The Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall has now been down longer than it was up. That physical symbol of the Cold War loomed large in contemporary politics and the stories that came from it in my youth.

Berlin itself still bears the marks of its decades of division - travelling along its old route I saw the open space on the west and the housing blocks on the east just a few feet from where it stood, as well as noting that the city still has two kinds of traffic lights, and having seen satellite photos showing the different street lights. The city still has three city centres, the old one largely back up for tourism. But progress has been made, and is continuing to be made.