Last week I had the opportunity to attend the first conference since coming to Germany. It was a neuroscience meeting held in Göttingen, and since the Sunday immediately after the meeting was free, I decided to catch up with an Australian friend who has just moved there for work.
Like many German cities, the centre of Göttingen is where the Old Town is situated. The Old Town was full of buildings aged in the hundreds, including many houses of which the beams were no longer straight. Those houses were still standing, but it's another thing whether they were really safe. Historically, Göttingen has been a meeting point for some of the best minds and most influential people in Germany and around the world. Many of the houses were in fact former residences of those famous people, and were identified with plaques on the wall bearing their names and years of residence. Göttingen is also famous for the statue of the Gänseliesel (the girl with the geese). My friend told me that, as part of the graduation ritual, PhD graduates would offer flowers to the statue and kiss the girl on the cheek.
The Old Town is surrounded by a city wall, on which there is a walking trail. My friend took me for a walk on the trail until we reached the auditorium of the Georg-August University. Besides the auditorium was a botanical garden, where we decided to have an impromptu photography session. We looked hard for the perfect scenes in the shrubs, ponds and the glasshouses, and fiddled with the many functions of our cameras until we became content with our snapshots. It was lucky that my friend had a similar camera to mine and he practised a lot with his 'toy', so he was able to pass on quite a few useful tips. It's actually a good way to find out more about my camera!
It is nice to travel with a friend for another reason. My train back to Munich was delayed for one whole hour, but for once I didn't get annoyed because my friend decided to take me to a nearby bar. It was only too easy to kill time over a drink. We only cut short our conversations and rushed back to the railway station when my friend reminded me that my delayed train was about to arrive. That's what friends are for!
上週是我到德國後首次有機會出席會議，到歌廷根（Göttingen）參加一個小型神經科學會議，之後的星期日正好有空，便約好剛到歌庭根上工的澳洲朋友敘舊及逛逛。
正如不少德國城市，歌廷根的市中心正是舊城區，滿佈不少數百年的古老建築，包括不少連橫樑都歪斜了的房屋，至今仍屹立着，不過安不安全又是另一回事。歌庭根乃歷年來名士薈萃之地，城內不少建築都是他們的故居，牆上都掛了一塊塊刻有名字及年份的小碑以資紀念。舊城區有座著名的雕塑，名為挽鵝女孩，聽朋友介紹，凡博士畢業者，必會到該塑像獻花及吻吻女孩面頰，為畢業禮的儀式之一。
舊城區周圍有一堵城牆，朋友帶我在城牆上的小徑散步，到達喬治·奧古斯塔大學的講室大樓後，便走進旁邊的植物園，即興上了一節攝影課，在花叢中、池塘中及溫室裡找有趣的動、植物，把弄攝影機的各種功能，直至捕捉到最好的影像才罷休。朋友的攝影機功能跟我的大致相同，加上平時也嗜好攝影，便給我傳授了不少心得，也令我對自己攝影機更有認識！
外遊時與友人同行還有一個好處：我回慕尼黑的火車，足足遲了一小時才到達，可是我並不懊惱，朋友陪伴我到火車站附近的一家酒吧消磨時光，也有幸他提醒我火車將到，便連忙打斷談天，趕回車站。「出外靠朋友」，跟着朋友，旅途當然愉快，時間也容易打發得多！
Date of visit: 3rd June, 2007 旅遊日期：2007年6月3日
Views of the city 市內景色
The streets of the Old Town of Göttingen
歌廷根舊城區主的街景
Some of the older buildings in Göttingen, including the ones with bent beams!
歌廷根內的古式建築，包括樑不橫的房舍！
The Old Town Hall (left), and the nearby statue of Gänseliesel (right)
舊市政廳（左）及附近的挽鵝女孩像（右）
The St. Jacob's Church with its special interior decor that gives the illusion that the columns are not straight!
聖雅各教堂——室內的裝潢令人有錯覺以為棟柱不直！
Famous residences for Bismarck (left) and the 'supreme head' of mine and my friend's, Max Planck (right)
名人故居：俾斯麥（左）及我和朋友的「老總」普朗克（右）
The Jewish memorial
猶太死難者紀念像
The Goethe Institute of Göttingen
歌廷根的歌德學院
The auditorium of Georg-August University
喬治·奧古斯塔大學的講室大樓
Photo session at the Botanical Garden! 植物園的攝影課！
Frogs 青蛙
Newt 蠑螈
Bees 蜜蜂
Vegetation in a pond (left), the fern glasshouse (centre) and Victoria glasshouse (right)
植物百態：池塘（左）、羊齒植物溫室（中）及維多利亞溫室（右）
Don't touch me; I'm sensitive! 別摸我，我害羞的！
Other plants in the Victoria glasshouse 維多利亞溫室的其他植物
Like many German cities, the centre of Göttingen is where the Old Town is situated. The Old Town was full of buildings aged in the hundreds, including many houses of which the beams were no longer straight. Those houses were still standing, but it's another thing whether they were really safe. Historically, Göttingen has been a meeting point for some of the best minds and most influential people in Germany and around the world. Many of the houses were in fact former residences of those famous people, and were identified with plaques on the wall bearing their names and years of residence. Göttingen is also famous for the statue of the Gänseliesel (the girl with the geese). My friend told me that, as part of the graduation ritual, PhD graduates would offer flowers to the statue and kiss the girl on the cheek.
The Old Town is surrounded by a city wall, on which there is a walking trail. My friend took me for a walk on the trail until we reached the auditorium of the Georg-August University. Besides the auditorium was a botanical garden, where we decided to have an impromptu photography session. We looked hard for the perfect scenes in the shrubs, ponds and the glasshouses, and fiddled with the many functions of our cameras until we became content with our snapshots. It was lucky that my friend had a similar camera to mine and he practised a lot with his 'toy', so he was able to pass on quite a few useful tips. It's actually a good way to find out more about my camera!
It is nice to travel with a friend for another reason. My train back to Munich was delayed for one whole hour, but for once I didn't get annoyed because my friend decided to take me to a nearby bar. It was only too easy to kill time over a drink. We only cut short our conversations and rushed back to the railway station when my friend reminded me that my delayed train was about to arrive. That's what friends are for!
上週是我到德國後首次有機會出席會議，到歌廷根（Göttingen）參加一個小型神經科學會議，之後的星期日正好有空，便約好剛到歌庭根上工的澳洲朋友敘舊及逛逛。
正如不少德國城市，歌廷根的市中心正是舊城區，滿佈不少數百年的古老建築，包括不少連橫樑都歪斜了的房屋，至今仍屹立着，不過安不安全又是另一回事。歌庭根乃歷年來名士薈萃之地，城內不少建築都是他們的故居，牆上都掛了一塊塊刻有名字及年份的小碑以資紀念。舊城區有座著名的雕塑，名為挽鵝女孩，聽朋友介紹，凡博士畢業者，必會到該塑像獻花及吻吻女孩面頰，為畢業禮的儀式之一。
舊城區周圍有一堵城牆，朋友帶我在城牆上的小徑散步，到達喬治·奧古斯塔大學的講室大樓後，便走進旁邊的植物園，即興上了一節攝影課，在花叢中、池塘中及溫室裡找有趣的動、植物，把弄攝影機的各種功能，直至捕捉到最好的影像才罷休。朋友的攝影機功能跟我的大致相同，加上平時也嗜好攝影，便給我傳授了不少心得，也令我對自己攝影機更有認識！
外遊時與友人同行還有一個好處：我回慕尼黑的火車，足足遲了一小時才到達，可是我並不懊惱，朋友陪伴我到火車站附近的一家酒吧消磨時光，也有幸他提醒我火車將到，便連忙打斷談天，趕回車站。「出外靠朋友」，跟着朋友，旅途當然愉快，時間也容易打發得多！
Date of visit: 3rd June, 2007 旅遊日期：2007年6月3日
Views of the city 市內景色
The streets of the Old Town of Göttingen
歌廷根舊城區主的街景
Some of the older buildings in Göttingen, including the ones with bent beams!
歌廷根內的古式建築，包括樑不橫的房舍！
The Old Town Hall (left), and the nearby statue of Gänseliesel (right)
舊市政廳（左）及附近的挽鵝女孩像（右）
The St. Jacob's Church with its special interior decor that gives the illusion that the columns are not straight!聖雅各教堂——室內的裝潢令人有錯覺以為棟柱不直！
Famous residences for Bismarck (left) and the 'supreme head' of mine and my friend's, Max Planck (right)
名人故居：俾斯麥（左）及我和朋友的「老總」普朗克（右）
The Jewish memorial
猶太死難者紀念像
The Goethe Institute of Göttingen
歌廷根的歌德學院
The auditorium of Georg-August University
喬治·奧古斯塔大學的講室大樓
Photo session at the Botanical Garden! 植物園的攝影課！
Frogs 青蛙
Newt 蠑螈
Bees 蜜蜂
Vegetation in a pond (left), the fern glasshouse (centre) and Victoria glasshouse (right)
植物百態：池塘（左）、羊齒植物溫室（中）及維多利亞溫室（右）
Don't touch me; I'm sensitive! 別摸我，我害羞的！
Other plants in the Victoria glasshouse 維多利亞溫室的其他植物
Comments
又: 我就唔夠膽放隻蠑螈上手嘞!
不過多得我朋友咁夠膽捉佢上嚟，原來佢有隻腳俾水草同某種貝殼纏住，我朋友就順手幫佢鬆綁，後來我哋先唸起，怪不得佢游水嘅姿態怪怪地。
看來你也已变成攝影發燒友了