#käthe gold

[rwpohl]

das jahr des herrn, alfred stöger 1950

[iwant-fuitgummi]

my headcanons for genshin characters' full names (plus some canon ones lol) ^-^

Travelers:

Aether Sirius Viator

Lumine Spica Viator

Paimon Alycone Merope

Mondstadt:

Albedo Erich Kreideprinz

Amber Ida Hasenkamp-Xia

Astrologist Mona Magdalena Megistus

Barbara “Barbie” Liselotte Pegg

Bennett Anselm Mallory

Dahlia Bram Batz

Diluc Bastian Ragnvindr

Diona Dafni Kätzlein

Eula Babette Lawrence

Fischl von Luftschloss Narfidort

Jeanette “Jean” Elke Gunnhildr

Kaeya Rivaan Alberich / Ragnvindr

Klee Käthe Kessler

Lisa Fiorella Minci

Michael “Mika” Clemens Schmidt

Noelle Petra Desroche

Razor Rolf Minci

Rosaria Karoline Nacht

Vanda “Sucrose” Anneliese Hertz

Varka Johann Bahl

Venti Detlef Daiber / Barbatos

Liyue:

Bai Chongyun

Cai Yanfei

Dai Yaoyao

Ding Xiao

Fei Xingqiu

Hu Tao

Huang Zhongli / Morax / Rex Lapis / Deus Auri

Lei Beidou

Lu Xinyan

Luo Ganyu

Luo Shenhe

Luo Xianyun

Mao Xiangling

Xue Baizhu

Xue Qiqi

Yan Yelan

Yao Ningguang

Yip Gaming

Yun Jin

Zhuang Keqing

Inazuma:

Arataki Itto

Kaedehara Kazuha

Kamisato Ayaka

Kamisato Ayato

Koizumi Chiori

Kujou Sara

Kuki Shinobu

Naganohara Yoimiya

Nekoba Kirara

Raiden Ei / Beelzebul

Raiden Shogun

Sangonomiya Kokomi

Shikanoin Heizou

Shikanoin Sayu

Takeishi Gorou

Thomas Oskar Rothschild / Akatsuki Thoma

Yae Miko

Sumeru:

Al-Haitham ibn Jamir ibn Zaid Sader

Candace bint Hamza ibn Ahmar Asim

Collei bint Tighnari ibn Zayd Habib

Cyno Cyrus Bamoun El-Hafez

Dehya bint Kusayla ibn Malek Hashim

Dori Yildiz / “Dori Sangemah Bay”

Faruzan Azimi

Imai Kunimitsu (Wanderer)

Kaveh Roshan

Layla Yildiz

Nahida Ijaz / Lesser Lord Kusanali / Buer

Nilou Golshan

Sethos Cyrus Bamoun El-Abdelfatteh

Tighnari ibn Zayd ibn Kyree Jubran

Fontaine:

Charlotte Benoîte LaFramboise

Chevreuse Cosette Caideux

Clorinde Maëlle Archambault

Emilie Rose Lavande

Freminet Corentin Snezhevich

Furina Regine Babineaux / “Furina de Fontaine”

Lynette Veronique Alarie-Snezhevna

Lyney Valentin Alarie-Snezhevich

Marion Devereaux Neuvillette

Navia Reine Caspar

Sigewinne Elyna Arquette

Warren Gaultier Wriothesley

Natlan:

Chasca Rivas

Citlali Xahuentitla

Iansan Kẹyinde

Kachina Nanatzcayan

Kinich Canek

Mavuika Whakatāne / Haborym

Mualani Ka’aukai

Oluwatoke Kọlade

Xilonen Nocelotl

Fatui (pretty much all of these will change as the game progresses):

Ajax Klimentovich Melnik / Tartaglia

Ceylse Aurelia Valerian / Columbina

Cosette Margot Bourreau / Sandrone

Crepus Arnfried Ragnvindr / Brighella

Jin Chaoxing / Pantalone

Peruere Genevieve Snezhevna / Arlecchino

Raiden Kunikuzushi / Scaramouche

Rosalyne-Kruzchka Lohefalter / La Signora

Rurik Vadimovich Vorobyev / Pulcinella

Ulrik Agnar Ingolf / Pierro

Tatiana Snezhevna Agapov / the Tsaritsa

Thrain Hjalmarr Einarsson / Il Captiano (EDIT: he has a canon first name now so i changed it)

Zandik Nazeri / Il Dottore

Hexenzirkel (again, will change):

Alice Thekla Kessler / "A"

Anya M. Andersdotter / "M"

Astromancer Barbeloth Oda Trismegistus / "B"

Inessa Ivanova Nikulina / "J"

Nicole Reeyn-Ragnvindr / "N"

Octavia Campana / "O"

Idun “Gold” Rhinedottir / "R"

NPCS!!!

(I HAVE A CLEAR FAVORITE NATION)

Mondstadt NPCs:

Adelinde Nett

Adelram Kreideprinz / Durin

Anna and Anthony Heilbrunn

Charles Schenck

Callirhoe Dupuis

Chloris and Flora Diefenbach

Cyrus Laukkanen

Donna Fenimore

Draff Kätzlein

Edith Rayne / Dr. Edith

Ella Musk

Ellin Sheridan

Elzer Boivin

Eury and Nimrod Poirot

Glory Taggart

Godwin Cross

Grace Kappel

Herrik Huffman

Hertha Bonamy

Maeve Livingstone / Dr. Livingstone

Margaret Winfrey

Marjorie Brightwen

Mellan König / Decarabian

Neven Gale / Dvalin

Patchi Driscoll

Patton Schüttmann

Sara Küchler

Siegfria Knochenmus

Timaeus Kloet

Vennessa Aguilar

Victoria Strohkirch

Vile Gagnon

Wagner McGowan

Liyue NPCs:

Gao Haixia / Beisht

Gao Shui / Osial

Huichen Guizhong / Haagentus

Mao Chaoxiang / Chef Mao

Mao Guoba / Marchosius / God of the Stove

Qui Tianlong / Azhdaha

Yi Nuo / Havria

Inazuma NPCs:

Arataki Takuya

Hinoyama Enjou

Raiden Makoto / Baal

Sumeru NPCs:

Amun Al-Ahmar / Deshret

Lilavati Trygve Alberich (post-marriage)'/ Lilavati Kartik Mishra (pre-marriage) / Kaeya's Mom

Nabu Malikata

Parisa Rukkhadevata

Fontaine NPCs:

Alouette Désirée Dupont / Egeria

Elynas Arsène Auclair

Fanchone Océane de Fontaine / Focalors

Remus Berceuse Adagio

all melusines (aside from sigewinne) have the surname "Auclair"

Snezhnaya NPCs:

Aleksander Klimentovich Melnik

Andronika Klimentevna Melnik

Anton Klimentovich Melnik

Teucer Klimentovich Melnik

Theodor Klimentovich Melnik

Tonia Klimentevna Melnik

Khaenri'ah NPCs:

Anfortas Asgeir Alberich

Caribert Alvar Alberich

Chlothar Flosi Alberich

Dainsleif Olan Asketill

Halfdan Munin Lien

Trygve Einar Alberich / Kaeya's Dad

Vedrfolnir Asketill / "the Sinner"

[kelpiehoof]

Thank you for the tag, almost-caveman!

coffee or tea - no ty | early bird or night owl | chocolate or vanilla | spring or fall | silver or gold bronze | pop or alternative | freckles or dimples | snakes or sharks | mountains or fields | thunder or lightning why would you either/or this? they go together | egyptian mythology or greek mythology | ivory or scarlet | flute or lyre | opal or diamond | butterflies or honeybees hoverfly | macarons or eclairs | typewritten or handwritten | secret garden or secret library | rooftop or balcony | spicy or mild | opera or ballet | london or paris dublin | van gogh or claude monet käthe kollwitz | denim or leather | potions or spells | ocean or desert | mermaids or sirens selkies | masquerade ball or cocktail party

Tagging @bunnnylike @firewatchers @cannibalcanid @calliean-the-mushroom @staywildeveryday

this is so cute ty for tagging me @infernumxx !

coffee or tea | early bird or night owl | chocolate or vanilla | spring or fall | silver or gold | pop or alternative | freckles or dimples | snakes or sharks | mountains or fields | thunder or lightning | egyptian mythology or greek mythology | ivory or scarlet | flute or lyre | opal or diamond | butterflies or honeybees | macarons or eclairs | typewritten or handwritten | secret garden or secret library | rooftop or balcony | spicy or mild | opera or ballet | london or paris | van gogh or claude monet | denim or leather | potions or spells | ocean or desert | mermaids or sirens | masquerade ball or cocktail party

tagging: @sackoflower @xsweetsunflowerx @satanlikedmymoxie @pissgoon @starry-eyed-darling @lunarlesbianlove @b4d-b4d-girl + anyone else who wants to! <3

[ulrichgebert]

Um unser Wissen über griechische Mythen zu vertiefen, einmal mehr Reinhold Schünzels wichtige Verfilmung des klassischen Amphitryon-Stoffes in Versen. Wie “Arme Alkmene, sie hat Migräne”

[arinewman7]

Woman with a Dead Child

Käthe Kollwitz

etching, 1903

(The Loss of the Artist’s 7-Year-Old Son)

[miamiartdistrict]

KAMROOZ ARAM

on the ancient arts of Iran

Achaemenid (Iran, Susa). Bricks with a palmette motif, ca. 6th–4th century B.C. Ceramic, glaze. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rogers Fund, 1948 (48.98.20a–c)

The Artist Project

Vito Acconci on Gerrit Rietveld's Zig Zag Stoel

Ann Agee on the Villeroy Harlequin Family

Diana Al-Hadid on the cubiculum from the villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale

Ghada Amer on an Iranian tile panel, Garden Gathering

Kamrooz Aram on the ancient arts of Iran

Cory Arcangel on the harpsichord

John Baldessari on Philip Guston's Stationary Figure

Barry X Ball on an Egyptian fragment of a queen’s face

Ali Banisadr on Hieronymus Bosch's The Adoration of the Magi

Dia Batal on a Syrian tile panel with calligraphic inscription

Zoe Beloff on Édouard Manet's Civil War (Guerre Civile)

Dawoud Bey on Roy DeCarava

Nayland Blake on boli

Barbara Bloom on Vilhelm Hammershøi's Moonlight, Strandgade 30

Andrea Bowers on Howardena Pindell

Mark Bradford on Clyfford Still

Cecily Brown on medieval sculptures of the Madonna and Child

Luis Camnitzer on Giovanni Battista Piranesi's etchings

Nick Cave on Kuba cloths

Alejandro Cesarco on Gallery 907

Enrique Chagoya on Goya's Los Caprichos

Roz Chast on Italian Renaissance painting

Willie Cole on Ci Wara sculpture

George Condo on Claude Monet's The Path through the Irises

Petah Coyne on a Japanese outer robe with Mount Hōrai

Njideka Akunyili CROSBY on Georges Seurat's Embroidery; The Artist's Mother

John Currin on Ludovico Carracci's The Lamentation

Moyra Davey on a rosary terminal bead with lovers and Death's head

Edmund de Waal on an ewer in the shape of a Tibetan monk's cap

Thomas Demand on the Gubbio studiolo

Jacob El Hanani on the Mishneh Torah, by Master of the Barbo Missal

Teresita Fernández on Precolumbian gold

Spencer Finch on William Michael Harnett's The Artist's Letter Rack

Eric Fischl on Max Beckmann's Beginning

Roland Flexner on Jacques de Gheyn II's Vanitas Still Life

Walton Ford on Jan van Eyck and workshop's The Last Judgment

Natalie Frank on Käthe Kollwitz

LaToya Ruby FRAZIER on Gordon Parks's Red Jackson

Suzan Frecon on Duccio di Buoninsegna's Madonna and Child

Adam Fuss on a marble grave stele of a little girl

Maureen Gallace on Paul Cézanne's still life paintings with apples

Jeffrey Gibson on Vanuatu slit gongs

Nan Goldin on Julia Margaret Cameron

Wenda Gu on Robert Motherwell's Lyric Suite

Ann Hamilton on a Bamana marionette

Jane Hammond on snapshots and vernacular photography

Zarina Hashmi on Arabic calligraphy

Sheila Hicks on The Organ of Mary, a prayer book by Ethiopian scribe Baselyos

Rashid Johnson on Robert Frank

Y.Z. Kami on Egyptian mummy portraits

Deborah Kass on Athenian vases

Nina Katchadourian on Early Netherlandish portraiture

Alex Katz on Franz Kline's Black, White, and Gray

Jeff Koons on Roman sculpture

An-My Lê on Eugène Atget's Cuisine

Il Lee on Rembrandt van Rijn's portraits

Lee Mingwei on Chinese ceremonial robes

Lee Ufan on the Moon Jar

Glenn Ligon on The Great Bieri

Lin Tianmiao on Alex Katz's Black and Brown Blouse

Kalup Linzy on Édouard Manet

Robert Longo on Jackson Pollock's Autumn Rhythm (Number 30)

Nicola López on works on paper

Nalini Malani on Hanuman Bearing the Mountaintop with Medicinal Herbs

Kerry James MARSHALL on Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres's Odalisque in Grisaille

Josiah McElheny on Horace Pippin

Laura McPhee on Pieter Bruegel the Elder's The Harvesters

Josephine Meckseper on George Tooker's Government Bureau

Julie Mehretu on Velázquez's Juan de Pareja

Alexander Melamid on Ernest Meissonier's 1807, Friedland

Mariko Mori on Botticelli's The Annunciation

Vik Muniz on The Henry R. Luce Center for the Study of American Art

Wangechi Mutu on Egon Schiele

James Nares on Chinese calligraphy

Catherine Opie on the Louis XIV bedroom

Cornelia Parker on Robert Capa's The Falling Soldier

Izhar Patkin on Shiva as Lord of Dance

Sheila Pepe on European armor

Raymond Pettibon on Joseph Mallord William Turner

Sopheap Pich on Vincent van Gogh's drawings

Robert Polidori on Jules Bastien-Lepage's Joan of Arc

Rona Pondick on Egyptian sculpture fragments

Liliana Porter on Jacometto's Portrait of a Young Man

Wilfredo Prieto on Auguste Rodin's sculptures

Rashid Rana on Umberto Boccioni's Unique Forms of Continuity in Space

Krishna Reddy on Henry Moore

Matthew Ritchie on The Triumph of Fame over Death

Dorothea Rockburne on an ancient Near Eastern head of a ruler

Alexis Rockman on Martin Johnson Heade's Hummingbird and Passionflowers

Annabeth Rosen on ceramic deer figurines

Martha Rosler on The Met Cloisters

Tom Sachs on the Shaker Retiring Room

David Salle on Marsden Hartley

Carolee Schneemann on Cycladic female figures

Dana Schutz on Balthus's The Mountain

Arlene Shechet on a bronze statuette of a veiled and masked dancer

James Siena on the Buddha of Medicine Bhaishajyaguru

Katrín Sigurdardóttir on the Hôtel de Cabris, Grasse

Shahzia Sikander on Persian miniature painting

Joan Snyder on Florine Stettheimer's Cathedrals paintings

Pat Steir on the Kongo Power Figure

Thomas Struth on Chinese Buddhist sculpture

Hiroshi Sugimoto on Bamboo in the Four Seasons, attributed to Tosa Mitsunobu

Eve Sussman on William Eggleston

Swoon on Honoré Daumier's The Third-Class Carriage

Sarah Sze on the Tomb of Perneb

Paul Tazewell on Anthony van Dyck's portraits

Wayne Thiebaud on Rosa Bonheur's The Horse Fair

Hank Willis THOMAS on a daguerreotype button

Mickalene Thomas on Seydou Keïta

Fred Tomaselli on Guru Dragpo

Jacques Villeglé on Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso

Mary Weatherford on Goya's Manuel Osorio Manrique de Zuñiga

William Wegman on Walker Evans's postcard collection

Kehinde Wiley on John Singer Sargent

Betty Woodman on a Minoan terracotta larnax

Xu Bing on Jean-François Millet's Haystacks: Autumn

Dustin Yellin on ancient Near Eastern cylinder seals

Lisa Yuskavage on Édouard Vuillard's The Green Interior

Zhang Xiaogang on El Greco's The Vision of Saint John

[artspotting]

Mit: Oskar Werner, Otto Collin, Käthe Gold, Erik Schumann, Therese Giehse u. a. | Musik: Karl Sczuka | Hörspielbearbeitung und Regie: Max Ophüls | (Produktion: SWF/BR/RB 1953)

[sodomyordeath]

Queen of Drags

Finally the post many of you asked for since the show went into heavy promotion.

This is going to be long. To keep this from being too boring I decided to publish it in form of an ongoing conversation between myself and the one and only Chiara.

Me: So let’s start with the cast and the jury.

Chi: On the jury side we have Conchita Wurst.

Me: Guess we have to disclaimer this?

Chi: She’s our friend, She knows and loves Drag and is a talented and amazing performer. So disclaimer done.

Me: Next we have Bill Kaulitz.

Chi:  Wasn’t he in some kinda child band?

Me: Yep Tokio Hotel, they are still around. he was also a judge on an music casting show back in the early 2010s. 

Chi: Garbage music[1]?

Me:  “Deutschland sucht den Superstar”. So nothing you or I would call music.

Chi: Right. Garbage music.

Me: And we have guest judges.

Chi: One per show right?

Me: Yea even in the final episode. They use a point system. Each of the for judges awards points. The highest number per episode is the number of contestants left.

Chi: The lowest is one or 0?

Me: Normal people start with one.

Chi: So decimal system than?

Me: Smartass.

Chi: I am smart and I have an amazing ass.

Me: No arguing with that.

Chi: So who are the guest judges?

Me: In order of appearance:  Olivia Jones, Amanda Lepore, Leona Lewis,  Pabllo Vittar, La Toya Jacksona and for the final Laganja Estranja

Chi: So 4 judges that know there shit and 2 professional singers. That’s a lot better than a typical Drag Race season.

Me: Yes and they actually do matter due to the point system they used.

Chi: So what do you expect from our 3 permanent judges?

Me: Obviously the best insights will come from Conchita and some of the guests. Bill will focus on overall performance aspects, stage placement, lip-sync etc. and Heidi... well looks and she brings the “girl at the drag bar” perspective.

Chi: Well we cheated here didn’t we?

Me: Yes because that was how it played out and Conchita felt like kind of the head judge the entire season but what we expected because of the pre show PR was Heidi dominating the show and giving us her model casting show 2.0.

Chi: Did Pro 7 fuck it up with the trailer where they framed Heidi as the head judge?

Me: Well at this point in time I don’t think they tried to provoke the backlash they got. They just tried to frame the show in a way so there usual audience sees someone they are familiar with.

Chi: So you don’t think the baited the queer community and press into a push back just to get the buzz going?

Me: You mean a PR campaign that would exploit a marginalized community to sell a commodity? That would by cynical!

Chi: ...

Me: Moving on. Let’s talk about the artists.

Chi: I honestly didn’t know much about any of ‘em.

Me: Not even your “home girl”?

Chi: Do I have to remind you that I’m from Zurich and  Hayden Kryze is from Bern? Plus I wasn’t in Switzerland for an awful lot of time in the last 2 years.

Me: Right and she's rather young isn’t she?

Chi: 20

Chi: Speaking of age Catherrine Leclery is the oldest cast member with 48 and seems to be the one who’s in the business the longest, Hayden is the youngest.

Me: Hmm, what I noticed is that anyone but Catherrine is under 35.

Chi: I feel old now.

Me: I knew about the 3 Berlin girls but never worked with any of ‘em. 

Chi: That’s Bambi Mercury a bearded queen not related to our friend Bambie the high priestess of gore. Candy Crash a funny bitch who paints her face on youtube and the “infamous” Katy Bähm.

Me: You know Candy had me when she renamed Katy into “Käthe Baum”

Chi: *lough crying* me to bitch!

Me: But really Candy is a miracle she managed to age 5 years since she was in a documentary in 2018 

Chi: *sings* Forever Young, I want to be... forever.. 

Me: Still I like her and people I know, who worked with her, like her.

Chi: Too bad she doesn’t make wigs...

Me: *spills drink* *side eyes Chiara*

Me: Looks like we both are not turning into Käthe Baum fans any time soon.

Chi: I learned a saying from the southern United States “Bless her heart”

Me: Moving on. Janisha Jones.

Chi: We didn’t know her before the show

Me: But our good friend Ephe Drine knows her and as a Munich queen with spanish roots (like Ephe) she’s somewhat of my “home girl”.

Chi: We did run into her however and she’s a lovely person,an true artist by heart and a way better drag performer than it came across on the show.

Me: She sadly was the first one that went home but if you get a chance to see her. Do it. She doesn’t disappoint.

Chi: Next up is Samantha Gold.

Me: Oh yea our full figured Bar Queen from Hamburg with Austrian roots.

Chi: Old school drag. She was the second one out. 

Me: She did sing live on episode one and her performance was...

Chi: ...not as strong as we would have expected from someone who does that for a living.

Me: Moving on.

Chi: Now my “home girl” Hayden Kryze.

Me: She’s young.

Chi: She sure has talent but it felt...

Me: Aimless and her performances where sloppy

Chi: Unpolished. She sure can move and the whole “I can be a manly man but also a hot drag queen” segment was...

Me: She’s young

Chi: Speaking of young Aria Addams.

Me: Not related to my drag daughter Wendy Addams

Chi: That we know of. I mean age wise she could be hers.

Me: And they sure have the same fire and undeniable talent.

Chi: She was the big one for me. She grew episode to episode was never afraid to try something new and wasn’t annoying. I’d love to work with her at some point.

Me: Speaking of people one wants to work with, Vava Vide.

Chi: I had no idea that there even was a drag scene in Stuttgart.

Me: There were 3 standouts in the cast when it comes to drag as visual performative art form, Vava Vide, Bambi Mercury and, to a lesser degree, Aria Addams.

Chi: I do agree but I would also include Janisha. Alas her time on the show was too short for her to really show it.

Me: We are missing one.

Chi: You clearly had a nap under the shade tree my love. You forgot Yoncé Banks, the first Queen of Drags.

Me: Oh you are right but I really forgot about her because, and that’s just me, her kind of pretty girl drag packaged with rather limited dance performances and the most questionable tuck since Jade Sotomayor on Drag Race season one is very very boring to me.

Chi: You never tuck.

Me: I don't do pretty girl drag so I don't have to.

Chi: ...

Me: Come on it’s not only the tuck it’s the fact that her tucker underwear was clearly visible ever single episode. Make sure that your stage outfits do fit kids.

Chi: So you don't agree with her winning?

Me: Well, and that once again is just me, she’s a one trick pony that never stepped out of her comfort zone in any meaningful way and she should have gone home for her Horror/Halloween performance.

Chi: You sound like Michelle Visage.

Me: Oh my dark lord you are right.

Chi: lol

Me: Anyway I would have loved to see Aria Addams win because from the top 3 she has the most potential and showed the most growth.

Chi: I have to admit for all the lip service production was paying to Drag as an art form during the season and even when the sent the other “pretty girl”  Katy Bähm home over Bambi Mercury I had hope. Handing the win to  the rather conventional Yoncé Banks felt like a let down.

Me: That’s what I’m saying. It felt like “We want a mainstream compatible winner for our sponsors.” and the medical problems Aria had sure helped create the perfect pretext to do just that.

Chi: My background is in marketing and the cynical voice in my head does agree with you but do we really want to know?

Me: Does it actually matter in the end? I think not. This show sure had it shortcomings but it managed to do 2 things. First it felt a lot more relaxed and “real” than Drag Race ever did. I loved it when they all went out partying. Second to give the German public an idea of how wide contemporary drag as an art form is.

Chi: On the competition side I liked the point system they used. I loved Conchita who was an amazing head judge and all the guests did really really well. Amanda Lepore is in deed one of the sweetest humans alive and Laganja Estranja is a grown up now.

Me: And she single-handedly gave a masterclass in how a dance focused Drag performance looks in 2019.

Me: There was a little too much crying for me and we never got into any depth about the problems we as a queer people face. Only this snippets with the “same old same, old” mainstream media always pulls when they talk about us.

Chi: That’s a narrative problem in wider media and the editing sure felt exploitative in some parts. Especially you as a long time activist pick up on such things almost intuitively.

Me: Yes it felt a little odd that Katy’s sob story had more screen time than real activists like Vava got and I absolutely loved it that Bambi refused to part take in the trauma navel gazing.

Chi: Oh yes Bambi had a couple of power moves in this season and I love the fact that she had the trans flag on stage with her in her opening performance.

Chi: Any last words?

Me: Aria Addams should have won the title. Candy Crush should have stayed longer and the top 3 should have been Aria Addams, Vava Vide &  Bambi Mercury because I greatly enjoyed what they brought to the table.

Chi: I’m not mad that Yoncé Banks won but I’m underwhelmed by it. I want to put the focus a little on  Catherrine Leclery[2]. She was never afraid to try something new and turning her Fairytale performance into a political statement about the rights of Indigenous people to a fucking Disney musical song was very very smart.

Me: Over all where do we stand?

Chi: Better than expected. The artistry was there the talent was there the presentation was fine for the most part. Going clubbing and having that spa night made this show more real and honest than all seasons of Drag Race combined.

Me: They did have a budget for the show and they used it well. For the future I hope they can get rid of some of this tired reality TV tropes like this fake and over exaggerated conflicts and keeping around contestants because they are a source of drama. I want to see the performances in full not this snippets that look like they’ve been edited by an hyperactive 10 year old who got his hands on 6 cans of red bull. Season 2 will show if it will evolve or turn into the usual shit show that passes as tv entertainment these days.

Chi: I fully agree.

Me: Congratulations to Yoncé Banks for being the first “Queen of Drags”

Chi: Congrats!

Picture: Martin Ehleben / ProSieben

Instructions: To get our voices right read her lines with a Swiss accent and mine with a Bavarian one.

Note: The content of the post is edited together from conversations Chiara and I had over the last couple of weeks since the Show started airing. I translated and rephrased when needed so she ends up sounding a bit like me at some points. I’m sorry about that. 

[1] For those of you reading this and are not in the know we both are multi instrumentalists and vocalists with a spectrum from delta blues & early jazz all the way to technical death metal and post industrial 

[2] She hails from Brazil with black and Indigenous roots

[elcinelateleymickyandonie]

KÄTHE GOLD.

HONDURASQUEDATEENCASA

#ELCINELATELEYMICKYANDONIE

[softgoodbye-exhibit]

Käthe Kollwitz, Woman with Dead Child (Frau mit totem Kind), 1903, engraving and softground etching retouched with black chalk, graphite, and metallic gold paint on heavy wove paper, 1988.67.1

[plusorminuscongress]

Picture This: New Library of Congress Exhibition: “Art in Action: Herblock and Fellow Artists Respond to Their Times” http://bit.ly/2Ge0Erp by Kristi Finefield

The following is a guest post by exhibition co-curators Katherine Blood, Curator of Fine Prints, and Martha H. Kennedy, Curator of Popular & Applied Graphic Art, Prints & Photographs Division.

A new Library of Congress exhibition, “Art in Action: Herblock and Fellow Artists Respond to Their Times” features selections from the Library’s signature collection of original drawings by renowned editorial cartoonist Herbert Block (known as Herblock; 1909-2001) alongside political prints, posters, and drawings in which other artists comment on the defining sociopolitical issues of their times. In addition to the display in the Library’s Jefferson Building Graphic Arts Galleries, an online version is available. Key topics that drew Herblock’s attention provide the organizing framework for the exhibition and include civil rights, gender and women’s rights, health, environment, the impact of war, refugees, education, and the role of media. The show features 39 items, including 12 drawings by Herblock and works by 25 other artists, all from the Library’s Prints and Photographs Division.

Herb Block. No more lessons, Pablo?, 4-10-1973. Drawing published in The Washington Post, April 10, 1973. © Herb Block Foundation. http://bit.ly/2I11Rnw

The exhibition reaches back across the centuries to situate Herblock’s work within the art historical context of social commentary by great masters of the past, including Jacques Callot (1592-1635), Francisco de Goya (1746-1828), Käthe Kollwitz (1867-1945), and Leopoldo Méndez (1902-1969). Herblock’s journalistic art work is paired with works by modern and contemporary artists, including Eric Avery, Sandow Birk, Alexander Calder, Enrique Chagoya, Shepard Fairey, Juan Fuentes, Kerry James Marshall, John Isaiah Pepion, Favianna Rodriguez, Helen Zughaib, and others.

Herblock trained at the Art Institute of Chicago where he developed his drawing skills and studied art history, which he effectively channeled in his cartoons. For example, days after the death of Pablo Picasso, well-known for his epic anti-war painting Guernica, Herblock acknowledged the elder artist’s larger-than-life impact on the art world in his drawing No more lessons, Pablo? (right)

Giving a different perspective on the impact of war, Enrique Chagoya explores the idea that history is told by winners of wars even as he questions and counters received wisdom. His codex book Return of the Macrobiotic Cannibal (below) weaves a time-warping narrative of cultures clashing in which Pre-Columbian mythological beings appear alongside American comic book characters.

Enrique Chagoya. El regreso del cannibal macrobiotico/Return of the Macrobiotic Cannibal, 1998 print. © Enrique Chagoya, used by permission. http://bit.ly/2SBG4qz

Herblock’s drawing captioned simply Race (below left) is a riveting metaphor for the crisis in racial relations in America. By showing the figure of Progress pulling ahead of his angry-looking brother Violence, Herblock signals hope for continuing gains in civil rights for all during 1968, a year of turbulence unleashed by the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

A generation later, Kerry James Marshall pays somber tribute to the champions and martyrs of the 1960s Civil Rights movement with his 1997 lithograph Memento (below right), which shows portraits of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and John F. Kennedy on a mourning banner. Above, wearing gold wings, are Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, four young girls killed in the 1963 Birmingham Church bombing, Civil Rights workers, and Black Panther members. In the foreground, a woman carrying flowers stands with her body symbolically turned toward history and her face turned toward present and future viewers.

Herb Block. Race, 1968. Drawing published in The Washington Post, May, 28, 1968. © Herb Block Foundation. http://bit.ly/2HWG4gU

Kerry James Marshall. Memento, 1997 print. © Kerry James Marshall. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York. http://bit.ly/2SBjnTw

Issues of health and the environment also figure notably in the work of socially conscious artists including cartoonists. Herblock quit smoking when he was not allowed to have cigarettes while recovering from a heart attack in 1959. This experience and reports giving facts on the deadly hazard posed by smoking undoubtedly played into the creation of his chilling scene of the Grim Reaper offering a smoker a light in I’m still cutting down, too (below left) from 1965.

The danger of smoking also features in Sandow Birk’s darkly satirical etching Malignant Neoplasms (Cancer) (below right) from his series Ten Leading Causes of Death in America (2005). In this image, Birk shows a harried office worker who smokes while typing at a computer. Birk enhances the sense of health hazards in the surrounding sources of stress and a fast food meal. The title alludes to a sinister future for this anxious-looking figure.

Herb Block. “I’m still cutting down, too,” 1965. Drawing published in The Washington Post, 1/13/1965. © Herb Block Foundation. http://bit.ly/2N0XXtT

Sandow Birk. Malignant Neoplasms (Cancer), 2005 print. (Ten Leading Causes of Death in America series). Print. © Sandow Birk, Courtesy of the Artist and Koplin Del Rio Gallery, used by permission. http://bit.ly/2SCJzgo

All of these artists have responded to urgent issues by creating imagery with powerful potential to move viewers to think, feel, and sometimes take action. Strikingly, Herblock and many of the artists in the exhibition have purposefully referenced historical and artistic precedents in their works, showing how the impulse to comment on such causes as social justice and human rights through art has a long history and continues to resonate today. The exhibited artworks highlight how prescient Herblock proved to be in pinpointing issues that fellow artists have also felt compelled to address. Collectively, they reflect the long arc of history engaged with issue-driven art and the wider condition of being human.

“Art in Action: Herblock and Fellow Artists Respond to Their Times” is part of a Library of Congress yearlong initiative in 2019 to invite visitors to Explore America’s Changemakers. The year will include a variety of events and two forthcoming exhibitions featuring the Library’s collections related to important figures in women’s history and the fight for suffrage and Rosa Parks’ groundbreaking role in the civil rights movement.

 Learn More:

View the accompanying online exhibition for “Art in Action: Herblock and Fellow Artists Respond to Their Times.”

Visit the Library of Congress’ Graphic Arts Galleries in the Jefferson Building to view the exhibition in person, which runs from January 31, 2019 to August 17, 2019. Read more information about visiting the Library of Congress.

Explore another pairing of Herblock drawings with issue-oriented art in the online exhibit Down to Earth: Herblock and Photographers Observe the Environment.

Read an article considering opinion expressed in art: Kennedy, Martha H. “Opinionated Art: A Window into the Fine Art Print Collections at the Library of Congress.” Collection Overview; The Washington Print Club Quarterly 46, no. 3 (Fall 2010): 7-10. https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/coll/opinart.html

Have a look at an overview of the collections in: “Collections of Works of Art on Paper in the Library of Congress.” Edited by Katherine Blood, special issue, Washington Print Club Quarterly 47, no. 4 (Winter 2011-2012):2-28. Online, http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/resource/Washington-Print-Club-Quarterly-Winter-2011-2012.pdf  [PDF]

Learn about the Library of Congress 2019 initiative to Explore America’s Changemakers.

[meekochan-art]

Recycled the scrapped image but axing the pixel art style due to my impatience. Also tweaked the battle sequence and even included element that makes it look like I'm working on an actual game. The above image is the first frame. I think. I'm not sure. Really. (Do I bloody want to animate those fairy lights or not. I'm leaning towards not. Cause I'm fking lazy. The sprites--which I think I have completed--and their actions aren't gonna be smoothly animated either, so I probably shouldn't. Really. Save myself some time and work with less frames. *nods head* )

Updated write-up: (Characters from Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones.)

Der Erlkönig HP ????/???? MP ??/??

Liesl HP 19/31 MP 14/19 Equipment:

R-Hand -> 2H Flute

L-Hand -> (2H Flute)

Body -> Fancy Dress

Accessory 1 -> Apron

Accessory 2 ->

Battle Commands: ♪

Bash

Defend

Music > Hum 0 | Sing 1 | Play 1 | Screech 2

Hum -> Heal party's HP and recover caster's MP.

Sing -> Boost morale. Increase party's attack and defense.

Play Equipped Instrument -> Boost morale. Increase party's magic and resistance.

Screech -> AOE piecing high note with high chance of stunning enemies. 2-5 turns.

Flee

Käthe HP 3/17 MP 0/5 Equipment:

R-Hand ->

L-Hand ->

Body -> Flashy Dress

Accessory 1 -> Liesl's Apron String

Accessory 2 ->

Battle Commands: ♥

Hide

Defend

Flirt > Smile 0 | Giggle 0 | Light Touch 1 | Dance 2

Flee

[ Enter Battle ] Der Erlkönig blocks the party's path...

Round 1: Liesl defends. (Defend action.) Käthe hides. (Hide action.) Der Erlkönig begins casting... (Shh action.) A cold breeze forms... (Breeze action.)

Round 2: Liesl plays Music with Flute! (Flute action.) The party's magic and resistance increases. (Shell.) Käthe defends. Der Erlkönig finish casting Frigid Silence! A blizzard storms the party! (Blizzard action.)

Round 3: Liesl is paralyzed! (Yellow.) Käthe is frozen! (Blue.) Der Erlkönig uses Charm on Liesl! (Hearts action.) Liesl resists Charm! (Heart breaks.)

Round 4: Liesl is no longer paralyzed. Liesl uses Screech! (Inhale, exhale, loud distorted music notes animation.) Der Erlkönig is paralyzed! (Backs away and throws hands up.) Käthe is still frozen! (Blue.) Der Erlkönig is still paralyzed!

Round 5: Liesl is still Screeching! Käthe is still frozen! (Blue.) Der Erlkönig vanishes, fleeing the battle! Party gains 0 Exp 0 Gold. [ Battle Ends ]

[fistfullofclaymore-blog]

Introduction Question

In what aspect of your artwork so far do you feel is strongest?

I ability to problem solve would have to be my strongest point. Every Time a plan fell apart because I couldn’t manipulate a material the way I wanted to, I came up with a solution.

In what aspect of your artwork so far do you feel weakest?

I feel like I hold back a lot in my designs. I’m always worried that I’ll over-design and my art will look tacky so I’ll cut bits out but then when I get to the end of a piece, I’ll wish I had done more.

Who would you list as the five artists (either contemporary or historical) that interest you? Why?

Gustav Klimt- His gilded paintings are so eye catching because of the unique patterns, use of actual gold, and for how dainty and gentle the figures look.

Gian Lorenzo Bernini- The abduction of Persephone is a particular favorite of mine from him. The immense amount of detail in the statute is just amazing. The life like quality of the figures is what really draws me too the statue.

Käthe Kollwitz- What makes me like Kollwitz is the emotion she has in her work even though a lot of it is minimal in detail. Whether it's her prints of her drawings, you get this sort of haunted feeling.

Kris Kuksi- It’s incredible just how detailed and visually stimulating his sculptures are. Every little detail matters and he’s not afraid to make his pieces look really busy, like you’ll never get tired of looking at them and are always finding new details.

Richard MacDonald- His understanding of the human figure really catcher my attention because it's something I want to know as well. I can draw all I want to but it's an entirely different experience to build the model with your hands.

Does your lack of sleep make you feel stronger or weaker?

Both. It all depends on why I didn’t sleep. If I was up working on a project/homework I feel like it was time well used. If I was up because I just couldn’t go to sleep or I’m sick, then I feel exhausted the next day and it’s harder to get out of bed. Although, when it comes to working on a project, I’ll usually stay up for multiple days till either it's done, I found a good stopping point to take a break, or I’m forced to stop and sleep because of exhaustion. 3 days was the limit I set for myself back during AFO.

Name two of the favorite artworks you have ever seen?

“The Kiss” by Gustav Klimt

“Sedation” by Kris Kuksi

What kinds of learning environments are/have been most exciting for you?

The most exciting learning environments have been the ones where the teacher is working right alongside you. They don't just stand aside and wait to be asked a question, they are an active part of the process. I also really liked a talkative classroom where a majority of the students feel comfortable talking and joking with each other and having a good time while learning. I feel that classes that are always quiet and cold produce work of the same description.

List five questions that you want to fuel your work?

Why are you creating this art piece (not just because it's an assignment)?

How do you represent yourself through this artwork?

What does this art piece have to do with the greater picture?

Are you satisfied with the finished project?

If not, then is it really done?

If you were to conceive of one art assignment/prompt for yourself what would that be?

First make a shell and have it represent everything you are on the outside. Include as much truth and detail of who you present yourself to be. The “shell” is figurative. It can take any form that fits you best.

Then break it open (literally break it open) and have what you really are on the inside forcing its way out as a representation of discarding all false images and finally gaining freedom. It needs to be urgent like your inner you have been underwater too long and it finally breaking the surface.

Super personal. Super intense.

[lifestyle-singapore]

What is The History of the brand Adidas and what was their impact to the Sports industry?

The History of Adidas

Adidas is known to be one of the world’s most popular sports manufacturers in the world, second to Nike. What is the success behind this major sports manufacturer and how did it rise the ranks over the years to be sought after and loved by many? Let’s take a look back at their humble beginnings and how Adidas became what it is today.

Founded in Herzogenaurach, Germany by a man named Adolf “Adi” Dassler(1900-1978), the company was started in his mother’s wash kitchen. Not long later, his brother Rudolf Dassler(1898-1974) joined and the company was registered in 1924 as “Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik”, also known as the Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory. Adolf Dassler invented spiked shoes for track and field, which were leather shoes with nailed studs and track shoes with hand-forged spikes. He transitioned from using heavy metal spikes to utilising canvas and rubber to enhance the quality of spiked athletic footwear. As Adi was an avid athlete himself, he understood athletes and their needs when it came to footwear and wanted to provide the best for them. In the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam, Lina Radke wore Adi Dassler’s shoes and won a gold medal in the 800m sprint. Adi managed to convince U.S sprinter Jesse Owens to use his handmade spikes at the Summer Olympics in 1936, where he won 4 Olympic gold medals. There were also many other athletes who donned Dassler shoes and attained medals in the Olympic games over the years. With that, Dassler shoes were made known to the world and were very popular, selling 200,000 pairs of shoes yearly before the start of World War Two.

During World War Two, the Dassler factory was used for the production of anti-tank weapons and was nearly destroyed, but thankfully Adi’s wife Käthe Martz was able to convince the US forces that the company and its employees only have intentions of manufacturing sports goods. The American occupying forces became major buyers of the Dassler brother’s shoes thereafter. Both Adolf and Rudolf were involved in the Nazi party, and Adi decided to be a coach as well as a supplier to clubs in Hitler Youth to expand production for the company. The conditions of the war proved to be difficult for both brothers to bring up their business as the country was war-torn, and the factory was constantly low on staffing. Not only that, but the relationship between the two brothers were also heavily deteriorating and a misunderstanding between the two brothers split the family into half and drove each other apart.

In 1948, the misunderstanding was proved to be irreparable and they each went on their separate ways, with Rudolf departing the company to set up his own firm which he named Ruda – derived from his name, which was later rebranded to what we know as Puma. Adi also renamed the company after the departure of his brother, naming it as Adidas, which came up by combining the first three letters of his name and surname. The two companies went into a very fierce and intense rivalry, as Puma entered the market as Adidas’ competitor. Even the two football clubs in their town were divided, with ASV Herzogenaurach club that was supported by Adidas, while 1 FC Herzogenaurach was supported by Puma. It also affected the people in the city, which led to it being nicknamed “the town of bent necks”. This was because people would see which shoes each other wore and treat them accordingly.

In 1949, Adi registered a shoe that included the now-iconic three stripes on the side. Adidas bought the rights to the three stripes trademark from a sports company called Karhu in 1952. In the same year, the first non-shoe product was introduced, a sports bag. During the 1954 World Cup final, the German national football team was faced up against the Hungarian team. The entire German team wore lightweight football boots from Adidas, and during halftime, Adi screwed longer screw-in-studs on the players’ shoes, and they eventually won the match. This was known as the “miracle of Bern” and propelled Adidas to an even higher popularity status. The first track and field warmup suit donning the iconic three stripes was produced and released in 1967. Known as the Franz Beckenbauer tracksuit, this first apparel opened a new channel for Adidas, who was known for shoes. In 1970, Adidas produced their first official ball, the TELSTAR, for the 1970 FIFA World Cup™. It was the beginning of Adidas’ partnership with FIFA, to provide the Official Match Ball for the World Cup ever since. In 1972, when it was Munich’s turn to host the Olympic Games, Adidas debuted its new logo, the Trefoil.

The impact of Adidas to the Sports Industry

By the 1970s, Adi had over a total of 440 patents, trademarks and designs related to sports shoes and other athletic equipment. In 1978, he was inducted into the American Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame as one of the founders of the modern sporting goods industry. A couple of months later, he passed away, leaving the company to be headed by his wife Käthe. Their children were very much involved in the business, helping out with other divisions of the company. In 1984, Käthe passed away unexpectedly, which caused a shift in the company as they did not foresee this to happen. Her son Horst, assumed leadership of the company in 1985. Focusing on pushing the company towards a change of direction, he took upon a business strategy to further push Adidas through endorsements to boost Adidas’ revenue. However, in April 1987 Horth unexpectedly passed on, which caused uncertainty for the future of the company. As Adi’s daughters had sold their shares to the company away earlier, the heirs of the company transferred management to French industrialist Bernard Tapie. He faced many issues and went into debt trying to revive Adidas’ business, and eventually, his friend Robert Louis-Dreyfus took up the post in 1994 as CEO. Together with his partner Christian Tourres, they knew that the company needed to be shifted into a new direction in order to improve and rise from the bottom. He directed Adidas to become a marketing-driven company, steering Adidas back onto the right tracks. Six years after being a corporation in 1995, Adidas went public and this brought them back to the top of the sporting industry.

Adidas continued innovating and producing shoes that could help athletes improve, with products such as Torsion, the Equipment concept and the Predator football foot. Adidas was able to acquire the Solomon group in 1997 and rebranded itself as Adidas – Salomon. In 2001, Herbert Hainer became the new CEO and led the company into the direction of innovation. Such were ClimaCool and Adizero. Adidas was the first to introduce a new lifestyle segment in their business, focusing on sports-inspired streetwear. Partnerships with individuals such as Yohji Yamamoto and Stella McCartney allowed Adidas to burst forth with creativity and introduce sportswear into mainstream daily wear. A year after Salomon and Adidas went their separate ways in 2006, Adidas acquired Reebok and the company was renamed Adidas AG.

Adidas’ mission is “To be the best sports company in the world.” and their purpose is that “Through sports, we have the power to change lives.” they believe in exercising the 3C’s throughout their organization, through Confidence, Collaboration and Creativity. They also believe in shaping their leaders to be strong and encouraging to their teams, and that a stable framework will assist them in achieving even greater, inspiring their fellow colleagues to do their utmost and serve customers with only the best products.

Currently, Adidas Singapore sells an array of items, including apparel for men and women, such as Adidas polo tees, t-shirts, jackets and many others. Adidas is the largest manufacturer of sports bras in Europe, and second in the world. They also offer sporting goods and wear for sports like football, baseball, golf, Running, and many other sports. They also offer accessories such as bags, caps, socks and many other items. Adidas also expanded into supplying printing businesses to allow customisation of Adidas items. Such for example would be drawstring bags, Adidas running tee Singapore and many other items.

Over the course of many decades, Adidas has certainly proved themselves to be of top quality, staying true to their beliefs that were envisioned by their founder, Adolf Dessler to only provide the best that can aid athletes. Even in mainstream media and culture, the brand has played a big role in shaping many things, particularly in the industry of sportswear, encouraging innovation and creativity to push quality, functional items on the shelves.

[kazlifeadventures]

Rothenburg and Nuremburg

Day one of our Christmas markets tour saw us head out towards our second markets in Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

Rothenburg is also known for having the oldest permanent Christmas store that forms a major drawcard within the city and of course even more so at Christmas.. Käthe Wohlfahrt, is like a never ending Christmas experience, where you could easily be lost for hours! I may have bought a couple of things that I'll now have to somehow send back to Australia,  or carry around with me for the next 2 months or more! The city of Rothenburg has an interesting history, as well as being part of what is known as the "romantic road" of Germany. The romantic road was a themed roure created by tourism agents in the 1950s linking a number of picturesque towns between Wursberg and Fussen.

In 1631 during the Thirty Years' war General Tilly condemned the councilmen to death and was set to burn the city down. A popular legend called the Meistertrunk states that the councilmen tried to sway him with a large drink of 3 1/4 litres of wine. Tilly proclaimed that if anyone could drink it all in one drink, he would spare the city. The mayor at the time, Georg Nusch, succeeded, and the city was saved. In honour of this feat the "meistertrunk" happens every hour in the window if town hall - a robotic re-enactment of what I like to call the 'ultimate scull'

The markets and town were very pretty. Had to have yet another brattwurst...😁 and maybe a Gulhwein..  I also had to locate and try the local speciality of schneeballen (snow balls).  A pastry made from shortcrust pastry and depending on what flavour you choose (omg too many flavours!!) It may also have a marzipan like flavoured filling within the network of pastry. I couldn't eat much, but it was definitely like a tasty shortcrust with flavour in a large ball shape!!

Nuremburg was next, and is the second largest city in the Bavaria region. Ninety percent of the medieval city centre was destroyed in WW2 in an hour of sustained bombing by allied forces. Nuremberg held great significance during the Nazi Germany era. Because of the city's relevance to the Holy Roman Empire and its position in the centre of Germany, the Nazi Party chose the city to be the site of huge Nazi Party conventions — the Nuremberg rallies. The laws stripping jews of their rights were also passed here. Making it somewhat fitting that after the war, the city became the site for what became known as the 'Nuremburg trials', where German officials involved in war crimes and crimes against humanity were brought before an international tribunal.

Alot of the buildings destroyed in the bombings were rebuilt or replaced, and the Nürnberger Hauptmarkt (market square) is fabulous. The Schöner Brunnen (beautiful fountain) located on one edge of the square has a gold ring embedded in the fence surrounding it. Legend says that turning the ring 3 times will bring good luck and a return to Nuremburg...let's see how that one pans out!!

The markets were amazing and the Gulwein was flowing! They were gearing up for their official opening later that evening so busy would be an understatement!  I wish I understood the tv channels here as I would have had a good shot of appearing in the background of the footage/interviews a local media crew was taking - ultimate photo bombing 😁.

It was then off to our hotel for a delicious included dinner of a broth soup that may have looked like it had pieces of banana in it (lol!! They were dumplings I'm not that dumb..but I did almost convince other people they were!) . We then had a delicious rolled beef stuffed with what looked like mustard/horseradish and pickle, coated in a yummy jous with veggies and spaetzle (a german pasta). Followed by desert... needless to say it was lucky we hadn't eaten anything at the markets, even though they are known in Nuremburg for their gingerbread...luckily we had refrained!

Lots of steps still! Off today heading first to Eisenach and Wartburg castle...and more Christmas markets!!