Week 10

A series of winter images this week, better do it now as I am not sure if more winter weather can be expected, winter has been unseasonably mild so far, and after all, it's Christmas... If you forfeit Christmas on a sunny beach in New Zealand, the least one can hope for is a bit of white stuff to brighten up the dark winter days of the northern hemisphere. Not that we had a white Christmas, but hey if nature does not oblige, I can... I am creative so I can create what I want (hehe).

25/12 Christmas (Mon-)Day
All is well, bridge still standing.
-Attended midnight mass in St. Stephens Basilica of Budapest, a huge basilica with as many people standing as sitting, but with a choir of about 5 people...
The vocal bridge was too flimsy for the musical Christmas spirit to reach the masses below. I am not a practicing catholic, but going to midnight mass is special to me. Just the thought that for that one hours millions everywhere are in church, not fighting, not abusing, not bullying... For that one moment, remembering the birth of Jesus Christ forges a bridge of calm and peace across many peoples, nations and continents and moves as a wave around the globe through the countries where Christianity is present. That is worth being part of for me, adding one little stone to support that bridge. Pity it is only Christmas once each year.



26/12 Boxing (Tues-)Day
All is well, bridge still standing.
-I always loose track of which day is which in this last week of the year, laughed with friends in New Zealand and Netherlands after discovering that my video camera works as a web cam. This new visual bridge has made the world so tiny, and a lot more fun too.



27/12 Wednesday
All is well, bridge still standing.
-reviewing and logging video footage shot in Vienna last week to see what other footage I may need to shoot when I go back on Saturday. When I review or work with footage shot in other parts of the world, I am instantly drawn back into the 'reality' of that place and time. I experience daily 'culture shocks' when I switch between viewing footage from elsewhere in the world and the reality of Sturovo, Slovakia.




28/12 Thursday
All is well, bridge still standing.



29/12 Friday
All is well, bridge still standing.
-There is a flash neon sign in Sturovo informing citizens about pollution levels and maximum permitted levels. Whatever those level are, it does not look pretty (see image below). The colder weather makes the pollution visible from the Basilica in Esztergom. The sky is an eternal bridge that spans across any border. Man-made pollution unfortunately does not adhere to borders. In this image the pollution is very stagnant and seems to hang around the factory where it is created.



30/12 Saturday
No observation.
-Vienna, meeting total strangers for drinks through the CouchSurfing website that sets out to build bridges between people from different cultures. The fact that I ordered water was no issue for them (Austrians and Germans), unlike in Slovakia or Hungary where locals look at me in total disbelief when I tell them that I prefer not to drink alcohol. Drinking alcohol is very much part of social protocol there, which sadly can become a bit of an issue when you don't drink. I had a wonderful time with the crowd in Vienna.



31/12 My 50th birthday, New Years Eve/Silvester, or plain Sunday
No observation.
-visited Hundertwasser's Kulturhaus, Wien. Hunderwasser is an artist/architect who also lived in New Zealand, where he died a few years ago. I can really relate to his work and philosophy. I will write more about that next week. From the Kulturhaus I went to the city centre and hung out along the 'Silvesterpfad' filled with live music and I waltzed into the new year. At midnight it was time to escape the madness and went to a private party where I danced to fabulous (recorded) Balkan music into the wee hours. Images of that trip will be published next week.