echt muss ich irgendwann meinen Blitz benutzen

so in the ongoing collection of Glühwein mugs, Esslingen was highly recommended. with an impromptu invite from my roommate, we left late in the evening and wandered trying to find the "Middle Age" Weihnachtsmarkt.

i know it must seem redundant, but each experience has been different right down to superficial souvenir mugs. for instance, the food stands in the Middle Age market were all from the era, ie: lots of open flame or stone oven cooking. einfach, aber lecker! i was also pleased to see that no one sold similar things. it was almost as if the merchants had to sign up for what they were selling.

there were also lots of activities from live music or medieval games. definitely cooler than your average ring-the-bell, shoot-the-duck sort of thing.

this week was lots of fun, beginning with Greg's birthday and a few days of hanging out with him and his visitor. Julian had a blast and insisted on coming back in the spring. holiday season away from home isn't killing me. =)

weil jemand Schokolade mag =)

after the first touch of Christmas in Heidelberg, the season broke open in Tübingen with a chocolate festival that we share with Perugia, Italy. since arriving in Germany, i have reestablished a love for chocolate, but this really tops it off.

[Schokolade auf dem Holzmarkt]

i mean, Ritter Sport definitely exceeds Hersheys and Eva had been bringing home Irish chocolate for years, but i never knew about chocolate with ginger or chocolate with chili. amazing! i got a set of pralines with some pretty odd mixtures of spices, nuts and sauces that convinced me that chocolate is a universal platform for deliciousness.

[Pralines]

by the weekend we decided on a cheaper option involving extra time hanging out with friends and had a fondue party. like usual, i wasn't keen on using my flash, though the light was terribly dim (also usual), so i let Pavel take over the camera for a moment.

if i want to get good photos of people, i'm going to need to break my flashless habits. this is especially so, considering how little daylight we have. though sometimes, i just want to relax and enjoy the moments i have while i'm here.

[Schokolade-Fondue]

Löwen streifen Heidelburg herum

okay, backdating time. Entschuldigung.

for once we managed to keep a group ticket to just five people. i invited Andrew to join our Startkurs crew and take some photos. we didn't leave too early. the trains weren't crowded. no plan, no problems. together we wandered until we found what we were looking for.

[suchen den Weihnachtsmarkt]

Heidelberg was beautiful as expected. i was hoping to see a bit of the university, but we spent a lot of time in the castle. i pointed out to Shiori that only one of the lions lining the outside of the building had his mouth open and then we noticed that every last one of them had a different face. couldn't get that small detail out of my head. thought of WWII. insert influx of wishing that i knew more.

[Burgruinen]

we found out that Davide would be going home to Italy for Christmas and not coming back for the rest of the semester. Shiori, Nikola and i immediately began planning a surprise going-away party. certainly nothing will be the same without his crazy attitude.

[Nikola, Davide und Arsch von der Pavian]

not much overall. it was our first trip together since the semester started and our first Weihnachtsmarkt. i had already had homemade Glühwein at a few parties, but discovered the mugs from the fests and promptly started a collection. my photos weren't stunning, but i enjoyed the opportunity for getting out of Tübingen for a day. i would love to get Andrew, Guy, Oli, Tillman and Penny together for a photo excursion. not too hopeful, but the thought is in mind.

warme Winter

i know, the title seems a little out of place, but it's how i feel. i'm enjoying the Christmas scene here. the Weihnachtsmärkt give me the same vibe as Oktoberfest. i know that in reality, everything is just as kitch as in the States, but i've brought back the "i'm just happy to be here" quote from Heath in Japan. can't think of a better way to put it.

we had our first snow. i was so happy that i put on a skirt with two layers of tights underneath and my new above-the-knee socks with the used boots i found for 20€, then rode in to town on my bike for the Markt. call me crazy, but you have no idea how much i'd anticipated that moment. i was prepared. the cold was fitting for the season. the colors looked different with all the whiteness the snow. the pedaling kept me warm. my camera was across my back. i was free.

[Schnee an der Wohnheim]

i took my favorite way into the Altstadt. from Nonnenhaus and the park, it goes up Pfleghofstraße to the church. etwas von dieser Weg klingt gut in meinem Herz. maybe it's the tunnel acting as a portal. maybe it's the beginning with thin alley ways and tiny restaurants. maybe it's seeing the intersection that is now finally through with contruction. maybe it's the uphill walking. the kicker is how Pfleghofstraße ends at Kirchgasse. you just walked up a hill, turn the corner, and then your view overlooks Holzmarkt. i usually just stand there for a moment a let the scene soak in. it is always a moment to be enjoyed; even the night before, when i went to see Feuerzangenbowle in the rain.

[Geist von Weihnachten vorbei?]

everything Christmas-like in Amerika comes from Deutschland, at least all the stuff that i like. it is amazing how much more sense the carols make! boughs adorn the stands. the one closest to me has roasted chestnuts. the smell steams in the cold air. i am so happy to be in Deutschland for Weihnachten.

[Weihnachtsmarkt, Tü]

i was photographing a man roasting almonds. he told me that in two minutes it would give off a lot of steam. it was similar to the photos with fire for the Feuerzangenbowle. i came back later to buy their almonds.

i snuck in a quick shot of a brat stand. i was looking at my camera when an older man working there used a skewered brat to get my attention and said "these are the best brats!" i took the cue to take a photo and smiled.

my favourite accordion player was out, as well as many other kids, a choir and a couple substantial wind instrument groups. i was most attracted to the sound of the clarinet today, but there was also a guitar player with wonderful tunes and a wonderful voice. i stopped in ice cream shop that i've been to a few times to break a bill for the musician (or perhaps i really like ice cream, even on cold days). the Kellner, who always politely asks if you would like a cup or a cone, said "you want that in a cone, right?" i warmed up my feet while watching passerbys from the windows that used to be completely open during Sommerkurs.

it was a wonderful day to be alone and just experience.

Dank gibt mehr als man messen kann

Thanksgiving. Thanks giving. To give thanks. Giving. Thanking. cause and effect. dialog. interaction. i wish i could always break things down so simply, aber das ist eine andere Geschichte.

[beautiful Thanksgiving view]

what a simple holiday, and yet it only takes a moment to uncover so many complexities. everyone can celebrate. all you do is share what you have, even if it is not very much. even just time spent together is something. Marie could only have an hour with us before she left for Berlin, but she wrote me a thank you letter. something American well received. my heart melts like Pap's turkey in your mouth.

speaking of which, my turkey was pretty dry. honestly, that's not bad considering i had to be in class for three hours while it cooked. i need some serious counseling on stuffing, though. i have no clue. it may taste alright, but it looks like shit. literally. no, more like the organs you have to pull out of the turkey. another side note: Oli totally knows about cooking the giblets. Grammy, i've found your partner. the biscuits flopped. in all of my fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants recipes, i really need to take more time getting to know the difference between baking powder and baking soda. the sweet potato pie was awesome, and the sweet tea too. the Texan liked it. today had a bit too much English speaking for my taste, but i guess it IS an American holiday.

[sweet potato pie with minis from the extra]

again, i have the most awesome roommates. Grégory gave me an American flag to hang, even though he knows i'm not so gung-ho about my country sometimes. it was funny though, when i was so careful to not have it touch the ground. i was alone in the kitchen this morning taking it down (only for special occasions), wondering what i was going to do with it, and then i remembered teaching Kirsten how to fold a flag in 5th grade. i'll save that for Grég later today when we eat our skimpy leftovers together.

quick shout out: 5th grade was amazing because i had the coolest teacher (Keith Hindman), who rode a motorcycle to school, and i had both of my best friends (Kirsten and Ashley) in my class. when Kirsten and i would take down the flag at the end of the day, i always loved the feel of the stars stitched into the blue fabric. thanks to Mom for giving me respect for Old Glory. she'll reprimand superior officers for displaying a tattered flag.

btw, i just made some bangin' turkey pastry.

Schloß im Nebel

so, we took this excursion to Hohenzollern three weeks ago. sorry. got a little caught up in living. the week after was a party in Geissweg, the Aufbaukurs Abendessen, Shiori's birthday party, Hungarian goulash with Gabor, helping Lisa for several hours with her resumé in English and an Abendessen with the roomies and a couple guests... all in consecutive days.

the slow, quiet day in the castle seems so foreign now. nice to flashback, though.

it was beautifully foggy, the first bout of cold weather. people complained, but i relaxed in the eeriness. plus, the stones of the building were damp and brought out the colors. gorgeous, in my opinion.

this was my first time actually inside a castle that had an inside to be seen. damn, bitch! check out that bling! you know how i am about woodwork. i spent a lot of time just looking at the ceilings. there are a couple pictures in the album, but the light was minimal and we weren't supposed to be taking pictures at all. haha! did you expect any less of me?

these were also the first death masks i had seen. i have seen dead people, and their faces, but not death masks. i love it! brought back memories of Robin's dad, Brent, working at a prison in Canada were they made death masks of all those executed. it's a wonderful surprise to delve into your reserves and have new experiences with what you already know.

after the castle, we walked back to the train station. again, complaining. i just took pictures and enjoyed the weather and the scenery. no beautiful pictures of a castle on a hill. reminds me of my first time at the Matterhorn. brought back slightly more pleasant memories of Asshole-E. doesn't make me regret my choices, though.

insert crazy, aforementioned week. next week = test on Monday (makes me feel like shit), darkroom photography (thankfulness that my life is not as crazy as when i was submitting to the photo program), brief chat with Tangredi (reminds me of Uncle Tosh), getting a package from friends (surprising flash of INSTANT homesickness, love you though), meeting Francesco's friends from Italy (amp up the missing-the-friends factor), talking with Guy (glad to contribute some photo knowledge and be well-received), bought a turkey with the roommates (thrilled that they are excited), Pirate Party (blow out the homesickness speakers), woke up with my painted-on eyepatch and felt right at home.

Sunday morning was very pleasant. the roomies enjoyed the eyepatch. we sat in the kitchen in our PJs and talked over coffee for a while. the weeks before had a vibe of stress coming from everyone. the parties seemed to work out the kinks. after we got everything out of our system, that morning there was a general atmosphere of camaraderie.

curious. perfect precursor to Thanksgiving.

side note: in several conversations that i have had about roommates, i have the best in the world. can't wait to share Thanksgiving!

btw, i also apologize for lack of captions. not feeling too creative today. grammar time in the studying, not vocabulary. you're smart. fill in the blanks. =)

normale Monat

i got a card from Robin this week. a photo that i took for the wedding was on the front. i read as i was going up the stairs to my Wohnung and walked two floors above mine. my memories of that week are beyond words.

my bike officially has only one gear now. it's not too bad, so i've been lazy about getting it fixed. Vodaphone put advertisement covers on everyone's seat. it was a very welcome surprise since i fight for sheltered parking when it rains.

we finally started Aufbaukurs. i got a sour reminder that in Sommerkurs and Startkurs, i should have been aggressive about getting into a higher class. Giorgio made it into B2 and i was very proud of him.

i didn't feel like spending money on posters that i would probably not take home, so i just hung orange paper on my wall. it's as good as painting, i guess.

had coffee with Guy and also a very nice American conversation. i've got my selective English speaking organized. Diana is for computer/anime geek talk and winter in the mountains. Frances-Kate is for smart-ass North Carolinian. Patrick for books and sailing. Gregor... once he gets rolling, it's out of control and i just go with the flow.

i randomly tried making cookies without any form of measurement and they were quite successful. i tried again and it was catastrophic. still, plain old chocolate chip cookies are in my lineup for Thanksgiving dinner with the roomies. the rest of the team includes turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, coleslaw and homemade popcorn. i'm debating about trying my hand at sweet potato pie.

got my SLR body in the mail. only one roll of slide film, but i'm excited to test it out. i missed the best part of Autumn for color. =( we still have the orange and red leaves, but not yellow. my favourite season passes by too quickly here.

looks like not too much activity coming up, so you'll get little blurbs like this. we'll see. Guy and i want to go to Stuttgart and check out the art museum and there is always the photo class.

Erfolg!

i saw the lady who gave me flowers after i left her a gift hanging on her gate. she was pre-winter pruning and gave me the remnants of her Blumen! i managed to gather that her name begins with 'Th'.

ein Teil aus Frankreich

Adam and i had talked about going to Straßbourg for a while now. all we needed was three other people to split the cost of a Baden-Württemburg ticket. well, five people turned into twenty-five, and so we created another große Exkursion like Oktoberfest. the weather was gray and we got a tiny bit of rain at the end, aber alles gut. viel Laufen auch. we took the train to Kehl and then walked into France.

this was one of those instances where the groups mixed together and i never really know who to hang out with. the Startkurs (mainly from Fichtenweg) made a distinct mob and there was my Mitbewohner, his girlfriend, two more aus Frankreich and Violet. the later broke off pretty early natürlich, weil sie nämlich aus Frankreich kommen, und danach gibt es nur Elisée, der nicht in dem Startkurs war. ja ja, das ist ein bißchen mehr als notwendig, aber ich hatte Sprechen auf Deutsch angefangen. entschuldigung. i told you, these things usually aren't important anyway.

[französches Putz-Modewarengeschäft]

France is always beautiful. i was pretty much in straight up tourist mode. Elisée laughed at me taking pictures of everyday französche things. seriously though, EVERYthing is beautiful in France. there is a nice quaint and personal mood ingrained in subtle details. and of course, i love details and subtleties. call me a cheater, but at least i had someone for Erklären. insert interludes with comical Bier posters and honey bread with Kaffee.

[la Cathédrale]

after das Münster, we decided the group was too much and planned a meeting point for later. all was very confusing with managing tickets and what not. oh well, das ist vorbei. Straßbourg has several art museums and i'm not entirely sure which one i was at, but there were a couple works that i recognized from my textbooks. it is always amazing to see works in person. no print can capture the real thing.

[Musée des Beaux-Arts]

i also enjoyed having a fast lens. i would have gotten no photos from the museum without it. even then, most were still too blurry to be worth much, so i made compositions with the environment instead of actual works. check out the album, though. i managed to get the details in a ridiculously small set of paintings (part in why i took the photos). it was fun to look at the layout of everything after taking ART4000. i also noticed discrepancies in the lighting on some of the sculptures. shame. though i feel a bit smarter.

Hochstadt von Baden-Württemburg

i need to write before this leaves my memory. nothing too eventful, though. StudIT made a day trip to Stuttgart. like i said earlier, i bounced around a lot. met a few new faces, ganz toll immer.

[Violet]

sorry to flip flop languages, but i've come to find that some phrases i can only express auf Deutsch. you can look up a translation if you really care. diese Dinge sind schon nicht so wichtig.

um, yeah. Stuttgart. not exactly the prettiest town. it's nice to have a city close by, though. i guess. i'm more interested in snowboarding at the moment. i couldn't go to sleep the other night after Eva said she could bring my board. i'm still debating matters with money, but i think i deserve to have one indulgence (and prep for moving out west). =)

[Schwäbisches Oktoberfest]

not much else is going on before the semester. had a small get together last night with tons of dip, hamburgers and on the fly potatosalad. i'm using the leftover meat for chili. thank you so much to my father for packing Gewürze into film canisters for me (and then to Mom for having the sense to label them with something other than numbers). Leben ist ganz besser mit lecker Essen! i'm enjoying sending my photos as postcards. it's expensive, but something i purposefully prepared myself for. leave your address if you like mail that's not bills. i eat Joghurt for little kids because you get magnets with letters of the alphabet and a corresponding animal. i'm totally going to have thunder thighs when i get back to the States because of the hill my Wohnheim is on. it's already below freezing at night. can't wait for that snow! ... or Weihnachten in Irland ... or the semester to start, for that matter.

suchen einen Platz

i guess it's time to settle down now. the day after Startkurs ended, people had already left for home. i had a small dinner get-together with Shiori, Adam and Diana. things started to unwind. Tuesday we had a more official dinner from Shiori, Miho and Asahi in Fichtenweg.

the photos aren't great. i'm still learning the new lens. apparently it is much more sensitive to color, especially in combination with the low light. i've also found how the short DoF can be have a lot of contrast in close quarters.

still, it's nice to focus (on content) more. editing these images gave me a new perspective on my environment over here. it is definitely not as wild as the Sommerkurs. since i took these photos, David has had an italienisch Abendessen and i've begun planning an amerikanisch Grillparty while the weather is still nice. it will be interesting to see how our networks develop.

maybe i just have a complex where i always think i'm different, but it seems a little off since i've been in Tübingen longer than others and established friends all over the place. i had to leave dinner before all the fun started to try meeting my StudIT mentor, Jasmin (unsuccessful AGAIN). i spent most of the trip to Stuttgart bouncing between Startkurs people, my roommate's friends and StudIT staff. i left David's dinner for Elisée from Sommerkurs. by the time i finally met Tandem partner Gregor yesterday, i didn't even know who i was.

maybe i just need to get a cell phone.

ein Objektiv haltet meinen Herz

so, i've finally gotten off my lazy ass and learned a few things about glass. i knew i was lacking in the aperture department, but not this much. i can never go back. just like how i will probably never go back once i get a full frame camera. though, the short depth of field has gotten me using auto focus more often. call me a sell-out, cheapskate, whatever... i can't afford eye surgery and i would still choose getting more lenses over it anyway.

[memories of Gianluca, Alice und Elisée]

sooooo back to the 50mm, he is my newfound joy. i waited diligently for the UPS man to return (after the weekend!) and promptly went out shooting. i had completely misread an email from my Tandem partner and ended up blowing an hour in the Mensa. no problem. i was definitely occupied.

i still OWN at Tischfußball, btw.

[what i wished my bicycle looked like]

i wandered around die Altstadt for a bit, getting used to the length. i really should make an album of my exkursions in the Altstadt and call it 'Sessions with Martin'. i swear i run into him every time i have my camera out. we're going on three now.

i was still exploring even when i got home. since it's a portrait lens, naturally i had to play with shitty shots of myself. i dunno, maybe it's more interesting than a hand towel on my desk. it's all quite boring and any photo majors are probably still flabbergasted that it took me this long to get something f1.8 and fixed.

oh well, more fun to come. i played with motion as well. it seems to happen a lot lately. also, the aperture still won't do without a flash at a lot of indoor functions. get used to the fuzziness. i'm not perfect... yet.

noch ein andere 'zwitte mal'

i was very pleased that the weather was still warm enough for another ride on the Neckar. this class was better prepared, bringing food and drinks. our Stocherkahner was fun as well.

[Klasse 1 with Tutorin, Felicitas]

he let a few students try their hand at Stocherkahnfahren, which was a hoot of course. Pavel was first up. we zigzagged our way down the river, almost ending up on the banks at least twice. the response of the boot was similar to the Japanese girls fore. =)

[David's self-portrait]

Zahlina and Elvira followed suit, also with little success. our guide just laughed... while he got to sit and drink with the rest of the class. clever man.

[the apprehensive duck]

and so went the last Tutorium of the Startkurs. of all the second time around happenings, there were no goodbyes that wouldn't be undone in a couple of weeks, and that was comforting. i can't be getting too attached to all these second-chances, though. ;) i've got a feeling that i might still get a slap in the face once the Semester starts.

Nachmittag an der Insel

one of my favourite places in Tübingen is a small island in the middle of the Neckar River. there are two rows of giant trees (always beautiful) and you get a perfect view of the leaning houses along the Neckar and in front of the castle. you can also see the famous Hölderlinturm. the houses are colourful and the light is perfect at every time of day, not to mention all the Stocherkähne.

i was leaving Tutorium and Diana looked bored, so i invited her along. we had a nice chat about artsy stuff (her parents have a gallery in Colorado) and the afternoon was as peaceful as the photos. shade v. light is really contrasty, which goes for screwy white balance and bad exposure, but i'm really not that bothered by the images. it just enhances the dreamy sort of feeling.

our next class activity was to be another Stocherkahn ride for me, so sorry about the excess of Stocherkähne. i'm still in love with them.

it feels good to go out just for the purpose of taking photos. earlier this day i bought a bicycle, so i will extend my exkursions through town and might not pay to travel far before the semester starts. we'll see. after all the walking, the bike seems so fast and i need a bit of time to adjust. i think it's helping me prep for a motorcycle, though. maybe it's just from how UNsafe the US is, but riding a bike makes me very conscious of everything on the road. also, i never realized how much i didn't know about a bicycle until after the motorcycle course. i'm catching on to the two-wheel concept pretty quick. =)

Oktoberfest (brauchst du Erklären?)

so, i knew i wouldn't hear the end of it if i spent a year in Germany and did not go to Oktoberfest. enjoy.

the day after the Bodensee Exkursion, i got up at 5am so our 20some group from the Startkurs could leave on the 6.30 train to München (gotta have the real deal and not the Stuttgart spin-off). it was still dark outside! after the first train, we were packed like sardines in Tokyo. some people were already drunk.

[playing with bad exposures on the train]

because we left so early, i didn't eat more than a pear and, because of the packed trains, had no time to grab a Brezel between stations. i ended up by Patrick (from ECU) on the last leg and fell into the trap of speaking English. it was about sailing, though, which puts it up a tiny notch on the 'acceptable' scale. classic East Carolinian, he brought along a bottle of Cap'n Morgen. oh boy.

arrival: our group was too big, so we split at the station. Patrick followed me with Diana (fellow Ami, from Colorado) and her brother Pete (who lives in München) and a couple of his friends that were visiting (for Oktoberfest, of course). the whole day was out of the ordinary, because usually i avoid English speakers like the plague. but, what happens happens. still had fun.

[fliegend Bavarien]

it was like a State Fair, but a million times better. kitchy game booths, food vendors, portable amusement rides... didn't matter. all the Lederhosen und Dirndls made the experience worth it. i was expecting kitchy and fake, but it didn't feel that way. maybe it's because men look absolutely amazing in Lederhosen! yum.

the enormity of everything was pretty impressive too. just now i found an aerial shot on Wikipedia. whoa. and i walked through that big mess! all the walking was not as bad as all the standing. the morning after, my arms hurt something awful and i was very confused before i remembered that i had spent the whole day holding a liter glass full of beer.

[ein Festzelt]

i only consumed two, thank you, but i didn't eat until after that. bad idea. i guess i was too distracted by everything going on. i didn't get sick like the guy in the album, but had a 15min 'nap' in the city park. Pete claimed my camera, and so you have it: Sabrina passed out in public. had to share for the sake of entertainment and consequences of my actions. =) the lighting is pretty nice as well.

[16.00ish]

we had walked to the town center and checked out the giant Glockenspiel before the park (which had a couple beer-bikes? circling around, sorry no pictures). other than that, it was pretty much just the festival and Diana getting to see Pete. all was very enjoyable, though little Deutsch. i don't know how much of the day Patrick remembers. according to Diana (when she was the sober one), "at least you didn't speer bill."

the ride back was 5hrs instead of 3 and EVERYone was at least tipsy this time around, if not completely belligerent. the trains were running late and we had to run to the next platform at EVERY stop. once, i tell you. only once.

zweimal, aber noch schön

Bodensee again. much more enjoyable.

as soon as i found out our departure time, i jetted off on my own. Konstanz is such a beautiful city! it had pretty close ties with the Roman Empire way back in the day and holds a lot of history in all the lovely architecture, gardens and statues.

[das Zentrum von Konstanz]

i wandered through another part of town from everyone else and finally got into the scene i remembered from the year before. tons of interesting stuff. definitely check out the album. i can't even begin to post everything on here.

[der Turm und ein Mann ohne ein Haus]

i really got into thinking about the presentation for SPE next fall. obviously i need photos, so i'm working on the door v. window idea. i didn't edit all that for the album (thought it would get boring), but i might load it separately when i get more images.

[Gesichter, Fensters und Türen]

i wasn't sure how far i had gotten away from our meeting point, so i hurried back and ended up with time to spare. insert silly little flower shots. the colors were very nice, to say the least. got a nice one with purple and gold for my ECU fans. there's also a Piraten Partei poster that i came across.

[der Garten bei dem Dock]

here is the highlight of this trip the second time around, though. the weather lacked beautiful clouds, so i took pictures of our group for two hours straight. people got used to my camera pretty quick and the images are a lot of fun. makes me even more impatient for that 50mm!

[Ana, Shiori und Miho zuhören Japanisch Musik]

[schöne Magda, Adam und Pavel]

also, Weingarten was much more enjoyable with a more open aperture and a wider angle. everything's still a bit blurry without a tripod, but i'm actually proud of myself. the fastest shutter speed was a whole second long! i appreciated the Basilica for what it was worth, even though the repertoire on the organ was exactly the same.

[Füß von der Engel]

there weren't as many motorcycles to fuel my lust, but the hills were just as nice. i've got more fun photos from the bus ride. all in all, i kept the photography streak strong and was happy with the variety. i should be, after filling a 2GB memory card and then some more! i'm also impressed with my time spent editing today. one more post to come about my first Oktoberfest experience. oh boy.

Abend um Fotos

so, i've finally gotten into the swing of things photo-wise. Oli, a fellow photographer from Sommerkurs, invited me out for a photo shoot in the beautiful Tübingen evening. while waiting, i found a three-legged cat, some boys in playing badminton in the street and a group of girls singing. i love the space that i have over here, time to think.

[spielend Jungen]

it was also nice to have company. i've been missing the art program a bit; impromptu photo outings with Nick, Bayaro, Aileen or Deanna. we went to Tübingen's castle just in time for a gorgeous view of the city and some nice dusk colors.

[Kugeln]

i ordered a 50mm/f1.8 on Amazon. i need to have a fast lens for indoor stuff here. i also hope to get some really sharp portraits. all my purchases now are pretty long term and i want to get good equipment that will carry over for when i can afford a full frame digital camera. i think i'm going to follow in Nick's footsteps and get a 5D with the same setup of my 30D. oh well, that's a ways away.

bis dann.

[the south part of Tübingen and the Neckar]

Überraschung-Geburtstag-Party!!!

oh, how i love Italians! i was walking home and ran into Gianluca trying to find me to tell me about a surprise birthday party that night for his fiancé, Erika. i had been running errands and was a little tired, so i rested in my room for a bit before i realized that i needed to head out primo fast to even have a chance of finding a florist. in my rush down the street, i did a quick u-turn when i saw a neighbor out tending her garden. mind you, i am speaking with an elderly lady with years of weight added to her dialect. i manage to successfully ask for some of her lovely flowers and run back to my room to change clothes. i then proceed to walk from Lustnau past Fichtenweg (4.4km) in the rain. don't know the Bus Linien so well, and just assumed that i would run into Nm.5 somewhere along the way. nee. i finally asked a lady at a grocery store and she pointed me to a Bushaltestelle that had a group of people speaking Italian with a case of beer. bingo. the rest of the night was sold.

Brinuccia is totally my new nickname. i am also covering a cheap notebook with lovely paper from the wonderful paper shops for the ever so nice Nachbar.