. . . the Berlin Wall fell?
An event as momentous as that ought to be ingrained on my memory.
But as I digested news reports about what happened 20 years ago today I could recall only very vague memories of learning about it at the time.
Then I realised our son would have been only a few months old and the fall of the wall must have conincided with one of the many crises which punctuated his life.
When you’re wondering if your child will live or die the world shrinks and matters of international moment barely register.
November 9, 2009 at 10:01 pm
A poignant comment Ele. Not having been in the situation(s) you had regarding those sort of matters I cannot be totally aware of the experience of your plight. However as you say about being away from ‘the world’, I have to say that when we sailed around the world on The Whitbread in 81-82, we were on some legs 49 days at sea. When you are away from ‘the world’ for that long, you simply don’t connect with what is going on out there, no matter how serious, tragic, comical or disastrous. ( For us we were at sea when the ‘81 Tour dramas were being played out). I also believe that the falling of the Wall had a degree of inevitability about it, not dissimilar to the release of Nelson Mandela.
November 9, 2009 at 10:57 pm
I remember everything about time and place when I learned JFK was killed, but not the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Like Paul says, there was a sense of inevitability about it as the Communist dominoes were falling so quickly.
And I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon.. standing on a cold hillside in the Wairarapa supposedly planting trees but listening on a tiny transistor.
JC
November 9, 2009 at 11:15 pm
It was a couple of months until our wedding, and we were focused on that. I don’t recall where I was when the wall actually fell, but I do recall watching the fabulous performance of Beethoven’s Ninth on Christmas Day, with massed orchestras and choirs, conducted by Leonard Bernstein. “Freude” was replaced for this performance with “Freiheit” – magnificent.