Eine Blast from the (college) Past...
...from a photographer's notebook
The more years I spend on the planet, the more I marvel at the capacity of the human brain (well, at least mine) to store major amounts of trivial information, bordering on the useless…until such time, that is, when it just might morph into being useful (in a crazy sort of way).
Case in point: Decades ago, while taking a beginning German course in college, I happened to learn the phrase: Die Katze ist auf die Mauer gesprungen. It means: The cat has jumped on the wall.
Not exactly as useful as asking where the rest room is in that Frankfurt Gasthaus, or how to get to the Bahnhof in Bamberg.
But I just liked the sound of it, so it snuggled its way into those remote little little gray matter “nooks ‘n’ crannies.”
Fast forward to February 2008 during a photo trip to Germany. My German friend Tom Reitzel, a
fellow photographer, and I were wandering through the inviting cobblestone streets of the town of Bad Mergentheim. I was concentrating on architectural features, timber-framed houses and such…when a cute little tabby cat came scurrying across the cobblestones and leapt up onto a stone wall, close to where I was standing, and peered back at me as if to say, “Here’s your next Kitty picture.”
After shooting a few frames of said kitty on the wall, and attempting to converse in Cat, I found myself shouting excitedly over to Tom (somewhat to the amusement of some of the town-folk who had been watching this camera-laden Amerikaner taking pictures of…and trying to carry on a conversation with a cat)…
“Thomas – Die Katze ist auf die Mauer gesprungen!”
Well, I suppose "you had to be there," but sometimes I do feel those university years were actually worthwhile.
Herzlichen Dank, Frau von Braunmühl, for having me learn all those worthy little German tidbits...
The more years I spend on the planet, the more I marvel at the capacity of the human brain (well, at least mine) to store major amounts of trivial information, bordering on the useless…until such time, that is, when it just might morph into being useful (in a crazy sort of way).Case in point: Decades ago, while taking a beginning German course in college, I happened to learn the phrase: Die Katze ist auf die Mauer gesprungen. It means: The cat has jumped on the wall.
Not exactly as useful as asking where the rest room is in that Frankfurt Gasthaus, or how to get to the Bahnhof in Bamberg.
But I just liked the sound of it, so it snuggled its way into those remote little little gray matter “nooks ‘n’ crannies.”
Fast forward to February 2008 during a photo trip to Germany. My German friend Tom Reitzel, a
fellow photographer, and I were wandering through the inviting cobblestone streets of the town of Bad Mergentheim. I was concentrating on architectural features, timber-framed houses and such…when a cute little tabby cat came scurrying across the cobblestones and leapt up onto a stone wall, close to where I was standing, and peered back at me as if to say, “Here’s your next Kitty picture.”After shooting a few frames of said kitty on the wall, and attempting to converse in Cat, I found myself shouting excitedly over to Tom (somewhat to the amusement of some of the town-folk who had been watching this camera-laden Amerikaner taking pictures of…and trying to carry on a conversation with a cat)…
“Thomas – Die Katze ist auf die Mauer gesprungen!”
Well, I suppose "you had to be there," but sometimes I do feel those university years were actually worthwhile.
Herzlichen Dank, Frau von Braunmühl, for having me learn all those worthy little German tidbits...
This vertical image is available in gallery prints as well as in two versions in my line of Photo Note Cards.
For a larger, higher resolution view, please click on this link:http://www.fotocommunity.com/pc/pc/mypics/1571414/display/21910027
While there, if you would like to view more of my images, click on "More photos of this photographer."
©2010 Steve Ember
Labels: "Die Katze ist auf die Mauer gesprungen", Cats, Germany
posted by Steve Ember at
9:05 PM
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