Rambling: Darmstadt-27 Solo of Heidelberg


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Have they won this time? I'm not sure myself. This all happened yesterday, and I was too tired to do anything but flop on the bed and sleep. I was up since about 3am, writing letters, sorting out all the small things, and it occurred that I could just stretch out and head to Heidelberg on a Solo trip, cause essentially I'm by myself again, and there's no need to wait for anything.

I stood at the bridge at about 7.10am in the morning. You can imagine what time I actually left my room and Darmstadt.

Sunrise in Heidelberg, near Altstadt

It was freezing cold and I was already wearing 3 layers. The morning fog was there, if not it would have looked spectacular.

Volkswagon 2004 Beetle, Black, in Morning Mist

I have a car obsession. Rather, I am obsessed with one car. Volkswagon 2004 Beetle. Ooh, this one comes in my favourite color, black. +10 luck points

Top floor of an old building

It's strangely peaceful in the town that early in the morning. Either people do sleep in and head down to the festival a few streets away, or most have gone out for their weekend vacation. The town is beautiful, in the curious morning light.

Bokeh of Old building

This is probably my favourite shot in the whole day. Bokeh. Some things don't make sense, and this is one of them. How can I like a blurred shot of a building?

The same shot, but in focus. So I had come early enough to see people setting up shop. Read from the internet was most of the valuable stuff are gone at this hour, before many turned up. Well, I am here "at this hour" but I don't see anything. Maybe because I don't see the things that I wanted to buy (Lunchbox, food containers)


Music Shop, Somewhere along Obere Neckarstrasse.

I'm not sure if I wasted my time, opportunity wise. I was looking for something, but it appears they don't have it. But it made a pretty good excuse to walk around with the camera. Shop owners didn't seem to mind me taking photos of their stalls.

White Rose

They think its publicity. Flea Markets in other places are not so welcome.

Street in Heidelberg

One of the benefits of coming in that early is the chance to examine each and every building in the square before it becomes overrun by people.

Balcony with flower bush

What's curious that the structures are built in the same style. Neat windows in a row, Neat windows have their own columns and things like that. Most people grow flowers outside their windows, and it looks nice.

Paper Cutouts stuck on glass

What I have here mostly are the photos that didn't make it to Facebook. I'm making Facebook sound like istockphoto. I tried going for istockphoto, but I got rejected on the first trial. I'll upload another 3 to try again. Very soon I will have 3 categories after I've removed the blurry photographs. Facebook, Blogger and iStockphoto.

I have forgotten how to do paper cutouts! Crap.

Trinkets and old toys at flea market

I think I walked up by the wrong direction. Shop owners do sell their old things here, like the wooden bricks that's been in the cupboard for ages but no one seems to play with them. There's a strong culture of reusing and avoid buying, I guess the way we live is very wasteful. And having to keep up such a life where you can throw out anything when it's thrashed is very bad.

Porcelain and glass cutlery and decorative items.

Most of the things are actually in pretty good condition. It's not as fresh as being shop bought or being unopened, but its quite clean and they are no major faults with it. They do good care of their things.

Little pans at a flea market

I honestly don't know what are these. The lady had like 6 of them, and they have their own 3 little legs on the base. I'm guessing this is for fondue/chocolate sauce/to hold an egg. Now why didn't I get one to put my fruit?

German Flag flying out of a window

Finally I see someone who hangs the German flag out of his window. Aren't many flags here. People here don't really want to tell the whole world they're German.

Golden Fish on a street corner

The crowd is starting to stream in now. I guess people don't reach that early in the morning. I knew I was strange when I left for the train station at 5.30am in the morning.

Houses at a Distance, across the river

They have 2 monkeys by the side of the bridge, like statues or something. Monkeys!?

Old Woman smoking a cigarette at Flea market

This must be the classiest woman I have ever seen. She noticed me with my camera (being Asian an all) and proceeded to light up her cigarette. We didn't say anything to each other, but she lit her cigarette, and looked up me, as if to be saying "Take as many as you want, darling. I'll just sit here to enjoy a smoke".

Glassware and Porecelain collection

There's a great deal of glass, crystal and silver cutlery. And the occasional Ming vase and things like that. I saw someone selling an abacus. I have like 5 at home.

An old rocking horse, a chest and a Singer sewing machine

I have never seen a rocking horse like that before. The closest I had was a rocking chair which wasn't even mine. And there's no use for it. I have the sewing machine in my room back home though,

Close-up of a chandelier

One of the strangest things to put in your house. Yes I know it's nice, old school and grand. Yes I know it can use candles. I also know that cleaning it is a pain.

Glassware and other trinkets

Most of the stalls try to sell out different items. Although some are common throughout ( Cutlery, glassware, books), but the gems are everywhere, like vases, old coat hangers, toys and suitcases.

Pile of Books

Ah yes, books. Can't live without them. Great form of mental nourishment. If you read the good ones, that is. If not, you're going to be stuck with a pile of trash and no one likes that.

Plate with crest and other tin toys

They also sell cloth napkins, the kind found in the restaurant and place beneath your plate. Should have bought some to bring back to my room.

Duck like jug

This is a jug. This is a duck. This duck is transparent, and ooh it stores water.

Statues overlooking the bridge

I don't know why didn't I go up the bridge.. Oh wait, it was freezing cold and I was lazy. Damn I should have gone up.

Felt butterfly through a window

I took this outside a shop selling wind chimes. I love butterflies as much as cats and everything else that I love. It's starting to turn into my signature.

Mannequin with a choker

This was a mannequin head used to display jewelery. The amazing thing was the shop owner had nowhere to put it down, so she placed it at the back.

Display Knife outside a homeware shop

Never have I seen such a big kitchen knife on display. People would freak out if I had that. I probably won't make it out of the customs.

Rhein-Neckar Zeitung, 30 September

State newspaper, with a bit of depressing politics on the front page. All the left wing right wing is trouble I have figuring out.

Graffitti on the wall

An old way of marking when buildings were done. It wasn't so easy in the past and people had to pay tons of money to get one out. What really was amazing was that they would mark out the year of completion, and would act decorative features to it and call it a building.

Little girls eating by a window.

2 little girls sitting by a window. One happened to notice me sneak up with a camera. The other paid no attention and continued eating.

Broken glasses atop a dustbin

Lots of broken glasses about, people pick them up and set them away to prevent anyone from hurting themselves.

Gramophone

One of the many things they sell at the flea market, a spanking new gramophone! Yours for a 100 Euro and records that fit on it. No, we do not accept CDs...