new year- old haunts

Tags

Bavaria, Bmaberg, Franconia, Germany, melancholy, photography, photos, travel, unknown, wondering

It’s day two of the new year and it stretches out before me like a blank page, encouraging me to dream and plan, make changes and find a few new adventures. And while saying good-bye to 2016 was easy – it wasn’t a great year for me – I can’t help feel a little melancholy about the past.

This has possibly mainly to do with the fact that I spent the last days of the old year wandering around some old haunts of mine in Bamberg, a baroque town in Bavaria (Franconia) I lived in as a student.

It was a little odd to rediscover a place I once knew so well and reconnect with people I use to see nearly every day – odd, but good and a little sad. As I rambled through the tiny cobblestone alleys and clambered up the hills I couldn’t help but wonder about all the ‘what ifs’ and ‘could ofs’.

But since you can’t turn back time and I don’t even think I really want to now is the perfect time to close a chapter and begin a new one. So as I sit on the train and with those thoughts in my mind I think I will take one last look at the photos I took and begin planning the months that lie ahead of me. After all there is nothing more exciting than the unknown.

some bright berries coated with frost

garden still life

nature & man-made

where I lived as a a student

some pears left out on the sill

too cold to sit

stars

I finished my Masters after a few detours

walked through this door countless times

picturesque Regnitz

water levels not too high

pillars at the Dom

the main steeples are under restauration

well worn steps

the sun came out to show off the view

a colourful ending as I walked back down

a walk through the mill

Tags

Germany, golden hour, interiors, light, old mill, photography, photos

This summer, while I was in Germany, my sister took me on a walk through their old mill. It was early evening, that golden hour just before the sun set and inside the old walls the dust created a hazy sheen. There was so much to see, so many surprising things and unexpected shapes and motives that I couldn’t resist taking a ton of photos. The sun began to set as I clicked and I enjoyed how it changed the world and atmosphere around me. Here are few of the photos I took – a small selection of my favourite few.

writing outdoors

Tags

Germany, no internet, novel writing, work, writing, writing out doors

After two weeks of (failed) attempts to access the internet from where I am staying I have finally given up. It still frustrates me and rives me demented that I can’t just quickly look something up when writing but I have arranged to drop in on my mother every now and then to surf the web and get work done, not ideal but the best solution for now.

Thankfully I have been getting some some writing done, I even managed to top my goal for 7000 words last week (I wrote 8350) and am delighted. After all I have so much to catch up that every extra word, page, chapter counts.

What has surprised me most of all is how well I write out doors, something I have never done before and was amazed to find suits me. Sadly the weather hasn’t always been on it’s best behavior so I need to use the usually dry hours in the morning to get as much done as I can.  And it seems to be working.

I have two more weeks left at the house and hope the mornings will stay dry, helping me get my writing done!

a big cup, a gift from my big sister

the blue bench I sit on

just birds and bees disturbing the peace

Weekly Photo Challenge: Opposites

Tags

Germany, internet, opposites, photography, photos, Weekly Photo Challenge, Weekly Photo Challenge: Opposites

At the moment I am in Germany and I am currently (sort of) living an opposite life. I am speaking German, not English, I am in the countryside, not in a city. I am close to my family, as opposed to far away across the sea. I writing every day, opposed to working and trying to squeeze it it when I can. The only opposite thing that i find really annoying at the moment is that I don’t have access to the internet, for ten days now and it is driving me crazy, in Dublin I am always online and I have to say I do miss the easy access! Thankfully my mother is giving me refuge and I can write this post.

my home for the next few weeks, lovely place even without the Internet

packing, cleaning and bins

Tags

bins, cleaning, clothes, Germany, packing, planning, travel

Most of today will be filled with packing, cleaning and bins, I just hope I don’t get them mixed up along the way and end up with old newspapers and plastic packaging in my suitcase.

Yesterday I spent most of the day working on a project and at a job interview so somehow I don’t feel ready to up my stales and head off for six weeks, but since the date on my ticket tells me a different story I better get ready.

The one thing I really hate about going away is packing, planning ahead for several weeks and having to make up your mind how much you want to bring always frustrates me. And for the last few days I’ve had the washing machine going at full speed trying to make sure I don’t leave any of my favourite items behind. I can’t help but wish for of those ladies maids that would wrap everything in silk-paper and make sure you were prepared for any occasion, all your belongings magically packed and unpacked without you having to lift a finger.

So as I stare into the sallow depths of my suitcase – why didn’t I buy a bigger one – I really long for a Mary Poppins style carpet bag, everything would fit in and I could even bring my own teapot!

 

the final countdown

Tags

change, city, country, Germany, Ireland, photography, photos, travel

Ten days, in ten days it will be time to hand over my keys and head out for my German summer. As always I have begone making lists (I know!) and I have to say I am looking forwrad to crossing things off them – particularly the ones about what to pack.

I will be swapping my tiny urban path-garden with a large green space and lots of trees, even a little wood for me to rest my eyes on, and my small blue bench will be replaced with a much longer one. I look forward to stepping out onto grass instead of concrete in the mornings and I know the pigeons and seagulls will be replaced with song birds and – if I’m lucky – a woodpecker.

Instead of hopping on a bus for a quick trip into town I’ll be cycling to the local shops for my food and the nearest town is a train ride away. The only cafe I know of is a cycle away – but it is in the grounds of an old manor and really beautiful with home-baked cakes.

So in ten days I’ll be swapping my usual urban living for some country life-style, Ireland for Germany and I am really looking forward to it. Hopefully my muse will board the plane with me and feel as inspired by the change of scenery and not suffer from hay fever!

aching for a distant place

Tags

fernweh, Germany, holidays, photo, photography, suitcases, travel

It’s that time of year again were you find your friends packing their suitcases and heading out to discover far flung and foreign places. In two weeks it will be me who will be packing her bags, not so much for a holiday, and not to a very far flung foreign place either, but I will be heading over to Germany to write – retreat if you will.

I am really looking forward to a change in pace, a different sort of life, even if only for a few weeks (well six to be exact). And while I have no idea what I’ll be coming back to (some job related issues) just being able to board a plane and fly away is an enticing idea. Especially since this  feeling that has been bubbling up inside me for a while now can only be described with the the German word “Fernweh” which literally means “having an ache for a distant place”.

Of course I know that once I’m gone, after a while, I’ll be longing for my own bed and my own things that surround me. But for now I am excited about the idea of an adventure and can’t wait. And I won’t need to wait long, in exactly two weeks I’ll be picking up my bags and locking my front door behind me. But there are a few things I need to sort out before then, and I have many lists to write – six weeks is a long time to plan for. So my ‘Fernweh’ will just have to wait for a bit, just a little one!

 

summer plans

Tags

Germany, monday, orgainise, photo, plans, summer, travel

With all of my end of year assignments handed in and all of my students work graded it is now time to start thinking about the summer that lies ahead. My plan is to head over to Germany for a few weeks – some family celebrations and a wedding are calling – and I have decided to stay there and write.

My trip abroad is only one month away so I’ve asked my godmother if I can stay in her weekend get-a-way and she has said yes. So I’ve booked an outbound flight and now I need to figure out when I’ll be coming back.

With that in mind I have a lot to plan, organise and finances to sort out – emails to write are at the top of my list for today. And since I will have a house guest staying in my home while I’m away I need to make sure everything is tidy and clean.

But for now I can say I am getting excited about what lies ahead and only hope everything goes off without a hitch!

where I’ll be staying this summer

 

new year beginnings with family and friends

Tags

2016, Berlin, Germany, Hamburg, New Year, photography, photos, snow, travel, writing

The new year started with a bang for me – actually several and very loud ones at that. My friends took me to the Grosser Bunkerberg (Large Air Raid Shelter Hill), one of the highest points in Berlin, to look at the fireworks. Sadly it was too foggy to see much but the sound was incredible, loud banging and explosions going off for a good hour or so, the occasional rocket that made it high enough to break through the fog and smoke to illuminate the sky in an array of colours. We stood and listened and sipped bubbly. As the cold crept up our legs we decided it was time to make our way home and clambered down the hill in the fog to be welcomed to the streets of Berlin with loud bangs all around us.

Now, after a few wonderful days in Berlin filled with flea markets, a fantastic play in the Deutsches Theater and lots of time spent with good friends over cups of tea and glasses of wine, I am in Hamburg. I am watching the snow fall outside and enjoying a few hours of quite before my cute niece and nephew demand playtime again. And while I watch the snow paint the world white I think I may indulge in a hot bath, the perfect contrast to the cold day outdoors.

However first I will finish my cup of tea and write  a few lines – after all this lovely break away from normality will be over soon and I need to get quite a lot done before my course starts up again. But for now I am truly enjoying my start into 2016 and only hope that the year will keep all that it seems to be promising.

 

packing problems

Tags

family, Germany, packing, travel

On Thursday I am leaving for Germany, my baby niece is being baptized. But, as always, going away involves some serious packing. After all there are two sets of nieces and nephews that need to get some aunty love in form of gifts, I have  a stack of books for my sister and the all important tea, then there are a few other gifts that need to be packed, and on top of all of that I will be needing clothes for nearly two weeks.

And not just any old clothes either, an outfit for the church, and then there is a little trip up to Copenhagen with my Godmother that requires a few nice garments. And of course I will be needing my camera, laptop and all that other stuff that requires a selection of cables and plugs. And of course a few pairs of shoes!

So while I take care of my washing and pull out my suitcase from under the bed I think between today and tomorrow I will somehow get the chaos sorted. After all I do so love to travel and the packing problem is a price I am happy to pay.