Can’t believe it’s been 29 years since the night The Wall fell.

29 years ago today I was standing at Brandenburg Gate with three of my friends, feeling the history in our bones. Watching the East Berlin police shoot water canons at Germans sitting atop The Wall. Trying to read Tom Brokaw’s teleprompter.

Berlin’s where I first started swimming laps. There was a very nice SCM pool on one of the Army kaserns. I swam with one of my colleagues. Our goal each time was to complete one kilometer. We started out swimming a length, taking 10 to 15 seconds rest, then swimming another length. Before long, we skipped the rest on the “far end” and did laps. Then the rest dropped down in time to 5 to 10 seconds. One day I went by myself and thought, I’ll just swim the whole 20 laps without rest. And I did. It was amazing! Couldn’t believe it.

Great memories!