08 December 2012

More big news

This was the week for big announcements. I was on the road for most of the week and I missed out on the hoopla that attended each of these announcements so I'm going to generate some of my own hoopla now.


For the second time in two years, I'm headed back to Germany to attend IMM. IMM is one of the world's largest design trade shows and my experiences there two years ago opened up a universe to me I never knew existed.

I'll be in Cologne (and later, Amsterdam) as part of Modenus.com's latest iteration of BlogTour. I was on the original Blog Tour last year in London for the Design Festival and it is a thrill to be selected to participate in another of these storied events.

I am one of 15 design bloggers from the US, the UK and the EU selected to take in the sights and sounds of this massive trade show and to report back. It's an absolute honor to be counted among some of the most influential people in the design world.

We'll be meeting up with hordes of people I know and I cannot wait to see everybody again. I've met some of my best friends through this blog and the places its taken me over the years and our regular get togethers are legendary. I'll keep the self-indulgence to a minimum while I'm on the road and will instead concentrate on the cool, new stuff I'll find over there. All of which will be documented here.

Beyond turning Germany into my personal old home week while I connect from people who are usually far removed from me, I'll be in Cologne. A city founded by Julius Caesar and a city whose Roman origins are everywhere. I'll get the chance to go back to the Cathedral and marvel at the fact that it was built by human hands and minds. I'll light a candle while I'm there and in a way, hold hands with a thousand years of humanity.

If you've never been to a Gothic Cathedral, make it a point to, regardless of your religious sensibilities. Nothing helps me see my place in the continuum of human history like walking into a thousand-year-old building does.

Thank you to Modenus and the sponsors of our upcoming adventure. This jaunt to Cologne and Amsterdam promises to be the most successful BlogTour ever. To see a list of my fellow attendees, click on this link.

17 comments:

  1. I'm with you on the history part. I always get quiet due to awe. I haven't been to Cologne since I was 20, so am very excited to visit the cathedral again.

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  2. I just got off the phone with V and my only request for this trip is that I be allowed an hour to go to the Cathedral and light a candle. V's coming with me to light a candle for her Mom too. That cathedral among all others in Europe, reduces me to a weeping fool and I can't wait to be there again. We can all sob together in the cold and dark of the place.

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  3. Sounds like we have a lot in common. The arts often move me to tears, mostly music, but other things too. The absolute peak experience for me was some years back when my wife and I visited Monument Valley in Utah. We played Bach's Mass in B Minor throughout. It was something I had always wanted to see, and there were times when I stopped to take a picture that my hands were shaking so badly I could hardly hold the camera. At the end with the car back in the parking lot overlooking the whole of Monument Valley, the tape got to the Sanctus Part. I was absolutely sobbing!

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  4. Man Joe, you sound like me listening to Resphigi when I walk around Rome. The arts are one thing, but when you put them into some kind of context it's overwhelming to the point where nothing gets any better. Listening to Resphigi's "Pines of the Villa Borghese" while I was standing in front of the pines of the Villa Borghese is something that'll remain with me forever. Similarly, putting Bach on my iPod as I walk around the cathedrals of Germany never fails to move me. My emotional outbursts in sacred and ancient places are things I'm proud of!

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  5. Every now and again one meets a kindred soul.

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  6. I went years ago to a small cathedral (compared to Cologne) in Lubeck (I think) with my sister and some friends from Hamburg. When we were there, the choir started practicing a song. The acoustics and the singing were so beautiful that I just stood there crying. To this day I cannot explain why, except to say it had something to do with the beauty of the sound. I hope to have that same experience again one day. It is a spot of pure joy that shall always stay in me.

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  7. I've never been to Cologne. I've only been to other cities in Germany for just a few hours as part of other trips so I'm very excited about this one. Not only for the BlogTour but also to see the stunning architecture. It's nice to take trips with people that are interested in seeing the same things you are!

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  8. I definitely want to see this cathedral too...what an amazing trip this will be.

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  9. Alexandra: I've had similar experiences at St. Paul's in London and in a variety of churches in Italy. There's just something about those ancient structures.
    Tina: I'm looking forward to meeting and getting to know you. We will have quite an adventure.
    Courtney: Cologne has the largest Gothic cathedral in the world. It is impossible to convey what that building looks like and the effect it has once you're inside of it.

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  10. While visiting churches and cathedrals here in the UK I have found myself to be semi-obsessed with tombs. I am fascinated by the work and extravagance of so many and by the fact the remains of such well known historical figures are right there in front of me. The photos here don't do it justice, but the tombs in this church have been my favorite so far: http://www.stmaryswarwick.org.uk/index.php?/stmarys/history_architecture

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  11. Another of my favorites from St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. It is the tomb of Charlotte Augusta. It is very haunting in person, really incredible. http://s3.amazonaws.com/findagrave/photos/2001/222/charlotteprince.jpg

    See, told you I was obsessed.

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  12. Holy cow Sharon we're the same person!

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  13. CONGRATS Paul! Now, is there any possible way that you think I might be able to fit into one your suitcases so I can attend? -Brenda-

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  14. Hah! Have you ever been to Germany Brenda?

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  15. No, unfortunately I haven't been there Paul but do know it is a wonderful and remarkable country but must admit I have become more of a sunshine, sand and surf kind of person in my old age and don't do the touring like I use to. -Brenda-

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  16. Just catching up on blog posts and read all your announcements at once. Congrats Paul! You're a hard worker and you deserve everything coming your way. It's gonna be a great 2013, huh?

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