In case you're not in the loop, I live in Kiel, Germany. I've been here for a little under six months, and I am still not used to typing on a German keyboard. So, although I will of course proof-read this before posting it, gimme a break on the typos, please.
So, yes, as I was saying, I live in Kiel. Northen Germany (or Southern Denmark, depending on perspectives...). It has plenty of nice things, abundant awesome things, and quite a few simply awe-inspiring things. One of the latter, is that during the II World War, Kiel was a much desired target for complete destruction, since the vast majority (and the best) U-Boot (submarines) were built here. By the time Germany signed the peace treaty (I am mildly paraphrasing what really happened... I can imagine Joe and Julie, the History majors, frowing and rolling their eyes at me), Kiel was only the shadow of what one could call a city. It was destroyed. Torn apart. It was no longer a city. But the Germans, being the first-worlders that they are, re-built the city so that only 20 years after the war, Kiel could "rise up from the ashes", quite literally, and be the great U-Boot-building-city it had once been.
Kiel is, therefore, only about 40 years old. This Kiel, the one I live in. Though the city was founded in 1242, nonthing but pictures and memories remain of that city.
During the WWII bombings, as both History majors and WWII-movie-watchers know, the reason so many bombs were launched was because so many of them did not go off, did not explode. The airplanes had to release as many bombs as possible in a way to almost "guarantee" that at least one would make contact with the target and, well, terminate it.
So many bombs did not go off.
Sooooo many.
As time went by, and the bombs did not explode, they kind of blended in to the landscape--grass grew around them, trees grew around them; then Man came and built roads, and buildings, and neighborhoods ON TOP of them. You see, nature = around; mankind = on top. WTF?
A group of Germans has devoted all their efforts to find these old, undetonated bombs, and bring them into a secure environment, where they can be safely detonated without anyone being harmed.
One of those bombs is under my new house.
And that is the reason why I left my warm, new apartment today to go for a walk while it was snowing.
So, yes, as I was saying, I live in Kiel. Northen Germany (or Southern Denmark, depending on perspectives...). It has plenty of nice things, abundant awesome things, and quite a few simply awe-inspiring things. One of the latter, is that during the II World War, Kiel was a much desired target for complete destruction, since the vast majority (and the best) U-Boot (submarines) were built here. By the time Germany signed the peace treaty (I am mildly paraphrasing what really happened... I can imagine Joe and Julie, the History majors, frowing and rolling their eyes at me), Kiel was only the shadow of what one could call a city. It was destroyed. Torn apart. It was no longer a city. But the Germans, being the first-worlders that they are, re-built the city so that only 20 years after the war, Kiel could "rise up from the ashes", quite literally, and be the great U-Boot-building-city it had once been.
Kiel is, therefore, only about 40 years old. This Kiel, the one I live in. Though the city was founded in 1242, nonthing but pictures and memories remain of that city.
During the WWII bombings, as both History majors and WWII-movie-watchers know, the reason so many bombs were launched was because so many of them did not go off, did not explode. The airplanes had to release as many bombs as possible in a way to almost "guarantee" that at least one would make contact with the target and, well, terminate it.
So many bombs did not go off.
Sooooo many.
As time went by, and the bombs did not explode, they kind of blended in to the landscape--grass grew around them, trees grew around them; then Man came and built roads, and buildings, and neighborhoods ON TOP of them. You see, nature = around; mankind = on top. WTF?
A group of Germans has devoted all their efforts to find these old, undetonated bombs, and bring them into a secure environment, where they can be safely detonated without anyone being harmed.
One of those bombs is under my new house.
And that is the reason why I left my warm, new apartment today to go for a walk while it was snowing.
Nooooooo!!! Seriously? Dear, how come?
ReplyDeleteI would have so many nightmares... :'(
But I guess it is pretty safe though.. a good subject to talk about when guests start to stay a little later than they should.. lol
ps:i'm back to blog reading today.
Hi Nat,
ReplyDeleteDo not tell a German that Kiel lies in south Denmark. Don’t get me wrong. The Danish are very nice people but we (Germans and Danish) fought many wars to fix the borders like they are right now and Kiel is still about 100km southern of the Danish border.
Let's see... I mention David and I would like to visit and NOW there is a bomb under your new house? Strangely suspicious if you ask me. I think Cris Motta is on to something here.
ReplyDeleteKat
Why that kind of things doesn't happen in Colombia?
ReplyDeleteTo live in Kiel seem pretty cool!