Factory Roof

As I mentioned earlier, Saarbrücken and the whole Saarland have many factories (especially for steel treatment).
This is the roof of a storeroom for a factory in Burbach.

Afternoon Sun

Some Saarbrücker enjoying the afternoon sun in Trierer Strasse/ Bahnhofstrasse.
The weather is changing a lot these days, it feels more like April than May... =(

High Ropes Course

The Saarbrücken High Ropes Course (AbenteuerPark - Saar) is celebrating its first birthday this month.
Different challenges high up in the trees are supposed to develop abilities like working in a team, realising your own strength and motivate yourself and others.

Singin' in the Rain...

Let the stormy clouds chase
Everyone from the place
Come on with the rain
I've a smile on my face
I walk down the lane
With a happy refrain
Just singin',
Singin' in the rain

Pink Flower

I loved the colour of this one...

May Fair

At the moment, there is a may fair at the Saarterrassen in Burbach.
There are many fun rides, win booths and of course many small booths selling a lot of food. =)

Nature vs. Construction

I took this picture today on a little photo trip in Burbach...
Since the Saarland is known for its industrial culture, there are many factory buildings around. Many of them are still used, but some of them - like this one - merely a skeleton...

Bending River...

That's a view of the downtown Saar. To the right you have the Staden, THE place here to sit and relax or to make Schwenkers. On the left, you see the big downside that you'll experience when you try to relax there: the motorway. Far too close it's giving you a constant background noise... =(

Potato Island

This is the entrance "gate" to Potato Island.
Potato Island is an artificial sand beach at the bank of the river Saar. They have a beer garden, BBQ, a volley ball field, lots and lots of sand and probably the most comfortable hammock worldwide.

Reflections...

The sunset reflecting on the river Saar. =)

Rainy Day

This group of school kids enjoyed the rain, they went around town laughing and screaming... =)

Flower Logo

You can find this cute town logo at the Staden.
The flower composition looks a bit messy, but is a nice dash of colour in this spot.

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A view down the Saarbrücken tracks that lead the trains from Rodenhof to Malstatt.
The building in the background sometimes hosts parties or discos...

UFO?

This thing "landed" in Saarbrücken, and I am seriously wondering what the heck it is.
An UFO? A strange place to live? A place to watch... whatever?

Funky Graffiti

Another example of the cool graffities that you can find along the Saar... =)

Saar View

This is a view from Malstatt.
The parts of the Saar bank where the motorway is not so prominent are actually quite nice to have a walk... =)

Hotel Mercure

I don't want to make advertisement for it, but since this undoubtedly is Hotel Mercure in Saarbrücken, I even link it.
It's one of the biggest hotels here, offering 150 rooms for guests to stay in.

Sunset Reflections

Aaaah, being romantic again... =)

Theme Day: City Exchange

Since I didn't really get the today's theme (or rather I saw many bloggers doing different things), I decided to give you both ways the theme could be interpreted.

First, and officially, here is a picture of Saarbrücken that looks like a different town.
This café had an advert for Guiness beer that they offer, so this little bar in Saarbrücken looks clearly like a place in Ireland to me. One of our Daily Photo Bloggers is living in Cork, so here is a big "cheers" from me to you.


The second way to interpret the theme (and this is what I thought is wanted) is a picture of a town that is not ours. This place is Cumbre del Sol (Benitachell), in Spain, where I spend my Christmas holidays. It's a gorgeous beach close to Teulada/Moraira where my aunt lives. If you ever plan to go there (which you definitely should) consider spending your holidays in her holiday villa "Casa Mariposa". =)

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Make sure to check out other cities around the world that interpreted the theme in one or the other way. =)

Monte Carlo, Monaco - Rome, Italy - Singapore, Singapore - Tenerife, Spain - Rotterdam, Netherlands - London, UK - Montréal (QC), Canada - Melbourne, Australia - Naples (FL), USA - Bastia, France - Hong Kong, China - Mazatlan, Mexico - Buenos Aeres, Argentina - Manila, Philippines - Arradon, France - Madison (WI), USA - Evry, France - Seoul, Korea - Shanghai, China - Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia - Sequim (WA), USA - Singapore, Singapore - Budapest, Hungary - Baziège, France - Hamburg, Germany - Toruń, Poland - Nelson, New Zealand - Madison (WI), USA - Vantaa, Finland - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Mainz, Germany - Dubai, UAE - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Cork, Ireland - Stockholm, Sweden - Menton, France - Tel Aviv, Israel - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Kitakami, Japan - Stayton (OR), USA - Szentes, Hungary - Stavanger, Norway - Grenoble, France - Villigen, Switzerland - Paris, France -Hyde, UK - Moscow, Russia - Joplin (MO), USA - Jakarta, Indonesia - Greenville (SC), USA - Cape Town, South Africa - Asheville (NC), USA - Seattle (WA), USA - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Madrid, Spain - Auckland, New Zealand - Oulu, Finland - Lubbock (TX), USA - Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina - Baton Rouge (LA), USA - Sydney, Australia - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Vancouver, Canada - Seattle (WA), USA - Selma (AL), USA - Chandler (AZ), USA - Sharon (CT), USA - Manila, Philippines - Lyon, France - New York City (NY), USA - Los Angeles (CA), USA - Brookville (OH), USA - Hayle, UK - Wailea (HI), USA - Saarbrücken, Germany - San Diego (CA), USA - Boston (MA), USA - Saint Louis (MO), USA - Cypress (TX), USA - Anderson (SC), USA - Torino, Italy

Clubbing

I'm just back from a night out in Saarbrücken. Some friends and I went to the KuFa, to dance to the Techno Classix. =)

Sunset

What a gorgeous sunset on the Staden...
Looks like the tree captured the sun. =)

Schwenker Season!

Whoohoo, today was the first day of Schwenken for me! Schwenken is the Saarland version of a BBQ, the grill (Schwenker) is different though, as you can see. The grill can move freely over the coals. On it you can put meat (also called Schwenker), and preferably you have a Carsten with you (my friend in the picture, being the head of the BBQ, and... also called Schwenker here).
So you can say: The Schwenker is schwenking the Schwenkers on the Schwenker... =)

May Beetle

Wow, that's a rare one... I've never before seen a may beetle, only heard of it in "Max and Moritz". Today I didn't just see one, I also took a picture! =)

Fountain

Water flowing down a fountain at Bahnhofstrasse...

Driving in Saarbrücken

Here's a picture of what it would look like to drive through Saarbrücken with a car. In the distance, you can see road signs... believe me, Germany has loads of them. Every 50 metres there will be a new one telling you something contrary. =) No, it's not that bad, but there really are A LOT signs over here...
Saarbrücken has the peculiarity to be a town full of one-way-streets, and saying that is not an exaggeration. When I still had my car, my only way to survive here was to memorise every single one-way-street, that sometimes made a way 3 times as long as you would have taken if the road would have been directly connected.

French Boat

This boat with the French flag anchors at the Saar.
The background is one of the parts of Saarbrücken that will change completely soon, since the motorway will be put into a tunnel and a wider space for walking and biking will be created there.

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We have a Winner!
I chose a winner of the haiku (or rather spamku, as Gerald let me know =)... it's pattern is actually 6-7-5, but since these kind of poems are not real haiku anyway, I think I should let it count. It's some very sweet little lines, and I congratulate Carlos who does the wonderful Barcelona Photoblog for writing this:

Beauty Will Long Perdure
Thanks to Your Sweet Photographs
Keep Magic Alive

Please mail your address to blog@moonsoleil.de, and your surprise package will be on its way in the next days. =)
Thanks a lot to all writers, I appreciate your efforts a lot! Thank you also for your kind wishes!

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PS: Happy Birthday cpt.atom and vird!!!

Nice Facade

I just love seeing those old building facades with their impressive balcony balustrades...

Ministry Building

This modern building in Franz-Josef-Röder-Strasse accomodates different Saarbrücken ministries.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Saarbrücken Daily Photo!

Wohoo, Saarbrücken Daily Photo is one year old!
We were celebrating at a sushi party today (actually we were celebrating the birthday of a friend who also had a house warming party). So that's 3 in 1 for tonight! =)

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BIRTHDAY COMPETITION!!!
I just came up with the idea to have another competition: The one of you writing the most creative birthday wish as a comment, will win a surprise package from Saarbrücken!!!
There is one restriction though, since we celebrated having a sushi party: Your wish must be written in the form of a Haiku* (it's a Japanese poetry pattern, 5 syllables - 7 syllables - 5 syllables) !!!

The competition will be on for 3 days, until April 24th midnight (GMT).
So be creative and celebrate with me... =)

*If you want to read more about Haiku, check Wikipedia

Carrier Dog

In town today, I saw those two ladies and their dog. He was huge and cute, and he did the coolest thing: he was carrying their shopping bag!
Better than a carrier pigeon, eh?

Flat Iron?

Saarbrücken's (miniature) version of the flat iron building in New York... =)
This is a bank building in Trierer Strasse.

Ice Cream Parlour

The weather is still brilliant, so the ice cream parlours have guests again... not so many on this picture, but it's improving. =)

Town Hall Clock

I visited a friend yesterday, who is living right opposite of the town hall, so I had the chance to take a detail picture of the town hall clock from an interesting new perspective.

Berliner Promenade

Your tour guide: "On your left, you can see the Berliner Promenade, where you can stroll along and enjoy window shopping and have some ice cream. Below, the cars are parking along the Saar Banks. On the river Saar you can see some ships anchoring..."
It was an amazing day today, about 28 degrees C. I am already afraid of the hot summer, I have to admit.

Wildlife Park

With weather as beautiful as it is at the moment, I've visited the wildlife park again.
It was great to see all those cute animals again, just one downside: I was bitten by a donkey when I tried to feed him... ouch!

Koi Fountain

I went for dinner in the Chinese restaurant "China Town" today. They had a cool fountain in the entrance, the little pool was even filled with huuuge Koi karps.

Reindeer in Saarbrücken!!!

Unbelievable... in Duweiler, there are three reindeer that are raised as farm animals in the building of a former iron foundry. They are called Sternchen, Momo and Schorsch. =)
Reindeer are very hard to breed outside of Scandinavia, they often die in their new homes. The owners in Dudweiler try to keep them appropriate to the needs of the species, they even have a very informative website about their project (unfortunately in German, only).

Sculpture

This sculpture is located at our local tax office in Stadtgraben.
I liked the way the afternoon sun shines through it...

Walk Over the Old Bridge

This is the view you'll get when you walk over the Old Bridge that connects the St. Johanner Markt in downtown Saarbrücken with the Saarbrücken castle and its church.

Spring Blossoms

The weather is having a big impact on me, I am in such a good mood when I feel the warmth of the spring sun and see the blossoms of the trees in their beautiful colours.
Is it the same with you in your city?

Easter House

On this last day of the Easter holidays, Easter Monday, I saw this Easter house in Dudweiler.
The family living there seem to like decorating, and looked like a bunny and egg Disneyland. =)

Happy Easter!

My sister Angie after her successful hunt for easter eggs and presents.
In Germany we are convinced that easter bunnies hide coloured eggs for us in the garden. Yesterday I painted some eggs and we put them in little baskets together with small presents and hide them after telling the kids that we've seen the bunnies outside. The kids run and search while the grown-ups give them hints like "hot" or "cold" to ease their search. It's great fun for everyone.
I found a great embassy website that gives you more information on German Easter traditions if you want to know more...

Metal Bird Couple

Writing you with multi-coloured hands from painting eggs for tomorrow, I wanted to show you this cute bird couple that I have seen at the spring market.
If they were chicken they would be busy to produce eggs for Easter Sunday, they are painted and hidden for the kids tomorrow. I'll tell you more about this and show you pictures tomorrow.

Good Friday

We're having a spring market in town, and the chocolate factory Lindt is selling its goods in a stand of Galeria Kaufhof presenting a huge imitation of the famous Lindt bunny on top.
This is the first official Easter day, my first day off of my Easter holidays. My family arrived and television showed "The Passion of the Christ"... =)

Maundy Thursday

As Wikipedia told me: In the Christian calendar, Maundy Thursday — also called Holy Thursday and, in the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches, Great Thursday — is the feast or holy day on the Thursday before Easter that commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles.
Saarbrücken heralds the Easter holidays with nice decorations that you can find along the Bahnhofstrasse.
I am going to give you introductions to German Easter traditions from tomorrow on, when we are going to have the first "real" holiday: Good Friday.

Building Art

The roof of this old house in Victoriastrasse has a wonderful relief on its facade.
Also, the shape of the facade is gorgeous in my opinion.

A Whiff of Purple

As usual, I have no idea which flower this is, but I thought it's sooo cute!

Convention Centre

This is the Congress Centrum Saar, an event centre hosting exhibitions, symposiums, conferences, concerts etc.
As you can see, the building is very modern, it has been renovated recently.
The next big event will be the Ultimate Style Challenge on April 7, a hip hop dancing contest.

Theme Day: A Public Mailbox

Today's request is to show you a public mail box.
I chose the mail box of our biggest mailing company, the Deutsche Post. They have the yellow mailboxes. On this picture, next to it there is a stamp vending machine.

1 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) - 2 Tokyo (Japan) - 3 Singapore by Zannnie - 4 Bandung (Indonesia) - 5 Sydney by Sally (Australia) - 6 Newcastle (Australia) - 7 Singapore by Keropokman - 8 Vantaa (Finland) - 9 Melbourne by John, (Australia) - 10 Stavanger (Norway) - 11 London by Ham (UK) - 12 Melbourne by Michael, (Australia) - 13 Nelson (New Zealand) - 14 Port Vila (Vanuata) - 15 Rotterdam (Netherlands) - 16 St Kilda (Australia) - 17 Budapest (Hungary) - 18 Tuzla (B&H) - 19 Hyde (UK) - 20 Maple Ridge (Canada) - 21 Grenoble (France) - 22 Greenville, SC (USA) - 23 Villigen (Switzerland) - 24 Albuquerque, NM (USA) - 25 Mazatlan (Mexico) - 26 Montréal (Canada) - 27 Stayton, OR (USA) - 28 Shanghai (China) - 29 Arradon (France) - 30 Sequim, WA (USA) - 31 Newcastle upon Tyne (UK) - 32 Seattle, WA by Kim (USA) - 33 Minneapolis, MN (USA) - 34 Millerton by Sharon, CT (USA) - 35 Cottage Grove, MN (USA) - 36 Naples, FL (USA) - 37 Jakarta (Indonesia) - 38 Tel Aviv (Israel) - 39 Auckland (New Zealand) - 40 Vatican via Brussels (Belgium) - 41 Stockholm (Sweden) - 42 Boston, MA (USA) - 43 New York City, NY (USA) - 44 Paris (France) - 45 Sydney by Nathalie (Australia) - 46 Wailea, HI (USA) - 47 Saint Paul MN by Carol (USA) - 48 Mexico by Poly - 49 Cape Town (South Africa) - 50 Kitakami (Japan) - 51 Little Rock, AR (USA) - 52 Madrid (Spain) - 53 Manila (Philippines) - 54 Menton (France) - 55 Monmouth County, NJ (USA) - 56 Monte Carlo (Monaco) - 57 Oliver (Canada) - 58 Seoul (Korea) - 59 Tenerife (Spain) - 60 Joplin, MO (USA) - 61 Lubbock, TX (USA) - 62 San Diego, CA (USA) - 63 Nottingham (UK) - 64 Kyoto (Japan) - 65 Cork (Ireland) - 66 Ampang (Malaysia) - 67 Miami, FL (USA) - 68 Selma, NC (USA) - 69 Seattle, WA by Susan (USA) - 70 London by Jonemo (UK)