The thing I noticed most of all (back then) was that clothes which were available legally were made so poorly because the quality of the material and thread was terrible. The stitches would unravel after washing. The fabric would bleed and become blotchy or stretched out of shape. On the black market, there was a lot available (if you knew who to ask) but for the prices you couldn't afford to buy it. I actually went into stores where woman were lined up outside and when I finally got inside there was literally nothing left on the racks to purchase. Amazing. In the markets, I wouldn't dream of eating the produce unless it was potatos, rudebakers or cabbage (plenty of those available). Anything else looked as though it was beyond ripe and well into spoilage. Of course, just like the stories, vodka was available by the gallon. :o)

I had a problem in East Berlin though for half a day. I was followed around by the secret police as well as the uniforms. The uniforms I imagine were following me to distract from the secret police. The Russians were our allies then inside the sector (strange concept at that time). I had quite a time ditching them. A large of group of disruptive teens actually did it for me :o) They knew full well what was up and had a grand ol time playing the game. I got the chance to speak to a man though who went to work one day and was never able to go home when the wall was sealed. He lived in an apartment with furniture similar to our 50s and 60s furniture. His apartment was heated by coal. He was very proud of his car. He was the only one on his block with one. He only drove it once a week because fuel was too expensive. His car was very reliable but much of the exterior was completely rusted or made of wood. Strange looking thing. He had not seen his wife since the day he went to work and they sealed the wall. I hope he was still alive when the wall came down and was able to go to West Berlin and see her. He would get letters from her weekly with half of the letter cut out, not just blackened. They just cut out whatever they didn't want him to read and that would cut out the other side of the page as well. He kept writing to her asking her to only write on one side of each page, but they must have cut that out as well because she always wrote on both sides of the sheet. I took a letter and a photo of him across when I left and delivered it to her. I had the best meal in West Berlin I ever experienced when I delivered that letter and picture. She of course, being in Berlin, was doing very well.




>>I went to each section of Berlin back in the days when it was still really divided (1984 I think). An interesting, if not entirely pleasant, experience. Glad I got to do it. Saw all of the historic sites, strolled through the downtown(s), road the train (yuck), had coffee and vodka and attempted to shop - only place with anything to buy (not on the black market) was West Berlin.
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>Ah, so you did get your tour of the Eastern Bloc shopping. Unforgettable :).
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>Nowadays, shopping became boring - pretty much the same stuff in every grocery, and the same stuff is missing. I had only two surprises this year: found Heineken Dark once, and can't find yeast in Kroger anymore.
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>Back then, hopping for a bit of shopping was a fishing expedition. We'd travel to Szeged (seg-ed) in Hungary, or Timişoara (timmy-shwa-ra) in Romania and couldn't guess what we'd find. Few items were regularly there, like food (cheese, salami, fruit preserves), but anything else was a matter of luck. We still have one Romanian leather suitcase bought in the seventies, and my last trouser belt from that era lasted until this millennium - then I noticed the buckle had cut too deeply into it. With a proper buckle it could have lasted a few decades more.
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>Though not too many things were made that well - most of the tools we bought were made of inferior materials and didn't last long. Knives would go dull in no time, the fastening screws on handles would unscrew and couldn't be screwed back, light bulbs would last a few months (or a dozen years, in some cases - no middle :).
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>Thanks for stirring up this trip down the smalltime smuggler's memory... border crossing :).