Stockholm - The City

Gamla Stan - the old town
Kiri with sundown in gamla stan as a backdrop

Sunset over on of the bridges coming from the Royal Palace (on the left)
One of the many boats moored along the warf area in downtown Stockholm

The Vasa ship in the Museum with the same name.

Agneta and Uve's house in Sanviken (Kia's parents). We had snow!!! Kiri is on the left hand side of the photo.

The narrow streets of Gamla Stan

Kiri in Stockholm

More boats and more cool turn of the century buildings behind them. Much nicer when it is sunny, trust me!

One of the many marinas in Stockholm. I kind of also want a house boat now! they look sooo cool!

Filming in Sweeeeeden!

Fatso and the Director

Eric the Red, the Director and Fatso

The Director aka Le Artiste!

Me and Eric the Red on an icy background

Kiri sound assistant and the Artiste

Kiri Freckling her way through the sound

Sadly my only photo of Kia, who managed to avoid the lens of at least 3 different cameras. the dashing gentleman standing up is Ove Kia's dad!

Fatso doing the javelin

Hey!!!!!! After a very long delay, here are some of the pictures from Sweden. These are from the filming of Sacrifice in Sandviken where Kia's parents live. Eric the Red is an aspiring Swedish filmaker who is collaborating with Richardson these days. All of these photos were taken by Joaquim, Kia's brother. (I corrected Kia's father's name from "Uve" to "Ove" following a remark by Kia - Sorry for the mispelling Kia!!)

Our house, in the middle of our street, our house...

Hi guys!

since I couldn't choose any particular photo that i was very happy with, since I'm so looking forward to changing wall papers and decorating, and getting more furniture, and and and.... I decided to just put up all the photos I took last weekend on a separate page so you can see it as a slide show.
http://kialeao.myphotoalbum.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=album01
Well, for you to know that these are the "before pictures"... and then there will be photos of the prettiest little house in Upplands Vasby here later on, and hopefully one for each guest visiting...

by the way - Raul, I didn't manage to take one single photo when you guys were here so YOU have to post the proof of that (and soon). :-)

and btw, it's great to know that you guys pop by the blog once in a while Selma and Mika! So, Selma, where do you work now? I just saw the farewell drinks being announced on the jcsmr email.


And - Hiroe, for you to know, Elisabet looooves the little present you sent her as a thanks for the knitted cactuse! I promise to email you soon.

Big hug,
kia

the final frontier

More Köln and Bonn

Another pic of the Dom in Cologne. It is so big I cannot fit it with the lens.

A view of one of the many tour barges that make trips along the Rhein river. In the background you have part of what is called the Sindenberger (a chain of "mountains"), which is part of the Rhein valley world heritage site.

The Drachenfells (Dragon rock), which served as inspiration to Wagner for his Opera the ring of the Nibelungs.

A better view of the Drachenfells and the town at it's base, Königswinter. There are tours of dutch people coming here all the time, because this is the highest spot closest to the Netherlands.

Composite of the St Martins Cathedral in Cologne. I showed this before, but it was a grey day before and this one was taken on a sunny day.

Sorry I have been so absent from the blog, but I have been finishing some paper corrections and a research proposal. I have quite a lot of pics from mine and Kiri's trip to Stockholm which I will include later. Until then please enjoy some of the views from the Rhein river in Bonn and of Köln.

R.

Winter in Stockholm

Winter finally came around easter. Lovely white powdery snow...

...So we just had to go outside and make a snowman!

Richard working hard...

... and here is the final product! A very happy snowman!

Of course Richard had to run inside to get his s8 camera to fill the whole thing too!

Indiana Jones!

You guys are probably not as exited as I am and Richardson undoubtedly is going to hate it, but here is the first teaser trailer for the new Indiana Jones (click here).

Enjoy,

Raúl

Karneval part deux! The Rosenmontag

Not many pictures from Monday's street celebrations of Karneval, mainly because I couldn't be bothered to carry my camera through the narrow and filled streets of Oldtown in Bonn, and also because the pics would be crap anyway due to the freezing cold weather and rain, but well here it goes...

Me and Elis, one of the PhD students here dressed improv as mad scientists. I know, I know I am fat..

The streets of oldtown (Altstadt) were considerably more packed than Endenich on Sunday, and this was taken after the parade finished.

The party afterwads at one of the bars. I got groped several times, and one time by a guy!!! Kinky Germans!

Karneval! (Sunday)

Hello there! Couldn't help but notice that the number of posts in this blog tends to come in short burst of activity. Given that Karneval/Carnaval/Mardi Gras just happened around these parts, please take notice of the inequivocal evidence that all Germans are insane!!

Kiri came over to Bonn and our Karneval fueled day started like this (snow flakes the size of your head)

We went to a Karneval parade in Endenich (don't ask) and we saw plenty of old people dressed as clowns.

more clowns...

The origin of Karneval in these parts is a bit different from the rest of the world. See the geeks in uniform? These particular garments are a testimony of the Prussian ocupation of the 18th Century. This ocupation reputedly stopped the French from expanding their borders to this side of the Rhein. So they celebrate this with Karneval... weird!

A view of the main street

The KGB was present and they made sure they controlled all public display of lovin'!

The Karneval parade thing was these guys idea. At the right of Kiri are Marie (lady Beattle) and Christian the Pirate, my friendly neighbours.

A fuller view of the street.

bla bla

The KGB looking attentively at the guys in the truck offering candy to the people in the street
Mexicans in Bonn?!

Kiri thinking that she has a sudden urge of voting in George W. even if he is not running for president. (it's the hat people)

And the day ends with no traces of snow and with a blazing sun. I guess it is a karneval thing.

Clarke is having a new baby!!!

Actually, Juanita is having one... But Clarke did the hard job.

Look!

Since Bjorn and Wiebke are not blogging much... at all.... I'm at least showing proof of Bjorn's existence!
And it's a nice existence by the look of his lab - fancy equipment and a huge office with ginormeous window with a bit of a view. (I should explain that our bosses are collaborating on a project now, so I got to travel to Zürich over the day to see some fancy lasers...)
I also got to meet Wiebke for a coffee, but no picture. She told me about snow shoe hiking in the mountains that they are doing every now and then... I'd like to try!

Guess who will be moving in late March?