Saturday, June 4, 2011

Reflections from Aachen . . .

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It has been entirely too long since I last participated in a Weekend Reflections session over at James' place, so here goes with a couple of reflections I found yesterday while driving back home from Germany, where a certain chain of events kept me chained to a desk in Cologne for the last two weeks, with no internet connection and no time to go look for an internet café. But finally got back home late last night, and while driving back took a few minutes to explore the city center of Aachen, near the borders of Belgium and Holland. These votive candles were in a church there.
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A little further along I spotted this ad in a store window, evidently done by someone who loves old VW buses. I had two old VWs like these long ago, and still have a soft spot for them, so was pleased to see their spirit is still alive in Germany.
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I liked the collection of small bus models... Have a great weekend !
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35 comments:

Jimmy said...

There's something about a VW bonnet that arouses every man.

Marie said...

I like the candles, which are not just candles.
Thank you for visiting my blog, and have a great Sunday.

Suze said...

My brother-in-law sold a green VW van like that in order to buy my sister's engagement ring. When his friends asked him where the 'pickle' was, he said, 'Parked on her finger.'

Clytie said...

The candles and their reflections are beautiful - and the VW buses in the window are so ... Mr. Toadish! Especially with the wonderful reflections and the heart. I really like that heart, as I'm sure you can guess!!!

clytie-randomhearts.blogspot.com

Clytie said...

Oh and by the way ... welcome back! We've missed you!

Lynne with an e said...

ve vass aachen to hef yu beck.

Oakland Daily Photo said...

Ah, the VW bus. It has a place in my heart as an icon of my hippie youth. Along with love beads and tie-dye, of course. Far out, man.

Steve said...

My wife used to have a VW cmper van and still talks very wistfully of its many merits... though it needed a good run up to get over any steep hills.

'Tsuki said...

I just love the first one... It musn't have been easy to caught the light reflection on the ground...

It reminds me a picture I took for an other contest :

http://lunedemaledaumon.blogspot.com/2009/12/yest-jai-ma-photo-pour-le-concours-de.html

:)

mythopolis said...

I think VW should revive the bus, and with a bigger motor....!!!

Owen said...

Ah Jimmy... but only men ? I fancy to imagine that maybe a woman or two has also been aroused by the beautiful lines of a VW bonnet. That notion of piling into a large vehicle with built in bunk beds, a small kitchen, then bustling off to go discover the world, to camp in romantic places, by lakesides, with mountains in view, at the beach, making love by the light of the moon and only the hoots of owls and the wind in the pines or willows for company... Who could ever forget the sound of their motor ? Or the feel of their gear shift ? My best to you in Glasgow !

Owen said...

Merci Marie, un plaisir... je tiens que de bons souvenirs de Montpellier, j'aimerais bien y retourner découvrir plus... peut-être au volant d'un bus de VW...

Owen said...

Dear Suze, that is an incredibly strong testament to true love, if he could give up his "pickle" to park it on her finger. Wow, a real sacrifice. Or maybe he had two of them, so losing one but gaining your sister's heart was maybe the best of both worlds ? :-)

Stickup Artist said...

Yay, you're back! I can certainly imagine being chained to a desk, but chained to a desk without an internet connection??!! Torture! And I agree, those little miniature VW buses are too cool. I like all the windows. It's great to see you back on these pages sharing your take on the world. You always manage to find something so unique to present!

The Poet Laura-eate said...

Everything VW is all the rage here in England. You can't move for VW memorabilia and ephemera. Sounds like it's spread across the continent too!

Owen said...

Hi Clytie,
I thought you might like that heart... and yes, the VWs are decidedly Mr Toadish, a fine looking motor car in which one could go galivanting around the country side would get Mr Toad's attention. I'll have to stop by to see the latest hearts at Random Hearts...
Cheers...

Owen said...

Ah Lynne, ich was aachen to kommen beck auf bloglander, der voyage was fatigant, aber, ich habe ein bischen weissbier getrinken; also, alles is gut... sehen sie, ich habe ein bischen deutsche gelernt, aber, ich habe alles vergessen...

And it's good to be home, I didn't even have time to go looking for a good bratwurst. Guess I'll just have to settle for some frog's legs and white wine to celebrate being back in frogland...
:-)

Owen said...

Hi Oakland,
I suppose quite a few people must have warm memories of long haired flower power days motoring along the back roads or the beach roads in old VW buses or beetles. It was a way of life. I went from San Diego to San Francisco, then across to Nevada and Utah in one, coming back across Arizona and the Mojave Desert to San Diego... fine memories... Hope all your times were good back then. Where did those days go ???

Lorrene said...

Hippy buses!and I love the candles. Very pretty.

Deborah said...

You must be pretty relieved to be able to get back to normal blogging life, Owen - and I'm glad to see you.

Oh, the inimitable VeeDub bus! My nephew had one that he called Murray - did any owner ever NOT name theirs? I longed for one in my twenties, and I do mean longed. I didn't even want a boyfriend that bad.

Lynne with an e said...

Well, I got the bit about the frog's legs. I'm sure they're very shapely after all that hiking you and La Grenouille engage in!
;-)
Something about drinking beer (you had a biscuit with beer and got drinkin') and forgetting the little bit of German you'd once learned?
Ich bin heppy alles is gut!

PeterParis said...

This is you, visiting the historic city of Aachen and publsihing photos of VW buses! (Take it as a compliment!) :-)

Margaret Pangert said...

From the Belgian side, we called it Aix! Love the reflections... of the candlelight, in the shop window holding a real VW bus? The little ones are sweet! What I hate is that every time they recreate the beetle (and maybe the bus), it desn't resemble the original that much. I couldn't make out the photographer in the window! Blue background mysterious... Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ

Owen said...

Hey Steve, maybe you'll have to get her another one... and pushing them up and over the steeper hills is great exercise ! Think how thrilled she be ! Perfect for inexpensive holidays too, no hotel needed...

Owen said...

Hi 'Tsuki, thanks for sharing the pix from 2009, I like the barefoot one best...

Owen said...

Hi Myth, yeah, I agree, a V8 and four wheel drive might do the trick... they were seriously underpowered. I remember not being sure I was going to be able to get up some hills, even in first gear... and not wanting to have to back down again either...

Owen said...

Hi Stickup ! "Yay" is right, it's good to be back. Hope to stay put now for a while. Guess we'll see. But couldn't stay away from here for long, too much good stuff going on around these parts. Yep, definitely torture to have no connection during time off the grindstone. Now just need to catch up with everyone and get back up to speed... pedaling hard !
:-)

Owen said...

Hey Laura, well, I guess there are worse things to wax nostalgic about and rave for revival...

Owen said...

Lorrene, hippy hip hooray !

Owen said...

Hi Deborah ! Seems like ages... yes, absolutely good to be back here after a forced absence. Was just reading your latest piece... wonderful. Thoroughly pertinent. More and more folks will be confronted with such a choice sooner or later. Important to have options.

So, which did you end up with ? A bus or a boyfriend ? Or both finally ?
:-)

Owen said...

Ah, mais oui, Lynne, my legs are very shapely ! Or did you mean la grenouilles ? Anyway, yes, biscuits and beer = heppy !
:-)

Owen said...

Hi Peter ! Yup, definitely me... it's like my feet carried me right to the VW window, directly, went straight there, no detours. A calling in life...
:-)

Hope all is well with you... hope to see you one of these days, been crazy busy of late, but maybe calm will come again...

Owen said...

Hi Margaret, yes, Aix-la- Chapelle... from Roman times, and the first German city to be attacked on the ground in the Fall of 1944 by the Allies, fiercly defended. No, it wasn't a real bus in the window, just a large photo of one. Maybe VW should think about doing a revival model, but with a slightly bigger motor...

Roxana said...

haha, interesting combination, the candles full of grace (and even if they are not so in reality, because we humans have perhaps lost our graceful ways, you surely made them so in your photo) and busy buses! a lot to ponder and wonder here...

James said...

Awesome reflections and I like the buses.