I followed the processes from the end of the Cold War with great care. Our only television at the time gradually began to democratize and break out of the patterns of communist rhetoric. They were the first to replace "comrades and comrades ”with the normal“ ladies and gentlemen ”. The news of the execution of the Ceausescu family was spread immediately. This was followed by a live broadcast from a rally of many thousands. Vlado Bereanu was translating from Romanian on air when shots began to be heard. The transmission interrupted, and I learned the details from the BBC.

The next evening I was on the Danube bridge. After several hours of persistent pleas, a Romanian truck hitchhiked me.

The center of Bucharest shocked me - burned buildings, punctured by thousands of bullets. Dozens of tanks stood guard, soldiers and officers stood guard. Between them, passers-by look at what happened. Smiling, sad and proud. 

Nobody gave them freedom, they won it themselves!

Orpington March 2023 Calendar - My Photo - Colourful street -The Drive. All donations go to Bromley Homeless.