Time never waits?

Heart Lake, Yellowstone National Park, USA, August 2009


Moments when time stands still
moments when you have time
not measured with a clock
just by the sun
that are my favorite moments.
LongtimeTraveling is full of these moments.

The titel quote is from Jack Johnsons song Monsoon.

Silvester

New Years Eve one year ago in Quito, Ecuador.

I love to watch the celebrations in other countrys. On the 31th of December many people in Quito go in the city center around Rio Amazon, many are dressed up. But not all dressed ups are humans. It reminds my on our carnival in Germany. Dancing, music on stages along the pedestrian zone. The hole day party.

In Germany we call the last day of the year Silvester.

Rhine Orange

August, 2010

We passed this sculpture while traveling by canoe on the river Rhine from the Lake Constance (close to the source). The last leg from our big travel.

From Wikipedia (extract):
Rheinorange (Rhine Orange) is the name of a sculpture erected in Duisburg-Neuenkamp in 1992 at the point where the Ruhr flows into the Rhine at 'Rheinkilometer 780', i.e. 780 km from the source of the Rhine. It was constructed from steel by the sculptor Lutz Fritsch from Köln.

It is 25 m tall, 7 m wide and 1 m thick, and weights 83 tonnes. The name Rheinorange is actually a play on words. It sounds like Reinorange (pure orange) which is a color under the RAL classification system.

The sculpture is intended to form a landmark. The mouth of the river, the largest inland harbour in Europe, the most important steel district in Europe, a base for technology with a future, the Lehmbruck-Museum as an important gallery for modern sculpture in Europe, are all intended to be connected with each other in representing aspects of the economic and cultural life of Duisburg.

Iced Bike

Lost bike, today in front of a friends house.



The quote from yesterday is from a sculpture in the National Botanical Garden in Kirstenbosch, Cape Town, South Africa, February 2009.

It's such a beautiful place.

See more – Talk less

On the playground, today, Lünen, Germany

Street vendor

In front of a pharmacy, Esteli, Nicaragua, November 2009

In two years traveling we took around 35 000 photos. It's now hard work to get the best out of it. So sometimes I find something interesting for my blog.

While browsing through our travel pictures my look fell on these two pics. My husband took them, and I have never before seen them. I think they show in an originally way the street life in Nicaragua. Just like every vendor, he has two promote his products: "mas fuerte, vive colors".

While driving south from Canada to Panama with our old car, we stopped in Esteli. A town in the north of Nicaragua, with relaxed people and a friendly atmosphere. We really liked it and stayed longer than we thought. And it was easy to stroll around, look, and take a lot of photos.

I will not forget: Some trouble with a tooth, I was anxious if I would have to speak spanish with the dentist, because my knowledge is rudimentary. Luckily I found a young man who had worked two years in the USA and his practice was well equiped. He did a perfect job. No more pain. This moments make long time travel very special.

Quote on the wall

Salt Lake City Public Library, USA, September 2009

Still Christmas

Last year in a house in Quito, Ecuador


Two years ago Christmas on the stage, in a church, in Kozhikode (Calicut), Kerala, India

While on our long travel we spend the last two Christmas in other places.

2008 we stayed in India and we were invited to a church to a christmas celebration. A long, varied and happy celebration, parts in malayalam, the local language, parts in english. With music and theater play. Every child got a present, so did my boys.

2009 in Quito we did couchsurfing and spend Christmas Eve together with all the family from our couchsurfer. Not contemplative, more like a big party, but with lots of presents for everbody.

Happy Holidays

This wild flower grew in Yellowstone Nationalpark, USA, August 2009

Wishing you Merry Christmas and Happy Midwinter / Midsummer!
Enjoy your free time.

Here it is

Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town, South Africa, March 2010

Cape Town is one of the great places I have been.
From here we started our travel in Africa, over land all the way to Egypt.
It was a good beginning.

Winter

Silence - 2

Stadtbibliothek (Public Library), Köln (Cologne), Germany, August 2010
Funny help! I found this automat with ear plugs (Ohrstöpsel) when the library was under construction.

Where is it?

It's so far away from here? But where? Do you know?

Our street in snow

Yesterday in Lünen

On my way to work

After a five minutes walk I take the tram from here, today 6:53, Lünen-Brambauer


In Dortmund at the main station I wait for the S-Bahn, today 7:28

It is still cold and we got some more snow.
Good weather to take some photos.

Sunday fun in the snow

In our Street in Lünen, Andreas (14) is pulling Thomas (3).

Snow - and more snow

On my way to work, today

Usually I only make my photos smaller, otherwise I tell you. So colors here are how they are after shooting.

Yesterday was supposed to be a chaos day here in the Ruhr Area in Germany with lots of snow. School closed earlier, everybody was talking about snow (is some ice coming, a storm?).

And in the afternoon it was snowing, snowing, and snowing. More than normally.

I was walking with my little son, and that was fun. Great to put the feet in deep powder snow. Only few other people outside. All so quit. And snow all around, like magic.

In the Harz Mountains, where I grew up, there is always snow from November until March, or even longer. And it is normal that the snow gets higher and higher on the side of the street. People there are used to loads of snow. No one is talking about chaos.

Cold

Yesterday in Germany. Cold and dark.

Blue in white

The world has it ways to quiet us down

Today in Germany
The titel is from the song "Losing Keys" by Jack Johnson

Yesterday we had a lot of snow. In one hour everything outside changed. Totally white. I like to feel the power of nature. Even in overcrowded Germany snow quiet us down. Cars go so slow then.
And all looks like a fantsy world.

Street find

This is left when they make flip-flops, Calicut, Kerala, India, January 2009
Streets in India are a treasure trove. I found this waste in a puddle.

Pagoda

Chinese pagoda, Ürümqi, China, May 2009

Ürumqi is the capital of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China's most western province. The most "inland" city in the world - the furthest from any major body of water - Urumqi is 3,270 km (2,050 miles) from Beijing. It lies on the northern route of the Silk Road. It's a modern city with a lot of skyscrapers.

From Pakistan we came by bus via Kashgar to Ürümqi. In Ürümqi we stayed in the flat with a young man whom we met through couchsurfing.org. He showed us around in town and we had an interesting time.

By train we reached Beijing in two days.

Do you know what's that?

A hint: outside, not in Germany, far away.

Long and dark December

Cold and snowy morning, on my 5 minutes walk from the suburban rail line to work, yesterday, in Germany

There was snow - white snow

Yesterday, Lünen the city where I live, Germany

It's unusual to have so much snow here, it is snowing every day, and now for nearly two weeks.
I like the sound - kn, kn, kn, when walking in the fresh snow.

It's pure chance that I write this now.
Colombia has nothing to do with snow.
Exactly one year ago on our big journey we've been in Colombia.


Street vendor, Bogota, Colombia, 9th December 2009

Our traveling was interesting, with no problems. We drove from Cartagena, on the Atlantic, all the way south to Ecuador. By bus. We slept mostly in houses from friendly people, whom we met via www.couchsurfing.org. Just great!

The titel is a quote from the song Violet Hill by Coldplay.

Let us consider that we are all partially insane. It will explain us to each other; it will unriddle many riddles.

This morning. On my way to work. 7:30 h, Main Station Dortmund

Quote from Mark Twain.

Ruhr Area - continued

Ferries Wheel in a former coking plant, Zollverein Coalmine Industrial Complex in Essen, Germany, September 2007

UNESCO declared the Zollverein Coalmine Industrial Complex in Essen a World Heritage Site. And for me it's an interesting place close to where I live. Great for taking photos.

The first two photos from the post Ruhr Area (September 10th) were taken there, too.

Silence

Heart Lake, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA, 28th August 2009, 17:24 h


Heart Lake, 28th August 2009, 19:13h


Heart Lake, 29th August 2009, 5:59h

My memories are full of impressions from our hiking and backpacking (or trekking?) tour in Yellowstone. 11 days (better nights) in the wilderness. It' s to hard to tell. OUTSTANDING.

Just our family, my husband, our two boys and me. Of course we had to carry all our foud and equipment on our own. And the little boy, too.

It was fantastic, fabulous, great! Sleeping in our tent, hiking without seeing any other people, crossing rivers, drinking from the creeks, watching wild animals ...

I love nature. And silence.