I studied abroad in Prague shortly after the wall came down. We started out in Berlin and had to take the train to the east side in order to catch the train to Prague. Let me tell you, leaving bright, crowded, modern Zoo station and then exiting into a dank, depressing hole with standing water, flickering lights, and signage still written in that old German typeface...it was like walking into a time capsule. The station still looked exactly as it had in 1945. The few people in the east station did not speak, they whispered. They stared at us like we were from outer space. It was unnerving. Soviet soldiers entered our rail car when we crossed the border. They were not happy to see us, but there was nothing they could do about it. That summer with the Czechs was extremely enlightening. Simple things that you would never think about unless you had experienced it...a city surrounded by fertile farmland, yet you couldn’t find a fresh vegetable anywhere.
Yup. Utopia. I went across in ‘62 and it sounds like things didn’t improve much over the years between when I was there and you were there. We took a bus through Checkpoint Charlie and when we got to the east side the east German soldiers boarded the bus and bee lined to me sitting all the way in the back. Teenager, blonde hair. Yeah, I was a real threat. LOL! Papers please. The difference between West Berlin and East Berlin was astonishing at the time. Like you said, vibrant and prosperous to depressing in an instant.