Month: July 2022

Unter der Elbe

Als ich vor Kurzem in Hamburg war, habe ich einige Kindheitserinnerungen aufgefrischt. Im 1911 eröffneten Alten Elbtunnel war ich in den sechziger Jahren mit meiner Großmutter. Damals fuhren noch viele Autos durch den Tunnel. Heute ist er nur noch für Fußgänger und Radfahrer freigegeben.

When I was in Hamburg recently, I refreshed some childhood memories. I was in the Old Elbe Tunnel, which opened in 1911, with my grandmother in the 1960s. Back then, many cars still drove through the tunnel. Today it is only open to pedestrians and cyclists.

Memories of war

In 1991 Yugoslavia fell apart in a civil war that lasted until 1995. Especially affected was the region Krajina. In 1991 Serb troops moved in and drove other ethnic minorities out. In 1995 the Croats came back and drove the Serbs out. Results were destroyed towns and abandoned villages. Sometimes new buildings of the enemy were blasted to pieces. The remainders are still widely visible almost 20 years. The castle of the town of Knin played an important role in croatian history. While the castle is beautifully restored and houses three musea, big parts of the town are still in ruins.

An old woman sells produce from the villages around Knin in the rubble of the former town center
The former hotel in the center of town

The World in Chowchilla CA

Chowchilla is a small town in Central California, surrounded by orchards, dairies, and farm land. When I first got this assignment I was a little worried about the diversity of the town. Didn’t take long to realize we are a mixed culture.

Starting from upper left, Chinese Restaurant, Italian Bakery, Indian Restaurant & Old Catholic Church

Upper left, Mexican Market, Soul Food Restaurant, Portuguese Hall, German Lutheran Church.

Spezialitäten aus aller Welt

Die Welt in meiner Stadt, das sind natürlich die Menschen aus vielen Nationen und ihre Küche, die sie mitbringen. Aber auch ganz banal ihre Lebensmittelgeschäfte mit Dingen, die es nur dort gibt.
The world in my city is, of course, the people from many nations and the cuisine they bring with them. But also, quite banally, their grocery stores with things that are only available there.