The majority of the images that you see on this blog are made on film - color film that I can't develop on my own so there is always the dreaded lapse between my experiences and the images that go with it. I like to think that delaying the gratification makes me a better person. The truth is that I just can't find a digital camera that compares with my $70 Olympus.

I'm back in Berlin after a few days away celebrating Christmas in proper German style. My mind is a blur with everything that happened and how great it turned out but of course I don't have the images. Yet. It's times like this that I know I am a better photographer than I'll ever be a writer because my words just do not add up. Nevertheless I'm going to try and sum up some of it sans visuals while I'm still giddy on Glühwein and before they take down all the Ferris wheels in this town:

The Autobahn. 91 year old Omas and 10 year old granddaughters. Green cabbage. Converted school houses. Ducks. Sleeping 5 to a room in the attic. 100 year old bottle openers and 60 year old table top bread slicers. Board games. Wonderschönes friends. Handmade gifts. Chocolate. Snow. Houses that look like my Playmobil filled childhood. Christmas markets. Waterproof boots. 58% local alcohol. Long walks. Bread and cheese and meat and fruit and yogurt and tea and nuts for breakfast (every day). Singing the same cheesy Christmas songs simultaneously in three different languages. Drum kits and wave boards. Sisters. Trains. Homemade Irish soda bread. Christmas trees with real candles. Wooden toys. Candied apples. And probably the most exciting thing (for me) was realizing I actually understood what was going on around me (most of the time) without translation (!!!!).

The picture above is from a day I spent in Köln a couple of weeks ago. I think it illustrates the Germanness of my current life. Happy Holidays people.