Days

Today marks the 25th anniversary of the fall of  the Berlin wall and I've been trying to get an in-depth understanding about the events which happened on the 9th of November 1989. By in-depth understanding I mean looking up for any kind of eye-witness information rather than blindly looking for posts on the Internet. I am completely aware that things were different back home, but nonetheless I think I can draw some sort of a reflection based on all the stories my parents have told me about the pre-democracy times in Bulgaria.

While doing this I was thinking of an appropriate soundtrack of today and Balmorhea's (pronounced Bal-more-ray) "Days" felt somehow right. Little did I know that the band is actually performing in Berlin in a week - something which made me genuinely excited as I find this seven-piece act one of the most non-post-rock post-rock bands out there. These guys have the ability to blend and kinda put together melodies which one can even describe as dichotomous. Their sound is not only beautiful, but very complex due to the excessive use of string instruments and peculiar percussion instruments on top of the usual post-rock setup. I think seeing Balmorhea live would be the kind of gig I would take someone who I'm trying to get into post-rock. Not sure if that makes sense to you?

But back on the Berlin thing - there is an ongoing installation project which illuminates the historical divide between East and West Germany by placing 8000 balloons along the path of the path of the well. They will be released in the air tonight and yes, saying this is amazing would be an understatement.

I found this while scouting for eye-witnesses. I thought of sharing it:

"Well, I was 10 at the time, so all first-hand experiences come from a child's perspective. I actually grew up in this 5km zone close the German-German border (outsiders need a permit to enter this zone, even people who wanted to visit their relatives). That also means that I saw the border -- which was usually two lines of fences in rural areas -- on a more or less daily basis. But when you were born and raised in this awareness, it just seems normal: Well, looks the same over there, I just cannot go there.

Politics were never really a topic at home, at least not in front of me. Since both my parents were normal blue-collar workers, none of them was in the SED (ruling party of the GDR), which was mandatory for any kind of higher ranking job and even when you wanted to study.

Still, even as a kid it was very easy to sense that something was going on. While not many had a telephone, a TV as reasonable common. And most East German could actually receive West German station, which were definitely the better source of information (and the only time I was looking forward to watch ads for toys and sweets I never could get in real life). But of course I had not full sense of the possible consequences, both good and bad. But the general excitement was certainly tangible.

One of the most ingrained memories was our first visit to West Germany, inlcuding a larger town. For a little rascal from a very small East German village like me, this was wonderland. The lights, the smell, and all the stuff I only knew from TV. After the Fall of the Wall and particularly after the Reunification, living close the the former German-German border was kind of a blessing. Easy access to already "developed" areas, and many East German found a job on the other side.

As for me, I switched to secondary school in West Germany. Since then it only went uphill. I still remember the times when they were still searching for landmines between the two rows of fences. This and all the things I learned when getting older made really acknowledge and appreciate what was going on."