When I lived in Rochester, New York, I ate lunch most days in the atrium of the Bausch & Lomb office building, located across the street. The atrium was huge and airy, with metal chairs and tables (like a picnic), and best of all, I could bring my lunch. They weren’t offended that I didn’t buy it there.
There were all kinds of interesting things in the public areas of the building, including a piece of the Berlin Wall. According to Wikipedia, 100 to 200 people died trying to cross the wall. It was usually big news when that happened.
I’m not sure what I envisioned the wall to be, but this was not it. It seemed so. . . ordinary. It lacked passion, was utilitarian, and not even all that tall. This was what was used to keep people from defecting? I expected it to be more menacing.
In the end, the use of force was not enough to maintain the oppression that came from communism, and in 1989, it became to come down.
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A Daily Life 
July 13, 2011 at 9:33 am
I saw the remnant of the Berlin wall in Berlin. It’s a little more impressive there cutting off the path between two neighborhoods.
July 13, 2011 at 11:58 pm
Good point – I had not thought of that. Seeing just one small section doesn’t really do it justice.
July 13, 2011 at 6:46 pm
That’s an awesome piece of history to see standing right in front of you. I feel as though I can reach out and touch it…
hugs for sharing… :)
July 13, 2011 at 11:56 pm
It really was awesome – I’d never seen it before then and had no idea that’s what it looked like.