Naked mole rats

(Heterocephalus glaber) on display in the newish underground part of Osnabrück Zoo. These animals are fascinating, especially their social structure. Interested? Naked mole rats on "the life of mammals", BBC: Videolink.

Did you know there´s another "eusocial" mole rat beside the naked one? I didn´t either... the damaraland mole rat. (Cryptomis damarensis)

Do you want a mole rat for you home ?
You can have one! Sandras mole rat figurines.

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Last days

in Krakow. I'm leaving on Saturday and am kind of looking forward to it, even if people are very nice here, the school's interesting and the city beautiful. Wrote a test today... arghhhh....tomorrow is the last day at school and we'll get the results then.
And it's 35 C again and I've really had enough of this heat to be honest, I find it really hard to sleep, too. And yes, i know I spent months in the tropics, but its different in a city. At least for me...I guess Im just a country bumpkin.
Did nothing special on the last days, wanted to go to Wielizka Saltmine but not enough people turned up for the trip. Hopefully I'll go to see Krakow zoo tomorrow, missed the bus today.
Work starts on Monday and I'm kind of looking forward to that, too :).

Oświęcim

..is polish for 'Auschwitz'.
I spent the day there.
(Not) much more to write, still stunned and I guess it will take a long time to cope with the experience.
Glad I went though.

Dzien dobry from Krakows Central Square!

Hurra, I've made it to Krakow, Poland !
Right now I'm sitting in an internet cafe above the Rynek, 'Europes most beautiful central square'. Don't know about that but it is a very nice and lively square with an unbelievable number of historical buildings. As you might know I'm not much of a city fan but as fas as cities go Krakow is beautiful.
I'm staying in Boronowice, one of the suburbs, about 20 miuntes by tram from the centre. It's a really nice place to stay and I've got my own room with a desk, and cupboard and I can use the communal kitchen and it's clean :) and everyone is nice.
Everyone means my german landlady and her polish boyfriend who'll only be there til friday, another polish girl and two italian guys of whom I've only met one so far.
I like to stay in the suburb because it feels more "real" , no tourists around there.

The polish course (absoulte beginner :() is from 9.30 to 13.00 and really intense. We are 5 within the group, 3 germans, one american and a french guy. So I get to practise english as well, hurra :)!
One shouldn't count ones chicken before they are hatched but so far I'm glad I've come here.

There are only two problems:
1. it's really hot! Too hot! Summer! Packed the wrong clothes!
2. There's too much to do, too many things on offer. I've made the concious decision to take it easy though - I'm here on holiday and I want to stroll around, get a feel of the place, relax.
Don't really want a tight schedule besides the course. On sunday I'll be off to Zakopane in the mountains and on saturdaz there is a choice of going to Auschwitz concentration camp. I haven't really decided if I'm going, don't know if I'm prepared for that right now.

That's all for now, I'll go down and slowly head towards "home" :).

They´ve hatched!

and I´ve had such a good time today! Took my new Mountainbike and Heiko and cycled through the Pine Forest to the canal. Went for a swim, Heiko was highly irritated when I was in the water with him :), rode along the canal and back through the woods and fields.

60 cm...

...from where I now sit, a green finch (Carduelis chloris) built her nest in the vine growing along the wall.

I also found two nests of Wagtails (had to look that up, too: Bachstelze, Motacilla alba *) at work this week while tidying up the greenhouses.
It´s rather sad to throw them away but there´s nothing else to do, there´s no chance of survival.
Probably better now, before the eggs hatch.

* Did you know there are two subspecies, the Nominatspezies (whatever that is in english) M. alba alba with a gray back and M. alba yarrellii with a black back (Source)?
Embarrassingly, I didn´t.

It´s rather nice to have a quiet weekend at home once in a while.
I took Heiko for a two hour walk along the canal yesterday evening.
We live within walking distance from the River Ems, farmland, Pine-forest and the Dortmund- Ems canal (well, 1.5 km) .

Did I mention that I really like this place?
Yes?
Well, I´ll keep mentioning it ;).


Größere Kartenansicht

I´d love to show more photos but it´s too risky to take my camera along when boisterous Heiko is around.

Next Sunday I´m off to Poland and I just realized that I´m going to miss the finch-chicks! Damn.