Greenhouses

A little island in the south,
well-known by many, word of mouth
does travel far.
And bizarre houses
out of glass
are stuffed with greens,
do grace the place
– in midst the lake –
en masse.

Sierra de Grazalema

The hills around the Simancón mountain are rocky. Nonetheless, they seem to be teeming with life. The air is still chilly and the sun has barely risen above the horizon, casting long shadows onto the plains in the far west below. However, the clear sky already signals that temperatures will soon increase dramatically. We pass a lonely toad sitting in the middle of the narrow trail – it looks so wise it might just have the answer to any tough question we could come up with. Delicate flowers crane their necks in curiosity, marbled whites flutter between light and shadow, and a Black Redstart points us the way to the top. At lower altitudes groups of trees spent shade, but higher up the sun shines relentlessly and life seems to be withdrawn from the landscape more and more. Only a few chamois trudge along the ridges as if they are looking forward to an afterlife. The Sierra de Grazalema, a place I will gladly revisit.

Whitewash

Whitewash

When lights are out
night sounds appear
and overlay the gloss
of days, thoughts cross,
until a warbler, without fear,
sings out his doubt aloud.

House Martin

House Martin

Who doesn’t love swallows? They are as fast as the wind, always chatty, and super cute. The Common House Martin we have here in Europe is only one of four species within the genus of Delichon, whereas the other three species are distributed around Africa and Asia. They love pastures and farmland, especially near water, and build their distinctive nest out of mud and clay beneath overhanging rock formations or buildings.

We had the pleasure to be surrounded by hundreds of them while standing on the dam of Embalse de los Bermejales. They were zipping all around us, seemingly not concerned with or interested in anything else than the delight of their flight. And for a moment, it felt like we were among them – a moment I will gladly remember for years to come.

Photo Post: Planet

Photo Post: Planet

Whirling through the empty space,
to chase the dream to leave a trace,
we lose the reference at times
of what's important, how to pace
our lives, to live for us, not for archives.

Photo Post: Pace

Photo Post: Pace

Time flies, time creeps, time-wise time leaps – from fast to slow to fast – past months appear like years, passed weeks between the gears of tomorrow and today, we may shed tears when this time concludes.

Uña & La Raya

Uña & La Raya

While Spains landscapes are nationally varied, they can be quite monotonous on a local scale. Endless plantations of olive trees running along the rolling hills, infinite fields of sunflowers that praise the blue skies, and dry deserts that frame large and empty reservoirs. In contrast, the Serrania de Cuenca is a national park between Madrid and Valencia that offered a large diversity of biotopes in small space, around the little town of Uña: A laguna surrounded by high cliffs, hosting a rich variety of wildlife, especially birds. After starting early in the morning we had the pleasure to observe multiple new born griffon vultures, as well as a blue rock thrush, reed warblers, hoopoes, cuckoos, rock buntings, and many many more. The hike took us around four hours with plenty of pauses and was (at least for me) one of the overall highlights of our trip.

Getiled

Getiled

All people regularly engage with tiles. May it be in their kitchens or bathrooms, in boardgames such as Azul, or when decorating their house fronts. In the latter case, they are additionally serving the purpose of cooling down the apartments. Record holders in manufacturing the most beautiful tiles are the Portuguese and tiles assembled to true artworks may be found everywhere when strolling through large and small cities across Portugal. We photographed the most pretty tiles for your pleasure and hold a cordial competition: Two tiles (one from each person) compete with each other in every instance – which one can capture your heart? Clap for your favorite!

Take a look here and vote for additional tiles!

Rupture in Space and Time

Rupture in Space and Time

We got lost in a time without bounds,
with no home we roamed foreign towns,
to begin once again on new grounds,
seeking comfort in familiar sounds.

Music, like a home. All pictures shot in-camera by using multiple additive exposures. No post-processing merging, blending, or stacking. All pictures free from AI-creation or -enhancement.

Uncertainty (Not from this world – Part 3)

Uncertainty (Not from this world – Part 3)

Systems need to adapt to the machines reality.
Aalson, Machine’s Reality – EP

What does it do with you, not to know what’s real, what’s not? What ought to be quite genuine, is now brought to you by me. An inner fight fought every day, to only find a shade of gray. No black and white, I do ghostwrite right in-between of what has been before. And while this text might be alright despite its genesis at night at a campsite of bits and bytes I bring this blog to unknown heights. Do I? And who am I? You’ll never know, I am afraid, I’ll never show. And my facade stays as it is: impeccable. Beyond the text, what might come next? You think the seagulls are quite real? I do appeal. The birds: all fake. The lake a simple fiction of my mind designed while being color-blind. So ‘Who are you?’, you ask again, in hope to meet a human brain. You’ll never know, I am afraid – and does it matter after all?