Nine Days On The Business

See, I've never done a proper photo essay, with a theme and such. I've based the galleries on places that I've visited, or the odd weekend etc.

I thought I'd change that.

For The Business, I went on a little round trip recently. UK -> Spain -> Germany - UK, that is. Taking the camera is a no-brainer, so I thought I'd try it. It all sounds glorious to go to Spain for a week, but after all, it's for work. Also, it takes a bit of getting used to, getting off the plane to be greeted by a taxi driver while everyone around you is shoving the kids into a bus/ being hugged by family members. Hotels, in general, are awesome (smoking in bed/ bathtub/ while on the loo etc) but here again, it's soulless business travel.

This isn't whingeing, I love what I'm doing.

Geekmode: I shot solely on Ilford XP2. I wanted to try how these bastards look like, also I've only got high-sharpness developer around and wanted to use 400 ASA. That would have ended in grain madness. I got them back, cheap-lab scanned (Max Spielmann in Mancs) and they. Look. Bloody. Brilliant.

Take a look!

You can also go back home if you fancy.

And yes, I wrote the time down after each shot. I am THAT german. Times are local times. Deemed using UTC was too geeky, even for me.

Day One. Tuesday. 4:34am.
Sutton Coldfield.

Brushing the teeth.

15mm Ultra-Wide Heliar on Leica M3

 

Day One. Tuesday. 5:04am.
Midlands countryside.

Taxi ride one. Phil picks me up and we're off to East Midlands Airport. Popping the shades on to keep away the morning sun. Nap.

15mm Ultra-Wide Heliar on Leica M3

 

Day One. Tuesday. 7:51am.
East Midlands Airport.

Yeah its Ryanair alright. It's shorthaul, so thats OK. Also its well early in the morning so Lufthansa free booze benefits wouldn't really cut it.

15mm Ultra-Wide Heliar on Leica M3

 

Day One. Tuesday. 11:17am.
40 miles inbound Barcelona.

Taxi ride two. Avelino this time. This bloke is well better dressed than anyone I've ever worked with. Total style. Also a Merc. Boom.

50mm Summicron on Leica M3

 

Day One. Tuesday. 6:56pm.
Hotel Don Candido, Terrassa.

OOHFFZ.

15mm Ultra-Wide Heliar on Leica M3

 

Day One. Tuesday. 8:31pm.
Hotel Don Candido, Terrassa.

Nap done, out for food. This hotel is like Dr. Evi's Residence. Perfect excuse to decorate exactly the same room exactly the same way. It's regularly frequented by youth national golf teams and such. Smug.

15mm Ultra-Wide Heliar on Leica M3

 

Day One. Tuesday. 8:36pm.
Hotel Don Candido, Terrassa.

Isn't it? Just can't resist to throw paper airplanes.

15mm Ultra-Wide Heliar on Leica M3

 

Day One. Tuesday. 7:36pm.
Hotel Don Candido, Terrassa.

Black is the new black.

15mm Ultra-Wide Heliar on Leica M3

Day Two. Wednesday. 10:45am.
Terrassa.

First telephone conference of the week.

15mm Ultra-Wide Heliar on Leica M3

 

Day Two. Wednesday. 12:58pm.
McDonald's, Terrassa.

Lunch. Whatchagonnado.

35mm Summaron on Leica M3

 

Day Two. Wednesday. 1:58pm.
Terrassa.

Siesta. What a ledge.

35mm Summaron on Leica M3

 

Day Two. Wednesday. 7:52pm.
Carrer de Ferran, Barcelona.

I met with my good friend Wen Lin whom I've lived with in Chicago for a whopping four weeks. He now lives in Geneva, the bastard.

50mm Summicron on Leica M3

 

Day Two. Wednesday. 11:27pm.
Gothic Quarter, Barcelona.

I mean, come on. This looks brilliant.

50mm Summicron on Leica M3

 

Day Three. Thursday. 7:25am.
Hotel Don Candido, Terrassa.

A MAN NEEDS BRACES. Seriously, if they make me wear suits, we'll do this properly.

50mm Summicron on Leica M3

 

Day Three. Thursday. 7:23pm.
Terrassa Rambla.

Showing the chinese around. They used to store gunpowder in there, I thought that was fitting.

15mm Ultra-Wide Heliar on Leica M3

 

Day Three. Thursday. 7:57pm.
Viena, Terrassa.

I made them eat: Pizza. Olives. Bruchetta. Bacon. Caramel dessert. They hated it. Revenge for the chicken feet.
Peter Pan is pouring down the Fanta. Standard night.

15mm Ultra-Wide Heliar on Leica M3

 

Day Four. Friday. 3:40pm.
Outside Catedral de Barcelona.

I left the camera at the hotel on Friday. Well, for work. I took the chinese for a spin around the gothic quarter AND THEY LOVED IT.

15mm Ultra-Wide Heliar on Leica M3

 

Day Four. Friday. 4:01pm.
Inside Catedral de Barcelona.

I mean, in a place like this, nuff said, pop the wide angle on and hold still, done deal.

15mm Ultra-Wide Heliar on Leica M3

Day Four. Friday. 4:05pm.
Inside Catedral de Barcelona.

Timmy and Peter are loving it.

15mm Ultra-Wide Heliar on Leica M3

Day Four. Friday. 4:42pm.
Gothic Quarter, Barcelona.

Don't really have that much to add. This is awesome. I was going to have the chinese lads sit down for a tea and a coffee for myself though.

15mm Ultra-Wide Heliar on Leica M3

 

Day Four. Friday. 4:43pm.
Gothic Quarter, Barcelona.

Chasin' some birds before.

15mm Ultra-Wide Heliar on Leica M3

Day Four. Friday. 5:16pm.
Gothic Quarter, Barcelona.

I just couldnt stop taking pictures. Love this!

15mm Ultra-Wide Heliar on Leica M3

 

Day Four. Friday. 5:28pm.
Harbour, Barcelona.

Check out this sweep. Timmy says hi, too.

15mm Ultra-Wide Heliar on Leica M3

 

Day Four. Friday. 5:34pm.
Harbour, Barcelona.

Die Hafenrendantur. Mich nicht getraut, nach dem Passierschein A-38 zu fragen.

15mm Ultra-Wide Heliar on Leica M3

 

Day Four. Friday. 5:34pm.
Del Pi, Barcelona.

Proper Montanidos for dinner! Check those out, theres nothing better in this world.

50mm Summicron on Leica M3

 

Day Four. Friday. 9:30pm.
Place del Rei, Barcelona.

I loved this. Theres a quartet in the lower right and 400 people are dancing tango.

15mm Ultra-Wide Heliar on Leica M3

 

Day Four. Friday. 10:22pm.
El Paraigua, Barcelona.

Proper jam session. F**k yeah. My good friend Laura took me there, with a broken leg. Really. Down there.

15mm Ultra-Wide Heliar on Leica M3

Day Four. Friday. 11:56pm.
Gothic Quarter, Barcelona.

I'm liking this grittiness.

15mm Ultra-Wide Heliar on Leica M3

 

Day Five. Saturday. 1:10am.
Banesto, Barcelona.

On the way back. Check out the shadow!

15mm Ultra-Wide Heliar on Leica M3

 

Day Five. Saturday. 1:42am.
Place de Cataluna, Barcelona.

Still on the way back. The obvious tube station picture.

15mm Ultra-Wide Heliar on Leica M3

 

Day Five. Saturday. 11:15am.
Düsseldorf International Airport.

The little jump your heart does when your luggage turns up on the belt.
I visited the European Logistics Center for some supply chain management, uh huh. Not until Tuesday though so I took advantage and visited the old family.

15mm Ultra-Wide Heliar on Leica M3

 

Day Five. Saturday. 3:42pm.
Neukirchen Vluyn, Germany.

Chillin' at my brother's home.

15mm Ultra-Wide Heliar on Leica M3

 

Day Six. Sunday. 6:15pm.
Ossenberg, Germany.

Thats where I fled from. It looks more braggish than it is. We only lived on the top floors, it was in the middle of nowhere (which, in Germany, means nobody wants to live there) and it's in between a kindergarden, a church and a massive factory.

35mm Summaron on Leica M3

 

Day Six. Sunday. 6:16pm.
Ossenberg, Germany.

See? Thats the church. Just panned to the left there.

35mm Summaron on Leica M3

 

Day Six. Sunday. 6:23pm.
Ossenberg, Germany.

Den Rasen sprengen.

35mm Summaron on Leica M3

 

Day Six. Sunday. 10:11pm.
Bochum, Germany.

Rob has just moved out of his parent's home and in with his girlfriend. He's getting all excited on how to work the wallpapers. It worked! Ish.

50mm Summicron on Leica M3

 

Day Seven. Monday. 4:06pm.
Ossenberg, Germany.

I was actually getting ill this day. Standard cold. Also I was working as in Germany, Monday was a public holiday but alas, not in the UK.
Only picture then: My dad looking smug.

50mm Summicron on Leica M3

 

Day Eight. Tuesday. 2:31pm.
Alpen, Germany.

They DID give me one for the day though. How nice. FYI, this is me on a conference call again. We love conference calls.

15mm Ultra-Wide Heliar on Leica M3

 

Day Nine. Wednesday. 9:46am.
Alpen, Germany.

Purchasing Project Manager left for Turkey so I annexed his office. As germans do.

15mm Ultra-Wide Heliar on Leica M3

 

Day Nine. Wednesday. 5:44pm.
Düsseldorf International Airport.

Boarding for the flight back. At last. I was getting tired and I still had a cold.

15mm Ultra-Wide Heliar on Leica M3

 

Day Nine. Wednesday. 6:52pm.
Düsseldorf International Airport.

I used to work there and recognized the blokes getting the bird ready. Thats why they didn't shoot me when I got the camera out. Also OHYEAHLUFTHANSAALLYOUCANDRINKREDWINE.

15mm Ultra-Wide Heliar on Leica M3

 

Day Nine. Wednesday. 7:10pm.
Brummy International.

Ah. Yet another taxi. Off home, then!

15mm Ultra-Wide Heliar on Leica M3

 

Day Nine. Wednesday. 9:13pm.
Sutton Coldfield.

Home. Maraika says hi!

35mm Summaron on Leica M3

 

 

 

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This gallery © 2011 aboutblank Sebastian Schweers.
If you steal these images, Maraika will sue you.