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Published: July 17th 2008
Warning: This entry is massive. Read at your own risk.
Since I last left you I have been in three different countries. I left Heidelberg and went to Cannes, France to meet up with an old friend I hadn't seen in five and a half years. After a miraculous journey (one of my trains was late, so I missed the bus that was supposed to take me to the other train station in Avignon, and I got off the bus at 14:46 and somehow made the train that left the station at 14:47), I arrived in Cannes before Brian and was left to my own devices for a couple of hours. It was already evening, so most of the stores were closed and I had Theodore (I named the backpack Theodore; he's the nine-year-old child who refuses to walk himself and insists on being carried everywhere) to deal with. I walked the promenade along the Boulevard de la Croisette until I found a nice seat where I could watch people and the sunset. It was so interesting to see the different mix of people there and what they were all wearing: bathing suits, jeans, t-shirts, suits, and gowns. At one point I saw a nice looking couple dressed in all white walking along and thought, "Hey, that looks an awful lot like Ellen Degeneres. And that woman she's holding hands with is the spitting image of Portia di Rossi. Wait a minute, that is Ellen Degeneres and Portia di Rossi!" What's Cannes without a celebrity sighting, right? This moment was soon eclipsed, however, by the incredible sunset over the mountains in the east with the most beautiful colors reflecting off of the Mediterranean.
I finally met up with Brian and was able to stash Theodore at the hotel the tour group he was leading was staying. He had just gotten into Cannes, so we walked back down along the beach. It is one of the few sand beached in the area, but I was able to find the few rocks that were hidden in the sand with my big toe...repeatedly.
The next day I was allowed to join the Explorica tour group of spoiled 14-17 year olds, most of whom were bored with Europe already because they had been there before. I'm sure they've been to the mall a thousand times and have never gotten bored there, but Europe is such a yawn. Anyways, I got to tag along to the Fragonard parfumerie in Eze; they even let me go on the tour and get the free sample! Next we headed to Monaco! I knew that they were packed into a small area, but it still surprised me how condensed everything was. We stopped to see the Royal Palace, several views of the harbor and Mediterranean, and the exotic gardens. Then we headed to Nice where we took a tour of the confiserie Florian before heading to see the Old Town and go to the beach. This was my first pebble beach experience, and while it was not comfortable to walk on without shoes, if you position the rocks strategically you can give yourself a back massage. Also, another amazing people-watching opportunity. Later on I explored the park areas along Rue Massena as I searched for a non-existent water fountain; I was pleasantly surprised by how much open space there was in such a central area.
As hard as it was, I had to part with my over-privileged companions as they headed to Florence and I left for Avignon. I stopped there just long enough to get to the Musee d'Art Contemporain to see the Jenny Holzer installation and make it back to the train station to go to Dijon. I got to Dijon without any hostel reservations, so I headed to the internet cafe across from the train station to see what my options were. While I was there Theodore's right arm (read: strap) broke and I immediately decided to stay at the closest hotel I could find. Luckily there were several options near by and I got a quaint little room in a garden courtyard.
The next morning I headed straight for FRAC (Fond Regional d'Art Contemporain) to see their Barbara Kruger...which I found out was not on view when I got there. So, I had the day to wander around Dijon. I saw Notre Dame, St. Michel, the Hotel de Ville (Palais des Ducs), Cathedrale St. Benigne, and Place Darcy.
Then I headed back to the station to catch the first of several trains that were going to take me to Salzburg. This train was an hour and a half late, so I missed all of the various connections and found myself in Zürich at 1am with no place to stay. They have a very convenient board in the train station there that lets you call local hotels and hostels directly to make a reservation. I called about 15 different places, all of which were either full or €400/night. I was in a phone booth about to call home to ask what to do when the police came a knocking to let me know that the bahnhof was closing and I had to leave. I told them my situation and the nice officer said that it was a warm night and that there were nice benches on the left side of the station. I did not like this idea. Then they introduced me to Lucy, a Polish woman who works in Zürich and had missed her last train home after a late business dinner. We left the station trying to figure out what to do and where to go. We were shocked by how dead the city was at 2am. Lucy remembered reading an article about a bar Madonna liked to go to that stayed open to 4am. We arrived to this posh bar, me wearing my travel clothes and broken backpack, just in time for them to tell us that we could have one drink but that they were closing. The waiter told us that McDonalds was 24 hours, so that's where we headed next. We each ordered something so they would let us stay, but at 4am they told us that they were closing and we had to leave...the theme of the day. They finally let us back in the train station where we sat and watched a soap opera dramedy involving a group of drunk teenage girls, a Latin guitarist, a young Slovak, and the police. Lucy is a manager for Credit Suisse but writes short stories in her spare time. We exchanged emails and she will send me the finished version of our adventure. I moved from what I had claimed as my bench to the waiting room where I napped on and off until my train at 9:40.
I arrived in Salzburg around 15:30 and found Tante Bubby waiting for me on the platform. After such a frustrating day/night/day-again it was wonderful to see a familiar face, and Tante Bubby's face is very familiar since it has not changed in the 23 years I have known her! We drove into the old town, parking in the mountain, and walking around a bit to see the Franziskanerkirche (Fransiscan Church), the Dom, and the market with the largest, best-looking cherries I have ever seen. We then stopped off at the cobbler before returning to Tante Bubby's apartment, but we had to go and unpack Theodore and Bubby returned him just before the cobbler closed. How lucky to catch him at 6 on a Friday night! That night we had a yummy dinner of weisswurst as I got to learn about Tante Bubby's complex that has classes and groups and activities galore. Peter jokes that it's like school, I think it's more like camp, and want to know when I can move in.
The next morning Tante Bubby was nice enough to drive me into town before heading back to pick up the refurbished Theodore from the cobbler. I wandered around a bit just getting my bearings, starting off at Mozartplatz seeing the Glockenspiel, then heading through the Residentzplatz towards Mozarts Geburtshaus (house where Mozart was born). I then headed back through the Alter Markt to Kapitelplatz and up the Festungsbahn to the Festung (fortress) Hohensalzburg. Here I followed the audioguide through the state rooms, getting to see the different building phases under the various Archbishop Princes. This led us to the top of one of the towers where I got an amazing panorama of the city and the surrounding areas. The fortress was like a small village itself, I even think that there are people who live there, I couldn't find another explanation for laundry drying on a line and the childrens play set.
I headed back down the hill stopping in St. Peter's Cemetery and the catacombs. The cemetery was beautiful and peaceful, one cannot see any signs of modern-day life from within its walls. I kept having Sound of Music flashes as I walked through. Next I headed down the road to the Museum der Moderne Rupertinum to see a great Rebecca Horn show called "Love/Hate", and an exhibition "Art at the Dawn of a New Era: Painting, Graphics, Sculpture, and Photography around 1900" that looked at continuity through radical changes, preservers and innovators.
From here I walked up and over to the Mirabellgarten where I continued to be inundated with flashed from the Sound of Music. There were so many cliche, posed pictures that I wanted to take, but there were too many people around. I waited a while to see if the crowd would thin, but a group of fifty-some Laosian business men did not move from around the fountain. So, I gave up and walked back to town along the Salzach river watching the vendors scramble to pack up or at least secure their wares as the dark clouds came in and the winds picked up. I got to the Panorama Museum just as it began to sprinkle. I really enjoyed seeing Johann Sattler's panorama of Salzburg after having seen it myself from the Festung Hohensalzburg tower. It was interesting to compare and contrast what was still there, what was gone, and how much the city had expanded since 1829. There were also cosmoramas of a number of other cities and locales. My favorite, though, was the interactive panorama so one could touch different buildings and squares to find out their histories or fun facts. I must have spent over half an hour playing with the interactive map. I then had to leave to meet Tante Bubby by the "Green Chap", a bronze statue of Mozart in Mozartplatz. That night we had a fabulous dinner at a restaurant a couple towns over from Ainring. And I was reunited with a completely functional Theodore!
On Sunday morning Tante Bubby and I went to the Dom for Mozart's Credo Messe (Creed Mass) performed by an orchestra, which was absolutely stunning. At one point I closed my eyes and felt as if the music was lifting me up. Afterwards, Tante Bubby headed home while I went to the Residentz State Rooms and Gallery to see an interesting exhibition, "Sunde" (Sin), which covered how sin has been depicted in art from ancient to contemporary times. Interesting.
My attempt to go to the Museum der Moderne Monchsberg was quickly thwarted as it was closed for re-installation. So, I headed back to the Mirabell garden hoping that there would be fewer crowds since th weather wasn't very pleasant. I was right! I preferred the gardens the second time without the huge crowds, despite the rain and wind. However, now there wasn't anyone to ask to take my picture in the cliched poses. Both days I found myself humming or singing constantly...I guess the hills really are alive with the sound of music.
On Monday I was invited to join Tante Bubby and her niece Lisie (sp?) on their trip to the family house in Aussee where they were going to meet up with Aunt Stephanie (93) and her daughter Johanna. We had a wonderful drive out with incredible vistas of turquoise lakes nestled between tree-covered mountain peaks. It was wonderful to finally see Aussee, a place I have heard about all my life. While we were there Lisie serendipitously found a binder with letters between her Father and my Grandmother and Great-grandmother regarding miniature pieces of furniture that he created for my grandmother to sell in her store, Boutique, in Washington during the late 1930s and 1940s. It was perfect.
We all had a lovely lunch of local river trout at a restaurant in town, and then walked over to the cemetery after a coffee at the house. Such a sweet town. I was so glad to have the opportunity to go. We then had to drive back in horrible, rainy weather. Tante Bubby took me straight to the train station where I was able to hop on a train immediately headed for Vienna. And that's where I am now. I've been here two days now, but I'll save that for the next entry, I think I've done enough damage for one night.
My love to you all!
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Lynn
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Goodness! Rebecca Horn, followed by "Sunde"! Mit schlagobers??