Les’ – Time out for Mom’s prompt for her Tuesday Coffee Chat is: Finish the following: You know a book is really good when… – I cannot put it down. It has been a while since I had one of those in my hands, but it is not because they are not out there, no. But because I don’t read as much anymore as I used to. I’d love to change that, but there is only so much time in a day.
Like right now – I just enjoyed one of the best weekends in a long time. Very good friends of ours are visiting us from Germany. We were and are, since they will be leaving tomorrow, having a great time. But, of course, no time to e.g. reading or blogging or such. So, please excuse my absence while I am enjoying time off spent with our friends and… taking photos! Of them and of New York City, because everyone visiting us wants to see the City. Which, by the way, is just fine by me, since I love every excuse to go there.
So, here are the first few photos, which those of you who are connected with me on Facebook or Instagram may have already seen. Many more photos will follow, because we had a wonderful time, which – hopefully – makes for wonderful photos.
Day 1: First stop – Highline Park
Followed by a little Chelsea and Greenwich Village before arriving at the second stop…
Day 1: Second stop – Freedom Tower / 911 Memorial
Of course, there were other stops in between, but – no time to edit the photos 😉
Day 2: Bicycle ride in Kittatinny Valley State Park – no photos yet. Day 3: Photo shoot – running
Day 3: First stop – New York City Full Harbor Cruise around Manhattan
Day 3: Second stop – Little portrait fun session in the Arboretum Frelinghuysen
Already I cannot wait for their next time to visit us. And to go with them to New York City and beyond. By the way, not only are they passionate runners, they are also avid wine connoisseurs. And Sigi guest posts on a German wine blog about, among others, the wonderful German – dry!! – Riesling (o.k. some not so dry ones are pretty good, too, but…) under the name ‘Mundschenk’. Obviously that blog is in German, but I know there are one or two readers of my site who know German, so I thought I would share the link with you – here you go: Der Pfälzer Weinblog.
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Always fun to do things with friends and taking on tours of your “backyard”. You get to see things through their eyes. The wine we always liked when we were living in Germany was Steller Schwartz Kat. I may have the spelling wrong now. I also have no idea what grade of wine it was. For all I know it is equivalent to Mad Dog or Boonesfarm! LOL! I carry a little black cat figurine that came with one of the bottles on my key ring.
‘Backyard’ – that’s a good one, considering that I probably still can count the days or trips I took to NYC on my two hands. Hmm, well, o.k. maybe times 2 😉 Is it this wine, Debbi http://www.schmitt-soehne.com/en/schmitt-soehne-zeller-schwarze-katz-qba-c6-p31.aspx? I had never heard of it, yet, there are soooo many German Rieslings and vinyards – it is fun to explore!
Yes! That is the wine. I really missed the mark spelling it! It is a nice tasting wine and we did drink a lot of it while there.
You spelled it well enough for me to find it, Debbi 😉 I’ll have to see if I can find a bottle to try it
It seems you and your friends have been pretty active during the last days! 🙂 Quiet literally ‘On the run’… 😉 I am glad you have a good time and – as far as I can derive from your photos – enjoyed a wonderful weather.
Your shots are just gorgeous, Claudia. You know that I am somewhat addicted to sports and people photography… I especially like the portrait at the end of this day’s blogpost!
Thank you for all these impressions and for the link to the Pfälzer Weinblog. I’ll definitely have a look at this site!
Today we have up to 35 °C here. Time for a really cool drink… 🙂
Cheers, Michael
Oh, this weekend was wonderful, Michael. In every respect. Company, trips & sightseeing, photos, weather – you name it.
Thank you so much for your compliment, I really appreciate it. Hope you’ll enjoy the warm weather while it lasts and… see you soon! 🙂
Nice photographs. Looks like you had an amazing visit. NYC seems to be a great place to vacation.
Thank you, Lady Lilith. It really (is) was an amazingly, wonderful fun visit (just have the sad good byes behind me – sigh). NYC is a great place to experience. I am not sure I could live there forever, but for a period of time, I am sure I would have a blast.
Gorgeous photos! I love the Freedom Tower and the portrait you did of your friends. That’s such a valuable gift and how nice of them to have it to remember their NYC fun!
Thank you very much, Tamara. I thought I would give a brief update of what I have been up to and why I have not been present online. This is the reason – real life. Although I almost think of my virtual life as real, too, just different… I feel very happy that I was able to catch a few good moments in photos for my friends – they like them, too. Very happy 🙂
p.s. not happy that they are already leaving 🙁
Isn’t it nice to spend time with good friends? And, you have an exciting city to explore with your guests, too. I would love to see NYC on a personal level. Thanks for sharing the fun through the lens. BTW, I have named you (your blog) this week’s featured photographer on Wordless Wednesday. Congrats! Have a fototastic week, Claudia!
It is simply wonderful and – for us at the moment – simply doesn’t happen often enough. Physical distance can be good for some things, but bad for others… I am glad you enjoyed the photos and I am sure you would love to see NYC through your lens, Cathy.
Thanks for the feature, I’ll make sure to drop by tomorrow (but I’ll do it anyway ;))
Wow, that’s awesome to have friends who live in another country. I bet you guys have great conversations! Hopefully you visit them in Germany, too! I live far away from both places but have visited both. I would love to go back, now that I’m older and wiser (well, maybe not wiser – let’s say “mature”) 😉
It sure is a good thing to have friends, just about anywhere. You know that there is always a place to go to, when you… feel the need to leave. Actually, I am German and will have the opportunity to visit my home country soon, re-connect with some friends and family. Really looking forward to it.
Where have you been in Germany? Did you travel or live there?
Wiser or mature, who cares – you have got experience! LOL
I read more blogs than books these days myself. That is something that I will have to change. I go in spurts I guess.
But I never, ever mind seeing NYC!!! More more more please 🙂
Glad you had a nice visit with your friends. My mom loves that kind of wine.
(and the site looks really good!!!)
Blogs can be somewhat addicting, right? Like writing and photographing and and and. I would love to go back to reading more. I wonder if e.g. a Kindle Paperwhite would help with that.
More NYC photos? Just check out today’s post – LOL
Thanks. I really! felt the need to get a faster layout. I loved the other one, but it was so, so slow. and unless you’re a dedicated visitor, you’d click away. This one is good, but I feel a little boxed in, we’ll see. Two more evenings without hubby might see me experimenting some more.
Stunning photos! And I have too love a good book that I can’t put down. My husband and I are huge Rieslings fans!
Thank you, Kisma. I cannot help but wonder: Dry Riesling or the hugely popular in the US sweet Riesling? I will be in Germany soon, so I intend to have some while over there 😉
Your pictures are amazing! people are more important than books.
Thank you so much, Judy. I agree, people are more important. Then again you can learn about them in books, too