SUNDAY MEMORIES
Judy Wills
We had some amazing experiences during our times in West Germany. We saw so many wonderful sights while there. So much history, as well. One of our favorite cities to visit was West Berlin. At the time we were there, The 
Wall (Der Maur) was still in place. And, unfortunately, the Brandenberg Gate was in the Russian Zone, or East Berlin. We were unable to get close to it.I later spoke to a German 
national who said she just couldn’t imagine living in such an “enclosed” place as West Berlin. I tried to assure her that it didn’t FEEL enclosed. The American Zone was quite open and free. I don’t think I was very convincing. She just had to experience it for herself.
As we walked around the city, we came upon a fascinating piece of old Germany – a very old hand-watering pump. Apparently, anyone who knew about it, could bring their car/wagon/etc. there and get free water to wash whatever they had – as long as they were willing to hand-pump the water. Not something you see around the U.S.
My Mother had come to Germany to visit us that year (May 1969) and we delighted in taking her places that I know she only dreamed of ever seeing. We happened to be in West Berlin during the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift. The German people had erected a 
monument to that occasion, and the celebration took place in front of it. The monument is three-pronged, representing the American, British, and French efforts to keep the free German people from starving and out of Russian/Communist hands. It was a tremendous success.
Another site that impacted me greatly was in the heart of downtown West Berlin, along the 
Kurfurstendam, affectionately known by the locals as the Kudam, which is the main shopping street in downtown West Berlin. After the colossal disaster of World War 2, the German people decided to leave a reminder to themselves of the cost of pride and war. They left standing the bombed-out shell tower of the Kaiser Wilhelm church. And built right next to it a beautiful and modern new church and church tower. While the new structure is impressive, it cannot be fully appreciated until one is inside. The all-glass bricks are a cobalt blue, and with the sun shining through those bricks – well, all I can say is, it’s breath-taking. And peaceful. And amazing. And I’ve run out of adjectives already.
To be continued………..
Old Things R New 
How I would love to see that wall with the sun shinning through. Thanks for sharing your experience.
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Judy, I re-read your description of the church. I misunderstood, didn’t I? It was the wall? that was cobalt blue?
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Louise, the entire outside of the building/church is made up of the cobalt blue bricks. The bell tower is, as well, but we didn’t get into that. In these pictures, the church is octagonal and the belfry is hexagonal. I just looked at Wikipedia for the Kaiser Wilhelm Church and it shows the new sanctuary, inside. Beautiful.
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Judy, what a wonderful experience…so glad you had the opportunity to see the church and the beauty of the stained glass window. Thanks for sharing!
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