It's been a while since I took some new pictures and I kind of ran out of pictures from my last trip to the US, so here is one from the archive. This picture was taken in Düsseldorf, Germany, a bit after the one I posted several months ago. Düsseldrof sunset | Location on map
Read more...Käthe Wohlfahrt is a German company specialising in the sale of items related to Christmas, founded by Wilhelm Wohlfahrt and named after his wife in 1964. In 1977 they opened a specialist shop in Rothenburg ob der Tauber and moved their headquarters there. At this moment they have shops in Nuremberg, Oberammergau, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Heidelberg, Rüdesheim am Rhein in Germany and in Riquewihr in France, Bruges in Belgium and in Stillwater in Minnesota. This is a picture of their largest shop located in Rothenburg ob der Tauber. The shop is made up of the two lighted houses on the left and the house...
Read more...The German Christmas Museum is located in Rothenburg-ob-der-Tauber. It houses a permanent collection of ornaments, decorations, toys and artifacts depicting the evolution of German Christmas traditions and practices from the Middle Ages through about 1950. Attached to the museum, there is a huge Christmas store which sells traditional German decorations such as Räuchermännchen, Nussknacker, Christmas balls,...
Read more...Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a town in the state of Bavaria, Germany, well known for its well-preserved medieval old town. It was also the inspiration for the village in Walt Disney's masterpiece Pinocchio. This photo shows Rothenburg's most famous streets Koboldzellersteig and Spittalgasse. The two towers are part of the outer wall of the city. The city has a beautifully conserved medieval inner (built prior to the 13th century) and outer defense wall. Rothenburg ob der Tauber This view is also depicted on the cover of two Blackmore's Night albums. 1999's Under a Violet Moon and their 2006 festive...
Read more...Neuschwanstein was built by Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and as a homage to Richard Wagner, the King's inspiring muse. In a letter to Wagner, the King wrote: It is my intention to rebuild the old castle ruin at Hohenschwangau near the Pollat Gorge in the authentic style of the old German knights' castles... the location is the most beautiful one could find, holy and unapproachable, a worthy temple for the divine friend who has brought salvation and true blessing to the world. The construction of the castle started on September 5, 1869 and was was close to completion when, in 1886, the King...
Read more...This weekend I went to Düsseldorf, Germany, together with my parents to do some shopping. Did not really find anything, except for my 5€ Leica lens cleaning cloth, but the day was rewarded with a beautiful sunset and I was lucky enough to be in the neighborhood of a full glass building which resulted in the following picture:
Read more...Haven't had a lot of time to post this week and I haven't been feeling well lately, I guess the flu which is circulating at work finally caught up with me... So just a quick post before the weekend starts. This picture shows the traditional wooden stalls on the Christmas market in Cologne, selling delicacies like various kinds of jam. Have a nice weekend!
Read more...Yesterday we went to Köln together with some friends to visit the Christmas markets. Each year, Christmas markets spring up around Germany in the weeks before the holidays, signaling the beginning of Advent. Every city in Germany has it's own Christmas market, offering traditional German handicrafts, local delicacies and traditional products. You can find some useful information about the markets in Cologne on this page: http://www.stadt-koeln.de/en/koelntourismus/christmas/index.html. This picture was taken right outside of the Christmas market at the Kölner Dom. Since I didn't bring a tripod...
Read more...It's no secret, one of the most "annoying" characteristics of girls/women: spy on people. Guilty as charged. I love to sit by example on a terrace and just watch people. Not that I am perfect, but still it is cool to see people walking by, especially when something just isn't right. Last week we were visiting Köln. On Saturday we visited the city. We both didn't feel like shopping that day so we decided to walk around a bit. The strangest couple passed by us: The guy was not over 30 years old, and the women, parrot or whatever you like to call here, was over 70 years old. She was horribly...
Read more...