Waiting for bad weather in order to blog turned out to be a bad strategy in April. It has been the driest April since 1951 and the warmest on record. As a friend of mine said: Someone has stolen April and May, taking us straight to June. To which one can add: Hope we get them back in October/November.
Köln seen from an observation deck I visited today
Watching German news about the weather, it again became clear to me how deeply history affect things in this country. The forest-keepers interviewed said that most of the fires start because old WWII ammunition self-explode in the heat(!). There are of course other (non-weather) examples, such as the issue of pensions for former DDR-guards vs. pensions for former DDR-prisoners (no prices for guessing who gets more), or just about any funeral will bring up memories of the past. And some signs are clear for all to see, like the fact that almost all of Cologne is made up of new houses. Virtually everything was destroyed during the war, leaving a scar that looks set to remain for a considerable time.
Köln, 1945
But things do change. Last Friday I did quite a tour of the Ruhr Area. Starting with Wuppertal, home to a wonderful monorail and birth place of Friedrich Engels. Then I went to Bochum, which lies smack in the middle and is a town, which no German I’ve met can say a nice word about. Final stop was Dortmund, the largest city in the Ruhr. During the this trip, which I must admit was also done in perfect weather, it was hard to get much of my prejudice against this area confirmed. Much greener and nicer and more modern, than I’d hoped for. Some optimism should therefore be warranted.
Map of the Ruhr Area
P.S. next weekend I'll visit the Netherlands.
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