AtW Podcast, Episode 5: Liese Alsen

I have a special podcast for you today. Liese Alsen is a high school history teacher from Berlin, Germany. We sat down in her kitchen for a long chat. She starts with a great summary of Germany's separation after World War II and the Berlin Wall's construction 1961. Then she tells the story of where she was when the wall fell. Later, we discuss how she spent part of her childhood in Lesotho, her years living in the United States and her recent teaching stint in Guatemala. I learned a lot during our talk. Let me know what you think.

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Show Notes:

This article gives a good summary of the Berlin Blockade, which was partly caused by the new currency introduced in 1948.

On August 13, 1961, US President John F. Kennedy said that a wall was “a hell of a lot better than a war.” Here's a book about Kennedy's involvement in Berlin.

Lesotho has been independent since 1966, and it has a complicated history. You can read more about it here.

Lesotho indeed does have the highest lowest point in the world, at 1400 meters. Bhutan doesn't even make the top 15. You can read more about it here.

This article has more info about Thaba Bosiu and its legendary history.