It was surreal walking down the quiet streets that used to be full of people, and there were so many gaps from buildings that have been demolished that in some places it was hard to remember what used to be there. Add some more damage from the latest earthquakes, scrawled messages across buildings from Urban Search and Rescue checking for survivors back in February, and most of the areas still fenced off - it was still a bit overwhelming.
The reason I wanted to go back to the city was because of some new developments, mainly the new Restart Project which has brought back some of the original shops and cafes in buildings made out of shipping containers:
I was really impressed! If you want to brave a visit to the shaky city* then definitely check it out.
* I haven't noticed an earthquake so far today though, fingers crossed this lasts for a while longer!
I love the container shops! So cute! I wish that we could get back down there but with the wedding coming up I can't justify it. Hopefully one of my cousins will get married and then I will have to be there!
ReplyDeleteYou'll have plenty of time for a visit later on and hopefully things will be a little more stable then! We can catch up at one of the container cafes, feel free to bring a big stack of wedding photos for me to look at!
ReplyDeletewow, i can see why it would be overwhelming. I do love the container shops too. that seems pretty innovative and i love that they can be reused.
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