Full Spectrum Nostalgia a la Russe!

For some reason this song popped into my mind a couple of months ago. A great track from a great artist. How many of you remember it?




I've recently discovered this track as well. It's receiving heavy play on my ipod.
РОССИЯ




And to stay with Russian themes and return to the early 80s...
Бабушка

Berlin Protest

Look at how the Television Tower in east Berlin is leaning slightly to the right. It needs to be fixed.

We came to Berlin to prevent the world from being changed! That is, from being changed environmentally. A global day of action against climate change took place on this day. About fifteen members of our political science class travelled overnight to Berlin to conduct interviews with demonstrators.

It total we interviewed about 150 people to get a sense of how demonstrations are organized and what role the internet plays. Conclusion: the internet played a minor role in getting these demonstrators out on the street.

Above is a member or PETA (People for the ethical treatment of animals). When I first got to Germany I met a fellow who founded another group called PETA, People for the eating of tasty animals!

Berlin was one of the biggest protest that took place that day. It rained in Paris so the turn out there was smaller. In New York a total of 20 people showed up. It would have been 17 if the three researchers who were conducting the same survey as us had not been there.

Germany has many environmental groups and movements. Many members of the Green party were present, as expected. I approached a young anarchist looking type of guy and asked if he would take part in our survey. He turned me down saying he first had to consult with his comrades whether it was cool to talk to me.

Ducks and Alps

The Alps are visible again. Click on the pic for a better view!

Walk along the waterfront and you'll see the aquatic residents of this city.

Ducks, and lots of them!

And some swans. Can anyone tell me if swans build nests? Where do they build them?

I've already mentioned that a view of the Alps only occurs on clear days.

Germany's most disturbing underpass. WARNING!! Not for the faint hearted.

Would you use this underpass? Do you dare? It's not the other side you need to fear.


It looks safe. Think you can get to the other side without incident?


Take a closer look at the lights! Click on the picture to enlarge it. How many spiders do you see?


These are Germany's best fed spiders. And they are always hungry!!


Eine grosse Spinne.


Yum, yum, yum. I pity the fly or moth that heads for this light.



What song are these lines from?

on candystripe legs the spiderman comes
softly through the shadow of the evening sun
stealing past the windows of the blissfully dead
looking for the victim shivering in bed
searching out fear in the gathering gloom and
suddenly!
a movement in the corner of the room!
and there is nothing i can do
when i realize with fright
that the spiderman is having me for dinner tonight!

quietly he laughs and shaking his head
creeps closer now
closer to the foot of the bed
and softer than shadow and quicker than flies
his arms are all around me and his tongue in my eyes
"be still be calm be quiet now my precious boy
don't struggle like that or i will only love you more
for it's much too late to get away or turn on the light
the spiderman is having you for dinner tonight"

and i feel like i'm being eaten
by a thousand million shivering furry holes
and i know that in the morning i will wake up
in the shivering cold

and the spiderman is always hungry...

"Come into my parlour", said the spider to the fly... "I have something here for you"

Lake Constance and its secrets.

Yes, the image is pretty. But, this lake has some secrets it tries to hide.

At the harbour, where this boat quietly rests, so does something else...

The water level has dropped over one meter in the last two months. The lake is giving up its secrets. Exhibit One: A bike at the bottom of the harbour!!

Exhibit Two: Two more bikes lying at the bottom of the harbour. People here refuse to discuss the Bikes!

Coming soon: Germany's most disturbing underpass!!

Tower of Power?

Only this past week did I noticed this tower for the first time! It was only when the leaves had fallen from the trees that it was revealed to me. I decided to take a closer look...


A short trip up a small hill past some vineyards...



Built in 1909. Overlooking the town of Konstanz and Switerland and Austria. This was the era of the Wilheiminian Empire.


Bismark. The Iron Chancellor. Is this a monument to German unity or Imperialism?


Is that a representation of Bismark or some unforgiving god of war?


This is Konstanz below the tower. If you click on the picture you can see the Alps in the distance. On most days the Alps are hidden in fog, clouds or pollution.

Konstanz, Germany: Hometown of Zeppelin

This small town in the south of Germany is the hometown of Zeppelin. Oh, but not of these eponymous gents below, who are credited with starting the progressive rock era.

Konstanz is, or was, the hometown of this guy, Ferdinand Adolf August Heinrich Graf (Count) von Zeppelin and his famous airships.

This momument below is in honour of Konstanz's famous son. I wonder though, if this town ever got the Led out?

What's that?

Gotta whole lotta Zoom...

Dussel your Dorf!

Dusseldorf is located on the Rhein just 20 minutes north of Cologne. It rates as one of the wealthiest cities in Germany. I visited back in August.



No, its not the Seine. It's a canal on the Königsalle.


Don't ask who designed this building. Does anyone know? Please post a comment to let us know.


The best way to see Dusseldort, which is not a very big city, is from the Fernseh Tower. Good to see that Toronto's CN Tower has many imitators.

Wildlife in Germany

No, this picture was not taken in France. And I wouldn't recommend cooking it up with some spices and enjoying him with a glas of wine. All summer on almost any path I tread I had to be carefull not to step on one of these fellows. Snails were everywhere it seemed. Some were as long as 20 centemeters.



This little bunny would show up every morning at 7:00 in front of my appartment window in Bonn. I could set my watch to him/her.



I need some help with this one. This picture was taken in Dusseldorf. One bird would swim in the stream collecting leaves and twigs and deliver them to its partner who was constructing this nest. Does anyone know the name of these birds? And do they taste good?



This is a not so itsy-bitsy spider outside my current apartment in Germany. Its web has a two or three meter span between two separate buildings and is about 15-20 feet above the ground. How it managed to get itself across such as distance when it was constructing its web is a mystery. And it survives high winds and rain. Such is the strength of spider silk. Perhaps one day condoms with be constructed from a genetically modified version of spider silk. Thin, strong and silky. Patent pending!

Adventures at Haribo

Haribo is the manufacturer of Gummi Bears. The factory is located in Bonn. Acting on a rumour, some of us rode out to the southern part of the city in an attempt to get a tour of the factory. We only got as far as the mega shop of Gummi Bears and related confectionary.

kraut Sandles

In the summertime the Germans like to let loose. This is reflected in footwear. Sandles are worn with socks here. If you buy a pair of Birkenstocks, first make sure you have several pairs of socks with which can complement your ensemble.

Arrival in Marburg

This is the house I am currently staying in. Can it look anymore Teutonic?


A room with a view. Well, kind of....


No sleeping in for me. The workers start making noise at 7AM!