We were playing in the woods all day. Nobody was afraid something could happen to us, because you always had your little sister with you. You tried to get rid of her but she wasn't lost in the jungle too. You were not afraid by murder. You thought a bear or a dragon would come (Germany is neither bear nor dragon country).

My husband reports he built a bow and tried the "Wilhelm Tell" show with his sister. (For those who don't know German poet Schiller: Wilhelm Tell was the guy who put an apple on his son's head and pierced with his longbow ..... the apple.) Thanks God, my husband did not hit his sister....

When I was 5 I was sent to the bakery. It was 10 minutes away but I had to cross some streets. There were no red lights then but there were not too many cars too. We did have no fridge. In wintertime we could put milk near the window. In summertime you always checked whether it was ok. Often it wasn't. We did not have a washing machine. Every monday, my grandmother and my mother did the washing in a big basin where the laundry could be boiled. Children got new clothes once a week. Saturday we were not stainless. Now we are 2 humans in our apartment and have 2 bathrooms. Ok, the bathroom downstairs is shared by the cats.

When I went to school I walked 10 minutes to the railway station, went to the next town (20 minutes), walked to the school (half an hour) and in the afternoon the whole story back again. Somtimes I had plenty of time to catch my train. Then I went in the department store and read books. I was looking for more erotic education in the books

When I was 12 we did not listen to Britney Spears and Kylie Minogue, we were Indians (ok: native Americans) . I always was a Sioux because I loved the word (it sounded so strange ). I learned to play with friends and I learnt to be alone. We did not have meetings then. Or piano classes. Or dance lessons. I would have liked to learn the piano.


This is a great thread. Life has changed so much in the last 40/50 years. I loved it then and I love it now.