Walls come tumbling down.

It is a thing in history that when a wall goes up, sooner or later it comes down.

Then another goes up. 

As a 15 year old,  I went on a class trip to Germany by bus. In those days, visiting West Berlin entailed driving across East Germany. Our teacher had us under strict instructions; do not laugh, do not speak, do not pass go, do not collect £200.

Both West and East German soldier/ border force came on board to check us all- spotty Glaswegians  wearing CND badges, Save the whale badges, Gay Right badges. You name it, we had a badge for it.

The West German guard was very stern, very disapproving of our badges,  very rude and abrupt.

The bus rolled into the no man's land between the crossings, then up to the East German border. The rumour was that we were going to be taken out and shot. That rumour was started by Sandy Miller who watched a lot of films.

The East German border security person was only a few years older than us. He was smiling, he tried out his English on us and had a bit of banter as we tried out our German on him.

He was very engaging.

He went off the bus, we were waved through to drive across East Germany, a mix of wasteland and factories I seem to remember.

The teacher,  Mr Cowie, stood up as the bus was driving along the dead straight motorway/autobahn, and asked us what we thought of our border crossing experience.

Of course we preferred the East German guy, as he was nice.

Mr Cowie then explained that we had just experience true propaganda. 

The crossing between the American sector of Berlin and East Germany as it is today.

This street was the main crossing point.

Maybe 200 yards before that is this mark on the pavement, all that's left of the wall.

Bus tours, Christmas trees, Tourists freely walking around.

An obvious point of protest against conflict.

The (in) famous 5 person bike- I snapped these 5 as they were a mixed bag of race and age all working to move in the same direction, and having a good time while doing it. A wistful thought.

The street looking into the American sector.

I have noticed a fondness for USSR and GDR memorabilia, in the most unlikely places.

I couldn't make up my mind if this was a very likely place or a very unlikely place.  

The strip of land between the check points is now a walk around site of history and memory.

This is a section of the wall.

We visited the wall when we were in Berlin, age 15, and I remember  the doors that had just been boarded up and cemented over, shop fronts, schools, all kinds of life petrified.

The division as it was back in the day.

The wall, with its dense graffiti.

And everywhere...Ronald MacDonald.

Starbucks is right at the Brandenburg Gate.

The division map is at the back of a small cafe within the walk round open air exhibition.

It sold Costa coffee.

Happy New Year when it comes.

May more walls fall down, than go up.