Rosy times

We are coming to the end of a three months stay in Munich and therefore we visited once again the botanical garden. A favorite place for us. Remembering the spring flowering, we wanted to check out what there is in bloom now.   

The china Parrot of the Nymphenburg manufacture had not changed!

But dense green foliage is now dominant and the colors of summer plants are just on their way to bloom.

Then we came to the rose garden and found all shades of yellow, red and pink.  Full in bloom they spread their fragrance and draw human noses closer, competing dangerously with busy bees. 

(If YOU want to come closer to roses, click on:

http://rosomanes.blogspot.de 

No bees but then no fragrance either)

Ship Ahoy!

Just a half hour by City train from Munich and we were at the shore of Lake Starnberg waiting for a ship to take us on a lake cruise.  Only a wait of ten minutes and we could start our one hour trip.
http://www.panomatics.com/nextgen/muc/seenschifffahrt/starnbergersee/

The captain pointed out the castle where Princess Sissi - later Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary - was born Christmas 1837. Later he pointed out the wooden cross marking the place where Ludwig II of Bavaria drowned June 13, 1886.  This date still is commemorated by the Bavarians.

Granted, the blue and white Bavarian flag waving proudly from the stern is much prettier then the German black/red/gold but Bavaria is now part of the German Federal Republic.

Jewelry-Box-Diplomacy

The broken glass ceiling in form of a pin and owned by Mrs. Albright.  So appropriate for her to wear it.  She certainly broke through when she was the first women to become Secretary of State.

This evening, Madeleine Albright will speak at Wellesley College, her alma mater.  All tickets are sold and I could not go because of packing my suitcase.  Curious, we went nevertheless to see the exhibition of all her 200 pins in the Davis Museum http://www.wellesley.edu/davismuseum/whats-on/current/node/42147

What we thought?  As she is a Wellesley graduate it is fitting, but otherwise it is more an exhibition for the Smithsonian Institute.  Most interesting were the pins which had a photo of her wearing one as a diplomatic nudge.  Her book is probably more interesting but the bookstore at Wellesley was closed.

Hot Street Food

In France we are not surprised to see customers standing in line to buy fresh baguettes. But in NY it struck us as odd when we saw a never ending line of patient (how surprising!) New Yorkers waiting to pick up a meal of chicken and rice.

http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2012/10/best-halal-cart-53rd-street-6th-avenue-street-food.html

Amazed we watched the Halal Guys preparing and selling the 'platter' in a frantic but controlled way. 

Now, back in Boston we learned that there are two groups of people: those who have eaten 'the platter' and those who have not.  Regretful we have to admit to belong to the latter…….. 

When we saw the hot dog vendor pushing his cart to a better location it should have been a hint.

 The New York hot dog topped with mustard and sauerkraut is so yesterday.

Five days in NY, NY

In New York, we like to stay at the 'Millennium One UN' and preferably in the 35th floor - corner room - if possible. In this way, just standing and looking out the window gives the instant feeling of being part of the city.  Like all visitors I got adrenalized by the buzz of people, cars, busses, police sirens, hawkers. So pleasant then after the busy day to fly up on the elevator to the quiet hotel room.

When it was raining it gave the pleasant feeling of being cocooned in a cloud.  

When the sun rose in the morning, the clear view to the Empire State building made me think of what I learned in the Zeppelin museum: the idea of mooring an airship on its top!?!  

http://www.airspacemag.com/daily-planet/docking-on-the-empire-state-building-12525534/?no-ist