Tuesday, June 30, 2009

The Bells of Saint Martin in the Fields…

I mentioned this church in Trafalgar Square in an earlier post. There’s something undeniably soothing in these pealing bells.

 

Sweet burning water…

It was on an oppressive summer night at Rio’s “Cachaça Academy” (Academia de Cachaça) that I first experienced the refreshing wonder of ice cold cachaça (Brazil’s national spirit) mixed with honey. A large group of us sat outside this fine establishment blocks from the beach surrounded by merciless high rises denying us the paltry breeze that  night’s skies could muster. As we sat looking around the table at each others’ sweat-drenched faces and matted hair, the waiter appeared with several doses of this heavenly nectar arranged geometrically on a tray. As we raised the frosty vessels to our mouths, we knew instantly that he had blessed us with an arctic blast in a shot glass that went down as smooth as silk and lowered our body temperatures 10 degrees (Celsius -- we were in Brazil, remember?) and our IQs by roughly 10 points. We stumbled toward home from that table at 4 in the morning, dangerously hypothermic and with the frontal brain function of lobotomized hamsters.

Fast forward to last Saturday when I unleashed this “velvet sledge hammer” on an unsuspecting group of partygoers at Andrea’s and Thomas’s (not Völkering’s) house. It all started so innocently, with mild enthusiasm and pleasant surprise at how the harsh cachaça (called burning water {aguardente} in Brazil) was tamed by the tender sweetness of the natural honey. Even Thomas’s mom did a shot!honey cachaça_7917 (648x1024) By midnight or so, I’m told those of us that had been partaking all night were having a great time. I’m told Andrea’s brother was the first to bite the dust. The poor guy is obviously way too young (and light) to keep up with the hard core rotgut swillers assembled there. An hour later, the cachaça had run out and I vaguely remember our drinking straight out of a gas can someone had found in the garage and blabbering like 4 year olds (judging by my surprisingly light hangover, I think our host spoiled us with super-unleaded). Just in case you’re wondering (and those that know me are), I’m kidding about the gas.

Anyway, on the off chance that you invite me to your home for a party and I show up with a bottle of cachaça and honey, do us both a favor and slam the door in my face. My liver thanks you in advance.

Monday, June 29, 2009

Goodbye London…

Alright, no one’s said anything but you’re probably tired of seeing pictures from London. This will be the last batch of shots. They’re of Trafalgar Square, the last place I went before I collected my luggage at the hotel and hit the Tube back to Heathrow.

trafalgar 7844I really like the vibe of this place. I recorded the church bells with my video camera. Will post something once I get some time. This last weekend was a blur. More on that later…IMG_7825 (2)IMG_7820IMG_7863 I really like this shot.    big ben through gate_7808 (636x1024)

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

St. Paul’s…

Someone at the office told me that I should go see St. Paul’s Cathedral and I must say I’m glad they did. To tell the truth, I couldn’t remember having heard much about it. It appears to me that Westminster Cathedral and Westminster Abbey have better press agents. Anyway, I arrived on the Tube on Saturday afternoon as the clouds were rolling in.IMG_7656 IMG_7690 Not only is the cathedral itself impressive, but the churchyard is a nice place to rest your bark’n dogs after a long day hoof’n it all over London under the influence of real ale.IMG_7742IMG_7723 As I left, I saw the cathedral peeking through a narrow ally. I took an HDR shot that I find really beautiful, particularly the exaggerated red in the bricks. st pauls ally_7716

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

A palace fit for a queen…

I basically stumbled upon Buckingham Palace. I crossed a street that was lined with British flags and had very little traffic, but wasn’t sure what was going on. Let’s face it, houses always look different when you’ve only seen them on MTV Cribs (remember how the Queen only had Crystal and crumpets in her fridge?). Later, I tried to find myself on a map and discovered I was right beside it.buckingham palace road 2_7462IMG_7617IMG_7589There were tons of people around and the sun broke through the clouds as I was arriving. As I went to cross the street in front of it, I saw a policeman on horseback asking people to get out of the street. He was followed by a bunch of redcoats with furry black hats. I didn’t manage to see the changing of the guards, but I think I saw their band.buckingham band_7541IMG_7547I was quite impressed by Buckingham Palace. It sits on the edge of St. James’s Park from which you can walk to Hyde Park (which is exactly what I did on Sunday). I would wholeheartedly recommend a quick stop by Queen’s abode next time you’re in London.buckingham gilded angel_7575buckingham statue_7616IMG_7581 

Monday, June 22, 2009

The full Monty…

This is probably one of the best panoramic shots I’ve ever taken. Many thanks go to the city of London and the genius engineers at Canon (and PT gui of course).big ben 7274

You can see it a bit bigger here.

I, Eye…

The only non-negotiable stop on my trip to London was the London Eye. As soon as the weather began to break on Saturday morning, I hopped on the Tube from the Tower Bridge en route to Westminster Station. I’ll never forget the sensation of leaving the station and looking up at Big Ben. It’s always an odd feeling to stand before something you’ve only seen in countless imagesIMG_7243IMG_7255I was in line to buy a ticket on the Eye by 9:45 or so. It took less than 20 minutes to fork over £17 for a 30 minute (or so) “flight” that was well worth the price of admission. I was among the first group of folks to ride that day. As you can see below, there’s a Salvador Dalí (by far my favorite artist) exhibit close by.IMG_7253IMG_7280Copy of IMG_7286For a compulsive photographer like your humbler narrator, this thing is paradise. I would imagine it’s also an icon for engineers. Notice below the cables that keep it from toppling into the Thames.IMG_7415I am really happy with the shots below.london eye spectators_7365 (2)london eye car_7366 (1024x647)  This was my favorite shot taken from the eye.IMG_7390

View from the tower...

Saturday I got up early and headed to the Tower Bridge. The weather started to clear up so I ran (figuratively) to the Westminster bridge area to ride the Eye. I therefore didn’t get a nice shot of the bridge from down the Thames.tower bridge view_7200 I didn’t go to the Tower Bridge Exhibit, but next time I’m in London I just might.IMG_7182IMG_7173I took this shot up the blue suspension grids above. Interesting effect, no?IMG_7175 

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Do'n time in the UK...

Agreed to do some customer presentations in Heathrow (near the well-known London airport) so was sentenced to a couple of days in the Conrad Hilton Minimum Security Facility (Heathrow Hilton), many miles from much of anything (except airport)! Since we had meetings all day and events at night, it wasn’t all that bad. Wolverine made the trip as well so we got to engage in one of our favorite past times: drinking expensive beer in the creepy ambiance of a hotel bar. Friday found me looking forward to a couple of days of R&R in London itself.

That afternoon I jumped on the Tube (London Underground) with a bit of trepidation. London has at least 10 underground lines and on paper it is daunting for the novice. However, the London Underground turned out to be extremely convenient and very easy to use. I arrived at Victoria Station near my hotel in less than an hour. Not sure how much it cost as I bought an Oyster card and charged it up with £20. I was all over that city for two days but the card still had a few pounds left on it when I turned it in (you pay a £3 deposit).tubemap My hotel, The Windermere, was about a 5 minute walk from Victoria Station. I found it without too much trouble and then checked into the smallest hotel room I’ve ever seen.Copy of london hotel room 69956 (1024x838) Since I was solo, I could have cared less. The rate was £99 a night (a steal in London) and it included breakfast. For folks staying in London a day or two, I can give the place a lukewarm recommendation. It was in a nice neighborhood and the staff and facilities were ok.

More posts on a great trip forthcoming…

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Dream within a dream…

Half my head still seems to be anchored in Amsterdam. Had a bit more time to sift through the pictures I took there and couldn’t keep them to myself. Off to London tomorrow!amst flower boat tower_6814 (493x800) IMG_6792 (800x533)amst looierssluis_6797 (533x800)IMG_6778 (533x800)amst lion_6597

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Wild hair, Dutch flair...

Last Thursday was a public holiday in Germany so I decided to take Friday off to make it a four day weekend. We decided to go out with some friends (Thomas and Andrea) to the Altstadt in Heidelberg on Thursday night. I’m headed to London this week on business so B was talking about making a trip there later this year (with Andrea) to visit a cousin who’s living there. One thing led to another in my slightly inebriated mind and I decided that Thomas (not Wolverine!) and I should go to Amsterdam the next day.

I found a good rate at the hotel where I stayed with B and her best friend so I booked a room at midnight and fired up the family truckster at 7:15 and was off like a stray bullet. Thomas decided to not to go so I went solo. It took about four and a half hours each way.

As always seems to be the case with Amsterdam, I can’t describe how much fun I had. The weather on Thursday and Friday was unbelievably beautiful. I’ll stop blabbering and let some of the pictures do the talking.IMG_6806amst bldgs_6770amst boat_6694IMG_6708Suffice it to say that I haven’t found a better way to clear my head than a weekend in this incredible city.amst view_6656IMG_6655Also shot a little video here and there for days when I need a flashback…

Sunday, June 07, 2009

Math hiccups...

Emily has been working on multiplication tables so I wanted to film her reciting sixes. She was able to do them but not without a few hiccups (literally).



You can watch it in high def on youtube (follow the instructions in this post).

Friday, June 05, 2009

Our lives in high definition...

I reluctantly bought a new toy to capture the kids' cuteness for posterity. We already had a video camera but the resolution wasn't that great and I got really sick of capturing videos to my computer from tape. I bought a Canon Vixia HG20 that has a hard drive. I can just connect it to a PC and copy and paste the movies.

I'm pretty impressed with the image quality. Take a look at this short, random clip with Robert below. Be sure to click the high def button at the bottom of the video frame when Youtube opens.
See Bobber here. By the way, he's saying hello to his grandparents in Portuguese.

You can see the video full screen by clicking the button below.

My apologies for the exaggerated guidance to anyone below the age of 50 who reads this blog. My parents (for example) will probably appreciate the guidance.

I've started a blog on using the HG20 here.

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Go’n green…

As the weather has been almost perfect, I’ve been walking to work. I finally lugged my camera along to share a bit of the experience. I walk about 5 minutes before I cross a cultivated field that really mellows a guy out this time of year.walldorf fld flowers_6408Not hard to remember we’re near Frankfurt with the ever-present contrails.walldorf fld_6410walldorf fld_6423 Here’s a bridge over B39. walldorf bridge_6454It’s kind of cool that the “weeds” in these fields are flowers!walldorf fld flower_6515At Thomas’s (Wolverine’s) wedding, some of his relatives were telling us about where they live near the Dutch border and remarked that “it’s not as beautiful there”. I must admit it makes me feel privileged to live in the part of Germany. If only work were this pleasant… (I guess for the farmer it is!)