Hitting the wall

I'm still here....honest!! I was suffering culture shock over the weekend (but lots of sleeping sensibly balanced with copious amounts of alcohol got me through it) then it was back to work on Monday for the 'stewards inquiry' into what went wrong on the fieldtrip.....don't get me wrong, there were no recriminations or any unpleasantness, just having to go through everything bad that happened yet again, this time with the Dean and School Registrar. A word to the wise, never EVER stay at the Amaryl City-Hotel if you happen to be in Berlin, they're down-and-out crooks! (note to Paul and Irene.....it wasn't just the ant infestation, there was more.....oh yes, so much more!) I think it's the first time I've come home thinking 'do I really want to do that again next year?' (probably will though....I'm a sucker for punishment, ask anyone!)

OTHER STUFF.....

You can find some lovely animated 3D vintage Japanese stereoviews here at Pink Tentacle, and the original images here on Flickr (with lots more) Definitely worth a couple of clicks!

Silly stuff to do with your pics.....

can be found here

Rather long pause there, one of the effing darling kittens walked over the keyboard, thought everything so far had disappeared into the ether....

I always come back from Berlin with more questions than I went out with.....found this sound and video archive at the BBC that might just get dipped into sometime soon.

Got here

The 'other place' will just have to be back blips....just spent the last hour trying to upload this image (it's only 339kb but no go there and bloody ages here) I suspect the hotel throttles the traffic! Anyway, successful journey, left East Midlands in a torrential downpour expecting to land in the same, only colder but no....lovely day, just a bit on the misty side. Fab walk down to the Tiergarten and as far as The Winged Victory then back through the park via the Zoo.....not in, but along the canal bank which it abuts. Just time for a quick shower and change then we're out for a beer (or three) and a meal. Praying for good weather tomorrow, we're doing the long walk from AlexanderPlatz to Potsdamer Platz with multiple diversions...we may have to come up with a cunning plan if it's tipping it down....

All burnt out

Another day of virtually zero photographic endeavour.
The cold, or whatever it is, is still simmering, I might even have to admit defeat and take the day off tomorrow, I hate being sick.....but I've bought in pills and potions that might make it easier!

But there was some good news today...the plans for the Berlin fieldtrip in a couple of weeks are starting to take shape, there's just one more day to fill with meaningful/justifiable/educational activities and then we're sorted. I'm just hoping that final empty day doesn't involve me in trying to persuade a bunch of 40+ students that creating group websites illustrating their fieldtrip experience (using German software in a computer lab at a necessarily nameless Berlin University) is a 'good' thing to do.....and that probably after they've had a heavy night on the beer. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt....no thanks, well not if I can help it anyway! I'd much rather do Berliner Unterwelten (that would be the society for exploration and documentation of subterranean architecture) and dig deep into cold-war history....but currently the court's out!