Laasan

I organized and led a hike back when the weather started to warm up a bit in Jena (before the onset of Second Winter), and while it didn't go quite as planned (large group trips never do), the group had a pretty nice time.

We started at the Jenzig on a very windy Sunday afternoon and followed the Saale Horizontale hiking route across the plateau and down into the valley to a little dorf/village called Laasan (population ~50). We accidentally ran into a guy there who had keys to the old Rathaus town hall building (which is both a Denkmal/historic site and bat sanctuary), and he showed us the inside and told us a little bit about the village's history.

From there, we headed back to Kunitz, grabbed a tram into the city center, and feasted on a late lunch at the restaurant Cheers. We didn't quite make it to the Kunitzburg itself, but we could see it from Kunitz, and that was good enough.

A Little More Leipzig After All

.. but not too much more.

An organ bench whereupon J. S. Bach sat his rotund butt 

 Some sort of interesting building in downtown Leipzig.. the Concert Hall, I believe.

 Weird statue of kids with a duck, overlooked by a creepy gargoyle-y face

 The man, the myth, the legend.. JSB

Frankfurt, Gateway to the World

I've spent a few evenings in Frankfurt, in anticipation of flights the next day heading to the States. It's aight.

Christmas Markets

As my blog slowly morphs into an Instagram... Weihnachtsmarkts in Jena (above), Leipzig (below)..

Braunschweig (below and below that, featuring Bruno, the world's heaviest nutcracker)...

.. and Jena, in action.

More Berlin

Very Berlin. Alexanderplatz and the Fernsehturm, U-bahn (might have been the U2.. but probably not), Berlin Opera house (not nearly as pretty as I was expecting, but ultimately not surprising), and some cool car art.

Niedersachsen Work Trips

The other members of my research group are based in Braunschweig and Hannover, so I end up doing frequent train trips across the country. I haven't seen the two cities extensively, but I have seen a few interesting things while walking around.

Rizzi architecture in Braunschweig

Fachwerk in Bschweig

Cool fountain in Hannover

Scary church door in Hannover

Weird water feature in Han

Liquor in a Hannover hotel's drink vending machine.. my colleagues didn't get what the big excitement was.

Braunschweig pedestrian bridge

Lion in the park in Braunschweig

Cool fountain in Braunschweig... no idea who it is

More Fachwerk building

My Only Picture from Leipzig

I captured this beauty in a women's restroom stall in an Italian restaurant in the main square of Leipzig.

Baltic Vacay

I was glad to clear my mind (and rest my GI tract) after my trip to China with several days along the Baltic Sea at the border between Germany and Poland. I visited Swinoujscie and Rewa, which are touristy beach communities, and quite lovely.

Dresden, Zweimal

Two visits to Dresden, one in the dead of winter and one in Biergarten season (spring) with the (not-so) lil bro. The Altstadt in Dresden is super cool because it was essentially completely destroyed in World War II (that little firebomb thing kinda worked...), and in the early 2000s was rebuilt in the old style. So it looks old but is actually quite new. Anyways, highly recommend a visit.

Ye old preserved Communist mural

Altstadt, near the Frauenkirche

Procession of Princes mural, dating back a thousand years

Looking up at Bruehl's Terrace

Zwinger palace courtyard

Zwinger column art

Golden rider at night in the cold

Elbe in the spring, looking from the Altstadt towards the Neustadt direction

Zwinger courtyard, taken from the same point but in different seasons

Military Museum

Signs and Wonders, Jena Edition

A collection of interesting things I've seen around Jena:

Lichtenhain Feuerwehr (volunteer fire department) mural

Commemorative plaque at Jena West train station for the Holocaust victims who departed on trains from there

Walpurgisnacht witch effigy burning at the top of Kunitzburg

Graffiti of Pikachu as Totoro

Warning: bat house! (Old house in the woods transformed into bat sanctuary)

Driveway entrance passed while hiking up Am Herrenberg

Vegalize it.. food truck

"American-style table dance bar"

Napoleonstein commemorating Napoleon's Jena victory in 1806