Purpose one: writing a travelogue to describe my various trips.

Purpose two: muse.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Denmarks Liberation

It was 66 years ago today that Denmark was liberated from German occupation, by nature of the Germans in Norway, Holland and Denmark capitulating to the English. In these days of earthquakes, terrorism and environmental alarmism, it is worth remembering that the second world war is the most devastating and atrocious event humans have inflicted on ourselves. Nothing matches it in destruction or evil intent. That is not to belittle the hardships incurred by current events, far from it. I just cannot help celebrating all the little, and big, milestones leading to Nazi Germany's defeat.

Almost exactly three months later, the US dropped the first atomic bomb on Japan. Naho and I went to Hiroshima to visit the Peace Park, just before the new year broke. I succeeded in hitting the site on one of the three days in the year that the museum is closed. Still, we enjoyed the Cenotaph (pictured right) and the park (pictured below). You can also see the Memorial through the Cenotaph. The park had several peace-oriented inscriptions, commemorating the victims and expressing hope that mankind has learnt from the events. Judging the decades since then, that has sadly not been the case.

Not being able to visit the museum, we instead spent the rest of the day at beautiful Miyajima.