Munich

Ok, think of the last day of the EX, December 24th shoppers, and the airport at the beginning of March break – all at the same time – and it will give you an idea of the crowds in Munich the last weekend of Oktoberfest. Add umbrellas – because, of course, it’s raining – and you get even a better picture!

I made my way through the Viktualmarkt to Marianplatz, the centre of town, and thought I might catch a hop-on-hop-off tour as a way of getting to know Munich. But just outside the city hall, there was a group forming beside a tour guide with a big sign saying “Free Tours of Munich.” Of course, they’re not free – generous tipping is encouraged, but it was at the right place and time, so I joined up.

We were right in front of the town-hall with its world-famous Glockenspiel. Curiously enough, the tour guides (there were three) trashed it rather thoroughly as tacky. I imagine if you’ve heard it dozens of times, it would be, but as a novelty it has some merit. The tour proceeded well, until the sky opened up, and the rain poured down. Suddenly the market (where we were at the time) was a sea of umbrellas, and about five of us couldn’t find the tour guide or the rest of the group.

With it being cold and wet, I headed to the Deutches Museum, which houses a large science and technology collection. A reproduction of Galileo’s workshop, nice collection of clocks, airplanes (including airships), musical instruments were the best parts. The clock collection featured numerous by Riefler, who apparently was from Munich. Riefler invented an escapement that improved mechanical accuracy substantially, about the best before quartz and cesium timepieces.

There was lots of interesting exhibits about Zeppelins and other airships, including engines, sections of the superstructure, and some furnishings.

This ride, for some strange reason, was in the courtyard of the museum. As it rotates, the riders can manipulate the wings to change their flight angle, or even rotate. The picture is taken from a museum window, but it was just getting ‘air-borne’ when I was leaving, so I stood well back (why would anyone stand directly underneath? Especially right after lunch??).

By that time, the sky had cleared a bit for walking around and getting a few pics. I’d forgotten how much mental energy is required to work in a foreign culture. By foreign, I mean a context in which one has no language ability. I really enjoy French and can get by quite easily; I have a smattering of Italian and Spanish (which wouldn’t stand much of a test right now). But other than about six words in German (danke being the best), I’m helpless, and it really takes more work to make the effort, even when many people here do speak English.

Oh, and by the way, many people thought that Jesus was just the King of Kings, Son of Man, and God Incarnate.  It appears that he was also a watchmaker! At least in Munich.

Au revoir Strasbourg (Guten Abend Munich)*

Hotels are already beginning to lose their charm. The walls are like paper here; gratefully, the only embarrassing sounds are from the baby next door. The library at BNU was a profitable. Interestingly, there were lots of debates about resetting the Strasbourg Astronomical clock with the advent of time-zones in the later part of the 19th century. Up to that point, the clock was on local time calculated by the Strasbourg Observatory. With the new time-zone, that was half an hour slow. Great debate ensued, since the clock was ‘astronomical’ it was strongly felt the clock should show ‘true local time.’ The issue surfaced again during WWI with the introduction of Daylight Saving Time.

Research finished up around 2:00 p.m., leaving about three hours to wander the city in alternating bursts of sunshine and rain. Check the picture of the kayaks in the river, there was a flotilla of them negotiating the lock.

TGV trains are wonderful fast and smooth, although just like VIA they do run late. Arrived in Munich later than expected. Just a culture shock from Strasbourg, which, although very cosmopolitan, still has a bit of small-town atmosphere. Leaving the Bahnhof in Munich, you immediately land in the tawdry area of town. And yes, it’s Oktoberfest and the streets smell of beer and are crowded with men in lederhosen and women in dirndls.

Oh, the glass thing in the picture is the new Central Station in Strasbourg. Instead of demolishing the 19th century Beaux-Arts station, a glass shell envelopes it and creates an additional passenger area where the street used to pass by in front.

Time for bed, but there’s a movie on TV – have no idea what it is, but it’s Paul Newman and Julie Andrews, and they're in Germany and fighting bad guys. Rather odd coincidence.

*apologies to Anne-Marie MacDonald.

Strasbourg Day II part 2

The debates were Thursday evening, and I managed to miss both of them. The front cover of Le Monde had an article about Sarah Palin – mostly about the faux-pas she has been making. Search as I might through the paper, there wasn’t the least mention of Harper, let alone May. I gather from the CBC that both debates were pretty tame. Rex Murphy commented they weren’t even real debates. Even the financial melt-down in the U.S. (and Canada?) is not making big headlines in the press here, although what there is suggests that the Europe is not immune. Getting the Canadian news via cbc.ca is one of the greatest technological tricks (along with Skype!). Otherwise from the media here, you wouldn’t know Canada exists.

Alsace seems to have a local dish, commonly called ‘tarte flambee.’ It isn’t what one might suspect; it’s actually closer to pizza. Most restaurants serve both, often with similar ingredients. The ‘normal’ tarte is oval (not round) and has a base of crème fraiche, along with bacon and goat cheese. It’s flamed in the kitchen, and comes slightly burnt around the edges and sizzling hot. As Sweeney Todd said to Mrs Lovatt, it all goes down well with beer!

Strasbourg Day II

The Strasbourg weather-gods obviously have it in for me. It was pouring rain when I left the hotel for the tram to the University this morning. I spent most of the day indoors, in a sun-splashed library, looking out over the fields. It was sunny for about half-an-hour after I left the library, and then the clouds rolled in and it poured again. And, it's been pouring all evening!

It's been a reasonably successful day of research. Lots of material at the archives, but most of it points toward the construction and details of the Strasbourg Cathedral Astronomical Clock. While that's interesting, I'm also looking for some of the ecclesiastical / theological context. In talking with the archivist, he immediately noted that the motivation was primarily prestige and competition with other cities. That seems obvious, but nowhere in any documentation is that actually articulated. Maybe it is / was so patently obvious, it didn't need to be said. Still, I'd like to find some explanation why they built what was probably the most sophisticated clock of its time -- in three different centuries (the first was built in the late 1300's, the second in the mid 1500's, and the current clock in the mid 1800's).

For those of us that spend too much time in church business, it may be either comforting or disconcerting that congregational politics never change. Back in the 1860's the church council for the cathedral complained to the Bishop that the crowds of curious onlookers who came to 'gawk' at the astronomical clock were unruly, and that they were treating the church as if it were a public place! They wanted the bishop to move the clock to another place in town where it wouldn't be such a nuisance. This, of course never happened; moving a clock that's more than 40 feet tall and weighs many tons is not undertaken lightly. The clock remains in its original location to this day. Without it, there wouldn't be half the traffic to the church!

Strasbourg

The trip to Strasbourg was uneventful, but I arrived to more rain. It’s always raining here! The hotel was easy to find, and is simple and well-located. A short walk got me to the municipal library to get started on some research. They had a few good books, but hopefully tomorrow at the Bilbioteque National Universitaire will be better.

Strasbourg is a beautiful city, located on the Ill River, several canals make a number of islands, the largest being the city centre. The sinuous streets are lined with ancient houses and buildings that overhang the sidewalk, and even on the first of October, there are lots of flowers. Much of the old city is pedestrian only (here, as in Paris, pedestrian includes bikes, but thankfully not scooters). The only major traffic is the streetcars, which run throughout the city and converge in the old town at a transportation hub. Unlike Toronto streetcars, these look like TGV trains. They are shaped like high-speed trains, with cars strung together and sleek aero-dynamic noses (even if they only go about 40 km/h!). They’re also very low, so that you only step up a small amount when entering. One runs right by the hotel, so I’ll see how quiet they run tonight.

The great thing about old cities like Strasbourg is the maze of lanes and streets that make exploring interesting. The bad thing about old cities like Strasbourg is the maze of lanes and streets that make getting lost inevitable. After visiting the library, I walked around quite for quite a while, but when I tried to get back to the hotel, the way just didn’t seem to come clear. Finally back at the hotel I realized I’d gone past the street several times, despite following the map. Of course, the fact that the street changes names several times didn’t help!

Dan goes to the Opera

The opera house and the show was amazing. The Opera House, also known as Opera Garnier or Palais Garnier, after the architect, is immense, with about a quarter of it devoted to the grand entrance and staircases. My seat was in the third balcony (there are five), and on the stage left side. The balconies on the side are really boxes, each with six seats, that are actually just chairs. It’s incredibly cramped and the sight-lines are lousy (as promised, only about 2/3 of the stage is visible when you’re seated. People tend to stand for much of the show). Fans of Phantom of the Opera will be pleased to hear there is the most ginormous chandelier in the centre of the house! If it crashed, it would take out most of the orchestra seating!!

The show was amazing, a number of ballet pieces choreographed by Jerome Robbins, music mostly by Chopin. Some were very modern, others more classical. The last piece “The Concert” was a comedy, with a pianist on stage, and various characters coming to listen to her and interact with her, the piano, and each other. I don’t know if the people on the far side of the house had the same experience, but it seemed that most of the action took place down-stage right, the area almost invisible from my seat.

It’s been a while since I’ve been to the ballet, and I really enjoyed it. The combination of music and movement without text is engrossing. It requires a lot of concentration and attention, more, perhaps, than a play. The setting was absolute minimalist, with no set or back-drop, just different lighting and strong shadows. And, I’d forgotten how many curtain-calls are the norm for ballet. I think the proper proportion is about five minutes of curtain-calls for every ten minutes of performance.

Biking in Paris

Paris seems to be ahead of many cities in North America, especially when it comes to transit and bicycle use.. To be sure, the city is totally crowded with cars and motorcycles, and the broad boulevards (sidewalks) that Hausemann had laid out have been taken over by bicycle lanes and parking spaces so that the pedestrian zone is in many places quite narrow. And what’s the logic behind closing streets to traffic to make pedestrian-friendly zones, but still letting scooters and motorcycles in? But one of the new innovations is a bicycle exchange. Throughout the city, strategically placed in high-traffic areas, are bicycles for public use. People sign up and get a pass card (I don’t know what the fees are), and this gives them access to bicycles at any of the bicycle stands. Each stand has maybe 20 or more bikes, and they are securely locked to their posts, until you free it with your card. The bikes are quite unique in style and make. I’m assuming that when you’re finished with the bike, you return it to any of the bicycle stands. You see people on these bikes all over the city. And riding a bike in Paris takes some nerve!