74 Years Later
Apropos of nothing, here is a picture I found of Nazi-occupied Colmar, in France’s Alsace-Lorraine region. It had been a province of Imperial Germany from 1871 until 1918, and Hitler re-took it in 1940 and integrated it into the state of Baden. It reverted to France after the war. Here is the corner of Rue Kleber and Boulevard du Champ de Mars in Colmar in 1940, soon after the German annexation:
Here is what it looks like today:
It is truly amazing how basically the same picture can look so different once the evil is removed. Of course that may also have to do with the color difference. If the 2nd pic had the same color scheme as the first, I guess it would look like the evil was still there, but maybe had to go to the can for a few minutes.
Notice the tram tracks are gone! But also notice how the buildings look very much the same, as they probably have for seberal hundreds of years! Chris Hawley and Tim Teilman have got to appreciate this, as I do every time I tavel!