Day trip to Leipzig

  I went on a day trip to Leipzig with a group of photograph buff's recently. We got there about 12 and wandered around, found a good example of Art Nouveau architecture with a very obvious Japanese influence:

 

Nearby is a gallery mall from about 1900 called Specks Hof

Unfortunately I didn't have much time to check this out and it looks like most of the classic details have been removed. This ceiling section was an exception.

Nikolaikirke with great columns.

The most impressive site is the memorial to Napoleon's defeat at Leipzig, Volkerschlachtdenkmal. It is huge...

I walked from the old city centre and you definitely see it from a long way off.

See the people?

Rather humbling sense of scale and loss when you think of all who died to make this necessary.

With all this stone it feels like the Mines of Moria and here's Gimli.

Walking into the interior crypt of this massive monument felt a bit like a set from an Indiana Jones film or perhaps Dune.

No matter where you go in Europe, somethings always being cleaned.

I expected Salah to poke his head out and quip about the tomb full of "asp's"

If you are only slightly claustrophobic, DON'T climb the spiral staircase.

Great doors in this place.

Almost at the top

  Once at the very top you can't see any of the monument just a great view of the city, a nearby castle and Nuclear power station belching out steam. I forgot to stretch out and hang the camera over the edge to see if I could see these great figures from the top down. Next time.

Andy

Amazing awesomeness at Heilstätte Grabowsee

 I finally found time to visit this truly awesome abandoned hospital just outside of Berlin. A former sanatorium for tuberculosis patients and later used as a Russian military hospital. Heilstätte Grabowsee was built about 100 years ago but abandoned in the 90's apparently. Now its slowly falling apart out in the woods. The buildings are huge, there are corridors and hidden stairwells and rooms beyond rooms that seem to go on forever.

We traveled from the Ubahn train station by bike to an (appropriately) abandoned railway bridge. Beyond this was forest, swamp and eerie awesomeness...

About to enter Wonderland...

Red glow at the end of the hall.....

The basement of this place is really creepy. A long dark corridor with small rooms leading off. It almost felt like these were solitary confinement rooms, each with a dark pit.

flashlight in the foreground, otherwise available light.

More info on this place at this great blog
www.abandonedberlin.com

  I'll add more photo's to my flickr site here:
www.flickr.com/NouveauVoyages

  We only had time (3 hours) to see one building! We didn't have time to search the others. I'm going back again:) All we took were pictures, all we left were footprints.

Andy

The other Woodstock (in Poland)

In August I went to the massive European version of Woodstock in Przystanek, Poland. Absolutely amazing. Last year the estimated crowd was 300,000, this year they expected about 500,000 but the number the organizers stated later was 700,000. Whatever the number, it was BIG, perhaps a bit too big.

The headline group was "The Prodigy", they seemed to be uncomfortable with the crowd as they were talking to us in English and most didn't seem to recognize anything other than "hello Poland" big cheer for that! Thanks go to our gang for the photos:

On the way to the site there were lots of entrepreneurs with the BBQ. And so much choice for the vegetarians too! Well perhaps the next stall. The food at the fest was much the same, typical eastern European meat and potatoes but considering the captive audience the prices were quite good.

The main stage from the top of the hill. Our camp was off to the right in the trees.

As the saying goes, you don't buy beer you rent it

The theme of the weekend was Peace, Love, Music, Friendship...

Sometimes the jokes just write themselves. The politically correct version would be, "money challenged, pale refuse".

Waaaay to many conservative girls at this party.

The group of couch surfers that went this year

Now its Woodstock

Each marching to their own beat. We can all get along.

The view from the top of the main stage This was impressive...

But when you're in the middle of that and this comes up on the big screen at night, wow.

White culture, gotta love it....

Give beer a chance.... free beer....make beer not war.

Yep, we all had a good time...

And then you get home... a document of my state before the 3 showers to get all the dirt out.

  So it was a great experience and worth doing at least once. The only problems were a slight mishap in the mud pool which required some stitches and our backpacks were stolen :( Some friends were sharing my tent and Manuel had a nice camera with him. We figure the moron's in question followed us back to out tent to see where the camera would be later. That night we were down at the main stage for the final concert and the moron's came and took my bag and his bag but left the girls bag. Obviously they were after the guys stuff with the goodies. Fortunately Manuel left the camera somewhere other than in the tent so it was ok. All I lost was clothes but unfortunately also my sketchbook with drawings from last years trip to Europe, So that can't be replaced but I'm REALLY glad I didn't bring my camera. Karma will return that pair of jeans and a few T-shirts. The moron's should watch the Karma rear view mirror, its coming for ya.