Small town charms (1)

German cities, like most cities, have many advantages. They contain some of the country's most famous art works and cultural sites. International cuisine tends to be more widely available, not just local fare punctuated by the occasional Chinese or Italian eatery. And the nightlife, for those who seek it, can’t be beat. The downsides are things like noise, traffic congestion, crowds, and unfeasibly long walks from one end of the city center to the other.
Small towns everywhere tend to be quieter – either dull or charming. At least one small German town – Weimar, in the state of Thuringia – is definitely charming. 

We arrived from Cologne mid-afternoon yesterday, having transferred trains in the Frankfurt airport. The second train was unusually uncomfortable and relatively empty – rendering our supposedly prudent seat reservations unnecessary. The Weimar railway station is situated on a wide, light-stoned square filled with flower gardens. The effect on a sunny day was stunningly bright and welcoming. No throngs of people swarmed the station or the square. It seemed held-breath tranquil, just shy of deserted. But young people waited for the bus, and the bus ended up being crowded with people of all ages.

Before we disembarked near our first hotel, the youths got off at a mall. I guess that in a small town, there is even more need some kind of hangout. They have public squares and parks, but perhaps they are too popular with tourists for the young ones’ taste!

Our hotel, the Leonardo, is situated across the street from a park. The hotel is large, old-world elegant, and bustling.
I hadn’t quite expected it to be so big. Some hotel web site comments cautioned me about certain details, yet when we saw our 5^th-floor room, our suspicions vanished out the open window, which afforded us a fantastic view of an entire section of the neighboring valley. Birdsong (those delightful, ubiquitous blackbirds, among others) poured into the room. We could have rested for hours on the immaculate beds, enjoying the breeze and birdsong, but instead we returned to the (rare) sunny afternoon and explored the town of Weimar.

The main attraction in Weimar is Goethe (1749-1832), who lived here for many years in his early adulthood. A few days ago, I started re-reading the book that brought him his meteoric rise to fame, The Sorrows of Young Werther. I noted things I couldn’t possibly have appreciated at the age of 20 or 22 when I first read it. I will have to include excerpts at a later post. What insights! He made them in his 20s, in the mid-18^th century, yet they could have sprung from the pen of a middle-aged 21^st-century poet.

Goethe (L) and Schiller, famous friends

Since it was Saturday, many stores had already closed by 2:00 or 3:00. That more or less forced us into the touristy sections, but even those were charming. Peering over the fence into Goethe’s garden, we encountered some Germans from elsewhere. We had a delightful chat about Goethe, our trip so far, and where they were from. They were very friendly – perhaps the first people quite so effusive and warm.

Supper had to be in an Italian place, and I had a strawberry (erdbeer= “earth berry”; peanut is erdnuss= “earth nut”) gelato afterwards. Had a hilarious “conversation” with two friendly women in a shoe store who could barely speak English but tried gamely for my benefit.

As the long fade into night began - twilight dragging out for about two hours long near the solstice this far north - we listened to the birds sing well past 10:00 p.m. And they didn’t have to compete with traffic!

Cologne: updated impression (sort of)

Walking around Cologne yesterday, I saw more than the area around the Dom and railway station. Much like Aachen and Bonn, there are winding streets packed with shops - and tourists. Cafes everywhere, with people of all ages drinking coffee, eating mountainous sundaes, or digging into the incredible array of cakes. It's very, very hard to stick to a lactose-free, low gluten diet here! In fact, it's impossible unless you want to live on meat or fish and potatoes. Not really an option for us (though I lapsed at least twice).
Temptations aside, we enjoyed our non-travelling day. I thought I'd check out the art museum we'd passed the first night. I was awe struck. Not only is the collection well laid out and curated, the paintings are the best I've seen so far! That means better than several (lost count) galleries in Berlin and Dresden.
I went first to the top floor and worked my way down. I could have spent a few hours reading the wall texts on that floor alone. There were 19th-century paintings in the Realist and Romantic styles - mostly about nature. The commentary on these impressed me very much. Could have come from an art history/environmental studies tome.
Included in this floor were one Munch ("Melancholy"), two Van Goghs, Cezannes, and many by superb artists I had never heard of before (noted with pleasure, for sure).
The second floor was Baroque - of which I thought I'd had my fill in Dresden. Well, the Cologne art historians knew their Baroque as much as their 19th-century works - and then some. Stunning.
The first floor (in Europe, one floor up from Ground Floor) contained Medieval work. Again - I thought I'd had my fill elsewhere, but the jaw hit the floor more than a few times! How I wish I could have photographed a panel or two. My attempts in the minimal light were all too shaky. (Using a flash seemed wrong.)
I took a quick look at the temporary exhibit in the basement - prints - then dashed out to meet Eddie. Later on, I re-entered on my ticket and spent a solid 30 minutes on another excellently curated display. I love prints and drawings, but I really should bring a magnifying glass to the next show!

The rest of the day, dodged some rain a few times, enjoyed the sun when it shone, and walked a lot. The Dom looked especially dramatic after the sun broke through the rain clouds.

Bought a few some gifts, nibbled, walked, rested for two hours at the second (noisier but fancier) hotel, nibbled, walked, came back and tried to sleep as the sounds of trains passing nearby and drunks hollering punctuated the almost all-night traffic din. Needless to say, I did not sleep well.

Two kinds of pilgrimages, as it were

With the rail pass we bought while still at home, two people can travel free for six days out of a month. We used it again yesterday, for day trips.
I had found the town of Aachen and its attractions while researching Germany more than a month ago. I am no great fan of churches, but the fact that Aachen's main church harkens back to the ninth century, and was associated with Charlemagne, intrigued me. I am so glad we went! These photos do not do the interior - the jaw-droppingly gorgeous interior - justice, but they should give you some idea. The walls and ceilings are covered with tiny mosaic tiles, most in gold. Even in dim light, the whole area glows and glistens.

We enjoyed the sunshine on the way there and as we walked around Aachen afterwards. It is a small and charming town. Alas, unaware of local traditions, we hadn't known that June 7 is a holiday in this German state! Everything not associated with the tourist trade was closed.
We returned to Cologne by 2:00 or so. We had time to go somewhere else, so chose another small town with very old sights. Xanten (pronounced K'santin) was about two hours away, with a transfer midway. We would see the Roman amphitheater in Xanten then come back to Cologne by early evening. Our bad luck: the first train was really late. We likely would have missed the transfer had we insisted on going anyway. So we hastened to find yet another choice, and settled on Bonn - a mere 30 min. away, no transfers.
I had considered Bonn a few weeks ago - Beethoven's birthplace after all, and I adore ol' Ludwig. But other than making a pilgrimage to his house, Eddie and I wouldn't have much else to do in the former German capital. The unwritten law of travel serendipity led us there anyway.
As expected, the house was nothing really special. I saw a few of his belongings, and took photos of a bust or two. Poor fellow: he's always depicted looking as if he's suffering from an ulcer or a fit of pique. That is, if going deaf weren't enough....

 The nicest treat happened to be pure chance: as we headed towards the house, we heard piano music: the Moonlight Sonata, one of my favorites. A woman sat in the pedestrian concourse at a portable keyboard, playing. She wasn't bad! We listened for about 10 min., gave her some euros, and left - slowly, feeling Ludwig with us.

First day in Cologne

A great thing about Europe is the rail system. Even four or five hours on a train can be pleasant, especially if the scenery is lovely! We travelled more than four hours yesterday from Berlin straight to Cologne (no transfers) and we enjoyed the trip very much. We really liked the option of being in a cellphone-free car!
The weather let us down again, but at least it felt warmer. A few minutes after we arrived, a bit dazed and confused, a cloud burst kept us inside another 20 minutes. We finally found out where our hotel was and set out, just as the sun emerged from the clouds just depleted of rain.
The hotel is small and very modest, but adequate. The Cologne cathedral (Dom) is very close, right beside the train station, actually. We can see everything from our window! Luckily, the train noise didn't continue all night, so we slept.
We felt more tired than we expected. Looking for a place to eat proved difficult, as this is tourist central, and tourists tend to like a restricted range of (mostly familiar) food. We like more unusual fare....
We ended up eating very good fast food, and chatting very pleasantly with the manager in English. When you travel, you must be open to serendipity. Flexibility is key.
While the sun stayed out, which wasn't long, we passed the cathedral, found some art museums, and walked along the Rhine. I asked about the boat cruises that are free if you have a rail pass. One is five hours up the Rhine and four hours back! A little too long, I'd say....

Along the Rhine

Cologne Dom

The Dom is truly magnificent. I found it rather scary - like a castle where dangerous characters cast their spells on unsuspecting peasants. The crenellations, imposing size and filthy exterior (it is very, very old after all) gave me that impression - or so I thought.
Then the bells sounded at 7:50 pm. The bong-bong ran under the cobbled streets, belying the 21st-century aspect of shops and tourist throngs. Suddenly it was 1700 again ... about 100 years before completion of the structure, but likely around the time the bell tower would have been up for, say, 300 years? The whole thing took well over six centuries to finish building!!!
The inside is awesome. We went when many people had left, so it wasn't too crowded. I don't know the names of the structures, so I won't shame myself by trying to describe them. But the resemblance between the interior and an old-growth forest took my breath away - and not for the first time inside a cathedral. (York Minster in England, 1983, was probably the first.)
My overall impression of this city, after Berlin, Potsdam and Dresden, is not very favorable. Perhaps if we see older and less touristy areas today I'll revise my opinions. I plan to see those art museums, in any case.

Dresden - last day with group

We spent Tuesday in Dresden. As most of you know, Dresden was a jewel of a city before the Allies bombed it in WWII. The intense heat created a firestorm that sucked the air out of underground shelters, killing thousands of people (many of them women and children who had flocked to a supposedly safe haven). The bombing raid also destroyed most of Dresden’s magnificent buildings, such as the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady). It is only recently that some of these treasures – belonging not only to the Germans or even the Europeans, but everyone – have been restored to something of their former glory.

Our first stop after the 2.5-hr. bus ride from Berlin was the Neue Synagogue. The original was not destroyed in the Allied bombing but on Nov. 9, 1938: on Kristallnacht. On that night, many Jewish buildings (residences, shops, and houses of worship) across Germany took the brunt of growing aggression – a taste of far more brutal crackdowns to come.

The replacement synagogue is basically a box, a well-designed and constructed but uninspiring box barely 10 years old. While I liked the high ceiling (a deliberate choice by the architect when he learned that the Dresden city planners wouldn’t let him build on the entire original site – more narrow and up was okay), I did not find that its other features suggested a house of worship, shall we say.

In the adjoining community center, we met with Michael Hurshell, the artistic director of the The New Jewish Chamber Philharmonic, Dresden. He explained how he ended up in Dresden after being born and raised in Seattle, and why his orchestra plays work by Jewish composers, many of whom have slid into undeserved obscurity since the turbulent first few decades of the 20^th century. Music has no borders, he implied. It has the power to bring people together instead of underscoring their differences. Very uplifting to hear this!

In our remaining time, under gloomy skies, we had a quick look through the art gallery, where Raphael’s most famous Madonna had been on display since early May. I can’t remember running through a gallery like that before! We were really under the eye of the clock. As the Lucas Cranach “Adam and Eve” was in the vault, and I could see only a few other German and Flemish works, I think I could have given the gallery a pass. Anyone with a penchant for Italian religious art would have been begging to stay another two hours! I have lost any taste for that – or perhaps I feel fonder of German art because, well, I’m in Germany.

As the cool day seemed to get even cooler, we visited the Frauenkirche, then decided to have Kaffee und Kuchen in a tearoom before heading back to Berlin earlier than planned. I had a hot chocolate that really woke me up, while the rest of the group sampled the tortes. (I’d had enough yummy cake at lunch, at the synagogue, after vegetarian couscous.)

We returned to Berlin around 8:00, as the sky cleared a bit, and ate (much later) at a fancy place called Oxymoron. Tired of pasta – about the only veg option at most fancy places – I had potatoes and white asparagus, period. They actually hit the spot

A bunch of us said our good-byes outside the hotel, and thanked Naomi for all her expertise, patience, good humor, and kindness. We will never forget this trip, much of it thanks to her.

My first Red Carpet!

 Yesterday, we met later than usual and went right to lunch, where we discussed Jewish life in Berlin with Dr. Juliana Wechsler. We ate at the Savoy Hotel restaurant!
I had another disappointing meal, since I wanted neither of the two specials: veal or pasta. I had eaten well for breakfast, so I settled on a bowl of fresh strawberries and whipped cream and I was fine.
Here's the red-red-red decor there: it matched my dessert/meal!


We then hopped on the bus and headed to Wannsee, site of the infamous Wannsee Conference. (For those who need their memories tweaked: that was when the Final Solution had its initial design and strategy discussed and plotted out.) We had a another excellent tour guide who showed us barely a tip of the iceberg called the Holocaust, yet we left having learned something (in my case, quite a bit).
From there, about half of us went to Potsdam, which is basically an extension of Berlin; indeed, many busses go there from downtown. We didn't see the magnificent Sans Souci Palace - one-time home of Frederick the Great - but after eating on a boat-restaurant, we went to a film premiere and saw the paparazzi shoot the red carpet! There were only a few "celebrities," including the director (see last week's visit to the Goethe Institute). But it was still wild!

The film fest: "More Jews in Cinema."

The film in question was a documentary film about Max Raabe, a modern crooner in the style of the 1920s and 30s Berlin. Many of his songs were composed by Jews. He is a blond German gentile. The film followed him and his Palast Orchester to Israel.As can be imagined, emotions ran high. (His trip was a success, btw.)
The highlight was when Raabe and his musicians, guests of the premiere, got on stage in their ties and tails and sang "Auf Wiedersain," a very poignant song from a bygone era.
Another magical evening!!!

Berlin: Green City

Another cool, rainy day in Berlin yesterday – like so many other places, we hear.

I went looking for a phone card again. I finally found one at Western Union in the main station, came back looking for our group, then found out that this time I’d not gotten lost: I had been given the wrong directions, by someone who shall remain unnamed. :)

So I rested in the hotel room, did some work on the laptop, then called my mother at home as she was packing for her own trip – to Edinburgh, with my brother, for her niece's highland wedding. She was very glad to hear things are going well so far.

I spent the rest of the afternoon – in the rain – walking to the Brandenburg Gates (30 min.) and strolling among the many and varied displays at the Environmental Fair! What luck that it should be on my Sunday off.

Tiergarten during a rain

International Year of the Forest

Berlin is a very green city in a highly eco-conscious country. I would say the ease with which the populace has embraced efficient and widespread recycling is an extension of the civic pride I noted in Germans as long ago as the 1980s. But I am less able to explain the devotion to literal green: huge areas of forest and parkland (the Tiergarten alone must be twice as large as Central Park – and there are many other tree-dense parks throughout). An what about the (gradual) switch from being stereotypically meat-centric to more truly omnivorous? Perhaps this arises from the apparent genetic propensity for philosophical thinking - a constant questioning of even the most dearly held assumptions. I wish other countries were as willing to do the same!
You may have heard that Germany was one of the first countries with a nuclear industry to react to the Fukishima nuclear disaster that followed the March 2011 tsunami. At the Environmental Fair, the decades-old no-nuke movement was very much in evidence, with a subtle nod to Japan. 

The fair also featured info booths on apiculture (beekeeping), crafts of various kinds, and lots of food! I noted with pleasure that the vegan burgers were sold out! Elsewhere, people lined up for organic (“bio”) beef, pork and chicken sausages.

Health, the animals, and the environment: reasons to go veg.

After a quick supper right beside the hotel, Naomi took the group to the Berlin Philharmonic! Eddie and I sat together almost in the middle of the first balcony. The hall was very impressive - built in the 1960s, and very much in the style of the day. The music, Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, was fantastic. I actually cannot recall ever hearing it before, so this was quite the introduction. Excellent orchestra, choir and soloists, superb conductor, and very good seats from which to enjoy it all. Another memorable evening on my trip to Berlin.

Hall of the Berlin Philharmonic (on a sunny afternoon)