In October 1968, I was 12 years old. One day, my mother announced that I was going to Berlin to spend the new year. I was surprised because in my low-income family, travelling was not even considered, especially to a foreign country. It happened that our city had selected “poor” kids performing well at school for a rewarding trip and Berlin was the chosen destination. Why Berlin? No idea!
We took the train in Paris, went through Belgium, the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and finally reached Berlin after a 15-hour trip.
The Cold War was at its peak and the journey itself through the Iron Curtain was an experience.