HYPHEN31.COM
  • Home Run
  • Destinations OS
    • UK-Bavaria 2023
    • Riben December 2019
    • London & The Lake District UK
    • Abu Dhabi 2018
    • Beijing 2016-2018
    • Paris Marais 2017
    • Scotland July 2017
    • Spain July 2017
    • Portugal 2017
    • Harbin Jan 2016
    • Yunnan Xmas 2016
    • Italy 2015
    • Thailand 2014-15
    • China 2014
    • NZ 2013-14
    • Norway 2013
    • Peru-Bolivia 2008
  • Dive Trips
    • Komodo 2022
    • Komodo July 2019
    • Okinawa March 2019
    • Sipadan 2017
    • Coral Sea GBR 2015
    • SW Rocks 2015
    • Outer GBR 2014
    • Espiritu Santo 2014
  • Gog-Ma-Blog
  • Create & Curate

UK-Bavaria 2023

In the winter of 2023 we escaped the chill of our home town, and journeyed to London to visit the Queen,,, err... sorry... the King... actually, to visit our first born even. though we were there for the Moronation... err...  Coronation,
Picture
A less than enthusiastic response from many of the Brits would be the inevitable conclusion. of any  discerning  mind... except for those who belong to the Royal tribe or those  who have drunk the Monarchy Kool Aid. 

In contrast to. the pomp. and regalia that was happening in the centre of London, we indulged ourselves in a bit o' jolly o' Blighty tradition and took a punt on a boat ride on the Cam River.

Picture
Picture
Londoners are sure to point out that Cambridge doesn't have a sinecure on water transport In London proper, just a short walk from. the most expensive title on the Monopoly board is where one encounters "Little Venice" ~ a title punching above its weight in reality... Canal Boats are NOT gondolas people. But it's kinda purty all the same.
Picture
Suffolk is. a beautiful part of Britain with rolling fields and farm lands in every direction. Spending time with friends who live amongst all that beauty, was such a gift. Surrounded by the fields of the family farm, the location was peaceful and so connected. to the. land (obviously).
Picture
Picture
Picture
Less painful and less necessary than a. Prince Albert is s visit to the Royal Albert Hall.  The experience. of listening to the RPO... yes, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra... was just...ummm...music to my ears.   Astounding. ambience and music, over 100. elite musicians playing in harmony... magnificent.

​It's been quite a hectic few days with a concert with Eric Bibb in a small but acoustically brilliant venue. at King's Place, an amazing musical theatre evening. with Hamilton,(I'd go and see it again tomorrow)  and the RPO doing movie tunes... topped off with a Guardians of the Galaxy 3...  from. sublime. to the ridiculous.
Picture
Over in the area known as Brick Lane, there is a sense of community and some beautiful. gardens set amongst the preponderance of brick buildings. A clearer message of a sense of community is found in this street sign...
Picture
Picture
Picture

Buchheim museum

Bavaria gives new meaning to the colour green. There are shades of green everywhere one looks in the city parks or once out in the Alps and Lakes countryside. We are so fortunate to have Angela and Jan ( and Poppy the dachshund)  to show us around.  The Buchheim Museum is a splendid example of expressionism art work from the 20th century. 
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Lother-Günter Buchheim was an adventure and first grade narcissist. He was not without painting talent and his writing can only be described as a blockbuster as he was (and still is)  the author of Das Boat. The museum is nestled against a beautiful lake and contains  an extensive collection of expressionism art work.
This long deck. takes one over the lake edge and the grounds contain some quirky sculptures. Some more life like than others.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
I did like this work by Max Kaus. Reminds of the painting of John Brack.  The expressionist period emerged post WWI and. is the opposite of impressionism. It is a style that uses garish colours and flattened distorted angles.

Mad King Ludwig II

 Mad King Ludwig drowned in this lake (above) on the other side to where I am standing to take this pic. The story is that people fed up with his excesses drowned him, a few suggest that he  offed himself after drowning his medical advisor. Regardless, mad he indeed was if the scope, scale and sheer audacity  of his building program is any indication. Many know of his fairy tale indulgence known as Neuschwanstein upon which Walt Disney modelled his Magic Kingdom castle... it's the castle that is always in the tourist brochures. We didn't go there, instead we visited one of his smaller edifi, a recocco-loco homage to the Sun King Louis XIV known as Schloss Lindehof.  It put the nutso family of the best friend from college depicted in Crazy Rich Asians to shame. Not permitted to take photos inside, rest assured, the opulence was astounding. 
Picture
Picture

Bavarian Alpine lakes 

Picture
Kochel See  and Walchen See (See = lake) are high level outdoor sports lovers paradise  with biking, sail-boarding, sailing and fishing all the rage. Water is a tad chill for my liking, But the setting is rather beautiful.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

Gabriele  MÜnter haus

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

A Walk In Time

The chance to walk through time at the Glentleiten was  such gift. The most interesting was awarded to the smithing area where. the use. of water powered technology was a pleasure to behold. 
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Set in 60 hectares of land the houses through the ages give one a real sense. of shared living that was the norm... you . the family and the cattle all sharing spaces.(in winter time) The. tiled heaters that are common. from. earlier times can be found in Munter House, this living. museum and other places of recent history. 

Munich CBD

The centre of Munich. is rich with stories of old and re-biult buildings after the extensive bombing during WW!!. ​The new town hall looks old but is in fact faux gothic built post. WWII. Nods to. Greek and. Roman styles pop up at various points and the photo bottom. right is not far from the location where some of Hitler (who was Austrian not German) speeches began to gain traction and enabled his rise to power.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Forget the buildings its Poppy the Dachshund that is the star of the city centre.
Picture
Picture
Picture
A former Gestapo Headquarters where the design was intended to inspire and intimidate.
Picture
Hitler's home. in Munich has been turned into a police station to prevent far right nutters from turning it into a shrine. Clever,

Picture

Lenbach haus Gallery

A museum brimming wth Kandinsky and Munter art works, along with some other greats. Truly a pleasure to visit and contemplate.
Picture
Kandinsky's George & the Dragon (Killing Time)
Picture
Kandinsky's Landscape
Picture
Alexej von Jawlensky's The Dancer
Picture
Kandinsky before fully submerged in expressionism phase.
Picture
Kikugawa Senchō: Courtesan with Pipe

​The Blue Rider movement that Kandinsky was a founding member sought inspiration from other cultures.
Picture
I really liked this: Albert Weisgerber (1879-1915) Parisian restaurant 1906

English Garden

A massive park in the centre of Munich, it comes equipped with a beaut beer garden,.. fish n a stick anyone?
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

V&A Museum

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

TATE Modern

Picture
TATE Modern is a marvellous gallery. Taken with this piece (and many others) by French painter Marie Laurencin
Picture
Picture

King's Landing Flower Show...?

Picture
The Chelsea Flower Show is huge event and whilst gardens  and flower displays dominate, thee accoutrement of things gardening has a major presence. Why have a water feature when one can have a large dragon as a talking point for the garden. 
Picture
Picture
Happy that we went early in the day, as by the time we left around midday, it was heaving with people. 

Northern Ireland

The countryside is so beautiful. Different green to Bavaria but all very lush. 
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Giant's Causeway & Carrick-a-Rede  above... Portrush below
Picture
Picture
Picture

Black Cab Tour of Belfast

Picture
It took some time to process the information and our response to the stories and scenes from the Black Cab tour.  The trauma that 700 years of oppression create reeverberates through the centuries and through the folk living in Belfast today. 
Picture
Picture
Picture

Picture
What remains of the enormous slipway built to enable  the Titanic and sister ship Olympic to be built. Around 200 ft high, the working conditions was very shoddy for those "on the tools". There is no sense that any blame for the sinking of the Titanic  is placed on the construction process and resulting  final product. The finger is squarely pointed at the Captain who refused to slow down through iceberg filled waters. 
Picture
Picture
The Titanic Experience building is spectacular in itself. Nomadic: one of the tender boats that tended the Titanic.
Picture
  • Home Run
  • Destinations OS
    • UK-Bavaria 2023
    • Riben December 2019
    • London & The Lake District UK
    • Abu Dhabi 2018
    • Beijing 2016-2018
    • Paris Marais 2017
    • Scotland July 2017
    • Spain July 2017
    • Portugal 2017
    • Harbin Jan 2016
    • Yunnan Xmas 2016
    • Italy 2015
    • Thailand 2014-15
    • China 2014
    • NZ 2013-14
    • Norway 2013
    • Peru-Bolivia 2008
  • Dive Trips
    • Komodo 2022
    • Komodo July 2019
    • Okinawa March 2019
    • Sipadan 2017
    • Coral Sea GBR 2015
    • SW Rocks 2015
    • Outer GBR 2014
    • Espiritu Santo 2014
  • Gog-Ma-Blog
  • Create & Curate