Great Tits

Great tit chicks : Roman ruins : Badenweiler, DE

No, I'm not referring to an anatomical feature on women. I'm talking about the birds. Great tits are common throughout Europe and are characterized by a black head with white cheeks and an olive or yellow underbelly. They're playful little birds and really delightful to watch. At home in Ferney, we have a bird feeder set up for their enjoyment, and ours. During our visit to the Roman bath ruins, we stopped at the end of our self-guided tour to watch a video. After the video ended, we could hear birdsong. It was so close, we suspected it was coming from birds nesting in the ruins. 

Lunch is served! : Roman ruins : Badenweiler, DE

Sure enough, on the wall right in front of us were a pair of great tit chicks. As we sat and watched them, an adult tit showed up with lunch. These are a few photos of a wonderful moment in nature among the ruins!

That blur on the left is the adult tit, off to find more food : Roman ruins : Badenweiler, DE

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 5/2012

Badenweiler

Beautiful flora in the public gardens were in bloom. The Cassiopeia Thermal Baths are in the domed building in the background. : Badenweiler, DE

I have a colleague who recently bought an apartment in the Schwarzwald town of Badenweiler. She said we were welcome to use the apartment as a get-away, so we took her up on her offer. Badenweiler is one of those towns Germans go to to "take the waters" and is a destination that, if you go for therapeutic reasons, is covered by the German national health insurance plan. We enjoyed a couple of days of rest and relaxation.

Ruins of the original Roman baths : Badenweiler, DE

While we were there, we took a self-guided tour of the original Roman baths. These date back to 75 CE/AD and are well-preserved. Additional photos of the bath ruins and various buildings and features around the town can be seen here.

Mating dance : Seen in the gardens near the baths : Badenweiler, DE

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 5/2012

Stille Nacht

Woodcarved Nativity : Freiburger Christkindlmarkt : Freiburg, DE

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Alles schläft; einsam wacht
Nur das traute hochheilige Paar.
Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar,
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Hirten erst kundgemacht
Durch der Engel Halleluja,
Tönt es laut von fern und nah:
Christ, der Retter ist da!
Christ, der Retter ist da!

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Gottes Sohn, o wie lacht
Lieb' aus deinem göttlichen Mund,
Da uns schlägt die rettende Stund'.
Christ, in deiner Geburt!
Christ, in deiner Geburt!

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 11/10

Christmas Market Fun

On a whirling swingy thing : Freiburg Christkindlmarkt : Freiburg, DE

There's something at the Christmas market for children of all ages. For the little kids, there are carnival rides and for the big kids, there's Glühwein (FR: vin chaud; EN: mulled hot wine) and hot Christmas punch. Having never ridden on those whirling swingy things (that's the official technical term, by the way. Whirling swingy things), we decided to give it a, erm, whirl.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeee! : Freiburger Christkindlmarket : Freiburg, DE

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 11/10

Freiburger Christkindlmarkt

Puppets and small toys : Freiburger Christkindlmarkt : Freiburg, DE

Mind-bending puzzles : Freiburger Christkindlmarkt : Freiburg, DE

I skipped from the Freiburger Münster right over the Freiburger Christkindlmarkt and went straight to a glacier. Well, I'm bringing it back to Freiburg for the next day or so. Here are a couple of shots from the Christmas market in Freiburg. After the disappointment that was Colmar, Freiburg was great! We spent five hours--count 'em: FIVE HOURS--visiting the booths and a couple of shops in this quaint little town at the edge of the Black Forest.

Woodcarvings made of olive wood from Israel : Freiburger Christkindlmarkt : Freiburg, DE

 View of the market from inside the Freiburg Rathaus :
Freiburger Christkindlmarkt : Freiburg, DE

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 11/10

100 Strangers: Lena Welsch

Lena Welsch : Freiburger Christkindlmarkt : Freiburg, DE

It's been a while since I posted a 100 Strangers photo. This is Ms. Lena Welsch of Freiburg, Germany. She was staffing one of the many booths at the Christmas market. Her market stall features items made out of felt and range from trivets to hats, purses to dresses, and slippers to mushroom lapel pins. Like many of the vendors in Freiburg, Lena speaks excellent English. We enjoyed bantering back and forth in both English and German and really had fun talking to her. In the end, we bought a trivet from her--those flat, multi-balled items in front of her. If you have a chance to go to the Freiburger Christkindlmarkt, be sure to stop by her booth.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 11/10

Freiburger Münster

Portal Detail : Freiburger Münster : Freiburg im Briesgau, DE

Freiburg im Briesgau, Germany, features a beautiful cathedral in its old town (Altstadt) section. This is a photo of the front portal of the church, known as the Freiburger Münster. There was a service going on inside, so I don't have any interior shots.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 11/10

The Owl and the Monkey...

Wisdom of the West meets Wisdom of the East? : Freiburg, DE

On the front of the Markthalle in Freiburg is a sandstone bas relief of an owl and a monkey. I kept thinking there was a poem called "The Owl and the Monkey," but, in fact, it's "The Owl and the Pussycat" by Edward Lear. In western culture, the owl symbolizes wisdom, while in eastern culture, the monkey symbolizes the same. Why they're both on the Markthalle is a mystery...

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 8/20

The Ladies of Freiburg, DE

Reminiscent : Freiburg, DE

The last few days have featured pictures from Fribourg,* Switzerland. Today features pictures from Freiburg, Germany. I snapped this first photo, because the lady reminded me of my late maternal grandmother.

Fishing for Intel? : Freiburg, DE

In this second photo, I saw this woman sitting under this very colorful painting reading the newspaper and I had to have a picture of her. I was trying to be a overly creative, I suppose, because I tried shooting her between two guys who were sitting a little ways apart from her. Unfortunately, they thought I was trying to take their picture, so I didn't get the best composition on this one. Still, I like the idea...

Manna : Freiburg, DE

Finally, these two young ladies caught my eye as they were soaking up the last of the evening's rays and looking quite content.

* Canton Fribourg lies right on the crossover line between French-speaking and German-speaking Switzerland. You can speak both languages there. The French name is Fribourg, while its German equivalent is Freiburg. Meanwhile, Freiburg, Germany, is the Federal Republic's sunniest and warmest city, the entrance to the famed Black Forest (Schwarzwald), and features a vibrant university community, as well as damn fine schnitzel! Just thought you'd like a bit of trivia for the day!


Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 8/10

2 Things Challenge: Clear / Vague

Textured glass = Vague shapes : Martin's Bräu : Freiburg, DE

This week's 2 Things Challenge was Clear / Vague. Last weekend, we were visiting friends in Basel. On Sunday, we crossed the border and visited Freiburg, Germany. For lunch, we stepped into a little microbrewery called Martin's Bräu and ate schnitzl and sausages.The brauerei had some nice decorative features, including these textured glass windows and large copper kettles.

Copper kettle = clear reflection? : Martin's Bräu : Freiburg, DE

Want to join in the fun? Visit 2 Things Challenge. Next week's two words are Swim / Fly.
 
To see a few more pictures of this tasty restaurant in the Altstadt of Freiburg, visit my Picasa Web Albums.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 3/10

Bad Säckingen

View from Säckingenbrücke : Swiss-German Border

Took another trip to Basel to visit my friends, Di and Scott. We went to Bad Säckingen in Germany. To get there, we parked in Stein, Switzerland, and then walked across a wooden bridge built in 1272. The bridge is over the Rhine (Rhein) River. About half way across, there's a line painted across the width of the bridge signifying the border.

St. Fridolinsmünster : Bad Säckingen, DE

Bad Säckingen's loveliest feature is its baroque cathedral, St. Fridolinsmünster. Here are just a few pictures from this lovely city on the southernmost edge of the Schwarzwald (Black Forest).

Photo copyright: Janet Kincaid, 07/09