Alexanderplatz today is a bustling public square in Berlin. Shortly before the wall fell in 1989, East German protestors packed Alexanderplatz to demand democratic reforms. (Lori Rackl/TNS)
Lori Rackl/Lori Rackl/TNS
Tall metal poles along the former border between East and West are part of the Berlin Wall Memorial. (Lori Rackl/TNS)
Lori Rackl/Lori Rackl/TNS
Pieces of the Berlin Wall for sale at the Mauermuseum, or wall museum, near Checkpoint Charlie. (Lori Rackl/TNS)
Lori Rackl/Lori Rackl/TNS
The writer, Lori Rackl, chips away at the Berlin Wall in 1989. (Lori Rackl/TNS)
Lori Rackl/Lori Rackl/TNS
A marking on the ground shows where the Berlin Wall once cut through the heart of the city, dividing East and West Berlin. (Lori Rackl/TNS)
Lori Rackl/Lori Rackl/TNS
Tourists take photos in front a guardhouse replica at Checkpoint Charlie, the famous border crossing point between the U.S.-occupied sector of West Berlin and the Soviet’s East Berlin. (Lori Rackl/TNS)
Lori Rackl/Lori Rackl/TNS
An original stretch of the Berlin Wall is now East Side Gallery, the longest open-air art gallery in the world. (Lori Rackl/TNS)
Lori Rackl/Lori Rackl/TNS
An original stretch of the Berlin Wall is now East Side Gallery, the longest open-air art gallery in the world. (Lori Rackl/TNS)
Lori Rackl/Lori Rackl/TNS
The writer, Lori Rackl, in front of the Berlin Wall shortly after it fell in 1989. (Lori Rackl/TNS)
Lori Rackl/Lori Rackl/TNS
An original stretch of the Berlin Wall is now East Side Gallery, the longest open-air art gallery in the world. (Lori Rackl/TNS)
After decades of being lucky enough to travel the world, I’ve collected more than my fair share of souvenirs. My favorite is a small chunk of the Berlin Wall.
Summer 2026 will be the season of "fluxury." Not familiar with that term? Neither was I until I began researching this story, and it seems tha…
Alexanderplatz today is a bustling public square in Berlin. Shortly before the wall fell in 1989, East German protestors packed Alexanderplatz to demand democratic reforms. (Lori Rackl/TNS)
Tourists take photos in front a guardhouse replica at Checkpoint Charlie, the famous border crossing point between the U.S.-occupied sector of West Berlin and the Soviet’s East Berlin. (Lori Rackl/TNS)