Stonewalled.

Next day we woke up reasonably early and I went out and bought us breakfast. We would be flying out of Berlin and heading to Krakow later that evening, but we had managed to get a late checkout at the hotel until two pm. In the morning I decided to go to The East Side Gallery. Peter didn't want to come with me, so I went alone.

At 1.3km long, The East Side Gallery is the longest remaining stretch of The Berlin Wall and the biggest outdoor art gallery in the world.

The Berlin Wall divided East and West Berlin from 1961 to 1989. It was built very rapidly (it took less than two weeks) because the number of East Germans crossing from Communist East Berlin to Capitalist West Berlin was a major source of embarrassment to the Soviet Authorities. Once it was complete, there was a no man's land on the East side of the wall. Anyone approaching or touching the wall would be shot. In total one hundred and seventy-one people died trying to cross the Berlin Wall. The east side of the wall was originally painted entirely white to give East German snipers a better view of anyone trying to illegally cross it.

Both sides of The Berlin Wall are painted at The East Side Gallery. The side that was on the west is next to an area of green grass and the Spree River. It is mainly covered with tags and street graffiti and scribbles. The side that was on the east, however, is covered with works of art, many of them political in nature.

Sitting on the banks of the Spree River facing west.

The Spree River behind The East Side Gallery.

East Side Gallery, Berlin. This is the west side of the wall.

Berlin Wall.

Cafe by the wall.

'We the Inhabitants.Claim Human Rights. Inside the cafe.

Graffiti on the west side of the wall.

Dog walker passing graffiti on the west side of the wall.

Graffiti on the west side of the wall.

Graffiti on the west side of the wall.

Spray painter.

'Get human'.

Batman.

Superheroes.

'The Sky Above Berlin.'

Dragon.

To get to The East Side Gallery I took a train to The Ostbahnhof Station. I didn't know at the time, but this was going to be a day when everything went wrong. First of all, I left the station by the wrong exit and headed the wrong way. The gallery was supposed to be just six minutes away, but I ended up over twenty minutes walk away. Using Google maps live, I did eventually get there, but I had wasted so much time that I couldn't see the whole of the gallery. I was very angry with myself. If I had gone to the gallery the day before, I could have stayed there for as long as I liked, but I now had to get back to finish packing, check out and go to the airport.

The most famous image on the east side of the wall is Dmitri Vrubel’s 'Fraternal Kiss' also known as 'My God, help me to survive this fraternal love.' It shows Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev and East German leader Erich Honecker in a mouth to mouth embrace in East Berlin on the 7th of October 1979. Apparently this was a perfectly normal greeting used between Communist leaders at the time, but this encounter became immortalised after being captured by photographer Régis Bossu. Later Russian graffiti artist, Dmitri Vrubel, depicted the image on the eastern side of the Berlin Wall. I managed not to get to see this painting due to my time wasting, but I have taken a picture of it from the internet.

'Fraternal Kiss' taken from the internet.

To be honest I wasn't that bothered about missing this famous painting, as I enjoyed the paintings I did see and I was just so relieved to have managed to see anything at all.

Another painting by Dmitri Vrubel, which I did see was an image of Russian dissident, Andrej Sacharow. Andrej Sacharow lived from May 1921 to December 1989. He was an important phycisist working on nuclear energy, but he also spoke out for human rights around the world and criticised the Communist regime. In 1975 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

'Danke, Andrej Sacharow' Thank you to the Russian dissident by Russian artist Dmitri Vrúbel.

Probably the second most famous painting here is of a Trabant, or Trabi, car bursting through the Berlin Wall. This painting is called 'Test the Rest' by Brigit Kinder. The Trabi's registration number is the date the wall came down. Trabants were a series of small cars manufactured in East Germany by VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau between 1957 and 1991. They became a well-known symbol of East Germany.

'Test the Rest' by East Germanu artist, Birgit Kinder.

Of course many of the images on the Berlin Wall are actually about the wall itself. After all it divided East and West Berlin for twenty-eight years.

One of these is 'Niemandsland' or 'No man's land' by German artist Carmen Leidner-Heidrich. Her image shows the sun rising behind a barrier of barbed wire. The barbed wire represents a wall or barrier and the sunrise may represent hope for the future. Carmen Leidner-Heidrich sued The State of Berlin when her work was copied and changed without her permission during restoration work.

'No man's land' by Carmen Leidner-Heidrich.

Another painting about the wall is' Mauerspringer' or 'Wall Jumper' by Gabriel Heimler. This shows someone trying to escape by jumping over the Berlin Wall. Surprisingly the jumper was jumping from West to East Berlin, but the artist claimed the direction wasn't significant and it was the idea of overcoming obstacles that was important. The artist himself was a mixture of French and Hungarian. He had lived in both Capitalist France and Communist Hungary. He had also lived in both East and West Berlin when the city was divided, so he saw himself as being about breaking down barriers.

'The Wall Jumper ' by Gabriel Heimler.

'Es gilt viele Mauern abzubauen' or 'Many walls need tearing down' by Ines Bayer and Raik Hönemann appeals to people to abandon their personal prejudices which are a form of inner wall.

'Many walls need tearing down' by Ines Bayer and Raik Hönemann.

'It happened in November' was painted by Iranian artist Kani Alavi. He lived in a fourth floor flat next to Checkpoint Charlie. On the day the wall came down he saw thousands of East Germans pouring through into the west. He wanted to depict the emotions he observed on their faces as they tried to come to terms with their new situation. He saw joy, confusion, trepidation, fear, liberation among other things. Kani Alavi was one of the people who strove to preserve part of the Berlin Wall as the East Side Gallery.

'It Happened in November' by German–Iranian painter Kani Alavi.

'It happened in November' by German–Iranian painter Kani Alavi.

Another political painting is 'Amnesty International in der DDR' by Slovakian artist Andrej Smolák. Smolák wanted to pay tribute to the courageous work Amnesty International does in the world. His painting is full of symbolism. There are objects of oppression such as a chain and a barred window, but there are also symbols of hope such as the dove and the ball at the end of the chain which is turning into a rose.

'Amnesty International in der DDR' by Slovakian artist, Andrej Smolák.

Some paintings on the wall are very cheerful and optimistic such as Salvadore de Fazio's 'Dawn of Peace' which celebrates the beginning of détente between the Western powers and the Eastern bloc states.

'Dawn of Peace.' by Salvadore de Fazio.

Also optimistic is Dieter Wien's 'Der Morgan' or 'The Morning' which depicts a joyful scene in which a man and a woman drift across a peaceful blue sky looking down on a pleasant landscape.

'Der Morgan's by German artist, Dieter Wien.

Herve Morley and Andreas Paulun also created a cheerful work of art showing many famous people.

'Paix, Amour-Sagesse' or'Peace, Love-Wisdom' by Hervé Morlay and Andreas Paulun.

'Paix, Amour-Sagesse' or'Peace, Love-Wisdom' by Hervé Morlay and Andreas Paulun.

Thomas Klingenstein was an East German born in Berlin who wanted to see the world, in particular Japan, but the circumstances of his birth meant he had no opportunity to travel. His painting 'Umleitung in den japanischen Sektor' or 'Detour to the Japanese sector' depicts his childhood dream of travel to the Far East. Maybe when the wall came down, this became achievable.

'Detour to the Japanese Sector' by German artist Thomas Klingenstein.

However, not all the paintings on the wall are optimistic. Some contain an element of caution.

'Stay Free' by German artist Christoph Frank reminds many people of the image of Uncle Sam pointing his finger and saying: 'We want you for the US Army.' Is it a comment on the US role in reunification or is it just reminding people to appreciate their freedom?

'Stay Free' by German artist, Christoph Frank.

Sabine Kunz from Zwickau in East Germany created the painting 'Die Tanzenden' ot 'The Dancers'. The dancers in the painting are peacefully dismantling the Berlin Wall, allowing yellow sunlight to shine through, symbolising hope for the future. However, one figure on the far right of the painting (unfortunately I didn't get her in my photo) has a blue flag in place of a head. She stands for the kind of opportunist who uses other people's distress and suffering to get herself ahead in life and is there to warn that the future will not all be rosy.

'The Dancers' by German artist, Sabine Kunz.

Another painting that may be a bit cautious about the future is 'Waiting for a new Prometheus' by Hungarian artist Sándor Rácmolnár. His painting shows a figure covered in thorns. Three smaller figures are climbing up his back. One holds the sun, another a lightbulb, the third some flames. In Ancient Greek mythology Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to humans. For this he received eternal punishment. Is the painting warning against placing too much faith in a liberator or having too much hope for the future?

'Waiting for a new Prometheus ' by Hungarian artist, Sándor Rácmolnár.

One painting depicts figures being thrown off a raft. This is called ' Who's screwing who?' and is by German artist Kiddy Citney. It represents the fear that the East may lose a lot when it joins with the west.

'Who's screwing who?' by Kiddy Citney.

German artist, Karsten Wenzel's 'Die Beständigkeit der Ignoranz' or 'The Persistence of Ignorance' shows a man resembling Erich Honecker, the one time East German head of state wearing royal robes. He stands pompous and proud while behind him there's a black brick wall and smoking chimneys. This indicates that the wall may be down but not everything is perfect.

'The persistence of ignorance' by Karsten Wenzel.

'Der müde Tod' or 'A Weary Death' is an odd painting by Hans-Peter Dürhager and Ralf Jesse. A man is caught in a giant spider's web Scrooge McDuck is on his right and stormtroopers from Star Wars are on his left. Is it trying to say the west isn't perfect?

'Der müde Tod' by Peter Dürhager and Ralph Jesse.

'Der müde Tod' by Peter Dürhager and Ralph Jesse.

Karin Velmanns is a German artist. Her untitled work shows one figure attacking another with a sword, while others pass by indifferently. Did people stick together more in the east?

Untitled work by Karin Velmanns.

Henry Schmidt’s 'Vergesst mir die Liebe nicht' or 'Don’t go and forget love' depicts a group of naked children playing in the sand while a naked couple reminiscent of Adam and Eve wander away. Were things lost as well as gained when the wall came down?

'Dont forget the love' by Henry Schmidt.

'Dont forget the love' by Henry Schmidt.

Then there are paintings about other political issues such as 'Flora geht' or 'Flora is leaving' by German artist Brigida Böttcher. Brigida Böttcher was born in Zwickau, East Germany. Living in this grey industrial city made her long for nature. In her painting there is a beautiful green paradise fenced in by red and white railings. Flora, the Roman goddess of spring is just leaving the green area. This image is meant to show how human behaviour is destroying our planet.

'Flora is leaving' by Brigida Boettcher.

'Die Geburt des Kachinas' or ' The Birth of Kachina' by Jürgen Grosse appeals to people to care for The Earth and all its people.

'The Birth of Kachina' by Juergen Grosse.

Catalonian artist, Ignasi Blanch Gisbert wanted to show that we all have the right to choose who we love in his painting 'Parlo d‘amor' or 'I'm talking about love.'

'Im talking about love's by Catalonian artist, Ignasi Blanch Gisbert.

Some paintings were executed by visiting artists who came to Berlin when the wall came down. American artist Mary Mackey was one of these. As she wandered around she sensed the feelings of unease between east and west Berliners. After all there had been years of indoctrination aimed at preventing East Berliners from going to the west. Her painting 'Tolerance' is aimed at encouraging people to accept each other.

'Tolerance' by American artist, Mary Mackey.

Scottish artist, Margaret Hunter, was another visitor. She was also interested in the division between the culture of the east and the west. Her painting 'Joint Venture' shows two large heads, one representing the east; the other the west, lying next to each other. The lines crossing from one head to the other shows the need for both sides to communicate.

'Joint Venture' by Scottish artist, Margaret Hunter.

In 2009 the art on the Berlin Wall was not looking its best. Some people had spray painted over it. Some of it had faded or been damaged by the climate. A large scale renovation was needed. Artists were invited back to the wall to repaint the images they had depicted there twenty years earlier. Eighty-seven artists came and repainted the paintings they had done previously, but some insisted on changing their work stating that it was no longer representative of Berlin. One artist who insisted on changing his work was Jim Avignon who completely altered his painting 'Doing it cool for the East Side.'

'Doing it cool for the East Side.' by Jim Avignon.

'Doing it cool for the East Side.' by Jim Avignon.

'Doing it cool for the East Side' by Jim Avignon.

'Doing it cool for the East Side.' by Jim Avignon.

East German artist Susanne Kunjappu-Jellinek painted her painting 'Curriculum Vitae' three times with slight changes. Her image shows each year that the wall existed and was meant as a comment on East Germany's rigid bureaucracy. For the first painting she wanted to show joy that the wall had come down. Her second painting was less optimistic as walls still remained inside people's heads. In her third and current painting she has added a rose for everyone who died crossing the wall.

'Curriculum Vitae' by Susanne Kunjappu-Jellinek.

Christine Kuehn's work 'Touching the Wall' invited passing people who would at one time have been shot for going too near the Berlin Wall to dip their hand in paint and place their mark against the wall. Of course when she restored the work noone wanted to put their hands on the wall and all the new hand prints are hers.

Christine Kuehn's work 'Touching the Wall.'

Other paintings I saw and liked included 'Justitia' by German artist Klaus Niethardt. This shows great German thinkers such as Schiller, Goethe and Einstein sitting next to the Roman goddess, Justice. Justice is normally depicted blindfolded, but here her eyes are open. She normally holds a sword but here she holds a dove.

'Justitia' by German artist Klaus Niethardt.

One of my favourite paintings was 'Worlds People – Wir sind ein Volk' by Russian artist Shamil Gimayev. This is the longest painting in The East Side' Gallery and portrays fory years of recent history. It consists of abstract faces mixed in with famous buildings and phrases.

'Worlds People – Wir sind ein Volk' by Russian artist Shamil Gimayev.

'Worlds People – Wir sind ein Volk' by Russian artist Shamil Gimayev.

'Worlds People – Wir sind ein Volk' by Russian artist Shamil Gimayev.

'Worlds People – Wir sind ein Volk' by Russian artist Shamil Gimayev.

Some paintings aren't well understood like 'Apollo' ' by Petra Suntinger and Roland Gützlaff. This shows a figure with an outstretched arm merging with a globe. There's water in the globe and in the background there's beams from a rising sun. Apollo was the Greek god of sun, light and healing. Is that what the painting is about?

'Apollo' by Petra Suntinger and Roland Gützlaff.

German artist, Lutz Pottien , wanted to move away from the political when he created his untitled painting of smokers in fezes

'Smokers' by East German artist, Lutz Pottien.

'Smokers' by East German artist, Lutz Pottien.

Some paintings contain a written message like 'He who wants the world to remain as it is, does not want it to remain at all.' by Erich Fried, or like ' Dancing to Freedom, no more wars, no more walls.'

'He who wants the world to remain as it is does not want it to remain at all.' by Erich Fried.

'Dancing to Freedom. No more wars, no more walls.'

I saw what I could, then went home. The station was so close it was embarrassing that I had gone wrong originally. I bought food and coffees on the way back. We ate, drank, packed and checked out. One more hour in the hotel would have been perfect. It was roasting hot outside. I had to go and get some Polish złoty just to make sure we had enough to get to the hotel when we arrived. I put Peter on a seat and went to the bank. They couldn't help me. I tried another bank. They sent me to the money exchange at the station. Eventually I got Polish money. When I got back for Peter, he was melting and asked me where I had been. I hadn't expected to be away for so long. I offered to take him to a cafe, but he didn't want anything, so I took him to the station and put him on the right platform for the train to the airport. Then I went and got tickets, then I walked all the way back to the hotel and got the luggage we had left there.

It was mobbed at the station, the train was late and it was heaving with people. I remember when German Rail used to be good. That was a long time ago. There was no air conditioning in the carriage. We had to stand and I thought Peter was going to pass out. I had to hold him up. When someone got off, I hurled myself at the seat and got Peter onto it. Even sitting down it was awful. We were drenched in sweat, as was everyone else.

At the airport I found an information point and asked for mobility assistance. There was a not great condition wheelchair there which I was told I could borrow and I was given directions to mobility assistance, but we were in the wrong terminal. I had to push Peter in a faulty wheelchair while carrying two rucksacks and dragging a trolley bag for what felt like forever. At one point I actually thought I was going to die. I asked for information in the tourist office but the guy there was just unpleasant and rude. Eventually I got to the mobility point in Terminal One. I thought : "Thank God, I can have a rest." Not a bit of it. The guy I was assigned told me to push the chair, then gave us vague directions where to go and abandoned us. We were travelling Ryan Air to Krakow. I took Peter to the gate I had been told to go to, but there was a flight departing to Porto from there. I tried to check with the Ryan Air assistant to see if I was in the right place, but she turned out to be a stuck up bitch who refused to answer me because she was dealing with the flight to Porto.

When our flight was leaving, the same bitch would not let us in, as we hadn't paid extra to be priority and we didn't just get it because of the wheelchair. At this point Peter lost his temper and told her off for her attitude and the lack of assistance we had received for this flight. She let us in very reluctantly.

As I was pushing Peter to the plane, other passengers helped me when there was a hump to push him over and when he dropped his glasses. Other passengers helped him up the steps. The Ryan Air and airport staff did absolutely nothing.

I helped Peter half way down the plane to our seats where a dozy air hostess put our bags up then noticed Peter's walking stick and said:" Wait a minute. Do you have mobility issues?" I felt like saying:" Well spotted, Sherlock, why do you think I practically carried him to his seat?"

Then she told us: "This is the emergency exit. You can't sit here." We hadn't booked an emergency exit. The fact that we had booked mobility assistance may have been a clue that it wasn't a great idea to put us there. We got moved. I was past caring about anything by this stage. I don't think I have ever been so tired and Peter was really struggling.

I made sure that I told every steward and air hostess I could see that we needed a wheelchair when we landed. I was told: " Exit at the back. We will make sure there's one there for you."

Of course, there wasn't. When we finally got one. The guy said the Ryan Air staff had told him to wait by the front exit. Then told him he wasn't needed and he should go away. He said he hadn't believed them and that there are communication problems between that airline and the airport all the time, so he had hidden further away and waited to see if he was needed. We were very grateful he had done so. Shame on you, Ryan Air! easyJet is also a budget airline, but it was a million times better than you. And as for Qatar, I now realise it's brilliant.

The young Polish boy helping us took us to the taxi stand where we intended to book a Bolt. A taxi driver came over and told us our Bolt driver would rob and murder us and we should go with him. What a day!!! We booked a Bolt, it cancelled last minute, so did the next one, saying it couldn't find us.

I saw a place to type in information on the app. I wrote: " We are sitting on a bench next to the mobility point outside the airport terminal. In front of me on the building I can see a large poster advertising (I've forgotten what it was). We have a black case. I am wearing a red t-shirt and black and white trousers. My husband is wearing a baseball cap and holding a walking stick." A car pulled up right next to us and it was our Bolt. Peter said to the driver: "How did you know where to find us?" He replied: "Noone has ever sent me so much information before". Yes, I was determined to get to our new home. I had had more than enough. Our Bolt driver was lovely, very friendly and neither robbed nor murdered us. I told him he was easily the best part of our day.

We were staying in The Ibis Stare Miasto. When we checked in, we got our free drinks voucher. It was late. The receptionist said: " The bar closes in fifteen minutes." We deposited our stuff upstairs then went straight back down for a very much needed drink. What a day!

Our room.

A much needed drink.