Yeah! It’s time for another update! As I mentioned in my last blog, one of my main objectives on this solo trip was to take lots of photos and push myself creatively. I was really serious about getting the best shots I could get, which meant waking up pretty early to take pictures, even when I was severely jet-lagged! I was out and about pretty much every morning of my trip before 7:00 am to capture the best parts of the city in the best light possible. Below are a few examples from my first morning walk around downtown Freiburg. The most unique part about this particular morning walk was that literally no one was out this early, so I got some great unobstructed photos. On the photo below left, you can see the empty Baechle, which are usually filled and flowing with cool water throughout all the streets of the city. They are fun to jump over and even splash around in the warmer months! I went to Germany in October, so the water was already drained out at this point in preparation for the icy winter months quickly approaching. I was lucky enough to find one little Baechle with just a hint of water still left in it that also happened to give the most interesting reflection of the building behind me.
My first mission on this particularly quiet Sunday morning was to find and photograph a beautifully vine-draped street called Konvikstrasse (below right). The stores were still brightly lit up from the previous evening and the sun was not quite all the way up yet, so it still felt a little like that magical twilight time at night.
After walking down Konvikstrasse, I turned back toward the center of the city and saw some remnants of some the local kids’ weekend activities. This turned upside down beer keg just couldn’t quite make it into the trash can (Abfaelle) it was perched upon.
One thing about Germany that I have always found interesting is the antique signage on the outside of most of the quaint little mom and pop stores or family-run restaurants. You just don’t see this sort of thing in the USA very often and here, they were on the facades of all the old buildings in town, giving the pedestrian a little clue about what might be inside.
This particular morning walk probably took me about two hours in length and I ended up walking back to that very same bridge I featured in my last blog. I spent so many mornings and evenings on this very bridge waiting for my ride home on the tram (Strassenbahn). As you can see on the clock displayed below, it was close to 9:00 am and almost time to meet my friends for a chat over thick Italian espresso and delicious German pastries.
The grounds of the Herz-Jesu Kirche (church) was just a few steps away from the train station and very close to my hotel. The morning light and all the fall colors in this spot were absolutely breathtaking! I found a place on the fence in these church grounds where someone mistakenly left parts of their bike for someone else to find.
I have seen several shots of this particular church from this exact spot and thought I’d try my hand at recreating it. At the very end of the bridge, you can almost make out the same statue standing in the middle of all the golden leaves from my photo above. My next post will feature the trip down memory lane I took with my two Italian friends!
