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

Zeppelin Museum

From Munich it is a good two hour drive to Lake Constance. We arrived and marveled again at the wonderful view of the snow covered mountain tops of the Swiss Alps on the other side of the Lake.

Next day was overcast with drizzle and a grey haze covered any view.  Good idea then to visit the Zeppelin Museum http://www.zeppelin-museum.de/846.html which is in the beautifully restored harbor railway station in Friedrichshafen built in 1933.

I had a vague idea about the airship LZ 127 - Graf Zeppelin because two of my uncles were involved in the building of this airship between 1926 - 1928.  But I learned that there was a regular transatlantic passenger service from Friedrichshafen to Lakehurst, New Jersey. Very popular for those who could pay for a ticket, because the crossing took only 111 hours!  The comparison of a model of the Zeppelin to a modern airplane was impressive. 

If you watch this 80 minutes documentary assemblage produced by BBC Four and narrated with the text of Lady Grace Drummond-Hay it brings you back to the pioneering flight around the world in the Zeppelin 1929.     http://youtu.be/d4jq7oRxw-g

Dirndls make a come-back

This Alpine peasant costume became widely known in the US when the Trapp family moved to the States and performed concerts dressed in dirndls (think Julie Andrews).  Today I read in the Munich newspaper that there is a new interest in dirndls, now styled in all sorts of fabrics. Cotton, linen, silk and taffeta all depending to which occasion it will be worn. A dirndl is ideal for festive events like weddings or Holiday celebrations.

I had looked at the rows of dresses in department stores and was tempted to try one but then realized that it would be wrong as somebody from the Baltic Sea….

There is the possibility to have one tailored in the colors, form and fabric one chooses and then has the time to wait at least two months. The waiting list is that long. A quicker solution is to make it yourself in a 3-day workshop.  http://www.muenchen-nach-mass.de/html/dirndl_nach_mass.html

The partner to a women in a dirndl has to wear lederhosen and a green hat with a Gamsbart…..

Another reason to just admire dirndls from a distance!

Book Temple

One of Europe's most important universal libraries is just around the corner from where we live in Munich.   http://www.bsb-muenchen.de/en/about-us/    From the outside it is one long stretched facade with relatively small heavy wooden doors. But then inside the splendor of the romanesque revival architecture unfolds.  This library was built between 1832 and 1843. During  WW II  85 %  of it was destroyed but it was then reconstructed and a modern south wing added.

In  this addition there is now a reading room with 535 seats and open from 8 am to midnight.  Best to come early to get a seat and quiet is strictly required.  No food allowed except a water bottle which has to be kept on the floor.  Compared to Boston College libraries, where food and talk is allowed, it is a pleasant return to previous times.