so - what can i say... 2010 draws to a close, and so does my stay here in jerusalem. if only for this year, because come january 8 i will be back here. but right now i am all geared up to go back to vienna for 10 days. will be swell...
the last one and a half weeks had quite a few great things in store: a very nice christmas dinner at patrick's and manja's place, a christmas eve adventure stroll through old jerusalem, a sensational survival care parcel full with the most delicious viennese stuff you just don't get here, the almost final program for the dylan conference and quite a few nice developments concerning the upcoming vienna bob-fest, x-mas shopping in a city that does NOT pay the least attention to that - which is actually very nice compared to the consumerist christmas craze we are all used to, a great evening and night at the bass (the place to be if you are up for a fine night in j-town)  even if the dj-/free rap/slam poetry (or whatever that was) scene her has still LOADS of potential (did i mention the great terrace of the bass - was a great help that night;-)
have a look at some pics that are loosely connected to these lines, and if i don't see you:
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
(and let me close with the closing line of capra's great feel-good movie "It's a Wonderful Life":  "Remember, George: No man is a failure who has friends.)
Be well!

christmas palm tree in redeemer's church, old jerusalem

dormition church, old jerusalem

care parcel

christmas dinner

cats will be cats - but this time, emily was stopping the 100 greatest christmas songs by
jonny cash. and well, you can only sit soooo far....!

unrelated. great! (cheers, d. fruchtfleisch)

parcel unpacked. schinkenspeck!!!

the beauties of the dorm1 

the beauties of the dorm2

the beauties of the dorm3

my peugeot racer!

still smoking...!

getting ready for the austrian winter!

give it up for hapoel katamon! - noch in der vierten liga, aber DER jerusalemer arbeiter-traditionsverein! spielen im teddy kollek stadion, und haben die besten fans der welt..und wie alles was gut ist gibts davon wenig! wie soll ma da nicht auch zum fan werden? ps: der gegner wurde locker mit 5:0 nach haus geschickt...

it's been a while since i posted here. so today: double post!!!

last saturday was eventful in that i not only bought a bike (an old peugeot racer from the late 70s, but in great shape apart from the brakes - but hey!!) but i bought it in mea shearim. this is the quarter in jerusalem with the highest concentration of the most orthodox jews, chassidim, ...

quite impressive, by now far too small and thus very crowded, as there is a strong and single-minded focus on procreation.

have a look.



cats will be cats



mahne yehuda market  - close to but not in mea shearim

uebersetzt: von gesunden, gluecklichen huehnern...oder so.

 - soon, i will be back in vienna, spending new year's day/s there. looking forward to it!

you may remember that i went to london, gb, for a conference on "bicultural literature". well, quite a heterogeneous crowd, and a very nice one at that! one of the conferences that lets one believe in academia land...

the weekend after the conference was pleasantly spent in freezing london with the heart-warming visit of my mum who flew all the way to london to spend some time with me. which was really nice - both the gesture and the time shared :-)

check out some photos if you will:

(also, i was at an usbekistan restaurant with friends which might help explain the first pics...)

usbek crown ceremony

well-fed and happy



modern version of pre-arranged marriage



cold



mother dwarfed by big ben



scenic, old vs new, pastiche, ...

lining up

tate modern

looking out of tate modern onto millenium bridge

yes - that s what you think it is...

globe theatre

slightly less cold

first entry from london - it's freezing, narnia two has conquered the city, especially regent street- - have a look below - so part one would be more fitting  considering the current weather.
conference is about to start i a jiffy as they say (n'ermore) - enjoy just a very few photos, mostly taken in south kensington, brompton road and the like:

icerink in front of natural history museum

science museum next door - heap of some of the most successful cars in the 20th century + lockhead

north of hyde park - insignificant spot, quintessentially british

narnia conquers regent street - i wonder what c.s. would have thought about so much commodification

see above - and above

livin' in a winter wonderland - just ourtside my window, rutland gate - now that the heater is fixed in my room, i can actually enjoy it:-)

the wonders of skype

first laptop ever - second mac ever (science museum, london)

yes, a tin lizzy - for those who knew.

just behind brompton oratory

some vermin is having its lunch

while tourist helplessly looks on...