Posts Tagged Germany
Kölnerdomen
Posted by NN in Photography, Travels, Work on 090818
I’m in Germany for the annual European game industry expo, a show with many different names and locations over the years. Today it’s called Gamescom and is held in Cologne. I flew in this afternoon. Knowing the next couple of days will be extremely busy we, a few colleagues and I, went for a stroll in the old part of town. It is quite nice. A few long pedestrian streets with shops, cafés, restaurants, bars etc. In the heart of all you find Cologne’s Cathedral, Kölnerdomen, one of most beautiful cathedrals in Europe. Well worth a visit in itself. I visited the first time, close to 25 years ago with my school band. We played with other local bands on the square outside the church. Memorable experience. I also remember walking up, in circle, the entire stair to the top of one of the towers. Try it when you visit – and see if you manage to walk straight when you reach the end.
At night highflying birds surround the illuminated cathedral, it was quite the sight. I tried to capture it, filming with my mobile camera. The long exposure time created a rather marvelous effect. So here, my first video upload :)
Köln from Nicolay Nickelsen on Vimeo.
Postcards
I like to send postcards. We can’t only surround ourselves with bits and bytes. Old school card writing is a nice break from the present race with the machines. I normally don’t send cards when on a day-trip. If I did some mailboxes around would receive little else than my scribbling.
But this time, visiting Hamburg I made an exception. It was not planned, in fact, when asked by my colleague if I were looking for cards I told him no. Not on day-trips. We’ve traveled together to different parts of the world and he’s getting used to me looking for the perfect card. A search getting increasingly difficult I might ad. As a geek fond, of photography, it’s depressing to see the poor artistic and creative quality of postcards around. Take a look next time you pass a display. It’s rarely an exciting sight. Except in NYC – the postcard capitol of the world. Never difficult to find a good one there – rather, it’s difficult to choose.
OK – I’m getting geekier by every word, so I’ll get to the point. In Hamburg I had decided not to look for a postcard until I noticed this. I love it. It’s a much better depiction of the harbor than what I captured with my compact, where I was lucky to take a quick stroll after our meeting.
Nineteen years ago
Posted by NN in Photography, Travels on 090501
July, 21 1990. Only a few months earlier the wall separating East and West had fallen and I was standing on Potsdamer Platz in the center of Berlin. On a stage 30 or so meters in front of me, Roger Waters and ensemble performed “The Wall”, one of the largest rock concerts on the planet with around a million spectators, if not more. I remember not seeing an end to the sea of people. Absolutely fantastic! I had very good memories from the few days spent with two great friends back then. Now, so many years later I’m standing on the same spot. At least, I think it’s the same. The area previously known as “no-mans land” have changed dramatically. I’ve been told it was one of the largest construction sites in the mid-nineties, and I have no difficulty believing so.
Berlin is a wonderfully creative and interesting city. I think it’s one of the most exciting cities in Europe. I’ve only been stopping by for the briefest times the past few years and this time was sadly no different. I only had time for a 30 min evening stroll. Walked up from Potzdamer Platz past the Holocaust Memorial to Brandenburger Tor and on to Berlin’s Reichtag. The air was warm. A beautiful spring evening. Returning to my hotel I thirsted for more, and needless to say I must return for at least a long weekend to explore more. There is so much to see, a photographers dream.
Leipzig madness
One week late. I haven’t found time to write this before now.
Euro road-trip, leg 8
62 hours spent driving over 5800 kilometers (3600 miles). The two-week road-trip ended 00:10, Saturday August 11. A trip from Norway through Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, France and back. It’s been great fun, interesting, informative and at times tiring behind the wheel. More on that a bit later.
Euro road-trip, leg 2
The second leg was not as exciting as the first, but that was never the plan. I wanted to get through the north of Germany as fast as possible. At times it went very fast – Autobahn can be both fun and scary. Pushing the red wonder to 170 km/h (105 mph) we screamed of joy, but it was only for a brief moment before an Audi, Mercedes or Porsche filled the rear view mirror, angry to get past.
Travel log – Leipzig
Mein Leipzig lob’ ich mir! Es ist ein klein Paris und bildet seine leute. (I praise my Leipzig! It is a small Paris and educates its people.) Johan Wolfgang von Goethe in Faust
For the fourth time in as many years I’ve visited Leipzig in the former East Germany. Games Convention, the largest gaming trade show in Europe is held here. You see, Leipzig is an old exhibition town. It’s also the place where Porsche and BMW have moved their factories in an effort to bring new economy and jobs to the former grey part of the country. And it’s working. Leipzig has changed dramatically over the past four years. When I first visited in 2001 the streets were dark and the only people lurking around in the evening were either Goth or skin heads. Not a very pleasant place in other words. Already the year after it had changed dramatically. I hardly recognized the place and this time around the transformation was almost complete. All good, except the construction work, just outside my hotel window starting at two in the morning! Looking at all the posters hanging around the city I realized the “final” goal of the city planner, the World Cup. Leipzig will be one of the host cities when footballers from all over the world meet to compete.
Heia Norge! – If we make it through the qualifier, that is…
Leipzig is a nice city. Sadly I’ve never had time to visit the different sites. The exhibition demands a lot of time, but i’ve seen some of them through taxi windows, from different terraces where parties have been held and the like. I would really like to go to one of the many J. S. Bach concerts arranged here. Bach worked here as cantor and conductor in the St Thomaskirche from 1723 to his last day in 1750. Another interesting historical facts about Leipzig is that it was the site of the Battle of Nations, the largest conflict in the Napoleonic wars and the most decisive defeat suffered by Napoleon Bonaparte.
I like Leipzig. I will return, and hope I get the chance to take a better look of what the city has to offer. Who wouldn’t like a city with a street called Nikolaistrasse and a church called Nikolaikirche
PS: The flight home took a bit longer than planned when the plane had to turn halfway due to some problems with the aircraft door. Normally that would be very frustrating but I had a really good time. Frankfurt airport will never be the same.