Where the streets have no one
Several years back now, my wife and I did a long weekend trip to Bremen in Germany. There were direct flights from our city (there aren't many from here) and they were cheap. We found a very nice hotel and it too was really cheap. On a small budget, we thought that it was all a great deal and even though it was January (winter), getting away for a few days would do us some good.
As you can see from the images, the city streets were bustling with activity. There was no one. It was about a ghost town.
Bremen is a city of over half a million people but for the weekend we were there, it seemed that they were running emergency drills in preparation for a nuclear apocalypse. Well, this didn't stop us too much and we had a fun time walking through the deserted streets and finding the few places we could that were open enough to serve food. Bremen is famous for a Sunday cake and coffee tradition and even that was difficult to find.
Despite the rain, it was really nice to be able to walk through the old town areas photographing without having to fight for a shot without too many people. I don't know what that really is though, why do I prefer city shots without anyone in them, it is a little strange really. Everyone seems to favour not having randoms in shots even though the whole idea of a city is to bring random people together for chance encounters and therefore, new opportunities through unexpected relationships.
People like certainty, people like to be able to predict what is going to happen in the world but, it is in the mistakes and the surprise meeting that so much opportunity lays. Many more people than previously seem to categorise themselves as introverts but I wonder what opportunities are being missed out on by those who spend their time avoiding meeting new people, what does it mean for a career or a personal relationship life? I of course can't answer this and people have their own responsibility when it comes to what they are willing to open themselves up to but there must be a cost when the environment gets engineered to reduce uncertainty too much.
I think it requires a different post to get into all of that though and a lot more time than I have right now but it is interesting to think that one of the core strengths and stabilising factors of a city is its diversity of people and options to meet, interact and compound thoughts and experience to create something new.
Sometimes it is nice to walk hand in hand down empty streets also.
Taraz
[ a Steem original ]
What a quaint looking place. Was it really just the rain putting people off venturing outside?
'Lilliput' - I remember that name... Gulliver's Travels?
It was a public holiday weekend and I guess they take it seriously :)
Fair enough - So the Pubs were over-flowing, just not in shot? :)
German serious, not English.
Germans don’t like rain. Even though they have plenty of it.
Never knew Bremen’s Altstadt is that cozy. Would definitely have checked it out rather than always Hamburg when up north.
I think it would be really nice with a little warmth. We did find a bar that was filled with people and had a good atmosphere. If I remember correctly, the lemon bar.
And yes, the old town was nice.
Not sure how it is up North but in Cologne, and pretty much most of NRW, I recall January as a dead month.
Germans tend to be very active with Christmas dinners with company/friends/etc and that starts early November already. Their season is long.
January is recovery because next comes the carnival season. While I’m sure that has changed in last 15 years, Sunday’s a lazy day for Germans too. If you wanted to sell stuff on eBay, your auction ending late Sunday afternoon/early evening was a smart thing to do. Because that was the day everyone was online.
I’m guessing Netflix would be the one to ask. 🤔
Chill and Netflix?
This is beautiful read. Winter is so different where I come from. I also don't think we have ghost towns. Africa is growing too fast for such spaces to be available. I might be wrong though!
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Were there people in the stores? Could you buy food or anything? Where did everyone go for the emergency drills? It's all so fascinating!
There were some things open and we were able to get a reservation and a nice restaurant since, it was only half full. but yeah, they had all disappeared off into the trees.
Well, at least those buildings and streets look really nice. Strange that not more people come out there. Looks like it could be fun. I wonder what they are all doing? Working?
Not sure really, but it was still a pleasant walk around :)
I relish the opportunity to walk down empty streets. Where I am is so populated the only empty space is my room.
As an introvert myself I often wonder about the missed opportunities of not trying to make more friends too. All the same, my shell feels safe for now
With a two year old, i don't even have this :)
I wonder if it is more than friends too. At least many jobs require social ability that some might find difficult.
Germans have been hearing about acid rain a bit too much.
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When I was young I would hear how acid rain was destroying the Black Forest. Time I should update my knowledge I think.
I haven't heard anything about acid rain for a long time. Emissions of NO2 and SO2 are the main causes of unusually high acidity of rainwater. All rainwater is acidic because of CO2 in the air. It causes erosion of rock which exposes calcite minerals to the air and helps remove CO2 from the air. Acid rain can be desirable when atmospheric C02 is on the rise. :)
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Great shots T
No one around hey. Bremen is a hidden gem perhaps. Beats crowds of tourists anyway.
SirKnight.
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Definitely prefer it this way than full of people. I like having people around but there are limitations and some European cities in the summer are insane.
I like empty cities, I like building better than people
They are better listeners.
they get better with age too
Indeed it is nice to walk hand-in-hand down an empty Street. You have the stage to yourself then. But the interaction of people of different cultures in a city can be intriguing also. It maybe like putting different chemicals together or spices in a recipe together without knowing the outcome. And thus the mystery and intrigue lures us. Of course the price tag helps to. Lol. Thanks my friend for sharing some nice photos memories.
This is what I missed there as i felt like I didn't get to know what people are like. Generally travelling I interact a lot with locals and sharing a laugh over one thing or another goes a long way to understanding.