Ulm
Baden-Württemberg
Federal Republic of Germany
October 30, 2016
Der Ulmer Spatz
“Why all the birds everywhere?” I asked Mark, my host and friend.
On my leisurely walk this morning, I spot colorful and creative sculptures of birds attached to the walls above the front door of shops and businesses. There’s even a sculpture of a bird atop the cathedral. And one lady in town decorated her window curtains with birds as the motif!
“Why all the birds?”
Ulm
Baden-Württemberg
Federal Republic of Germany
October 29, 2016
My Cousins and the Stolpersteine
Otto Polatschek is gone but not forgotten.
Lisa Polatschek is gone but not forgotten.
In Ulm, Germany, Otto inherited a retail shoe business from his parents Alois Polatschek (1879-1929) and Paula née Brumlik Polatschek (1883-1932). But as the Nazi menace in Germany became more threatening, Otto sold his business to the Werdich family and fled with his wife Lisa to Berlin.
Turpan
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region
September 29, 2016
Hello,
A drive through the Flamimng Mountains.
Lunch in a remote mountain town.
A final scurry across the desert.
What better way to end a five week journey in China?
Turpan City
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region
China
September 27, 2016
What better way to appreciate and capture the essence of a place * than to stroll along its boulevards and to wander through the markets?
Turpan is buzzing with activity. The streets are filled with fast moving vehicles that are decidedly Chinese in design. Battery operated motorbikes or hybrid automobiles or low emission trucks and buses compete for space with a host of creatively designed mini-cars that can carry a small amount of freight or a family. Now in late summer, the motorized carriages are all open air.
Turpan City (pop 254,900)
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region
The People’s Republic of China
September 27, 2016
Turpan is the “Raisin Capital of China.” In a country of one and a half billion people, the Capital of Anything is impressive.
In the Turpan Depression, the winter temperatures are below frigid. But in summer the sun bakes the land. Apparently, the local crops thrive in the extreme heat. The sugar content of the grapes (and melons) increases dramatically.
