Blogs from Germany, Europe - page 658

12 July: THE ARTIST who conducted guided tours in the Bergedorf castle park had told me, "On Saturday you must go to the Deichtor (dike gate) exhibition grounds." Problem is, when I get there I find not one but two art retrospectives going on simultaneously in separate buildings. Which one was I supposed to view? I should pay more attention. At first I'm not interested in the show of fashion photographer F.C. Gundlach, but find it increasingly fascinating as I wander around looking at location shots taken of models in such bold natural settings as the Sahara desert or grandiose man-made structures as in Brasilia. There are also black-and-white documentary photos taken during film productions, gala parties and the like in the late 1960s. In one room, which features fashions from the op art and flower ... read more

Geo: 53.5534, 9.9922I left my body wash in the shower yesterday morning - when I went back today, it was gone! Who the heck steals somebody else's body wash??? Aarrgh ...I left the hostel, for the ferry back to Svendborg - on the way, I stopped at the same bakery I went to yesterday but being early, there were none of those yummy thumbprint cookies :( Instead, I grabbed some assorted pastries. I've been having breathing problems since last night - there must be some plant or flower on this island that's giving me problems. I felt kind of like when I was in Naples for the first time, when I thought I was going to suffocate and die (see Euro 2006 blog entitled "A masterpiece so beautiful it made me cry ...." http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pwong/europe_2006/1157658960/tpod.html?tweb_UID=pwong ) Luckily, ... read more

10 July: AFTER THE SECOND NIGHT at the guesthouse I again get lucky. A small ground floor bedroom -- the only one with internet plug-in -- becomes available. I move... in a hurry. I now can post these scribbles with snapshots again, even in the middle of the night, if I wish. When my mother was pregnant with me after the war, she was warned about high infant mortality statistics at the hospital in Bergedorf where she lived, so off she went to deliver her baby just outside the boundaries of Hamburg. Today I am checking out Reinbek, this small town where I was born. First stop, the local hospital nestled at the side of a forest, a 20-minute walk from the train station. "Sorry, we only keep records for 30 years," an administrator says (I ... read more

"What!?" you say to the title of this blog. Well, what other language has exactly the same characters as the English language EXCEPT they choose to throw in a Vita (Beta, in English)? That's right, probably a few others. I just don't know of any. We successfully arrived in Berlin with absolutely no train problems - a miracle for us. And just as it had been for the past five days in every other city, it was raining. Sam and Eleni had complained continuously in Amsterdam about the cold and wet and Eleni decided it was time to give in and buy a sweatshirt (she brought only flimsy, three-quarter length blouses...it is supposed to be hot in Europe!). She and Sam (who found a warm scarf) were much happier. Amsterdam was intense. The atmosphere is very ... read more

When does it stop being so bloody exciting and start getting enjoyable? I have the feeling to spontaneously combust any second. Tidal waves of nausea are coursing through my whole body. And that although I am down to the very last entries on my very last list of things to do. 26 hours before my first flight of oh so many leaves … so why can’t my brain grasp that my “One Year Off” has practically started? But here one last flashback to what once was: Ein Eintrag, den ich damals „Echt Abgefahren“ genannt habe. (I will try and add a few photos which have absolutely nothing to do with this trip - but it shall be a final test run.) Heute ist der 12. Juli (2007). Heute in einem Jahr geht es los, das Sabbatjahr, ... read more