(East) Berlin, (East) Germany - Berlin Cathedral sits on a museum island in the Mitte district

This is what I call a drive by shooting: WAIT STOP THE CAR! [SNAPS PIC] Ok Bye, even managed a partial hand selfie in the process - Feb 1991

This is when we arrived in Berlin. It seemed the only entry point into Berlin was from the east side. Every other road in from the west was likely a diplomatic route. If they ever existed. I recall driving all the way around the southern end of the Berliner Ring looking for a way in (see also Trabant Graveyard post), going up and over, and entering from the north somewhere around Friedrichhain. We continued through the Mitte district and then turned left onto Karl-Liebknecht Straße, and made a quick stop at the Berlin Cathedral. Somehow we ended up on Unter Den Linden and the boulevard opened up arriving at the Brandenburg Gates. Unfortunately, there was no chariot on top, just the dreary columns. The Quadriga was undergoing repairs. DOH-&^$#! At least we made it. So getting out the car, I walked up to this Turkish gentleman standing beside a huge pile of rubble. He was selling a piece of the Berlin Wall for -5 DM. There was no Euro yet. I could have just took one, they weren’t his to sell but I rather he had something for just standing there all day waiting for tourists like me to show up, and not feel bad about it later. I still have it, it’s got green and red spray paint on it and looks really punk rock 🤟🏻 I wonder if it’s legit. It’s sitting in a giant decorative glass ashtray next to the other junk I’ve collected over the years.

#Berlin #Germany #BerlinWall #FallOfTheBerlinWall #GermanReunification #ColdWar #PeacefulRevolution #WestGermany #EastGermany #HistoricalEvent #Freedom #Unity #Democracy #EndFascism #Photo #Photography #fotografie #photographie #foto #fotografia

Vintage Series
(This is a digitized version of the original print and includes some restoration work.)

Gdańsk, Poland - Kościół Rektorski Ojców Karmelitów pw św Katarzyny - roof gable of Rector's Church of the Carmelite Fathers of St. Catherine - Gdańsk, Poland - Feb 1991

#Gdansk #Poland #Polska #BerlinWall #FallOfTheBerlinWall #GermanReunification #ColdWar #PeacefulRevolution #WestGermany #EastGermany #HistoricalEvent #Freedom #Unity #Democracy #EndFascism #Photo #Photography #fotografie #photographie #foto #fotografia

Vintage Series in B&W
(This is a digitized version of the original colour print)

Gdańsk, Poland - Wielka Zbrojownia - Feb 1991 #Gdansk #Poland #Polska #BerlinWall #FallOfTheBerlinWall #GermanReunification #ColdWar #PeacefulRevolution #WestGermany #EastGermany #HistoricalEvent #Freedom #Unity #Democracy #EndFascism #Photo #Photography #fotografie #photographie #foto #fotografia

(You already know the backstory, or it’s 3 posts down if you’re interested.)

This one looks like it’s right out of a late 60’s era spy drama.

In a state of decay, The Great Armoury Building in Gdańsk provides the backdrop for what appears to be a crime scene. Zoom in to see there are black curtains obscuring parts of it behind the tiny Polski Fiat on the left while a “CSI agent” appears to be pointing a camera past the open door into the car interior. Crime scene? This doesn’t appear to be a mere car accident. (Queue “For Your Eyes Only”.) All kidding aside, the tension and distress here was palpable. Lingering didn’t seem like a wise idea and I caught a blast for snapping this, as if doing so meant getting yourself arrested. Other than the CSI guy, I had the only other camera. I felt like I did something stupid that would get me in trouble. Did I risk it all for this souvenir? Not really. But I had an amazing time in Gdańsk. This was a bucket list trip. An incredible city no matter what state it was in. I will eventually go back.

Vintage Series
(This is a digitized version of the original print and includes some restoration work.)

Well this is different. I’m leaving my comfort zone and starting a vintage B&W series documenting my Eastern European travels in 1991, shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

I travelled with a friend who had defected from Poland about a decade earlier, during Pope John Paul II’s time in the Vatican. Many Poles like him received visas to visit the Vatican and witness the world’s first Polish Pope in person. After meeting the Pope, he declared asylum, joining thousands of other Poles who already did the same. My friend spent months in a refugee camp in Italy before eventually emigrating to Canada. This was his journey back to see his family after nearly a decade with absolute zero communication. He asked me to come along, because he was understandably nervous about returning to a former authoritarian country, having witnessed brutal beatings, killings, and arrests during Solidarity crackdowns clashing with ZOMO, the riot police that he managed to narrowly escape from. He didn’t want to be alone for this trip and suffered many anxiety attacks on the way after we reached the former Warsaw Pact territories.

Seizing the opportunity to be the first in my family in 70 years to visit my father’s parent’s homeland, I eagerly embarked on this adventure with him. We had driven from Amsterdam to Olsztyn, and we stopped in several places along the way. One of these stops was Leipzig, as shown in this photo. Leipzig was still a filthy, polluted city. We were witnessing the aftermath of the damage caused by the USSR after bleeding Eastern Germany and Poland dry for decades. The haze you see is all smog, making it hard to breathe. We only stopped briefly for a pee break and some snacks before continuing on to Berlin.

Leipzig, Germany - Looking Lonely in Leipzig (subject unknown) - Jan-Feb 1991 #Leipzig #Germany #blackandwhite #Photo #Photography #fotografie #photographie #foto #fotografia #BerlinWall #FallOfTheBerlinWall #ColdWar #Freedom #Democracy #EndFascism

Thank you, Mr. Hoff! #GermanReunification #teardownthatwall #tagderdeutscheneinheit #davidhasselhoff #thehoff #peace