Christmas market time - at least in Germany

 

Hey, I’m back from my trip to Germany, where I visited with family and friends and met my granddaughter Tarja for the first time. I spent a little time in my home town Bautzen, in the city of Freiberg, and as well in the city of Dresden. They are gorgeous places but you probably can’t go wrong with any old town in the state of Saxony during Christmas time. They all have a Christmas market and each is a little different and has its own character. The “Wenzelsmarkt” in Bautzen goes back to 1384 and is possibly the oldest Christmas market in Germany. According to the city’s website 90 traders and restaurants offer their goods, food, and drinks on the market this year.

Dresden, the capitol of Saxony, has more than one market and the most famous one is of course the “Dredner Striezelmarkt”. The photo above was made at the “Weihnachtsmarkt an der Frauenkirche”, which takes place around the monumental Baroque building of the rebuilt Dresdner Frauenkirche.

Wonderful foggy day

 

My last full day in Germany was a typical gray November day with fog and a little rain but nevertheless a very wonderful one. In our state of Saxony it was a holiday and my best friends had invited me to participate in a hiking trip through the Lausitzer Bergland, the mountains south of my hometown Bautzen. We were a group of twelve people and beside some great exercise we enjoyed wonderful conversation and awesome food at the end of the tour. The fog was hiding the landscape most of the day but when we stopped at an old granite quarry (the area is famous for its granite) I saw the potential for a good click.

Thank you to Gabriela, Claus, Petra, Lutz, Martina, Götz, Annerose, Uwe, Ecki, Micha, and my son Andre for making this a very special day!!

Hiking in Saxon Switzerland National Park

 

Just want to say hi to all friends and followers of my blog. I’m still in Germany and had for the first time a chance to make some clicks in good light. My son Andre and I went on a hiking trip into the mountains and rocks of Saxon Switzerland (German: Sächsische Schweiz), one of the most beautiful areas in Germany and only an hour and a half away from my hometown Bautzen. The picture shows one of the most iconic rock formations “Bastei”. Between my shooting location and the rocks on the other side, down in the valley, lies the Elbe River that flows towards Dresden, the capitol of our state of Saxony. A big part of this area belongs to the only National Park in the State of Saxony, Nationalpark Sächsische Schweiz. I hope you enjoy.

2012 – Looking back, part 5

 

May 2012 was a month full of joy. We were over in Germany and attended the wedding of my son André and his wonderful wife Seraphine. It was nice to see all my family gathered in one place and we had a great time. Beside that it was just a good feeling being back in my home town Bautzen. I claim that I know every single stone in the old quarter of the city by name (just kidding :-)  ), because I grew up in this part of town. Joan and I enjoyed walking through the streets of this over 1000 years old city again and I will never get enough of it, especially since I live in the US where many cities look very uniform.

The first picture shows the Rathaus (city hall) and the Dome St. Petri in the background. This old church is, as far I know, the largest church in Europe that is shared by two confessions. The western part with the tower is used by the Protestant Church St. Petri and the eastern part is used by the Catholic Church.

This image shows the Nicolai tower, one of the old access gates to the city. It was part of the defense system in the old days. I have taken pictures of this tower many times before but the light did something very special for my image this time. The photo was made in the evening and light of the low sun got reflected by a house on the right hand side next to the tower (you cant see much of this house). The bouncing light illuminated the old wall and the cobble stones in the lane, which would be otherwise just in the shadow. I liked that effect and was happy to be there at the right moment.

Travel impressions – Bautzen, Saxony, part 5

A few more pictures from my home town Bautzen. Again, I focussed on views that you may not find in the brochures of a travel agency. The photos were made on three different days. We were walking through the old narrow lanes in the old part of town in search for light and perspectives.

Wasserturm / water tower

This water tower is actually one of the newer towers in town. It was built in 1877 within the ruin of an old church. Many other buildings and towers are more than 500 years old.

Travel impressions – Bautzen, Saxony, part 4

My home town Bautzen has many landmarks and they have been photographed probably millions of times. The Old Waterworks on the left and the church Saint Michaelis are probably among the most recognized ones. It is almost impossible to find a new angle or view but playing with exposure and the remaining light of the day made me create an image that I like and that you may not find in the postcard stand of the local tourist information... ;-)

Travel impressions, part 3 - talking about details

It is sometimes tempting to make the same shots that you may find on the postcards sold in the local tourist information office of a city. I can tell you, I know them all in my old home town Bautzen, Germany. They have not changed since I can remember. As many other cities, Bautzen has its classic views that are liked by the tourists, and that's not a bad thing. As a native I feel I have to make a different approach if I want to offer an interesting view of my "old play ground".

It's the detail I'm interested in. I grew up in the old part of town and I really claim to know every stone in this city. Nevertheless I still can find shooting angles I have never thought of before. New details have been added by people that make a living in this town and some new ones are just as good as the ornaments of the old times.

If you know my galleries at pbase.com you may know that I have a foible for sign boards (click HERE if you don't but like to have a look at it). This is not really a board but comes with the same idea of promoting a business. A goldsmith in the old town of Bautzen put this frog with all its jewelery over his store front. Killer light just before the sun disappeared behind a roof of "Heringsstrasse" made me do the click.

A detail that has been added to one of my favorite restaurants is this blacksmith work in a window. The place is called "Mönchshof", which can be translated to "monks yard". Sorry, but food and ambiance will beat almost every place here in the US... ;-)

Another detail that caught my eye is this old horse trough located just around the corner at another medieval pub and restaurant. It has been affectionately restored although nobody really ties a horse anymore to the old metal rings.

Travel impressions – Bautzen, Saxony, part 2

Downtown Bautzen was already decorated for the annual spring festival "Bautzener Frühling". This event lasts three days and is filled with music, art, entertainment, and lots of food and drinks. Every year a flag contest is part of the festival and the best flags get awarded and will be used for the city's decoration during the next years.

The tower on the east end of Reichenstrasse is called "Reichenturm" and used to be part of the city fortifications. Its lower part was finished in 1492 while the upper part was added about 1718 during the time of baroque architecture. The tower is actually leaning by 1.44 meters but has been finally stabilized in 1954.

I grew up in the old part of Bautzen and it is always a great joy for me to see how the historic buildings have been restored from damage during WWII or how they are preserved from the normal influence of the weather. In my opinion, this is tax money well spent. As a photographer in particular it is not difficult to like this...

Travel impressions - Bautzen, Saxony, part 1

 

Three eventful weeks lay behind us and we are now back in Iowa again. I haven't posted anything recently but that does not mean I didn't take any photographs. Joan and I visited my old home town Bautzen in Germany and we had the pleasure to be at the wedding of my son André and his wonderful wife Seraphine. We had a great time meeting with family and friends and as you can imagine spending time in front of my laptop was the last thing I wanted to do. We also went for three days to Prague, the capitol of the Czech Republic and one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I will post some images from our trip to Europe during the next couple of weeks and I hope you enjoy it.

Let me start with a picture from the over 1000 years old city of Bautzen, which is located in the Free State of Saxony in the Southeast corner of Germany. The evening sun spilled its warm light onto the Röhrscheidtbastei, an old bastion and one of the numerous towers that give the city its character. This was an easy task for the photographer. We were sitting in a beer garden and had just to wait until the light was right...  ;-)

Not in Africa....

 

No, I'm not in Africa... ;-) Yesterday I just left Düsseldorf, Germany, where I spent last week at DRUPA, the world's largest trade show for the graphic industry. It still goes on for another week. It was as always an exhausting event. I'm now in my old home town Bautzen, Germany and look forward to be tomorrow at the wedding of my son and his future wife. There was no time for good photography during the last nine days but this sculpture at the airport was worth a quick click. Just wanted to say hello to all my friends and followers of my blog. Stay tuned, I hope I have something better to show here soon.