July 2010
1 post
Praha, Czech it out...
The facades are covered in delicious pastel shades of blue and green and pink which stimulated my ocular senses so well an overload occurred, causing a second sensory pathway, my olfactory system, to detect the scent of lilac. (THANK YOU because the river smelled of shit.)
May 2010
5 posts
Take a look inside...
Quite beautiful inside. Lots of light and open spaces. This is the main hall inside the building located at hardenbergstr 33, the UdK.
The interior courtyard. Often occupied by students and wild animals and cigarette smoke.
This hallway exists inside the rear annex, which houses many large studio spaces, including class Schneider. The first door on the left in this photo is one of three...
Jewish Memorial, Berlin.
“The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (German: Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas), also known as the Holocaust Memorial (German: Holocaust-Mahnmal), is a memorial in Berlin to the Jewish victims and other victims of the Holocaust, designed by architect Peter Eisenman and engineer Buro Happold. It consists of a 19,000 square meter (4.7 acre) site covered with 2,711 concrete...
Brandenburg Gate, The Sun and Internationalism
A sunny, beautiful day at the Tiegarten with new friends from the group of international students at UdK. Many, many countries represented here, around 14 or 15 I would say…Spain, France, Poland, England, USA, Canada, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Israel, Denmark, Belgium, Russia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan and a few others. Lovely people!
I have rubbed shoulders with tall Dutch...
April 2010
7 posts
Aachen
Aachen Townhall (interior)
Around town Aachen
A friend recommended this cafe for their Reisfladen or ‘rice cake.’ Yummmmy.
“Reisfladen (Tarte-au-riz) is a true European dish – equally at home in the parts of Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands that converge near Aachen, and a big hit in the city too.
Visitors and locals alike love the melt-in-the-mouth rice pudding which is oven-baked until golden-brown. The...
March 2010
15 posts
Skylight and Spectra
The images below were taken while in attendance at the opening reception for the exhibition of artist and professor, Dianna Frid. Her work is on view at the neuekunstforum in Cologne. I have included the press release:
The exhibition skylight and spectra is Dianna Fridʼs response to the daylight that enters the neues kunstforum: a 400 square meter space with floor to ceiling windows on the south...
Papa Joe's Biersalon
I am sure the American equivalent to this joint is the Outback Steakhouse, but it was close and semi-cheap and served Kölsch.
But before I made it to this place (and they did serve a delicious Deftige Landleberwurst - Solid sausage farmer’s style with chilli, gherkin, mustard and rye bread. YUM) I took a few more photos, including the mighty Rhine river (another panoramic photo here)
...
Köln! (part two)
After touring the Dom I immediately rented a bicycle and toured the city. I stopped to take photos and I even took photos while riding the bicycle. Amazing.
After making my way through the old town section of the city I stumbled up on MediaPark, which is…..”the home of music TV stations, radio stations Eins Live (the most listened-to radio program for young people...
Köln! (part one)
This is the ICE (Inter-City Expressssss). I slept the whole way but I woke up to what you see below. Cologne Cathedral (German: Kölner Dom, officially Hohe Domkirche St. Peter und Maria). When you exit the train station this is what you see. It is visited by 20,000 people a day. I was number 17,865.
I don’t have too many good photographs of this thing. It’s just too massive to...
MIM! Musikinstrumenten-Museum Berlin
It was a tough decision to make (not really), but I opted to visit the Musikintrumenten-Museum Berlin instead of Beate Uhse Erotik Museum this past weekend. Seeing an obsidian dildo from ancient China will have to wait, so before you Google search “Chinese obsidian dildo” check out the photos below! They’re much better! (not really).
Finger Paintings
My trip to a glass/steel box (Neue...
1. Set 10 second delay on camera
2. Runnnnn!
3. Act natural
Palaces and Gardens
My first stop on a long tour of palaces and gardens in Germany. I am trying to accomplish a big task in a short period of time, but I think I’ll pull it off. Ultimately I would like to find myself winding my way up a road from the village of Hohenschwangau to this castle.
There are possibly 20 or more palaces and adjoining gardens to view within the Berlin-Brandenburg area and many more...
Luzia
(courtesy of the owner)
(courtesy of the owner)
St. Michael Friedhof
Translation: Old St. Michael’s Cemetery.
Shindig!
All I can hear swirling inside my head is ‘Green Onions’ by Booker T & The MGs while riding this trusty ol’ rusty. It’s my bike on loan from my sweet as pie landlord. The bike squeaks, rattles and shakes. She’s got charm and an old school dynamo (I believe that is what it is called… the silver cylindrical device (i.e. generator consisting of a coil (the...
Eyes wide open
Sauntering towards a sunlit park in Prenzlauer Berg you come upon an arcade of tents and booths, some filled with vintage clothes, pins, old photographs, watches, and books. Others selling salvaged small and large sign letters, vintage furniture and early 90s R&B LPs. I did not buy anything this sunny Sunday, just browsed the merchandise.
Okay…maybe I bought one item.
...
Awww sukii sukii
Deutsche Post is mighty quick. I ordered my ticket online and one day later it arrived. This will be my first concert in Berlin. Yeasayer’s new album is “awww, sukkii sukkii”
Grayscale, how artistic.
February 2010
15 posts
Berghain: New highs equal new lows...
My dancin’ shoes, of course.
River Orange (or in German Orange River) flowed through me on Saturday night, giving me the smile and luminous glow you see before you.
Me inside Mobel-Olfe. I’ve found a great description of the space and summary of those who mingle inside on About.com, so I’ll just copy and paste it right in. (Thanks Andrew Collins)
“You...
Night and Day (Universität der Künste Berlin)
Two photos of the university I will be attending in April.
Urania
Sculpture in front of the Urania Theater (education/entertainment venue in Berlin). I wish the piece was mobile, oscillating freely under the influence of gravity. Somewhat like a pendulum.
Uh?
If someone can explain what this is I will pay them $1.
This and That
Over-sized cable knit scarves are the all the rage in Neukolln, just like the one you see below. I’d support one too, but I don’t have the right hairstyle. This girl does. If I were to wear one it would look as if a snake has wrapped itself around my neck, squeeeeezing tight until my head popped off.
This is Neukolln Arcaden. It’s a mall…
A LOT of wig shops in...
The same...yet different.
Look, it’s a Dollar Store. No…it’s $1.48 store.
Look, it’s TJ Maxx. No…It’s TK Maxx.
Is she not pretty?
Here is a virtual tour my apartment by means of photography. Notice the minimalist aesthetic. The interior is stripped down to its most fundamental features, emphasizing extreme simplification of form and color. This movement is often interpreted as a reaction against Abstract expressionism and a bridge to Postmodern art practices, but in this context it is a reaction to being poor.
Crispy Clothes
No dryers. Everything has to be hung up. And everything drys crispy. I need to invest in fabric softener, but first I must learn how to use the washer…The instructions are in German.
Berthelsdorfer Straße, 12043 Berlin, Germany
That’s my address yo! The apartment is um…fantastic. Hardwood floors, in-house washer (this is the norm in Europe), no dryer as all clothes air dry, tiny bathroom and a living room/bedroom. I am located in Neukölln, the 8th borough of Berlin situated in the southeastern part of the city. I am a few steps away from the Karl-Marx-Straße U-Bahn stop.
View of my building looking up...
Watch“One of Berlin’s iconic buildings, the half-ruined Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (occasionally known as the Emporer William Memorial Church) together with its modern additions is located on Breitscheidplatz in the centre of western Berlin.”
More info here
U-Bahn and the omnipresent graffito
The U-Bahn (i.e underground train) system, although difficult to master at first, is SO much better than Chicago’s rail system, and here is why: food. There are small sandwich/bakery kiosk at every station. every single one. And the food is GOOD. It’s fresh and it’s cheap. My favorite treat thus far is the good-ol fashion donut.
Graffiti is an integral part of Berlin. It is...
Sphere of stainless steel.
The Fernsehturm (German for “television tower”). A television tower in the city centre of Berlin, Germany. Reminder: go to the top sometime.
Want to see clouds? Maybe the wing of the plane? A...
The sea of clouds is quite beautiful I must say.
Burrrrlin!
Can you see the train station??? Can you? It is February 2, 2010. I’ve arrived. It’s a blizzard.
The Reichstag
Brandenburg Gate
A cafe with lacquered tables in pastel colors, too...
…and who knew pendent lighting made me constipated.
January 2010
2 posts
De Plane! De Plane!
…is empty.
It is February 1, 2010. I have boarded my plane enroute to Zurich. The plane can hold 200+ but there were about 50 (including crew). Wut? The entire center isle of the plane was empty in my section. An hour into the flight all lights in the cabin are turned off (I guess Swiss is treating us like birds in cage with the blanket draped over it…expecting us all to fall...
