Fri March 09 2018  —  e-mail Manfred

Finally.

Flag Germany

Tuesday, July 27 2004

5 days

Frankfurt, Germany

About Travel Photography,
Colors of the World.

Manfred is creator of ThisFabTrek.com, travel photography, a travel blog and a photography blog (a journey from 2004 to 2013). 'I set out to see the colors of the world, always I try to capture the colors'.

Seeing, is understanding, so I report and photograph, but formost enjoy and live those different conceptions of life (all that TV [and the web] cannot give). I reject jealousy, animosity, bigotry. Be free!

Manfred in the desert of the Western Sahara

The mind, when pondering at night and always asked those questions. What am I doing in corporate wonderland of bank, university, office or church? Who is the other animal asleep deep inside, the thinker, punk, creative, or Indian, vagabond and healer, maybe artist, writer, photographer, traveler, globetrotter? Oh God, dare you to think. When I saw the lies, gambles and manipulations I follow the old dream and set out for the journey of life lived, the journey to see the colors of the world.

During years on the road I have taken the turns as they came along, and realized one thing: Only such a small part of the planet can be explored and such a vast land and sea mass will always remain unknown, to me; many swamps, jungles, deserts and oceans will never be traveled. But then I am father of twin boys, Daniel and David, my most important, and I show them some of the wonders and colors out there.

ThisFabTrek, Photography and Journey, the Stories from the Road and Life around the World, stopped in August 2013 after more than 9 years, Love and Peace.

Last vehicle.

G20, Chevy Gladiator.

Chevrolet Gladiator G20, The boys in Cordillera Blanca, Peru.
The boys and Chevy van, Peru.

The G20, the vehicle that came to me for the Americas adventures.

6 wheeled Land Rover.

Land Rover Defender 6x6
Link to Foley

The vehicle of the Africa adventures, a Foley 6-Wheeled Land Rover Defender.

Before, the MB307.

Manfred and MB307
Journey, Middle East.

The vehicle of the Middle-East and North-Cape Journeys. See all vehicles.

Daniel and David with nanny Aisha, the best we ever had, black African Woman carrying white twin babies, in Bamako, Mali.

Land Rover km 1,298

Travel Blog

contains Festival/Fiesta/Art photography.

"There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come." - Victor Hugo.

"What matters in life is not what happens to you but what you remember and how you remember it, to tell the tale." Living to Tell the Tale - Gabriel García Márquez.

"They never taught wandering in any school I attended. ... they never taught the art of writing a book, either. It's all so mysterious."
"Wandering is an art in itself. Wandering and writing don't mix"
"Writing demands commitment and if one thing your wanderer is allergic to is that very quality of commitment, for once one is committed he runs that very risk of failure ..." Wanderer - Sterling Hayden.

"Photography enables you to grasp a place first time round. ... Photography is a means of exploration, it's a vital part of travel, almost as essential as a car or a plane. " - Wim Wenders.

"The worst prejudice we acquire during our youth is the idea that life is serious. Children have the right instincts: they know that life is not serious, and treat it as a game..." , Egon Friedell.

"How far you gonna go. Before you lose your way back home" - Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World, Achtung Baby, U2.

"If you want to be a hero well just follow me." - Working Class Hero, John Lennon.

"When I think of all the things I have done, I know that it's only just begun." - I love you, Lou Reed.

"One does not escape the Sahara - the Sahara let's you go or not" - Touareg.

"Planet earth is blue and there`s nothing I can do" - This is Ground Control to Major Tom, David Bowie.

"Glory for the crazy people/in this stupid world" - Ahmed Fouad Negm.

www.thisfabtrek.com > journey > europe > germany > 20040727-frankfurt

On the road.

Map: Journey Vienna to Frankfurt.

I leave Vienna around lunchtime Thursday 22nd of July, drive westwards following the Danube river.

Not yet wilderness. But wild. Realise what I have done to my life is yet beyond my abiltiy to comprehend.

First stop is Bad Hofgastein. I am very tired after those partying past few weeks of intense preparations and go to bed early and dream of what may come or may not come.

Next day, after more then 10 hours of sleep, the fierceness and stress from the past day have vanished.

Some friends, Andi and Andi and Franz and I go on a little tour on a mountain near by.

We are getting into a heavy thunderstorm with lots of rain. It actually feels good to be finally away, out in the fresh air, with some funny friends around.

Trek with Andi and Andi
Treking with Andi and Andi.
Trek with Andi and Andi
funny friends.

Miri and Kurti saying goodbye
Miri and Kurti say Good Bye.
Why are leaving us?
Expression on face says: Why are you going?

Daniel Fuegenschuh
With Daniel in Innsbruck.

I leave for Innsbruck, some 200km away and meet Daniel, a friend from my time in London. Of Innsbruck origins his profession as an architect has led him back for the time being. He enjoys "his privilege" of being one of the very first people I meet on my trip.

Then Saturday morning, still hung over, I drive up Arlberg, a climb of about 1,000m in altitude to Lech. Up-mountain the Landy manages at times a max. speed of 35km/h. Reveals some short-comings?! Weather is bad: about 10°C, rain and fog.

Angelika's and Norbert's wedding though compensates for the efforts of coming to this place in time. Though rainy the environment of Lech makes it a wonderful event to attend to and a great occasion in time to catch up with some unique old friends.

Down Arlberg, uploading new GPS maps
Gps, Computers at the roadside. This will be my life.

Then down from Arlberg via Bregenz, the most Eastern provincial capital of Austria, into Germany.

Leaving Austria I drive along the northern border of Lake Constance (Bodensee) and then follow the Rhine-valley to Schaffhausen in Switzerland for a quick picture session of the Rhine-falls the pics nothing worth talking about).

Next day via Freiburg to Frankfurt. So far I have slept in the car 3 times - quite well actually. I am pleased.

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I am back in Frankfurt

... the city I hated so much when I worked here. The city I shunned for more then two years. But coming back now is even more unreal. Like memories, that I was trying to erase, only bits and pieces are creeping back to my mind. Standing in front of our house, our flat on the second floor. That magnificent, large, old-styled flat, Irene and I were living in, looks like it is empty, no lights on in evenings, maybe they're just away.

But where are the memories gone. Who where all the people I hung out with then. Oh yes, we did not hang out with the locals much because they all live in Bad Homburg or Kronberg or who knows where. So what did I do then. I think I spent most of my evenings on the driving range. So Frankfurt is the town I managed to learn to play golf?! Is that all that's left here.

Sitting close to where we lived on Schweizer Platz in Cafe Felinis' drinking beer I go through my very special relationship with Frankfurt without managing to find many answers. Was it me and my attitude towards the city or was it its people? I met nice Germans though in Frankfurt (Uwe, Stefan, Kai, Dirk, Tim, Axel, Markus Charlotte, Ulli and Eugene but Eugene is not German) and some of my Austrian friends like it here (Norbert, Michael), -- and sure we managed some good parties here. But, - ... unlike Berlin, this cool place where I lived for 3 years before Frankfurt and London and where memories remain vivid and alive, still telling of one of the best times of my life, vital experiences made, of friendships that I lost and found and, and, and .......

I am drinking more beer and the answers to my questions move even further out of reach. Coming back was a good thing but still not much is keeping me here. The next day I play Golf with Charlotte (she is happy now, has a boyfriend and stuff) and leave for Gelsenkirchen to see Kathi and Christian.

I want to go to Hamburg for the weekend, then Holland, then France and reach London by 8th of August.

Frankfurt, at night
Does not look too bad at night but ...
Frankfurt, ugly during the day
... but is ugly during the day.
Frankfurt skyline reflection in Land Rover side window
Reflection in the Land Rover's side window.
Frankfurt
But really -- no comment

Frankfurt, Police
This is Fft: 8 o'clock and they're funny.

www.thisfabtrek.com > journey > europe > germany > 20040727-frankfurt

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