The Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, the Trabant and Showmanship

I was lucky enough to be living in Germany in 2009 during the 20^th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall.  It was celebrated by music and visits from foreign dignitaries.  The televised event was hosted by talk show host, Thomas Gottschalk, who is known as a flamboyant entertainer.  It would be a little like having Jimmy Fallon host the anniversary of the D-Day invasion.  Music and speeches were interspersed with fake replicas of pieces of the wall tumbling.  It was all showmanship and entertainment, and did not speak to the suffering and separation that went on during the division, and the conflicts, property disputes and economic difficulties that continued after reunification.  What happens after such a long separation?  Can there be a happy ending?  As a romance writer, I have to hope for one. 

Speaking of entertainment, on November 8th, the Spy Museum is hosting the 8th annual Parade of Trabants which they describe as follows:

"Despite their questionable performance and smoky two-stroke engines, these little cars are now affectionately regarded as a symbol of East Germany and the fall of Communism."

Here's the link:
http://www.spymuseum.org/calendar/detail/eighth-annual-parade-of-trabants/2014-11-08/

The spy museum's display showing how a Trabant could be retooled to hide multiple bodies inspired the way the character in Home Sweet Stranger escapes from East Germany.