I was watching cartoons in my room when they interrupted the broadcast with a special news report about the wall coming down. I understood what it was (I was 12), but I remember being annoyed that it interrupted what I was watching. I also remember thinking that they ought to run the Chipmunks episode where they sing the wall down in honor of it. They never did. In fact, I never saw that episode again. Nice little piece of history, that.

LMU has a door-size chunk of it.

My grandparents were living in Germany at the time and got me a quarter-size piece which I still have.

Besides our visit to the Wall, my other memory is from Christmas Day of that year. Leonard Bernstein was conducted Beethoven's 9th Symphony with the Berlin Philharmonic. The words of the Ode to Joy had been changed for the occasion with the word "freude" (Joy) changed to "Freiheit" (Freedom). All Christmas celebrating stopped and we sat in our living room watching this magical moment with tears in our eyes.

Here's an excerpt.

Yeah, eff all of ya

Tell me about it!

Wow. Seeing Ode to Joy performed by a full chorus is now something I think I should do before I die.