Valhalla

No, not the Norse hall of the dead, but the German Walhalla Temple, located near Regensburg, Germany and perched high above the Danube River.  This Walhalla, created by the loveably nutty Bavarian King Ludwig, is a hall-of-fame celebrating distinguished and famous Germanic people and personalities throughout history.  This was our first time visiting this memorial as it had never piqued my interest enough for a stop while in the Regensburg area or on trips to Passau and places beyond.  I wish now that I would have made the easy detour from A3 to spend 30 minutes scouting this location.  Or had just driven the 10 minutes up the street from our friend's apartment in Regensburg...... The view from the south-facing platform surrounding the temple was easily worth the price of admission (which is free, by the way).  A short hike from the parking lot affords the photographer with an array of unique angles and scenes to shoot.  Even the harsh light of midday provided good opportunities for fun shots.  The unobstructed view over the Danube River Valley makes this a great place for shooting at sunrise, sunset, and during most astronomical events.  I look forward to exploring this site more fully in the future.  Just the little time we spent up there yesterday put my back out of shape and had me knackered, but I'm glad we went.

         

All's Been Quiet on the Home Front

and on this blog......  Although there hasn't been any activity on here from me recently, it doesn't mean I haven't been busy.  Between getting the new computer setup, working on a new photo portfolio, setting up and dialing in the new large-format printer, and finishing my Zazzle site (everything is loaded there now!), I've kept myself occupied.  I've also been spending an inordinate amount of time trying to get my back fixed.  If anyone reading this has ever dealt with debilitating chronic pain, then you're well aware of just how hard it can be to do even the simplest tasks, including sitting at a computer.  Much of the above mentioned tasks were dealt with while either lying on the couch or lying in the recliner in the nursery using my new laptop.  Not exactly ideal, but it allowed me to get a few things done in relative comfort.

All of this takes a backseat to what's really important, though - my wife and the two baby girls she is carrying inside of her.  Currently, she is 36 weeks pregnant.  With twins, this is considered nearly full-term and we've been told we can expect their arrival any time now.  This undoubtedly will change our lives forever, and we are very much looking forward to finally meeting our daughters.

In the run-up to the girls being born, I have been doing my best to set myself up with work that can be done between feedings, diaper changings, and anything else baby-related.  I think I'm just about where I need to be, but I realize that the reality of the situation will likely be different once we get in to the swing of things.  As much as I'd like to write more, I will most likely be concentrating on photo editing and poster creation for the foreseeable future.  For me, writing requires my kind of peace and quiet (which means my favorite loud music to drown everything else out) and uninterrupted periods of an hour at the very least.  I don't think these moments will be readily available for quite some time from here on out.  But, with months and months of backlogged photos to work through, I won't be hurting for things to do!

Here are a few pictures taken over the past week.  We've been sticking fairly close to home recently as these pictures reflect.

  

Playing in the wet snow at home

 

Theuern, Bavaria, Germany - stopped here after a doctors appointment the other day

Pilsen, Czech Republic Christmas Market - the last real day trip taken before deciding to stick closer to home (I still need to process this picture!)