Monthly Archives: May 2016

Weekly Photo Challenge: Face

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When I visited the Neue Pinakothek in Munich last month, one painting caught my eye from a distance. It was Ferdinand Hodler‘s “Tired of Life,” a very large oil painting depicting five men sitting on a bench, their posture and facial expressions conveying extreme disillusionment and hopelessness. I decided to photograph each one’s face separately to capture the artist’s vision of what it looks like to have had enough of life. I found these images disturbingly touching.

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The painting. “Die Lebensmüden” (Tired of Life), Ferdinand Hodler, 1892.

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For Weekly Photo Challenge: Face

Vienna

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This was my first time in Austria, and Vienna was not disappointing. I wish we had planned to stay longer… But there was enough time to go the Opera, visit the gorgeous Belvedere complex (palaces/museum), the excellent Albertina Museum, the Hofburg Imperial Palace, St. Stephen’s cathedral, the MuseumsQuartier, and walk around the vibrant pedestrian streets, with stops for coffee and delicious cakes, apple strudel, and the famous Sacher torte.

Traveling Through Bavaria

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On our recent trip to Germany, we dedicated a couple of days to explore Bavaria, along the so-called “Romantic Road,” which is neither romantic nor a real road. 🙂 It is a “theme route” devised by travel agents in the 1950s to boost tourism in the area. It consists of 350 kilometres of highway between Würzburg and Füssen in southern Germany, specifically in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, linking a number of picturesque towns and castles, including the ones in this album. Among other things, we visited Burg Harbug, a medieval castle in Harburg; Rothenburg, a beautifully preserved medieval town; and the famous Neuschwanstein castle, built by King Ludwig II, also known as “The Swan King”, “The Fairy Tale King,” or “Mad King Ludwig.” Beloved by Bavarians till this day, Ludwig II was a nature lover and a patron of the arts. He liked to build lavish castles, became a recluse for years, and was eventually declared mentally ill and unfit to rule. He had a tragic death before seeing all his castles finished. I am a bit intrigued by Ludwig’s story and plan to learn more about his life. 🙂

Bavarian landscape.
Harbug Castle.
Harbug Castle.
Harbug Castle.
Harbug Castle.
View from Harbug Castle.
Bavarian landscape.
Wall to Rothenburg.
Rothenburg.
Rothenburg.
Rothenburg.
Rothenburg.
Rothenburg.
Rothenburg.
Rothenburg.
Bavarian landscape.
Schloss Hohenschwangau. Childhood residence of King Ludwig II.
Schloss Neuschwanstein (New Swanstone Castle) from the bottom of the hill. The castle was commissioned by Ludwig II as a retreat and as a homage to composer Richard Wagner. The castle is also famous for being the model for Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle.
Horse carriages will take you close to the castle, but you need to walk a steep climb for about 15 minutes.
First glance of Schloss Neuschwanstein.
Schloss Neuschwanstein.
Schloss Neuschwanstein.