Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Our friend and go-to man at the Daily News is Steve Barnes. We rely on him to see that this weekly column endeavor makes its way into the weekend edition of the paper and gets posted online.

After a column I wrote about many of the places I have visited here in the U.S., and in Europe, he suggested I write about some experiences I had on my peregrinations.

Well, now. What might possibly be of interest to some of my readers? Let me think. Perhaps when, in the fall of 1961, we were on TDY (temporary duty) enroute to Berlin. Those of you may remember, or have learned about those times, know what the situation was.

We traveled by train (zug) from Frankfort, heading east. We were stopped at the border of West and East Germany, for the guards to assess why we were going to Berlin, and if we had anything forbidden (verboten) with us. Paranoid.

Then on to Berlin, stopping again at Checkpoint Charlie. We stayed in the American sector, of course, during the couple or so days we were there.

The wall was under construction, with barbed wire then strung in front of the Brandenburg Gate.

Where we were had been well restored, from the destruction caused during the latter stages of the war. There were numerous places that were quite attractive, landscapes and buildings. Such had not taken place to any extent in East Berlin, we were told.

In all, I spent twenty-nine months in Germany, arriving in late November 1959 and leaving in late April, 1962. I had traveled there by air (pleasant), and returned to the states by sea (not so pleasant).

Memories. Of people and places.

A long time ago.

Note – This took place in 1961. Where has the time gone?