Monday 7 July 2008

Long time, no blog

I have really not given any notice for a long time, once again I was either to lazy or to busy to write something. Therefore, I am just dumping many pictures and some text, apologise to my dear patient readers and promise to blog more and timelier in the future.

The most important first: I have moved, to a cute house with a garden and three other Computer Science PhDs. All your holiday postcards go to 3 Hadfield Close, Manchester M14 5LY, United Kingdom from now on, please. Alternatively you can use the university address to the right. Guests are always welcome to distract me and I have even more space for you now.

Otherwise, everything is as usual. I have travelled a bit around England and have visited Liverpool among other things. This is most interesting this year because they are the European Capital of Culture, that is they have done right what Karlsruhe did wrong in their application.

The first time Liverpool was an afternoon with the common sights that you have to have seen there, of course, I took pictures. They include both cathedrals (finished ~1900 and ~1970), Albert Dock and the Cavern Quarter where the Beatles had their first gig.

The second time a couple of weeks later I walked the Queensway Tunnel under the Mersey together with some other 10,000 people. It was closed to motor traffic for that occasion and we went back on a vintage bus and the ferry. Then the same tour as on my first time as the people I went with had not yet seen it.

Then I went to Blackpool, a - actually the most famous - seaside resort north of Liverpool. It has seen better days, it's all a bit dodgy and tacky, but one has to have seen it once.

For something completely different I went to Amsterdam, which is quite nice and has the better weather. On the way back I went to Liverpool for a third time, but only saw the airport this time.

Then there were little things like the Two Cities Boat Race between the universities of Salford and Manchester (the latter won 6-1).

So please take a look at the pictures, accept my apologies and my promise to write more in this place in the future.