Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2014/11/09

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Subject: [Leica] East Berlin 1966
From: photo at frozenlight.eu (Nathan Wajsman)
Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 07:21:00 +0100
References: <CAJ4y7gzsLfSZWhW8hHZVAgABo5wSvGv0w177F+2wSdo4mCFgWw@mail.gmail.com> <545D8E19.5040001@jayburleson.com> <CAJ4y7gyVHsPKnMCW+633qVKQt6boiDWKkK3D+QR5c0gPvfbx1w@mail.gmail.com> <BLU173-DS17D7A32988DAAA4A28DB29B8820@phx.gbl> <CAJ4y7gwAJJvDbR+fdRvZqOMqycdSJEYG+j1FHQCsK4UDaaswMw@mail.gmail.com>

Believe it or not, for us in the other Communist countries (I was 5-6 years 
old in neighboring Poland when Bob was taking these pictures), DDR was the 
place where they had consumer goods that we did not. Electrical goods, 
household appliances, etc.?all of this was better and much more available 
there than in our countries. This was part of the respective social 
contracts in DDR and Poland: we had more freedom, they had more stuff.

Good riddance to it all. When the Berlin Wall fell 25 years ago, I was 
living in Florida and I watched it on CNN with my 4-month old son in my lap. 
I had of course followed the dramatic events of that summer in Eastern 
Europe very intently. There was always this fear that at some point the 
Soviets would say: Enough! ? the way they had done in 1956 (Hungary) and 
1968 (Czechoslovakia) and threatened to do in 1980 (Poland). But once the 
Wall fell and they did nothing?then I knew that the Evil Empire was 
finished. DDR was the jewel in the crown and by letting it fall, USSR 
clearly signalled its own demise. I cried with joy that evening.

Nathan

Nathan Wajsman

Alicante, Spain
http://www.frozenlight.eu
http://www.greatpix.eu
PICTURE OF THE WEEK: http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws
Blog: http://nathansmusings.wordpress.com/

Cycling: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/belgiangator

YNWA













On 08 Nov 2014, at 18:55, Robert Baron <robertbaron1 at gmail.com> wrote:

> I did not have the sense it was a cheerful or happy place.



In reply to: Message from robertbaron1 at gmail.com (Robert Baron) ([Leica] East Berlin 1966)
Message from leica at jayburleson.com (Jay Burleson) ([Leica] East Berlin 1966)
Message from robertbaron1 at gmail.com (Robert Baron) ([Leica] East Berlin 1966)
Message from leica_r8 at hotmail.com (Aram Langhans) ([Leica] East Berlin 1966)
Message from robertbaron1 at gmail.com (Robert Baron) ([Leica] East Berlin 1966)