I really wanted to be early to work this morning...

I really wanted to be early to work this morning... but then the sky exploded.

Since moving to the city, I've learned to love streetlights.

... and one more from right outside my office on the Kurfürstendamm.

Making me even later, Mimi decided to stop off and visit with some friends. 

Actually Mimi has quite a crush on this big fella.
Truth be told, so do I.
When Mimi gets tired of enjoying the Berlin streets with me,
I think it will be a guy just like this...
or at least a close relative.

I mean, look at that behind... Supergeil!

Oh well, I was only 20 minutes early this morning,
not the hour that I had hoped for. 

As the saying goes, "the journey is the reward".

Lady B

This building (and in particular, this lobby) is one of my favorite places in the whole world. Unfortunately the powers that be try their very best to keep me out. 

"Lady B" was my first urbex* experience. Sadly enough, it seems to be one of the best in Europe. They say when you start from the top... the only place to go is down.
 
*Definition of urbex = Urban exploration is the exploration of man-made structures, usually abandoned ruins or not usually seen components of the man-made environment. 
 

Berlin Bleibt Dirty

Berlin stays dirty.
You know it baby, and we like it this way!

Daytrippin' - Medieval Quedlinburg

Over the weekend we had a lovely day trip out of Berlin, because as wonderful as Berlin is, escaping the city occasionally just needs to be done. 

Two hours (+/-) south west of the Hauptstadt we found ourselves in Quedlinburg. This charming medieval town lies just north of the Harz mountains, boasting UNESCO protection, for among other things, over 1,300 half-timbered houses. Escaping the worst of the last century's war damage has meant that it is one of the best preserved medieval and renaissance towns to be found in Europe.

We took a tour with "Bruder Michael" who we found quite by chance as we walked past the tourist info point. 1.75 hours and 7 EUR p.p. later we had walked the cobblestone streets of the Altstadt and had learned much more about the city.

Unlike so many other cute German towns, this Altstadt has not been overrun by souvenir shops and chain stores. Whereas Heidelberg's pedestrian area feels like a mall with a DM followed by a H&M, then a souvenir shop, Vodafone, pharmacy, followed by WMF, cute little "gotta have it shop", restaurant, then a Christ, Sparkasse, souvenir shop, DM, pharmacy... repeat. Quedlinburg is less commercial, less touristy, and just less. It is quiet, and serene, and a person can indeed feel the history in the surroundings since it is not so obstructed by commerce.

One of the things I found most intriguing was the fact that women had ruled the town for 800 years. King Heinrich I's widow founded a convent for aristocratic women in 936, and in 966 their granddaughter became the Abbess which effectively gave her control of the city. Each successive Abbess was the center of the town government.

Another interesting factoid, the first German woman who fought for and eventually won the right to attend a university was born in Quedlinburg. In 1754 she received the academic title of Medical Doctor from the University of Halle.

What should you see? The elongated Markt area and Breite Strasse. Like every other small German town, the center of existence is the town square. This one is surrounded by incredible examples of medieval and Renaissance buildings, and buzzes with the residual energy of over 9 centuries of townsfolk. Breite Strasse is half-timber house heaven... for those who are into such things.

Sorry, I can't tell you much about the Romanesque castle and the cathedral except that they are quite beautiful from the outside. It seems that an American soldier absconded with the town's treasure in the confusion after WWII. He took it back home and only brought it out occasionally to show friends. After his death the whole mess came to light, with an eventual return of the goods to their rightful owners against the family's wishes. Bad SoldierBoy, and just a bit stupid as well.

We had coffee/breakfast at a chain bakery on the Marktplatz. It was pretty much like every other store of that company although it seemed that having some sort of metal attached to the face was a pre-requisite for employment, as all employees had piercings in various facial tissue. 

Lunch was enjoyed at the Hotel and Brauhaus Lüdde which had plenty of comfy seating inside amongst the brewing equipment, but also a lovely tucked-away Hof offering their special brews under the trees. I had a baked Käse Spätzle (pretty much cheesy noodles) which were prepared nicely with the only downside being that it didn't have enough onion for my taste. The Schwarzbier however, was EXCELLENT and hit the 4.8 spot. My head was swimming before the noodles hit the table. 

Before leaving for the day we had a desire for more coffee (the juice that lubricates my brain) and perhaps a nice ice cream desert. We ended up at a cute little out of the way place with a name that currently escapes me. Its outdoor seating had finches in a cage nestled amongst the dining tables. (this finch fascination has something to do with Heinrich the Duke of Saxony being at Quedlinburg castle capturing finches when the Royal Delegation arrived to inform him that he had been elected King of Germany... in 916 AD).

It is a town that was saved in the nick of time thanks to the Wall coming down. The communist government had for the most part ignored it, which was a blessing considering how many historical buildings throughout Germany were summarily torn down because there was no money to restore them. UNESCO involvement in 1994 offering funding and protection has helped to control the refurbishment effort and will keep it looking much the same for decades to come. Now let's hope that this charming little piece of time warp manages to escape the grasp of wanton commercialism the same way it did Communism.

All in all a great day trip from Berlin, although I can certainly see the benefit of an overnight stay as well. 

I suggest that all three of this blog's readers make their way to this uncommonly cute town as soon as possible to enjoy its treasures... and I don't say that kind of thing lightly, trust me. Well, except for Greding... and I can't forget Schwerin. But don't spread the word around too much.

Moments of Frivolity

In the past I have been accused of being frivolous. It is a trait I own up to willingly. My rainbow Koosh cost more than any toy has a right to, but it is my favorite "handtoy" when I need that perfect word, or fantastic phrase at the office.

But this most recent purchase is likely to make folks shake their heads and wonder what kind of of cracked reality I live within.

Photojojo is a shop filled with fun things... both frivolous and useful. They send me lovely e-mails and tell me about the interesting, useful, fun and generally frivolous photo-related items which I can have delivered directly to my door. Rarely do I take them up on their offers. But this was an exception.

Meet my new espresso friend. It is sold as a shot glass... but let me tell you  it will get much more action on my work desk as a caffeine carrier.

The big boy pictured on the left is a mug as well. It is insulated and holds my daily libation as I slave away. This has been the subject of many pre-meeting conversations. And that stunning piece of glass on the right is a real lens... Yes a Nikkor 24-70mm 1:2.8G ED wondrous light-producing, do everything but wipe my ass, lens.

Both of these cute little "toys" are modeled from this lens. 

Photojojo generally has an attention to detail which borders on too cutesy. Every order comes with a plastic dinosaur (found in the top pic). The invoice itself lists this item as "Rawwwrrrrrrr", costing 0.00. Cute, yet still understated. And a cheap way of making the customer remember which company it was they've ordered from.

Next take a look at the box in which the espresso cups came. Since they sell it as a shot glass, they've adorned the box with common toasts, "cheers", "mazel tov", etc. Do you think we should tell them that Proust was a French novelist and not the correct spelling of the German !Prost!?

Photo Friday - Sport

This week's Photo Friday challenge, "Sports".
see on black

CSD 2012

Christopher Street Day in Berlin.

It all started in the late 60's when a few pissed off people finally said "no more" as the police stormed into the local gay bar, New York City's Stonewall Inn, for their weekly shake down.

Some said that the patrons were mourning the death of Judy Garland and just started to fight back in anger when the police came in. Of course no one really knows what was so different about this night, but the gay men in that bar weren't having any of it, not any more. 

They pushed back when the police came in, and eventually they trapped several police officers IN the bar itself as the patrons left, and locked the doors. That will show you what a few pissed off drag queens can do.

More and more people filed into the streets of Greenwich Village that night in an angry and violent mood. The police had lost all control. 

The next evening another, even bigger crowd gathered in the streets and sparred with an even larger police force, but once again, the police lost control of the situation.  A few days later, once again more people filled the streets and generally let it be known that the archaic rules placed on American gays and lesbians was no longer to be countenanced. 

After seeing this general outpouring of anger, gay community leaders began to get together and form groups to do something with their new found power. Within three years there were over 2,000 gay and lesbian community groups mobilized in America. In my estimation these were the soldiers of '69, and I thank them for their bravery and courage. Because without them, we wouldn't be where we are now.  

These events are commonly referred to as the beginning of the Gay Rights Movement in America. It was a Rosa Parks moment. Just like the other groups of people in America who were insisting on their civil rights at that time, gays were ready to stand up and proclaim that the American Constitution guarantees equal rights for ALL men. 

Ask any gay person living in New York at that time and they will tell you that they were AT those riots. It is a common joke that EVERYONE was at Stonewall. 

A year later a memorial parade was planned. As the Stonewall Inn (owned by the mafia and by this time closed down) had been on Christopher street, they decided to start the parade at that location and call it the Christopher Street Liberation Day. This was the first American Gay Pride Parade, and is the namesake for the Berlin Pride Parade, as well as some others throughout Europe. 

Which brings us to today. I'm quite certain that the parade attended by hundreds of thousands of people (gay and straight) yesterday was quite a bit different than that first parade in the Village. For one thing it is all rather commercial, the next is the "let it all hang out" attitude which can be a bit shocking to first timers. I guarantee that those first parades were walked by men and women in suits and ties and generally quite "normal" attire so as to appear "normal" as well.

But in general it is good, safe fun and an enjoyable time with some of the best mobile sound systems to be had. This year's route took it past a cute little park at the corner of Dorotheenstraße and Neustädtiche Kirchstraße. What a PERFECT place for the trucks to stop and have an impromptu dance session. Wonderful!

Enjoy some pics

Next year I plan to check out the Transgenialer which is the alternative Gay Pride held in Kreuzberg. They say it is less commercial. Perhaps that is where I belong, even though I must admit that I LOVE dancing behind the BIG trucks with their chest thumping beats.

Some would say that in these times when gay people are getting more and more rights, do we really still need gay pride? I say yes. It is a time for us to take to the streets and show the world who we are and that we are proud of it. 

All of my CSD pics can be found here. 

 

Berlin Fotomarathon 2012

Over the past weekend I took part in my second Berlin Fotomarathon. Basically it works like this: 

a. There’s an overall theme each year. This year it was "Der Augenblick genießen" which got translated two ways according to which theme sheet you consulted. The first translation was "Enjoy the Moment", whereas the second and third sheet had "Seize the Moment" which was actually a much nicer sentiment in my estimation. Unfortunately you don't learn the theme until the shot of the Fotomarathon gun and the first shot themes are handed out. 

b. Then all participants have 12 hours to take 24 photos. 

c. Each photo must display a theme. The individual themes are given out in stages of eight, at a series of checkpoints around Berlin. 

d. At the last checkpoint participants hand over their memory card with only 24 photos, taken in order and unmodified. 

e. An exhibition is organized about three weeks after the marathon, and prizes are handed out on the last day of that exhibition. 

01 Here and now (Hier und Jetzt)

This first image must display your start number in some creative way. My start number being 42 was rather daunting since it seems the number is the "Answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything" as stated in the book, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I had put out a general scream for help and several people stepped to the plate. 

In the end I combined the suggestions of The Queer Expatriate (who would also be participating) and the Honorable Husband. Spelling 42 phonetically was the brainchild of HH and TQE reminded me about the white mice who were central to the QUESTION in the book. The watch is there because it actually reads 11:42, and I thought that was a cool addition to the "here and now" theme. I had considered using the white mice throughout the day as sort of a theme, but decided that life was too short for that kind of craziness. 

02 Go for it! (Trau Dich!) 

My photowalk buddy stood in for this one. The idea was gathering the courage to do something a bit dangerous. There were originally two photos, one which had a better hand position, but seemed to be ready to shove the hot pepper up her nose. I personally dislike the yellow tint, and would rather have framed the shot differently, but hey, we're under time pressure, ya know? 

03 Colourful (Farbenfroh) 

This was taken in the grocery store in the basement at Alexa. I had purchased the hot pepper there and knew I would return after that shot to capture something colorful. (I often wonder what people think when they see someone craning over a display rack holding a camera -- but this is of course a big city, and no one said a thing. In fact, one man waited patiently for me to compose and shoot before reaching for his bananas.)

 

04 Free choice (freie Auswahl)

The guys at Alexanderplatz Dunkin' Donuts were cute, and sweet, and asked for money to allow me to shoot. But in the end they relented. I actually think they were a bit disappointed that I didn't want to get them in the picture.

05 Melting away (dahinschmeltzen)

I would have liked to get two lovers melting into each other, as this is actually the closer translation of the German original. But the ice cream idea popped into mind as we were waiting in line at Alexanderplatz Burger King. (a girl can't live on Ibuprofen and Red Bull alone, mind you) This cone waited through our lunch and really started to get busy melting as I was finishing up. I like how there are two downward streams in each area. 

One funny thing to experience at this location was that we actually ate lunch sitting adjacent to two sets of Fotomarathoners, even though we were on the opposite side of town from the starting point. As I pulled out the camera for this shot, all eyes were on me with what I assume was the "which theme" question rolling through their heads.  

06 Perfection (Perfektion)

Now we are on our way to get the next set of themes. I was two photos behind by this time and was feeling a bit of pressure. But way back at Alex I had decided that perfection to me was a box of Karl's strawberries. The nearest stand we could think of was at Bahnhof Zoo... so we took the opportunity to hit that location on our way to the Hotel Bogota for the next themes. 

As the shutter clicked for this photo, I heard the unmistakeable voice of That Queer Expatriate behind me asking which theme I was shooting. How funny to run into him in this huge city, a bus ride away from our eventual destination. We three then made our way to the check in. Hotel Bogota had an interesting feel about it, with many photographs surrounding us as we made our way in and out. I will go back soon to get a better understanding for the place. Maybe to also learn more about their tango nights. 

07 Euphoric (euphorisch)

After looking over the next required themes such as "laughing out loud", and "hot and spicy" it just seemed natural to head back to the Motzstrassenfest. Let's face it, Berliners aren't known for their smiling faces, and I would need some soon. 

I admit defeat on this one. I kept trying to get these girls as they looked not only euphoric, but also catching them as the ADAC advertisement was not showing. Ugh. OK, on to the next shot, please.

08 Absorbed (versunken)

This shot was exactly what I was looking for. My first thought was to enlist the help of my photo walk buddy and shoot over her shoulder as she was checking images on her camera. But then the phone thing occurred to me, with the added benefit of getting the faces of friends around who looked bored because of this guy's absorption.

09 City life (Stadtleben)

This is a classic, and you might guess is taken very close to the festival. Displaying so beautifully the rough side of the city is the man below. Beer bottle in hand, I thought to capture him, then watched incredulously as he picks his nose and eats it. Lovely. Soon I notice him readjusting his "package" as though uncomfortable. As I start to walk away after the shot, he whips it out right there and proceeds to piss. The guy on the top is of course oblivious to what is happening below, and is busy taking photos of the party on the street. Yeah, city life.

10 Laughing out loud (lauthals lachen)

These two were sooo cute. I saw them and thought that I had finally caught the only smiling faces in the place. When I turned them and asked them if I could take a photo it became obvious why they were walking with their faces in a default smile setting... they were from out of town. Thanks guys. 

11 Longing (sehnsüchtig)

The guy in the vest was working on shirtless dude something incredible. Asking him questions about his life, and where he was from. In general, shirtless dude was looking past vest man towards the guy behind him wearing a hat. What an interaction, and it went on for about 10 minutes. 

12 Pause for thought (Denkpause)

Ahem. Berliner Fotomarathon images are displayed end to end on a 3 meter long strip of photos... so um, well, it is better to have them all oriented landscape, and NOT portrait. Well, sometimes that is easy to forget, especially when MOST of the photos you normally take seem to be portrait. Thus we have this lovely example of a pause for thought which actually displayed my lack of thought. Hell, I'm cool with it. I did have a lovely pause there, and I'm going to continue to display it sideways as though I had intended it all along. 

About this time we met (by accident - seriously, how BIG IS this city?) the Honorable Husband and decided to walk together for a while to discover more of this cool event. He lives in Munich and something tells me the stuffy Münchners don't let it all hang out quite the way the Berliners do... so as he was enjoying the scenery, we were enjoying showing him what it is like in Europe's gay pride capital. 

13 Flight of fancy (Höhenflüge)

Balloons, flying, colorful, the flag in the background... I'm going with it. 

14 Hot and spicy (richtig scharf)

Oh my these "ladies" were incredible. I did get a full body shot of the one wearing the black shoes, but she really was a bit too skinny for my taste. Perhaps I expect my transvestites to have more UMPH up top or something. When we saw the shoes with red... oh honey... THAT is hot and spicy. 

15 Sweet tooth (Naschkatze)

Yeah well, duh. I wish I had pulled out the 50mm for this shot for more bokeh and better focus. But it is at least a decent shot. 

16 Carefree (sorglos) 

Dude was standing just outside the area from the women's stage. He was chugging a beer and just looked like he didn't have a care in the world. OK, snap. 

HH invited us back to his nearby hotel for a coffee break and since we were running ahead of schedule, we thought it sounded like a good proposition. Once again, the theme for the day was "Enjoy the Moment", and we intended to do just that. Thanks HH!

17 Call it a day (Feierabend)

After warm coffee, sparkling conversation and a rain shower pause we made our way over to the next check in location which was the Berlinische Gallerie. Another cool place that warrants further investigation. 

This shot is the entrance to a company which was closed up for the day. Yeah, Feierabend. 

18 Together (zusammen)

Benches, together... I'm going with it. 

19 Chilling (chillen)

Not long after I took this shot these folks got up and left. My photowalk buddy suggested that perhaps they were dealers and didn't like the idea of a camera being pointed at them, no matter HOW far away. 

20 Refreshing (erfrischend)

Um, yeah. I was thinking water (ok, so that is canal water and CERTAINLY not fresh) and that cute little umbrella over there. Work with me people.

21 Natural beauty (Naturschönheit)

This was taken looking down from the overhead train bridge at Hallesches Tor. I like the lines of the tree branches and how they work with the sidewalk line. 

22 Passionate (leidenschaftlich)

This was a no brainer. What was so hard about it was getting them while embracing without seeing either face. I also wanted to get the train station sign in there to give it a sense of place. 

23 Cherry red (kirschrot)

We headed back to the Motz festival again because... well, why not? We met up with some friends, drank some adult beverages and generally "enjoyed the moment". I spent two hours in search of an ass for this shot. I wanted two buns tightly packed into a pair of red leather... or red denim... or hell, knowing this festival, it was possible to find those buns with red paint on them. Everyone around was helping me... "Oh look, she's got red pants". In the end I didn't find what I was looking for. 

As the time drew near to get out of there and turn in our pictures, I started to get a bit nervous. Then I saw this beautiful older woman amongst the dancers shaking her thing. When I approached she wanted me to take a photo of her man. He was sweet, and about a head shorter than her, but he wasn't what I was looking for. 

She and I chatted for some time. Crappy German was our only language in common, as she was from Ecuador and spoke Spanish and I think she said Quichua. We talked about the dance she was doing, which looked like an extended merengue to me, but she said it was something she learned in her village, and she had no name for it. 

24 The last dance (Der letzte Tanz)

These are actually the feet of one of the friends we met up with at the Motz Festival. I had taken about 8 shots, but either other feet got in the way, or they were more blurred than I would have liked, or actually not blurred enough. In the end I settled for this shot because you can more easily see her shoes... which I liked. 

After going through all of these images I now understand why so many others (No Apathy Allowed / The Queer Expatriate) are blogging about their experience in stages. My gosh, that is a lot to consider all at one time.

My second experience with a photo marathon was even better than the last, and that is saying a lot since I enjoyed the other one sooo much. The photos aren't anything special, and actually there are only one or two which I would even consider loading onto Flickr. But the theme of the day was "Seize the Moment", and I think we really did just that. 

I had decided to shoot the whole day in manual and to use my new 24-70 lens exclusively. Well, I had to change out the lens twice for an 18-200 my buddy was working with... otherwise I just wouldn't have gotten the shot. Also I used the 50mm for the melting away shot... and later the strawberry shot, there was no other way to capture the subject and blur the other items the way I wanted. But I carried that HUGE piece of 24-70 glass with me everywhere and didn't even get tennis elbow for my trouble.

Several things I promise myself for next year. I will work harder to have artful photos. Because I know that doing it alone would be hard I will have a buddy along again. Also next year I want to take non-marathon photos alongside those requested ones. It seems to make sense to download them all to the iPad or something before deleting the ones which don't fit. I DID delete some awesome pics this year which weren't right the theme. 


A big thanks to the Berliner Fotomarathon folks who I believe are all volunteers. It must be hard to put something like this together, and they've done a great job and deserve a round of applause. The locations were better this year, the prizes are better, and it seemed to flow much easier as well. 

Now... where is my calendar for NEXT year's marathon?