The Brandenburg Gate was for so long an icon of the despair and separation brought about by the wall itself - a gate that was supposed to serve as a conduit for commerce and communication was cut off and isolated in no-man's land. Today the gate stands as a central gathering place for people from around the world. The man with the barrel organ would smile for anyone who wanted to take his picture. If you put change in the box by the monkey, he'd bow and tip his hat. How long has it been since organ grinders had real monkeys? I remember one back in the 1960's!