While you read the following article why not listen to my e-baroque compositions – just click on the box below:

or if techno music is more your cup of tea here are my techno/ambient compositions:

I hope you find the article below interesting…please visit chrisduggleby.com again.

When I awoke this morning just before 4:00 a.m. my initial thought was that I had overdone it the previous evening while sampling my €1.99 bottle of red wine from the local supermarket. The bedroom had an unusual red glow. As I did not have a headache my second thought was that I had stumbled across a friendly lady’s parlour in the local red light district.

However, here in Germany, ladies of the night do not usually do business with gentlemen who only pay under 2 euros for a bottle of 2014 Australian Shiraz Cabernet from Penny Markt. (If you don’t believe me here are some of their other cheapo vino specials – I am angling after further discounts for the free advertising!!!).

The reason for the red glow in my bedroom was this morning’s full moon:

Just in case you slept through this rather early event – or perhaps you had a cloudy sky this morning – I managed to capture some photos of this unique event. The red colour of the moon was caused by an unusual eclipse in which the Earth sticks itself between the sun and the moon. By doing so the earth stops any direct sunlight getting from the sun to the moon so the only light which gets to its surface is made up of rays which are bent by the earth’s atmosphere. As a result the moon gets much darker and appears a deep red colour (yes a bit like a bottle of Shiraz!).

The effect which causes this colouration of the moon is the same as that which sometimes creates beautiful red sunsets (and sunrises). Again this is due to our eyes receiving more light from the red end of the spectrum as the main source of light disappears over our horizon. Just before the moon becomes fully dark one side shows a crescent of light as in the photo below:

Here is a slightly larger picture as the moon gradually became darker:

This is the point where a professional photographer would have used a tripod to try and avoid his rather shaky hands (no it had nothing to do with the wine – it was rather cold despite wearing my thermal onesie). Here is a picture as the moon became fully bathed in diffused red light – taken with your’s truly trying to steady his hand on the balcony wall.

Here is a larger picture of the moon totally illuminated by the red rays coming from multiple sunsets and sunrises around the Earth’s surface:

 

Regular visitors to this site will know I have a bit of a fetish about full moons (another reason why the ladies in the red light district prefer to keep their distance!). You may remember a couple of months ago when I presented a photo of the ‘blue’ moon taken from the kitchen window next to my Bavarian recording studio:

Here is a closer version of the blue moon which was taken on the evening of 31st July 2015 (You can see more blue moon pics in the blog here):

Knowing I have a weakness for the moon you will probably not be surprised to hear that I have used this heavenly body on the cover of my new album ‘Baroque Transformation’ which this week became available in iTunes (more stores to follow soon). The iTunes link is here. Below is the cover I finally decided on:

 

It probably will not surprise you that someone who pays less than €2 for a bottle of wine has a picture on his album cover which was taken from his own kitchen window (yes I am from Yorkshire and no we don’t like spending money). However I like the photo and whenever I raid the fridge for a supply of dark chocolate I am reminded of the album. Here are the 12 tracks:

1. Four Seasons – Summer Concerto (part 3) by Antonio Vivaldi
2. Toccata and Fugue by Johann Sebastian Bach
3. Miserere Mei Deus by Gregorio Allegri
4. What Power Art Thou from Henry Purcell‘s King Arthur
5. My Lord Willoughby’s Welcome Home by John Dowland
6. Hallelujah Chorus from George Frideric Handel‘s Messiah
7. Air on a G string by Johann Sebastian Bach
8. Fac Ut Ardeat from Giovanni Battista Pergolesi‘s Stabat Mater
9. Eja Mater from Antonio Vivaldi‘s Stabat Mater
10. Brandenburg Concerto Nr 2 by Johann Sebastian Bach
11. The Canon by Johann Pachelbel
12. The Baroque Anthem by Chris Duggleby

In addition to sampling them on the iTunes sampler you can also see the videos which I have uploaded to my YouTube ‘Electro Baroque’ playlist – just click on the arrow below:

More info about my musical activities can be found on the website of the TRANSFORMATES 變 Music Project using the link here.

So I think that is enough ‘moonlighting’ for today. Let me leave you with one last picture of this morning’s blood-red moon before I finish. Have a great week.

Chris Duggleby

A Lithuanian family travelling in their campervan along the Autobahn A8 through Bavaria got a very unpleasant surprise when they stopped overnight in one of the roadside parking areas. They were literally gassed as they slept and robbed while they were all unconscious. This happened in July 2015. This week there was a similar occurrence at the same spot and below I review some other incidents of campers being robbed and gassed in Germany.

The Lithuanian family were travelling through Germany on their way to Austria in a hired campervan. Their party consisted of a 65 year old man, his 55 year old wife, their son of 32 and his girlfriend, 28. They arrived at the autobahn service station at Hofoldinger Forst in the evening and went to bed in their camper at around 11:00 p.m. It was a very warm night and they left the small window open above the door of the driver cabin for ventilation.

At about 5:00 in the morning one of them awoke and noticed that the passenger door had been broken into and all their travel bags had been searched. Two mobile phones, a tablet computer and 500 Euros in cash were missing so they informed the police. When they first awoke the travellers suffered from bad headaches, sore throats, dizziness and facial swellings. The police took urine samples for a toxicological tests because they suspected the family had been drugged.

Experts considered that it would be very difficult to totally fill a camper with gas – the volume needed would be of the order of 33 kilograms – quite a lot of gas bottles. Technically this would be quite a challenge. The German motoring agency ADAC suggested at the time that perhaps someone quietly broke into the vehicle and then sprayed anaesthetic directly into the faces of the sleepers (speculation on their part).

At the same location on the evening of Saturday 29th August 2015 two more travellers, this time a German couple from Essen, were also robbed while they slept in their Campervan. Once again police suspect an anaesthetic was introduced into the vehicle after they couple went to bed (23:30). They woke 6 hours later feeling sick and found that several hundred euros, jewellery and a mobile phone were missing. On the driver’s door, just below the lock, they noticed a small hole.

Police presume that the anaesthetics used are highly volatile and therefore would be difficult to detect either in the air of the camper or in the blood of the victims following the event.

Having two almost identical events occurring in the same spot in Bavaria I decided to do a quick check on other parts of Germany and found that there were reports of similar occurrences this year on the autobahns around Hamburg (A24) and Berlin (A10 ring). In the last couple of months in the Northern region of Germany there were about 12 reported thefts from campervans (involving phones, computers and money). In three of these cases the police are checking whether an anaesthetic gas might have been used – the victims all complained of being sick on the mornings following the thefts. As in Bavaria traces of the actual gas used could not be identified.

Three suspicious characters were observed by police checking out several parked caravans and campervans at the service station at Fretzdorf (Osprignitz-Ruppin). As they approached three of the vehicles these suspicious characters were arrested and in their apartment the police found mobile phones and some equipment which might have been involved in a robbery. These investigations are ongoing.

The police are warning travellers not to camp in roadside or isolated parking areas and to pay for proper camping sites. Some experts have also recommended the installation of gas alarms. For German speaking visitors to ChrisDuggleby.com you can find original articles on these crimes using the links here, here and here.

Happy Camping!

Chris Duggleby

If you are interested in reading my other health focused articles try the following

Torture In The Shower – Face and Body Soap Allergies – Main Suspect: Pears Transparent Soap

Poison in your Washing Machine: Allergic Contact Dermatitis from Laundry Detergents, Softeners, Conditioners and Whiteners

Is Alzheimer’s caused by the Gum Disease Bacterium P. Gingivalis – A Dementia Prevention/Treatment Breakthrough?

Toxic Chemicals in Sex Toys – 18 Vibrators, Cock Rings, Love Balls Tested – Only 3 Get All Clear

My T-shirt Made Me Sick – Textile Allergies – Sinusitis From Your Underwear