How many
times have you said “I can’t be in two places at once?” In the sister cities of
Beszel and Ul Qoma, you can! Because of an unexplained blip in space-time,
these two cities physically interpenetrate one another. A person standing on a
street in Ul Qoma, is also standing on that exact same street in Beszel.
The two cities have very different
characters. Beszel is a grim example of the old Eastern Europe, with its
Stalinist architecture and crumbling facades.
Probably a hospital, or apartments.
Ul Qoma is a shining example of
the neon-lit new Europe of shops and cafés and German cars.
A nice place to visit, but I would want to live there.
These economic and social differences have led to tensions
between the two towns and travel between them is restricted. Further
complicating matters, one can potentially see a large portion of both cities
from certain vantage points, but it is prohibited for people in one city to
look into the other. This is strictly enforced by a shadowy police agency
called “Breach.” Visitors to these cities must first undergo a rigorous
training in “unseeing” in which they are taught not to see what they oughtn’t. Failure
to not see will result in immediate deportation.
Even with its
complications, we highly recommend a visit to these cities. The chance to
experience their unique geography far outweighs the risks and troubles of a
visit.
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