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Tuesday 19 October 2010

for the love of parks






when i was a child, my parents took us for a sunday walk as long as i can remember. being the eldest of six siblings, i remember many moments when we arrived at our destination and people stopped, stunned, to look at us getting out of the car. we must have seemed quite exotic. those walks were an endless source of fascination for me, we'd be walking around for an hour or two, in some forest or park or along a river. we'd pick up the kind of things you find as a child: sticks, chestnuts, leaves to be pressed at home, feathers, stones. only when i was a teenager, i had a phase were i'd rather stay at home than join my family for the sunday walk. then i went back to being a passionate walker. i know some people who wish i wasn't, since i make them treck along with me for. but i simply love it. living in a city doesn't always make this easy. but there are parks.

these photographs were taken at the buergerpark in bremen, again, holding lots of childhood memories for me, as it's the city i grew up in. would you believe this is in somewhere in the middle of a city?

one of my favourite spots here in berlin is the pfaueninsel (peacock island). prussian king friedrich wilhelm II initiated quite a bit of building work and landscaping there, as he used the island - conveniently close to the palace in potsdam - as a love nest for himself and his mistress wilhelmine enke. there are also stories about one of the prussian kings keeping perfumed cows on the island so he could come and milk them. fancied himself being a farmer, but without the mess, please.

this weekend, my sister and her family are visiting. and there is a high probability we will visit the pfaueninsel, even more so, as until the end of october, you can still see olafur eliasson's blind pavilion on the island.

well now, enough daydreaming, it's back to work for me. have a good day!

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9 comments:

Unknown said...

Lovely childhood moments, it is great to take them to day.
Enjoy with your family and never leave daydreaming.

Mary said...

i'm with you on the benefits of walking.
here in montpellier there aren't so many parks but there's the beach quite close and hills for walking in behind the city.
have been really enjoying your photos of late.

Isabelle said...

this place looks so peaceful ... I am sure perfect for a sunday walk (and yes I made the madeleines, it is easy and if you want the English translation of the recipe just let me know)

MANDY said...

What lovely childhood memories, I could walk forever, city or parks I don't mind !!!

Bárbara said...

childhood memories are soo sweet :)

P R I M O E Z A said...

i really adore your images.

jana said...

so ein schöner park! es gibt kaum besseres, vor allem im herbst. da riecht es so gut!
viel spass mit der family! die pfaueninsel kommt auf meine liste für den nächsten berlinbesuch.

Emily said...

I haven't been to the Pfaueninsel yet but it's on my list. Green spaces and parks are so important and it's good there are so many in Berlin. I love your shots as always, the grain of the film and way you capture the magic of being htere.

alexandria said...

These are all so beautiful. Parks make my day each time I visit.

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