A glimpse of SciLogs13 in Deidesheim, Germany

Deidesheim, Germany.

It took some convincing to get me to attend, but I did go to SciLogs13 in Deidesheim [DIE des hime], Germany. I was reluctant to attend because my German is poor, so I felt I had little if anything to contribute, and even if I did have something to add, well, no one would understand my attempts to communicate. But I eventually did decide to attend, and I am so happy I did because it was a wonderful experience.

The morning did not start well after I became misdirected on the local trains -- traveling in the opposite direction of where I needed to go -- but I finally managed to get to the Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof to catch my train to Mannheim. My ICE train finally arrived after a 15 minute or so delay -- interestingly, the train left after only 5 minutes or less in the station, so it was less late departing than it was arriving. You have to move fast to board or detrain in Germany!

This train is an ICE -- Germany's version of a Japanese "bullet train."

ICE, Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof.

I hoped I would be able to enjoy the countryside whizzing past my window on my journey, but the ticket agent had other ideas: she decided that I owed 12 euros more (cash only!) for my pre-purchased train ticket.

The story behind this ticket snafu was that I had purchased a BahnCard, which allows me to purchase train tickets at a discount. However, I was never told that I had to actually carry my BahnCard with me at all times, nor was I given a BahnCard when I purchased it the day before, so the ticket agent decided I had fraudulently obtained my discount ticket and charged me more money for it. (Incidentally, it is now five days since my ticket/BahnCard purchase and it still hasn't arrived, even though a letter did arrive in the mail yesterday, informing me that my BahnCard had been mailed. NEVER MIND THAT IT'S JUST A LITTLE BIT LATE.)

To say the least, Germany's anal-retentive BahnCard system is ridiculous and damned inconvenient and needlessly complex.

Of course, I tried to convince the ticket agent that I am not a thief, but she would have none of it. But she inspected every piece of identification I own -- my passport, legal residency papers, my German bankcard, and even my gym card!! She even refused to recognise the validity of the receipt for my ticket purchase, which clearly showed that I had purchased my BahnCard at the same time as my train tickets. This encounter left me quite angry, and recalling it now still pisses me off. What would have happened if I'd not been carrying any cash -- would they arrest me? I can only wonder what that wench planned to buy with all the cash she stole from the passengers as she pursued her own little form of "highway robbery"!

Nevertheless, as you can see, I did arrive in Mannheim, Germany, where several of my fellow ScienceBloggers met me and gave me a ride to the rural town of Deidesheim, Germany, where the conference was taking place.

Kurt Schumacher Bridge (Kurt-Schumacher-Brücke) in Mannheim. This bridge spans the Rhine river.

Along the way, we drove over this photogenic bridge (above). Not sure of its name, but I'd sure like to return to Mannheim to get more pictures!

After 45 minutes to an hour in the car, we reached Deidesheim. This charming village is surrounded by forested hills located on a broad plain in the heart of der Rheingau in southwestern Germany. Deidesheim boasts a population of only 3700 people and its primary sources of income are its wines and, of course, tourism. Other crops include figs, oranges and almonds; I was told that the blossoming almond trees every spring is a long-anticipated and lovely spectacle, which sounds similar to the blossoming cherry trees in parts of Japan.

This isn't the prettiest picture (below), but I put it here to help transition this photoessay to Deidesheim and the SciLogs13 meeting.

Meeting hall entrance.
SciLogs13, Deidesheim, Germany.

Shortly after we arrived, lunch was served. This image (below) isn't perfect, but it's surprisingly good for an iPhone picture; don't you agree? (I include several more iPhone pics in this photoessay, all of which are labeled as such in their captions.)

Lunch (vegetarian quiche squares and mini pizzas with red olives.)
SciLogs13, Deidesheim, Germany. [iPhone4/twitter]

I was ravenous after 3 hours on various trains followed by another hour or so in a car (not having eaten yet that day) so these hors d'oeuvre were delightfully satisfying and tasty. Interestingly, the vegetarian offerings were quite popular with the carnivores in the crowd -- they disappeared long before before the meat-based food items had been devoured. The little pizzas had large red olives (without pits) on them, which tasted incredible.

After lunch, we gathered to listen to a few talks, and then went for a walk through Der Rheingau to reach the first of two outdoor wine-tasting locations.

Vineyards.
SciLogs13, Deidesheim, Germany.

It was cloudy, cool and breezy and still soggy from the earlier rain, but the sun broke through whilst we were tasting wine.

"Sunbreak over the Rhineland."
SciLogs13, Deidesheim, Germany.

Whilst everyone listened to the sommelier tell us about the qualities of the wine we were tasting, I was transfixed by a woman in scarlet as she strolled along the roadway. I snapped half a dozen images, but sadly, none captured what my mind's eye saw. (I suspect my iPhone images were better, but I have the luxury of thinking that since I deleted them to make room for more images later.) Here are two of the best images:

"Little Red Riding Hood".
SciLogs13, Deidesheim, Germany.

I like to believe this image (below) is compositionally better than the previous one, even though I am disappointed with the final version you see here:

"Little Red Riding Hood".
SciLogs13, Deidesheim, Germany.

When I finally returned my attention to wine tasting, I was astonished by this little beauty. The depth and breadth of flavours in this lovely local riesling makes this the best white wine I've ever tasted.

The label says:
Dr. Bürklin-Wolf
2011 Deidesheimer Langenmorgen.
This riesling was sublime!
SciLogs13, Deidesheim, Germany. [iPhone4/twitter]

Normally, I prefer red wines, particularly syrah/shiraz and cabernet, but this riesling was so incredible that I returned home with a few bottles. This is easily the most expensive white wine I've ever purchased.

After having my senses primed at the first wine-tasting location, I was eager to set out for our second destination. Eventually, we did move on. But as usual, my search for the perfect photograph distracted me so I fell behind everyone. Even though I thought I was keeping a careful watch on the group, it didn't take long for them to become lost to my sight in the vineyards.

As I walked along muddy roads, searching for everyone, a nano car suddenly pulled up and its window rolled down. It was "Little Red Riding Hood" -- the woman in scarlet who had transfixed me earlier! She and her spouse came to my rescue. They knew where my little group had stumbled off to, and they invited me into their car to give me a ride to rejoin them.

Embarrassed, I sat on the backseat, blushing and giggling madly, aware that I must have smelled like booze. As they drove me back to the group, the old couple tried making small talk, but they could only speak German and my spoken German is only good enough to trigger an international incident, so I pretended to not understand anything they said. However, after they spied "London" embroidered on my fleece and pointed at it, their meaning was clear, even to misplaced American dolts like me.

Oh, yes of course, I replied slyly in my abysmal German, of course I am from London -- hoping I could add another inspiring chapter to the no-doubt-sensational local mythology surrounding unattended drunken Brits rolling around the Rhinegau.

To make a long story somewhat shorter, thanks to Little Red Riding Hood and her spouse, I did rejoin my group, I did taste that second wine (another riesling, although not as exquisite as the first) and we all did return to the meeting hall. Along the way, I snapped this lovely image of Deidesheim. I really like this image because unlike most of my photographs, this one actually looks better than I'd imagined.

Vineyards, with Deidesheim in the background.
SciLogs13, Deidesheim, Germany.

The following day, there were more SciLogs13 talks about a variety of topics, but sensing that this may be my only opportunity to see a little more of the town, I slipped away for a short walk through the outskirts of Deidesheim. Since I had not thought ahead, I drank two cups of coffee before setting out, so I never did make it into the actual town of Deidesheim.

This is one of many dozens of local winebars.

Winebar.
SciLogs13, Deidesheim, Germany.

Here's another look at this winebar from the other side:

Winebar.
SciLogs13, Deidesheim, Germany.

The plants growing on the side of the building are very old grapevines, which are located everywhere throughout the town.

This photographic series is another disappointment because what I saw was somehow not adequately captured by either my camera or my iPhone! Here are the best two digital camera captures:

"Doorway with twisted tree."
SciLogs13, Deidesheim, Germany.

"Doorway with twisted tree."
SciLogs13, Deidesheim, Germany.

This is the image I captured with my iPhone:

"Doorway with twisted tree."
SciLogs13, Deidesheim, Germany. [iPhone4/twitter]

Is it just me, or do the colours appear "warmer" in the iPhone photo?

This is probably my favourite picture from the entire visit (below). It's just an old building (not sure what it is) but the angles, textures and colours intrigue me. Unfortunately, the lighting was not ideal, which means I have to return to photograph this building again under better light conditions:

Old building.
SciLogs13, Deidesheim, Germany.

Like many photographers, I am fixated on windows and doors. This is a closer look at the boarded up window on the old building in the previous photograph. It almost looks like an artist's watercolour painting, doesn't it?

Old boarded-up window.
SciLogs13, Deidesheim, Germany.

This peculiar little building (below) is located in the middle of the roadway. I have no clue what it is, but because of its location and the cross at the end, its title suggested itself:

"Crossroads."
SciLogs13, Deidesheim, Germany.

Below is the best in a series of photographs that I captured of a local church. The steeple of this church is visible in the distance in several other images that you saw earlier in this photoessay:

Church.
SciLogs13, Deidesheim, Germany.

Motivated by my pressing need to find a toilet, I returned to the meeting hall sooner than I would have otherwise. Since most German businesses are closed on Sunday, the only toilet that I knew was publicly accessible was at the meeting hall or at the hotel. But all was not lost since I captured this image of the Tea Pavilion, located on the hill above our meeting hall.

"Against a stormy sky." (Tea Pavilion.)
SciLogs13, Deidesheim, Germany.

According to my fellow science bloggers, this little building has an interesting history. Apparently, one hundred years ago (and more), the local landowners would show off their wealth by constructing separate small buildings, known as "tea pavilions", on their estates typically near their mansions. These structures were unique and recognisable. They were used to entertain guests who presumably gathered to socialise and drink tea. However, considering the history of this region and the tea pavilion's location -- overlooking miles of vineyards -- I rather suspect that guests gathered to drink more than just tea in these buildings.

Pumpkin soup with fried banana.
SciLogs13, Deidesheim, Germany [iPhone4/twitter].

Recalling my grad student skills, I returned in time for lunch. But the vegetarian offerings at the farewell luncheon not as impressive as those in the previous day's meals, but I was delighted by the soup (above), the recipe of which I practically begged for.

I am still waiting for this recipe.

Aaand still waiting. (hint, hint!)

The SciLogs13 event ended far too soon and my time in Deidesheim was all too brief. I enjoyed meeting my fellow science blog writers and am impressed by the wealth and diversity of their talent, skill and passion. In addition to my new-found friends, the Deidesheim area is gorgeous, the wine is superb and the wild birds are plentiful. I hope to return with my "big camera" to photograph the local castles in the hills (some of which are visible from the freeway between Mannheim and Deidesheim), and with my binoculars so I can go birding. Oh and of course, it almost goes without saying that I hope to return to visit more of the local wineries.

For those who are considering a visit to Deidesheim, keep in mind that this charming small town is off the beaten track so it is complicated to reach if you rely solely on public transit. However, unlike larger (and easier to reach) towns, Deidesheim is not crawling with tourists yet it still has all the comforts and amenities you seek -- excellent affordable and clean hotels, exquisite food, friendly people, photogenic countryside and a rich and interesting history -- so it is a travel destination that is well-worth the effort.

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