A Walk Through The Town Of Lubeck - #9

We ducked into the back lane alley to discover the difference with the main streets. Would not do that in just any city but Lubeck is a very safe town so should be alright, we hope.

We were delighted to find that the alleys are just as well maintained and clean as the main street. They are just narrower and we can find more personal effects such as bicycles but they are not crowded or cluttered with useless wares of the inhabitants that you will find in the alleys of many cities. We do not feel threatened in any way taking a leisurely stroll down the Lubeck alleys.

Even here we found flowers to be a common feature lending aesthetic to the place. Here is a glorious rose plant in bloom.

Or this pot of beautiful red flowers and dark green leaves placed in the recess of the white pillar and wall. A striking contrast that would not fail to attract the eyes of any passerby. I imagined the owner opening the door to go out pausing for a moment to appreciate his flowers before departing.

At the end of one alley, we came to a brick wall that hides a garden. How mystical – a hidden garden. We peeped in to a well kept sanctuary. We would like to admire it but worry that the owner may not take kindly to trespassing so we followed the wall to look elsewhere.

After some time, we came out into the main street again. We saw a man pushing a wheelbarrow in which sat his happy young daughter. I wanted to take a picture but worried they may think me rude so I took this picture after they have passed me. What a delightful sight.

I passed by this shop (not even sure what it sell) and quickly snapped a shot. Hendrik asked if I shot that picture because I’m captivated by the picture of the girl or the building. Guessed it is both for the lovely picture of the dreamy eye girl looking out from the window compelled me to make that shot before I lost it to memory.


Hendrik asked me more than once whether I wanted be in, in any of the photos I took and I said no. I’m not an interesting subject, I said. He said I’m different from 99% of Asian photographers who wanted their mug in every shot. I laughed. I’m not interested to tell others where I had been, I’m interested to share especially with friends about the places I had been. At the time of this trip, I’ve not even started blogging yet or I may have taken more photos and some maybe a bit differently to allow me to tell my story better.

Our wandering took us to this old church with a lovely green lawn in front of it which together with the luxuriant trees gave a very soothing feel. There was a couple dressed in black in front of the church. My first shot caught them standing with their backs facing each other.

My next shot caught them in a deep long embrace.

My third shot saw them drawing apart – all these within a few minutes. There must a story somewhere in there. Write your own tale and ending. Xi xi.

This is a shot of the side of the church.

Inside, was this several storey tall stained glass that stood imposingly above the altar. The design is quite modern and departed from the regular themes we observed in other stained glasses. The church interior is rather dim making this structure even more impressive.

There were a lot of very old structures, furniture and constructions like this very old clok that formed part of the structure itself. However the dim interior did not allow good photos to be taken on the go. I did not want to take up too much of Hendrik’s time and hurried with just a few shots which did not do this place any justice at all.

The layout of the church is a little confusing for one who is not familiar with the Catholic cathedral. There seems to be more than one place the chairs seem to be facing and there seemed to be more than one altar. We did not have the time to slowly take it all in and did some research. I would like to go back to this church again. It is unlikely I’ll ever be back there. Wonder if a prayer will help?

As we walked in silence through the church, we looked out one of the arched window and saw the skeleton of a whale in a glass house adjacent to one of the church building. “What is the skeleton of a whale doing in a church?” Hendrik asked a little sarcastically. Good question. I also wondered.

Remembered in an earlier post, I asked whether any of you know what these Da Vinci numbers meant? Well, we found these numbers also posted in this church but a different set. Hendrik was also curious so he went over to a lady who was sitting alone with her own thoughts. She brightened up when asked the question and found the two clueless ones amusing. They refer to the hymns that will be sung in the service. The numbers refer to the pages of the song book so there is no need for any announcement. They are found on all strategic pillars. Well, what are taken for granted in one culture can be pretty mysterious and daunting for another. At least, we made her day and gave her some cheers.

To be continued...