Sunday, December 19, 2010

The Gift of Making Memories

The fourth Sunday in Advent... I took the Advent Wreath into the "sick room" (Peter and the Grippe) tonight so that we could light the candles together.  And, it was time to give him another cup of tea and catch him up on the activities of the afternoon (since he slept through it all).

Katarina came upstairs around 3 pm and we baked Christmas cookies.  Now, I am "making do" with the whole baking scene.  Remember, we don't want to buy things that we aren't willing to leave behind, so I didn't buy a rolling pin or Christmas cookie cutters - have a blue moon million at home.  Instead, we used the 10 inch cylindrical, pottery vase as a rolling pin and a drinking glass to cut out the dough.  Katarina is only 3 years old ... she'll get over any baking nightmares I might have created in her young life.  Boy, she is bossy!  (And, I know bossy.)

 Katarina rolling dough.  Note the crown.
Don't know if the kitchen is big enough for a queen and a princess!

First, she tells me that we need a little "mehl" so that the dough won't stick.  I am so on top of this - here comes the flour.  Then she says, we only needed a little and this was a lot.  Next, she is sure that she needs to roll out the dough but confronts me on the use of a vase as not what she needs.  I show her how to use it as a roller and she looks at me and sighs.  Clearly, I have a lot to learn about baking but she takes the vase/roller and goes after it.  All of a sudden, she realizes she needs an apron.  Viola~ I have one but she cannot tell me enough times that it is too big for her.  I wrap and roll it up so it is above her feet which subdues her anguish.  You can imagine her comments over using the drinking glass to cut out the cookies.  And remember, I am being chastised in German the whole time.  She also knows Italian - but today, the only Italian word she used was grigio as she described the color of the silver/gray sparkles.  She said they were the same color as my hair.  Nice.  Wendell, I need you.

I believe I know who will remember more of this day.  Below - the results of our efforts.

The Gift of Health

Uh oh... I should have known something was up - or shall I say about to come up.  Peter wasn't feeling too good when we went to bed and sure enough ... around midnight... "THE GRIPPE!" struck.  After a final up and down at 4 am, Peter finally fell sound asleep.  At 9 am, I slipped out to find some Zwieback and ginger ale. On a Sunday morning in Germany, this is not an easy task since stores simply don't operate on Sunday. Fortunately, the gas station in Traunstein was open for business and lodged between two kinds of cookies and above the beer and wine (always available), there were two packages of mini-klassic Zwieback.  I took them both and later felt guilty when I realized that someone else might need some today too.

Our landlord, Walter, is a doctor and when he returned home from church this morning, I asked him to come up and check on the Sweet Pete.  After a few minutes consultation, he assured us that Peter would live (whew!) and that the entire house had experienced this inconvenience during the week - even the good doctor.  This explained why Katarina and her brothers had not been up to see us since last weekend.  We thought it was because their mother worried that they had interrupted us too much (something we overheard her say to them last Sunday).  After Walter went downstairs, little Katarina tip toed to our door - at least as much as a 3 year old in ski boots can tip toe - so that she could see "the Petschauer" (her name for Peter).  I took her to the bedroom door and let her peek in.  She smiled sweetly and waved to him - no doubt improving his life expectancy seven-fold.
Homemade chicken noodle soup and Zwieback.

The Gift of GIFTS


Yesterday, a package arrived from home.  Sweet sister Kelly sent us a box of gifts, wrapped with love.  As we opened the ones that said "Open Now!" we thought about the joy of past Christmas mornings with our family.  Stocking gifts are perhaps the best.  Nothing is wildly expensive in them (with the exception of the roll of stamps that Dad usually slides inside) but every item is a reminder of how lucky we are.  No doubt, Kelly spent as much to mail the box as she spent on the gifts ... but there will never be a way to tell her how much this package meant to us.  My father sent us a prettily wrapped box containing a ziplock bag - filled with the shredded remains of a check I had mailed for him "to handle a piece of personal business." 

Later in the day, we had a Ya Ya Christmas celebration.  At 5 pm (our time), 11 am (Boone time) - we skyped with our dear friends at home.  There were champagne and wine toasts on both ends of the call and presents to open as well.  The conversation reassured us of the well-being of our dearest friends - especially as they reported the expected arrival of their children and family members from all over the country.  We have known these kids forever and love each of them so much.  Hannah from Colorado, Mason from Tennessee, Walker from Florida, Davis from "off the mountain in Louisburg." Will, who returned home from New York as a fragile bundle of broken bones in July, is recovering well from an accident.  From a picture his mother sent us - he reminds us that being young has its advantages and the care of parents can work miracles!

We are so grateful for our friends and so amazed to live in these times.  Merry Christmas!
Our little Christmas tree - the candles are real!

Friday, December 17, 2010

The Gifts of Freedom - Day 4

Another day in Berlin and all of the questions and thoughts about being free collided when we saw the preserved portion of the Wall.  I simply wept.

Martin Luther believed that a person who had religious faith was a free person.  He provided a means for people to discover that faith when he translated the Bible and began public schools.  His philosophy freed people.

The cities of Vacha and Eisenach experienced the aftermath of the Second World War differently - one as a closed city and the other an open one.  Their access to political discourse was vastly different, as were their economies.

Berlin experienced personal and political difference every day as a city divided following WWII.  The personal courage of Kennedy on October 27, 1961 to declare that West Berlin would remain free when US and East German tanks faced off at Checkpoint Charlie ... sustained a crack in that wall ... and helped lead to the crumbling of it less than 30 years later on November 9, 1989.  Germany was reunited in 1990.

There is a powerful outdoor display telling stories about the Wall - where the wall once stood.  And the Topography of Terrorism is a library and museum that chronicles the cruel ideology of the Nazis, the horror and outcomes of WWII, the trials at Nuremberg, the split of Berlin, and the lessons of terror.

Spent and silent, we managed to find our way to an intimate private museum that housed works of Käthe Kollwitz - one of my favorite artists and social critics of war.  Her work is not what one would call "cheerful" but it is strong, independent, truthful and courageous.  It gave me hope.
Check Point Charlie
I was leaving the American Sector.
Preserved portion of the Wall - underneath this section are excavated interrogation rooms used by the Gestapo.

One of my heroes - Käthe Kollwitz.
Dusk on the vibrant and lovely Kurfürstendamm in Berlin.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

The Gifts of Freedom - Day 3

Berlin.  Oh my.  Peter was born here!  But, he left as a 3 month old baby and returned in 1986 for a week.  Obviously, he had no idea where anything was.  The hotel concierge became our best friend. 

We set out to learn what we could about Berlin's treasures but knew that we would only have a short time on this trip.  Museum Island was a must - primarily because of Nefertiti.  Brandenburg Gate and the Bundestag... as well as Berlin's noted transportation system.  We used every form of transportation with the exception of taxis and planes.  It was marvelous although I have to say that it took us until the second full day to connect the maps between the S/U Bahns and the Trams.  Once that was done, Berlin was our oyster!

Walking through the snow to the Neues Museum (full of the Egyptology and the beautiful bust of Nefertiti) and the Altes National Galarie (Peter von Cornelius wasn't there - darn it - foiled again!), Peter pointed out the damage from WWII.  I had not even noticed but, of course, there were the pock mocks of gunfire and repair of whole sections of columns.  In the effort to move ahead, it is easy to forget that this city was destroyed because of a terrible ideology.  And yet, there is this sacred space for art.... and especially the heritage of humanity.  How else can we explain the existence of ancient papyrus with translations of the Illiad?  How else can we pass along to others the beauty and dignity of Nefertiti?  We took the day and visited just two museums (had lunch at the museum cafe) and then moved on to the Brandenburg Gate and Bundestag.  Our day ended with the Christmas Market on the Alexanderplatz and a very nice dinner in the hotel.  The antiquities, the art, the architecture --- we were full!
Nefertiti (okay - this is off the website - you can't take pictures)
The Altes National Galarie (we took this picture)
Brandenburg Gate (and this one)
Bundestag (And this one. It was snowing!)

The Gifts of Freedom - Day 2.5

We left Eisenach around noon in a nice steady snow with Berlin as our next destination.  Our trusty ole' Bavarian Panzer (the 10 year old Mercedes) handled the roads well.  It ought to - it weighs a ton and has the required snow tires!  Not only were we delighted we spent the night in Eisenach because of its historical significance, its nearness to the A4 proved to be extremely valuable.

The trip took the entire afternoon and as I mentioned in the introduction to this trip - we had no delays.  We drove through snow... up hills, over hills, and down mountains.  We were steady and never fast by German standards.  The result?  At 4:30 pm we were circling the southeast outer ring of Berlin.  The problem? We only had directions to the hotel from the northwest side of the outer ring (Tegel Airport).  We followed signs that pointed to Zentrum but after 45 minutes of never finding our way (no map) ... Peter pulled out our trusty cell phone and called the hotel.  We were close enough (within blocks) that the receptionist had us at the front door within 8 minutes!  Hooray.

By the way --- BERLIN IS HUGE!

We were a little frazzled and while we would have loved to have taken the city by storm that night, we chose to have a wonderful dinner at a recommended neighborhood Italian restaurant and return to the room for a good night's sleep.  We were wise on all accounts.  The restaurant was a 10 minute walk away in a wonderful neighborhood - Il Pane e le Rose.  (The Bread and the Roses)  Of course, it was dark and snowing and of course, German parents were out with their children in prams and on sleds.

We rested well.
Street in Berlin - in snow
Room in the Leonardo Royal Hotel Berlin -- 78 Euros/night plus an awesome breakfast!
Il Pane e le Rose

The Gifts of Freedom - Day 2

Where to begin? 

Eisenach survived WWII and because of its historical significance, survived the East German/Soviet period, as a tourist town.  The architecture is stunning and ranges from the 11th-century (Wartburg Castle) to the present (Opel/GM Motors and Bosch).  The residential and city squares with the remaining Nicolaitor and Nicolas Church along with the Luther Haus, St. George's Church, old town castle and Rathaus enchanted us.  A visit to the Luther Haus (legend has it, he lived there for 3 school years) allowed us to imagine the home of a wealthy burger during late 15th century.  Frederick the Wise served as Luther's protector when he returned to Eisenach some years later and translated the New Testament into German.

Now - this is a big deal.  It has so much to do with the literacy of the German people.  From this text, standardization of German language can be traced.  It became the book from which the German people (men, women and children) learned to read/recognize certain words.  Further, it provided the moral code for families and communities;  and it provided a common tool in the establishment of schools.  Luther established the first public schools!  Of course, we are talking about five centuries of a habit of literacy - longer than the United States has been a country.  It is interesting that the despair over the end of printed newspapers is not a source of discussion here.  Plenty of small town, national and international newspapers exist with multiple newspaper/tobacco stores in every town.  Newspapers are still posted on walls and in cases near the Rathaus and people still stand in front and read.  The same is true in coffee houses - which provide newspapers for customers to read while there.  It is a culture of rampant literacy.

Reading is fundamental to freedom.
Peter inviting me into the Luther Haus.  Notice the beautiful round glass in the windows on the first floor.
St. Georg's Kirche - note the neo-Romanesque ceiling, the tiered galleries.  Luther preached here. Johanne Sebastian Bach was baptized here and, along with multiple family members, served as an organist here. 
Eisenach architecture


The Gifts of Freedom - Day 1.5

Okay - as foreshadowed - there was more to the story about the hotel.

When last I wrote, we were arriving in Eisenach (Martin Luther, New Testament, regularized the German language, etc.) and since we had no reservations, dusk was nigh (4:45 pm) and snowing - we drove to the center of the city and stopped at the Schlosshotel.  Sadly, there were no rooms in the tiny inn.  (This story sounds vaguely familiar...)

We asked for other hotels and the friendly receptionist offered several to us.  Peter and I agreed that one in particular seemed close by and rather than move the car, we decided to walk to the Bachplatz and try our luck there.  Yep!  I am talking about "those Bachs."  This town has been on the map a while.

After a 10 minute walk, we found the Bachplatz and the Bach Haus Hotel.  The warm light coming out of leaded glass windows in the restaurant reminded us of 19th century London in a Charles Dickens novel.  Little did we know that we were in Tiny Tim's and not Scrooge's neighborhood.  We stepped in and a tall, creepily quiet young man mumbled hello to us.  Peter inquired as to a room and he said that he had one for 80 Euros.  Peter said fine and filled out the paperwork. We asked about parking and he told us where to bring the car and we headed up to the room to check it out.

Well - I don't think anyone else was staying in the whole building and despite its recent renovations, the clean and adequate room looked for all the world like a no-name motel on the highway.  My heart sank because we now had a room (and the other place was full) but I just didn't like it.  As we walked to the car, I told Peter that Eisenach was such a charming and historic town, it was hard to imagine staying there, and would he be willing to look at another place?

Over the years, Peter has come to know that I have ... well, how do I say? ... expectations.  So, even though it is now dark (5:15 pm) and snowing hard, with an all out Christmas Market in the center of town (ferris wheel, music, gluhwein and lots of people), he lets me step into the Apotheke and ask someone else about hotels.  The clerk was incredibly knowledgeable about such things and after running down a list of all of the places to stay, she indicates that the "tip top" address sits just around the corner.  I asked Peter if we could just check out this one place and that is all I would ask him to do.  Resigned, he agreed.

We walked into the Steigenberger Hotel Thüringer Hof and I melted.  The lobby, the Christmas tree, the windows looking out to the plaza... it was beautiful.  Now, this is not a poor little me story - but we are on a kind of budget that I am trying ever so hard to respect.  So, we walk up to the receptionist and ask if she has a room.  She is delighted because indeed, she still has one room left with a view that she can offer for 132 Euros.  I look at Peter and he reminds me that we have a room for 80 Euros that we have already filled out papers for.  I look at the receptionist and ask if she has anything for less and she asks my budget and I say 100 Euros.  She says, well I do have a room for 112 Euros - and Peter says "book it."  We run up to the room and low and behold - it was THE ROOM - it was glorious with a view of the plaza with big windows and a HUGE marble bathroom.  We finally got one of the rooms that Cindy, Allen, Don and Janice got in Athens (Greece)! 

What to do about the other room?  Peter is delighted with this one but he was not looking forward to going back to the Bach Haus.  I told him - no worries.  This would be my responsibility.  So, we trudged back to the dark and dreary Bach Square and I went in and in my Ameri-Deutsch explained that this was my one night in Eisenach and I simply wanted to be closer to the Christmas market and was very sorry but we would not stay with him that night.  He nodded his head (like he was 60 years old but he couldn't have been more than 30) and that ended that.

I sat up that evening and watched it snow through the beautiful windows of our room.  Peter slept soundly and all was good in the world.
Hotel Lobby

Daybreak in Eisenach.
Nicolaitor

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

The Gifts of Freedom - Day 1

So much freedom - personal, political, and philosophical.   Our travels to Berlin put us in touch with these ideas.

We decided on Monday that we would travel to Berlin on Tuesday.  We made reservations (Leonardo Royal Berlin Hotel near the Alexander Platz - we can recommend it!) and proceeded to make arrangements to travel the next day.  The trip north would include a detour to Vacha to obtain copies of birth records that Peter translated for a friend and then misplaced.  The drive was over new ground and after Nürnberg, it began to snow.  Little did we realize that we were about to enter into a 5 day transportation nightmare for Germany - wrecks on the autobahn, late trains, and grounded planes - all due to heavy snowfall.  Somehow Micky's travel angel found us and we slipped through the magical portal which allowed us to drive swiftly and quietly, and without a single delay.

After 4.5 hours, we reached Vacha at 2:55 pm.  We had called the records clerk that morning and she told us that she would leave for the day at 3 pm and the office would not be open the next day.  Whew!  While Peter was in the office, I looked around.  Even though a lovely hotel sits in the square, the town continues to suffer from Soviet times.  Desolate, lonely and gray.  When Peter came out of the building, I said that we should move on.  He seemed a little surprised but after he told me that one of the women in the building had immediately flirted with him - asking his age and his business in town... etc.  I became even more certain that we should leave.  Hmmrrph!  Even a coffee house was hard to find.

So we pushed on to Eisenach which is a town that lies northeast of Vacha and closer to the autobahn that we would use the next day.  In one of those "Aha" moments, my historian husband said that he thought he knew something about Eisenach but he couldn't quite pull it up.  All of a sudden, he spurted out "Oh my goodness ... this is the town where Martin Luther went to school and under the protection of the prince - he translated the New Testament into German." 

Well, obviously we needed to spend the night there.  And so we did...  in a beautiful hotel with a room overlooking the park and the old gate - The Nikolaitor.  It snowed during the evening and was absolutely stunning.   The story of the hotel will be told in the next post!

Monday, December 6, 2010

The Gift of Activity

We have been busy -- in a wonderfully selfish way.  First, there is the activity of the season.  Church for the second Sunday of Advent.  Thankfully, this Sunday we had a different priest who is ever so much happier than the Romanian priest who presided over the first Sunday of Advent mass as if it were a funeral.  This guy was a Franciscan from Italy who sang mass and I truly enjoyed it.  Then, Marianne came for Sunday dinner of exquisite (if I do say so myself) roast chicken and risotto.  The key to perfect risotto - take some of the chicken drippings and stir in just before serving.  YUMMY.  Recipe here:
This simple but delicious roast chicken is based on a recipe in Olives and Oranges by Sara Jenkins and Mindy Fox.

Source: Saveur

1  4-lb. chicken
1 lemon
22 fresh sage leaves
3 cloves garlic
6 tbsp. unsalted butter,
   at room temperature
Kosher salt
2 tbsp. olive oil
Ground black pepper, to taste
8 sprigs parsley
2 small onions, quartered
2 carrots, cut into 2" pieces
Fleur de sel
1. Heat oven to 475°. Rinse chicken under cold water; pat dry with paper towels. Peel lemon, avoiding white pith. Finely chop lemon peel, sage, and garlic together; place in a bowl. Add butter and 1 tsp. salt. Stir to combine. Quarter the peeled lemon; set aside.
2. Using your fingers and a small, sharp knife, loosen skin of chicken from breasts and thighs. Slip butter mixture between skin and flesh, spreading it evenly. Rub skin with oil; season skin and cavity with salt and pepper to taste. Stuff with quartered lemon, parsley, and 1 quartered onion. Tie legs together with kitchen twine, if you like.
3. Put remaining quartered onion and carrots into center of roasting pan and place chicken on top of them. Roast for 20 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 400˚. Continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh (without touching bone) reads 165°, about 1 hour more. Transfer chicken to a platter; sprinkle with fleur de sel; let rest for 10 minutes before carving.
SERVES 4

Then, Peter decided that he need to get out of here and go somewhere warm for a while so we booked a week in Marakesh, Morroco in January.  This is our Christmas gift to one another.  I asked for a special New Year's celebration - and reluctantly at first (but now all about it), we bought tickets to a concert and gala dinner in Salzburg (waltzing and fireworks!) at the Stiftskeller St. Peter.  

And this morning, when we woke, Peter asked me when we might go to Berlin and I said, why not this week.  Before I knew it, we had a hotel and directions and tomorrow morning we will depart.  There is a wonderful detour to Vachau to fetch documents for friends that Peter misplaced and then on Wednesday, we will arrive in the capitol city of Germany - where Peter was born.  More will follow on this event.
Finally, tonight St. Nikolas and the Krampus (devil) visited the 3 children in the house.  This has to be one of the most frightening and powerful memories of the month.  St. Nikolas has a golden book and reads the good and the bad from the past year about each child.  In kind households, the Krampus stays well in the background and is only called upon to serve St. Nikolas (give me the presents, etc.)... but in some homes, the Krampus plays a larger role and is used to "scare kids straight."  In this village, few if any call upon the Krampus in this manner but there is something universal and primordial about this figure.  I actually had tears come down my cheeks during this visit.  I don't think I was scared but there was a fear that came over me.  

Angst and action - one promotes the other.
Atilio and Christian hearing the "good and bad" from St. Nick.  Krampus in the background.
Atilio (7), Christian (9), Katarina (3)

Friday, December 3, 2010

The Gift of Anticipation

December ushers in a time of wonder, excitement and anticipation.  Watching children shout out to one another the identity of each figure in the Krippe in Traunstein is a powerful reminder of storytelling.  The smell and sensation of an oncoming snowfall is undeniable, while the flirtations and laughter around the Christmas Market gluhwein stall suggest that the night lasts longer than the lights.  It is the expectation of things desired and the thrill of the unknown.  It is taking risks in a world of human safety;  it is trust and love.  This is Christmas to me... and I adore it.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

The Gift of Being Here





The view outside of our kitchen window this morning demanded that we take a walk this afternoon.  Bright snow crunched under our feet as we headed into an open field and turned up to a hill top.  The clean, dry air felt good on my face --- and all other parts were bundled tight in layers of warm clothes.  Neighbors ride their horses on this path and we followed their footprints.  At least 8 inches of snow has fallen and the snow capped Alps serve as a sparkling crown to this landscape.

There is so much that I love about where I am right now.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

The Gift of Adopted Families

Emma and Martina joined us for the weekend just a few hours after we dropped Matt off at the Salzburg airport.  These two sisters from South Tyrol are Neas' daughters and their lives are deeply entwined with ours.  Neas' mother is the woman who "took in" Peter and his brother during WWII.  Neas and her sisters were like older sisters or aunts to Peter until their mother died - then Neas stepped in as the farm mother for Peter.  Martina is Peter's goddaughter;  Emma is my age and was already married, mother of one with one on the way, and in charge of the farm when Peter and I lived there (Afers, Italy) in 1982.  We will spend our Christmas with this family - their children, grandchildren, friends, and lovers.

In December 1945, Neas and her sister rode the horse that pulled a sleigh from Afers to Brixen.  This is a distance of about 15 kilometers and a drop from 1500 meters above sea level to 500 meters above sea level.  It was bitter cold and Peter's four year old brother, Klaus, was wrapped in a tight bundle to protect him from the icy night air.  He was dying from dyptheria and by the time they reached Peter's mother in Brixen, he was dead.  The war continued to take lives even after it was over.

Neas - she died in July 2009

Friday, November 26, 2010

Das Erste Adventswochenende

This Sunday is the first Sunday in Advent.  Preparing for this has filled me with emotion, especially as it touches Thanksgiving at home and ushers in Christmas for us.  These reflective holidays, coupled with the very special gift of exquisite table linens from the Ya Yas and a beautiful snowfall that arrived this morning, have rendered me a little tender today.  So rather than try to put my thoughts into words, I will leave you with pictures of some of my favorite things.


Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Covering Familiar Ground with Friends

Matt arrived on Sunday, November 21st and we have been on the road ever since.  Dachau was frozen-breath cold;  gray and desolate.  We felt the weight of human cruelty.  This was followed by one of Joni's intuitive drives through Munich that led us to lunch at one of our favorite German restaurants. Matt went with the full mixed grill of German sausage and meats - an Atkins Diet favorite.  Then we spent the rest of the day exploring the excessive expanse of Nymphenburg Palace - the beginning of our tutelage of Matt regarding the Wittelsbach family.

Monday was Chiemsee and the Herrenschloss.  Ludwig II delighted us as ever.  Tuesday, a detoured train ride to Munich (love the Bavarian ticket) with Frauenkirche, Michaelskirche, Theatinerkirche, kiss the pig, lunch with Sabina (best pizza in the city), Mauer's light store, the treasury and Residenz (continued tutelage of the Wittelsbachs), Hofbrauhaus, and uneventful train ride back home. Wednesday, Matt and Joni took Salzburg - its Christmas market, Hohensalzburg Festungs, Italian lunch, Collegiumkirche, and the Bishop's church. 

Today is the last full day before Matt flies to London... what will it bring?

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Salzburg Christmas Market

And our Bavarian Christmas holiday has begun!  The Salzburg Weihnachtsmarkt opened last night and since we had nothing on our calendar today (love retirement), we drove to Austria after breakfast.  Naturally, the first thing we did was have a warm glass of Prosecco punch.  Now this is how to take the edge off of holiday shopping.  Everyone around us was in a festive mood (they drank the Kool Aid too) and it seemed that this day was made especially for such an activity.  It was cold enough to feel like a winter holiday and sunny enough to be comfortable outdoors.  The smells of roasting chestnuts, grilling bratwursts, and simmering gluhwein filled the air while we moved from stall to stall filled with "pretty shiny things."  This is the first of many Christkind/Weihnachts/Advents markets that we will visit in the coming weeks and certainly by December 24th, I will protest if the opportunity to go one last time is presented.  But - for now... let the magic surround us!
Joni holding a lucky horseshoe.
Unlucky horses.
Pretty, shiny things!  I feel like a magpie!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Sunshine, Blue Skies

Weather sets the mood and Peter decided we needed to thwart the blues today.  Last weekend's Indian Summer (?) was followed by three days of cool, gray, foggy rain.  When we got up this morning and saw a similar outlook, Peter took action.  We got in the car and headed to Austria and to the other side of the mountain and sure enough ... that silly old sun was hanging out there!  The road to Kössen was familiar - we had traveled it many times with Micky.  Kössen is an old border town and hikes up the Wild Kaiser are approached from here.  A few kilometers away from downtown Kössen is the Hotel Peternhof - an all-inclusive golf and beauty resort.  http://peternhof.com/  It was an old farm that underwent this amazing transformation.  The walks around the place are pretty spectacular.  After a delicious lunch (Peter had yummy Speck Knodel, Kraut and Potatoes and I had a delicious Lentil Soup), we drove back to Germany ...

... and that silly old sun followed us all the way home.
Restaurant in Kössen (not our car)

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Boone is a place to work and live... but dying?

Not that we are obsessed with dying (although the Ya Yas would say that I have been worried about this for a long time anyway) but have you ever considered that the place you live may not be the place to die? Boone has provided us with the best work possible (at Appalachian State University) , in the finest company one could wish for (shout out to all of my LAP, General Studies, Enrollment Management, and College Access Program buddies), but for the life of me, I can't figure out where we should end up.   And I mean this in the most complete sense.  It is not only that we need to choose where we want to grow old but where we will put our ashes or bodies or whatever is left.  These are the tough questions.  We don't have a church in Boone - not because we wouldn't be welcomed but because we have chosen not to join one.  We joined the University and kept our church memberships "at home" - Peter in Afers, Italy and me in Wilson, NC.  But... I want to be with Peter and as much as I love Afers, "those aren't my people" and the same goes for Peter with Wilson.  So how do we figure this out?  Any comments are welcome on this subject.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Living on Church Time

Hardly a day goes by without the church bells ringing more than just the quarter, half, three-quarter, and full hours of the day - which "for many would be a plenty."  Since we have lived in European villages and towns before and because Peter was an altar boy and studied at a monastery, we recognize that the most common reason for the "non-hourly" bells is a mass being said on behalf of a dead person.  The 6 am EVERY Saturday morning "call to mass" bells are especially noteworthy.  But there are times that we look at each other and wonder if a war has broken out or just ended somewhere - we are totally clueless as to the insistent ringing.

Then too, there are the church holidays that catch us off guard.  On any number of occasions, we have totally missed that an important Saints Day was about to occur - which means schools and stores will be closed.  Unless you know about these things, you are likely to have nothing in the kitchen to cook and must go to a restaurant for your meal, unless it is the "Ruhetag" (rest day) or "Freizeit" (vacation week) for the restaurant.

It is not a bad thing to live on church time - just a surprise for someone used to a secular calendar.  There is no pretense of separation of church and state -- rather a cluck-clucking distain for the efforts to secularize the society (Josef II in 1780s; Napoleon in 1803/1804; Hitler in 1930/40s).  Nor is there an expectation for people to live a life of "hyper-spirituality" or exhibit "holier than thou" behaviors.  No one is competing for my soul on behalf of a religion - not even the priest.
     
So - we have made every effort to download an annual Saints Day calendar, attended church so that we can pick up the weekly pamphlet that announces the scheduled "masses for the dead," and joined our landlords for celebrations that everyone else knew were happening but we had no idea.

And somehow, it is all okay.


Sanctuary of the church at the Cloister Seeon.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Connections - around the world

The idea of a global community is simultaneously insane and real.  Bauer Sucht Frau - a reality television show that is rooted in the belief that every farmer needs a wife for the farm to survive makes sense only in a country where independent farms are highly valued - Germany and Austria are two such countries.  This phenomenon does not translate in American culture and suggests that there are no universal communities.  Yet, contact with friends and family throughout the world is available and after phone calls, emails, facebook, and skype with Micki, Nikki, Susan, Al and Cindy the distance between Bavaria and Boone becomes invisible.   Mason in Nashville, TN, Dad in Wilmington, NC, Maria in Charleston SC, Kay in Hong Kong --- we have all communicated about topics or questions on our minds - thousands of miles apart.  And then, there is the transportation that brings us together in other places --- Hank, John, Nancy, Diane, and soon to be Matt, Emma, and Martina.  I marvel at the time in which I live.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

You don't get out of life alive!

Today's adventures included working on the grave, photographing the church in Grabenstätt, entertaining surprise visitors from South Tyrol after lunch, and walking around the Tüttensee.  A great Saturday all around.

About the grave.  Graves are private little gardens that are to be tended.  There is weeding to do, flowers to plant, and candles to light on a regular basis.  Germans in this area are also a little competitive in their grave keeping and somewhat judgmental about the upkeep (or lack thereof).  We pay one of the villagers 100 Euros each year to check in on the grave and keep ours from becoming the most unsightly grave in the cemetery.  She manages to put about 99 cents worth of dirt on it about 2 times a year and occasionally sticks a plant in the middle.  Marianne is the one who lights a candle on feast days and birthdays and puts flowers in the ground.

The gravesites are leased on a 10 year basis.  If no one renews the lease, the gravesite is reclaimed for another user.  That is one reason that old graves are so unusual -- the church or the community constantly reclaims the gravesites.  We were caught off guard when we were in South Tyrol recently and learned that the gravesite of Peter's brother had been reclaimed by the priest because no one from the Egarter Hof lived in the village any longer.  This is the prerogative of the priest.  So there.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

To give rather than to receive


Katarina with her processional lantern

Church pagent about St. Martin
Today is St. Martin's Day and we went to church in Grabenstätt at 5 pm.  The place was full of children and it was so exciting.  A pagent was performed that told the story of Martin who was a solider who did good things for others.  Eventually, he became a bishop and continued his good work.  (This is the condensed version of the story.)  All of the children brought lanterns that were lit as we left the church and we walked from the church through the town, through the old age home, by the cemetery, and then to the school where there was a huge bonfire and food for all.  The main purpose is to remind us to share and take care of one another.  This is especially true for the children - so that as we enter the Christmas season, we focus on the giving rather than the getting.  A nice way to begin this season.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Retraining Muscles

So - the suitcase was too heavy.  I was told before we boarded Amtrak to New York to catch QM2.  I had to take 10 pounds out and put into my "carry on" - the lovely red handbag that matched my swirling 4 wheeled monster.  My Dad gave them to me and I always feel so apparent when I use them.

The end result... deltoid strain/tear.  After 2 cortisone shots and a week's worth of pain relievers, I am now in rehab.  It is awesome.  The bottom line is that Julia (my therapist) wants to re-train my muscles.  The deltoid injury has caused my trapedius muscle to seize up and create incredible strain in my neck which has led to unbelievable pain in my left arm.  What intrigues me is that the pain to retrain the muscles will make it better.  And today - there was immense pain but already, after a rush of blood and feeling into my hand, it is better.

I have never been one to associate pain with healing.  The "no pain, no gain" campaign has not been something I understood.  Yet now, the notion that new strength can come from painful re-training make sense to me.  Another cliche becomes a true metaphor in life.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

WRONG ABOUT "CALL ME MRS. MIRACLE"

Can you believe it?  The Canucks beat us to the punch!  There is a Canadian film company that has already bought the rights and plan to produce the film this year!!!!  And no where is Angela Lansbury!  Way to go "Oh Canada."

About the readings...

At some point, I promised to share my thinking about the books that I have read thus far....


Freedom: A Novel by Jonathan Franzen
In the end, Forrest Gump came to mind.  Could one family’s life and its most immediate network be touched by so many (if not all) of the twenty-first century crises facing the world, including the story’s setting of the United States? Dysfunctional families, self-sufficiency, existential depression, chemical depression, teenage sex, 9/11, Bush-Cheney-Obama, corrupt multinational military contracts, Middle East conflict, elected officials,  Zionism, appointed philanthropists, old money, new money, illicit affairs, divorce, illegitimate children, college athletics, gay rights, the arts, the Appalachian region, mountain top removal (MTR),  coal versus oil, wildlife conservancy, entrepreneurism, carbon footprints, stock market collapse, housing market losses, overpopulation and the Catholic Church, struggling musicians who would have written serious music “if not for the accident of success,” underground Battle of the Bands in West Virginia, drugs, alcohol, peripheral internet porn, Blackberrys, texting, global outreach, anger on the fringes, access to everything and nothing simultaneously, “the beating wing of a single butterfly,” deep abiding love and loyalty – other topics blended into the story told through different people even when Patty kept the center.  The sharp and developed social criticism that emerged shaped my view of global engagement.  The author’s energetic, kinetic, and frantic syntax filled my head and one night, my dreams were narrated by his writing voice.

Freedom serves as the compelling commonality – as a choice, an outcome, a right, a by-product, a motivator, or an expectation – of each individual’s experience.  And the author is almost, but not quite, guilty of trying to balance too much of too much when he finishes the novel through a classical American storybook ending.

A Dog’s Purpose by R. Bruce Cameron

This is the story of our lives.  Give this book to people you love.  Tell this story to your family.  We have all known this to be true.  Simple, complex, heart-breaking, and affirming.  One of my new favorite books ever (The Story of Little Tree, The Shipping News, The Old Man and the Sea, and A Moveable Feast)

Room: A Novel by Emma Donoghue

What is fear?  Where do we find security?  How big is the world and how much of it do we need to know to be safe?  How much do we need to know to function?  This is a brilliant book.   I can’t imagine being able to write it but I can certainly imagine thinking about such things. It is dark and chilling for it’s beginning and it jabbed my soul.   Nothing is better than evil being brought to the light through a child’s eyes.

Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore with Lynn Vincent

Dad gave me this one.  Cajun country Louisiana, black/white difference and discovery, doing the right thing and “shit happens” anyway.  It is a beautiful story even with the “uh, oh” moments of “good to be a Christian” tendencies that made me wonder if I would finish reading it before I was witnessed to in a book.  I finished it and didn’t feel like I had to been subjected to a Baptist born-again revival so I recommend that you stick with it until the end.  The writing is excellent, the humor is laugh right out loud, and the tears are genuine.  This is a true story.  Be prepared to see yourself in the mirror.

The Rembrandt Affair by Daniel Silva

The premise seemed promising; stolen art, murder, and discovery of horrible secrets along the way.   But a tale of universal interest is lost in the author’s true storyline that is painted poorly with huge brushstrokes – bad Nazis, good Zionists, pro-Israel global citizens and small-minded provincial anti-Semitics.  

The Millenium Triology  (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked Over the Hornet’s Nest) by Stieg Larsson.

I liked the first book the best.  I understood the characters and their motivations.  It was exciting to read about a place that I did not know.  It made me want to bring a map and chart the streets, the “gates,” and paths taken.  I was especially intrigued by Kalle Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander – great characters, well developed.  Early on, I thought that Lisbeth was the main character but now I wonder if it is Kalle.  Excellent work.  The last installment…. I think was a compilation of all that had been discussed and said before.  I don’t think it is a lie but I do think it all occurred after Larsson died.  Whoever completed that work told the truth – the entire book reflects the intent of the author but not the author’s work.  A read worth the time. 

Call Me Mrs. Miracle by Debbie Macomber.

Okay - it will be THE Hallmark movie of the 2010 or 2011 holiday season and everyone will feel good about giving it to their aunt or grandmother for Christmas.  Like all of the Jan Karon books, no one will be embarrassed to recommend it.  Jessica Lansbury will be asked to play Mrs. Miracle. 

Sunday, November 7, 2010

And what did they see?

And the veterans and military led the march into church this morning with standards high and trachten all around.  Throughout Europe and in America, this is the week that fallen soldiers are honored.  As I sat in our village church and looked at the Baroque altar and stages of the cross, I thought about how many people were wearing eyeglasses.  This made me wonder, what did people see before they had spectacles?  Did the colors look different?  Were the images scary?  How did these magnificent, opulent altars look to someone who could not see clearly?

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Heiligkreuz and Baumburg Klosterkirche

Peter suggested an adventure this morning - "Let's drive to the Gothic church of Heiligkreuz and then to the cloister of Bamburg."  So off we drove in the old but cushy, dark blue/green Mercedes sedan that we have leased for our time here.  Sometimes we both feel like we are driving a tank.  So many of the cars on the road are tiny and peppy! 

Heiligkreuz reflects a "country Gothic" style.  Unlike the famous towering cathedrals of Salisbury and Cologne, it is much more modest with the unusual feature of columns down the center aisle to support a double apse.  Additionally, there are frescoes on the church walls from the end of the 15th to the beginning of the 16th centuries.  The colors are almost pastel like and have been complimented by a very recent (2005/2006) renovation of the chancel.  New frescoes are on the walls using the same pastel shades of orange, blue and yellow but these are decidedly more abstract and modern.

As we walked in the church, we were both aware of a distinct buzzing that turned out to be a HUGE beehive above the alter.  YIKES!  Dying bees lay on the floor but plenty were flying all around.

Next was the Klosterkirche (see above and below) which we have seen several times from the road but never visited.  A full-blown Baroque church, with a Rococo renovation, that was the center of an Augustinian monastery that was active until 1803;  Napoleon closed it down.  And so was our Saturday morning!

Friday, November 5, 2010

White Blank Walls

The apartment is full of white blank walls.  Hardly a break in their infinite emptiness.  It has been incredibly restful to see their expanse and not be distracted by the images and thoughts of others.  This makes me incredibly aware of how our homes are filled with important memories and mementos - which indicate our love for and approval of others.  I realize that serving as a care taker of so many "things" keeps us from taking care of ourselves.  It has happened before - this recognition that too much stuff is in our lives - too many things clutter our steps and our minds.  So I am diving deep in the simplicity of this apartment and allowing the emptiness to fill me up with ideas and energy.  Who knows whether I can take this back home - I have never been successful in the past and probably don't need to be.  For now - this is peace.

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Life and Death

A full week it has been.

Diane Griffin arrived on Saturday (10/23) and Nancy Wells arrived on Monday (10/25) -- our travels together filled Germany, Austria and Italy with the laughter and conversation that comes from knowing one another for ages - through good and sad times.  We, in turn, filled our hearts with friendship and our bodies with all sorts of good eats - speck, goulash, spatzle, vegetable strudle, Weiner schnitzel, cheese(s), breads, torte, tea, coffee, wine, and beer.  South Tyrol embraced them and they wrapped their arms around Emma and Gottfried.  Of course, it was castle, burg, cathedral, church at every turn and then snow to boot.  Magical moments - the fullness of life.

And then ... on Thursday (10/28), we learned that Lindsay died from her own hand.  She lived with us for a little over two months in 2009 shortly after arriving in Boone and while waiting for repairs in her apartment to be completed.  A lovely young woman, seemingly overjoyed by her love for Jake and happy about her friendships.  At twenty-nine, she was too young to know that time, love, and friendships smooth out the raw and jagged edges of life.

So, I leave you with an inspiring story that encourages us to live long and in love.  Take time to see.
http://www.youtube.com/user/AliceTheFilm

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Finally figured out how to post pictures!

So here is our apartment in Erlstätt.  Your room awaits!  (It is the one with 2 single beds.)