Geologische Exkursion!

Today was exciting and rather unusual – I went on a German geology field trip! I wasn’t sure how it would go, because:


#1: The last formal geology instruction I had was in Grade 7.
#2: Well, it’s all “auf Deutsch.” ;-)

However, I wasn’t totally unprepared going in. I made a list of helpful vocabulary that I studied a couple of weeks before, which really paid off. There was also a certain Calgarian who sent me numerous geology links and then stayed up late to go over them with me during Skype dates. :D

But it was amazing! I actually understood a LOT. In fact, I think I got more than I usually do in my GIS lectures, and I’m more familiar with the material there. It really helps when you get to go see the phenomena in person, and are given a bunch of helpful diagrams. I also met some really wonderful students who were more than happy to explain a couple things if I got lost.

Getting off the bus.

Walking between sites.

It took us 2 hours to get there, and once we arrived, we discussed different rock formations in Austria and Styria, using brightly coloured geologic maps. Our professor was really friendly and encouraged lots of discussion. We then headed up to the first area of interest. HCl was never more expertly applied as we discovered which parts of our sample fizzed. ;-) We also found some “Schnecken” at our next stop – snails. Here, too, we tasted some mudstone – yes, I’ve finally done it! A fine sedimentary pâté...haha...;-)

The first site.

My drawing of the first site.

The second.

Schnecken!

Notes + mudstone.

 

Third site - calcareous sedimentary rock layers.

At 2pm, we headed back to the bus, where we drove to a small town nearby to have lunch and see the museum. The museum itself had a lot of interesting samples, and we went through each display in detail. At 5pm, we headed for home. The only regret I have was that I didn’t have a window seat, and couldn’t adequately capture the plunging valleys and impressive peaks on camera! Well, guess I’ll just have to wait till I’m home. J

Another forest pic.

A cave we visited - sandstone is in the area.

Fossilized snails.

The black band is the K-Pg boundary (formerly K-T),  showing the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event, which wiped out non-avian dinosaurs.

Mine about 20 minutes from our excursion point.

Hehehe...:-D

Medieval Manuscripts

Eeek! I just had the most fantastic day this week!

As a birthday gift, E set up a tour of the library for me with a manuscript specialist – and on Monday, I got to see the “Sondersammlung” – the special collection. :D :D

To give you some more context on my manuscript obsession…my wonderful aunt and uncle sent me the most beautiful book in March. (Thank you!!!) It is a reproduction of a famous French manuscript from the 1400s, the “Très Riches Heures”, commissioned by the influential Duke Jean de Berry. The detail of the paintings and illustrations is remarkable – it’s truly a work of art. It is called a “book of hours” – a prayer book to be used at various points during the day. While these books of hours could be pocket-sized, to be carried around throughout the day, they also became the means for some of the most elaborate illumination in the 1400s. The richer the patron, the more ornate the book.

Click to enlarge.

So I was totally thrilled to be able to see manuscripts like this CLOSE UP. No glass, no barriers…and maybe I’d even get to touch them! Hahaha…

The manuscript expert who gave us the tour laid out a number of different selections for E and me. A couple of the first ones he showed us were from Georgia (the country bordering Turkey). One was from the 600s (older than the book of Kells, though not at all ornamented), and one was in the form of a scroll. Another showed the signs of previous work – there was a text in Armenian running vertically along the page, but it had been mostly erased so that the page could be reused for a horizontal Georgian text. The specialist is currently working out the meaning of the original Armenian, but it’s painstaking work.

Maybe the most impressive manuscript was a huge book (fastened with thick metal clasps) with exquisite illumination (gold-leafed letters). The first letter of each important section was painted in great detail, but no letter was exactly the same. What I found really interesting was that patterns had been stamped in the gold leaf itself – so you would see an exceptionally bright burnished gold letter, but imprinted into the surface were tiny flowers or abstract designs. (AMAZING!!!!! :D :D)

We also saw some Gregorian chant illuminated in a similar fashion. It was also a huge book with large notation so that the whole choir could see it. Really eliminates the problem of losing sheet music. ;-)

Gregorian chant manuscript.

Oh, and by the way, the specialist said we could come back. And see the original copy of Galileo’s “Starry Messenger” (observations of Jupiter’s moons)!!! And Kepler manuscripts!!! (I’m not at all excited…hehehehe. :D)

I’ll stop drooling now, and show you the rest of the pictures we took. J

Linz: May 17-19

You may have read my previous post on the Mauthausen concentration camp. I went on the second day I visited Linz (May 18). It was a very profound and thought-provoking experience – and at times, extremely disturbing. However, I’m very glad that I went, and I hope my post gives you an idea of my reaction.

However, I also spent time in the town of Linz and had a really wonderful time! Click the pics to enlarge.

May 17^th – I arrived in the morning, and spent the day walking around. I visited the Mariendom, the largest (though not the highest!) church in Austria, and got a coffee and tiramisu in the main square. After dropping off my bag at the information centre’s lockers, I stopped in the modern art museum (Lentos). They had a car exhibit as well as their permanent collection, organized by decade. Some really interesting and beautiful stuff, but the descriptions…let’s just say that art interpretation is a very subjective domain…;-)

On the train.

 

 

Phantom M. :-)

Neat ivy-covered building in Linz.

Mariendom.

 

 

Main square (Hauptplatz).

 

Little tourist train. :-)

 

Lentos modern art museum.

 

Car culture. (The smart car apparently
"disappears" in traffic, because the mirrors
reflect the surroundings, camouflaging it almost
completely!). Perhaps not the safest feature. ;-)

Well, no one else was going to take my photo! ;-)

 

 

Linz main square in 1940. (Compare with my pics!)

 

 

Map of London Underground.

 

I had the very exciting opportunity to see the house where Kepler lived!!! And Mozart, too. But then I found another plaque commemorating Kepler…and another…and the university name…and a statue…you know, the marks of his presence were just so few and far between…;-)

 

 

 

May 19^th – After a later start (I wanted some extra shut-eye especially after being woken up at both 2 and 4 o’clock by some of the other hostel guests!), I headed back to the downtown. There was a flea market, which was pretty neat to browse. Then it was off to the Ars Electronica museum. Very unique – its mandate is a fusion of art and science, and it showcases lots of innovative and interdisciplinary ideas. Some exhibits:

·         A 3D movie on the universe – it really gives you a sense of how infinitesimally small Earth is in comparison to the vast number of galaxies. Planets and moons kept appearing as though right before your eyes!

·         An interactive map – A map of the city of Linz was constructed in the form of a table. Using a special pen, you could tap any part of it – and project that part of the city onto a screen showing the satellite image from the most recent year! You could also go back in time, and look at population growth. All very interactive. Truly amazing! :-D

·         Robotics – a seal “pet” that responds to cuddling and touch (used for Alzheimer’s therapy) and a human torso that will actually have an intelligent conversation with you, both in English and German!

·         Music visualization

·         An exposé on Facebook’s alarming knowledge of personal information. Explore the “Europe vs. Facebook” lawsuit, where a law student is claiming that Facebook violates privacy law. Max Schrems requested Facebook divulge all the information they have collected about him, and ended up with a dossier of 1,200 pages. Unknown to many users, data people believe to have been deleted remain in Facebook databases for an unlimited amount of time…

 

Flea market.

Ars Electronica.

 

At Ars Electronica, visitors can make shadow projections
of themselves. They can get them printed and post them on the walls.
This one is along the lines of "So, you didn't get your homework done again?" ;-)

 

 

The geography table and projections.

The robot seal pet.

Air drawings.

The bridge over the Danube.

It was a truly unique museum and I really enjoyed myself. J After an “Eiskaffee” (coffee with ice cream!), I headed back to the train station, and caught my ride back to Graz. A very successful and inspiring trip.