Photographs And Memories

A man he loves a woman

They marry and they raise a child

That's the way the whole world over

But there's too much life involved

Now looking out the window

At the skies that keep closing in

And deep down in their heart they know

The void will never fill

Photographs And Memories

That never fade as time moves on

And he becomes the hunter

And questions burn like the sun

And for the pilgrim 

The road is always long and sore

But for the love of the father

You walk it all and so much more

(The Band From Rockall - For The Love Of Alison)

The Alster.

Eppendorf.

Hamburg, Germany.

July 2012.

Have a good weekend.

- Dom

One Way Ticket

If I never see your face again

Or sunlight come to grace a dawn

Our passion's work would not take flight

Our strivings cease, our glory gone

They gave me a ticket on a one-way journey

But you offered me a same price return

I've never seen a flower that didn't shed its seed

To rise in spring out of the ground

(The Band From Rockall - One Way Ticket)

Alster, Hamburg, Germany.

July 2012.

Darkness On The Edge Of Town

Volvo Amazon.
Hamburg, Germany.

July 2012.

Tonight I'll be on that hill 'cause I can't stop

I'll be on that hill with everything I got

Lives on the line where dreams are found and lost

I'll be there on time and I'll pay the cost

For wanting things that can only be found

In the darkness on the edge of town

(Bruce Springsteen - Darkness On The Edge Of Town)

There's A Reason

Hamburg, Germany.

May 2012.

When the moon follows you where you go

And you cannot hide

And when voices of doom ring your ears

And horsemen do ride

May tomorrow the land be anew

May every bird sing unto you

That's the reason

That's the reason

That the love that's tearing you down

Is the love that will turn you around

(A.A. Bondy - There's A Reason)

Workingman's Blues

Well, I'm sailin' on back, ready for the long haul

Tossed by the winds and the seas

I'll drag 'em all down to hell and I'll stand 'em at the wall

I'll sell 'em to their enemies

Now they worry and they hurry and they fuss and they fret

They waste your nights and days

Them I will forget

But you I'll remember always

(Bob Dylan - Workingman's Blues)

Hamburg, Germany.

May 2012.

This morning I had to start work at half past eight, but I already woke up shortly after four o'clock... too late to fall asleep again... so I decided to take the first harbour ferry, read a book, and take pictures from aboard the ferry.

Click here to see similar pictures taken in February. Click here for more information.

Spirit On The Water

Life without you

Doesn't mean a thing to me

If I can't have you

I'll throw my love into the deep blue sea

(Bob Dylan - Spirit On The Water)

Houseboat at low tide.

Hamburg, Germany.

May 2012.

This strange houseboat reminded me of the ones in Sausalito. I would love to know what kind of person lives there, and why he or she chose to live in such an isolated place.

Have a great week.

- Dom

Better Together

Hamburg, Germany.

May 2012.

F/8, ISO 50, 300 seconds.

And all of these moments

Just might find their way into my dreams tonight

But I know that they'll be gone

When the morning light sings

And brings new things

For tomorrow night you see

That they'll be gone too

Too many things I have to do

But if all of these dreams might find their way

Into my day to day scene

I'd be under the impression

I was somewhere in between

With only two

Just me and you

(Jack Johnson - Better Together)

Another photo from my photo walk with my friends Michal and Michelle... 

One of my colleagues recently asked me, "Why are you always taking pictures of that river? There's so much more to take pictures of in Hamburg."

I replied, "What I love most about being down on the river bank is that you can actually see the horizon. In the city, the farthest you can see is the end of the street."

F-Stop Blues

Driftwood floats after years of erosion

Incoming tide touches roots to expose them

Quicksand steals my shoe

Clouds bring the f-stop blues

Look who's laughing now that you've wasted

How many years and you've barely even tasted

Anything remotely close to

Everything you've boasted about

Look who's crying now

(Jack Johnson - F-Stop Blues)

Shipwrecks.
Hamburg-Blankenese, Germany.

May 2012.

Long exposures of 200 and

300 seconds, respectively.

After a few rainy days, Thursday was a beautiful day. I came home from work, grabbed a quick bite, packed my photography equipment, and left again to pick up two friends with whom I drove to Hamburg-Blankenese. We downed a few Heinekens while we enjoyed the fresh air before we set up our tripods and took long exposures. It was a very enjoyable evening.


"F-Stop Blues" is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard...

Have a nice weekend!

- Dom

Book Of Golden Stories

But as long as I can see the morning

In miracles, much more than I can say

It's enough to keep me still believing

In drifting hearts so far away

Yes, as long as I can see the morning

And blossom comes to bud again in spring

It's enough to keep me still believing

Your memory is everything

(Bruce Guthro - Book Of Golden Stories)

Imam Ali Mosque, Hamburg, Germany.

May 2012.

This mosque is one of the most beautiful mosques I've seen outside the Muslim world. Click here to see an older picture of the mosque. The whole place is really peaceful and quiet at night.

Tomorrow is going to be my first day off this week. Hopefully, I'll get the chance to take some more new pictures. The last few days have been mostly rainy. That's why I had some time before and after work to catch up with some of the blogs that I follow.

Here's a selection of links... Festival of Colours in India; a video clip about the work of George Lawrence; vintage photographs; and a video clip showing different beer bottles.

Goodnight.

- Dom

Nineteen Eighty-Four

The former Deutsche Post - office block.

Hamburg, Germany.

May 2012.

I guess there's no one in England who wasn't assigned to read George Orwell's dystopian novel "Nineteen Eighty-Four" in school. Truth be told, I didn't get anything out of it, and neither did the film appeal to me. There's no writer whose novels or short stories have impressed me as much as those penned by Ernest Hemingway, Harper Lee, and Cormac McCarthy.
Anyway, in "1984", there are these four ministries that govern Oceania and which rise above the London skyline. Oceania is composed of Great Britain and Ireland, Iceland and Greenland, the Americas, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand as well as the majority of the Pacific Islands. 
Even though the building in the above picture isn't nearly as high as the ministries, it looks very much like I pictured them.

Days Like This

"Maman" sculpture by Louise Bourgeois.

Hamburg, Germany.

February 2012.

35mm.

Blog post title taken from a wonderful song by Van Morrison.

Reasons

Show a little faith, there's magic in the night.

(Bruce Springsteen - Thunder Road)

Hamburg, Germany.

April 2012.

300 seconds, F/10, ISO 50.

This is too beautiful to upload in the usual small size.

I'll climb more than a mountain

Swim more than an ocean

I'll build up an island

I'll live for a lifetime

Just give me a reason and I'll come running

When I have reasons, I know the way

I'm pointing my feet in the right direction

Give me a reason

(John Farnham - Reasons)

I worked the whole weekend and I'll be working tomorrow evening as well... so when - finally! - the rain stopped, I packed my camera backpack and tripod and drove to the other side of town... the view is amazing... it's peaceful... I love to watch the waves... 

My friend Oliver, with whom I used to play football in London, spent a year exploring Asia on the back of a motor scooter before returning to the UK. Back home in Twickenham, Oliver must've got bored - anyway, he decided to apply for a work placement with an international company... it was around that time that we spoke about his plans, and of course I tried to convince him to come to Hamburg - successfully, as he let me know a few days ago: He'll be living and working in Hamburg from the end of June until the end of December.

I don't think it's got anything to do with the Beatles, but Hamburg seems to be our favourite destination in Germany. Look at that view in the picture above and you'll know why I love this city... and unlike London, Hamburg's skyline hasn't been ruined by a building like The Shard.

Goodnight, and have a great week!

- Dom

Rockaway

Abandoned engine shed, Hamburg, Germany.

April 2012.

Click here to view a set of pictures

taken at the same place last October.

Sailing on the sea of space and time to take today

Waves of dancing dreams it seems you're drifting back my way

My heart was like a lonesome drummer beating endlessly

Your love was like a lighthouse beacon in my memory

(Rawlins Cross - Rockaway)

This weekend, I only worked the evening shift on Saturday. I went to Altona with a friend who wanted to buy some equipment at the Calumet store. Altona is my favourite borough of Hamburg - there are lots of shops and restaurants, among them the African restaurant Tropical Point, which I've recommended before. My friend Michal recently convinced me to give the "StadtRAD" a try. The StadtRAD isn't the coolest-looking bicycle that I could imagine, but it's a great innovation nevertheless. There are hire stations throughout the entire city and the first half hour is without charge. If you're planning to visit Hamburg, I'd recommend to sign up online. I haven't replaced the road bike that got stolen last spring, so I enjoyed our ride from Altona to Wandsbek - we rode past street art, saw several Volkswagen T3 Syncro vans in awesome condition, and last but not least, enjoyed the view across the Alster Lake. Later that night we celebrated a friend's birthday at a pool hall. I played regularly in England, so I owned the other guys. I didn't have a hangover this morning and there wasn't anything to do, which is why I drove down to Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg to the abandoned engine shed (Google Maps: "53.511781,10.005753"). It's a favourite among urban explorers in Hamburg.

A Million Miles Away

The Elbe, Hamburg, Germany.

April 2012.

Oh, witness river

You have seen it all

Now do your waters

Have room for one more?

Oh, endless river

As you transcend

Please take me with you

Far from this land

(Lissie - Oh Mississippi)

I'm standing on the landing

There's no one there but me

That's where you'll find me

Looking out on the deep blue sea

I'm a million miles away

A million miles away

I'm sailing like a driftwood on a windy bay

On a windy bay

(Rory Gallagher - A Million Miles Away)

I worked from Saturday to Monday, and today I'm attending two lectures at university. I've got three more shifts coming up this week (Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday), so I don't have a whole lot of time off to do other things... that's why I decided to go down to the river last night and take some long exposures. Once again, you can see that surreal orange/yellowish glow in the sky above the Port of Hamburg, which is the 11th-largest worldwide thanks to a size of 28.6 square miles.

I love the sea, and I love rivers. Some of the most beautiful, inspirational, sad songs and stories are about people whose lives are shaped by the sea. Herman Melville wrote in his timeless masterpiece, Moby-Dick, that "there is one knows not what sweet mystery about this sea, whose gently awful stirrings seem to speak of some hidden soul beneath"... 


Check out these amazing photographs by Ian Ruhter, and a video about how he makes them.

Have a nice day.

- Dom

Lately

Speicherstadt, Hamburg, Germany.

March 2012.

Click here for a previous picture.

That the sky would lift

That I'd find my place

That I'd see your face in the door

And the sun would glint

And a time well spent

And a time that ain't no more

Someone tell me where did it go

Darling I'm damned if I know

I seen that look in your eye

No-one ever gave it a chance

I could have said in advance

You saw it all at a glance

And goodbye

Honey lately I've been way down

Honey lately I've been way down

(David Gray - Lately)

Gloria

She comes around here just about midnight

She makes me feel so good

I wanna say she make me feel all right

Comes a-walkin' down my street

Then she comes up to my house

She knock upon my door and then she comes to my room

Yeah, an' she make me feel all right

And her name is G-l-o-r-i-a

G-l-o-r-i-a, Gloria

G-l-o-r-i-a, Gloria

I'm gonna shout it all night, Gloria

I'm gonna shout it every day, Gloria

(Van Morrison - Gloria)

Fleetschlösschen.

Hamburg, Germany.

March 2012.

Couldn't find no more pictures in my archives that were good enough to post on my blog... so I went out tonight and took some long exposures. It's my day off, and I had to run a few errands this morning... there's a few things on my mind as well, so I really enjoyed driving around town for a couple hours.

In a previous blog post I mentioned one of my favourite customers at the coffee shop (in fact, both of my favourite female customers are blondes). Yesterday, I finally learned her name.

This coming Saturday is Saint Patrick's Day. I'll go on a pub crawl with my colleagues. One of them will come along to Berlin - I'll be there from the 29th to 31st of March. 

In another previous blog post, I mentioned that some of my friends invited me to accompany them on a trip to Denmark. However, I've had to decline the invitation this week because I've already got other plans for the week they've decided on. If you've read my previous blog posts, you know that Denmark was only my fourth choice for my summer holiday (my first choice was a road trip around Scandinavia with my best friend, my second choice was visiting Israel, and lastly, my third choice was another American road trip). I haven't made a decision where to go now. One of my colleagues is from Belgium, and apart from having a cute accent, she told me a lot of nice things about her country... maybe I'll go there.

Have a great week.

- Dom

Breathless

Hamburg, Germany.

February 2012.

Lay down on a sandy beach

It's a bad world, no place for us to be

(Miranda Lee Richards - Breathless)

Now the season's over and I feel it getting cold

I wish I could take you to some sandy beach

where we'd never grow old

(Bruce Springsteen - Wings For Wheels)

There might be just a bit too much going on in this picture - bright colours, reflections, waves. However, this isn't supposed to be one of my best long exposures (like this one for example)... I took this picture so that those of you who have never been to Hamburg could get an idea of what it's like to stand there and take in the view. It's amazing. 

There's a bar called 20up (it's located on the 20th floor of the Empire Riverside Hotel) - when I went there, I liked neither the bartenders nor the waitresses working there, because they were arrogant and boring... I didn't like most of the customers neither, because they were stuck-up snobs - but the view was amazing.

I need to get some sleep now; I've got four days of work coming up.

Goodnight.

- Dom

Life Boat

Hamburg-Blankenese, Germany.

February 2012.

Sail across the ocean, the ocean deep and wide

The storm will bring you to the other side

Freedom, my love, is a double-sided coin

What have you done to earn your keep?

It's no longer a dream...

(Miranda Lee Richards - Life Boat)

These photographs were taken when the tide was high. If you look close enough, you can see shipwrecks in both pictures. Click here and here to view pictures taken at low tide.


Click here if you'd like to see more pictures of shipwrecks.

The song quoted above is one of the tracks on Richards' album "Light Of X", which is a wonderful soundtrack for rainy days, sunny days, happy days, sad days, and pretty much anything else you could possibly think of.

Just one week ago, I stated that it was more likely I'd be going to visit the U.S. this summer than going on the trip up to Scandinavia, as I had originally planned. The situation has changed completely for a number of reasons:

- I have just learnt that my current car, a Volvo V40, is going to fail the TÜV (the German version of what we call MOT in the UK) this coming April, due in part to bodywork damage, which in turn resulted in damage by water, and a few other things.

- A few of my good friends here in Hamburg are planning to rent a house up north in Denmark for a week or two in August or September and asked me if I wanted to come along.

- I definitely need a trip somewhere - anywhere - but when I made plans to go on a road trip around the American Southwest I thought that I was going to keep my car for another year. 

- Denmark is just a four-hour-drive away from Hamburg, and since I'd be going with a group of people, I'd save the money for a hired car and avoid the current high petrol prices, and since we'd be sharing a house, I'd be spending a lot less money on accommodation, too.

- The money I'm going to save will contribute to the budget for my next car, which is most likely going to be a BMW. Then again, I love the Volkswagen T2 and T3 vans... well, I'll have enough time to think about that.

This is the final decision. The American road trip that I was talking about will be one of my future travels, just like the Scandinavian road trip.

I'm not yet sure if I'll come along to Denmark, but I do know for sure that I'm planning to go on a few short trips to other places in Europe - preferably one or two destinations in Portugal or Spain.

Goodnight.


- Dom

Not Fade Away

Hamburg-Övelgönne, Germany.

February 2012.

Övelgönne is part of Othmarschen, which is a quarter of Altona, which in turn is one of the seven boroughs Hamburg is made up of. It's complicated, I know. Anyway, Övelgönne is beautiful and the view is amazing (click here for an aerial view). I went there a few times last summer. There's a beach bar called Strandperle, which is a great place to hang out. Yes, you heard that right! There is a beach in Hamburg.

Blog post title taken from the song of the same name by the Grateful Dead.

Have a great week!

- Dom

Ripple

Hamburg, Germany.

February 2012.

If my words did glow with the gold of sunshine

And my tunes were played on the harp unstrung,

Would you hear my voice come through the music,

Would you hold it near as it were your own?

It's a hand-me-down, the thoughts are broken,

Perhaps they're better left unsung

I don't know, don't really care

Let there be songs to fill the air


Ripple in still water 
When there is no pebble tossed
Nor wind to blow

(Grateful Dead - Ripple)

No work today... no inspiration to write an essay for university either... so I decided to gear up for a hike along the banks of the Elbe river. 

Links I like: Joana Rosa Bragança's photostream on Flickr (I love these sets of photographs: #1; #2) and the English Shop - there's a British Shop near the coffee shop, but I don't like their extortionate prices. Now I must admit that the English Shop is rather expensive too, but I just can't go without a number of products that I'd like to recommend to you in case you've never tried them: Galaxy Ripple, white Maltesers, Yorkie, and of course custard cream biscuits.

Goodnight.

- Dom