Mon March 12 2018  —  e-mail Manfred

Vienna, update on plans.

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Saturday, May 29 2004

Vienna, Austria

About Travel Photography,
Colors of the World.

Manfred is creator of ThisFabTrek.com, travel photography, a travel blog and a photography blog (a journey from 2004 to 2013). 'I set out to see the colors of the world, always I try to capture the colors'.

Seeing, is understanding, so I report and photograph, but formost enjoy and live those different conceptions of life (all that TV [and the web] cannot give). I reject jealousy, animosity, bigotry. Be free!

Manfred in the desert of the Western Sahara

The mind, when pondering at night and always asked those questions. What am I doing in corporate wonderland of bank, university, office or church? Who is the other animal asleep deep inside, the thinker, punk, creative, or Indian, vagabond and healer, maybe artist, writer, photographer, traveler, globetrotter? Oh God, dare you to think. When I saw the lies, gambles and manipulations I follow the old dream and set out for the journey of life lived, the journey to see the colors of the world.

During years on the road I have taken the turns as they came along, and realized one thing: Only such a small part of the planet can be explored and such a vast land and sea mass will always remain unknown, to me; many swamps, jungles, deserts and oceans will never be traveled. But then I am father of twin boys, Daniel and David, my most important, and I show them some of the wonders and colors out there.

ThisFabTrek, Photography and Journey, the Stories from the Road and Life around the World, stopped in August 2013 after more than 9 years, Love and Peace.

Last vehicle.

G20, Chevy Gladiator.

Chevrolet Gladiator G20, The boys in Cordillera Blanca, Peru.
The boys and Chevy van, Peru.

The G20, the vehicle that came to me for the Americas adventures.

6 wheeled Land Rover.

Land Rover Defender 6x6
Link to Foley

The vehicle of the Africa adventures, a Foley 6-Wheeled Land Rover Defender.

Before, the MB307.

Manfred and MB307
Journey, Middle East.

The vehicle of the Middle-East and North-Cape Journeys. See all vehicles.

Daniel and David with nanny Aisha, the best we ever had, black African Woman carrying white twin babies, in Bamako, Mali.

Travel Blog

contains Festival/Fiesta/Art photography.

"There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come." - Victor Hugo.

"What matters in life is not what happens to you but what you remember and how you remember it, to tell the tale." Living to Tell the Tale - Gabriel García Márquez.

"They never taught wandering in any school I attended. ... they never taught the art of writing a book, either. It's all so mysterious."
"Wandering is an art in itself. Wandering and writing don't mix"
"Writing demands commitment and if one thing your wanderer is allergic to is that very quality of commitment, for once one is committed he runs that very risk of failure ..." Wanderer - Sterling Hayden.

"Photography enables you to grasp a place first time round. ... Photography is a means of exploration, it's a vital part of travel, almost as essential as a car or a plane. " - Wim Wenders.

"The worst prejudice we acquire during our youth is the idea that life is serious. Children have the right instincts: they know that life is not serious, and treat it as a game..." , Egon Friedell.

"How far you gonna go. Before you lose your way back home" - Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World, Achtung Baby, U2.

"If you want to be a hero well just follow me." - Working Class Hero, John Lennon.

"When I think of all the things I have done, I know that it's only just begun." - I love you, Lou Reed.

"One does not escape the Sahara - the Sahara let's you go or not" - Touareg.

"Planet earth is blue and there`s nothing I can do" - This is Ground Control to Major Tom, David Bowie.

"Glory for the crazy people/in this stupid world" - Ahmed Fouad Negm.

www.thisfabtrek.com > journey > europe > austria > 20040529-vienna

Day X, I am getting nearer.

Thought an update on when and how I'd be travelling through Europe over the next month or 2 might be appropriate. Thing is I am running late. But who cares. But one thought at a time.

It was a wonderful farewell party and worked out just as I had hoped. The weather held out nicely, the police did not turn up (surprise) and the 110 people of all ages who turned up (I counted them afterwards), seemed to have had a great time. So at any time between 12 noon and 3 past midnight I was busy talking and luckily not really drinking so much . Thanks to talking to all you people I did not get my hands on the drinks supply as often as intended. I would not have held out until the end otherwise.

Sweater Abgefahren
Sweater Maschi on tour
Sweater Land Rover
Wolfgang sent these.

Think I have another 3 weeks here in Vienna to accomplish the mountainous task completely ridding myself of all those useful things I have amassed over the past 20 years. So the following scenario is most likely. Leave Vienna around the 17th of June for a place in Waldviertel, in Lower Austria, some 150km northwest from Vienna, where my cousin Gerd owns a farmhouse. Chill out. Ponder. Then meet Piotr in Prague around the 22nd and travel through Poland with him for about a week. My fellow work colleague and dear friend over these past 4 years and I have always had planned to go to Poland together, his mother country but never have managed to. But now we do what we have always been dreaming of. Wroclaw, Posnan maybe Warsaw.

Well Piotr has to leave for France by the 29th of June. I will probably head westwards too, to Berlin (I once worked there for 3 years in Bankgesellschaft), Hamburg, Frankfurt I worked there too for nearly 2 years in Dresdner Bank). So, lots of friends to visit.

Then Holland. The Hague is where I intend to meet Stefan and Bram, 2 former work colleagues from my time in England.

So London has been pushed back well into July but I'll get there. And Scotland and Ireland need to wait until August and September hopefully just in time before the weather turns too nasty and cold and wet.

But - who cares.

www.thisfabtrek.com > journey > europe > austria > 20040529-vienna

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