Henry visited a colleague in the Netherlands earlier this week, and gave a talk at the technical university in Eindhoven (by train, about an hour and a half southeast of Amsterdam). He was very thoughtful to suggest that I leave Munich the day before him so I could visit Amsterdam. That gave me 27 hours to have my fill of the city. The last and only other time I visited Amsterdam was 39 years ago. Although some of my memories of the city and its sights remain intact, I still had a number of "do overs" on my checklist. I made advance reservations at the Van Gogh Museum and the Anne Frank House, purchased an "I amsterdam" (cute, huh?) card (covers transportation and admission to most of the museums), and hit the pavement. Of course, I took the obligatory canal ride, but did it at night when the canals are not as crowded, and it allowed me to take a break from my rapid pace. Rather than stay in the downtown hubbub near the central train station, I picked a hotel in a quiet area nearVondel Park, the Rijksmuseum, and Van Gogh Museum. Not only did I have the benefit of a quiet night's sleep (at my age, that's important!), but it also enabled me to get a head start the following morning.
For those of you who know me as notoriously late, I am proud to say I arrived at the Rijksmuseum before it opened. The Rijks was a repeat for me, but it was well worth seeing the collection of "greatest hits". The museum is currently undergoing a massive renovation, so it is exhibiting its "masterpieces" (the most famous of which is Rembrandt's The Night Watch) together in one open wing of the museum. This made life easier for me; I didn't have to choose what to see among thousands of paintings.
The Van Gogh Museum didn't open until 1973, so I could not have been there before. I was fortunate enough to be visiting during the special exhibit, "VanGogh and the Colors of the Night", which is being staged with the Museum of Modern Art in NYC. The exhibit brought together a number of paintings in which VanGogh worked with twilight and night coloring. With or without the special exhibit, the museum has an excellent collection of Van Gogh pieces. I knew that Van Gogh committed suicide at the age of 37, but I had not realized he did not take up painting until just over ten years before he died.
The Anne Frank House was another repeat for me, but was still well worth the return visit. I had not recalled that the Franks came to Amsterdam from Germany in 1933, expecting to be free of Nazi oppression. One tenth of the population in Amsterdam was Jewish (a relatively large percentage), and Jews had long been welcome there. Unfortunately, the Nazis ignored the Dutch assertion of neutrality, overran the Netherlands in one week, and eventually killed over 100,000 of Amsterdam's 130,000 Jews. After reading and listening to some of Anne Frank's words as I moved through her family's hiding place, I have added her diary to my re-read list.
The Portuguese Synagogue, also well worth a visit, has been in operation since the 1600's. Miraculously, it survived World War II intact and still houses a congregation today. Four other synagogues, just a block away, met a different fate, but have been restored and now house the Jewish History Museum. The Dutch Resistance Museum, in the same area of the city, received only a half-hour run through from me, but it was interesting in its portrayal of at least a few actions taken by plain folk to "protest" the Nazi occupation, e.g., a two-day strike during which trams, schools, and businesses were shut down.
I must have walked through the canal side flower market when I was last in Amsterdam, but I nevertheless walked through again this time around. What I found were not only thousands of tulip and other plant bulbs, but also the ultimate in kitsch souvenir shops. It was not difficult for me to pass up the wooden shoes, wooden tulips, and knock off delftware.
I was disappointed that the Hermitage on the Amstel will not be open until the middle of June. The Hermitage in St. Petersburg has such a large collection that it has satellite exhibition sites, including in Amsterdam. Apparently, the Amsterdam site is currently being expanded--bummer for me, but I had no trouble finding several other options. Since I still had a vivid memory of my prior visit to the Rembrandt House (lots of Rembrandt etchings on display at his home), I skipped a visit there and went to some "new" spots--the Amsterdam Historical Museum (good snapshot of Amsterdam's history as well as an outstanding special exhibition of Old Masters (e.g., Rembrandt, Bol, van Ruisdael) and three other museums that were "period" homes open to the public (Van Loon (a founder of the Dutch East India Company in the early 1600's),Willet-Holthuysen (a canal house containing, among other things, paintings collected by the husband with his wealthy wife's money--cynical on my part, but apparently she did not mind!), andGeelvinck Hinlopen (later 18th century patrician home with a very attractive courtyard garden between the coach house and family house).
Considering the museums close at 5PM, I had no choice but to bid farewell to Amsterdam and catch the train to Eindhoven to meet Henry. Eindhoven, a city of over 200,000 people, is home to Philips, the electronics company. The city does not appear to be prominent on the tourist radar screen, but a lot of business people pass through. 
Watching bike riders passing our hotel each morning in the direction of the train station and seeing the station parking lots filled with hundreds and hundreds of bicylces, I surmise that Einhoven is also a commuter community. After getting "museumed" out in Amsterdam, I elected to take it easy in Eindhoven. That means I biked instead of walked! I rented a bicycle at the train station and headed south through a park bordering the Dommel River. Before taking off, however, I visited the Wednesday outdoor market in the square just outside our hotel, and collected fresh fruits, veggies, cheese, and bread for a picnic lunch. Actually, a very interesting aspect of this market, which I saw again the next day at the outdoor market in Maastricht, was that the large majority of stalls were for selling either bolts of cloth or sewing notions. In addition, Muslim women, wearing long robes and head coverings (but without their faces fully covered), constituted a relative large percentage of buyers at these stalls.
Unfortunately for me, no sooner did I begin my ride when it started to rain. Convinced I would be riding toward a location where there was still blue sky overhead, I continued on. Probably more to the point, I refused to let my plans be dampened, even if I could do that only in a figurative sense. In any event, a nice thing about riding a bike in the Netherlands is that you don't have to worry about hills. As a result, I was able to ride at a fast pace until I arrived at a nicely shaded, quiet, and relatively dry lunch spot bordering the river. Well, it was relatively dry for about two hours, until the rain got really serious. It was a good thing I was wearing fast drying clothes, but that wasn't much help while it rained. I had not bothered to bring an umbrella, because I would not have been able to hold it open and ride the bike at the same time. After not having ridden a bike (except stationary ones at the gym) for I cannot remember how many years, it was difficult enough for me, with two hands, to maneuver the bike around cars, pedestrians, and other bikers. As does Munich, the Netherlands has separate bicycle lanes, but that's not always the place where cyclists ride! In any event, I am looking forward to more bike riding days, especially in the Englischer Garten in Munich. I doubt I'll wait until Henry agrees to go with me; otherwise, I might be waiting all summer!
Maastricht, about one hour south of Eindhoven by train, was my next destination. Still museumed out, I elected to take a self-guided walking tour along the old city walls. The walk through and around the old city was pretty, despite the very overcast weather. I was glad to have a step-by-step guide in English, so I could appreciate some of the history. It also helped me imagine what no longer exists along the wall, but was described in the guide.
Kudos to Eindhoven for the dinners we were served. They went from good (de Verdi), to better (Antonio's), to best (Fens). Actually, Fens was truly outstanding. No, it was not a Michelin Red Guide find (we did not have that guide), though it may well be in there. The restaurant was recommended by the colleague Henry visited. The restaurant offered a three-course surprise, with wine pairings. Thank goodness I didn't have to worry about being surprised with the current local specialty (white asparagus is still in season here) or other vegetables that are not in my repertoire. The restaurant permits its customers to nix in advance unwanted culinary offerings!
We are now back in Munich for just over a week. We leave on a drive to Florence next weekend. We had the pleasure of our friend Rod Franklin's company this weekend, and celebrated Henry's birthday (5/31) at Terrine, a Michelin Red Guide one-star restaurant two blocks from our apartment. Terrine was another outstanding find, though, at the prices charged, our visits will have to be limited to VERY special occasions. So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HENRY!!!!!
Another set of meetings for Henry generally means another trip for me. Although I initially thought that Potsdam would not offer enough to keep me occupied for two full days, I apologize to whomever I might have offended by such a thought. I did not realize that Potsdam is home to a plethora of palaces, as well as a plethora of parkland. The parks are largely the remains of the grand estates on which the grand and mini (but equally grand) palaces sit. To start my tour, I opted for the four-hour boat ride along the Potsdam waterways. I had no idea there was so much water in and around the city. I could see from my map that we traveled along a canal for part of the round trip around what is now a large "island" on which Potsdam is situated. Unfortunately, since I was unable to understand the German commentary provided via loudspeakers, I did not learn whether the numerous connected lakes on which we also traveled are naturally connected or are the result of dams or other man-made canals. Nevertheless, the scenery spoke for itself, and I was able to view it in its best light--abundant sun light!The boat ride took us by a number of castles/palaces. There's nothing like having a modest (NOT) summer house overlooking a lake. It is quite amazing how little expense was spared in the buildings, inside and out, as well as the surrounding gardens. After World War II, the Soviets (Potsdam was in the former DDR) removed many of the palaces' treasures, and used some of the buildings as administrative offices and officers' clubs. By the time renovation and restoration activities began for turning these palaces into museums, some of the treasures had "disappeared" while in Soviet storage. Although much has been restored, work continues, not only on the palaces, but on other public buildings and churches. I watched as one worker painstakingly cut pieces of tile and laid them one by one to match up with areas where floor tiles were missing. The Church of St. Nicholas, whose large central dome was bombed out during World War II, now sports a dome matching the original, but the building remains scaffolded as more work is done.Wasting no time after the boat docked, I went to the New Garden, where the Cecilienof Palace is located. This is the palace where the "big three" powers (United States, Great Britain, and USSR) met in July-August 1945, to follow up on the Yalta conference held in February 1945. Germany was divided and borders were reset, but by the end of July 1945, Stalin held the advantage. I was reminded that he was the only one of the three leaders present at Yalta who remained through the entire Potsdam conference--Roosevelt died in April 1945 and Churchill had the misfortune of being voted out of power just one week into the Potsdam conference. Despite apparent promises for democratic elections, the USSR proceeded to solidify its hold over the Soviet Bloc.Down the lake a piece (well, same park, but maybe a different lake), King Frederick William II decided he "needed" to build a modest summer residence, which became known as the Marble Palace. Surprise, surprise, the palace is chock full of marble, both inside and out. Also, I believe I now have at least a bit more understanding of "neoclassical" style.The evening was topped off with a gathering of Henry and his meeting-mates at Albert Einstein's summer home, in Caputh, just a few minutes south of Potsdam. The home was built in wood (rather than the more common stucco) to Einstein's specifications. His tiny bedroom doubled as his office, and to my own personal taste, it appeared cramped, dark, and drab. But, genius emanates from individuals who work most effectively where they are most comfortable. Einstein could also walk to the lake (yes, another lake, south of the New Garden), and engage in one of his true loves--sailing.The following day, I tackled Sanssouci Park, starting from Schloss Sanssouci and moving on to the various "out buildings" speckled around the huge park. Sanssouci was Frederich II's summer palace, a mere 12 rooms, but they are exquisite. Although not as well known as the Sanssouci Palace, the New Palace, built by Frederick the Great, sits at the opposite end of the park and has over 300 rooms! One of the more memorable rooms is the Grotto Hall, which is a large, domed hall decorated with designs made of real shells. One of Frederick the Great's successors "improved" the hall by inserting minerals in place of some of the shells. Either way, it was not at all to my taste! Although the New Palace is many times larger than Sanssouci, its surrounding gardens do not hold a candle to Sanssouci's terraced gardens, which reach down to a lovely fountain. With an "all the palaces/monuments/"out" buildings you can find time to visit in a single day" ticket, I pretty much "hit for the cycle" (baseball fans will understand) in Sanssouci Park. Other highlights included Charlottenhof Palace, Orangery Palace (great view of the park from the palace's tower), New Chambers (for royal guests), Chinese House (cute, little, two-story circular building, decorated in Chinese style), and the Historic Windmill (offers another good view, as long as I did not look down through the open and creaking slats of the deck flooring around the top floor of the windmill).I still missed out on visiting other parks and palaces in Potsdam, but now I have reasons to return there. I would also return to Restaurant Juliette, another Micheline Red Guide find. Contrary to my pre-trip expectation that I would be spending a day in Berlin, Berlin will have to wait--but not too long! Two trips to Berlin are already on this summer's schedule.We arrived back in Munich with enough time for me to do laundry and pack up for our next trip--to the Netherlands. In between, I also went to the newly opened (May 21st) Brandhorst Museum which was offering free entrance for the first four days. My visit confirmed, again, my lack of interest in most modern art. I simply could not understand other people's fascination with Cy Twombly's 12-painting opus recalling the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 (the Venetian/Papal/Spanish alliance defeated the Ottomon Empire in a bloody sea battle). One huge room was dedicated to this single work, which to me looked like scribble and dripping paint. Religious themes aside, I prefer the "Old Masters" any day. No wonder I enjoyed my romp through Amsterdam's famous Rijksmuseum (see my next blog!).I felt like I was dating myself (but thankfully still not feeling my age), when Henry and I participated in Die Lange Nacht der Musik (The Long Night of Music) last Saturday night. Munich has a wonderful program in which on a single night, from 8PM until 3AM, about 100 venues hold a total of about 400 concerts. Tickets for the entire night cost 15 euros--this includes as many performances as you want and are able to get to, and regular shuttles buses on four different routes throughout the city. The music ranged from Classical to Klezmer, Opera to Salsa, and Rock to Gospel, to mention just a few. We started out in our home area of Schwabing, then extended our range to find music that was not so deafening. As it turned out, most of the offerings in Schwabing catered to the "younger" crowd--some of the songs were old favorites of mine (yes, I am a Neil Diamond fan), but not at the decibels performed. Nevertheless, I did get a kick out of some of the German accented singing, e.g., "When I vas seventeen, it vas a very good year . . . ." We ended our tour with a delightful sax and bass guitar jazz combo. The evening is a great idea--I wonder whether it would work in New York. I read that Munich also has a long night of museums later in the year. Unfortunately, it is scheduled after we complete our Munich sojourn.Our weekend also included a short trip to Murnau and the Staffelsee, about one hour by train from Munich. There was nothing earth shattering about the trip--it was just a very nice, pleasant, little journey to a town at the south end of the lake, from which we took a 40-minute boat ride to Uffing, at the north end of the lake, where we had an excellent lunch at the Alpenblick Restaurant (not in the Michelin Red Guide, but still very good), and then walked to the train station in Uffing for our return to Munich. No car, lots of sunshine, mild temperatures, good company, good relaxation, pretty scenery, good food (and I didn't have to cook), and an all around good time.
As long as I put aside the lingering truth that Munich is where Hitler got his start, I am enamored with Munich. The city is vibrant and beautiful, though I admit it rains here, just as in Zurich, and it surely snows in the Winter as well. Granted that Munich is 3-4 times bigger than Zurich in population, but there is also a lot more to see and do here, much of it in the city itself. This past week, I visited:
(1) an art museum--the Neue Pinakothek (18th-20th century art). I was disappointed in the limited collection of Impressionist paintings, but was very impressed with paintings from the preceding periods. This museum is one of several that are just a few blocks from our apartment;
(2) a castle--Schloss Nymphenburg (phenomenal, and this was just the "summer house"!); the adjoining carriage (actually, it was fancy carriages AND sleds) museum and porcelain collection (Nymphenburg porcelain is still being manufactured and is sold at strikingly exorbitant prices in a shop on the castle grounds); and the vast gardens around the castle (Versailles'ish, but perhaps bigger (I can't be sure, as it has been a long time since I visited Versailles), with canals, statues, a waterfall, and several smaller structures constructed for one love or another (e.g., a special woman (Amalienburg), a special pastime (hunting--Amalienburg, again), swimming and games (Badenburg, which contains an 18th century indoor, heated swimming pool), Far Eastern motifs (Pagodenburg), and a hermitage (Magdalenenckause, built as a ruin, with a grotto and chapel inside));
(3) a huge city park--the Englischer Garten, which is just a few minutes' walk from our apartment. The park is so big that bike riders, joggers, walkers, beer drinkers, and picnickers have plenty of room to roam or relax as they wish. Little brooks run through the park, and there's a decent sized lake where I exercised for a half hour in a pedal boat (I had a choice of giving my arms and shoulders a workout in a row boat, or giving my feet more of a workout in a pedal boat). Several beer gardens are conveniently situated throughout the park (I stopped for lunch at the beer garden by the lake);
(4) large and small squares, passages, and other "no cars allowed" streets, many of them cobblestoned and decorated with at least one statue and/or fountain;
(5) several churches (for the history and art), and a small Progressive synagogue (for Shabbat observance and Kaddish for my mother) on Friday evening. When I called the synagogue to find out where it was located and when services are held, I was questioned intently by the person who answered the phone, even more intently than when I first telephoned the synagogue in Zurich. The person with whom I spoke apologized for the interrogation. Unfortunately, because of security concerns, the synagogues have to be careful to whom they give information. Indeed, a police car, with police inside, was openly sitting near the entrance to the synagogue, and the synagogue had its own, additional security system, to help ensure the safety of the congregants. Once we were inside, however, the congregants were extremely friendly and welcoming. The need for this extra security is a sad commentary on the world today. Nevertheless, I do not view this as a reflection on the German people in general;
(6) the German visa office--What should have taken about ten minutes at 8:00 on Tuesday morning took the entire day, but by 5:00pm, we finally had our German visas duly pasted into our passports. I'll refrain from adding the exasperating details. Suffice it to say, we have been certified as legal; and
(7) a couple of local eateries--Cafe Puck for Sunday brunch (the Sunday brunch tradition begun in Zurich continues), and Piccola Osteria (across the street from our apartment, the restaurant has outdoor seating in a quiet courtyard away from the street and serves very good risotto (we'll have to try other items on the menu on a return visit)).
Our weekend escapade took us to Landshut today. It's a 50-minute train ride from Munich, and has a nicely laid out old town. The building facades are the most striking feature--they are brightly colored and have a variety of articulation. Michelin served us well again--we lunched at Restaurant Bernlochner--the venison ragout and duck breast were excellent, and Henry assures me the spargel (asparagus) soup was outstanding. For those of you who are familiar with my love (NOT) of asparagus, you will be surprised to know I took a taste, but alas, it was not big enough for me to appreciate the flavor. By the way, it is the middle of asparagus season here--fresh white asparagus is the big seller at all the vegetable stands, and restaurants regularly list spargelsuppe as their soup special and serve asparagus as a main course (with potatoes) or as a side dish. The restaurant today offered asparagus with seven different sauces. I didn't have to check the German-English dictionary for a translation of any of those items!
A few more observations/comments:
(1) I cannot pass for a European--Aside from my limited German, spoken haltingly with Schweiz-Deutsche pronunciation and an American accent, I still have not mastered eating with my fork in my left hand and knife in my right. Cutting is one thing; eating what I've cut without transferring my fork to my right hand is something entirely different, and so far beyond my array of motor skills.
(2) For joy, for joy, Munich restaurants do not permit smoking inside!
(3) Not only do many Muncheners ride bicycles through the parks; they also use them as transportation. Living near the university, we see "parking lots" filled with bikes, all bunched together. Also, painted bicycle lanes can be found on almost all streets or sidewalks. When the lanes take up part of the sidewalk, I sometimes feel like I am in the middle of an obstacle course. The other day, while Henry and I were walking, one bike rider was passing another in the sidewalk bike lane; Henry moved toward me to stay out of the way of the cyclists; Henry's move forced me closer to the curb, which in turn, forced me into a direct line with a lamp post; to avoid the lamp post, I moved further toward the curb, which brought me directly in line with another bike rider who had created her own lane between the lamp post and the curb. If I were to end up in any accident while we are in Munich, it would more likely be a collision with a bicycle than with a car!
(4) We have found our Munich version of the mom and pop market we frequented while in Zurich--no hausgemachte fondue; it's a wine store (Wein & Mehr) a half a block from our apartment. We were disappointed to discover there are shops with the same name in other cities in Germany (don't know their relationship with each other), but we get friendly, personalized service whenever we enter the store. We might have to try one of their wine tasting events! German white wines are good, but we are still looking mostly to Italy for reds.
(5) We are taking advantage of the various activities the apartment building management offers the tenant visiting scholars and their families. Henry and I met six or seven couples at a once-a-month reception last week. Henry had met one of the scholars, a physicist from Israel, 40 years ago, and they remembered each other! Pilates is offered once a week, and I was there bright and early last Thursday, the morning after we arrived in Munich. Unfortunately, I misread the notice and showed up an hour early. With my jet lag, I could have used the extra hour of sleep! I was there again this week, and can see there is a core of regulars that take advantage of these offerings. Most of the same group also showed up at the bi-weekly "speak German to each other" session held every other Wednesday.
We begin our more expanded touring (i.e., touring for me, some work for Henry) on Monday, when we fly to Potsdam. Ah, it feels good to be caught up on my blog again!
After a week and a half in New York, where, despite the accents, I could understand most of what was being said around me and to me, Henry and I began the second leg of our European journey. Munich already has a leg up on Zurich, because we're here in the Spring and Summer rather than the Winter. Other than a little Spring rain, the weather in Munich has been glorious--mostly blue sky, little wind, relatively little humidity, and temperatures in the 70-75 degree range. Perhaps people tend to close up (figuratively) in the cold of the Winter, but, Winter aside, Muncheners tend to be more open and friendlier than Zurichers. (Actually, just as the "u" in Zurich has an umlaut, so does the "u" in Munchen (Munich in German, duh).) Zurichers avoid eye contact with strangers passing on the street. Although Muncheners are not as open and friendly as Americans in that context, they are definitely way up the scale from Zurichers. As in Zurich, our apartment is in a university area of the city. However, in Munich, we are in the midst of a lively, commercial area. Two or three stories of apartment units sit above the many cafes, restaurants, and stores. As we look out the windows of our apartment, we see a bakery/cafe, an Italian restaurant, a Japanese sushi restaurant, and an art gallery across the street. Munich is big into ice cream/gelato--so far, I have seen four ice cream shops within two blocks of our apartment. It's a perfect afternoon snack!Our apartment is smaller than in Zurich--we have one bedroom and one bath. Nevertheless, it is roomy enough, though our dueling laptops take up most of the table space and it's too noisy when both of us are on Skype at the same time (no, not with each other). In our Munich apartment, we get double the number of English channels on our TV--CNN and BBC News. We also get an assortment of other language channels, including Al Jazeera in Arabic. Although the cost of goods, especially food, is a lot higher in Zurich than Munich, the "super" (only in a relative sense) markets near our apartment in Zurich are bigger and offer far more variety than the "super" markets near our Munich apartment. This may well be a function of the respective neighborhoods; in fact, the "super" market in the suburban area (Martinsried) where Henry is working is 4-5 times larger than the ones near our apartment. We haven't been in that market yet, but our problem is solved--Henry can shop on his way home from work!
We are set with our various transportation passes, but Munich does not offer an "all the museums in Germany you can possibly visit as many times as you want in one year" pass, as was offered in Switzerland. Nevertheless, I began my German museum trek last Friday. (Thursday, our first full day in Munich, was dedicated to getting my bearings, visiting the large, mostly outdoor, Viktualienmarkt (yes, I am partial to farmer's markets), and collecting literature at "the i," the tourist information center. My visit to the Munich Residence, which includes the Residence Museum, the Treasury collection. and the Cuvillies Theatre, took most of the day. The Residence was the home of the Wittelsbach dynasty (various Maximillians and Ludwigs and others) in Bavaria for four hundred years, until 1918. Nearly a hundred of the rooms are open to the public, showing off Renaissance, Rococo, and neoclassical design, furniture, and artwork. The Treasury houses the dynasty's treasures--crowns, insignia, swords, jewelry, and the like, made of crystal, gold, precious stones, and ivory. Spread through ten rooms, the items are displayed to maximize the "wow" effect. I was duly impressed. Of course, there were other types of treasures spread through the Residence Museum, not the least of which was a huge, banquet-size set of silver place settings; not just the forks, knives, and spoons, but the plates, bowls, and many serving platters as well. The Cuvillies Theatre is just that, a theater, but what is most impressive about it is the fact that, although the building was destroyed during World War II, the entire Rococo interior had previously been removed and safely stored away. After the war, the interior was reinstalled in another restored building, and the theater once again operates as a theater. It is also amazing how much of the Residence was destroyed during the war, but has since been restored.
Our first German weekend outing took us to Passau, a lovely city near the Austrian border, about two and a half hours northeast of Munich. It is known for its location at the confluence of three rivers--the Danube, the Inn, and the Ilz. Only the Danube continues, gaining speed and flowing all the way to the Black Sea. Those of you who think only of Pittsburgh when you hear about the confluence of three rivers can now add another city to your list! I finally got my "cruise" on the Danube--a 45-minute boat ride showing off the three rivers. We also enjoyed lunch at a secluded garden restaurant (Heilig-Geist-Stift-Schenke) and a leisurely walk along the foot/bicycle path that borders the small peninsula between the Danube and Inn rivers. It's a wonder how much more enjoyable a stroll can be when the sun is out and it's warm enough that only a single layer of clothes are required. In the afternoon, while Henry sat outside the town hall and serendipitously watched the before and after of a small wedding, I visited the city's glass museum, a fine collection of Bohemian glasswork from the 17th to the 20th centuries. We both equally enjoyed ourselves!
It took me about five days to recover fully from whatever ailment(s) I developed in Spain, but it did give me a chance to lay low for a while and read (what a concept?!). Prior to collapsing upon my return to Zurich, Henry and I took part in the community Passover Seder at the Reform synagogue (the congregation also refers to itself as "Liberal" and "Progressive") we frequented while in Zurich. I could not follow most of the German, but the Hebrew is the same and so are the Passover story and the traditional Passover foods. During my stay in Barcelona, Henry trammed over to Kosher City to supply us with matzos for the eight days of Passover. Kosher City is Zurich's one-stop, get everything you need for Passover, and more, store, though Henry described it as being more like a Dorf (village) than a City. The matzo was whole wheat and from France, baked by a family in the matzo business for six generations. Unlike U.S. or Israeli matzo I have had at home, this matzo had perforations, making it very easy to beak the matzo in half. However, as the Rabbi demonstrated at the Seder, this also made it very difficult to determine which half of the middle matzo was the "Affikomen", or bigger half! Never mind that halves are by definition equal. Seder aficionados will understand!
All of a sudden, our imminent departure from Zurich was upon us! We packed up most of our stuff and drove it to Munich the week before our formal departure. With beautiful weather and time for a leisurely drive, we ambled through Bavaria along the Alpine Road and the Romantic Road on the way to Munich, and overnighted in Diessen, along the Ammersee (one of a series of lakes to the southwest of Munich) on the way back to Zurich. We enjoyed the peaceful retreat before the arrival of anticipated summer vacation traffic. While in Munich, we took care of administrative items such as residency certificates, visas, and bank accounts. We also had a preview of our new living quarters in Schwabing, a "happening" area near Munich's Ludwig Maxmillian's University and English Garden. Unlike the more residential location of our apartment in Zurich, our new apartment sits amidst cafes, restaurants, and pubs.
It is unfortunate that we left Zurich just when the trees were starting to bloom, dandelions were sprouting everywhere, pansies and tulips were adorning copious flower beds, the sun was shining, and the outdoor cafes were covering the sidewalks. However, at least we were there to watch the Zurichers celebrate Sechselauten, a three-day weekend fete during which Zurichers say farewell to winter in a big way. Every year, on the the third weekend of April, Zurich is a festive sight: flags are flying everywhere--on the cathedrals as well as public buildings, storefronts, and homes; food and drink stalls are set up along the sidewalks; and games and rides are offered for children. On Sunday, thousands of people line the streets to watch the throngs of children, marching bands, horses, and carriages parading on the main streets along the quays and bridges of the Limmat River. All of the paraders don historical dress. The costumed children carry baskets of candy, and as they progress along the parade route, they toss the candy to eager youngsters lining the sidewalks. A second parade, with adult marchers donning historical guild costumes, takes place the next day, on Monday afternoon, a work holiday throughout the city. Historically, the marchers were all male, and women lined the streets with flower bouquets and passed them out to the male marchers. I am pleased to report that I sighted a number of women band members, albeit a small minority. At the end of the parades, a huge effigy of a snowman ("Boogg") is pulled along on a float by a team of horses. Wood branches are bound around the snowman's base, and at 6PM on Monday evening, the snowman is set on fire. Analogous to the groundhog as a weather predictor, the speed at which the snowman's head explodes portends how fine the upcoming summer will be--the quicker, the better! As a further welcoming of spring, Zurich holds its annual marathon the following weekend--just days after we cleaned out and cleared out of our Zurich apartment.
Speaking of cleaning, about a week before we left Zurich, we received a long list of "to do's" from the apartment managers. In essence, we were directed to return the apartment to the condition in which we received it. That included washing all windows, inside AND out, and washing AND ironing all linens, including the ones we needed to use the last night and morning of our stay. The "or else" was that the management would send in cleaners for which we would be charged at the rate of 50 Swiss Francs an hour! This is one more example of the high cost of service-oriented offerings in Zurich (same as restaurants and hair salons). Maybe I can get an equally high paying job when our sabbatical is over. In any event, I can now say I iron AND do windows!
Did we miss out on anything we wanted to do in and around Zurich, but did not get to? On our last weekend, Henry had his boat ride on the Zurichsee, on a warm and sunny day (just what he waited for), and he was wowed by a Truffe hot chocolate. I missed out on visiting Geneva, but because I have been there before, it was not a major setback. I spent my last few days in Zurich roaming through the old town, visiting one more museum exhibit, photographing the spring version of many sights of which I spent the first three months photographing the winter version, and doing last minute shopping. Together, Henry and I had a pleasant, final Sunday brunch, and we savored our final cheese fondue dinner on our last night in Zurich. With spring in the air, and well satisfied with our Swiss sabbatical, both Henry and I now look forward to new adventures in Germany.
Our finest meals, in no special order:
1. Dinner at L'Osteria Mamma Leone (Zurich)
2. Brunch at Sterne-Foifi (Zurich)
3. Dinner at Rosaly's (Zurich)
4. Dinner at Palmhof (Zurich)
5. Dinner at Giglio (Zurich)
6. Lunch at Zum Schutzenhaus(in Basel)
7. Lunch at Le Cheval Blanc (Sion)
8. Lunch at Osteria del Centenario (in Locarno)
9. Lunch at Linde (in Einsiedeln)
10. Lunch at Vela Bianca (next to the marina in Ascona)
Now that our friend, Beth (aka "Other Beth"), has been here and gone, and we are now into our last week in Zurich, it is definitely time for an update. Beth arrived to (surprise!!) overcast weather and rain. At least it wasn't snowing, though the rain followed Beth and me to Barcelona a few days later. It was a delight to have another master punster, queen of the quick repartee, and, simply, a good friend with whom to re-walk the streets of Zurich's Old Town, take another boat ride on the Zurichsee (the clouds cooperatively parted for the hour and a half ride), revisit some museums and get a first look at a couple of others (Kunsthaus--excellent collection of Swiss and international art, as well as a very interesting special exhibit of works by Alberto Giacometti (the artist best known for his tall, skinny sculptures, mostly of women); and the National Museum's collection of 18th century faience (Bob P., do you know what faience is?) and porcelain at the Guild House "zur Meisen")), and to discover Truffe, which has now taken over first place on the list of best places to get hot chocolate. Truffe, however, requires an asterisk, because the chocolate used by the proprietress is from Italy! It also requires an asterisk as a warning to those who might find the concoction just too overwhelming. Imagine a cup filled with warm, dark chocolate, and just a tiny bit of milk to help melt the chocolate.Other Beth also encouraged shopping for Swiss goods with a more lasting quality, i.e., jewelry. Conveniently situated virtually next door to Truffe was a jewelry store, which offered pieces made by a number of Swiss artisans. By Zurich standards, many of the pieces were almost reasonably priced, at least reasonable enough for several purchases. I had more success (or should I say, did more damage?) than Beth, but her lapse was merely temporary, as she worked hard to make up for it in Barcelona. Needless to say, we could not permit Beth to leave Zurich without being treated to our hausgemachte fondue, and while we were at it, we got our friend, Rod, to join in the party.Henry made it to Spain the day before Beth and me, having accepted an offer from a former post-doc to visit Madrid for a couple of days and give a talk at the University. When I asked Henry his impressions of Madrid, he commented that after reading so many warnings to be wary of pickpockets, he directed so much attention to watching his wallet that he was unable to enjoy himself! Beth and I, on the other hand, had nine days to work through any pickpocket anxieties we might have had in Barcelona, where the warnings are even more prevalent.The best move Beth and I made in our copious (NOT!) pre-trip planning was to rent a two-bedroom, two bathroom apartment for our Barcelona stay. We not only spent a lot less on the apartment than we would have for a hotel room (we easily made up the difference, and more, through our fine dining choices), but we had room to spread out and avoid getting into each other's space as we grumbled through a continuous flow of rain. Unfortunately, the rain in Spain does NOT stay mainly on the plain! With just one or two days of no rain at all, we heard a regular refrain from Barcelonan shop/restaurant proprietors that the rainy weather and cooler temperatures were "unusual". Yes, it was unusual that we should rate a weather forecast of "light rain, 60%" as a major improvement over "rain, 80%" or "heavy rain, 70%". In any event, it is amazing how the city takes on an entirely new flavor when the skies are clear and the outdoor cafe and restaurant tables are filled with happy customers who can relax over a glass of tinto (red wine) and read their newspapers, tour books, or whatever, and/or just watch the throngs of people (overwhelmingly young) promenading along the popular thoroughfares (e.g., La Rambla, Passeig de Gracia, Gran Via Corts Catalanes) and walking the narrow streets in the Barri Gotic and El Born.Museums and rain are generally a good combination, as long as too many people do not act on that same sentiment. Actually, the museums would have been crowded with or without the rain. As the taxi driver who brought us to our apartment was trying to tell us, our time in Barcelona apparently coincided with a special period when school groups take museum and other cultural tours. Given that our Spanish language skills are meager and our Catalan language skills are non-existent, we did not figure out what the driver was telling us until we came upon the hoards of school-age kids just about everywhere we turned. Of course, the fact that our trip overlapped with the first half of Semana Santa (Holy Week) also brought out the crowds. Although "high season" starts with Holy Week, I cannot imagine what the streets, outdoor cafes, and tourist sites are like 2-3 months from now, when the tourists descend. Well, maybe I will be able to imagine it, as we will face the same phenomenon 2-3 months from now in Munich!Beth and I made another wise move (thank you for the tip, Rick Steves, Fodors, and Lonely Planet) by purchasing an "Articket Card", which provided entrance into a number of museums for a single price. Not only did we save the difference in price for individual admission tickets, it allowed us to bypass the long ticket lines at each location. The Catalan Art Museum was the museum highlight--its Romanesque collection was outstanding, particularly the frescoes transferred from their original sites to individual custom-made vaults. I also enjoyed the Maritime Museum, with its display of vessel models (Columbus' and Magellan's ships included), and the Miro Museum. On the other hand, the Picasso Museum was a disappointment, with certain of Picasso's "periods" entirely unrepresented.We also wisely used T10 transportation cards, instead of the tourist Barcelona Card (which might be more worth it if we were in Barcelona for only 3 or 4 days, not interspersing side trips out of the city, and not bothering to walk anywhere). We could share the T10 card (10 metro/bus/train trips within Barcelona), saving about half the price of single trip tickets, and it meshed with our level of public transportation usage (walking a lot not only gave us an opportunity to "feel" the neighborhoods, but also allowed us not to worry about caloric intake as we savored tapas, paella, helado (ice cream), and tinto). Thank you for the T10 tip, Sara Abarbanel, who breezed through Barcelona in December!Barcelona stands out as a city blessed (or stricken, depending on one's taste) with a panoply of edifices designed by Modernista (Catalan Art Nouveau) architects during the late 19th century and early 20th century. A number of them are located in the Eixample area of the city and within walking distance of our apartment. The most famous of the Modernista architects was Antonio Gaudi (the origin of the word "gaudy", perhaps?). These architects moved away from square edges and straight lines. Gaudi, in particular, was a big fan of decorative bright-colored mosaics, which can be viewed in the Park Guell and on the rounded chimneys of the Palau Guell. Gaudi worked on his signature project, the Sagrada Familia (the Holy Family Church), for over 40 years, until his death in 1926. Even today, it remains unfinished, but a hefty admission fee helps pay the cost of the private efforts at completion. Although the architecture incorporates some fascinating ideas (e.g., slanted columns in the nave), I frankly do not "get" the appeal of the towers than look to me like oozing cement! The most impressive of the Modernista style buildings is the Catalan Concert Hall (Palau de la Musica Catalana), which was designed by Lluis Domenech i Muntaner. The tour of the interior was well worth it, especially considering that we did not attend an actual concert (though our tour guide had to compete with the piano tuner). The most fabulous element of the building is its stained glass domed roof, installed in place, piece by piece (much too big to complete at a separate location, then install en masse).Catalonians are extremely proud of their heritage (Take THAT, Francisco Franco!), and this was especially demonstrated on Palm Sunday, when their yellow and red striped flags hung in full array. When we visited one of the old cathedrals, rows of the yellow and red dress of the Catalonian guards, with armor included, were carefully laid out in faithful tribute. The tour guide at the Catalan Concert Hall also kept emphasizing that all work performed on the concert hall was by Catalan artists. Whenever I asked a question, he appeared to assume I doubted the ability of the "natives" to complete the impressive edifice and decoration, and turned each response into a proclamation of Catalonian ingenuity and quality.Three other Barcelona highlights are worth mentioning. One was our visit to the "magic" fountains between the Catalan Art Museum in the Park Montjuic and the Placa d'Espanya. On Friday and Saturday evenings, for about two hours, the fountains "dance" to all sorts of music, from classical to modern. The "performance" brought out the crowds, leaving little room on the steps heading down from the museum and on the sides of the fountains away from the wind. The second was our visit to the oldest synagogue in Europe, in the Jewish quarter of Old Town Barcelona. The remains themselves are not as impressive as the proclamation inscribed on one of the walls when the site was reopened just a few years ago. The proclamation commemorates over 1000 years of Jewish prayer in Barcelona (presumably including prayer by Marranos (Jews forced to convert to Christianity, but who continued to practice Judaism in secret)). The third was La Boqueria, a huge covered marketplace, with row upon row of stalls filled with fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, cheeses, nuts, candies, drinks, and countless other “treats”, including entire suckling pigs! Our out-of-town day trips took us to Sitges (a seaside town about a half hour south of Barcelona; small, but pleasant, old town, Museu Romantic, and delightful beach promenade); Girona (about an hour north of Barcelona; pretty old town, with architectural remnants of the Jewish community, ancient Arab baths, and restored, walkable ramparts surrounding the old town); and Montserrat (a mountaintop monastery about an hour and a half northwest of Barcelona). The monastery has been through a number of incarnations over the past one thousand years, but the setting is its most striking aspect. The options for getting to the monastery are switchbacks by car/bus, a cable car, or a rack railway up the steep cliffs. Two other funiculars, with 55-65% inclines, take visitors to hiking trails leading to old hermit chapels and caves. One trail is adorned with 12 religious statues created by various Modernista artists. We also listened to the boys' choir perform in the basilica of the monastery, as we watched a long line of "pilgrims" pass by the Black Madonna and touch her "royal orb". The dulcet tones of the choir capped off a delightful day.Beth and I easily acclimated to the Spanish custom of eating lunch after 1PM, but we never got used to waiting until 9PM for dinner. Tapas restaurants mercifully opened early enough for us to dine on tapas with beer or tinto, but we really pushed the envelope at a couple of restaurants when we arrived for dinner at 8:30PM! Our especially memorable meals included:1. Dinner at Manairo, a Michelin one-star restaurant in "outer" Eixample, just a block and a half from our apartment: Every morsel of the nine-course (yes, small portions of each) menu meal was mouthwateringly wonderful. We are not entirely sure what we ate, even after obtaining from the maitre d' a list of dishes. For example, the meal started with two spoonfuls of items described on the list as "amuse bush". Had he written the proper "amuse bouche", we still would not know what they were!2. Dinner at Tragaluz, in Eixample: Delicious food and a fantasy garden built into a greenhouse window off the dining room on the second floor of the building. We left pleasantly sated, rather than stuffed.3. Dinner at Loidi, in Eixample: Another "menu" meal. Excellent food at a relatively reasonable price!4. Dinner at El Yantar de la Ribera, in "outer" Eixample, just a few blocks from our apartment: This was our last dinner in Barcelona. We were disappointed that several of our choices for dinner that night were closed for Semana Santa, but our concern turned to good fortune. We feasted on specially seasoned lamb chops grilled in a rounded hearth oven.5. Tapas at La Tramoia and Cerveceria Catalana, both in Eixample6. Lunch (le menu) at Oleum, located in the Catalan Art Museum7. Lunch at Rincon de Pepe in SitgesAlthough I spent several days after my return to Zurich on a sick bed, the trip to Barcelona was a big success. Best of all, Beth and I are still great friends!! Thanks, Other Beth!
The last ten days have been ones of comings and goings. We had the pleasure of Sara's company for five wonderful days. More accurately, I had that pleasure for five days and Henry had it for half of that in situ and half in absentia (he had a meeting in Frankfort). Sleep and laundry took the top spots on Sara's agenda, but catching up with us was not far behind. She allowed us to wine and dine her and to show her a few more Zurich sites which she could not see during her short visit here over New Year's. The main attractions were a boat ride on the Zurich See, outdoor (and semi-indoor) markets, and a visit to the Lindt-Sprungli chocolate factory. Sara definitely brought the sunshine with her, both literally (we haven't had so many consecutive decent weather days before or since) and figuratively (her smile can light up any space, especially ours--as my father used to say, she was "a sight for sore eyes"!). Even though Sara was concerned that our hausgemachte fondue would taste the same as she remembered from having cheese fondue when she was six years old, i.e., like American Swiss cheese (the kind with the big holes, which Sara abhors--not the holes, but the stuff around the holes), this time our fondue was once again a big hit! (Fondue may well end up being the thing we will miss most when we move from Switzerland to Germany!) While Henry was away (this way, he did not have to feel bad about being dragged along or feel bad about choosing not joining us), Sara and I attended a dance performance called "Rock the Ballet"--modern ballet accompanied by songs sung by Queen and Michael Jackson, among others. The dancers, six men and one woman, were fantastic--they were unbelievably athletic, limber, and graceful.
Sara is now back in the US, after 7 months abroad. Prior to her departure from Zurich, she was more concerned with culture shock than with the fact that she remains displaced because our house is rented. Also, when she returns to school in Chicago, she will have to switch mental gears from German and French back to Hebrew, which she studied during her first two years of college and will continue this spring. As Sara is wont to say, "she'll figure it out." Hopefully, winter will be sufficiently over in Chicago (sometimes, it's not over until May), so that her reconnection with the US will be somewhat eased.
I seized the opportunity to switch language gears when Henry and I left for Lausanne just a few hours after Sara departed. It helped that Sara left her French dictionary with us. Last Friday, Henry gave a talk at the Lausanne version of the federal technical institute that Henry is visiting in Zurich. I spent the day taking in museums that did not exist when I was last in Lausanne, nearly 40 years ago. The headquarters of the International Olympic Committee is in Lausanne, so as a world sports fan (well, maybe not curling, biathlon (cross-country skiing and shooting), and cricket), I ventured off to the Olympic Museum, which is in a park overlooking Lake Geneva. I very much enjoyed a view of Olympic history without the mostly American-only perspective displayed on television by NBC. However, that did not stop me from using one of two free (included with the cost of admission) video clips from their library to watch one of my all-time favorite figure skaters, American Paul Wylie, skate to a silver medal in the 1992 Winter Olympics (probably only my two daughters will get a chuckle from that--sorry, an inside joke that would take too long to explain!). The other was of the men's track sprints in the 1968 Summer Olympics which caused an uproar among US Olympic Committee members when two US medal winners gave a black gloved Black Power salute on the medal stand while the national anthem was played. Once again, the running commentary was not NBC, and thus far more matter-of-fact. While in the park, I stopped at another museum, which displayed an exhibition of photographs of Los Angeles, from 1865 to 2008. What was particularly fascinating was the thematic manner of the display, e.g., Los Angeles, the Dream; Los Angeles, the nightmare; Los Angeles, the sun and beach; Los Angeles, reality or fiction; and so on. The third museum I visited, Collection de l'Art Brut, was the most interesting. The collection truly is a demonstration of the age old question--what makes something art? Personally, I don't see how a canvass of white paint is "art." This museum presents its revolving collection of works by individuals who generally have had no formal art training and tend not to be influenced by cultural expectations or directives. Many have produced their works while confined in mental institutions. They often use what materials they find around them, be it pencils, wood, or dried grass. One artist might have a fixation with numbers, while another might have a fixation with the most intricate of doodles.
On Saturday and Sunday, I had to step up my French speaking skills as we spent the rest of weekend having reunions with members of the French Swiss family who hosted me on their farm for six weeks during the summer of 1970. After nearly 3 months with German surrounding me, I was finally "in my element." Madame Goldfrank (Mamaroneck HS French teacher) would have been proud of me, but it's just as well she didn't hear me--when I couldn't think of the correct word or conjugation, I made it up! Whatever, I was well understood and could carry the load for those family members who did not speak English. As is the case when I try to speak German (when I can't think of the word in German, I automatically go first to the French word), the same happened in reverse when trying to speak French. By the time we arrived back in Zurich on Sunday evening, I was exhausted from the language gymnastics! Nevertheless, it was a wonderful time had by all, culminating with a genuine home-grown Sunday meal on the farm--chicken, potatoes, raspberries, and schnapps. We hope some of the family will come for a visit in Munich!
With just a few days before the upcoming arrival of our next guest, Beth Jay, I managed one more day of skiing--a day trip to Flumserberg. Among the various ski areas to which I have traveled this winter, this one is definitely the most convenient by train from Zurich. I was able to get up at a sane hour and still arrive at the gondola by 9:30AM. The snow (on the ground, that is) was wonderful, but it snowed all day. That in itself was not a problem. Rather, it was the wind that repeatedly gusted so hard I could barely push myself down the slopes in some spots. One benefit of the weather conditions was that there was barely anyone on the mountain. Therefore, even if I couldn't see, I didn't have to worry about running into anyone!! In the afternoon, I discovered an identifiable trail with trees on both sides (no, none in the middle like at many American ski areas). It was great--I could not only see, but no one else was on it. Maybe with all of the wide open slopes that make up most of the ski areas I've now been to in Switzerland, Swiss skiers haven't figured out that the visibility is far better when skiing next to the trees, not to mention that it is far less windy! I finally gave up when I started getting nervous on the lifts--even the gondolas were swaying in the wind! Had this been the US, I imagine the lifts, other than T-bars, would have been closed hours earlier due to the heavy winds.
Okay, back to my German language adventures. While riding the train to my skiing destination, I tried to work on my German by reading one of the many free daily newspapers. I came across a fine example of how German words sometimes grow to ridiculous lengths-Doppelbesteuerngsabkommens, which takes three words to translate into English--double taxation agreements (I think!).
Gotta clean up for our next house guest!
Watching bike riders passing our hotel each morning in the direction of the train station and seeing the station parking lots filled with hundreds and hundreds of bicylces, I surmise that Einhoven is also a commuter community. After getting "museumed" out in Amsterdam, I elected to take it easy in Eindhoven. That means I biked instead of walked! I rented a bicycle at the train station and headed south through a park bordering the Dommel River. Before taking off, however, I visited the Wednesday outdoor market in the square just outside our hotel, and collected fresh fruits, veggies, cheese, and bread for a picnic lunch. Actually, a very interesting aspect of this market, which I saw again the next day at the outdoor market in Maastricht, was that the large majority of stalls were for selling either bolts of cloth or sewing notions. In addition, Muslim women, wearing long robes and head coverings (but without their faces fully covered), constituted a relative large percentage of buyers at these stalls.