This morning, I took a tour focusing specifically on the former Berlin Wall. Naturally, the wall itself no longer really exists, but the ground where it previously stood is marked by either stones or a shallow impression in the street. Interestingly, there was not just one wall but two, one on the inside and one on the outside. In between stood no man's land where attack dogs, barbed wire, ditches, search lights, and soldiers made sure that no one managed to get across to the other side. Of course, that did not stop people from trying. In the early years of the wall, before it had such an elaborate set up, quite a few people managed to make their way into west Berlin.
One man built a makeshift zip line with the help of his western friend and zipped himself and his family to freedom. Naturally, soldiers saw him doing this, but because he had set it up on top of the government building where he worked, they assumed it was controlled by the state and let him get away with it. Another family actually created a hot air balloon. The first time they tried it, they went down to soon, but their second attempt was a success. Once, over a hundred people managed to escape through a tunnel before the soldiers could show up and put and end to it.
In a much less literal sense, I overcame the obstacle of the Bikram Yoga class today. I managed to make it through the entire 115 minutes without feeling sick. Furthermore, I caught far more of the German this time around than I did yesterday. Success!
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