Back to Life, Back to Reality

After three weeks away, I was ready to continue to stay away. But my stuff is here, so I returned to Germany and Kiel.

I was walking along the shopping street near my apartment and reality smacked me in the face.

As I turned the corner, a pocket-sized old lady was walking toward me. She saw my face and screwed her face like she just caught a whiff of dog poop and started muttering something. She continued walking and soon the talking stopped. When she passed me, she looked back with that horrible puss on her face and started cursing me again.

Ahhh, home.

Also, I noticed the demolition of the Karstadt, which is a German department store. A Teutonic version of Macy's. When I moved to Kiel, the city had two Karstadts within a half mile. I always wondered how this city could sustain it. It turns out, not that long. The older one was killed.






Older Kielers remember getting dressed up to shop for sundries at the store. Now people sit outside the wreckage and watch the store get pulverized.





The newer Karstadt is attached to a mall and sits across the street from the train station. The odds were in its favor.

I used eat lunch at the now-dead Karstadt. Me and lots of old people. The restaurant served meals -- meat, side and vegetables, no dollar menus. You could sit and relax.

When I was not hungry, I would run to Karstadt for pens, paper, sheets and glasses.

Now its gone. In its place, a mall with a huge electronics store, a supermarket and sports clothing will rise. It will be cool to have a Rewe supermarket in the neighborhood by the fourth quarter of 2012 but I worry that the Top Market convenience will die for the second time. Progress, I guess.