LONG STUDY TOUR - PART TWO

Greetings friends; on to part two of my long study tour. I believe we left off at the Kolumba Museum. We left Cologne and headed for Duisburg. We stayed at a hostel connected to the Landschaftpark. This was an old factory that has since been converted to a creepy yet wonderful playground for adults. There is a climbing wall inside, and outside there are two amphitheaters. We arrived in the evening, and after dinner went to investigate this crazy factory. The lighting was a fantastic green and purple, too dark for pictures at night. It reminded me of the Bodner Building in Indy. Tom used to drag me around that place checking out all the nooks and crannies; scared the living daylights out of me. Not unlike haunted houses, it made you want more.





On Monday morning, it was off to Essen to see the Ruhr Museum, the Red Dot Museum, and the Zollverein School of Management and Design.

The Ruhr Museum is also located in an old coal factory. This one is far fancier than the other in Duisburg. The Ruhr Museum has an interesting collection of German history that, not surprisingly, lacked a great deal of info on WWII.

All areas of movement up and down were done in orange. Pretty great.

Ya got some competition on the eyebrows there, Poppy! ;)

Disturbing. I tried translating it with little success. If you know German and can help a gal out, please send me an email.

Entrance to the Red Dot Museum. I enjoyed this museum, but it really could have dealt more with either social equity or what these designs say about our global culture as a whole . . . instead it was just a grouping of cool designs that could be featured in any cool design category.

This was a well done collage made of different currencies.

On site of the Ruhr and Red Dot Museums.

Bigger-than-life-sized canary in a coal mine! The Zollverein building is in the background.

This is on the fourth floor of the Zollverein building. It must be noted what a disaster this building is. There is really only one of the 7 floors is that is in use, it leaks, they ran out of money to finish it, and it is formed concrete throughout. I would have thought an engineer could have done something about the pole in the middle of the open space. . . there is something wrong design-wise on every floor. With that being said, the corner on the right side would make a lovely yoga studio - good light.
On to Amsterdam!!! My new favorite place!

So this pulley system is a common feature in Amsterdam. They throw a rope out there and haul stuff up to the third and fourth floors this way. It is also why the buildings lean out towards the top. This way whatever you are hauling up doesn't run into your house! Smart cookies. Now if the city were just above sea level.

Notice the concrete spacer between the buildings. That is a pretty decent lean.

This is the architect giving us the low down on how this house is being remodeled. The place was built in 1693. The large triangle support is keeping the house from collapsing (and no, I signed no waiver prior to being in this building. I will come back to safety in Europe at a later point.)

This is looking down into the basement. They had to drill down 20 meters to solid ground. Everything had to be handled with care as it could easily impact the foundations on either side. Let me just say how grateful I am not to be in charge of this project! I asked about the budget and the only response I got was, "They are working on more financing now". Um, yeah.

Oh the swans. Sure is pretty.
Down to the nitty-gritty of Amsterdam. I promptly grabbed a tour guide from the hotel to read over dinner. I went to the Police and Safety section first. It's good to know the laws in such a place. Here are some of the highlights.
"Urinating in Public:
A dirty habit, and always committed by men. If you are caught, the fine is 90 Euro and must be paid immediately at the police station. Do not ruin our houses or monuments. Go instead into one of the bars and tip a bartender for using the toilet, or use one of the public toilets. You also can go to the police station and use the facilities there." (How friendly.)
"Prostitution:
If you visit one of the women, we would like to remind you, they are not always women. Do not take pictures of the women. Out on the streets, do not shout or use bad language towards these women. Show some respect. If you have any problems with a girl or a pimp, do not hesitate to ask a police officer. We know why you are there and you can hardly surprise us. it is against the law and very dangerous to solicit prostitution on the streets." (This whole thing is amazing!)
"Soft Drugs:
You may visit a coffee shop to buy a small amount of soft drugs for your own personal use. If you are under 18 years old, you are not allowed to enter a coffee shop or to buy anything. If you feel sick after smoking or eating space cake, drink lots of water with sugar. Something sweet will make you feel better. Do not use soft drugs in regular bars or establishments, as not everyone likes the smell of a joint. It is not recommended to mix alcohol and soft drugs, or any other drugs." (Sound advice)
I was waiting at a tram stop when a cop van pulled up to chat with a black man (uncommon in these parts of the world) who was wearing a black karate suit with a samurai sword on his back. The cops walk over, shake his hand and introduce themselves. They chat for minute. I guess they figure he is okay so they shake hands again, smile, and leave. Portland police could certainly take a cue from the Amsterdam police department.

At the Rembrandt House.

The best part about this photo is that I stood at this intersection waiting for the light to change. A guy walks up, pushes the button (as demonstrated in sign), and then turns to me and says "The light changes if you hit the button". Um. Yep. Sure does.

Amsterdam train station on our way to Utrecht University.

Elevator in the Utrecht Library. All areas of movement and information were red.

We were then off to the Schröder House (thought of you Nici!) I could not take pictures in the house, which was a real shame because it was the most utilitarian house I have ever seen. Designed and built by Gerrit Rietveld for Mrs. Schröder in 1924. The photo is of the doll house sized furniture available for purchase. The same man designed the chair pictured.

Cool playground in the city.

Public square in Amsterdam. Sure wish it was nicer out and it was open. Next time.

MARCH 11

Well friends, it has been seven weeks since I left Portland. Feels like a lifetime has passed. Spring is starting here in Denmark - couldn't have come soon enough.

"Oh, well good morning little flowers". That is what I said out loud while on a jog. It must be noted that I have made it seven weeks without really putting my foot in my mouth, or been caught talking to myself by strangers. In the past 36 hours I have managed to make up for lost time.

I have spent the last four days sitting around the house. Something I haven't been able to do since at least December when my dad was in town. I have been cleaning though, in an effort to make up for being in my pajamas for two full days. Having a cold hasn't helped matters much.

This past week I went on a long study tour with school. I am creating a separate post for that as it was five days in four cities. Not much sleep was involved. So here are some pictures, non-study tour related.

The day before I found this on the ground, I was walking past a guy trying to start his car with no success. Nothing says "my car won't start but I will be back" quite like this sign.

This building is by a Danish architect- name unknown at this time. It is called the Champagne building. Obvious reasons.

I recently learned that as a blog reader you can click on the photo to enlarge it. What a world we live in! This photo is worth the click. This is the outside of the Citadel. Constructed between 1661-66 it is one of the best examples of Bastions and Ramparts still in existence. This area used to protect the king and his army, but now it houses the Danish CIA, officers, and a military church. I am taking the picture from the Envelope (outer walkway). The large mound in front is Face and Flank side of the Bastion. This became the best method for protecting a city (or at least the king). Is my nerd showing yet? Good.

New reading glasses. Don't I look smarter? Oh yeah, and that's the Citadel Church behind me.

Me standing on the Curtain of a Bastion. (I have a test on these terms this week.)

As someone who likes to garden, I can appreciate a good hedge. But really? Who trims this? How do they do it? It's flawless!

Genius.

This is the kid seat on my professor's bike. Notice there is no safety belt, or any safety features for that matter.

Their playgrounds are super cool.

Here is the model my group built the week before we left for our long study tour. This is of Hafencity in Hamburg, Germany.

This a great art experiment going on around the city. These people set up cones and rope themselves off in a public space. They just sit and read, file their nails, do something mundane. The question being, what is truly public space and how do we define it? Who can occupy it? I excitedly approached this lady as I had seen film of this going on at one of the galleries around town. She was really nice and accommodating. I asked her if I could come into her space and have my photo taken with her. She thought for a moment and said, "Yeah, cause you're a student". Can I just say how often the student thing works! Why do I want to be done with school again? Oh yeah, money.

This is an Arne Jacobsen building.

This bike rocks my socks. I think I could have just as many bikes as I do shoes.

I kinda want a wall like this in my house, strangely enough.

Well thank heavens they weren't zombies.













Enough of the fluff. On to more serious stuff- I was talking to a professor about diagramming things after listening to a RadioLab where a guy diagrams his life. This is interesting to me for two reasons. First, I have five years worth of data . . . my weight, diet, exercise, sex, sleep, body temp, general mood, periods. It has been fascinating to me to look over this data set and realize patterns. So the guy on RadioLab did this for himself and his father who had recently  passed away. It becomes a disconnected, objective, and at the same time identifiable way to view the actions that make up who we are. The second reason, I have to diagram everything for urban planning.

This is my first attempt. More R & D still needs to be done.

Loneliness is one of my categories. Charting that seems to be challenging. I, for the most part, have made a couple of friends and I am reasonably close to my host family. But still . . . there is nothing that compares to the friendship of your spouse, close/old friends, and family. In my moments of reflection I can ask, how often am I truly alone? The Dali Lama once said (this a loose quotation) that everyone he meets is an old friend; because as he has stood before them, he meets another human being that needs compassion, love, and tenderness just as he does. Just as any friend does.

Cue Garrison Keillor for the Writers Almanac.

LONG STUDY TOUR March 3-8

The ferry ride from Denmark to Germany.

Sign from ferry ride - Not totally clear on where they are going with this.

Historical Speicherstadt in Hafencity, Hamburg Germany

View of Hafencity. Same view from which we built the model.

Said model.

I said, "pose like a rock band." Somehow they heard "pose like you are at Olan Mills". Kasey, Mehnaz and Susie in the Hamburg train station.

My professor standing outside of a church in Hafencity saying,"It's temporary! This is what Urban Designers can do. . . " The framing on this couldn't have been better if I tried.

My attempt to draw from photo.

Hamburg's main strip had this weird Las Vegas meets Gatlinburg, TN vibe, with some strange sex thing thrown in for good measure. Lots of doughy, pasty Germans. Not very many good things to say about the main drag. The side streets were much better and friendlier.

City Hall in Hamburg.

GIANT spider outside of art museum.

So I drew it.

Energy sources in Germany.

Church in Northern Germany.

Did I mention I am taking a class that requires sketching?

On to Colonge. Minus the rain, it is a lovely city. The Kolner Dom is in the distance. Amazing cathedral. Again, I was brought to tears. Keep in mind I balled like a baby at the Lion King. It's all about perspective here, folks.

We checked out the Kulmba Museum as well which was designed by Peter Zumthor. The facade integrates the church's ruins (that were created during WWII); a very mindful and successful blend of new and old.

This is the view from the inside.

Part two of the long study tour to follow shortly. I must go watch a movie and eat popcorn now.