We found ourselves on a whirlwind adventure a few weeks ago, spending the first part of our week together in Germany. Stop one on our tour route was Cologne, where we met up with the bands Old Crow Medicine Show and Mumford & Sons. Getting to Cologne late in the afternoon after an overnight flight from Chicago to Amsterdam left us little time to explore the city. However, what we were able to see was wonderful, including the Cologne Cathedral. The gray sky and cold misty rain was a constant backdrop against which the colors were made vibrant. The first show that evening was a stunning arrangement of sound. I was enthralled with the energy of the crowd and their enthusiasm for the music heightened my own senses. It was surreal to be in a new country with fellow artists and friends, experiencing these things together. After an enchanting performance, viewed from front row, backstage and balcony, we got a few hours rest. The next day included some early morning shoe shopping (again. remember the last Europe trip?) and were on our way with to Berlin.
The drive to Berlin was a bit of a long journey, approximately 7 hours drive across the country of Germany. We’d been initially excited about drives through the country but realized once we got there that the autobahn and its upwards of 160 km/h speeds was almost a necessity to getting there on time. Furthermore the sky was cloudy and a dropped rain on us here and there.
The Berlin venue was less breathtaking as building but the music was equally as energized. Into the night, after all the music was over we found ourselves in the group of musicians and friends walking from bar to bar looking for a place to enjoy the second-to-last day on the tour before. This night was different than the previous since the next day would be a final day off before a final concert in Brussels.
The second day in Berlin we had planned to use exploring city shortly before speeding back to Belgium. Gill’s connection with a local harmonica player became a 6 hour walking tour, which could not have gotten any better. One of the greatest things was the peculiarities about the neighborhoods of the arts district we walked through in the middle of the night before, recognizing and remembering them the next day when we found ourselves at In Mai, a small café on the same street on which Marco, our guide, himself lived. So much about Berlin itself seemed to shrink into the manageable palms of our hands due to the connection we’d found to that section of the city.
Gill, of course, had stayed behind while the tour vans left so he could tour the city and catch a ride back to Belgium with us. I (Amos) considered it to be one of the best idea of the day, because it allowed me not to be the only driver on the long journey back west. We’ll write more on our time in Belgium in a few days.
Canon AE-1 35mm, Kodak Portra 400nc
Canon AE-1 35mm, Kodak Portra 400nc
Cologne Cathedral
Canon AE-1, Ilford Delta 3200
Cologne Cathedral. Hasselblad 500c/m, Kodak Portra 400nc
Canon AE-1 35mm, Kodak Portra 400nc
Kermit‘s little brother in Berlin
Canon AE-1 35mm, Kodak Portra 400nc
Holocaust Monument, Berlin
Berlin Wall
Odessa and Gill
Canon AE-1 35mm, Kodak Portra 400nc
Canon AE-1 35mm, Ilford Delta 3200
REally really really great stuff here. I can’t tell, but I think that croissant is the most beautiful croissant I’ve ever seen, or maybe I’m just hungry. Hard to pick a favorite when all the photos are filled with intriguing character :)