Wind of change- Remembrance of German reunification 1989/1990

I'm going to Erfurt today to visit a customer. This means I'm passing the former iron curtain north of Hof. Now it is only imaginary.
But 17 years ago it would have been very difficult. I only was in East Berlin once but I will always remember the grey and sad atmosphere and the strict customs check.
On of my friends from Vietnam flew from the Czech Republic (former Czechoslovakia) by train. He was hidden under a lid in the ceiling of the train. How thrilling and frightening this must have been. Imgaine he would have been caught.
Now he is the owner of a Restaurant and an Asian diner with a wife (who also flew the same way!) and two kids.
I remember the crowded highways (especially to and fro Berlin) after the reunification. I had to drive the highway number 9 (A9) frequently and it changed from empty to overcrowded over night. There were thousand of Trabants (nickname Trabbis) on the road. They had a small two-stroke engine with two cylinders and the were stinking like hell. But they are a myth or a least a faded myth. But this is another story to be told.