We picked up our Begrüßungsgeld (welcome money) in Lübeck. And as clichéd as it sounds, what I especially noticed was that everything was so unbelievably colourful. Not that East Germany was nothing more than a grey giant, but I was very excited about the many colours and the variety in the shop windows. Everything looked of much higher quality as well. Of course, today I know in hindsight that well designed packaging plays a big part in this.
I was told to choose something and opted for “Das Lustige Taschenbuch, vol. 63: Micky, der rasende Reporter”. An entire comic book full of Mickey Mouse stories, which I loved. This book became the start of a real ardour and passion for collecting. Afterwards, many more “Lustige Taschenbücher” were added to the collection. I devoured them and read every book 20 to 30 times. They are still on my bookshelf today.
On the market in Lübeck, market traders were selling bags of fruit for five mark. We stopped and watched, as this was a real show for us. Then one of them turned to us, thrust a bag of fruit in my mother’s hand and said: “You can keep this. You’re from the East, right?” And we were completely baffled. How did this trader know we were from the East? A few years later I saw some pictures from that time and I immediately understood how he knew. I was wearing one of those comic T-shirts, maybe even with Mickey Mouse on it or a bad Donald Duck copy from Poland, ugly shorts and white socks in sandals. Our hairdos were something else as well.