Upheld

This photo has become a tradition for this blog on each Christmas Eve since 2010. This ornament is appropriate, as it was spied that year hanging in a vendor’s booth at the Christmas Market in Vienna, Austria.

I do believe I missed last year, but we were busy traveling the world. Goddess and I spent the first half of this year continuing those travels, spending time with friends and family all over the world.  We’ve settled down for a spell to see how that suits us.

Know that our wish for you is to have a peaceful end of the calendar year adhering to whatever practices bring you comfort and joy.

Hopefully you will find a bit of relaxation in there too.

Fretboard

I sure do miss shooting modern architecture.

It’s a subject I pursued quite frequently while living in Tokyo, but rarely since.  Most of the cities we’ve visited since they have a large building or two, but nothing too inspiring.  I wouldn’t say that Frankfurt’s new construction is terribly inspiring either, but there are some bright spots.

Fretboard

The setting sun really made this building “pop”.

Substreet View

Looking toward the Pergamon Museum, Berlin, Germany.

Ornaments

Whenever we go to a Weinachtsmarkt, Goddess and I try to look for the unique.

Every market is filled with shops.  Many of them are the same, from market to market to market.  The same suppliers, often the same people.  Selling the same-ol’, same-ol’.

But not always.

In Vienna it was a wonderful handmade, hand-painted globe.  “Made by a young local artist”, said the booth worker, who was completely set aback when I replied “I only purchase work from old, foreign artists”.  Then we had a good laugh as I forked over the Euro.

In Speyer, it was the same-ol’.

In Bad Wimpfen it was a hand-crafted glass hummingbird.

And while waiting for the shop owner to wrap our purchase, this guy kept catching my eye.

Tonight we’ll explore the Heidelberg weinachtsmarkt.  Crazy packed during the weekend, we made a glancing blow last Thursday and decided that we’d visit again on a weeknight.

When there’s still room to move.

I’m sure I’ll make a picture or two there.