A Vigorous Cycle

... no, not a vicious one!

Last week has seen the conclusion of even two cycles. One is tied to the immediate predecessor of this post, and the other one goes much further back than even the beginning of this blog. In fact, it gies back to the beginning of the period of my life that came before the one this blog originally intended to cover. - But let's do things in the chronological order, shall we?

Last week I went to Berlin, for the second time this year. The first time was in February, following the invitation of my good friends Emily and Helge who were celebrating their house warming party. (I am still quite jealous that they actually built a house in Berlin!) This time the occasion was equally important: a PhD defense! My good friend Stefan finally nailed down his dissertation and aced his exam. As you may have guessed by now, this is the occasion that goes back a long time. By chance Stefan and I started our PhD projects on the exact same day: June 1, 2004.

I remember after having been offered a position as a graduate student at the CP department of the FHI Berlin I was negotiating a little bit which project I was actually going to work on. It turned out that my favorite (the one I had actually applied for) had already been taken. Two others involved building an instrument, and yet another one involved the investigation of chemically (in this case: catalytically) relevant materials. Being a chemist by training, I did not feel capable of building an instrument, and so Stefan ended up taking one of those projects. In retrospect I think we can all live very well with how it was decided.

The first day at work in Berlin I arrived at the institute, but I had no key (actually a keycard) to open the door. Likewise, there was this guy who appeared to be another newbie and couldn't get in by himself just yet. So I walked up to him, thinking, "Oh no, another new guy, and we will have to stand in front of the door for a while and have one of these awkward conversations between strangers ..." The awkward moment did not last very long, as the door is opened often by people walking in and out. And over the years Stefan and I have become very close friends, and there is not even the least bit of awkwardness left when we talk, which is why I can humorously share this incident with you.

However, you may have by now cried out that Stefan took so much longer to graduate than, say, myself, who was already a bit beyond the average (by half a year). How come? It is, in fact, because Stefan is such a skilled instrument designer - and also a bit because of his personal situation. At some point he was experiencing problems with the machine he had built, more precisely so with the electronics that were purchased from a commercial supplier. A representative of that company was going to be at a scientific meeting in Berlin around that time, so Stefan went there to meet him and discuss the issue. He apparently made such a profound impression by revealing in-depth knowledge of the functionality of their product that they actually invited him for a job interview - in the US! His wife, a US American herself, was quite eager to return to the states, so as soon as the interview produced a job offer, it was a done deal! Unfortunately, the thesis was only half written by that time. And so Stefan had to manage his time between insane hours at work, his duties as a father of two and a husband, and that little thing back home in Europe that still needed a quick finish. To cut a long stroy short, it was an intense labor, but in the end he delivered! And frankly, it was one of the best PhD exam performances I have ever seen! Just being in the audience and watch him ace it like that was worth more than the cost of the trip! (And I was feeling a little ashamed that I was lightyears from being even remotely close, despite my much easier conditions.)

See below for a few pictures of how Stefan finally became Dr. Ulrich, and how he vigorously completed his graduate cycle  ...

minutes to go - nervousness at a peak

minutes after - Nervousness? What nervousness?

a long-expected party

dinner, later that night

Ul(l)rich - always a hit!

the two towers

By the way, after Stefan had left Berlin (the day after his exam), I reunited with another colleague from our graduate time, Jan. We hadn't seen one another ever since my own departure from the FHI, so it was no wonder we talked the night away, and finally parted ways at 3 am the next morning. (I am sure he got less sleep than me, being a father of two now.)

Only in Berlin ... would you find an H&M bag locked to a Karstadt department store.

Jan (to the right) and I, in a bar called the "living room"

But I have mentioned another cycle that came to a conclusion. Well, that one isn't really a cycle, rather than a continuation of my recent exploring the most influential dynasty Germany has had in its past as a monarchy: the Hohenzollern family. While I recently visited their home castle near my own current residence, I seized the day last week and traveled from Berlin to Potsdam, the location of Sans-Souci (French for "without sorrow", a very appropriate name for the time after a PhD defense ...). This place used to be the residence of the Hohenzollern while they reigned over Prussia and later all of Germany. Its splendor was copied from the French royal residence, Versailles - at the time French was considered the language of the educated people, and hence the Prussians had to have a castle with a French name. The castle garden that connects all buildings of the Sans-Souci compound is huge - it takes almost 30 min to walk across it. It features the old castle, the new palace (originally a mere guest house), the orangery, the Chinese house, and the Roman bath, besides trees on end!

My trip to Sans-Souci is documented by the photos below ...

the communs

the actual new palace

a tree cut to size at the new palace

Alleys are common in the gardens.

rear of the new palace

pavilion somewhere in the gardens - two more are flanking the old palace

remarkable tree in the castle gardens

The gardens are very colorful in the fall!

Roman bath

Chinese house (named for its interior design and Chinese porcellain stored there)

old palace with terrace garden

looking down the terraces

one of the pavilions flanking the old castle

In order to "conclude" this cycle I might have had to visit the Berlin cathedral (again), where most of the Hohenzollern are buried in the crypt underneath the building ... However, instead of more lingering in the past with the dead, I embraced the living and followed a renewed invitation at Emily's and Helge's house. We had a very delicious raclette dinner and an enjoyable conversation, but as with all things also that night came to an end at some point. So the other guest (and her lovely dog) and I, who had for the most part the same way home traveled together and almost made it back without any noteworthy hickup. But Berlin wouldn't be Berlin if we could just get away like that, right? So when we were only a few city light rail stops from our destination, we had to make another connection and wait for the next train to arrive. We didn't believe our ears when it was announced at the station that this train was delayed by 60 minutes! Just to make myself clear: it was in the middle of the night (past 2 am), it was freezing, and we were just told that we should wait for at least one hour, while this actually meant that maybe there wouldn't be any train at all for the rest of that night in our direction. Heavily displeased, my companion and I used a taxi cab to reach the next light rail station, as there was a small chance that another train would take me all the way to Potsdam - and she could walk. But no train for me at that station, so we decided to take a night bus. However, the night busses in Berlin run just once per hour, so we agreed to walk in the direction of the line to keep us warm, and hop on the bus on a later station. That finally worked, and thanks to the end of daylight savings which occurred just that night I got almost four hours of sleep ... You may wonder why I chose to stay the night in Potsdam, rather than somewhere much more central in Berlin (e.g., just remain at the hotel that Stefan had picked). Well, that's because of my geeky plan to spend at least one night in each of the capitals of the states of the Federal Republic of Germany. (Having checked Potsdam, the capital of Brandenburg, off my list, I got 9 down, 7 more to go.) It does sound like a stupid idea, but I would like to think that by following a motto of this kind, I will get to travel to many interesting locations and even to some that aren't in the spotlight like others. Either way, I did experience a story in Potsdam that I felt like sharing here, and so it is making sense at least to me to further pursue this plan. (Next up might be Wiesbaden, the capital of Hesse, a less prestigious destination, but described as beautiful by someone who is originally from the area. Wiesbaden is neighbored by Frankfurt, home of the largest airport in Germany, so whenever I will fly out of Frankfurt the next time, I will want to spend the night before in Wiesbaden!)

Despite the ordeal with the Berlin / Potsdam public transportation, I could sleep for a bit, and then I got my flight from Berlin to Stuttgart in time. In Stuttgart I was surprised that everything was covered in white. Berlin was apparently to warm for the snow, but southern Germany had had a decent share of it. Have a look yourself!

snow in Stuttgart!

And finally, another cycle was completed: against all odds I ran into a former girlfriend of mine who now lives in Berlin. She used to live in Saarbrücken, where I was born, and I am currently living in Baden-Württemberg, where she is from. About when I left Berlin, she moved there. I was pleased how well we are still getting along, after all these years!

Katja and I, a chance encounter in Berlin

Hohenzollern Castle

"Castles Made of Sand" (Jimi Hendrix, 1967)

Yesterday I visited another castle, one I have been looking forward to visit for quite a while. In a way it is a counterpoint to the Neuschwanstein Castle I visited earlier this year.(Or the other way round, as Hohenzollern was there much earlier.)

It is a wide-spread stereotype that Germans enjoy wearing their Lederhosen (which is often, in a poor attempt to mimic the pronunciation orthographically, rendered leider hosen - which translates to the nonsense expression, "pity pants"). However, the Lederhosen are highly abundant in southern Germany, and almost not present in the north. This reflects the cultural diversity of Germany, where regional identities are strong; so strong in fact that modern-day Germany is a federal republic that consists of (currently) 16 states with each a constitution, a government and a parliament; let alone the dialects and regional cuisines.

Historically, the greatest rivalry between German state entities was between Prussia and Bavaria. (Prussia has ceased to exist as a result of World War II.) Similar situations can be found perhaps in Italy (between Rome and Naples), and in the United States (beween the - former - Unionists and Confederates). Neuschwanstein Castle was the most obvious expression of Bavarian self-confidence, while the Hohenzollern castle is the seat of the family of which the last three monarchs (emperors) of Germany descended. Those three ruled over the German Empire (1871-1918), which was formed as a (late) reaction to Napoleon Bonaparte's conquest of Europe, and ended with the abdication of Wilhem II. subsequent to the German defeat in World War I. Simultaneously all nobility was turned into equal citizens (while their names continue to reflect the once noble heritage). Germany has been a republic ever since; unfortunately not consistently a democracy, but that is another story ...

The Hohenzollern family originates from southern Germany, where their castle was first built on a mountain in the Svabian Alb (not to be confused with the Alps, of which the Svabian Alb is actually an apophysis). Over the course of history the castle was destroyed and rebuilt twice, so what can be visited today is only the third castle at this site. The first records of Hohenzollern activity are as old as from the 11th century. The family then held the noble rank of a count. A count ranks below a duke (originally a military leader, from Latin ducere - to guide, to lead), and thus would receive some land as a fiefdom from his duke, who in turn would have received a bigger piece of land immediately through the monarch himself. In order to earn interestes and taxes he would pass it on to his subjects he outranked in nobility. - However, the Hohenzollern family later inherited parts of Franconia, and in 1192 AD their line biforked into a Svabian and a Franconian branch.

It was the latter who was destined to rise to power eventually. The Franconian branch would later become the Brandenburgian branch, by being awarded the title of margrave of Brandenburg. A margrave, as implied by the German translation (Markgraf), actually a Graf or count, but no longer a subject of a superior nobleman, other than the monarch himself. This is due to the nature of his fiefdom: a mark is a border territory, hence one that requires particular and most loyal protection; thus a margrave was regarded as a peer to the dukes. In further historic developments the realm ruled by the Brandenburgian Hohenzollern branch was exanded to include all of Prussia, and as a result one offspring of the family, namely Friedrich I., proclaimed himself king of Prussia in 1701. This marked the onset of Prussia's rise to the most influencial and powerful state in Germany. Ultimately, in 1871, the Prussian king became the German emperor, and only two more members of the Hohenzollern family were to be bestowed this title before monarchy was abolished in Germany in 1918.

At the same time Berlin, the capital of Prussia, experienced a similar boost, and this is how it became the predominant city of all of Germany. - Berlin is also the grave site of most later Hohenzollern offsprings - their tombs can be visited in the crypta of the Berlin Cathedral. While residing in Berlin I visited this place twice, which may add to the explanation why I should be interested in this part of history. Another reason, however, is my somewhat mixed heritage. The border between Bavaria and Prussia is passing by my "hometown" (where my parents live), St. Ingbert. Actually, it passes between St. Ingbert (Bavarian) and one of its incorporated villages, Rentrisch (Prussian). Now, my place of birth, Saarbrücken is located behind Rentrisch (as seen from St. Ingbert), and thus Prussian as well. Hence, I was born in Prussia, but raised on Bavarian soil. (Ironically, it is the other border, the one between France and Germany, that is also nearby, that has shaped my political views much more substantially, and although off-topic I would like to seize this opportunity and celebrate the Peace Nobel Prize for the EU for a moment.)

However, at the very basic level my visit of Hohenzollern was about getting nice photos, and I think that worked out well, as the castle is very beautiful. See below for my favorites!

Speaking about political powers - this is a view over Stuttgart, the state capital of Baden-Württemberg

many stairs to climb uphill before one can enter Hohenzollern Castle

finally, the main entrance (The top incsription reads, From Rock to Sea, a reference of the Hohenzollern realm stretching from the mountains of the Svabian Alb to the shores of the Baltic Sea)

inside view

The road is winding ...

... and winding ...

... and winding (*pant*) ...

... until the very peak. The sight there is as breathtaking as the ascent!

a church inside the castle

the main square in the castle

a zoom shot on the way out

back in the valley, after the sunset (apologizies for the blur - that's what you get at full 250 mm telezoom, without a tripod)

Fall Colors

In this post I don't have much to write about. As you may know from previous reading I am an avid photographer, and during this time of the year (October), nature is presenting itself in manifold colors. I have been inspired by the beauty of the colorful leaves for a while, and last night I finally found some time to grab my camera and get a few shots. I would like to kindly remind you that I am still at a beginner's level, but some of the pictures did come out quite nicely, didn't they? I hope you will enjoy my collection of Fall Colors ("The Hunt for Red October", a movie enthusiast might add)!

US Vacation 2012

"Hit the Road Jack" (Percy Mayfield, 1960)

Due to my emotional affiliation with the United States of America I realized it has been too long since I visited this country the last time, so I saved most of my days of leave in 2012 for this trip (and also all of my tax refund this year). For sure I was obliged to visit Chicago again, which I will always be from now on when ever I spend time in the US. But since I didn't travel as much during my postdoctoral stay as I wanted (then again, who would have?), I organized this trip such that I could see a significant portion of the land I haven't seen before. That notwithstanding, the trip started with an "old acquaintance": New York City. It took me much longer than anticipated to set foot on the ground of The Big Apple for the first time, but now I feel I have seen many of this city's major sights, and with every return I should now more focus on the more than abundant entertainment that is offered at any time in NYC. But let's do things chronologically ...

The trip actually started highly unspectacularly, with me simply walking out of the door of my apartment, dragging behind me one small and one large suitcase. - You may argue that this is how any trip should start, but given the extent of individual stops it is still a bit funny to me ... maybe it is just a manifestation of the Chinese saying that even a journey of a thousand miles will always begin with the first step. - The first step then took me to the train station of Oberkochen, from where I travelled via Aalen to Stuttgart. In Stuttgart I had booked one night at a nice hotel, in order to be there early in the morning, as my flight took off to New York City (formerly New Amsterdam) ... via (old) Amsterdam at 9:50 am. So I was leaving behind Stuttgart, while my vacation continued.

The check-in did not lead to any noteworthy events, and the first leg of this flight was pleasant, so I could enjoy my lunch at Amsterdam Schiphol. The second leg was not particularly unpleasant, but I wasn't exactly very fond either of being crammed into a narrow seat within a group of three, of which there are three in every row. Still, everything went according to plan during the second leg, and so we safely touched down on JFK in the afternoon of this long day (the East Coast is six hours behind central Europe). After claiming my bags I experienced the Greater New York mass transit system. Of course everyone knows that there is the subway, but two of the five Boroughs (namely Brooklyn and Queens) are located on an island by the name of Long Island, which in turn also accomodates two more counties of the state of New York that are not part of the City of New York proper. Those two counties can be reached by the Long Island Rail Road, or LIRR, which has one station ("Jamaica") in proximity to the JFK airport. However, in order to enter the LIRR station while exiting JFK, one must first pay for riding the AirTrain JFK, a people mover at the airport. That's when I first got in touch again with American currency (I even had to go back to the terminal at which I had arrived in order to exchange my Euros), so I paid for the AirTrain and was free to ride the LIRR. The latter wouldn't arrive until 20 min later, so I had ample time to buy my LIRR ticket. Unlike the subway, LIRR is paid by distance traveled, but a single fare from Jamaica to Atlantic Terminal (near my stay for the night) was still no more than $6.50. In addition to the actual subway ride from Atlantic Terminal to Union Street (using the Brooklyn bound R train for as much as one stop) I paid $13.75 for traveling from the airport gate to the doorstep of my motel ($5.00 for AirTrain, $6.50 for LIRR, and $2.25 for the Subway). That is much cheaper than the $40 - $50 I paid for a taxi ride in the opposite direction in 2010, but man those turnstiles in the subway are narrow! Not ideally suited for the long distance traveler with significant baggagge! - Oh well, but once I had checked in at my favorite establishment in New York, the Super 8 Motel in Brooklyn everything faded behind the experience of having returned to one of my preferred spots on Earth! Despite being very tired I went to the southern tip of the Manhattan island to take the free-of-charge ferry to Staten Island; not because I would be such a great fan of Staten Island, but because the ferry passes very close by the Statue of Liberty, and with the proper gear that's how you get the best photos! Check out below! (I also intended to visit the observatory on top of the Empire State Building the same night, but due to a lack of both battery power and sleep this had to wait until my return at the end of this journey.) - By the way, you may have noted that I visited four of the five Boroughs all on the same day, within a few hours. The fifth, however (The Bronx), I didn't set a foot on at all throughout this trip - but I did marvel extensively at the paraphernalia and merchandise of one of its most successful franchises, the New York Yankees.

Statue of Liberty, photographed from Staten Island ferry (using full zoom of a 55-250 mm lens)

So I went back to the motel for a good-night sleep. However, check-out was not until 11 am, and that would be sufficient to reach my flight (from LaGuardia). Hence, I got up a little early, went to the Brooklyn end of the Brooklyn Bridge, and walked across the bridge to Manhattan. In short, this was just another great photo opportunity, as you may see for yourself below.

the new "1 World Trade Center", scheduled for opening in 2014

Empire State Building, as seen from Brooklyn Bridge

Star Spangled Banner, and the sun

This view is iconic!

Luckily I got back just in time for the check-out, so I grabbed my things amd was headed for LaGuardia, from where I was flying to Chicago O'Hare. The train ride was convenient, as I had no connections to make, except for a bus that goes from the R train to the airport. (No, LaGuardia doesn't have an AirTrain, as it is a predominantly domestic airport, and hence smaller in capacity.) The bus ride (using line Q33, where Q stands for Queens) was a bumpy one (but was passing through an interesting area that I would like to visit more extensively the next time around); yet despite getting off one stop too early I was excited to go up in the air again. - Unfortunately, this turned out to be the least enjoyable flight experience of the entire vacation. Checking in was already some inconvenience, as the self-service kiosk wasn't even recognizeable as such, then checking in a bag (other than carry-on) costs an extra $25, for which my credit card wouldn't work (I later realized that there must be a hickup between the name given to the airline and the name stored on the card - darn middle names!), and the lines in front of the machine booths were just all messed up. Besides, I assume self-service check-in is supposed to cut down on human resource costs, but there were more airline staff around to assist with the machines than a regular check-in would have required ... But of course all of the above wouldn't make me complain, as between the check-in and the passing of the security checkpoint I had a decent slice of pizza, which significantly improved my mood. So eventually I passed security and went to the waiting area at the gate. Now, for some reason (probably because I booked my ticked through a third party travel agent) I was among the last people to be called to board the plane to Chicago. When I was finally good to go, a lady of the ground staff of the airline I shall not mention at this point (but the name is similar to the subway station near my favorite motel in Brooklyn) tried to take away my carry-on bag from me. At first I was so surprised I was playing along, but when she literally but a banderole with my credentials around the handle of my bag and tried to snatch it from me I refused. She didn't even bother to explain to me why I would have to relinquish my bag, but when I asked, I was told that there wasn't enough overhead space left for my bag. Picture this: there is a maximum size of carry-on everyone is allowed, and the maximum number of passengers is determined by the number of seats in the plane. Multiply the two, and you get the space you need for all the carry-on you could ever expect to amount on one flight. It scares me a bit that they couldn't do a simple multiplication, given that the physics of flying requires much more complex mathematical handstands ... Apart from that there was a reason I didn't want to check in this bag: it contained my laptop and my photo gear, worth a combined $3500+ (by a conservative estimate). The trouble is, if you insist too much on your rights as a passenger, there is a risk they simply won't let you on the plane. So I took out the computer and the photo bag and relinquished the suitcase. In the future I will try to avoid using this airline whenever it is possible. Either way, I was leaving behind New York City, but my vacation continued.

... The actual flight to Chicago was none to complain about, and after claiming all of my bags (yes, none got misplaced) I was looking for my friend Homa who had promised to pick me up. And guess what, there she was, right on time! It was quite enjoyable to see her again, and within a few minutes her husband Alireza, too! Since I was a bit hungry (and so were my two friends), we decided to try a place called Kuma's Corner, were great homemade American burgers are served (and loud heavy metal music is played). After that Alireza steered his car to Oak Park, where I would stay for the next week, with my friends Jenn and James. In short, it was another overwhelming welcoming by two true friends! I am still touched by their hospitality and friendliness. The entirety of things we did together might be even a bit beyond the scope of this text, but below you will find the highlights captured in photographs: the party for my 36th birthday (at Gino's East deep dish pizza place), and a visit to the Chicago Conservatory. (Not captured, unfortunately, is the Sunday BBQ party at James' grandmother's house, where a lot of people showed up, which was still only a minor fraction of his full family.)

my 36th birthday, at Gino's East ... with Homa, Zhu, Jenn, James ...

... and Alireza

entrance to the Chicago Conservatory

James is a photographer, too!

interesting leaves

beautiful flower

more interesting leaves

leaves, part #3

macro shot

fruits

watered giant leaf

fish in a pond (I didn't quite manage to focus on the fish, rather than the surface of the water.)

The variety of nature is manifold!

camouflage leaves?

Ready for the bees!

beautiful yellow flowers

another wet leaf

pretty in pink

also pretty

much detailedness

much detailedness, again

another giant leaf

A grasshopper!

So I was leaving Jenn and James after one week, but my vacation continued. Up next was a good time with Homa and Alireza. The two were just moving to their new home (which features a fantastic view on Lake Michigan!), and they were gracious enough to let me stay there despite the unfinished tidying up. Since I was still staying in Chicago, I would go on with my own exploration of the Windy City, in addition with joint excursions with my Persian friends! For instance, we had Persian food as part of an invitation by another Persian friend of Homa and Alireza (they have many friends, I can tell you that), and once again as a reward for Homa's successful participation on a running competition (which I slept through, shame on me!). I also managed to have a very pleasant lunch reunion with some former UIC colleagues, as shown below. Furthermore, I had a dinner night with my good friend Martha (which I am eternally glad that it happened despite my frantically running around and looking for the restaurant ...), and I also had the perfect good bye by having dinner with the current line-up of the Trenary group, where I used to be employed for 22 months. (I am also very glad my good friend Carolina could attend the good bye dinner, which was the sole and an all-too-short occasion to see her this time around.)

incredibly beautiful sunrise, as seen from Homa's and Alireza's new apartment

Lunch with UIC friends in Greektown, Chicago (Slobodan, Martha, Shabnam) ...

... all of which will graduate within months of the day this photo was taken. My best wishes with you!
(That actually means, next time we meet, none of you will be there ...)

 After another week I was leaving Homa and Alireza, but my vacation continued. From there I would do a road trip with a rental car (with a GPS for sure!), which was to lead me through a variety of US states, on to Atlanta, GA, where my friends Heather and Jon reside. Guess what, those two also just moved into their new house, the day I was scheduled to arrive. It seems I have a talent for that ...

However, first things first: from Chicago I was driving to Indianapolis, IN, where I had planned to have my first lunch "out of town"; i.e., outside of Chicago. Turns out, due to it being September 11 that day, the diner I had chosen for my mid-day meal was closed until the next day. Thus, I had to resort to some sandwiches, cheese sticks, and a soft drink. (In fact, I have come to appreciate this combination as a postdoc.) Then, after a slightly disappointing first stop, I went on to drive to Cincinnati, OH, for the first stay at a motel. At first the GPS took me a little too far, so it first seemed as if there was no motel at all, which had me concerned for a moment. But then I discovered that it was located even closer to the highway than I thought (see photo below). That came handy, as I was in for a little entertainment, which in my case most often means: seeing a movie. (Remember, in the US they show the movies in English ...) So I hopped on my car again and drove another 20 min, even across the state border, to Newport, KY, where the local area to go out is found. One has to cross the Ohio river, and from Newport the view on the Cincinnati skyline is breathtaking! Believe it or not, despite driving all day long and having attended the late show starting at 10 pm, I drove back to the motel and returned to Newport with my camera, just to take a few photos! So I got to bed past midnight, but staying at the motel was pleasant, so the next morning I was ready for more traveling.I decided to drive to Louisville, KY, for my lunch break, which presented itself as a good choice for photos. There is a great view across the Ohio river, a nice little park downtown, a good opportunity to watch landing airplanes, and the worldwide heatquarters of Kentucky Fried Chicken. From Louisville I was driving further south, to Elizabethtown, KY, for which a 2005 movie with Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst is named. There is a movie theater in Elizabethtown, and by the time I got there they were advertising a new show of ... Back to the Future! How's that for a pop cultural reference? But that's not all Kentucky has to offer. It is also home of Fort Knox, one of the gold depositories of the United States (with the intend to back up the value of all paper money in circulation by having an equivalent of gold in storage - hence the term "gold standard"). I would have loved to take a photo of this facility, and I had even parked my car near the entrance to photograph at least a sign with the name "Fort Knox" on it - unfortunately the sign, upon closer inspection, essentially said "no parking and no photographing here"! So I had to turn back and find another solution. Luckily there is a cemetary for the Kentucky veterans nearby, which is an interesting sight in itself, and also a good place to take a shot of the highway sign that is nearest to the entrance of Fort Knox. (I hope that is okay with the US authorities - my photo doesn't reveal any sensitive information!) After this excursion I headed toward my final destination that day: Nashville, TN. There I was staying near the airport, and again I watched a movie: at the Opry mall, which is impressively large! Unfortunately the WiFi internet connection was unreliable at the Nashville hotel, but that was compensated by the funny remarks of the receptionist when I said I was "checking out". He was also the one who told me "Hit the road, Jack!" - The third and last day of my road trip consisted of more driving than ever, which honestly began to grow a little old. Nevertheless I made it on time through Alabama (after taking a photo of the center of Birmingham, AL) to Kennesaw, GA, where my friend Heather is now an assistant professor of physical chemistry at Kennesaw State. In Kennesaw I had to return my rental car, becoming a pedestrian again (i.e., being chauffeured by Heather and Jon on occasion). And this is how my road trip ended, but my vacation continued.

my rental car for the duration of the road trip (Toyota RAV4)

downtown Indianapolis, IN

the diner I would have liked to try - and the gas station I had to resort to instead for food and beverage

the motel I stayed at the first night, in Cincinnati, OH

view from the motel's parking lot to the highway (very convenient access and exit!)

skyline of Cincinnati, OH, as seen from Newport, KY, across the Ohio river

my cozy bedroom in Cincinnati, OH

Xavier University (!) in Cincinnati, OH

KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, KY

looking over the Ohio river in Louisville, KY

Planes land at least every 10 min in Louisville, KY.

"Back to the Future" is shown at the State Theater in Elizabethtown, KY.

Fort Knox itself must not be photographed ...

... but the Kentucky Veterans' Cemetary is just as worthy a sight!

my bedroom in Nashville, TN

"In Birmingham they love the gov'nor / Boo! Boo! Boo!"

Prof. Heather in her lab at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, GA

Prof. Heather Abbott and Prof. Jon Lyon, in front of their new house in Atlanta, GA!

memorable sundown in Atlanta, GA

Since I had arrived in Kennesaw in the late afternoon, it wasn't until nightfall that we arrived at Heather's and Jon's new house in Atlanta, GA. (I had previously stayed with them in Decatur, GA, which is a suburb of Atlanta, and I missed out on the home they had in between.) So there wasn't much time to prepare dinner, which is why we decided to eat out, at Ted's Montana Grill, a restaurant chain owned by CNN founder Ted Turner, dedicated to the preservation of the American bison. (If you are confused how the bison is preserved by eating it, well, so am I a little, but fact is that in order to run an entire restaurant chain on the bison theme, you have to farm the animal on a sufficiently large scale, which preserves it from extinction.) The next day Heather and Jon couldn't spend too much time with me, as they both had to work. Thus Jon gave me a ride to downtown Atlanta, to the area where the memory of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is celebrated. There is, among many other things, a memorial that provides video information of the life of MLK, and how he inspired people to fight seggregation until it was finally abolished. Some of the clips left me standing with my mouth open, and I was feeling a bit uneasy considering how well I was treated as one of the two only whites (the other one being Jenn, James' wife) at James' grandmother's garden BBQ ... Although the religious dimension of MLK's preaching is somewhat lost on me, I feel that his message of loving your next man (woman included) is a very powerful one. I purchased the biography and a CD collection of all his speeches, not least because he was also a very gifted orator. From there I went to the Underground Atlanta shopping mall by MARTA, the Atlanta mass transit implemented for the 1996 Olympics held in Atlanta, and then onward to another station where Heather and Jon picked me up later. Together we went grocery shoppping at a local indoor farmer's market. You can tell that Georgia is near two seas (the Atlantic ocean, and the gulf of Mexico) - I think this was the first time in my life I saw live lobster. But the Lyons purchased other delicous treats, such as sweet potatoes, couscous, asparagus, and wine. Later we would also stop by the Beer Growler, where you can buy your favorite beer by the gallon (after an extensive tryout of minute samples). At night we watched one of Heather's favorite movies, A River Runs Through It. - Saturday I was on my own once more, as Prof. Heather had to prepare her classes; i.e., grade two quizzes and prepare one more. So I decided to visit the Atlanta zoo, which deemed me a good playground for my camera ... you will find some of the photos below, but I wish I had mounted the tele 55-250 mm lens rather than the standard 18-55 mm lens. At night we went out for the East Atlanta Strut festival, which we pranced through, rocking to the tunes of the Georgia Soul Council delivered live! - Eventually Sunday was up, which means at least one session of church when you are with the Lyons. Heather is very dedicated and attended both her own mass and Jon's service, but us boys took it a little slower and only went once, and not so early. We were still rewarded by having a baptism as part of the regular service; something that inevitably reminds me of my own godchild! After church, Heather endulged in her other spiritual experience: soccer! I took the liberty to snap a few shots of the ladies' furious 3-1 victory over a worthy opponent, who might have won if their star player just knew how to stay cool with the ref ... (yes, photos are below). We then had a great dinner: raclette, where many of the farmer's market items got used. And to settle the night we were doing movies again - first Haber, a 30 min reenacted documentary on Fritz Haber, the founder of the institute where all three of us had worked and also met for the first time. (Prof. Haber first won the Nobel prize in Chemistry, for the successful catalytic activation of nitrogen and transformation into ammonia, which then facilitated mass production of fertilizers, a critical blow to world famine. Yet later he collaborated with the German military, so as to become the first person to develop chemical warfare.) After that we enjoyed another movie, Just Cause, with Sean Connery and Lawrence Fishburne. The latter wasn't the most convincing movie I have ever seen, but there were a few suprising plot twists I didn't see coming at all! - On Monday morning, sadly, I had to leave Atlanta, but still my vacation zombied on. After a quick goodbye with Heather, who has a significant commute every day, Jon took me to the airport, as it is at least somewhat compatible with his own commute to work. Off I was, back to LaGuardia airport, and from there back to my favorite Brooklyn motel.

dinner at Ted's Montana Grill (in Decatur, GA), for a late celebration of my birthday (again)

I chose to have one of their signature bison burgers.

Fermi the Cat is the feline inhabitant of Heather's and Jon's house. (It is just a rumor that the Fermi edge is named for him ...)

eternal flame commemorating Dr. King

a church on the MLK memorial compound

colorful wall on the MLK memorial compound

Mr. Ghandi and his teachings of non-violent resistance were a major influence to Dr. King.

flamengos at Atlanta zoo

some shy monkey species

mama and baby panda (baby is now almost as big as mama)

Hello gorgeous!

Yes, my deer?

funny car, covered in bottle caps, seen at the Strut

Oh, right, we're in the south!

Georgia Soul Council performing at the Strut

The soccer match is on! Go blue!

 

Go catch that ball!

 

You wouldn't believe it from her manners, but Heather is quite the defender!

You really can't ask for more commitment!

That one goes a little wide, but still a nice forward effort by the team as a whole.

Aaaand ... that's the winning goal! Blue defeats white by 3-1! Good job!

professional scientist and enthusiast soccer player Heather showing off yet another talent of hers: raclette, yum yum yum! (Note the beer from the Growler, and the sweet potatoes that are there upon my request.)

After the touchdown I claimed my bag for the last tme before finally exiting the United States during this trip. I was going to do the reverse bus ride from LaGuardia to the R subway train, but it turns out $2.25 for the fare on the Metro card are required. Unfortunately, no facility was anywhere near to add this money on my then blank Metro card, and the bus driver would not accept cash. Fortunately being on time beats payment morale in New York City, so I was allowed to ride the bus for free, as a courtesy, of course! I then added some money on the card, and once again checked in at the Super 8 Motel in Brooklyn, my last "home base away from home" before I had to return to Germany. You might think that three nights are a solid deal for spending some time in New York City, but actually I arrived on Monday afternoon, and had to leave on Thursday morning, so in fact there were just two full days. Since I had done much of the mainstream sightseeing during my first visit in 2012 I decided to take it easy this time and be a bit more of a tourist. As far as that is concerned, there was a souvenir I had been meaning to buy ever since I left the city for the first time. During that first visit I was strolling around Lower Manhattan, exploring Little Italy and Chinatown. After walking for some time I came across a clothes store that was selling leather jackets, among other things. I found one that I really liked, but the prize was around $450, so I eventually decided against it. (Unfortunately I didn't remember the exact location of the store.) Back in Germany, winter came along, and I was thinking that having that leather jacket from NYC wouldn't be such a bad idea after all. So I bought another leather jacket, from the recently opened C&A store in my hometown, which is usually a good deal, but not super high quality either. Still longing for that cool jacket, I told myself that many people around the world would go to New York and buy a a jacket, but hardly anyone would come to my hometown and buy a jacket there, if they aren't a local. - Even while telling that to myself, I realized how pathetic a self-deception this was, so I decided I should buy a leather jacket the next time I am in New York, and have some time to walk around Lower Manhattan again. Now, this was the time. I was having a few nights in the city, and I had nothing else lined up really, except for more movie shows, but they wouldn't occupy entire days, right? Thus I set out from Brooklyn, planning to get off around Little Italy / Chinatown, which corresponds to the Prince St stop of the R subway line. However, following an impulse, I spontaneously decided to exit the train one stop earlier, on Canal St. When I reached the surface I decided to turn right, and all of a sudden I realized I was standing right in front of the store where I had found that first leather jacket. Quite excited I went inside (the store is called OMG), and guess what - whithin a few minutes I found a jacket I loved at first sight, and it was even on a ridiculous sale ($160), so I bought it right away! Other than that, I bought a hat of the Los Angeles Raiders, a no longer operational NFL franchise, of which I used to have a jacket as a teen. Does it get any better than this? Well, I might have dined at B.B. King's barbecue near Times Square, but I found the menu a little overprized. Alright, it's New York, and it's where it is the flashiest and most touristy, but I still preferred to eat next door, at Dallas BBQ. - On Wednesday, my last full day I decided to let my camera loose and try to get as many pictures as possible. So I wandered from my motel (located at one end of a neighborhood called Park Slope) to the Brooklyn Prospect Park, where the Brooklyn public library and other eye-pleasing items are installed (see below in the picture gallery). From there I went to the Financial District in Manhattan, then up Broadway toward the World Trade Center construction site, and from there I took a train to Times Square. The latter is on 42nd Street, just like Grand Central Terminal and the Chysler Building, so by walking east from Time Square you get to see both together. (The Empire State Building, named for the Empire State, the official nickname of the state of New York, is not far to the south from there.) Interestingly, there is a shuttle commuting along 42nd Street between Grand Central Terminal and Times Square, with an official travel time of one minute. (I didn't remember that from my previous visits.) And now, the prime thing to do was finally on: going on top of the Empire State Building at night, and get some awesome photos! It's the glorious finale of this vacation. After returning to my motel, only one more bedtime separated me from going home, and detaching myself from my almost perennial tourist status ...

sweet treats in Park Slope, Brooklyn

brownstone houses in Park Slope, Brooklyn

Brooklyn Prospect Park

Brooklyn public library

Bailey Fountain, representing Greek mythology

sculpture of JFK, with Bailey Fountain in the background

NYSE - New York Stock Exchange

Wall Street

George Washington was inaugurated right on this spot

Bowling Green Bull

Broadway Walk of Fame begins here

World Trade Center in 2012 - two years before reopening

sunset creating a special light right across the street from WTC

Times Square

Times Square is a transportation hub.

Empire State Building, seen from 42nd Street

Grand Central Terminal and Chrysler Building on 42nd Street

The "King of the Blues" has his own eatery here. I love his music, but I found the food a little overprized.

Instead, I had dinner next door, at Dallas BBQ. Attached to it is a hotel / movie theater, where I saw two shows (and had lime coke).

Empire State Building from its base

yellow cabs, an iconic sight

a short caption of what many tourists think

atop the Empire State Building

Chrysler Building

Time Square

closer look on Times Square

Lower Manhattan, with the new World Trade Center, and the Brooklyn Bridge

World Trade Center, Hudson River, and a bit of New Jersey

looking south from the ESB

southern tip of the Manhattan island

Broadway

another shot facing south

nice scenery right next to the ESB

5th Avenue and Broadway intersecting near the Empire State Building

5th Avenue, a vein of light

Eventually, at 11 am the next morning (Thursday) I checked out and took the subway and LIRR (and the AirTrain) back to JFK airport. By now I was already a bit more experienced with roaming through the subway tunnels with all of my baggage, so as soon as 1 pm I was ready to pass security and kill A LOT of time until boarding time at around 8 pm ... If my carry-on baggage had been a simple backpack, I might even have considered paying Manhattan or perhaps Flushing Meadows another visit, but I didn't want to drag my suitcase all over New York, just after bringing it to the airport without incident. (Remember, my carry-on contains my laptop, and all of my photo gear.) So I did make the time pass by eating, wandering around all of the terminal (twice), and reading some of the magazines on the upcoming US presidential election I had bought. Eventually it was time to board, and all of a sudden the flight had been moved to another gate. That was only the first sign of trouble, because the departure was then delayed by as much as two hours. (At this point I remembered that my previous departure from JFK in 2010 was delayed, too.) We eventually took off, and made it to Paris safely. However, due to the delay I had little chance to explore the amenities of Charles de Gaulle airport, as I originally intended. (In fact, I paid about 100 Euros extra to have a layover in Paris instead of Amsterdam again, just to practice my French a little bit. How ironic!) On top of that, the immigration line was insanely long, so at the end I barely made it my connection flight to Stuttgart, because arriving at terminal 2E and departing from terminal 2D doesn't mean you simply walk next door, but all across the airport (as it seemed like), and of course you have to go through the security check once again, and this time even take your camera and lenses out of the bag, not just the laptop ... wow, what a mess! But even this adventure had a happy ending, as I made it aboard on time - and I could speak French with the flight attendant! Yay! - In Stuttgart I claimed my bag (surprisingly it never got lost despite having been on six different planes in four weeks), and after a quick encounter with the German customs I took a series of trains from Stuttgart airport to Oberkochen. The last mile or so I had to walk, and at 5 pm local time on Friday, about 24 hours after leaving the motel in Brooklyn I stepped into my own apartment again. And this is how eventually my vacation was over for good.

Once again, I would like to thank my generous hosts: Jenn and James, Homa and Alireza, Heather and Jon. Alex the Guest Guy will always fondly and graciously remember your kindness! I hope one day I will get the chance to return the favor!

Thank you, Jenn and James!
Thank you, Homa and Alireza!
Thank you, Heather and Jon!