COLOGNE--Apologies, Mr. Wolfe, you meant it metaphorically, or symbollically, not the physical thing of standing on the street where your mother and your aunt grew up: a quiet, leafy neighborhood on the western outskirts of the city, the Lindenthal, encompassing the biggest of the city parks; busy streets lined with shops and four-story apartments; side streets with elegant mansions; and clusters of university research buildings. Later this week the city will erupt in the controlled chaos of Karneval, hundreds of thousands of revelers (many half-drunk, some half-naked). Today, nothing betrayed the calm. The front door of the house opened, a young woman emerged and descended the steps; and the visitors from another world and another century, having discreetly made sure that the camera had recorded the view, replaced the lens cap and moved on.
Leave a comment