It’s been a while since I met Robbie, my flatmate and one of my best friends while at university in Glasgow. We actually managed to link up in Kyoto, while he was at a neuroscience conference (it’s not exactly brain surgery), but this was the first time I have managed to visit his grown-up home (not counting the family home in Göttingen).
Driving up from Konstanz to the northern tip of Bavaria, Wurzburg finds itself in the wine-growing region of the country. I can confirm this to be a fact, as each time we crossed the bridge from one side of the town to the other, we had a glass of wine. It was like some kind of adolescent fairy-tale.
Coinciding with Halloween, we went to one of Robbie’s PHD student’s party, and won second prize for dressing up as a pair of spectacles; photos on the way!
Wine routineCrossing the bridge was always enjoyable!… others agree.Sky, reflectedA very pretty Roman university town; much like Cambridge I suppose.The tower in the castle, where they would throw prisoners in the top, they would fall to the bottom, and if they were lucky they had the opportunity to moan and scream, warning others to avoid their misdemeanours..It's amazing how much mess a single tree can make.Robbie preparing his costume.
A lovely little excursion through the roundabout-strewn Switzerland, to Bregenz in Austria, up a cable car, down to Lindau in Germany, and back in time for dinner. Not bad!
ParklifeTop of the world – Pfänder MountainContrailsViews to the AlpsAutumn lightThe Bodensee was stunning in the stark lightI imagine the previous transport significance of Lake Konstanz cannot be overstated …… hence the ridiculous edifices at each end of the lake
A lovely stop in Konstanz was marked with learning to cook Gongbao Chicken with Yuyin’s grandfather; the first Chinese chef in the Bodensee area … that man has some incredible stories.
The folksWalking the town – it was hilarious to be the 'local-looking' guy in the group, and yet he obviously speaks fantastic German.Not quite sure what we are talking about here.A real pleasure to meet him, and a hugely proud series of conversations held in Chinese – the work paid off 🙂Semi-transparentSymmetrySeems I was in pain taking pictures of my large beer.
MastsFantastic hand-finished graphics – we should have more of this!Higgeldy-piggeldy architectureThe simple addition of LEDs to the town clock made for a striking appearance at dusk.
Location, location, locationCamoGoodbye to a charming little town.
I had four of the best years of my life in Glasgow. Which is why I left and never went back!
I feel immense affection for this city that I called home during my university years. It was (at the time) a long way away from home, pretty close to being a foreign city (depending on who you ask), and the trips up there were likely formative in encouraging me to continue my wanderings.
I made some great friends there, now distributed nicely around the world. I was most looking forward to seeing Craig again though; flatmate and course compatriot. Too many stories, for sure.
It also gave me a chance to catch up with the old girl, the Glasgow School of Art. A deeply fabulous building that will soon be host to a new Steven Holl design department, replacing the venerable Foulis building. They are even keeping the facade to the old Vic bar; scene to countless good nights out and home to some of the best techno and house music in the UK.
I also took the opportunity to head over to the temporary teaching spaces and spend some time with the students. This was the first time I had done this, and it was as rewarding as it was exhausting.
Even on the most overcast of days (i.e.: most days) the enormous north-facing windows gulp up the pure northern light.A Charles Rennie Mackintosh artwork … that is still a real, functioning building. It's a miracle that it is still possible.God is in the details.My favourite aspect of the building are the huge slabs of rock facing the street, like some scene from Gotham at night time.The new will make-way for the newer.Goodbye to the Foulis building – my seat used to be in the very top left – right in the corner window.The old Vic…. and down to the West End we go, which is ever more packed with organic haggis shops and little eateries. It was nice to see the place doing well, but it was clear the impact of the economic downturn on the centre of town were not so good – many shops boarded up, or replaced with the ubiquitous 'Pound Stretcher' crap.One of my favourite old pubs – The Ubiquitous Chip. Good food had at home with Craig, and again at Stravagin .. the memories came flooding back almost as quickly as the Deuchers.A change of pace, and the new Riverside Museum by Zaha Hadid. I was quite taken with the renderings that I had seen on the web, but the proof is in the pudding.I liked the references to the old ship yards, and I thought the dynamic shapes were fun – at least when viewed from above, allowing them to sweep across the quay. The dark glass was extremely dramatic from a distance.… sadly the overcast weather here will likely rarely allow light to puncture through to the toys inside.Typical Zaha contours must have been fun to build.The grey walls matched the grey sky well.Reflecting the Science Centre and BBC buildings opposite.Other views captured a past history (where apparently 30% of the world's ships used to be made!)The glorious architecture on the other side of the Clyde.The off-green of the interior again was cool, but gave the place an odd laboratory feel – not quite right when looking at classic transport.These old beauties just could not compete with the building, sadly.Some awesome bikes on display from Graem ObreeOverall, a great architectural statement, but one that does not meet the brief.And to round it off, more great food and coffees at Cafe Gandolfi with Craig.
Invariably, Asian electricity companies have the best logos in the world.
Hong Kong holds deep and special memories for me. It was the first place I landed in Asia, touching-down on the way to Taiwan for the first time, it was the first ‘foreign’ place I went to after arriving on the island, it was a weekend transit hub for many of my trips to China, and it ended up being a place that some of my best friends called home. It will forever be a just a little bit magical.
The plan was to stretch out our layover to London with a day running around (traditional, I might say!). We ended up meeting Sam at Bloomberg, accidentally got on TV (twice!), relaxed with afternoon beers on Lamma, and ended up with food at the hilarious American Restaurant. Poignant goodbyes, but I shall be back soon!
It shouldn't, but in a lot of ways Hong Kong reminds me of San Francisco; the steep hills, definitive skyline, and entertaining mix of transport modes and walkability.Messing about on the boatSunset in LammaHeading back to the city to meet Michael for dinnerSam looking moody on the tram.They keep on saying they are going to replace the old wooden trams; I say I believe it when I see it. They are fun though (when it's not rush hour at least).One day I need to get my name up there.Zai Jian!Looking back.Poking my camera out of the taxi one last time. What a city!
I have had some of the best days of my 20s up in the hills around Taipei – the days spent up there rooted in my memory. That’s why I was so delighted that, after six years of pestering, Ken finally decided to come up to Taipei for a round of mountain biking. Sadly, I managed to miss my alarm call leaving the rest of the guys stranded at Starbucks without us, but Ken and I managed none-the-less to string together a great day of riding and catching up before my departure.
Looking out from Starbucks at the rainMaking some adjustments to the Heckler brakesA new office chair post will probably change the riding dynamic; ie: less chatting!Need to do more of this in future.The rock drop section is never a cake-walk, but heading into this cameras blazing, knowing it was going to be my last attempt in a long time, combined with fuzzy status of medical insurance, definitely sapped my fluidity.The addition of steps on the intermediate section is not my favourite modification to the trail'Honestly, this is the way!'
I am itching to see what the trails are going to be like in San Francisco, and beyond …
