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I seldom travel without a camera at my side. Here are the latest shots of the world as seen through my lens.
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Click on the appropriate picture to view the slide show. |
Thursday/Friday, August 27/28, 2009 |
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| Travel photos are often the source of my best work. On this trip, however, I spent far more time photographing people and places rather than nature. The family was gathering from afar to celebrate a double wedding of my nieces. My wife and I arrived in Mönchenglabach, Germany on Thursday and spent the next two days recovering from jet lag while connecting with family. | |
| Saturday, August 29, 2009 |  |
| A family double wedding at Schloss Hülchrath Germany, a castle built in 900 A.D., was a double opportunity for me to take photographs. The brides' proud Uncle taking pictures on their wedding day. We wish them and their new husbands all the best that life has to offer. | |
| Sunday, August 30, 2009 |  |
| After the Wedding, there was little time to prepare for the many departures. The Brides and Grooms were on their way to New York and my wife and I were heading to Braunschweig that afternoon. | |
| Monday, August 31, 2009 |  |
| In Braunschweig (the city of lions), where they have a mix of the old and new, we were sitting across the street from the Schloss Arkaden, a reconstructed castle (see last picture) concealing a modern shopping mall within, when suddenly we heard sirens and were surrounded by police. Sure enough, it was the Mayor greeting the German President. From what I could gather (considering my poor language skills) The Mayor had invited the President to meet us. You can see the Mayor asking Sabine to come up on the red carpet. They were sure nice folks. I have no idea how they knew we would be in town. Hans swears he didn't tell them. | |
| Tuesday, September 01, 2009 |  |
| Sabine's brother Hans with his wife Franziska and their daughter Leonie took us on a train ride to the top of Brocken Mt., the tallest mountain in northern Germany. The train ride was picturesque while the walk back down was long. On top there is what once was an East German listening outpost that is now a hotel and museum. At one point on the train ride up the mountain, you can clearly see where the East/West border fence once traversed. Times change. Note the wind mill generator farms off in the distance, they are everywhere in the German landscape. Hey America, are you paying attention! | |
Wednesday, September 02, 2009 Thursday, September 03, 2009 Friday, September 04, 2009 |
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| We spent the better part of the next day driving a really cool Peugeot 308, with the convertible top down, along the northern Autobahn at speeds which would cost my license in the U.S.A. Mario Andretti move over. | |
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The island of Usedom rests on the northern border of Germany and Poland on the Baltic Sea with a similar climate to that of Maine. This favorite regional resort area has undergone vast improvements in the twenty years since we last visited, around the time of reunification. Unlike before, the local towns were bustling with tourists and like before I was an anomaly. For example, the hotel in Zempin admitted I was their first American guest. I'm afraid I was disappointed with Peenemünde, the birthplace of modern rocketry. It's now a tourist trap rather than a historical site. A bed museum??? |
| Saturday, September 05, 2009 Sunday, September 06, 2009 |  |
| Rügen is the largest of the German islands of the Baltic and is another popular resort location. Our visit to the Königstuhl chalk cliffs was tempered by damp weather but well worth the hike through the woods. We spotted a subdivision under construction where all the homes were being built with thatch roofs. I always wondered how they do that. Before the long drive to Berlin, I was able to catch a grand sunrise which made the day begin superbly, until the rains came while on the road. | |
| Monday, September 07, 2009 |  |
| Berlin was a one day excursion, so we made the best of it. With the guidance of or niece, Julia along with her parents, Helmut & Sybille, we hit the high points of East Berlin starting at the Brandenburg Gate, and the Berliner Dome (Cathedral) and ending at Soviet War Memorial at Treptower Park. Whew! Talk about walking our legs off this trip. | |
| I hope you enjoy your visit. Please come again. |
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