Who is That? #7

Clue:  How many young girls have statues dedicated to them?  MC and I visited this place, a couple months ago, but did not blog about it (That is still coming... someday)

BTW: If you already guessed, you are right..

So here you go.  Send your guesses here.  Clues in a couple days.  Answer and next picture next Wednesday.

Who is That? Part Deux...

Ok, the contest is changing.  As you know, I can never tell if they are easy or hard - and neither of those really works.  Too easy, it is over before it starts.  Too hard, and no one guesses because it seems impossible.  So we will declare Alexander, our current leader, the winner of round one and try a new format.  Same prize: dinner at your choice of restaurant from a country we visit.

A picture will be posted weekly on Wednesdays.  You will submit your guesses by email, from a link embedded in the post.  The answer, winner and points will be contained in the following Wednesday's contest post.  Scoring: the first correct answer will still get 5 extra points.  Every correct answer will also get points: 10 for first day, 5 after clues.  Clues may come anywhere in the blog.  They may be hidden in those boring academic posts about Germany that will be starting any day now...

First picture tomorrow...

Fröhliche Weihnachten!

Merry Christmas from Berlin!  We have arrived safe and sound and are enjoying (?) a chilly White Christmas with Christopher and Kate.  Hope you and yours are safe, warm and happy...

Merry Christmas 2010

Christmas Eve will find me

where the love light gleams 

I'll be home for Christmas, 

if only in my dreams…

Well, this Christmas will find us a long way from home. That explains why most of you will be getting just a virtual Christmas letter this year. No, it's not about being green though we try to be as green as we can. And no, it's not about being cheap though I try hard there too. No, this year we just don't have the logistics to pull it off. We are about 5000 miles from our address book and four days from a stretch where we will be sleeping in five different cities in 10 days. Physical cards and letters will have to wait for 2011.

But Christmas won't wait and so we prepare for one this year that will be unlike any we've had before. Christmas Eve will find us in Berlin, starting the second of the visits that are part of phase II of Scott's sabbatical year. It is not our first Christmas in Berlin. In 1979, during the year we lived in Germany, we spent Christmas in Berlin. They had a wall then. The Soviets were invading Afghanistan and everyone was a little tense. I expect this one will be a little different. If nothing else, it will be different because this time we will not be alone. We will have a little bit of home with us. Christopher and Kate are joining us there, so it won't be the loneliest Christmas ever.

We will miss Alexander and Emily. They just cannot clear the decks and bug out to Europe for a few weeks. Both of them are up to their eyeballs in school commitments and on schedules that don't deliver the coordinated breaks a trip to Europe requires. Emily is in her second year (of two) of a veterinary tech program that's on the quarter system. It has an intense schedule and short breaks. On top of that she has responsibility for the animal care facility. The college keeps animals for the students to train with. There's no break caring for them. Someone has to be there 365.

Alexander is kind of in the same boat. He is in his second year of law school at USF. Second year is supposed be better than the first but it doesn't seem to be a whole lot easier. The rotten economy just adds to the already intense pressure. The last couple of years have been a bad time to be fresh out of college in any field. The law seems to be as bad as any, if not worse. There are a lot of unemployed young lawyers and that has thrown a monkey wrench into the law school pattern. The internships you were supposed to have while in school have become very hard to come by. Still, he keeps plugging along, hoping there's a light at the end of the tunnel and that it's not an oncoming train.

He and Emily are living in our house in Danville with their three cats and our one (yes, that's four – They do like them though so it is not as bad as it sounds to me). Having them to mind the place has turned out to be a godsend. At one point we had thought of renting our place out while we were gone. Good thing we didn't. One night in September the old oak in our neighbor’s yard decided to come crashing down. It put some big holes in the roof and back wall. Some of them just inches from where Alexander and Emily were sleeping at that time. We were very lucky. We are also lucky that there is someone there to manage the repair process. The insurance company (USAA - can't say enough good things about them. Great company) has helped a lot but the damage was significant and has taken months to repair. I don't think that a tenant would have been as patient or as accommodating as A & E. We will miss them.

Christopher and Kate we won't. Seeing Kate is not that big a stretch. We actually spent the weekend with her back in October. She's been in Scotland this semester with Lewis & Clark’s study abroad program at University of Glasgow. She is having a great time - except for the school part. I think she really loves the British lifestyle. She loved London in ‘06 and now Glasgow. I suspect this will not be her last sojourn on that sceptered isle. She is a junior this year, has committed to being a history major and is getting close to having to face the reality of life after college. After Christmas she returns to Portland and I don't think she'll be coming home to Danville this summer. Baby’s all growed up. I don't think I like that.

Christopher is available at Christmas due to a happy coincidence in his work life. Yes, Christopher has a job. In last year's letter it was a little dicey. He was stringing things together one day at a time and living on a shoestring. This year things are much more stable. In March, he got a contract providing video services to the San Jose Earthquakes. Since then, the Earthquakes have had a great season and have generated more and more work for a videographer. They made the playoffs and produced a ton of highlight material extending the team’s need for Christopher (click if you want to see his work)  Though the playoffs ended weeks ago, he just finished this week. Next year the season starts earlier and the team has discovered more things they want him to do. The gig is not yet full-time/permanent but keep your fingers crossed, it may get there. In the meantime, he has four weeks to spend with us.

That will be in Berlin. One of the advantages of what we are doing this year is the flexibility it brings. Only one part of the sabbatical was fixed in time and place. That was the semester at l’Université Libre in Brussels. From September to December we knew where we needed to be. After that it's up in the air. Scott has committed to research visits to 5 countries, but there are 12 on the list to choose from, so really we could go anywhere. By the way, being that footloose and fancy free is not as cool as it may sound. Ask MC. Where will we be in March? Dunno. We’ll let you know in February.

Actually our plans are a bit more defined than that. Back when we were planning Christmas we knew that we needed to visit Germany and Turkey, so we asked the kids to pick a place to spend the holiday, anywhere in, around or between those places. I was a little surprised they chose Berlin. I was thinking Mediterranean and sunny. They wanted a real ‘Christmassy’ place. Berlin fits that bill. They have the famous German Christmas markets and they have snow. It will be fun. It'll also take us back 30 years to when we were their age one Christmas in Berlin. That'll be weird.

After Christmas they will disappear quickly. They have traveling to do before they get back to ‘real’ life. MC and Scott will stay on in Berlin to finish the project in Germany and then it's off to Turkey for the third of the five studies. After that things get murky. Scott has applied for permission to visit Cuba (yes, Americans – the freest people on earth -still need our government’s permission to visit Cuba) By January, we should know whether we are going to get that permission. If we do, we may fly from 

Turkey to China (some very nice airfares from Istanbul for some reason) If we don't, we need to replace Cuba and may go from Turkey to France instead. It's nice to have options but some predictability would be okay. In any event, sometime in February or March we will be home in Danville for a few weeks to recoup before setting out on the final leg (destination TBD). Come summertime, I expect to be sitting at home, petting my cat(s?) resting on a beautiful needlepoint pillow* that says ‘Home, Sweet Home’. 

* Needlepoint is MC’s new ‘traveling’ hobby. A great, portable, time filler. Almost as good as the iPad and doesn’t need a WiFi connection.

Until then, we’ll be home - only in our dreams. Still, Christmas is what you make it – We’ll make it good. I hope you will too. There will be plenty of time to catch up on the other side, another reason to think 2011 can’t help but be a…

Happy New Year!

Best Wishes for a wonderful Christmas…

Fighting our way across Normandy

Well that may be a little over dramatic, but at times it sure has felt that way. Tonight we are in Bayeux, France. The first French city liberated by the Allies in 1944. It's beautiful. The architecture is spectacular. Because the Germans were not seriously defending Bayeux, the Allies decided that they did not need to bomb and the result is a beautiful, old city, made even more beautiful by a Christmas layer of snow.

Yes, I can say that now. The snow is beautiful. Yesterday it did not really feel that way. We left Brussels Friday morning facing my worst fears. On Thursday, I had finished school and that meant we had three days before we meet Christopher and Kate in Paris. We thought it might be nice to rent a car and drive through Normandy - unless it's snowed... It doesn't snow much in Normandy, does it?

Actually it doesn't. We asked. We were told that before last year it hadn't snowed in 10 years. We also heard on TV that this is the coldest December in France since 1910.

Our first stop was Honfleur, a four hour drive from Brussels - unless it snows. Which it did for nearly the first half of the trip. The extra time was not a big deal, it was the condition of the roads and knowing that all the drivers (including me) were not very experienced and probably driving cars not really equipped for snow. Eventually, we made it and it was worth the drive.

Honfleur reminds me a bit of Sausalito. Pretty buildings and lots of art galleries.

If it were not for tourism, you wonder what they would do. I don't think they are worried though. They get lots of tourists. In the summer. Winter not so much. Where we had dinner, a beautiful café on the harbor, we were the only ones.

After dinner we went back to the hotel to watch the weather forecast. If Friday was bad, Saturday was supposed to be worse. Oh boy! Fortunately Bayeux is only about an hour from Honfleur so at a break in the snow we set out. We actually did okay. We got here just as the next storm started, parked the car, and spent the day walking about. Bayeux is small enough that you can do that.

Walking in the snow is a lot more fun than driving. We strolled over to the tapestry and enjoyed what is an excellent presentation of an extraordinary document. Yes, it is more like a document, than a rug on the wall. It is like a storyboard of not just the Battle of Hastings but also the political intrigue that led up to it. The museum provides an audio guide that explains each of the 50+ scenes and includes an extensive exhibit of life in England after the conquest. Much better than I had anticipated.

From there we walked over to the Battle of Normandy Memorial Museum. D-Day is really what brought us to Bayeux. Omaha Beach is a short drive from here and tomorrow we may get there. The roads are not well travelled and uphill from here so the snow may derail those plans. If it does, we still got a good sense of the importance of those days in June 1944 to this part of France. Elsewhere, they may not be so well remembered. Here they put their stamp on everyday life.

Who is That? #6 - Solved (already)

A                  - - -                  B            - - -               C

Alas, some of you are wormless birds...

Ok, I thought this one might be easy.  Two right guesses within hours...  

But only the usual suspects playing...  Get off the bench!  Give them some competition!  

 

Next edition, Wed. Dec 29, 12:00 PM PST.  Follow the blog posts for clues.  We are changing locations 5 times between now and then. 

Leopold I           - - -           Leopold II            - - -            Albert I

The leader board after 6: 
Alexander 35 pts (1, 3 & 6)
Kris (2 in a row 1st day!  30 pts
Scott P 15 pts (1st day #2)
You? 0 pts - C'mon....

Bye-Bye Belgium, Part II

Moule-Frites, one last time

In preparing our farewell to Belgium, one can’t help but wonder what will become of this place. If we come back in five or ten years, what will it be like? This may seem like an odd question. Brussels is ancient. It has seen a lot of change recently, with the development of the EU and its physical institutions, but that is largely done. Why wouldn't Brussels be much as we leave it?

Well Brussels probably will be. It's Belgium I worry about. Belgium is very unstable. If you follow their politics (okay silly me - why would anyone follow Belgian politics?) you know that they are having an impossible time forming a national government. The election was six months ago and still the parties cannot agree who should govern. This is not new for Belgium.  Unfortunately their last election had the same outcome and when after almost a year they did form a government it only held together for short while before collapsing and leading to the present sad state of affairs.

Mr P as a Walloon Revolutionary

So what's wrong with them? Belgium has an interesting and surprisingly short history. Brussels may be ancient, but 200 years ago there was no such thing as Belgium. This territory was a battleground literally (Waterloo 1815) and metaphorically. It passed back and forth between the European powers.  Ruled by whoever’s star was ascendant at the moment. Though the ‘powers that be’ shifted, the people were, who they were. The Dutch-speaking Flemish in the north and the French-speaking Walloons in the south. They did not have much in common, but it did not matter much. They were both just provinces, ruled by outsiders. They went about their business, ignoring each other.

Until 1830, when the French Walloons had had enough. They were ruled by the Dutch (from Amsterdam) at the time. Wrong language, wrong religion - they revolted. The Catholic Flemish came along for the ride.  What they had in common – religion - was more important than the differences. For a while.

la Fete de la Communauté Francaise

But the differences have grown. The Flemish North was agricultural, poorer and more conservative. The Walloon South industrialized, became wealthy and socialist and dominated.  At one time all the universities were Frech, because it was the language of power.  Then it crashed. Like America today, Wallonia has been through the trauma of deindustrialization.  Funny - it did not turn them into Tea Partiers, rather it reinforced their desire for a social safety net. Only now it is the Flemish who have the money and they don't want to spend it on social welfare programs for the Walloons.

A profound split has been developing between the communities. They share almost nothing. Early in our stay here, at the French University we took a day off to celebrate ‘la Fete de la Communauté Francaise’. There was a concert on the Grande Place and a parade of reenactors in period dress, celebrating the Revolt against the Dutch. It is not celebrated in Flanders. They have different holidays.

the French map

Of course they also have different TV channels and newspapers. That only makes sense - different languages and all. What is odd is that the two communities and their cultural institutions (media, Universities, etc.) operate as if the other did not exist. Being French-speaking Anglos (mostly), we enjoy the fact that the Flemish (Dutch language) TV broadcasts in English with Dutch subtitles. We watched a lot of their shows and so we need a TV guide to know what is going to be on. We also watch Walloon channels because they broadcast in French and so, of course, we need a TV Guide to know what is on. Fortunately, TV Guides are not hard to come by. There's a free paper published in both French and Dutch that you can pick up that has TV listings. Convenient. Sorta.

the Dutch map

The odd thing is that the Dutch paper does not list the French channels and vice versa. They both list the foreign language channels (BBC, CNN, ZDF) but not the Belgian channels that broadcast in the ‘other language’. It's like they don't exist. So, to get the whole list you have to pick up both papers. When you do, if you read them, you start to notice other differences. The same firm publishes them both, but they do not have the same stories. The international, and sports news is all the same, but the local news, especially the political news, is often completely different.

Canadians will recognize the dynamic. They live in two solitudes. Side-by-side with very little interaction. You see it in the university systems as well. As a matter of fact I'm benefiting from it. At the French university they only allow me to take 14 ECTS (credits), which would not have been enough to justify a

You could combine them...

semesters study. Fortunately there's a completely separate university right next door – the VUB (Vreie Uni - same name, different words). There I can take the extra class. It works out great for me, but it is really kind of silly for them. I've been taking classes (all of them in English) at both universities. I’m the only student in my classes that takes advantage of the great and unique courses taught at the one or the other. I can guess why...  The bureaucratic hurdles that separate the two schools must be considerable. If you needed to transfer credit, I’m guessing it would be a nightmare. So nobody goes back and forth. Besides the lost opportunities to learn, there are the lost opportunities to create connections between communities. Seems you have to choose. You have to be one or the other. It's not a recipe for building a bridge across the political divide and the communities seem to be drifting away. Can Belgium hold it together? I think it's up in the air. Someday soon we may all be saying, bye-bye Belgium…

Bye, Bye, Belgium... Part I

Sometime back in fall 2008 we began to seriously think about spending several months in Belgium. It was time for a sabbatical and step one is creating a plan the college will sign off on. I knew that part of what I wanted to do was to go back to school and refresh my coursework, but the question was where?

ULB

I started looking for a school. I looked in California, in Canada and thought about pushing the envelope - so I started looking at schools in countries where I spoke the language: Germany, Switzerland, France and Belgium.  That's how I found the ULB (L’Université Libre de Bruxelles). ULB was perfect. A nice mix of students from around the world (okay around Europe, but still) and what a bonanza! Some of their courses were in English! It was the place for me. We settled on Brussels for the application. All we needed was permission. That was a little more complicated. My first application was rejected; a year later I could try again.

For more than two years we lived with the idea of going to Brussels before it became reality. For two years we followed the city and the country from afar without really knowing that much about it. Then we got here, and now in what seems like the blink of an eye, we are leaving. We will miss this place. It has been a great ‘pied a terre’

From the first day there have been wonderful surprises. We got off the train from Germany and headed for the metro where they would not take our money to ride the train. “It's free today”  What a great country! It turns out we had arrived on ‘No Car Day’ in Brussels and the streets were filled with pedestrians and cyclists. A huge party and a great start.

MOOF - Museum of Original Figurines

They have not had a party for us, everyday - but there have been adventures around almost every corner. It is a great thing to spend a long - but short time, in a new place. You have enough time to do lots of things, but he still grab all the opportunities that present because you know they will not be there next year at this time.

Almost every Thursday night MC and I have visited one (sometimes two) of the dozens of museums in Brussels. They have a program ‘Les Nocturnes’ that sees a rotating collection of museums that stay open late on Thursdays, usually with special programs. We had a tour of Mannekin P’s costumes, living history in Waterloo and a flashlight tour of the ancient Palace’s basement. We’ve done a lot - are getting ready to move on.

Beer Blog; The Belgian Styles

Beer has essentially just four ingredients. Water is one of them and there's not a lot of variation you can coax from that, so that leaves you with just three.

What will you emphasize? My favorite styles (Pils and IPA) emphasize the hops. Lambics: Gueze and Faro. Lambics emphasize the yeast. They use an extraordinary process of brewing. Unlike most brewers who are religious

What a country!  They use hops for hegdes!

about hygiene to avoid externalities in the wort, they open the doors and invite them in. They use the naturally occurring yeasts, floating in the air around us, to spontaneously ferment the brew.  They don't worry that each batch may be a little different. This is only possible in a small valley south west of Brussels and only for part of the year (October through March). It produces an interesting and unique beer. Light, kind of crisp, and a bit sour.  A Faro is a gueze to which candy sugar has been added in the wort. It does not make it sweeter, just bumps the alcohol content.
Belgian fruit beers. Lambics mix well with fruit and so they mix them...  A Kriek was the first beer I bought in Belgium.  It was clearly popular with the locals judging by advertising presence and shelf space.  For me it was just OK.  Now that I know more about the brewing process, the beverage is more intriguing. They use local sour cherries and add them to the wort. The malt is really just background. The Kriek is very red and more like an American cider. A little fruitier and sweeter than the English cider.  Lindemann’s Apple: very much like the American ciders. Long on Apple taste and much sweeter and fruitier than the English ciders. Framboise. A Delhaize brand, probably not the best example, but while the Lambic is well suited to blending with fruit, not all fruits are created equal. The raspberry is a little too light. This ends up more like a Gueze than a fruit Lambic.

Abbey and Trappist: Here’s a shocker!  Abbey Ales were made in Abbies and Trappist ales by monks. Today the appellation doesn't mean all that much, especially for the Abbies as all that is required is a license from the Abbey and the giant BrewCo can use their name. The Trappists still hew a little closer to tradition. They actually at least still have direct involvement with the process, though it may be just supervisory. There is no stylistic norm. Variation can be significant though they tend to be strong, emphasizing the malt element and sometimes aged in casks. If malt is your thing, the dark dubbles have a lot of character and make a nice sipping beer.  Westmalle: very nice, smooth, dark brown malty beer.  Ciny: very strong more yeasty. Orval: lighter in color and flavor, the malt shines through.  Kaiser Karl: a red in the Belgian mode, light hops - spices instead. Kind of like a Christmas beer, only they make it year round.

Belgian Triples: What makes a triple?  They have three times the alcohol content of your average beer. I feel compelled to try a few but it is not my favorite style. One .25 ml bottle packs a big punch. Two would put me under the table. The problem I have with a ‘triple’ is a kind of like why I prefer beer to wine, generally. Wine you sip.  Beer, water, lemonade, you drink. Triples you had better sip or else have somebody walk you home.  Leffe: an abbey beer with that distinctive spicy wild yeast flavor. 9% alcohol content. Tasty.  Florival, another. Good for style. Spicy and fruity.  Grimbergen:  Abbey style.  As you can see, Abbey style is just another twist on the ‘Belgian Standards’; Blonde, Double and Triple.  If that difference translates into differences in taste, it was too subtle for my unsophisticated palate.  Still they are all nice sippin’beers.

Brugse Zot. This beer was made by the brewery we toured in Bruges. Great tour, beautiful brewery. They don’t use it to make beer anymore but that didn't dampen enthusiasm of our guide for the brewing process or the rooms where they used to make their beer. They make both a blonde and a dark.  Both of them very good, very flavorful, perhaps the best dark I've had in Belgium. You can still taste the hops. Most Belgian darks tend to be more yeast flavor than hop flavor. The brewery is very small and very old in a quaint building on a canal (all Bruges buildings are quaint, it’s a requirement). De Halve Maan.  Turns out it's owned by the giant Belgian brewer who turns out Maes Pils, which it turns out is owned by Heineken, the world giant. It is sad that such a nice artisanal beer is actually produced by one of the worlds biggest brewers…

Living in a Winter Wonderland

Europe has been gripped by a major cold snap.  It has been below zero (C) here for several days running.  The pond in our neighborhood is nearly completely frozen over.  It has snowed several times and it does not
seem like the city is fully
prepared to remove it.  Here and there they salt, but most places the snow just sits.

The city's transit does not respond well to the white stuff on the roads.  The problem probably starts with the cars that slow down considerably, but it effects the busses, big time.  The other night on the way home from class, it seemed like the busses had disappeared.  A big crowd at the stop, and after a 10 minute wait I gave up and started walking.  I made it home (5 stops) before a bus passed.  I wonder if one ever came.

Still it was a nice walk, even if the quaint little cobbletones with their uneven surfaces are a real challenge when covered with snow.  It was snowing, and it always seems warmer when the flakes are falling.  For a Californian, not something we get to do everyday.  It's like living in a Winter Wonderland.

The Christmas season is finally here.  The lights that they put up weeks ago have finally been turned on.  Saint Nicholas is everywhere.  It is very pretty.  I'll let you know when I've had enough of the snow.  I give it another week.

Beer Blog: Belgian Beers

There are a lot of options.  We visited the Schaerbeek Museum of Beer (yes, they have them - and yes, there is more than one) where they had 1,500 bottles on display.  Not all of them are everyday beers and not all of them are still made, but even so – I think you could live here for years without ever having to have the same beer twice.

Local Favorites: Maes Pils may be the local favorite (based on advertising presence and shelf space) it could be Belgium’s Bud, only a lot more tasty. From the tap, a very nice, clean, crisp, hoppy, lager. Better than my memory of Stella. But I'll refresh my memory.

Stella Artois: as I remembered it.  Way too can bland for a European lager.  Makes you wonder who decides what to turn into a world brand. This would not be my choice.

Jupiler: the alternative to Maes. Big Time brew, the sponsor of one of the local football (soccer) clubs.  The cans are different, the contents not so much.  I probably couldn't tell a difference in the blind test. About like Stella. Nothing to write home about.

Looking for the bottom: Delhaize 365. Delhaize is a grocery chain. This is this is their generic beer.  About 40¢ for a half liter (pint). Can Belgians make a bad beer? Not this one. Very drinkable European style lager.

Premium Pils: another Delhaize generic, this one costs 60¢.  Hoppy aroma and flavor. Not as good as 365. Go figure.

Delhaize Brown Table Beer: The answer is yes, they can make a bad beer. This is definitely it. It is brown, but it tasted more like a soda than a beer. Very sweet. I took three sips to be sure I could not drink it, then did the unthinkable! Poured it down the drain. Truly awful.
 

Carapils, the students choice. You wander around campus and you see the piles of empty cans. Any guesses why it's the student choice? Okay, sure it's cheap. Taste?  For me it's no different than Stella but not as hoppy (read flavorful) as Delhaize 365, the cheapest of the bunch. The can is better looking. I guess they have some pride.

Next time: The Real Belgians; Triples & Abbey Beers