a phenomenal moment of two brother who are meeting
                                   again after 30 years of being separated by the berlin wall  

i'm determined to keep up a thought, snap-shot, map or four to this ever changing blog. i can't come to a complete halt just because i'm back on american soil. well, more so i'm jammed packed busy with a final studio project in this chapter of life and kind of forgot about this web space of mine. my mind is still on berlin as that is where my studio resides. my feet today are in austin. my heart is, well, often in the clouds. a close person told me "Lauren: you've been so emotional lately". that was a first for me. the past two years have seen the most change in my life...ever. new cities, sheesh, new continents, new faces around all corners, new companions, new languages, new living environments. the list goes on quite far. 

i'm pressed to allow pieces drift away. 

returning home (wherever that is) has proved tough for me. that is the truth. 

i would encourage each and every person to set sail. especially those who hold vast amounts of individual freedom. you will learn in ways never thought imaginable. i know i did. 

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a christmas markt

i know i skipped some time. the bloggist that lies within me is a bit reserved, quite scatter brained, and helplessly romanticizes stories that they seem to not make it to real text often. anyways, this past weekend i traveled down south and westward  some distance to a sleepy little town, kindsbach: home to the Tresemers. it was a wonderful time and perfect timing to get away from what has become my life here. work had been hectic and the sun had not shown his (i believe the sun to be male and the moon to be female) face on berlin in a solid four days here.

we had a real american thanksgiving, southern style deep fried turkey and all. we set the table fancy. we played games. we overate and nearly fell asleep watching football. it felt all so familiar and all so out of place. i also found myself missing berlin. i have fallen head over heels for this city and realized i know it better than any other place i have lived in. i'm sure this will change as i move back home in a months time and slowly seek out the crevices hiding in austin. i believe i can attribute knowing berlin well due to my mode of transporting oneself. the cities i have taken up residence and know the least are ones where i was held down by a car - my fault or the layout of the land's fault. denver falls in the middle of the spectrum as i drove mostly, biked quite a bit, and walked a decent amount. though most of the walking was started off with an automobile getting me there. san antonio i know the very least despite living there the longest time. no big plans to return.

i once had a professor in school that said he would walk for 3-4 hours every sunday. three to four HOURS! that is a lot of time. he would travel on different paths and new roads each walk he set out on. he also knew the city of fayetteville like that of the men who drew the city maps (pre-satellite days). i always admired this about him. we take in vastly different perspectives in how we engage with our city by the way we are being carried. even a ritual jog through your local park will be a different sight for your eyes if you are strolling at a slow gait with company by your side. my biking eyes here have picked up on many things my walking eyes never did and vice-versa.

[here are some pics of the first christmas market i've laid my eyes on. heidelburg, germany is was. and the company was delightful]

my little point and shoot camera has died. this is sad news. i still have many days left in germany and quite a few images that need capturing, especially as the barren trees reveal what was nestled behind. it's funny how when you don't have a camera in your pocket you think about all of the things you want to snap a photo of. well, this was sad news for two days until a friend here lent me one of theirs. it is one of those in between easy-to-use cameras and manual fancy ones. i think i will keep it on manual and see how i quickly, or not so, adapt. 

first photo:

on the m-4 tram

kolliwitz platz market

a hill of war rubble is beneath you at this high point in prenzlauer berg. the structure on the left is a renovated water storage now residential building. and we discovered public trampolines. i waited patiently behind the 3 year old for my turn. i jumped and giggled.

snowy view

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fantastic web-site


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we ventured (read: I pulled my flatmate along to my out-of-the-way curiosities) on our way from berlin to dresden to check out a viewing platform. while i'm not entirely sure what over arching category viewing platforms fall under in regards to architecture i'm sure i would be content designing them. i like views. who doesn't like views. i think it is the trip up to the view that most loathe. in this case it was stairs. corten stairs. oh, and a fit of snow, pronounced sneee in german. because of the snow conditions we sadly couldn't 'view' very far. i was content just going. would love to go back on a clear winter day, though not sure that will ever happen as i need a car and am without an international drivers license. 

okay then. pictures do the work here. 

leafage

fall chemtrails

old . new.
(two minutes after i took this photo a man living off of his bike , stopped himself, said a few choice words in german, and proceeded to hit my camera out of my hand. i guess these things just happen sometimes) 

playful lines

bike on leaves

frau jinah

moabit lane

a red reichstag

fall time is underway in berlin and has been for some weeks now. not sure why i haven't noticed the stages of autumn leaves as much as i have recently. they are floating above: changing, they are in the air between head and feet: dancing, they are below as the carpet of the city streets: crunching. on every street here that has trees lining down them is a sea of gold. perhaps it's the combination of city-backdrops and fall foliage that have been stealing my stare. or the hours i spend on my bike moving through this big place.