Baptism of Jayson Tinzoh

A week ago I had an encounter with the past. Well, most often when people deal with their past, they have to overcome some issue, or perhaps finish an unfinished battle. However, in my case it was nothing like this! Instead, I was having the great pleasure of reuniting with an old friend. I am talking about my friend Laura, born in Cameroon, now residing in the beautiful city of Cologne. We met for the first time in college, where I was a student of Chemistry, and Laura a student of Food Chemistry. (Basically that means I am dealing with the nano stuff, and she is dealing with the bio stuff.) At first we would only say hi to one another, but through being rather randomly paired to collaborate on an experiment we got to know one another a bit better, and eventually became good friends.

In the beginning I was quite excited about having a friend from so far away, and I still believe that whatever Cameroonian Laura has to share will certainly broaden my horizons. But over time the thing I like the best about her is how enthusiastic she gets whenever we meet. Yes, indeed Laura is a joyful spirit, and I like being infected by that!

The reason why I got to see her again this time was a pleasant one in its own right - Laura's third child, Jayson, was to be baptized in the beautiful church of St. Ursula, just a few footsteps away from the mighty Cologne Cathedral. I really enjoyed the occasion, and I was particularly fond of how everyone seemed to like my photography. All in all perfect pieces came together to a perfect day!

In fact it started out with me renting a car for the trip. I am occasionally feeling a little inferior on the Autobahn when I am in my own car, which is quite small and doesn't have a strong motor. Turns out renting a car from Friday night to Monday night (3 days total) from the station within sight from my current home is actually quite affordable. So I went for a category called "upper middle class", which typically contains the BMW 3er series, the Audi A4, and the Mercedes C class. Originally hoping for the beamer (in my eyes the best combination of prestige and sportiness), I obtained a Mercedes GLK, which belongs to their SUV line. I didn't specifically ask for an automatic gear shifting, but this one was having it anyways; and I am considering it a good practice for future road trips. (Stay tuned!) - Below is a picture of the rental car parked at my home. (Be sure to notice the distortion created by my new wide-angle lens!)

rental car, what a ride!

After packing my baggage I hopped on the car on Friday night and (after checking back with my mom) drove to my parents' home, where I arrived around midnight. I stayed the night (because most likely I won't see my parents and my grandmother until Christmas), and the next morning I continued my way to Cologne; yet not without stopping by my godson's house, in order to hand over a present for his upcoming birthday.

Then I was on my way to Cologne, where I arrived unfortunately only in the early evening rather than around lunch time, as originally planned. (Lesson learned: family visits always take longer than scheduled.) So I only had time to sneak a peak around and inside the Cologne Cathedral, and to enjoy a local dinner. After that it was getting late, and I was too tired to turn the night into day anyways ...

Cologne Cathedral, with the central train station to the left

inside Cologne Cathedral

The next morning I was preparing for the baptism; i.e., showering and getting dressed in my suit I once got from Macy's in Chicago for a scientific conference. (The photo below was taken at the party after church.)

Even the roly poly can be posh!

After walking just a few steps I arrived at St. Ursula, which would count as a big church in most towns, just not right next to the Cologne Cathedral. Still, it is a very beautiful building, and certainly, as a historical site, worthy of a baptism. The latter was part of the regular Sunday mass, and was performed in English for the mostly international members of the congregation. My memories of the event are quite fond.

parents and godparents gathered for the baptism

Then afterward we went on to celebrate in the parish. Bringing my camera along was apparently a good idea, as it won my some new friends among the children present at the party, and it got me appointed as Laura's personal photographer ... Check out a few shots below.

outside St. Ursula, after mass

kids having fun (the two in the matching robes are Jayson's older siblings)

Laura and I

the party crowd

kids rounded up for the cake

Laura & friends

Laura and her goddaughter

Laura and her mother, and a colleague from work

This young man holding baptism boy Jayson was also quite interested in photography.

me demonstrating I'm daddy material, with Laura's third child

On the way home to Oberkochen I stopped by my friend Nina, whom I haven't seen since her birthday in 2011. Her son has grown so much since then - and a little sister is underway! Naturally I also spent more time with Nina than I intended, so all of a sudden I was running late for returning my rental car. And I did arrive some 20 min late, but apparently the company is fair dealing with it and not charging me extra.

All in all I will be eternally grateful for the joy Laura is revealing whenever we meet. I am not sure I deserve that (but I won't reject it either). Be that as it may, it is a pleasure that the entire Tinzoh family seems to be very much alive and kicking. Good stuff!

Weimar

Perhaps the attendance of the performance of the Aalen Chamber Choir has inspired me to follow up on more cultural ventures. Also, I am still pursuing my goal of staying over night in each of the capitals of the federal states of Germany. Therefore, it made sense (to me, that is ...) to spend a night in Erfurt, the capital of the state of Thuringia, and visit the nearby town of Weimar, which is a symbol of the classical history of Germany. Fortunately, at work I have a native Thuringian colleague, who is currently commuting home about every weekend. Thus I had a ride for the first half of the journey, which all in all was actually just a weekend getaway: going to Erfurt on Friday night, visiting Weimar all Saturday long, returning to Oberkochen on Sunday.

To be fair, it appears that Erfurt is a worthy destination in its own right. Historical events more recent than the classical epoch took place near the train station, when Willy Brandt, the then-chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (i.e., western Germany), was paying an official visit to the German Democratic Republic (i.e., eastern Germany), and was staying in a hotel in Erfurt. Soon enough, a crowd of locals was gathering in front of the building, chanting "Willy Brandt ans Fenster", or "Willy Brandt to the window". It is reported that Mr. Brandt did show himself to the crowd on the window for a short time. Commemorating the event, the words of the parole were installed on the roof of the now defunct hotel as illuminated letters.

former hotel, just across the square at the main station

You could say that this alone would have justified my plan of staying in Erfurt for a night. But it was Weimar I had actually come for, and so on Saturday I took the 15 min train ride and strolled around town for most of the day.

In order to understand the significance of Weimar for German history, it is pivotal to know that it was the home (of choice) of the two greatest poets Germany has ever brought forth: Johann Wolfgang Goethe and Friedrich Schiller. Also, it later gave the name to the first republic that bore the name of Germany: the Weimar Republic. The latter was established after Germany was defeated in World War I, and the German Emperor had been forced to abdicate; yet unfortunately it did not provide a haven of stability, but was always on the brink of civil war between the right-wing nationalists / monarchists and the left-wing communists / socialists. A number of political murders was committed, and several times a coup was attempted; and eventually the National Socialists (who were socialists by name only and actually sworn enemies of the latter) rose to power and introduced the darkest chapter in the history of this country. - Yet the city of Weimar is not to blame for this, as it was only a provisional home for the government at the time, which shortly after returned to the "natural" capital of Berlin.

communist Ernst Thälmann, murdered in a National Socialist concentration camp

While Weimar did lend its name to the first, ultimately unsuccessful, attempt to establish a democracy on German soil, its association with contributions to culture is free of stains. Besides the residency of two literary giants within its limits, Weimar is also the geographical source of the architectural style of Bauhaus. It is also the home of the famous Duchess Anna Amalia Library, where countless books, maps, musical pieces and other documents are stored in the original.

After my arrival I decided to just walk around and obtain as many photos as possible, as I knew beforehand that I couldn't possibly do all the interesting things in a single day. It turned out that the most intering sights (the residences of Goethe and Schiller, and the Bauhaus university) were all located on the far side of town, so I was required to walk a bit before finally getting there. On my way I came across a few sites I found worthwile to photograph, but in particular I was forced to enter a shopping mall (yeah, imagine that - shopping while on a cultural journey; that's quite like hopping over to the Mall of America right after having been to the US Library of Congress), because rain was splashing down. Since I was also in a general need of a new pair of shoes, I decided to buy a new outfit for my feet. Considering the noticeable increase in comfort, it was a wise decision ... See below for a photo of my new gear.

These boots were made for walking ... and walk all across Weimar I did.

Such equipped with footwear, I walked on towards the more central area, where I discovered two old churches. Even further I saw signs leading to the castle, which itself is standing next to the city park. This park is crossed by the river Ilm, which renders the whole scenery very picturesque! The local ducks were a special occasion to test my new tele lens on wildlife (or so).

church St. Jacob (surrounded by a cemetary where several famous artists and also Goethe's wife are buried)

city church St. Peter and Paul ("Herder church")

city palace

river Ilm crossing Weimar city park

a duck living on the Ilm

The famous Duchess Anna Amalia Library is located in the Ilm park, too. From there one takes a few steps toward the Bauhaus university, and then starts coming back toward the train station in order to pass through the pedestrian zone in the city center. There you find the former homes of Schiller and Goethe, just a few hundred meters apart.

Duchess Anna Amalia Library

Bauhaus university

Schiller house

Goethe house

From the Goethe house I was walking back to the train station, as I was getting tired. Still, I had the chance of photographing the National Theater (with a statue of Schiller and Goethe in front of it) and the Bauhaus museum, both located at the same square.

National Theater, with Schiller and Goethe statues in front

Bauhaus musem

With rain pouring down I was happy to conclude my tour back at the train station.

Weimar train station

"Raumauge" (Performance of Aalen Chamber Choir)

program flyer with poster artwork on the title

The last posting was about "shooting the moon", and today I would like to report on my attendance of an outstanding cultural performance. A colleague of mine, who incidentally started her new job on the very same day as I did, is an avid vocal performer, and so she has joined the local Aalen Chamber Choir. The latter is quite special in that the members assemble only about once per month (usually on a Saturday) for a full day of practice, and they give concerts only twice a year (but then usually the same show several times in a row). So it is a rather rare pleasure to experience this choir, but a pleasure it is indeed!

The show I attended took place in an old smitty in Wasseralfingen, an incorporated part of Aalen. This industrial setting was an excellent choice and a good match for the rather modern than classical program. The Aalen Chamber Choir was supported by the choir of a local school, by special music classes of that school, and by a percussion ensemble. The show was more than two hours in total, and it was totally worth the money! The school choir was the opening act, and within just a few moments it was obvious why they had received even international invitations. The other performers also convinced me of their superior skills, as most of the pieces were quite demanding technically. By the way, the central piece, "Raumauge", represents the monologue of Prometheus while he is shackled to a rock and his liver is being eaten by an eagle. It involves more screaming than singing, which nevertheless was delivered impressively! But my secret favorite were the two Mexican songs, one about waiting and longing for the rain to come, and the second about its actual arrival. Beautiful!

Below are a few pictures to give you an overall impression of that night.

the school choir

Aalen Chamber Choir performing rain songs

Aalen Chamber Choir performing "Raumauge" spectacularly

old smitty location from outside

old smitty from inside

Shooting the Moon

I feel I am falling behind a little with keeping track of all my recent endeavors. While I complained a wee bit about living "in the goonies" due to my job situation, several things have fallen into place in my life as it is right now. My employment returns fair remuneration, enabling me to pursue a passtime that has intrigued me for ages: photography at amateur level. For the first time I feel adequately funded to purchase the equipment neccessary to take "stunning" shots. - I am well aware that most of the stunning comes from the person behind the lens, but without the technical gadgets certain things, such as photographing shy birds from a long distance, are simply out of reach. - So now that I have been a proud owner of a DSLR camera, I am pursuing yet another hobby of mine: traveling. Naturally, the two go very well together ... Several new posts are in development hell "as we speak", and I expect more to be on their way in the future!

Yet as to the photo equipment, I recently added my first extra piece of equipment to the kit I bought from a consumer electronics retail store. A "kit" in this respect means one obtains the "body" of a camera, plus one lens that typically satisfies everyday requirements. Such a lens covers the range from near "tele" (where you zoom in, like with binoculars) to mild "wide-angle" (the angle in quesion being the one away from the central line of view dead ahead from your eyes). After doing a little research, I discovered there are four general types of lenses: standard lenses (which are usually sold as kit lenses; i.e., they come as part of the camera package), wide-angle lenses (for tall buildings and wide landscapes), tele lenses (which are for zooming in on details in a distance), and macro lenses (for close-up photography of objects just in front of the camera).

I already had a kit consisting of a standard lens and the camera body, but recently I got my first tele lens. Labeling it the "first" means it does deliver a decent quality, but taking a full screen image of a bird that is several hundred meters still requires a better tier of tele zoom range, which will unfortulately add another digit to the price ... So, the first real try-out for my new gadget was a benchmark shot: the full moon. Indeed, if I were to zoom in such that the moon fills the entire camera screen, I would need an even better lens right away. But the combination of 18 Megapixels resolution and a readily available software allowed be to crop the dark sky and blow up the moon in accordance with the above description. A better lens would have dug out even more detail, but I'd like to remind you that both the tele lens and the camera are entry level, and also that the picture was shot out of my hand, without a tripod. Given the snapshot quality, I am quite amazed how much structure is revealed, especially at the border to the unilluminated side. (The photo was taken one week before the actual full moon.)

shooting the moon - facilitated by the proper gear

Given the satusfaction I am receiving from this passtime, I am planning on buying a wide-angle lens soon, so as to be prepared for my trip to the land of the highrises ... (The macro lens will have to wait, though.)

Down the Danube ...

... or "United We Stand!" The topic I would like to write about today is a rather complex one, even though on the surface it is a mere account of my most recent weekend getaway trip. Beneath that, however, it touches several points of view that are essential to me.

First, the idea of actually going on a trip rather than staying at home has matured within me for the last couple of weeks. Throughout spring there is a number of holidays that permit staying home from work (or school, for that matter) for one or even two days per week. Namely, there are: Good Friday, Easter Monday, May Day, the Ascencion of Christ, Pentecost Monday, and Corpus Christi. Good Friday and Easter Monday frame the Easter weekend and extend it to a whole four days off. Likewise, May Day (May 1) 2012 was a Tuesday, which inevitably led to the introduction of a so-called bridge day (on the preceeding Monday) at my company, meaning that you are not allowed to work without a special permission of the works council (the workers' representative body), and that your pile of already committed overtime will shrink accordingly. Likewise, in 2012 the Ascencion of Christ and Corpus Christi happened to be Thursdays, leading to bridge days on the respective subsequent Friday. (Yet Pentecost is nominally "only" a three-day weekend ...) I did enjoy this significant extra time off, yet on most occasions I was taking it rather easy, going on day trips, if any. Then I decided to do a little more traveling, and so I started looking around for a suitable destination.

Now, since I was having only four days at my disposal, travelling very far (say, to Hong Kong) was still out of the question. Also, since I would like to put my camera to a good use, it was clear that I was going to do some sightseeing. That limited my choice to European cities. Having visited three out of four of the largest cities of Germany (Berlin/3.4 m, Hamburg/1.7m, Munich/1.3m) within the past six months, I was aiming at some place outside Germany. At this point a rather geeky hobby of mine comes into play: collecting coins. Since the implementation of the Euro as the legal tender in many member states of the EU, I have been an avid collector of the coins of all the participating countries. While the bills (5€, 10€, 20€, 100€, 200€ and 500€) are entirely identical regardless of the country of origin, the coins actually have a common obverse, but a reverse with a national design, representing the country that has minted them. (German Euro coins, for instance, feature an oak leaf on the 1, 2 and 5 cent coins, the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on the 10, 20 and 50 cent coins, and a stylized eagle as a reminiscence of the Imperial Seal on the 1€ and 2€ coins.) So I decided to pick a place that has the Euro (which also liberated me from losing some money at an exchange booth), but from where I didn't have a full set of coins yet. At this point I started to calculate the distance and travel time of various destinations via Google Maps, from which I learned that I could either go to Ljubljana, Slovenia (and visit the Italian cities of Venice and Trieste along the way - the former is a classic destination, and I happen to have a friend in the latter), or to Bratislava, Slovakia (and visit Vienna, Austria, on the way, as the two are less than 40 miles apart).

Finally I came to my senses and realized that the Slovenian trip is still too packed for a single four-day trip, when almost half of that time is consumed by mere travelling. So I booked a hotel in Bratislava, which turned out to be 4.5 stars; but since I made my reservation over a web site particularly devoted to finding hot deals, I got it for as little as 150€ for three nights! (I am inclined to say that in New York City you won't even get a spot under a bridge for this low price; but then again, NYC does have the Brooklyn Bridge, doesn't it?) The train ticket also turned out to be affordable (250€ for the round trip), so I was quite excited about my plan, and defintely looking forward to the trip in advance! Not only would I get to see more of the world, but I would also reinforce the bond between the people of the EU, especially by travelling beyond what used to be the Iron Courtain.

On Thursday, after getting up very early and riding the train from Oberkochen to Bratislava (via Vienna) for almost 9 hours, I arrived at "Bratislava hl. st." (hlávna stanica, or main station). Fortunately the hotel was just next to the station (which is why I picked it in the first place; the 4.5 stars ranking I noticed only later), so after checking in I still had some time to explore the city. The area around "hl. st." is not the most picturesque one, but after walking for about 15 - 20 minutes you can reach the old town, which kept all the promises the Wikipedia page on Bratislava as made to me ... Some say that among the Danube metropoles Bratislava may be the most overlooked one. Certainly Vienna and Budapest (and also Prague, which isn't on the Danube) are more prominent destinations. That is why I felt being exposed to just as much architectural beauty, but a bit more off the beaten track. I particularly recommend the old town hall, the main square, St. Martin's cathedral, and above all: Bratislava Castle. So, as far as old stones go, I got what I came for. Turns out getting the Slovak Euro coins is a tad more difficult. Perhaps it is due to the touristic nature of the capital, or maybe due to the relatively small size of the country - I think whenever I got coins as change after paying for something, in more than half of the cases the coins were from somewhere else, such as Austria, Italy, or (especially disappointing) even Germany. I tried hard, meaning I went to one grocery store twice to specifically target getting the small coins as change, but in the end I had to leave without both the 1€ and the 2 cents coin. (Fortunately I have obtained them before, in Germany, so my collection of the Slovak coins is complete nevertheless.)

As to the appearance of Bratislava in its entirety, the old town doesn't fall short of any expectations. The area around the central train station, however, is not the nicest, and could use a bit of a brush-up; especially the sidewalks would require the replacement of the concrete patchwork by a continuuos cover. I know that it is unfair to pick on that, because in the grand historical picture it was the west (namely former US president Ronald Reagan) who forced the Soviet Union and its satellite states, to which Slovakia (as part of the now divoced Czechoslovakia) belonged during most of the second half of the 20th century, into an arms race that eventually led to the bankrupcy of the east, and the money invested in weapons is now unavailable for the building and repairing of the streets of Bratislava. - In other words, instead of complaining about the shape of the streets (which I admit isn't actually so much worse than some places in Berlin, and which really didn't irk me as much as I am writing about it), I would rather like to stress on the simple fact that there seem to be post-communist and pre-communist areas in Bratislava (near the central train station, and around the old town, respectively). And after all what I really matters is that Slovakia, among many other countries, has abolished Communism, and joined the community of the European Union. A phrase from the far side of the Atlantic Ocean comes to mind, "United We Stand". Because in the long run the European Union means just that: standing together. I direly hope this paradigm won't get overlooked in the recent turmoil created by fiscal incompetency across Europe.

Let's not forget that I also spent one day (Friday) in Vienna. Still motivated to ride more trains and run across another city (which actually is about four times the size of Bratislava), I took many photos also in the Austrian capital, which does have a wealth of historic sites of striking splendor. A mere day trip could never be enough to grasp all of that.

Saturday was meant to be another day at the old town of Bratislava, but after so much walking on the two days before, I decided to take it easy, sleep in, and go straight to a sports bar were the (soccer) matches of the 2012 UEFA European Championship are shown. It seemed that all the international soccer fans were crammed into that place; and despite the loud cheers for several different teams, it all remained entirely peaceful. Still, I sort of resent too jingoistic cheers for Germany, so I left for the hotel when they were on for the second match.

On Sunday I was already required to leave. However, due to my taking it slow the day before, I managed to get up several hours before the scheduled departure from Bratislava. Thus, I had the opportunity to spend a couple of extra hours in Vienna, which allowed me to experience the beauty of a few more buildings that I now consider "must-see". Then from Vienna onward I was back on schedule, which brought me home to Oberkochen in the early evening.

I was a bit exhausted (yet far from as much as I had imagined), and instead of going back to work the next day, I would have been ready again for another vacation. - Meanwhile, let's enjoy together my personal favorites of the photos I have taken on that trip ...

hotel room in Bratislava

Bratislava is dubbed the "little big city"

Bratislava city hall

Bratislava main square (hlávny namieste), opposite the city hall

another side of Bratislava hlávny namieste

Bratislava, third view of hlávny nam., facing the French embassy

Bratislava, St. Martin's cathedral (after the Roman officer who shared his coat, and later became a bishop)

Bratislava Castle, front view (at sundown)

Bratislava nóvy most (new bridge), with UFO restaurant

Bratislava, St. Martin's cathedral from atop the castle hill

Vienna, (upper) Belvedere Castle (front yard)

Vienna, Belvedere back yard

Vienna, looking down to the lower Belvedere

Vienna, Soviet monument

Vienna, "Naschmarkt" (naschen = to eat tidbits)

Vienna, St. Stefan's cathedral (the heart of the city)

Vienna, Prater amsuement park

guess what: a Zeiss planetarium in Vienna, right next to the Prater entrance

Vienna, Schönbrunn Castle