Friday, June 25, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Hohenschwangau Castle
The king and queen lived in the main fortress, their two young sons in the annex.
Grotesque Caricature
I like them.
GARGOYLE, n. A rain-spout projecting from the eaves of mediaeval buildings, commonly fashioned into a grotesque caricature of some personal enemy of the architect or owner of the building. This was especially the case in churches and ecclesiastical structures generally, in which the gargoyles presented a perfect rogues' gallery of local heretics and controversialists. Sometimes when a new dean and chapter were installed the old gargoyles were removed and others substituted having a closer relation to the private animosities of the new incumbents. Ambrose Bierce
Dreamy
Fantasies, castles, princes, and laughter. Lullabies, dreams, and love every after.
I can't resist posting one more of this dreamy castle.
I can't resist posting one more of this dreamy castle.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Another Cute Toddler
Embarrassingly too similar to Toddlers & Tiaras.
I wanted a sister-brother side-by-side, but couldn't get Jeremy in the pose.
I wanted a sister-brother side-by-side, but couldn't get Jeremy in the pose.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Neuschwanstein Castle
Almost as ironic as this revered DREAM KING being taunted MAD KING LUDWIG by his contemporaries, is the fact that he built Neuschwanstein to escape society. Today it is the most frequented castle in the world.
Bill has been in Germany the past couple of weeks. The heavy rain lightened up a bit last weekend -- enough to see Neuschwanstein Castle.
Bill has been in Germany the past couple of weeks. The heavy rain lightened up a bit last weekend -- enough to see Neuschwanstein Castle.
Cool that Bill finally gets to see the region from which his Stumpf family originated. His 5th great-grandfather Hans Michael Stumpf Sr. made a living as a woodworker and cabinet maker in Bavaria near the Black Forest. The family immigrated to Virigina about 1740.
Picturesque Old World
Architecture has recorded the great ideas of the human race. Not only every religious symbol, but every human thought has its page in that vast book. Victor Hugo
Augsburg was founded in 15 BC under the direction of Emporer Augustus. For many centuries it was a key European location for the Roman Empire. It became a main trade route during the Middle Ages.
Didn't I study these buildings in Interior Design 110?
Middle picture is City Hall of Augsburg, built in 1620 and "one of the most significant secular buildings of the Renaissance style north of the Alps".
Lower is the Zeughaus (arsenol) -- an impressive arms depot of the Reichsstadt. Built 1602-1605, the facade is said to be one of the first Baroque style in Germany. I find the bronze group above the door fascinatingly disturbing. At first I thought it was gargoyls. But no, it's cherubs with daggers and swords! Now, I have learned that it is Archangel Michael entrenched in battle with Lucifer.
Most notable to Bill: cobblestone streets, lots of Mercedes, no pickup trucks.
Augsburg was founded in 15 BC under the direction of Emporer Augustus. For many centuries it was a key European location for the Roman Empire. It became a main trade route during the Middle Ages.
Didn't I study these buildings in Interior Design 110?
Middle picture is City Hall of Augsburg, built in 1620 and "one of the most significant secular buildings of the Renaissance style north of the Alps".
Lower is the Zeughaus (arsenol) -- an impressive arms depot of the Reichsstadt. Built 1602-1605, the facade is said to be one of the first Baroque style in Germany. I find the bronze group above the door fascinatingly disturbing. At first I thought it was gargoyls. But no, it's cherubs with daggers and swords! Now, I have learned that it is Archangel Michael entrenched in battle with Lucifer.
Most notable to Bill: cobblestone streets, lots of Mercedes, no pickup trucks.
Gas or No Gas
No man should travel until he has learned the language of the country he visits. Otherwise he voluntarily makes himself a great baby, - so helpless and so ridiculous.- Ralph Waldo Emerson
I was nervous for Bill -- going to a foreign country by himself, not knowing the language. He said it was no problem. People would speak in German. He would say What?. They would say Oh (interpreted: you're not from around here) then begin speaking English (heavily German accented, of course).
Only in Bavaria! his work mates bragged as they all ordered beer for lunch in the facility cafeteria. But, the supervisor will send you home if you're drunk!
Bill ordered water. Later he emailed:
They don’t serve tap water here and no ice in any drinks. Work mates say the water may not be fit for consumption. Everything is in bottles that are returned for refund. No plastic bottles, no aluminum cans. Plus the water served is with “gas” or “no gas”. You can bet that threw me the first time I sat down for a meal and asked for water and she rambled out gasnogas with a German accent. I responded hu? Gasnogas she replied. I replied “tap water”. She brought me a bottle of water, w/no ice. Found out the water w/gas is carbonated. Ever tried drinking tonic water to satisfy your thirst?
I was nervous for Bill -- going to a foreign country by himself, not knowing the language. He said it was no problem. People would speak in German. He would say What?. They would say Oh (interpreted: you're not from around here) then begin speaking English (heavily German accented, of course).
Only in Bavaria! his work mates bragged as they all ordered beer for lunch in the facility cafeteria. But, the supervisor will send you home if you're drunk!
Bill ordered water. Later he emailed:
They don’t serve tap water here and no ice in any drinks. Work mates say the water may not be fit for consumption. Everything is in bottles that are returned for refund. No plastic bottles, no aluminum cans. Plus the water served is with “gas” or “no gas”. You can bet that threw me the first time I sat down for a meal and asked for water and she rambled out gasnogas with a German accent. I responded hu? Gasnogas she replied. I replied “tap water”. She brought me a bottle of water, w/no ice. Found out the water w/gas is carbonated. Ever tried drinking tonic water to satisfy your thirst?
Saturday, June 5, 2010
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