Fasnet in Uberlingen!

How crazy Fasnet can be. I guess I will only post a few pictures just to be good about the festival. Guess they will make it someday.

Next stop Fasnet! But first on the list – some snowboarding in Austria

I cannot imagine a more painful exercise than learning a sport for the first time. My whole body just hurt. I had to literally pick my leg up just to move it inches to the side. I’ll have to post pictures but we went out on a Saturday to the Au area in the Bregenzerwald (Bregenz Forest) for some skiing and snowboarding. We had a colleague here from Singapore, DJ, who learned some skiing and Nengshi had his first try as well. The first day was literally one turn, then fall, all the way. Its like surfing (of course I’ve never been surfing) but on a much more hard surface that for some reason, you fall on the same spot each time. Surprised I didn’t have more bruises on my body. But the second day I decided to push myself a little bit further, with the help of Vanessa, to learn on my own how to snowboard. It was tricky, all the day falling, but by the end I made it down without falling (hard I mean) except for the last hill where I wiped out right in front of the main area. We stayed at the ‘Uberlingen Lodge’ with about 14 of us. So much fun to see our colleagues again. One was set to go to Beijing for about a year or two, and the others, we all just needed some rest.

Paris je t’aime!

I met my Ate May for a weekend when she was in Brussels for business. We met at a ‘halfway’ point which was Paris. My journey took a bit longer than hers. The way there included a 2 hour car pool to Stuttgart, waiting for a way way late bus to Paris (where I couldn’t sleep because well the large lady behind me had her feet up and basically touching mine. As I don’t enjoy contracting diseases I had to fight off touching anything). This bus started at 10 Pm, arrived at 6 AM, met a really nice French girl from Normandy who helped me navigate the metro, made it to May’s hotel and then sat around for awhile. We ordered breakfast and chilled out throughout the morning. The day consisted of visiting places I was interested in, including the Promenade Plantee (an aboveground converted railroad structure). Notre Dame and the museum, Champs d Elysee or the shopping area, and then finally had dinner. I met up with another couchsurfer that night for a little party while Ate rested. Such a great host – never met before, but who was so gracious and let me hang out with her and her friends. So after the long night, went back with Ate May. Next day was a bit more of traveling around, Asian shop visiting, then out to see the fake mountain built park and a cafe. Ate May split then back to Brussels while I moved my things over to Alice to crash at her place for a night. We just relaxed then and watched the Sigur Ros documentary. Next day went to finally see the Eiffel Tower but really did not feel like climbing it. So I sketched it instead. Which was much more satisfying. Also got to take a look at the Parc la Citroen (much better in the summer). Hoping to revisit the Promenade Plantee again and then perhaps someday Parc La Villette again in the summer. But a great time with again new friends. Hope to visit them one day, maybe in Normandy?

Ate May in the Paris Metro

Interior of the Paris Metro

Promenade Plantee Bridge

Me at the Plantee

I didnt get to visit the Louvre but I saw this!

Ate May in the Hotel

The EIffel Tower

The Eiffel

Hot Air Balloon at Parc Andres Citroen

Notre Dame with Me

Room at the Paris flat

My new Parisian friends while CSing

My new things

Just wanted to show my new bike and guitar.

My new things!

Dresden (#2)

I stayed with two couchsurfers in Dresden. The second was with another landscape architecture student, Sunhild. Great host. I met her on an early Sunday morning to go to a vegan brunch (never felt more out of place and I already do being here in Germany! Guess I just don’t fit in with the hippie crowd), then went to a museum to see the wonders of photography of Dresden, checked out some more interesting architecture, then went back to hang out with Christine. When I left the next day from Christine, I first went to get a guitar at Zoundhouse, then saw some architecture (cannot remember the name of the place), and moved over to Sunhild’s place. I found another Asian store (each city had at least one, and Hamburg was of course the best for it, but Dresden was working out quite well for me). Made some vegetarian Pad Thai (it seems all my couchsurfers are vegan or vegetarian) and egg rolls for them. I do enjoy cooking. I did get a chance to see Sunhild’s architecture classes, met some of her friends, and had to leave almost as fast as I came. That was too bad. Had a good time in Dresden but it was now back to Uberlingen for work! Back to work.

My room at Sunhild's

Sunhild hard at work

Lantern Collection

Me at the top of a church

Just me again

Some new friends

Dresden (#1)

I was late on my car pool to Dresden but it was a really fun ride. The guy I went with had actually been through Kansas before having lived in Colorado with a host family for awhile. Dresden wasn’t originally on my list of places to see but I really did enjoy it. First place I stayed was with Christine who lived in this huge house that was split with her parents occupying one floor and the top by Christine. Had a great place to stay at. Plus cats – which I have subsequently found out I actually am allergic too but I still do enjoy being around animals. Now I did not do too much while here, mainly just chilling out, watched a good movie Inglorious Bastards and met a Canadian who had been living in Dresden for some time, ate food with Christine’s parents, and then managed to find the best thing ever – my new guitar.

Dr. Pepper

My room in Dresden

New Guitar

Dresden at the River Elbe

Water Sculpture

Asian food, first taste of Pho in awhile!

Just some broken down houses

Hamburg – for Sylvester (New Years!)

So Hamburg was stop number 3 for me. I stayed here from December 28 or so until the 2nd. I took the carpool from Berlin to Hamburg to meet up with Sarah. My colleagues from Dreiseitl and their siblings were there – Ming and Tobias. First day did not do too too much just sat around and ate food. Tried out a true German breakfast of lots of bread and lots of extras. Then I met up with Tobias and Ming in the center city. We went to the Harbor, saw the Hafencity and lots of great architecture (although it was quite dead). It was really really cold so we went home quite early, maybe around 5. Exciting since Tobias brother and girlfriend and Ming made us this great dinner, spicy curry and rice. Quite nice. Next day hung out with Sarah and just cruised through the city looking through Asian markets. Found the only Filipino market I could find and bought as much Asian food, probably the same weight of what I had in other things came back as noodles, sauces, and food. Made some Pad Thai that night. Next day was Sylvester so the majority of the day was sitting around. Hung out with my couchsurfer’s friends and went to the Harbor for New Years. They were out quite late but I had to head back home by to head to Dresden on the first of January after a wonderful night meeting new people and making new friends.

Tobias' family made dinner for us

Ming sitting after he helped make some curry

Tobias

My room in Hamburg

Sarah, couchsurfer host #2!

The only Filipino store in Germany!

Cool Hamburg Hauptbahnhof

Just another train shot

Out with Sarah, her boyfriend, and friends for New Years at the Harbor

Me with fireworks at the Harbor

Did not know that Hamburg had the Red Light District as well, quite funny

Berlin – Stop number one

So the next city on my tour of Germany was Berlin. Here are some pictures from the 5 days I spent here. I had typed an entire page of what I did, but it was deleted. So here is the synopsis. Berlin. Wall. Couchsurfing. Touring. Mitfahrgelegenheit. Indian food first. Polish food first and lots of it. Guitar playing. Oranienburgerstrasse. Art exhibits. Trip to Hamburg next. Holocaust Memorial as well.

Eisemann's Holocaust Memorial - one of my favorites

First meal out at (as you can guess) Asian food

The Berlin Wall on a cold day

First couchsurfer - Kamila - playing the guitar in her flat

Kamila's sister Monica and a photo booth (like the ones in the mall)

We had dinner at this great Indian restaurant

Look at the size of the bread!

And finally one of me

Crazy art off Orangenburger Strasse

Just some more crazy art

Ferris wheel at one of the Berlin Weinachtsmarkt

Eisemann's Holocaust Memorial - one of my favorites

Nurnberg Prisma

The first project I learned of from the Atelier Dreiseitl was the Nurnberg Prisma, a project I desperately sought out when I was finally able to visit the city. Now while Nurnberg was just a stopover (since I decided it would be the only touristy aspect of my holiday travels), the Prisma was the reason for going. The seamlessness between architecture (the structure, daylight influence, space and form), large scale urban design (the design extended to create a live work community with children playing out on the streets, residences alongside offices), and landscape and art influenced many of my initial design studies while in university. Unfortunately, it was not as amazing as the drawings and presentations from university made it seem.

But for some background, it was winter and thus the majority of the water aspects – fountain, pools – were turned off. But the artwork is still beautiful, the channels that run along the edges still carry water along vertical poles. I sat for awhile in their cafe for some schnitzel and fries. Not many people were sitting around (it was of course the 23rd before Christmas) but I at least expected to see more.

Art at Prisma

Entrance to Prisma

Water runnel along edge of posts

Entrance Art

Water and Rocks

Water Stream

Nurnberg for the Christmas Markets

So first stop was in Nurnberg to see the Christmas markets, famed as the largest in Germany (perhaps Europe)? I couchsurfed with Peter and that was interesting in that he had already left to see his family. Yet, he still let me stay at his place while his roommates were there simply because I needed a place to stay. Amazing hospitality (although it was a bit weird since one was crying all night long and I had no idea why). But I did spend my time just walking through the city, seeing the different sites, and just enjoying whatever was possible. There were lots of Americans around, I assume primarily the same reason I was there. And my favorite photo had to be the statue I would like to say is an ode to the call of nature.

He needed to go

Christmas tree in front of Hauptbahnhof

Lots of people out for the Christmas market

View down the hill

Panoramic view of the city

Church at night

Daytime at the market