I went to a theater performance in English that was brilliant. It was called “Word for Word.” There were six performers acting out some short stories by Tobias Wolf. The interesting thing was that the stories were done.... well.... word for word! For instance, a character would say “ ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ Claire said as she adjusted her hat.” Every single word in the short story was declaimed, hence the name of the performance. This particular evening there were three short stories, which were a perfect combination of poignant and humorous.
At then end of the performance, the actors and director came out and the audience could ask questions. I really enjoyed the entire concept. The creation of the vignettes was a collaborative effort between all involved. They would improvise (there’s that word again), experimenting with lines and blocking.
There was a reception at the American Library afterwards. I met some interesting artsy people and it was kind of fun to be one of them too!
Speaking of acting, artsy people and theater, I met Olivia de Havilland. She was the reader for Mass at the American Cathedral on Easter Sunday. She is 92 years old but looks every bit as elegant as she did in “Gone With the Wind.” When she was finished, Donna turned to me and said “Now you’ve been read to.” It’s really something to hear the lessons read by a seasoned professional.
Donna introduced me to Olivia after the service. I wasn’t sure what to say. What DO you say to a cinematic icon? “How’s the weather in your part of Paris?” So I said what I felt: that it was a thoughtful reading that had obviously taken a lot of time, care and reflection. It must have been the right thing to say. She squeezed my hand really hard! She’s 92 in chronology only.....
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
The Thinker
The next day I went to the Rodin Museum. This was my favorite exhibit...... so far. I think that I will just have to return to Paris at some point. I came upon the museum from the bus stop to the south. I thought as I walked along that the garden to my right seemed very inviting and that it must be a lovely place to stroll around. Much to my delight, it was part of the museum! To get to the garden, you have to go through the main entrance which is situated in this hyper modern building. It’s one of the things I love about Europe. You can have all this spectacularly beautiful old architecture and then someone has gone and plopped a super modern building in the middle of all of it. I particularly like the Gothic churches with modern steel and glass entrance foyers. I understand the reasoning, but the juxtaposition is fascinating.
I spent little time in the modern building in my haste to get to the garden. I was not disappointed for the first sculpture that I happened upon was “The Thinker.” Just sitting there, like he had been for who knows how long, thinking. Oblivious to the throngs of people walking around him and taking his picture. I wish some of my students had that kind of focus. I wish I did for that matter.
I walked across the garden to the Burghers of Calais. I was mesmerized by the feet. How did Rodin DO that anyway? The feet were so beautifully realized. Then I spent some time trying to figure out how he sculpted all these figures in such close proximity. How does that work?
Sometimes I think that being musically inclined has left me rather deficient in other areas and particularly that of visual art. I remember having a conversation with the art teacher at my school once. While we were chatting, she was sketching and as we spoke, an entire landscape appeared. It was populated with imaginary creatures, but it had taken her less than five minutes to produce. I asked her how in the world she could do that, make things magically appear like that. She shrugged and said “How do YOU pull music out of thin air?” Touché! We agreed that it was a good thing that she taught art and I taught music.
It took me a while, but I did figure out that Rodin cast the Burghers separately and then assembled them into a larger piece. Inside the old hotel portion of the museum were several exhibits detailing the process. It reminded me of Orff Schulwerk! Rodin who take several castings and then use them in different ways in different sculptures. Those of you that had art history or any sort of art class at all probably already know that. But people like me who assiduously avoided anything to do with art are amazed. It would never have occurred to me.
It’s a good thing I teach music.
I spent little time in the modern building in my haste to get to the garden. I was not disappointed for the first sculpture that I happened upon was “The Thinker.” Just sitting there, like he had been for who knows how long, thinking. Oblivious to the throngs of people walking around him and taking his picture. I wish some of my students had that kind of focus. I wish I did for that matter.
I walked across the garden to the Burghers of Calais. I was mesmerized by the feet. How did Rodin DO that anyway? The feet were so beautifully realized. Then I spent some time trying to figure out how he sculpted all these figures in such close proximity. How does that work?
Sometimes I think that being musically inclined has left me rather deficient in other areas and particularly that of visual art. I remember having a conversation with the art teacher at my school once. While we were chatting, she was sketching and as we spoke, an entire landscape appeared. It was populated with imaginary creatures, but it had taken her less than five minutes to produce. I asked her how in the world she could do that, make things magically appear like that. She shrugged and said “How do YOU pull music out of thin air?” Touché! We agreed that it was a good thing that she taught art and I taught music.
It took me a while, but I did figure out that Rodin cast the Burghers separately and then assembled them into a larger piece. Inside the old hotel portion of the museum were several exhibits detailing the process. It reminded me of Orff Schulwerk! Rodin who take several castings and then use them in different ways in different sculptures. Those of you that had art history or any sort of art class at all probably already know that. But people like me who assiduously avoided anything to do with art are amazed. It would never have occurred to me.
It’s a good thing I teach music.
Paris - Part 1
So I fly to visit Donna Fleetwood in Paris. I love to travel. Flying in Europe means that you will be treated to at least two languages on a “domestic” flight. On this flight to Paris, I got three languages - French, German and English! Now German I am used to since I hear it all the time. (I am still relatively unsuccessful at speaking it *sigh*). The English was so heavily accented that I had a hard time understanding it. I had five years of French in jr. hi through sophomore year of high school. That was a LONG time ago. You don’t need to do the math, you can just take my word for it!
Someone must have pounded it into my head very well when I was young, because I was amazed to discover that I could understand a lot of it. As usual, I could understand, but not really speak it. I think that’s the toughest part. I see it with the students I teach at the English Center. They comprehend most of what I’m saying, but can’t really speak it yet. I call it “turn around” time. One of the most fun conversations that I’ve had so far has been with a woman who understands English, but doesn’t really speak it. She spoke German and I spoke English and we actually conversed for about an hour and a half!
The interesting thing about hearing yet another foreign language was that I would try to speak German! I think it was a case of my brain saying “Ooohh!!! Foreign language!” and then spewing out all kinds of foreign words... German being the most recent. No matter. Meine Deutsche ist schlect!
Donna and I headed out to an African dance class the first evening I was in Paris. It was a very interesting location. We walked down an alley filled with nightclubs until we came to a sort of parking ramp. Underneath the parking ramp you could see lights and the sound of the drums reached us well before we saw the dancers. Since I am recovering from pneumonia, I decided that it was probably in my best interests to just watch.
It was a good call. I seriously think the class would have killed me. It was SO high energy, it was unbelievable. All kinds of people of all different ages and body types dancing in their own way. The instructor would give them a combination and everyone interpreted the movement in their own way. This was done at a high rate of speed with incredible energy. Then they would switch lines and do the whole combination over again and so on. There were maybe four combinations that built to this massive final frenzy and the drums stopped. You know what that’s like! The abrupt silence is like a slap in the face. Totally exhilarating! Everyone fell down. It looked like the Boneless Chicken Ranch. It was incredible to watch. I wanted to join in the worst way, but it truly would have been the end of me. I mean, these people were healthy.
The next day I decided to take on the Paris subway and the Louvre. The Louvre is positively enormous and you could probably spend a month in there at least. I am sorry to admit that I did the tourist slash and burn, visiting mainly the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo. I did spend some time in the Italian painters exhibit (that’s where the Mona Lisa was.) I have never seen so many wings, horns and pink cherubs in my entire life. Lots of cherubs. Multitudes of cherubs. Throngs of them. All very pink. And lots of madonnas. They were easy to identify. Why is Mary always wearing blue? She is always modestly and warmly dressed in blue, but the baby Jesus doesn’t fare as well. He is usually minimally dressed in a swaddling cloth. Maybe he has a high metabolism or something, but I think he looks like he could use a blanket. And he’s pink too! Probably from the cold!
The hall containing the Mona Lisa was easy to find since it was the one with tourists spilling out into the central hallway. And why not? It’s a famous and fabulous painting. Of course everyone wants to see it. It was pretty exciting. You realize that you are looking at the real deal. Kind of takes your breath away....
I wandered into the Egyptian antiquities hall as well. Just the age of some of the specimens was impressive. And the work that went into them. I won’t bother with superfluous superlatives. It wouldn’t do the exhibit justice anyway.
Since the Musee D’Orsay was across the street (more or less), I walked over there to take in the Impressionists and some van Gogh. One of my favorite paintings was by Manet of turkeys. I really enjoyed the colors, but was sad when I went to the gift shop to discover that it was probably one of the few paintings that was NOT available as a card or poster. Bummer! But I’ll keep a picture in my head. It’s not quite the same but it will have to do for now.
Someone must have pounded it into my head very well when I was young, because I was amazed to discover that I could understand a lot of it. As usual, I could understand, but not really speak it. I think that’s the toughest part. I see it with the students I teach at the English Center. They comprehend most of what I’m saying, but can’t really speak it yet. I call it “turn around” time. One of the most fun conversations that I’ve had so far has been with a woman who understands English, but doesn’t really speak it. She spoke German and I spoke English and we actually conversed for about an hour and a half!
The interesting thing about hearing yet another foreign language was that I would try to speak German! I think it was a case of my brain saying “Ooohh!!! Foreign language!” and then spewing out all kinds of foreign words... German being the most recent. No matter. Meine Deutsche ist schlect!
Donna and I headed out to an African dance class the first evening I was in Paris. It was a very interesting location. We walked down an alley filled with nightclubs until we came to a sort of parking ramp. Underneath the parking ramp you could see lights and the sound of the drums reached us well before we saw the dancers. Since I am recovering from pneumonia, I decided that it was probably in my best interests to just watch.
It was a good call. I seriously think the class would have killed me. It was SO high energy, it was unbelievable. All kinds of people of all different ages and body types dancing in their own way. The instructor would give them a combination and everyone interpreted the movement in their own way. This was done at a high rate of speed with incredible energy. Then they would switch lines and do the whole combination over again and so on. There were maybe four combinations that built to this massive final frenzy and the drums stopped. You know what that’s like! The abrupt silence is like a slap in the face. Totally exhilarating! Everyone fell down. It looked like the Boneless Chicken Ranch. It was incredible to watch. I wanted to join in the worst way, but it truly would have been the end of me. I mean, these people were healthy.
The next day I decided to take on the Paris subway and the Louvre. The Louvre is positively enormous and you could probably spend a month in there at least. I am sorry to admit that I did the tourist slash and burn, visiting mainly the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo. I did spend some time in the Italian painters exhibit (that’s where the Mona Lisa was.) I have never seen so many wings, horns and pink cherubs in my entire life. Lots of cherubs. Multitudes of cherubs. Throngs of them. All very pink. And lots of madonnas. They were easy to identify. Why is Mary always wearing blue? She is always modestly and warmly dressed in blue, but the baby Jesus doesn’t fare as well. He is usually minimally dressed in a swaddling cloth. Maybe he has a high metabolism or something, but I think he looks like he could use a blanket. And he’s pink too! Probably from the cold!
The hall containing the Mona Lisa was easy to find since it was the one with tourists spilling out into the central hallway. And why not? It’s a famous and fabulous painting. Of course everyone wants to see it. It was pretty exciting. You realize that you are looking at the real deal. Kind of takes your breath away....
I wandered into the Egyptian antiquities hall as well. Just the age of some of the specimens was impressive. And the work that went into them. I won’t bother with superfluous superlatives. It wouldn’t do the exhibit justice anyway.
Since the Musee D’Orsay was across the street (more or less), I walked over there to take in the Impressionists and some van Gogh. One of my favorite paintings was by Manet of turkeys. I really enjoyed the colors, but was sad when I went to the gift shop to discover that it was probably one of the few paintings that was NOT available as a card or poster. Bummer! But I’ll keep a picture in my head. It’s not quite the same but it will have to do for now.
My New Dirty Habit
Yes, indeed, I confess that I have a new dirty habit. I smoke! Not that I actually light the cigarette or actually inhale. Someone else lights up and then lets the smoke drain under my nose.
I have become a second hand smoker. Austria is notably behind other countries in terms of smoking bans or rules or regulations. Restaurants are not required to have smoking and nonsmoking areas and in those that have them voluntarily, there’s only blue air that separates them.
Another shocking thing about cigarettes is the easy access that children have to them. There are cigarette dispensing machines posted in many neighborhoods and they are at an easy height for children to reach. I don’t mean to be a prude, but it is disconcerting to be waiting at the bus stop while an 11 year old sitting next to you inhales greedily. I just want to ask him...
“Does your Muti know you smoke?”
I have become a second hand smoker. Austria is notably behind other countries in terms of smoking bans or rules or regulations. Restaurants are not required to have smoking and nonsmoking areas and in those that have them voluntarily, there’s only blue air that separates them.
Another shocking thing about cigarettes is the easy access that children have to them. There are cigarette dispensing machines posted in many neighborhoods and they are at an easy height for children to reach. I don’t mean to be a prude, but it is disconcerting to be waiting at the bus stop while an 11 year old sitting next to you inhales greedily. I just want to ask him...
“Does your Muti know you smoke?”
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Just like that.....
Boom! It's spring! The crocuses and daffodils are up and the flowering shrubs are budding out. The windows are open at the Institut and the lovely springtime odors of the neighboring farm are wafting in the window as I type. The fresh dairy air!! The Untersberg! The sunshine! The foehn!
The what? The foehn is a warm, dry wind that tumbles, sometimes with landslide suddenness, down the northern slopes of the Bavarian Alps. In winter and early spring, as it sweeps across Bavaria, it melts the snow and brings to the landscape a strange, bluish haze. German mountain-folk hold to an ancient belief that the foehn also brings sickness and melancholia in its blast. (an old article in TIme magazine)
Last time I talked a little about Kreislaufkollaps. Now you can learn a new German malady: Foehnkrankheit!
When the foehn blows, susceptible people have trouble with allergies, migraines, exhaustion, sinuses and all manner of maladies. Indeed, most of the Special Course class today was just dragging. The weather is spectacular but you feel too tired to enjoy it. It's rather like the totally Arctic days we have at home in Wisconsin. It's minus 30, but it looks beautiful outside. But you can't really enjoy it. I personally had a very tough time getting out of bed this morning and have been attempting to locate some serious caffeine in an attempt to snap out of my foehnkrankheit.
Funny how so many physical and mental conditions are linked to the weather......
By the way, the foehn is also called the "snow eater" because of its ability to lay waste rapidly to accumulated snow. It also leaves the air with a bluish tinge, which is quite observable today.
My next post may well be from Paris where I am spending the bulk of the Easter holiday with my Orff friend Donna Fleetwood. I'm sure that Paris will never recover!
The what? The foehn is a warm, dry wind that tumbles, sometimes with landslide suddenness, down the northern slopes of the Bavarian Alps. In winter and early spring, as it sweeps across Bavaria, it melts the snow and brings to the landscape a strange, bluish haze. German mountain-folk hold to an ancient belief that the foehn also brings sickness and melancholia in its blast. (an old article in TIme magazine)
Last time I talked a little about Kreislaufkollaps. Now you can learn a new German malady: Foehnkrankheit!
When the foehn blows, susceptible people have trouble with allergies, migraines, exhaustion, sinuses and all manner of maladies. Indeed, most of the Special Course class today was just dragging. The weather is spectacular but you feel too tired to enjoy it. It's rather like the totally Arctic days we have at home in Wisconsin. It's minus 30, but it looks beautiful outside. But you can't really enjoy it. I personally had a very tough time getting out of bed this morning and have been attempting to locate some serious caffeine in an attempt to snap out of my foehnkrankheit.
Funny how so many physical and mental conditions are linked to the weather......
By the way, the foehn is also called the "snow eater" because of its ability to lay waste rapidly to accumulated snow. It also leaves the air with a bluish tinge, which is quite observable today.
My next post may well be from Paris where I am spending the bulk of the Easter holiday with my Orff friend Donna Fleetwood. I'm sure that Paris will never recover!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Das Wetter ist schlect!
As I look out the window, the weather is much as it has been since the beginning of February; cold, drippy, and gray. I have been counting. There have been exactly five nice days since February 8th.
Yesterday was one of those nice days. It was warm (60s!) clear and sunny. When the weather is nice here, it is SPECTACULAR!! The mountains are beautiful, the residents happy. All is well with the world. But as the sun set last night, the clouds moved in and this morning it was back to the gray steady drizzle.
Because Salzburg is in a sort of basin, the clouds can really linger for a long period of time. It also tends to rain and be drippy rather than snow because it stays artificially warm. It can be snowing in the mountains (you can see it!) and drippy in the city proper.
Aside from the mental havoc that a nonstop streak of bad weather can wreak, German speakers are prone to a condition called "kreislaufkollaps" which translates to "circulatory system collapse." Now of course that seems absurd, because if your circulatory system collapsed you would be deceased. I asked a friend about this and he was kind enough to explain that low blood pressure is a common problem amongst the Germanic natives and if the weather consists of a lingering low pressure system, the folks with low blood pressure feel unusually bad. The doctors are very busy during periods of foul weather with patients suffering from kreislaufkollaps. I've seen two instances of this phenomenon, and interestingly neither person was of Germanic origin. But the effects are not nice. They are rendered unable to stand or move around much, are light headed, and have difficulty understanding what's going on around them. In one case, I was at a store with a friend who had this problem. She was literally lying in the parking lot, unable to get up or walk without assistance.
One of the sales associates noticed that we were having difficulties and offered some "drops" to my ailing friend. Apparently you can buy them at the apotheke without a prescription. They consist of herbs and homeopathic meds that the FDA would never approve! The results were dramatic. First of all, the drops smelled quite toxic and my friend confirmed that the taste was unique to say the least. But within 10 minutes she felt much better and we were able to continue with the plans we had for the day. We managed to get the name of the drops so that she could head off future episodes.
We need some besser wetter and soon not only to stave off depression but kreislaufkollaps too!
Yesterday was one of those nice days. It was warm (60s!) clear and sunny. When the weather is nice here, it is SPECTACULAR!! The mountains are beautiful, the residents happy. All is well with the world. But as the sun set last night, the clouds moved in and this morning it was back to the gray steady drizzle.
Because Salzburg is in a sort of basin, the clouds can really linger for a long period of time. It also tends to rain and be drippy rather than snow because it stays artificially warm. It can be snowing in the mountains (you can see it!) and drippy in the city proper.
Aside from the mental havoc that a nonstop streak of bad weather can wreak, German speakers are prone to a condition called "kreislaufkollaps" which translates to "circulatory system collapse." Now of course that seems absurd, because if your circulatory system collapsed you would be deceased. I asked a friend about this and he was kind enough to explain that low blood pressure is a common problem amongst the Germanic natives and if the weather consists of a lingering low pressure system, the folks with low blood pressure feel unusually bad. The doctors are very busy during periods of foul weather with patients suffering from kreislaufkollaps. I've seen two instances of this phenomenon, and interestingly neither person was of Germanic origin. But the effects are not nice. They are rendered unable to stand or move around much, are light headed, and have difficulty understanding what's going on around them. In one case, I was at a store with a friend who had this problem. She was literally lying in the parking lot, unable to get up or walk without assistance.
One of the sales associates noticed that we were having difficulties and offered some "drops" to my ailing friend. Apparently you can buy them at the apotheke without a prescription. They consist of herbs and homeopathic meds that the FDA would never approve! The results were dramatic. First of all, the drops smelled quite toxic and my friend confirmed that the taste was unique to say the least. But within 10 minutes she felt much better and we were able to continue with the plans we had for the day. We managed to get the name of the drops so that she could head off future episodes.
We need some besser wetter and soon not only to stave off depression but kreislaufkollaps too!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Eating Good in the 'Hood
My friend Pam from the States was here a couple of weeks ago. She plays in the Minnesota Orchestra and they were in Europe on tour, so she and had planned last summer to meet in Vienna and spend some time together. We had a wonderful time. We saw the Klimt exhibit, did some shopping (well, not me so much because I'm broke) and then we went to the Musikverein where she had to play and I got to listen. The concert was fabulous and the soloist was Joshua Bell. The seats were uncomfortable and I swear that I was sitting in the ADD section. The woman in front of me spent the entire concert tapping her foot and looking around. She even turned around and looked at the people in the upper balcony. Repeatedly! Others read their programs or texted (it's called simsiming over here, kind of a verb form of SMS). But all leapt to their feet when the concert was over. It was that good. And the Viennese are known for being picky.
Anyway, part of the fun of a new city is exploring the restaurants. I'm not sure the food is always that interesting. It must be very dangerous to be a pig here because most of the offerings on the menu are pork based. The prices are high but the portions are enormous!! As are the calorie counts.
There are some major but surprisingly subtle differences in the dining experience in Austria. Pam found this out in a slightly alarming way. At one restaurant, as soon as the waiter heard our American accents, a full bread bowl appeared on the table. Pam, who was famished, grabbed a roll and had torn into it before I could say "No! Wait! Don't!" You see, it's not like the States where bread baskets are part and parcel of the experience. In Austria you are charged for every piece of bread you eat.... and you are charged an almost outrageous amount. I told Pam this and she was incredulous when the bill arrived with an extra 2,30 Euro charge for two rolls. That's a lot in dollars, but factor in the conversion rate and it becomes unbelievable.
Now to beverages. It is considered RUDE to ask for tap water and of course you are charged for it. It doesn't just arrive unbidden like it does in the States. You have your choice of mineral water with or without gas (fizz). And of course it costs. The best bet I've found is usually the beer. It's local and delicious,
The wait staff generally does not hover over you or take dishes away or really pay any attention to you whatsoever. There is no incentive to do so as they are paid a living wage and not the $2.35 an hour that my daughter makes in the States. When you are finished eating and you are ready to go, you flag down your waiter and settle up right then and there at the table. The nice thing about this is that it's very easy to split the bill if you need to.
So the next time you are eating at Applebees and the funny redheaded waitress brings you a bread basket and free water, remember that she is trying really hard to give you good service and make you happy and for this she is only being paid $2.35. I say this not to promote Applebees. After all, their jingle is ungrammatical. "Eating good in the 'hood?" It should be "Eating well outside of hell" or something. Or maybe even "Consume Mass Quantities in the Surrounding Vicinity." Kind of has a ring to it, doesn't it?
Anyway, part of the fun of a new city is exploring the restaurants. I'm not sure the food is always that interesting. It must be very dangerous to be a pig here because most of the offerings on the menu are pork based. The prices are high but the portions are enormous!! As are the calorie counts.
There are some major but surprisingly subtle differences in the dining experience in Austria. Pam found this out in a slightly alarming way. At one restaurant, as soon as the waiter heard our American accents, a full bread bowl appeared on the table. Pam, who was famished, grabbed a roll and had torn into it before I could say "No! Wait! Don't!" You see, it's not like the States where bread baskets are part and parcel of the experience. In Austria you are charged for every piece of bread you eat.... and you are charged an almost outrageous amount. I told Pam this and she was incredulous when the bill arrived with an extra 2,30 Euro charge for two rolls. That's a lot in dollars, but factor in the conversion rate and it becomes unbelievable.
Now to beverages. It is considered RUDE to ask for tap water and of course you are charged for it. It doesn't just arrive unbidden like it does in the States. You have your choice of mineral water with or without gas (fizz). And of course it costs. The best bet I've found is usually the beer. It's local and delicious,
The wait staff generally does not hover over you or take dishes away or really pay any attention to you whatsoever. There is no incentive to do so as they are paid a living wage and not the $2.35 an hour that my daughter makes in the States. When you are finished eating and you are ready to go, you flag down your waiter and settle up right then and there at the table. The nice thing about this is that it's very easy to split the bill if you need to.
So the next time you are eating at Applebees and the funny redheaded waitress brings you a bread basket and free water, remember that she is trying really hard to give you good service and make you happy and for this she is only being paid $2.35. I say this not to promote Applebees. After all, their jingle is ungrammatical. "Eating good in the 'hood?" It should be "Eating well outside of hell" or something. Or maybe even "Consume Mass Quantities in the Surrounding Vicinity." Kind of has a ring to it, doesn't it?
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