0910 - u3

setup: sony nex 7 with sel 50 f1.8 | 50mm | f1.8 | ISO100 | 1/4000 | lightroom 4.2

the metro line u3 is the jewel among hamburg's public transportation system. it is designed as an orbital line that is operating in the centre of hamburg and goes around both the inner and outer alster lake. the main peculiarity of the u3 line is that it runs mainly on the surface on dams so that you are able to enjoy the wonderful routing alongside the elbe river.

today's picture shows the beginning of the part of the route that runs directly parallel to the elbe and leads exactly towards the impressive container port that is the second biggest in europe after rotterdam. you can divine the huge harbour installations on the horizon. every tourist should visit the harbour and usually they also do so.

the interesting circular building in front of the bend hosts the portuguese restaurant galego. besides horrible service bad value for money wait for you. please avoid this place although its location would be worth the visit and stop by at another place.

cu, trshptr

0510 - raw

setup: sony nex 7 with walimex pro 8 f2.8 fisheye | 8mm | f2.8 | ISO1600 | 1/20 | cornerfix & lightroom 4.2

a very special place in berlin is friedrichshain. also if you are the craziest guy all over the world you will not attract too much attention on the street in friedrichshain. a great many of the mostly young people of friedrichshain are very extroverted and make the scene quarter feel a bit strange if not crazy.

moreover an uncountable number of more or less beautiful street arts adorn the streets of friedrichshain. these facts together with the darkness of the night create a bit of an atmosphere of an end time movie, especially in the case that you really enter the dark and moody backyards like for instance the art gallery raw berlin has one attached to its main building where the dark shapes are already waiting for you.

cu, trshptr

2909 - public transportation system scooter

setup: sony nex 7 with sigma 30 f2.8 ex dn | 30mm | f10.0 | ISO100 | 1/13 | lightroom 4.1

already at 8am tina and i left the wonderful cottage in liguria. ten totally different days of holidays are now written in our small family history. hard to imagine that i have to go to work in two days again - anyhow some hours of resting are waiting for us.

when we finally arrived at home at 3pm my matriculation documents were already waiting for me in the pillar box. yes, you have this right - during the coming three years from now on i'll be a student again. my course computational engineering - that is provided by the beuth hochschule berlin - will proceed as different distance learning units. i'm very curious and will report every now and then from my study progress.

for now the last photograph from italy is about a very defining element of italian street life - simply everybody aged between 16 and 70 seems to own a scooter. funnily the scooters have the things on the streets firmly under control - they wiggle through all the blocked roads and thereby they scare one or two pedestrians and car drivers, too.

cu, trshptr

2709 - market bustle

setup: sony nex 7 with sigma 30 f2.8 ex dn | 30mm | f4.0 | ISO100 | 1/250 | lightroom 4.1

one of the most interesting opportunities of italian life for us foreigners is the terrific food. as everybody should know the italian cuisine is world-famous for its pizza and pasta, but also the pesto and antipasti. the basis for these delicious fares are fresh and organic, local ingredients: vegetables, noodles, bread and oil, spices and pesto, meat and fish and of course also wine. all of that can be obtained on the market.

besides a few recipes that result in a buying list in your mind and the colourful display a great many of busy people make a still urban scenery alive.

cu, trshptr

2609 - modern porto antico di genova

setup: sony nex 7 with sigma 30 f2.8 ex dn | 30mm | f4.0 | ISO400 | 1/160 | lightroom 4.1

genoa is the biggest city in the region of liguria - thereby a must-visit - and one that is exceedingly proud of its harbour. as you can see in today's pic genoa is because of its location at the bottom of the apennine mountains almost exclusively facing its historical porto antico di genova and the mediterranean sea.

besides its historical importance the harbour of genoa is one of the biggest concerning its container handling in the whole mediterranean ocean. apparently their expansion isn't completed yet - today we saw different places inside the container harbour where new spaces for probably more containers are built by reclaiming land. the harbour gained its importance especially because of the wide northern hinterland of liguria that involves the industry areas from milan and turin and even comes down to the switzerland.

despite the very industrial character of the harbour (and the whole city, too) a bit of chic and vain has found its way into the old capital of liguria. the modern influence in the yacht harbour really fits to the antico porto di genova and the beautiful townscape of this costal city.

cu, trshptr

1609 - katz orange

setup: sony nex 7 with sigma 30 f2.8 ex dn | 30mm | f2.8 | ISO1600 | 1/20 | lightroom 4.1

already in advance we'd decided to stop by at the berlin restaurant and bar katz orange for an extensive dinner after we'd have explored the city. the search on an internet gourmet portal listed the katz orange next to sarah wiener's restaurant which by itself is a distinction, isn't it?

the ostentatious facility of the katz orange is an old brewery in which since more than 100 years no beer isn't brewed anymore. the building is located in a backyard at the bergstraße in the district prenzlauer berg. some of the interior could have been saved during renovations. solely the public toilets are a joy to use and look at. anyhow the whole furnishing is very cosy and generates a feelgood factor. in the upper floor a bar and a library wait for the satisfied guests.

the local atmosphere is very relaxed, you can wear jeans and shirt or suit and evening gown. you almost cannot be badly dressed for this occasion. if you come before 9pm you might get a (very) personal service, the young and motivated service staff is always kind and attentive.

of course we'd read about the cuisine of the katz orange. the boss in the kitchen is a cook who had worked with an other famous former michelin-starred german chef. we had pork that was simmered for 12 hours at very low temperature: you don't need a knife to part this meat, unbelievable tender. thereto a variety of delicious garnishes was served. value for money is very good in this location although you have to calculate with 80 to 100 euros for a nice dinner for two. it's useful to make a reservation in advance.

the bottom line is that the a visit at the katz orange is a great possibility to leave all your cares behind. an explicit recommendation by me!

cu, trshptr

1409 - lakeside junk market

setup: sony nex 7 with sigma 30 f2.8 ex dn | 30mm | f2.8 | ISO1600 | 1/50 | lightroom 4.1

are we really serious about busing to berlin and back within 30 hours? 1600 kilometres in two nights without a bed? tina is already beginning to doubt about the trip. therefor i have to divert her thoughts with dull consumption: let's visit the junk market in friedrichshafen to get tired before our departure to berlin at friday midnight.

flea markets are commonly characterised by a comfortable atmosphere and a very diversified display. special ones like the 24 hours flea market in constance or the lakeside night flea market in friedrichshafen where we have been today in the evening enchant especially with their great and terrific surroundings.

strolling along the lakeside, grubbing for interesting stuff in the display of sellers from apparently everywhere and enjoying the fresh breeze that blows over the lake in midsummer evenings is an intense joy. and it's supposed to be a more intense joy if you are successful with shopping like we were today. and of course it's the most intense pleasure if a (little crazy) trip to our wonderful capital is due.

cu, trshptr

1908 - retro charme

setup: sony nex 7 with sigma 30 f2.8 ex dn | 30mm | f5.6 | ISO100 | 1/400 | lightroom 4.1

now, on sunday evening, the heat wave is almost over. we had a wonderful weekend at our beloved families and extended the trip for another night. therefor we will have to get up at five o'clock in the morning to arrive before noon at our place.

while walking through the town crimmitschau - the village where my mother lives belongs to it - we have spotted a tuned and modified trabant 601. the trabant is a car that was produced by the former east german car manufacturer veb sachsenring in zwickau. it was by far the most common vehicle in east germany. more information about the trabant on wikipedia.

the crumbled wall, the renewed street and the antique car - this could have been a retro-style scene of a movie from the 80s but it actually is the real life in 2012 in the eastern states of germany.

cu, trshptr

1008 - blurry flashback

setup: sony nex 7 with sel 50 f1.8 | 50mm | f2.0 | ISO400 | 1/80 | lightroom 4.1

today in the morning all my beloved ones left me: marv and tina's mum had to depart to stuttgart for a wedding ceremony of a relative of volker, who is tina's mum's life partner. tina had to go to work, she is currently on duty. and nila was straying.

so what should i do on a lonely day off? all transactions were already transacted and all tasks fulfilled. but today i couldn't motivate myself to do anything beautiful (till the evening) and fell into a sort of limbo. well, i vegged out under the sun umbrella in the yard and went through the pictures of our last trip to portugal. fortunately my mood was lifted by viewing the images of this great trip and i braced myself up and set on the bike to ride to the lake and swim some minutes.

the really remarkable point of today was the flashback i had when i was investigating the pic of today's posting. the rossio square in lisbon is in my opinion one of the most beautiful urban places that i've seen in portugal. both at daytime when tina and i read our books under the slightly splashing water of the fountain and at night when we strolled about the square, this place appeared as a very inspiring surrounding. it has been the setting of celebrations, revolts and executions and today it's a preferred meeting place of locals and tourists. in addition to that the great architecture with the curved pavement patterns, the wonderful fountains and the monumental buildings at the edges of the square cap it all off.

cu, trshptr

0808 - no7 in crosshairs

setup: sony nex 7 with sel 50 f1.8 | 50mm | f5.6 | ISO100 | 1/400 | lightroom 4.1

sometimes you come around at funny scenes that you cannot pass without resting a few minutes and thinking about its details.

i've absolutely no idea what the builders might have thought when they installed the light switch 30cm next to the usual, optimal position where the cable appears from the wall. i've no clue why three arrows direct your view to the yellow tape that is affixed in the middle of the slightly blue door. and i've no frigging idea what the yellow tape actually implies.

questions upon questions, and no answers. probably i should have opened the door and figured it all out.

cu, trshptr