The Ox at Meat Bridge

The Fleischbrücke is a bridge over the Pegnitz between Kaiserstrasse and Hauptmarkt (right next to the biggest Starbucks in town...), and there's also a small portal with an ox on it, watching the people passing by, which I only recently noticed. According to Wikipedia the inscription means "All things have a beginning and grow, but look: never has been the ox you see a calf".

Partner towns

A part of the Christkindlesmarkt is reserved for stalls from the partner towns of Nuremberg, who sell souvenirs and special food from their countries. This poster lists all of them: Antalya (Turkey), Atlanta (USA), Bar (Montenegro), Brasov (Rumania), Charkiw (Ukraine), Gera (Germany ;-), formerly GDR), Glasgow (Scotland), Hadera (Israel), Kalkudah (Sri Lanka), Kavala (Greece), Klausen (Italy / South Tyrol), Krakau (Poland), Nice (France), Prague (Czech Republic), San Carlos (Nicaragua), Shenzhen (China), Skopje (Macedonia), Venice (Italy), Verona (Italy), and the region of Limousin (France).

Quite a list!

House Art VI

House Art from a different century, on a school building just across the street from my apartment.

Christkindlesmarkt

If you have pondered visiting Nuremberg for its famous Christkindlesmarkt in December, think twice, and if you can't help it, try to visit on a week day. On today's picture you see a moderate crowd, often there are even more people. To me so many humans in one place are rather stressful, so I try to spend only little time in the city in the weeks before Christmas. Other people don't mind, or even enjoy it, of course.

Town hall reflections

Nuremberg town hall consists of several buildings, here you see one of them reflected in the windows of another. Between Fünferplatz and Hauptmarkt.

Welcome, winter

As picturesque as Nuremberg with snow is in some areas, most of the time it is not romantic or pretty at all, just grey, wet, and cold, as any other part of Europe north of the alps in winter.

Hats

Today there was a renaissance fair (in german, Mittelaltermarkt, "medieval market", concentrating on a slightly earlier period) in the city despite the cold, snowy, windy weather. This stall sells felt hats, colourful and warm, for people daring enough to wear something unusual ;-)

This way to Santiago...

... de Compostela, one of the famous pilgrimage destination in Europe since medieval times. While only the last few hundred kilometers through Spain are officially called El Camino de Santiago, there's a network of ways that have historically been used by pilgrims to get to Spain in the first place, and these ways are marked with the Camino symbol as well: yellow sun rays in the shape of a scallop shell on a blue background. One such way passes by both my apartment and the office where I work. (I admit it has taken me a while to find out what these strange stickers mean. ;-) )

Buddha reflections

A Thai restaurant, in the building where I work, reopened a few days ago with the new name "Buddha" -- and lots of Buddha statues. From the outside, with reflections of November morning sun and a bit of Pirckheimerstrasse.

Come over here! Haircuts!

A lovely piece of art, serving as advertisement for a hair dresser's shop. Somewhere north of the castle.

Summer sky

Still in July, this shot turned out nice by pure luck. If I remember correctly I actually wanted to photograph some detail of the building, but my camera liked the sky much better. With hindsight, so do I. (The building is Untere Talgasse 8, as seen from Andreij-Sacharow-Platz.)

Mademoiselle Jeanne

It is still cold and ugly outside, so we're still in time shift mode. This picture is from July, only a few meters away from yesterday's: Mademoiselle Jeanne of Arc, as seen by this artist.

(I just learned from the artist's website that the sculpture is intended as a home for honey bees. I didn't notice any when I took the picture, though.)

Angel or daemon?

It is amazing, there are still some really old houses in the city, those that weren't destroyed in WWII and nicely reconstructed, but survived somehow and really show their age. This one is in Obere Krämersgasse.

Peaceful assembly

Dear Readers, I have not forgotten you or my photo blog. Starting this winter term, I'm going to university again (computational linguistics and indoeuropean studies), and I'm still adjusting my life to the new demands on my time and mental energy. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining, rather I'm very happy with my decision ;-)

Anyway, I'm sifting through my archives now for bloggable content, and will try and get new gorgeous autumn pictures as soon as it stops raining. For today, Arcticle 20 of the declaration of human rights, written in german and tibetan on one of the columns in the Way of Human Rights.

The Rocket Shop

This shop was closed when I walked past it, so I'm just guessing, but it looks like they really specialize on models of rockets and other space travel vehicles. Fenitzerplatz.

Relics

Do you know where the next phone booth is? And do you remember the last time you used one? (Near Stadtpark.)

Dragons?

The shop is closed and empty, so I will never know if they sold dragons or kites (it's the same word in german) or something else completely. Obere Wörthstrasse.

Antenna mast

Again and as so often, the interesting aspect of this picture is not the actual motive. This time I liked the reflection of reflections of sunlight in this piece of tech equipment and the facade of another department store. Near Weisser Turm.

Better than nothing

At least they have balconies in their apartments :)

House Art V

Before I started posting my house art pictures on this blog I wasn't aware how many houses are decorated in some way or other. This one is interesting for two reasons: the colourful mosaic, and the old-fashioned typography below it.

Too early for Bratwurst

Nuernberg is also famous for its Bratwürste, roast sausages, and they are typically sold from stalls like this one, but they only open later in the day.

Shadows

Shadows on the wall of St. Elisabeth, near Weisser Turm.

Composition by accident

Has it not found a nice frame, this late September flower?

Consulate

Nuernberg, of course, does not have any embassies, but it is large enough for a few consulates. If you're British, you may need this one day, and it's only a few minutes away from the main train station. You will need a map to find it, though. (Badstrasse.)

Speak, friend - and maybe I let you in

Sure, air pollution and the weather have not been kind to this guy, but I don't think he - it? - ever looked inviting. Part of a door frame in Badstrasse, just south of Wöhrder Wiese.

Artsy shot

I just thought this might look good. Part of the Georg Simon Ohm University of Applied Science (yes, that Ohm).

Just in case

Preparations for a bicycle race through the city.

(I'll be on vacation for a while now, so everything you see here in the next two weeks is pre-blogged and auto-published by blogger. I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.)

Run for your life!

Of course this was not planned. ;-)

I don't know who was more surprised, the squirrel or me, but it was sitting there, looking at me for a few seconds - and then remembered that flight has always been the safer choice.

Hand - door bell - ring, please!

A special kind of advertisement for a small, one-garage car repair shop, somewhere north of Wöhrder Wiese (I was a bit lost and forgot to look for street names).

Timber frame

Timber frame buildings are quite common in the countryside, but a rarity in the city - especially if only a part of the house is built that way. The backyard where this one is located looked actually quite lovely. I like this kind of city houses.

Late summer

The bright sunlight is misleading, the days are considerably cooler already, so nobody is sitting in the shadow, and the benches have the view over the pond all to themselves.

Spires

I don't know what this curch is called - it is right next to Stadtpark, a small park in the northern part of Nuernberg. I liked the blues and the light.

Living in the city III

In the middle of the city, in between much larger blocks of houses, someone has created a small, almost mediterranean paradise. Möhrlgasse, near Stadtpark.

House Art IV

This one is a more modern piece of art, just around the corner from where I live, near Stadtpark.

House Art III

As you see, we also have dirty houses in Nuremberg, and this is not even far away from the shinier parts of the city.

I think that it belongs to the parish of (a wild guess!) St. Jakob and houses offices or the parish hall or probably both. Near Unschlittplatz / Mohrengasse.

Arches

Somewhere between Wöhrder Wiese and Cinecitta, a few weeks ago in charming sunlight.

Not just another job

Yes, this shows what you think it does, an axe separating a hand from whatever it was attached to...

The house where the city's executioner used to live is a museum now. I doubt that this sign is historical, though.

New and old

The do not always go that well together, the many new and the few older houses in the city.

A piece of sky

As seen from "my" metro station.

You won't get lost

Nuremberg is proud of its three (!) metro lines, and public transport really is very good here, as in most german cities. This map of the network shows how small the city and the transport network really is. If you want real urban thrill, maybe it's better to look elsewhere...

Three Ravens

Sitting on the hotel of that name.

What the...

I have walked past this fountain for years, and I have never closely looked at it or noticed where the water comes from. Sometimes I do wonder what sculptors have been smoking during work :) Right next to Lorenzkirche.

Sunday afternoon

At Black Bean near Hauptmarkt, on a slow, partly sunny Sunday afternoon.

House number art

In some street north of the castle.

Makeshift bridge -

- over the moat to the castle. The old bridge is being repaired, right next to this one. I liked the straight lines.

Mix

A typical example for the houses built in the 19th and early 20th century: definitely city houses, with luxurious and rather spacious apartments, and all kinds of ornaments on the outside. Most of them didn't survive WWII, but north of the castle (outside the city wall) quite a few streets were either spared or could be beautifully reconstructed.

House Art II

Also seen in Pilotystrasse, probably from the 1970s.

I want to live there!

It is unlikely that I could a) find and b) afford such an apartment any time soon, but what a nice one it is! Must be a gorgeous view from up there too. Seen from Pilotystrasse.

This is not a bookshelf -

- but one of the usually grey, nondescript boxes standing on street corners, containing telecommunication equipment (i.e. lots of cables) that needs to be accessible to the technicians.

Piloty / Pirckheimerstrasse.

Bohemian soulfood

One of our favourite restaurants, "der Tscheche", the czech, in Obere Krämersgasse, right below the castle. They serve real Czech beer, and the food is very good too.