This week I spent some time looking at my photo
albums. During my PhD studies at Lancaster University, I visited many
cities to present my research on Muslim televangelism.
One city I enjoyed visiting is Freiburg in West Germany. I gave a
presentation on 'the discursive construction of Muslim identities in
televangelists' sermons'. Here I reflect on some of the places I
visited.
My
journey to Freiburg started from Manchester airport where I flew to
Stuttgart. I travelled by car to Freiburg and was impressed by the
mountainous landscape and the pine trees, tall and grand. As I explored
the city, I liked its distinct architecture that combined its old
features with a modern character, for example, its cobbled streets and
graffiti.
In Freiburg, we visited the Black Forest, climbed up a tower and enjoyed a panoramic view of the landscape.
After participating in the school on sociolinguistics and presenting my research, I travelled to Stuttgart, the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden Wurttemberg. Maybe Stuttgart is already famous for being an industrial hub where companies such as Porsche and Mercedes-Benz are headquartered. Yet it also has many great museums that feature magnificent work of art.
I visited Kunstmuseum, the museum of modern art that was relatively new as it was opened in 2005. The paintings of Otto Dix really struck me for their unique style. Dix depicted the suffering of war and was critical of the Nazis.
After participating in the school on sociolinguistics and presenting my research, I travelled to Stuttgart, the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden Wurttemberg. Maybe Stuttgart is already famous for being an industrial hub where companies such as Porsche and Mercedes-Benz are headquartered. Yet it also has many great museums that feature magnificent work of art.
I visited Kunstmuseum, the museum of modern art that was relatively new as it was opened in 2005. The paintings of Otto Dix really struck me for their unique style. Dix depicted the suffering of war and was critical of the Nazis.
Another museum I stopped at in Stuttgart was the museum of musical instruments. There, I recollected the contributions of African and Islamic music culture to contemporary musical tradition.
From Stuttgart, I travelled to another city, Ludwigsburg. There, I wandered through a park and at a distance, I saw a fairytale like castle called Favorite.
From Stuttgart, I travelled to another city, Ludwigsburg. There, I wandered through a park and at a distance, I saw a fairytale like castle called Favorite.
Ludwigsburg
is also home to Ludwigsburg Residential Palace, which is known for its
Baroque style that can be seen in its architecture, furniture and wall
paintings. It is a complex that has many parks and stunning museums such
as the fashion museum and the ceramics museum.
Visiting the fashion museum was a unique experience to me. The light is dim and there are black walls throughout to preserve clothes.
In Ludwigsburg Palace, I was very lucky to enter a hall of classical sculpture that depicts Greek mythology. I fell in love with the work of Christian Friedrich Wilhelm Beyer who worked in an early Neo-classical style. The sculpture of Apollo and Daphne was very memorable. I liked it so much that I regarded it as a gift for my journey to Freiburg and my participation in the (post-)doctoral school on 'Englishes in a multilingual world: New dynamics of variation, contact and change'.
Visiting the fashion museum was a unique experience to me. The light is dim and there are black walls throughout to preserve clothes.
In Ludwigsburg Palace, I was very lucky to enter a hall of classical sculpture that depicts Greek mythology. I fell in love with the work of Christian Friedrich Wilhelm Beyer who worked in an early Neo-classical style. The sculpture of Apollo and Daphne was very memorable. I liked it so much that I regarded it as a gift for my journey to Freiburg and my participation in the (post-)doctoral school on 'Englishes in a multilingual world: New dynamics of variation, contact and change'.
