Michael Goesele: Berlin Birthday

So 2009 brought about two mile stones... my 30th birthday and my father's 60th! Freakin' 90 years of Goesele. As we all know, life can be quite hectic and we can't be everywhere all the time....but some things you just have to re-celebrate properly when you have a chance to. Especially when you finally live on the same continent! So this past weekend was spent in Germany giving the occasion all the laughter, beer and adventure it deserved.

We started the weekend with a long hike up to a 16th century chapel in Saxony, where we proceed to light a few candles for friends and family going through tough times. Followed by a few museum visits, a stroll through Halle's city center and a "Night of Science" at my father's Max Planck Institute along with various other universities around town.

The next day was spent in Leipzig to attend F/Stop's International Photography Festival, where this year's theme was "Where do we go from here?". More than 50 artists from 15 countries presented an array of compelling work. Great festival! After the photo festival we checked out the new Museum of Fine Arts, which left quite an impression. Ironically, it was not the artwork which stood out to me, it was the actual structure itself! I've never been in a museum of that scale where so little of the space was utilized for art... it was bizarre. Don't get me wrong—I'm not a huge fan of the salon style of viewing art where there are a million things on one wall, but this took it to the polar opposite extreme. We had the obligatory lunchtime coffee & cake :) and then headed outside of the city to Cospudiner Lake. With sugar pumping through our veins and great weather, we decided to rent bikes and biked all the way around the lake (about 10 miles).

We ended the weekend in a city which was once famously described as "Poor, but Sexy!" by its mayor, Klaus Wowereit--Berlin. Every time I am in Berlin, I fall in love with the city all over again. It was weekend filled with thought provoking conversation, plenty of sun (as well as sausage and beer in true German fashion) and a great variety of culture.

Slide show: Berlin Birthday