Me and my new girl

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2020 new a

I’ve been planning to get a new bike for awhile but thanks to Corona I delayed the acquisition.  In the meantime our ways of doing things has changed: I do all the shopping on my own which we often did together beforehand.  I don’t use public transport anymore.  As we shouldn’t go out for joyrides (they always were a guilty pleasure due to environmental reasons) my radius has shrunk.  So when the shops opened again I made a very impulsive decision and bought a pedelec – complete with bags for shopping and/or my camera.

It is such a beauty – I call her Winona Rider, by the way – that even the local bird life is interested:

2020 new b

But I got my own back, being equally curious and being stealthy and very quiet (thanks to Winona):

2020 new c

Linked to A Photo a Week: Coronavirus changes.

Love on a hard concrete bench

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2020 love

For once a whole story with my Six Word Saturday photo.  I took this photo (and many others) in a not quite savoury part of Mannheim near the old harbour, an area bordering on the brink of gentrification.

While I was snapping away I heard a gruff voice in my back (please excuse the language, it was rather unsavoury, too): “Straighten your back and put your arse out!”  I turned round with clenched cheeks, unsure how I should react when I saw two burly, bearded men who could have easily posed for this sprayed graffiti and who were using an old bollard as a impromptu gym machine and urging each other on.

Double entendres everywhere.

Linked to Six Word Saturday where you can find more sixer with or without accompanying stories.

Long Louis

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Langer Ludwig

The central place in Darmstadt is the Luisenplatz with this 33 metre tall column supporting a bronze statue of Ludwig I, first Grand Duke of Hesse, erected in the middle of the 19th century.  The people of Darmstadt call it Langer Lui, meaning Long Ludwig, on account of its size (or length).

Today it is surrounded by buildings erected after the second world war as the centre of Darmstadt was almost completely destroyed in one night in 1944.  In the firestorm created by allied bombers approximately 11 ,000 to 12,500 of the inhabitants burned to death, and 66,000 to 70,000 were left homeless.  The palace behind the column was erased and in its place is now a shopping mall.

Langer Ludwig
Langer Lui

Ludwig from the bottom and almost at eye level from a neighbouring multi-storey car park.

Linked to Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: things that are long.

 

Hallo, Nachbar!

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Hi there, neighbour!

“Love your neighbor as yourself; but don’t take down the fence.”

Carl Sandburg

2020 fence a

Even in garden gnome society this seems to be a followed adage.

2020 fence b

And certainly, some neighbours may be cute but you do not want them on your side of the fence.

2020 fence c

I don’t know that the fence will keep those neighbours on their side, though.

2020 fence d

And there are some neighbours who will be welcomed even if they have to climb that fence to come over.

Linked to Travel with Intent.  More photos inspired by the quotation of Carl Sandburg are linked here.