I was happy that ended in Vienna where I visited Mozart’s birthplace and Strauss Jr’s statue and went to the Mozart/Strauss concert.
My husband was born in New South Wales. We went to Australia some years ago, visited Sydney, Blue Mountain, then he dived in Great Barrier Reef, visited Port Douglas and Cape Tribulations.
Nice meeting you here!
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I’m glad my picture made you feel that your piece is real. It was a big wall. I can understand your spirits lifting as you went south. Mine do too when we visit but mostly it is due to the weather and greyness. How did you meet an Aussie? You’ve gone to some nice places here but lots more to make a return journey.
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We met at a church here In US 24 years ago. We like to travel. We’re going to Alaska in less than a month -second time.
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I would love to go to Alaska. I have been to Greenland and I imagine it could be similar. The extreme cold makes it such a different landscape and lifestyle to most.
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If I would go to Greenland, a big part of it would be seeing the Northern Light!
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Don’t they get them in Alaska? I guess they mustn’t be far enough north. I haven’t seen them but would love to see them also.
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Yes, we could go further north to see it, more expensive to go. Places like Greenland, Norway cab see it all the time and is cheaper to fly there to see.
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That makes sense. I can feel a holiday plan coming on.
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The northern light holiday will have to wait fora few years. Other plans will come first.
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At least you have a plan.
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Yes, we (My daughter and I) do. Her daughter flies free before 2 years old.
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That’s the time to travel then it starts to get expensive.
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Yes, they are very active, and they take the baby everywhere they go, did cross country skiing two weeks ago. They hiked to certain point of a snowy mountain, then skied down to the tarting place. The baby will be a great traveler.
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Yes they will. My brother’s boys are like that having travelled extensively since babyhood.
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They went to a winery yesterday. I teased my daughter and asked if Autumn (my granddaughter) tasted the wine.
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LOL
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❤
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A wonderful personal glimpse of an incredible moment in history! I lived in Germany during the mid-1970’s when it was still divided East and West. I cheered when that wall came down, I think we all did.
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We did indeed. It was a monumentous occasion.
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What a historical SSS!
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Yes it was. Excitement rocked the world when it came down.
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