Day 78 - (Mis) Adventures in Travel

But first, a beautiful view of the hostel terrace where we had our breakfast overlooking the Maramar Sea which connects to the Bosphorus. It was the only calm and relaxed time we had before undertaking the task at hand.

Now that we have this sorted out - sort of, knock wood, cross fingers, please don't jinx this - we can tell you about it. We were misinformed as to the visa requirements for India. According to our guise, we thought we could pay a small extra fee, and buy our Visa at the airport in Delhi. This is not so. The visa must be purchased ahead of time, preferably at the Indian Embassy in one's home country. The "travel arrangements" which took up all of Wednesday morning were us researching the best way to get an Indian Visa on the road. The Indian Embassy in Vienna, it seemed would be our best best bet, built neither e-mail address nor phone number we pulled from their website connected us to a real person.

We were stymied. We didn't want to make any further moves until we heard from Vienna. Wednesday night, in Istanbul, I remembered that I had the e-mail for American Citizens' Service, through the US Sate Department. The responded within hours with advice, website, and e-mail contact information for the Indian Embassy in Vienna.

This morning, we called Vienna. They felt that, through the wonder of e-mail and fax to the Indian Consulate in NY, they could get our visa approved within 2-4 days of our arrival in Vienna. Again cross fingers, knock wood, please no Jinx, etc. This was the good news. The bad news was that it meant we would need to change our flight out of Vienna. I called Expedia. I got disconnected. I called again. They said that because the itinerary was already en-route that they could not touch the reservation. I spent the rest of the morning and into the afternoon trying 1st just to get Turkish Airlines on the phone, and then trying to change the flight over the phone. Summary of the phone calls: Almost everyone I talked to was very pleasant but we kept getting disconnected. When I finally managed to get all the way through the process, it was discovered that because of regulations, I could NOT in fact change the flight over the phone, but would need to do so in person at the Taksim Sales Office, or at the airport.

We heard that Taksim Square was a nice place to go anyway, so we headed that way. It is a nice area but VERY confusing. We asked directions, and were universally told that it was near the McDonalds. Unfortunately, no one seemed to know WHICH McDonalds. After a solid half hour of searching, we finally found the office. We took a number. It was 208. The line was on number 143. We settled in for a long wait.

This is when our luck began to turn. Number 185 left, and we got her ticket. When we arrived at the desk, the lady was very friendly and helpful. Our tickets were changed with almost no hassle, only a 50 Euro charge each.

End result. We will be in Vienna for 8 days. At the end of it, we will have visas to India. We HOPE. Because we will be in Vienna for an extended time, we may be able to visit some friends from the Camino. Overall, it's not nearly as bad as we feared it might be. Just cross your fingers that the Visas process without a hitch.

It was nearly 7:30 by the time we finished dealing with the travel arrangements. The day felt a bit of a loss, though I took a slightly different route on each trip to the payphone, and living in the Old Quarter as we are, there were new treasures around every corner. 7:30, the squares are just waking up to evening activities, mostly centered around eating and drinking. We have heard that it is best to avoid seafood when sampling "street meat", but there was a man with a tray mussels and fresh lemons that proved too tempting. For 3 Lyra (2 US Dollars) we got 10 mussels stuffed with spicy rice pilaf and topped with freshly squeezed lemon. We also had roasted corn and Doner Kebabs (which taste entirely different than Doner in Europe, but very delicious). All told, our mobile feast cost us less than 7 US Dollars. Not only was it cheap and tasty (Street food is some of my favourite eats), we ate it while wandering the labrynthine streets and courtyards of Old Istanbul.

Upon returning to the hostel, we met and Australian girl who also happens to be...a SET DESIGNER! We spent rest of the evening finishing off the last of our apricot liquor and tasty treats left over from our visit to Germany. It was lovely meeting someone with such similar interest to our own, again proving just how small a world theatre really is.

In addition to Aussie Girl, we have met a host of interesting characters at this hostel, including a few young Americans living and teaching English abroad, and another Aussie by birth, who is now cycling from England all the way to his current home in Japan. As with the albergues on the Camino, one of the perks of hostel living is this conglomeration of like-minded people. In general, hostels will comprise a group of individuals who appear on the surface entirely dissimilar, but who share a similar sense of adventure, of living a little closer to the edge, of grabbing life and shaking out all the possibilities it has to offer.

In hostels, though we are far from blood relations, we still have family.

Correction

We are seeing many things, and sometimes information gets scrambled somewhere between head and keyboard. Here are some corrections to previous posts sent to us by an astute source. We have already gone back and edited the information on Day 58 and Day 72 (corrections are italicized).

The crucifix without arms is located in the Ludgeri Kirche, not the cathedral. (in Muenster)
And here is number two: the Reichstag is not the seat of the government, but of the
parliament (Bundestag). In fact, the Reichstag is one of the buildings in
which the parliament is located (there are at least three other buildings).
In the Reichstag building, the plenary sessions take place. The seat of the
government (executive power) is spread all over the town - some ministries
are still have a second seat in Bonn (former capital of Western Germany);
the chancellors seat is, however, within walking distance from the
Reichstag.... To be precise, there is a second chamber of parliament
(Bundesrat, comparable to the US Senate, the members are, however, not
directly voted for but delegated by the Länder (States) governments. The
Bundesrat has its seat in the former Preussisches Herrenhaus (one of the
chambers of the Prussia State legislation; Konrad Adenauer was member of
this parliament prior to the Nazi-regime; he became first chancellor of the
Bundesrepublik Deutschland after WWII).

Day 77 - Turkish Delight

We spent the morning attending to some travel details. In the afternoon we were away to the airport for our first flight since before the Camino. It was odd being in an airport again, but all went smoothly. Our bags were searched, but nothing other than Cz's sunscreen (liquid) confiscated. If you have any excuse to use Turkish Air, do so. Even in Economy, the seats are huge and soft with flexible headrests. They fed us a dinner even though the flight was only 2.5 hours. They remembered that I was a vegetarian. OK, so on this trip I'm not, but my records with Expedia say that I am, and Turkish Air honored it. Once in Istanbul, we breezed through customs. At the airport, we were approached by loads of taxi and hotel touts, but I had good directions to the hostel via public transportation, and we warded them off no problem. The Metro operates on old-school tokens which are purchased from kiosks outside of each station. To get from the airport to our hostel we needed top take a metro and then the above-ground tram. From our windows, a heady mix of old (as in Byzantine) and new streamed past. At the transfer point, we could have sampled all sorts of fruits, bought any number of toys, and in general been parted with our cash in a myriad of delicious ways. We pressed on though, and hopped on the tram and headed to our neighborhood. Here I will give you an excerpt from the directions to our hostel. Follow the tramline to the corner with the traffic light. Turn right into the courtyard past the Haggia Sophia. The Blue Mosque is a little farther down on the right....Not even to our hostel, and we are already walking through the courtyards of Haggia Sophia and The Blue Mosque! Later we discovered that the rooftop terrace of our home in Istanbul has views over the Maramar Sea, and the Domes and Minarets of both landmarks.

Turkish hospitality is legendary. As we were sitting outside nibbling cookies, the cousin of the night desk person from the hostel drove up. He opened two cold beers (for himself and the clerk) and apologized for not bring one for us. We said not to worry about it, but after a little while he dove into his trunk, and produced a bottle of Hungarian apricot liquor which he said we must try. We did try it, and spent a lovely hour or so chatting, trading cookies and drinks in the cool evening air. (Istanbul is HOT during the day, but nights are breezy and pleasant) At the end of the visit, the cousin pressed the bottle into our hands and declared that we must finish it.

As part of the conversation, both clerk and cousin warned us against accepting offers of hospitality from shop owners, and that people on the street are often friendly to try to make a sale, etc, etc, etc. Don't worry, this wasn't the case here. This was just a few people sitting outside and enjoying the summer night.

Istanbul takes all the colours and warmth - both in temperature and friendliness - of Spain and kicks them up a notch. I'm not sure if more is necessarily better, but it certainly an intoxicating mix. As of one evening, I like it here very much.

Day 76 - On the Road Again

It has been lovely being pampered by the family, but all good things must come to an end. We spent most of the morning preparing for our departure. Cz sorted and re-packed our bags to be more air and train friendly, while I walked to Tegel and sent off some packages. I tried to do it in German, but the minute the Postal Lady hear my accent, she switched over to English. Being lazy, I followed suit.

We had another terrific meal with H and B, before H drove us to Berlin HBF. We arrived at the station quite early in order to meet a friend from NY for coffee. She is an artist, and plans to live in Berlin for the next two years to soak up, and work in the atmosphere described in the previous post. It was great fun catching up, and we got to play know-it-all with tips about Berlin.

We met near the great steel horse sculpture. It is a giant metal bronco bucking over a glass-windowed box. In the box are old bits of the original HBF, train engine parts, photos and other memorabilia from the early days of rail. Back when trains were called steel horses. I'm guessing it's a metaphor.

The train ride to Prague was largely uneventful, made less-so by the presence of several very lively, very cute children. Well, they were cute to us; I'm sure their antics were exasperating their parents to no end.

Prague felt like an old friend. We navigated from the train station to the hostel map-less and hitch-free. After settling our stuff and dashing off a few quick e-mails, we decided to take a little walk around the city. At the end of one street, we saw a huge, well-lit dome. We meandered that direction, and discovered the huge, state museum that we had previously seen only by day. By night, it looks less like a museum and more like a grand, haunted castle. Old museums being what they are, I wouldn't be surprised if the reality lies somewhere in the space between.

Day 75 - WAY East village

Today we went to visit Kreutzburg. It is an area of Berlin that was, if not all on the East side of the Wall, was at least divided by it. The atmosphere was much like the best parts of East Village - quirky and artsy, a little scruffy in some parts, full of all sorts of different people.

Our first stop was an art gallery showing the work of an up-and-coming artist who blurs the line between fashion and sculpture. Here pieces were visually arresting, and I enjoyed the visit very much, but I couldn't help thinking (a little conceitedly maybe), that my peers and I had had most of those ideas already. As we learned in grad school - There are only 7 good ideas in the world, it's just how we present them that differs.

From there, we went to the park. It is huge and leafy - Berlin is, I think, the greenest city in Germany, and very in keeping with the rest of the area. There are wavy slides that are the fastest I have ever slid down, walking paths, and playgrounds. all this fun practically rubs shoulders with a think tank and experimental area testing green energy, and watchtowers from when this was the dead zone around the wall. The watchtowers I think are the most striking. What was once such a symbol of fear, literally a source of death, is now a canvas for graffiti.

We wandered our way down to the Badenschiff (literally swimboat), an old cargo barge, now filled with water, and converted to a floating public pool. It is a plce to see and be seen, though we opted out, as it was quite cold outside. Also in the vicinity of the swimming boat were a number of performance space and restaurants. We had a light meal at one, the Frei Swim, and were entertained by an assortment of swans, ducks, and sparrows. On the other side of the river stands a sculpture that Jeff Koons did (H and B met him a while back and has an autographed postcard, and two posters that their daughters now have).

Over lunch, B talked a little bit about growing up in E Berlin, how everyone listened to the forbidden radio stations, but no one talked about it. Afterwards, as we were driving home, I was thinking about Berlin, and all the changes it has seen in recent years. In my own lifetime, I have been to the Wall, or where the wall was, at least once a decade since 1987. In 1987, I was just a kid, and didn't really understand what I was being shown. My main memory of it is lots of graffiti, and how the wall seemed to just fit between the buildings on either side. Oddly, I was struck most by how ordinary it seemed.

In 1989, I received a t-shirt from my mom's cousin G with a picture of the Brandenburg Gate, and the date 1989 printed large. I'm not sure if that t-shirt is floating around somewhere in family storage, but I remember my mom telling me that the date and the image were very important.

1995-ish, I went to visit the Berlin family, and friends from high school (B and HS, we saw them in delft this visit). Potsdammer Platz and much of Berlin was under construction - cranes and mounds of earth interspersed with shiny new buildings where once there had been nothing but Wall and dead space. We even went to a concert in the foyer of the Neue National Gallery, one of the new projects in that space. Oddly, the main event of the concert was not Ode To Joy, or something similarly exuberant. It was Tchaichovsky's 6th Symphony, The Pathetic Symphony. A haunting and bittersweet piece, most appropriate for the time and place, I think.

2004 Cz and I visited Berlin as part of our honeymoon tour. There was still quite a bit of construction going on, but the city was bustling and modern, the line between East and West decidedly blurred. We saw Blue Man Group perform in a large, new theatre right on Potsdammer Platz.

This trip, Berlin is as dynamic as ever. It is an exciting city, managing somehow to be industrial and arty all at once with muscular grace. As we walked by ourselves, Cz and I had a hard time distinguishing which side of the city we were on. To our untrained eyes, the only demarcation of east and West in the city center was a simple line of paving stones, and whether the red and green walk/don't walk signal men wore hats or not.

It's hard to believe how much has changed in such few years. It will be interesting to see what happens as the presence of the divide fades first into memory, and then into history. Berlin is an old city which feels young. In a way, the wall coming down stripped away the years, giving the city a chance to start fresh. As it rolls into the future, I wonder if Berlin will keep that youthful energy, or will become another Grande Dame of the European capitals. Only time will tell, I suppose.

Day 74 - Monday, Monday

In Germany it's OK to trust Mondays. This morning we ran a few errands with H, including more Doxycycline for Cz and some herbal cough medicine for me. The Doxy is just to prevent malaria when we head south, and the cough meds are for the fever-free, I-feel-fine-but-sound-gross remnants of this cold. No need to worry, Parents and Dr's in the family.

After our errands, we walked over to Tante's house. She prepared a delicious meal, which featured meatloaf, one of Cz's faves. She told us that she was going on a short trip, so we had to eat at all. As per usual where eating is concerned, the burden fell to Cz. I filled my plate, but sneaked in portions onto Cz's plate at every opportunity. It's not that I didn't like it, quite the contrary, it's just that there was so MUCH of it. Dinner duly eaten, we fell into a stupor while Tante tidied up and did the dishes.

After our little siesta, we went on a tour of family history, visiting the house where my mom was born, and her kindergarten building. Then we drove through the woods to Tegel See (Tegel Lake) , and to the fine restaurant Tolouse...Where we ate. Again. This time sweets and coffee. Cz and I both ordered what we thought would be small desserts. They were not small. Again, like Tante's dinner, delicious, but HUGE.

Tante invited us back to her apartment for tea, and we gladly accepted. The tea worked wonders on our drum-like tummies (even Cz's stuck out over his pants today!), and while we sipped our tea, my cousin and her mom showed up. This was a wonderful surprise, as they were both very busy, and we had expected only to be able to chat on the phone. Cz took a picture of the three generations of Hoffmans talking together. The family resemblance is striking. The same thing happens when my Omi, Mom and I turn up in the same photo. It could be an ad: The Hoffmanns - Strong Women. Strong Genes.

My cousin U, Cz and I ended up walking to H and B where we were greeted with, wait, wait for it...MORE food. We managed to convince U that she too was underfed and had dinner with us. Aside from great conversations with her catching her uncle and aunt on what she has been up to (she is a commercial pilot...she has flown Boeings and is now training to fly AirBUS), she helped with the eating of the food. Overall quite a FULL day.

Day 73 - Goodbye Lenin...

...hello, Pickles! If any of you have seen the movie "Goodbye Lenin", you may remember the quest for Spree Wald Gurken. Spree Wald, does in fact exist, and it is a very lovely place. At one point in its life, was a top producer of tiny pickles (still is), though the main economy today is probably tourism.

The area has been active since the middle ages. To this day, there are very few roads, and most traffic travels on the many arms of the river Spree. In the summer long, flat-bottom boats either poled (like English Punting) or with small motors ply the water. In the winter, small sleds pushed by hand carry locals around.

The area is recognized by UNESCO, and it easy to see why. We arrived by train. From the station, the town is a pleasant 1.5 kilometre walk through a small forest dotted with monuments. Emerging on the other side of the trees, it is easy to imagine oneself far away from the here and now. Cars do whiz by on the outskirts of the town, but the center is utterly quiet, but for voices, the swoosh of water through small loch gates, and the occasional putt-putt-putt of a boat motor. Apparently, nowhere else in Germany, perhaps Europe, has this convergence of so many river arms. As a result it is carefully regulated and conserved.

Which is not to say it entirely rejects the modern. As in Muenster, Spree Wald has an outdoor sculpture project. We took a boat tour along the waterways to see the area and to learn some of its history. Along with with the beautiful green landscape and history, sculptures surprised us at every turn. In the first one we saw, white forms stretched up out of the water. A little further along, an Ophelia floated just under the surface. Some sculptures were figurative, referencing old tales, others were abstract forms hovering over, along, or in the water.

Overall it was nice to find art in such an unexpected setting. That is one of the things I love best about Europe. The Arts are publicly funded, and widely supported. As a result, both cities and countryside are much more dynamic and lively. In Europe, unlike in the States, art is not the property of the elite few who can afford to go and see it, but rather it spills out into the streets (or in this case waterways), free to any passerby.

After our boatride, we had a lovely lunch at the main Estate. The meal featured local specialties, including, yes, Spree Wald pickles. Very tasty, and great company! (H, B, Cz) Throughout the meal, we could hear the local band playing around a corner of the river. Today it was a band playing old folk songs. Other days it is a choir or children's music group. Point is, there is always music in the air.

Inside the building itself (whose current incarnation is 18th century, but which has been around since the 12th), there is a museum to the history of Spree Wald. Of particular interest to Cz was the model of the town with a laser pointer one could direct over certain buildings to learn more about them. I was most interested in the costume exhibits. In earlier days, Spree Wald women wore elaborate headdresses and aprons in their ordinary lives. Even today, they still wear them for special occasions like weddings and religious holidays.

As stated earlier, we traveled there by train. Train travel in Europe, and particularly in Germany, is cheap, easy, and reliable. With the train, you can get nearly anywhere in with a minimum of hassle. We traveled on a family weekend pass, which basically meant that all four of us could ride any train in the DB system except the high-speed ones, anywhere in Germany we would have wanted to go. I will miss both the good public transportation and the family when we return home.

Day 72 - Ich bin ein Berliner...

We decided to head out on our own for the day to see Berlin since our lovely hosts have already seen them plus it gave us the chance to be on our own schedule and be able to wander about and see things on our own pace...but first they took us through Tegel on a regular Saturday morning.
As in Muenster, H and B liked going to the Saturday market in the middle of Tegel. It is basically an indoor version of an outdoor market, with stalls and booths that sell produce, meats, milk, etc. H recalled in former times when the market would have only one stall dedicated on selling dairy, or meats, or produce, but since the wall fell there are now a great variety to choose from (endless wursts and cheeses) plus a few specialties that recently opened up, like a sushi counter. We took a stroll through the main street where we had Italian icees and walked to the pier where we saw the kindergarten my Omi went to, the church where she and her other sister got married in, and to see the Tegel lake. We walked back and saw what in former times was a bridge in which you had to pay 5 cents to cross.

After they walked us to the train station, we headed off to Berlin-Hauptbanhof to purchase our tickets for Prague and decided to walk. Our first stop was right outside the station - a large sand sculpture exhibition was taking place. It was quite impressive considering that it has been raining and the wind has not been that forgiving. Instead of actually going into the beach area to take a closer look, we opted to see them from a distance over a bridge...the price of admission would cost us the Currywurst we were told we had to get, a delicacy invented in Berlin.

We took a walk on the river Spree to go to Museum Island. The Spree had served as a natural barrier between East and West during the cold war, and as we walked on the west side of the river, on the ground was the former footprint of the wall in two rows of bricks. It is completely amazing how much has changed in less than 20 years - where once were walls, barricades, and watchtowers are now a beautiful pedestrian path, with daily riverboat tours on the Spree. H had commented a while back that when Germany reunited, each citizen agreed to a 30 year plan in which each citizen would pay a certain amount each month for the reconstruction of all of Berlin. Seems like Berliners have something to be very proud about.

Part of the renovations took the form of building modern buildings for the new offices of the Reunified Parliament. I. M. Pei was one of these architects and he took great pleasure in using glass and concrete to make these government buildings look gracious by the river Spree. If you look really close, you can see us in the reflection to the left of the big circle...its a blurr but hey.

Next is the view of the Reichtag, one of the seats of German Parliament (Brundestag) where plenery sessions take place (info from G, who is a lawyer and was kind enough to supply us with the correct information) . Part of the renovations for the building took the form of an open dome designed by Norman Foster that could peer into the Parliament floor, as a symbol for the new "open government." We went up into the dome three years ago during our honeymoon and the view is quite spectacular. I wonder how hard it would be to convert the Capitol dome into glass...

This station is now the Friedrichstrasse, but during Cold War times, H referred to it as the "Palace of Tears." This was the last stop before those who lived in the west and visited relatives in the east would come to go back to West Berlin. Those in the West were given permission to go to the East to visit relatives maybe once or twice a year, so any departure from this station would always be a sad one both for those leaving and for those who have to stay behind.

We got to Museum Island after walking through a street fair but quickly realised that the museum we intended on going was closed for renovations, so we decided to walk to the nearest station and ended up getting our Currywurst and Apfelshorle (sparkling apple juice). Currywurst is basically sausage with onions and tomato sauce cooked with yellow curry. Really cheap and really tasty. Definitely well worth the wait.

Our next stop was the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. The church was built in the late 1800's and was damaged in 1943. Local opposition saved it from being demolished and instead a new church was built alongside the old one. Inside the old church is now a museum with the history of the church and pictures from before the bombings. Part of the new church has a freestanding modern hexagonal bell tower where the original nave of the church used to be. Inside the new church is a wall of beautiful blue stain glass that gives this modern church a very peaceful and somber feel. I am completely in awe of the way Berliners have both rebuilt their city and preserved the past and managed to gracefully combine both to have a city that is itself a living, breathing memorial. Truly a city that has risen from the ashes.

We headed back shortly after buying some rope and clips for our laundry line that we lost on the Camino. A full day complete with a hot dinner waiting for us back at H and B.

Day 71 - Rain Date

It was a lovely morning, so we lingered over breakfast outside. I then gave Cz a haircut in the garden. It turned out quite nicely. Our long morning outside apparently used up all of the weather gods' goodwill.

We hopped in the car as rain started to pour down. We hoped that it would just be a passing shower, and headed towards Kreutzberg. It was not a passing shower. Accompanied by thunder and lightning, the rain continued unabated. We decided to go museum-ing at the Martin Gropius instead.

Our first stop was an exhibit of Scythian culture. The Scythians were a greoup of semi-nomadic people who ranged from Poland East through most of Russia and Mongolia. They were divided into several disitict tribes, but all of them expressed an amazing degree of sophistication in theior metalwork, horsemanship, and trade with the outside world. Their burial mounds indicate a strict social hierarchy, and the artifacts found in the mounds include both locally-made and imported metal, glass, bone, even leather and cloth goods.

The Scythians were active both before and durng the height of both the Egyptions and the Celts. It is interesting to note just how similar some of the motifs between the cultures are.

In some graves, women were found in full war-dress, and/or the attire traditionally associated with men. There is speculation that these are the Amazons described by Heroditus. Supporting this theory are occasional blond-haired blue-eyed women who appear in the modern nomadic population of Mongolian horse herdsmen. Genetic tests are being run on both Scythian mummies and these living women. Perhaps the Amazons are alive and well, and riding the plains even today.

After the Scythians, we went to another floor of the same gallery to see a showing of Cindy Sherman's photographs. As a photographer, much of her work is focused on subverting the idea of feminine beauty. She is famous both for the quality of her images, and for being her own model. In her younger years, she quoted famous film stills, putting herself in the rolls of the female stars. As she aged, she began emplying heavy make-up, prosthetics, and photographing dolls rather than herself. Cz and I are engaged in lively debate as to whether or not she is a hypocrite for saying that she is subverting beauty when she so clearly employed her own youth and beauty while she had it, but not using herself as her own model as she ages. Her looks are sort of a catch-22. Had she not been beautiful to start, she would have been percieved as simply bitter. As a conventionally beautiful woman, she can be percieved as a hypocrite. Perhaps this debate is what she intended all all along.

Day 70 - It's Good to have a King for a Pal

We spent most of today with another of my grandmother's sisters (She has two sisters and a brother, all living in Germany, and we are visiting all of them). Tante (German Aunt) took us to the summer palace belonging to a good friend of Kaiser Wilhelm II. It is a lovely estate surrounded by lush gardens and outbuildings. The grounds were used for hunting parties for the royals, and the house as political meeting point. In its history, the official function of the estate was much like that of Camp David - a place where the important members of the government would go to relax.

Ironically, the estate's chapel was the home of the Red Chapel, a group of young people (20's and 30's) opposed to the Nazis. The members of the group were discovered and executed, including, among others, the granddaughter of the estate's owner. Today, the chapel is a memorial to this brave group.

The estate is now both a tourist site - one can wander the grounds and climb the tower of the church - and a luxury hotel. Lucky for us, one need not be a guest at the hotel to partake of the delicious food, served on a terrace overlooking the grounds. We had a lovely lunch at the main house (hotel), followed by ice cream and coffee at the garden house (an adorable little cottage in its own right).

After our tour of the estate, we returned to Tante's apartment, where we had a lovely time talking and hearing various family stories. All of the family speaks English in varying degrees. The last time I saw Tante, she spoke hardly any English - today, we were able to converse quite nicely mostly in English, and with enough hand gestures that I could follow the German bits.

One subject she kept bringing up is how blessed Germany is to be war-free for 60 years. She and my grandmother, as the two older sisters, remember quie clearly the horrors of WWII. As we walked from Tante's apartment back to H and B's (the Aunt and uncle with whom we are staying), she described how the whole street had been fire-bombed and she and my grandmother had to run for shelter with the two little children. Every house on the block holds a memory for her, both for what stands there now, and what stood there before the destruction. As an American, sheltered by two great oceans from the horrors of war all around us (much of it our own doing), I find it hard to imagine living through such horror first-hand. I find myself seriously impressed with the fortitude of my own own family. I hope never have to face such things myself, but I know that I come from tough stock, and hope that I could face them with the same aplomb.

Day 69 - Home Again (sort of)

We took the night train from Brussels to Berlin, arriving at HBF at a little after eight this morning. We were met on the platform by my aunt and uncle (technically my mom's aunt and uncle, but that's just a technicality). They drove us to their home in Tegel where we spent a lovely morning raiding the cheese in their refrigerator, catching up online, and reading in the garden. When they returned from their errands we had yet another round of coffee and kuchen (did I mention how much I like the Germans' idea of afternoon snack), this time pflaumkuchen (plum cake) supplemented by luscious grapes from their garden. After coffee and kuchen, we headed into Berlin proper for a little sightseeing.

We visited Humboldt University, where both of my cousins studied, and also the site of a monument to university books burned under the Nazi regime. Empty bookcases under a glass panel in the plaza where the burnings originally took place. From Humboldt, we walked past various churches, and viewed the Berlin TV tower. Built on the East side under the GDR (or DDR, as it is known here), it was supposed to be testament to man, and defy the surrounding churches. However, sunlight hitting the reflective panels that form the round ball on the top of the tower shines a cross shape. Among the churches we passed were the French and Berlin Doms. One king, one of Friedrichs, maybe, was very francophile in his leanings. The Huegonots, (we think) were seeking asylum, which the German king granted. As a result, there were two churches built. Nearly identical except in ornament, one held services in French, the other in German.
Near the churches, we stopped for a drinks, and some music by a street performer. This is a prime location for performers, as most of the outdoor restaurant patrons are tourist or locals sightseeing, and are easily charmed. Sometimes disputes over the territory arise, but usually the same core of performers peaceably cycle thru.

Home again for dinner and a football (soccer) match on TV. England V Germany. Germany won.

Day 68 - Happy Anniversary!

Today Cz and I have been married three years, and together for eight. That's nearly an effin' decade, people! It doesn't seem so long though, which I guess is a good sign. In our time together, we have lived together, lived apart; lost jobs, found new ones; adopted cats; finished grad school; lived on both coasts; traveled Europe; worked both on and off Broadway, and oh yeah, got married. Now we are just over two months into a 'round the world adventure together. I don't know what the future holds, but it had better be good if it wants keep up with the past!

Since our anniversary night will be spent in a second class train coach from Brussels to Berlin, we are spending today as well and fully as possible. All the museums were closed yesterday because it was Monday. Today we made up for lost time, visiting both a special exhibit of paintings by Columbano Pinheiro, and The Museum of the City of Brussels. Pinheiro is one of the first realist painters of Portugal, and his work is heavily influenced by that of Manet, who he met while studying in Paris. The exhibit was well laid-out with placards of information on both the artist and his work presented near each painting. The Museum of the City was equally good. The first two floors were dedicated to tapestries, china, paintings, and sculptures of or made in Brussels. One of our favourite exhibits was a model of the city as it looked in the the 13th century. Each point of interest was labeled with a number that coincided with a number on our information sheet. It gave a description of the site's function in the 13th century, a brief history, and then what stands on the site today. I especially like the ones where the description of the 13th century site, and the description of the modern site are the same. The upper floor of the museum is dedicated to the wardrobe of Manneken Pis. Since the 17th Century, Manneken Pis has been costumed for festival days. He has over 780 costumes in total, though only 100 to 200 are on display at any given time. It is a great honour to costume the peeing boy, and the competition is fierce. His wardrobe spans both the globe and fashion history, from a full Samurai costume from Japan, to a Rwandan Elder from 1949, to Elvis, to a modern footballer. In fact, I knew of the peeing boy before I knew anything else of Brussels. I had used him in costume research for a production in Grad School.

All museumed out, we set off to find the Royal Park. The gardens at the foot of the king's palace are open to the public. They are formal in design only. In function, they serve as any goof city park should - as a place for children to play, couples to meet, and public art to flourish. An opera singer paced circles around one square of green and practiced his arias. In another corner, a pavilion was being set up for a concert. Behind the children's playground, a puppet theatre advertised that the next show would begin at 4:30. I dragged Cz from his nap (he was too tired to explore the park opting instead to make use of another prime feature - benches for resting), and found a spot near the stage. We had planned to stay only for fifteen minutes and then to use the internet and find some dinner. The show, however was so captivating that we wound up stying for the full 45 minutes. A brilliant marionette artist charmed us with both her own antics and the antics of her puppets. She had a wheel which she or a lucky audience member would spin to choose a musical genre. Everything from Classical to The Charleston to Hip-Hop was fair game. The Jazz Puppet had jointed fingers. The Disco dancers involved having their strings crossed cat's cradle style over and through her fingers. Best though was the classical. A little girl was invited up on the stage, and told to select the marionette that looked right for classical. She pulled out a wooden violin and bow on a marionette sticks and string. The puppeteer took the violin and bow off and bid the girl to mime playing. She then moved the frame over the girl's head as if she were another marionette. Very clever. After a few minutes, the puppeteer pulled out Marionette maestro, and he and the girl "played" a duet. Of course she got a standing ovation. The performance was totally free, though afterwards a hat was passed and those who wished to toss in a few euro could do do. We did. Art should be supported. I find it hard to imagine such a show happening in an American park, but then Central Park has Shakespeare in the Park, an Maclearan Pool has free concerts, so perhaps I am taking a dim view of American Culture.

After our day in the park we had a deliciously un-Belgian dinner of sushi. It was a terrific date, and we sat outside and people-watched as we ate. As soon as this post is up, we're off to the train station and Berlin!

We'll write soon...

Day 67 - Better Than Chocolate

Belgium is famous for its chocolates and waffles, but we have yet to eat any. We have been too busy wandering from monument to monument oggling the architecture. Brussels has been an active town since the early Middle Ages. The architecture is a whipped cream confection of Baroque, Gothic, Neo-Classical, and modern, all smooshed together on a tiny plot of land. Naturally the mascot of such a city should be the Manneken Pis, or peeing boy. A tiny statue that in its former life (circa 1619) provided public drinking water, and today is the irreverant symbol of a rather irreverant town. We also puttered around the market square, inside and out of various churches, and up and down the labrytine streets of the old quarter. The city is well way-marked for tourists, with signposts on nearly every corner. We relied on this some, but the towering white steeple of the Broojd Huis (Bread House) on Market Square was an easy landmark to navigate by.

In the evening we internetted again - only 10 days behind now! - until 9PM. We stopped because we had noticed earlier in the day a stage being set up in the Market Square. It was for the Brussels Summer Festival - every few days a different concert. We had stumbled into the city in time to hear the National Chamber Orchestra of Belgium perform a free open-air concert in front of the gothic State House Museum. We stood on the plaza sipping Belgian fruit beer and letting the music and crowd swirl around us. The building facades all around the square were lit up against the night sky, and it was easy to feel happy and far away from our ordinary reality.

Day 66 - Beach Bums

Today we went to the North Sea. Being the North Sea, it is COLD. OK, so it's less cold than the rivers I splashed in on the Camino, but still pretty chilly. I might have gone in if there hadn't been a brisk breeze, but HS, B, and I settled for just wetting our feet. The boys didn't even come near the water.

The beach itself is very pretty and quite clean considering how many people use it. There is a pier where brave (or foolish) souls can try bungee jumping. I was not even tempted. The platform wasn't nearly high enough, and besides, I'm holding out for South Africa where one can dive off a bridge into a 1200 foot ravine. Really, if you're going to do something, do it right!

Above the beach is a boardwalk with the standard stalls of arcade games and overpriced junk food. Soft ice-cream is the specialty. I don't remember if "soft" is spelled differently, but ice cream is spelled "ijs" and pronounced "ice". We each had a cone, and it certainly lived up to its reputation.

The whole experience is like a slightly European-feeling Coney Island. I'm not sure quite what makes it distinct from Americzn beaches - all the elements are there - sand, surf, boardwalk, families, etc but it feels slightly different. Perhaps it is more relaxed. There is not the frenetic energy that you get at Coney. People at both places are relaxing and having fun, but at the North Sea the fun is had at a more leisurly pace...That and in fine weather the women are often topless. Cz was very sad that today was cloudy.

We went back the housebout fairly early for a late lunch of chili a la B. As with everything we scarfed down in Germany/ Netherlands, it was delicious. We needed to eat early, because everyone except D was leaving to their various cities of work. We hitched a ride with M, as he drives through Belgium on his way home, and it's a country neither of us has ever been to.

We were dropped in Brussels at 7PM on a Sunday with no map, no clue where in the city we were, and nowhere to sleep. This was my choice. This generally freaks Cz out - even more so because the hour and the Sunday meant that the tourist office would be closed - but he stayed admirably calm. I popped into a video store and got directions to the hotel district. On the way we met a man with a map. I stopped him to just ask where he had gotten it, but rather than trying to direct us, simply offered us his spare. Map in hand, we were well on our way to a bed. We found a hotel that looked posh enough to expect courtesy, but no so posh as to be intimidating. I went up to the desk, complimented the place, and asked for directions to a youth hostel. The friendly concierge showed me where on the map to go (only a few blocks), and off we went. The hostel was full, but the upper floors were a budget hotel for only a few Euro more. We have decided to make this our anniversary treat, and booked two nights.

As it was too late really to go sightseeing, we decided to catch up on the blog, which was a whopping 12 days behind. On the way we passed a movie theatre showing The Simpsons Movie. In English. With French and Flanders subtitles. Double the hilarity, though we have no idea what Santa's Little Helper said to Bart (anyone care to send us the translation?). Oddly, movie popcorn is one thing I have really been missing on this trip. I'm not such a big movie buff, but I like the ritual of popcorn, soda, and comfy seats in a dark theatre. Tonight we got a fix of stupid American culture - granted it is the Simpsons and it makes fun of everything, especially Americans. Perhaps not the most cultural traveller-ish thing to do, but fun nonetheless.

The internet cafe was 24 hour, so we still even caught up on some blogging to boot!

Day 65 - When is a Language Not a Language?

When it's a throat disease! There is a joke among Germans that Dutch is not a language, but an illness of the throat. It is true that there are a LOT of "Ch's" - pronounced, like, well clearing your throat - but the assessment is a little severe. That said, today we visited The Hague. In Dutch, Den Haag - Pronounced Den Hah-gch. In the Hague, we visited the Art Gallery with its fine collection of both old and new Dutch Masters. Among the prizes are a series of classic floral still-lifes. Did you know that until the 17th century in Holland flowers were not considered worthy to be the subject of a still-life? And did you know that those still-lifes are 1) Invented - the flowers in them are rarely species that bloom at the same time 2) were considered wildly exotic. At the time the famous still-lifes, tulips, irises and poppies were exotic imports. The painter had to have an in with a botonist or hortoculturalist from whom he could borrow specimins. And we have met The Girl With a Pearl Earring. She sends her regards. She is quite small - about the size of the Mona Lisa. Surprisingly, even with a book and a movie to her credit, her painting is not mobbed with visitors like Mona. Perhaps because she lives in a small Museum in a small Dutch city, rather than the Capitol Museum of what many consider the true Capitol of European Culture. Location is everything - I say it works in her favor. After the museum, we had a nice stroll about town, admiring the buildings and window-shopping.

Home again at the houseboat we visited while HS, B, and D began preparing barbeque. Tied to the big houseboat is a [much] smaller vessel. I decided to try going for a row in the canal. Upstream is hard - breaking through the pondscum is not to far from breaking through thin ice. I made it my goal to pass at least one bridge. I succeded, much to the distress of Lake-Chicken Rosula.

She is a VERY protective mother hen. When we fed her and her brood she would not let any ducks withing 25 metres of the boat, shooing them away with much posturing and chirping. The ducks I understand - they are only slightly bigger than she is. My paddle boat is another matter altogether. This lake chicken is no...chicken. And she has no sense of scale. The route to the bridge passed right by her nest. As my boat neared, she put on the same display, chasing my boat and practically running on the water while thumping her chest with her wings. She is one tough cookie, that Rosula.

I returned unharmed for delicious barbecue cooked on the boat's back patio. Yeah, It's a houseboat, with a paddleboat, and a back patio. I have some serious apartment envy right now. Once again, the food and the company were both great, but we were all so tired that we barely stayed up until 10:30. We are a pathetic excuse for young people.

Day 64 - Not Quite Cats

OK, the Delft Cast of characters.

HS - High school friend. She was an exchange student at my High School, and we were her host family. One of very few highschool friends with whom I am still in touch

B - Her sister. Also studied in the states for a year at a different school, and visited with my family and I in the summer.

M - HS's boyfriend. Very nice guy.

D - B's Boyfriend. Also very nice guy. A dentist in Delft and the official leaser of the houseboat.

B and D had planned to get a cat for their houseboat, but they decided aginst it because their schedules were so hectic, and B will be moving to Cologne for work. However, they have been adopted by a pair of lake chickens and their chicks. Rosula, Gunther, and their brood stop by the boat every morning between 6:30 and 7 demanding to be fed. B and D keep a bag of old bread for just this reason. Rosula and crew are very entertaining, and very, very persuasive (read loud). Who needs a cat for a wake-up call when one has five hungry birds lurking about the boat?

M was going to be arriving at around 10:30, but got heald up in traffic, so HS, Cz and I decided to go for a walk around town. Delft is like a smaller, cleaner, more picturesque Amsterdam. Some canals are full of green goo because they are dammed for construction work, but we saw no used condoms floating by. We meandered through winding streets and over canals, eventually finding ourselves at the tourist office. We got info on the canal tours, and spent a little time online (finally had a chance to check the blog!) while HS went to meet M at the houseboat.

When they returned, we headed out for some proper sight-seeing. First we went to New Church...16th century. New and Old are on a different scale over here. The church was built around an older, wooden church. In places, slight errors in the plans caused the walls of New Church to pass too close to the walls of the temporary wooden one. The result is some rather interesting bows and bulges along the walls. These are especially evident viewed from the top of the tower. To get to the top of said tower, one must climb a steep spiral staircase. Some steps are stone and closed, and those are OK. Other steps, however are narrow wooden planks set in a spiral with a view down into the abyss. The whole affair is very skinny, so meeting someone going the other direction presents a logistical challenge, with one party flattened against the wall, and the other picking their way up or down the narrowest part of the stair. We muddled through though, and the views truly were amazing. A perk of the land being so flat is that one can see for miles, even across international borders, these countries are so tiny.

After New Church, we visited Old Church. Old church also had some difficulties in its building. Namely that its main tower leans. There is a 1 metre lean to the North and a 2 metre lean to the East I believe. It looks as if it is about to topple into the canal, which its builders feared would happen, but so far it just tilts as if it's leaning over to peek around the buildings next door. The designers did try some tricks to make it appear straighter, such as adjusting the heights of its surrounding spires and putting its ornaments off center, but they weren't too successful.

Johannes Vermeer's original grave was located inside the church, along with some of the king's relatives and former mayors...also Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, who invented the first microscope and considered the father of microbiology, is also buried in the church. Nice to have two notable people of the Arts and Science under the same church.

From the churches, we stopped for a little snack at AppleFlappen, a bakery with the funnest name to say. Fortified with pastries, we hopped on the canal tourboat. Our guide had a little difficulty getting free of the moorings, but once we were on our way, it was a lovely lazy float down the water. The guide spoke in both Dutch and English, and I am just brimful with useless facts about Delft architecture, bridges and history.

B arrived in time for dinner and drinks at the houseboat. B and D have a great little tabletop grill, sort of like a fondue set, but with the grill above, and little pans for melting cheese or toasting other treats below. We talked, laughed, ate and drank for hours. Emphasis on the drinking and laughing. We have experienced Dutch liquor. A lot. I don't think Cz will be touching the sauce for a while. We had a great time, and it is wonderful to see our friends.

Day 63 - Altena to Delft

A and E are driving us to Delft today. We are stopping at the Kroeller Mueller Museum on the way, and then continuing on to meet some of my friends who are now living on a houseboat in Delft. It is great to have the ride, and we really appreciate both the company and not having to worry about transportation.

The museum is just over the border in the Netherlands. It is a Bauhaus building (one of the first) located in the middle of a huge national park. There are bike racks scattered throughout the lands with white bicycles. If you want to, you can park at the edge of the grounds, and borrow any of the white bikes for free to explore or go to the museum.

The museum itself houses works from across the spectrum of art history. I believe it is most well-known for its outdoor sculptures and large collection of Van Goh's. My favourite exhibit was "Longing for the Garden". Many sculptures donated or purchased for the outdoor sculpture gardens never made it out, and have been lounging in storage for years. In this exhibit, they line the corridors of the museum, gazing out and, as the title says, "longing for the garden."

Naturally we have cofee and kuchen int he museum cafe. Great bowls of tea and coffee with apple cake.

A few hours later, and we are in Delft. The houseboat is adorable, and it is great to see my friends again! We take a nice long walk along the canal and lakes before returning to our boat for dinner, drinks, and general catching up. Tomorrow the rest of the crew arrives, and we will celebrate even more!

Bonus pic: This lady really likes to see her art up close and personal...

Day 62 - Real Castles Have Moats

We are still with A and E, but today they drove us back to Muensterland (the landscape near Muenster). Muensterland is very flat. Unlike around Altena, where castles are built on hilltops, in flat Muensterland, castles need other fortification. In a word, moats!

First we visited Burg Vischering, a fortified castle with thick walls, moat and drawbridge. It was landowner's castle, and as such, he needed a castle to control his knights and holdings.... also to protect himself. Today the castle holds a museum of medieval life, including samples of furniture and other household objects. Did you know that the fork was invented to accomodate fashion. When collars and ruffs got wide, spoons simply became logistically difficult. Something was needed to spear food and carry it across the expanse of ruff...and Voila! The fork is born. The castle museum also housed a wing about knights and their horses. It was geared for children, which translates to right about our speed.

The next castle we visited was Nordkirche, the summer palace of the bishop. A far cry from Vischering, this castle's moat is patrolled by while swans and friendly ducks. The grounds are neatly manicured with gardens of formal topiary and dainty statues. The castle itself is a golden sandstone structure not unlike Versailles.

In the lower level, practically on level with the moat, there is a gorgeous little restaurant. A treated us to our daily dose of caffe and kuchen in the royal setting. Of course it was lovely.

Back home, E was working hard, both for actual work, but also preparing a delicious dinner for us. We are being spoiled rotten!