Harry Palmer

Had been in Berlin since Saturday 1st doing "undercover" work.

True!

Not staying in some backstreet dark alley of Len Deighton's book and film "Funeral in Berlin" but in the luxury of the Kempinski Hotel, much more the style of Michael Caine (whose house I had visited many years before when he was abroad).

Had been an interesting trip. Sent there to spy out the state of the company's operation there. Berlin was not only geographically an insulated island back then but also had a very different culture.

Basically, the company's big bosses weren't sure everything was as it should be. So I did lots of restaurant visits, eating, drinking and observing. Then lots of walking around the west side of the wall, a very depressing ugly thing. Never felt fully at ease there.

Had spent the last day with the local area manager who didn't know I had spent the previous days pounding his patch but we got on well and he drove me around on huge wide streets and few cars.

Late afternoon, he dropped me off at the main railway station - Berlin Zoo. From there took the 17:16 train to Hamburg.

Was sitting in an 8 person compartment, the others a West German school trip group. As we started off, lots of banter until just minutes later the train stopped and East German Guards with dogs were seen inspecting around and under the train. Then set off again at a strangely slow speed which didn't improve. Throughout the time in the DDR, there was almost total silence, just staring out the windows at the few signs of life. At some point, a DDR guard came in and inspected all the passports and issued us with one-off Transit Visas. He was not a jovial type.

Eventually, the train stopped again, and again the guards circled the train and we were allowed to cross back into West Germany at Helmstedt near Hannover before continuíng the journey to Hamburg and at a proper speed.

It was a very interesting if unpleasant journey and I was pleased to get to my luxury bed at the Inter-Continental and a fun three days in Hamburg with a fun guy who would soon become one of my team.