Ghost Town

Lüneburg, Germany.

May 2011.

Title of this blog post taken from an instrumental track by Bill Frisell. The first title that came to my mind was "Darkness On The Edge Of Town", but I've already used it twice (#1; #2).

This coming week me and the two friends with whom I'll drive around France will get together. We'll make some changes to the route - more than 5000 kilometres in less than two weeks seems like too much time spent on the road and too little time spent hiking. The goal is to reduce the route to 4000 kilometres.

Have a great day.


- Dom

You Ain't Goin' Nowhere

The ruins of the old engine shed.

Hamburg, Germany.

May 2011.

I've visited this place many times. Click here if you'd like to see pictures taken during previous trips (#1; #2; #3; #4).

Today is Bob Dylan's 70th birthday... the title of this blog post was taken from one of my favourite songs by him.

A friend of mine, Marlene, whom I hadn't seen in almost three years, came to Hamburg today. I love surprise visits.


The next few weeks will be important - apartment hunting, exams, papers and presentations, but also my trips (London and Frankfurt) are going to keep me busy... at the moment, I'm really loving student life.

Goodnight.

- Dom

The Last Race

Southern California.

June 2009.

Blog post title taken from the instrumental track of the same name by Jack Nitzsche.

It's the 20th of May... one month from now, I'll visit London, and in two months the semester break begins.


Check out these pictures of Göbekli Tepe, one of the world's oldest archaeological sites. Click here to see an awesome series of pictures taken in Australia. For two epic mountain biking video clips, click here and here. Here's a trailer for a film about what I believe must've been an awesome project to participate in. I would love to see this movie, too, but I doubt it'll be shown around here.


Apart from doing lots of work for university, I'm also busy hunting for apartments, together with my friend Julia. 
This change of plan coincides with my decision not to move up to Kiel next year to begin scientific diver training - I would risk permanent loss of hearing in one ear (there's something not right with it). A career as a diver ain't worth that much to me.
I've lived with my current flatmates for half a year now, and I'm not willing to go on sharing an apartment with them any longer. They're messy beyond measure... for example, they don't do the dishes for up to three days straight. They drink too often and too much. They're so noisy even my noise cancelling headphones don't help much. 

Goodnight, and I hope you have a nice weekend!

- Dom

The Water Is Wide

The water is wide, I cannot get over

Neither have I wings to fly

Give me a boat that can carry two

And both shall row, my love and I

A ship there is, and she sails the sea

She's loaded deep as deep can be

But not so deep as the love I'm in

I know not if I sink or swim

Oh love be handsome and love be kind

Gay as a jewel when first it is new

But love grows old and waxes cold

And fades away like the morning dew

Must I go bound while you go free

Must I love a girl who doesn't love me

Must I be born with so little art

As to love a girl who'll break my heart

(The Water Is Wide)

Hamburg, Germany.

May 2011.

The picture above shows the wreck of the four-masted schooner Polstjernan, which sunk almost 85 years ago in October 1926 while sailing under the flag of Finland. The wreck is only visible during low tide.

Goodnight, and have a great week.

- Dom

This Magic Moment

The River Elbe.

Hamburg, Germany.

May 2011.

I finished my presentation about the Gundestrup cauldron earlier today. I had expected to spend the entire weekend working on it. Instead, I had time to watch the last match day of the German Bundesliga, and later in the evening I drove around the city for a couple hours. I visited one of my favourite spots just outside of Hamburg, where I took the pictures above.

Blog post title taken from this song by Ben E. King & The Drifters.

Goodnight.

- Dom

Stand By Me

Grand Canyon.

June 2009.

When the night has come

And the land is dark

And the moon is the only light we'll see

No I won't be afraid, oh I won't be afraid

If the sky that we look upon

Should tumble and fall

Or the mountain

Should crumble to the sea

I won't cry, I won't cry

No, I won't shed a tear

(Ben E. King - Stand By Me)

I've been busy preparing a presentation about the Gundestrup cauldron. Out of the six presentations I'm going to give this semester, it's the most important one. The Gundestrup cauldron is a masterpiece of Celtic art. All those presentations are the reason I didn't get out much during the first half of this month, and won't get out much in the second half either. Hopefully, I'll be able to upload new pictures in June.

Let me share with you two websites of photographers (#1; #2), the trailer for a movie about mountain biking, and the trailer for a surf film. 

The latter features a spoken monologue which goes as follows:
"The funny thing about fairy tales is that we forget about them so fast... and we grow up, we buy things, we build up fences. We sell our innocence and forget our dreams. We forget who we are in order to be something we're not and we'll keep believing in these so-called truths... until we forget how to live... or until we open our eyes and wake up."

I was impressed, to say the least.

Have a great evening.


- Dom

Five Feet High And Risin'

How high's the water mama?

Five feet high and risin'

How high's the water papa?

Five feet high and risin'

(Johnny Cash)

New Orleans, Louisiana.

2007. Two years after

Hurricane Katrina.

Medium format.

Goodnight.

- Dom

I Walk The Line

Mississippi Delta.

2007.

Broken Hymns

Asbury Park, New Jersey.

June 2009.

Blog post title taken from the song of the same name by Dropkick Murphys.

Click here to see Abelardo Morell's camera obscura series. Hit this link for pictures of a lovely cottage in upstate New York. If you like stunning architecture, click the following link. Last but not least, I liked the following commercials of a language school, which were filmed in Barcelona, London, and Paris.

Me and a few friends will spend Saturday afternoon at a blacksmith's shop. If I hadn't decided to study archaeology, I would've probably become a mechanic or a carpenter. One day I would love to buy and restore a muscle car, and I would love to design and build a piece of furniture, too. 

Which leads me to my next update. I've decided not to visit Scandinavia this summer, and that's my final decision. I'm already going to spend enough money while I'm in London and France, and the rest of the money I'll make this summer will contribute to the budget for one of my long-term plans. 

Goodnight.

- Dom