Spring in Wiesbaden

We have had an amazing and early spring this year.  Here's some pics of the city and Kur Park.


Jet stream over flowering tree



The Kur Park pond with Kurhouse

Wiesbaden Staatstheater

Spring Break: Florence, Italy

From the ridiculous to the sublime.....



One day after Fasching, we took off for Florence, Italy.  I had just read "The Agony and the Ectasy" - the story of Michelangelo.  Perfect pre-read for visiting his hometown. 

We were all walking from the train station to our hotel, bags in hand, when we stopped in one of the many Piazza's to check our map.  All of a sudden, I heard my name being yelled from somewhere.  It was our good friend Kari Graven from Brookings, who was on an extended visit to Florence.  She was a perfect host for our 3 days there.

Duomo and Bell Tower

River Arno

 

Kari and our Crew

After visiting the museum holding Michelangelo's famous David sculpture, we took advantage of the beautiful weather and took a bus above the city to M's very own piazza.  What a view from here.



View of the Arno River with the Ponte Vecchio





The view from Piazza de Michelangelo was stunning so we stopped at a restaurant that had a terrace overlooking the city.  We all got pizza of course.   





Duomo

This part of Italy is the "white sauce" part.... the lasagna is not tomato based, but instead has amazing white sauce.  There are way too many restaurants to try, but Kari managed to get us into the most crowded ones with her inside connections. 



Dome of Duomo


After visiting one amazing view, we took the long trip up to the top of the Duomo... all 367 steps.  Eventually you make it outside at the very top.  But just before that, you get to walk around the inside of the dome just below the paintings.  It's a scary walk not only because of the height but also because you get a close up view of the carnage depicted on the dome.  It's mostly end of days stuff....really scary hell depictions.  So much for uplifting art when you come to church. 



Portion of Dome frescoe



View from Dome

We talked to other expats here in Germany and many of them think Florence is the most beautiful city in Europe.  Many have been back 2 or 3 times.  There is so much to see and we were lucky it was off season.  The crowds were light and the hotels reasonable.   



This is Italy



Big Thanks!! to our good friend Kari for being our host - knowledgeable, fun, and always laughing!!

Ciao!



  



Spring Break: Fasching Fest

Our girls came to visit during their spring break.  Katie brought her friend Kate for her first trip overseas.  Our first adventure began Monday morning (Rosenmontag- Rose Monday prior to ash wednesday) when we walked down our hill, caught a bus to the train station, then met some other expat locals.  We then took a train to the town of Mainz, just over the Rhine river from Wiesbaden.  Mainz is known for having one of Germany's best Fasching Festivals and parade.  We wrote about it last year.  Everyone dresses up like it's Halloween. 

The floats have political themes or are just plain weird.  Each has a crew throwing out everything from candy to tissues to yes, sausages. 

It was a beautful day and we heard there were 500,000 people in the city.  This is Germany's version of Mardi Gras.  But it's very German.  There is of course, lots of drinking going on. 

 

Our crew seemed to fit right in.  We had a few pirates, many cowgirls with sparkly hats, a guy in a Julio silver suit, and a King.  This big guy on the float to the right is flashing some politician we think. 

The crowds were so huge, it was difficult to even see some of the floats...then you get hit on the head with candy or what-all.  Our crew had a great time.



                                                Locomotive Head next to Elvis

What's not to like when you can dress up, drink beer, sip wine, and watch a goofy parade with 500,000 Germans.  Hmmm, sound sort of like Hobo Day.

Tschus!



Hola Espana

So, I'm downtown Wiesbaden doing some shopping and visiting with a friend when I get a text from Pete that says "how about going to Spain this afternoon for the weekend?"  What could I say? 

We flew to Madrid which is a busy, vibrant city of over 3 million people.  Our hotel was located on a plaza  right in the heart of the city.  We were only in Madrid for 24 hours.

That's when our last minute adventure took us to the charming city of Seville about 2 hours by train southeast of Madrid.  As we traveled the countryside, we saw grove after grove filled with olive trees, then oranges, then almond trees in bloom, and finally, date palms. 



Just outside our hotel room



Seville is known for it's bullfights, tapas and Flamenco dancing... and it's awesome cathedral.  It is the third largest in the world, after St. Peter's in Rome and St. Paul's in London.  They are not exaggerating - it is enormous.  There are 44 individual chapels inside the church. It felt like we were inside multiple churches all under one towering roof. 

The 42 meter central altar is decorated with 3 tons of gold leaf.  It's considered one of the greatest altars in the Christian world. 

Columbus Tomb

Even Christopher Columbus is buried in this church.  He was transported from Cuba back to Seville for his final resting place here.  Although Pete's colleague Ivan, who's a local Sevillan, says every city in Spain claims to have Columbus' actual remains.

In the 1400s, a mosque was removed to make room for this cathedral.  All that was left of the mosque is the La Giralda tower or minaret.  The entire area is a mixture of moorish (from Marrakesh) and christian symbolism.  This minaret is one of the 3 oldest surviving in the world.  By the time we climbed the 39 ramps to the top of the bell tower, the view was even more breathtaking than the walk up. 

   

Every 15 minutes the bells ring....that was our cue to head back down the ramps that were built over stairs since the bellringer could only get there on horseback.

                                      
 

Outside, the weather was perfect - about 70 degrees and sunny - unseasonably warm for even Seville.

We took this opportunity to visit the Alcazar - the oldest European palace.  Many kings and queens, including Ferdinand and Isabella lived there.  It was built in the 7th century!! by the Moors. 

Ivan told us he used to spend days roaming around these grounds when his father, a well-known Spanish artist, would come here to paint when the area was closed to the public.  The Alcazar is a mixture of gardens, patios and courtyards, and all with the moorish style. 

The next day, we headed out again along the river, past the bull-fighting stadium and through the narrow streets until we came upon this small, beautiful church.  Inside was another

display of over-the-top gold plated altars.  We discovered that most of the gold came into Seville from the early explorers to the new world.  There is apparently just as much in sunken treasure all around the southern waters of Spain, waiting to be found.  That's another trip.

Best of all, when we came out of the church, a crowd had gathered around 2 little tapas joints that served the best olives stuffed with small cornichons (pickles).

Our friend told us this is a common hangout for the locals on Sunday afternoons.  I like Sundays in Spain.

Adios!

A Lost World in Antwerp

In Antwerp, we heard about this interesting place in the middle of the city that is a walled-in housing area with a central courtyard surrounded by small apartments. It was started by women of a Roman Catholic order in the 13th century. These catholic women, beguines, were looking for holiness instead becoming a nun.

Although they lived and prayed together for protection, historians believed they banded together after losing husbands to the crusades. This beguinage was surrounded by tall red brick walls and when we decided to visit, there was a light rain falling. When we entered the passage gate, we noticed how peaceful and tranquil the entire grounds were.


The small apartments surrounded a courtyard area.

The courtyard shut out the busy world outside.  There was an old wrought iron fence with gates at each end.  Herbs and flowers and well-manicured shrubs bordered a peaceful walking path.  There are 29 beguinages in Belgium, more than in any other country. 
 

Each apartment had the name of a saint inscribed over the door. In the 17th century, more than 220 women lived around this courtyard. Now, elderly women and retired couples can rent these apartments.  There are about 100 residents there today.


 
A chapel sits at one corner of the square that is typical of all these beguinages. 
 
Where I am standing, you can see modern buildings in the background, but you could not hear the traffic anywhere behind the walls and dwellings.  I can understand why these women lived in this charming and zen-like environment. 

The entire area was no more than half a city block.  Just a narrow cobblestone driveway separates the apartment entries from the courtyard.  It was like entering a little village completely apart from the city beyond.  If you want to read more about "A Lost World Made by Women," check out this link: http://www.mindfood.com/at-women-beguines-europe-catholic-laic-order-feminism.seo

Tschus!

In Bruges

Last week, I accompanied Pete on a business trip to Antwerp, Belgium. So on the weekend we took a side trip to Bruges near the North Sea coast. If you haven't seen the movie "In Bruges" yet, you're missing a beautifully photographed (but also violent) portrayal of this city. It is a classic old European city with canals, cathedrals, cobbled stone streets, and wonderful shops and restaurants.

The historic center is literally encircled by a canal that was at one time a moat for their walled city. It's name comes from the Viking word for "wharf" because in the beginning it was a port of the North Sea until the harbor silted in. That caused the townspeople to pick up and mostly abandon the city. That's why the center is so well preserved.

The Markt Square Belfort (tower) is the focal point of the square. With every turn you take, there's another great picture.
Horse drawn carriages along with colorful buildings add to the ambiance.

Just in front of the Belfort is a small metal model of the tower and a Braille description of the old town in 4 different languages! It was really cool.



It's Belgium, so there's a chocolate museum, Yay! The museum explains how chocolate started in the ancient Mayan and Aztec cultures. Chocolate was considered a drink of the gods. I agree. Unfortunately, we have Cortez to thank for bringing chocolate to Spain and then Europe after he ruined their culture.


Pete loved the Wall of Beer, which displays most of the 580 different brands of beer all brewed in Belgium. We tried a few of those on the wall, and loved each one.


Bruges is called the "Venice of the North" because of all the canals running through the city center. There were even more during it's heyday but many have been filled in for modern travel.

In the Church of Our Lady is one of only two Michelangelo sculptures outside of Italy. The Madonna and Child is sculpted from Carrara marble like most of his work. The sculpture was so close you could almost touch it.

Another unique building and museum is the old city hall. The city council met in the restored Gothic room from the early 1400s. The wooden ceiling is hand-painted and carved with hanging arches. Large murals along the walls show a history of big events in Bruges.

We really enjoyed this 2-day visit. During this time of year, there are far less tourists so I can only imagine on a nice, sunny summer day how many people would be here. But, this is not to be missed and it's a shorter drive for us than going from Brookings to Minneapolis.




....even the swans love it here.
Tschus!