KikiBlog: And now for my English friends the translation of this very special story! ++ Message in the bottle does not know borders ++ Last weekend, John and I met my message in the bottle friend Lore! June 1982, Lore found my message in the bottle at Ahrenshoop on the Darß. It was the beginning of a very special friendship! I was 10 years old when I tossed my message in the bottle in the Baltic See when sailing with my parents and sisters in Denmark. Lore was on holiday at Ahrenshoop on the Darß. Walking along the beach she spotted the bottle. It was a rainy day and guards were on the watching tower of the German Democratic Republic [GDR], recalls Lore. The Danish border was not far away from the border of the GDR. Many attempts to escape were done, some successful, unfortunately most failed. Air mattresses were forbidden as too many attempts to escape were done using air mattresses… and they are only kid toys… After picking up the bottle, Lore was tensed the next few days. ‘Did they watch me picking up the message in the bottle?’, she was full of fears and concerns, control of the Stasi were normal and fear of repressions high. Middle of the 1980’s Lore applied to leave the country, which was granted to her in the year 1986. At the age of 52 years, Lore was allowed to move to a free life with only what she could carry: 4 suitcases! She had to leave her grown-up son in Berlin! Nobody expected that they could unite again only three years later! A real friendship developed. We have known us now for 32 years, with normal mail, later Email, we kept in contact. Mid 90s we met for the first time in person! A precious friendship that no border could stop! Thanks, Lore!