Views from a Hungarian Bus

 My years in Melbourne has made me very fond of trams

Turm der Weißfrauenkirche - White Tower of the Church of Our Lady

At noon on Thursday the 4^th of April, a bus full of Sarawakians driven by Georges; from Budapest with tour guide, Ivano from Roma - were dropped off at Willy Brandt Platz presumably to take photos of the big Euro sign and the 40 storey Euro Tower. I obliged although it was all a bit bland. Others disappeared into a nearby pub – it WAS lunch time after all and dinner time in Malaysia. 

The plaza was cold and windy so Sam and I left it to wandering up one of the side streets; looking for something with a bit of character or out of character, as all the buildings appeared so strait-laced and homogenous. We spied the curved canopy of a hall with a white tower beside it and I sketched it while waiting for our friends to finish their meal and beers. I regretted not joining them for beers but am glad to get my first sketch of Germany. 

Later I found out that this is the Church of Our Lady and the White Tower is the site for an art installation that will transform it into a multi-coloured lantern built with larch lattices. 

Bicycles in Frankfurt

We arrived in Frankfurt on the 4th April after a stopover in Dubai – it was late morning and 4 degrees. The bare branches of the trees flanking the highway reminded me of “The Blair Witch Project” – until I saw signs of life, cyclists on a bike track that ran parallel several metres from the edge of the road; padded, gloved and backpacked. Bit late to be going to work, I thought. Then I saw a woman with a child in her bike carrier; the young girl was holding something colourful in her hands, listening intently as the woman spoke to her over her shoulder. Perhaps on the way home from playschool or should I say ‘kindergarten’ since we are in Germany - it is be wonderful to run along these bike trails I thought.

A few days later, I found myself running on one of these trails in the early morning. It was 4 degrees. It was good as an experience but not good for the hairs on my legs as they dropped off over the next few days.

Frankfurt

We are in Frankfurt as part of the study trip organized by the Sarawakian Architect's Institute; 24 of us including our friends and significant others were given an itinerary packed with architecture, cuisine and for those who are able to absorb beyond the surface; culture.