Aphrodite Trines Ares
On my departure from Australia on February 1, 2004, I had promised John and Simone, more jokingly than not I have to admit, to meet them in two years in Bali. After my return home to Austria in May that same year I was caught by the torrents of neglected issues. Reality hit me mercilessly right into my face
. Never having imagined the struggles I would have to face, I had to invest a lot of emotional and physical energy to get my feet back on the ground. This took a lot of time and finally as 2004 was drawing to its close, a thin line of light was appearing on the horizon of my life. 
2005 began with the love of my life and suddenly I found myself making swift progress. Obstacles still happened to block my way but I was learning fast and at the end of the year, Sylvia and I had made up a plan to fly to Bali in September the following year to meet John and Simone. I was still suspicious; too often long-term plans had been thwarted and I had been forced to disappoint people . But with Sylvia on my side, I felt that things had begun to change. We really made it to Bali – and back. It was a wonderful trip full of great moments and deep experiences. One of these great moments was a mesmerising sunset on Kuta Beach. Sylvia and I went there in the late afternoon with John, Simone, Julian and Andreas – their two great boys . Sitting in the sand, watching the waves, we were served ice cold Bintang by John’s “friend” Safari. As the sun was moving towards the horizon, we walked further out towards the roaring ocean in order to get closer to a wide-screen sunset, which was simply breathtaking. 
In turns, John and Simone took photos and so Sylvia and I could savour the moment. The photo you see at the start of this post is one of my favourite shots. I love sunsets and this one with its bright colours and Sylvia and me caught in unexpected poses is full of symbolism, for me even evoking allusions to Greek mythology . That’s why I gave that photo the name: “Aphrodite Trines Ares – Hephaestus calls upon the Sun”
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