Holiday Greetings

From our winter wonderland

we send greetings and a stanza from Ann Weems' poem

titled "Star-Giving" 

What I'd really like to give you for Christmas

Is a star...

Brilliance in a package, 

Something you could keep in the pocket of your jeans

Or in the pocket of your being,

Something to take out in times of darkness,

Something that would never snuff out or tarnish,

Something you could hold in your hand,

Something for wonderment,

Something for pondering,

Something that would remind you of

What Christmas has always meant;

God's Advent Light into the Darkness of this world.

-- Ann Weems

Sun versus Shade

A day trip took us to Sisikon,

a small village nestled in Alpine shade.

Chilled to the bone, we took a photograph, 

boarded a northbound train

and disembarked at Schwyz, Switzerland.

Here we found sunshine, trails, and

green pastures.

Our two-hour uphill hike rewarded us with

this vista, a view that reminded us of

the Columbia River Gorge, specifically Angels' Rest.

Among our sightings was this tool. From it we learned:

when the handle of a shovel breaks, 

find a tree limb, attach, and resume work.

Now that's recycling.

Next time: Baden: a castle, a fort, and the bridge in-between

Historical Berlin

Ahhhh, Berlin. A monumental city with history around each corner and at the center of each plazza. Whether it's dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum,

the statue of physicist Max Planck at Humboldt University,

the Berliner Cathedral,

or the Brandenburg Gate, designed as an arch of peace, this city holds myriad wonders and memorials. One week was not enough time to do the city justice. We will return.

Remembrances of War

Each of these slate slabs is a memorial

to a politician who was murdered and persecuted 

since he opposed Chancellor Adolph Hitler. 

There are 96 slabs.

A former member of Tabor Heights UMC

was a cabinet maker in Berlin during World War II.

He recounted how every tree in the city was cut

to make coffins. Tiergarten, a 400-acre park

now nicknamed the "green lungs of Berlin",

heralds the return of the trees.

A reconstruction of Checkpoint Charley is,

in Rick Steve's words, "a Cold War freak show."

Two actors play American guards who

pose for photographs. However,

a photo exhibit lines the sidewalk and

spotlights historic moments featuring

Churchill, Franklin, Stalin, Truman, and Kennedy.

And let us never forget the unforgettable Kruschev.

Segments of the Berlin Wall vividly remind 

one of the city's divided past. 

These crosses commemorate those individuals

who lost their lives attempting to escape

from East to West Berlin. The first in 1961, the last in 1989.

Berlin - Modern Day

This was the neighborhood where we spent

one week in Berlin, a place

of contrasts.

Some sites are neglected.

Others, like the Sony Center at Potsdamer Platz,

show development in full swing.

At the Potsdamer Platz underground station

Alexander Polzin's sculpture reminds

passersby of Giordano Bruno's ultimate sacrifice.

 Born in 1548 near Naples, Italy, 

Bruno was burned at the stake as a heretic on February 17, 1600.

A late afternoon rainbow graces Berlin's skyline.

Change of Mind

On Wednesday of this week Roger and I

returned to Switzerland's "City of Roses"

(Rapperswil) to enjoy the town's

shoreline boardwalk. 

In the distance is a former castle,

now a Polish Museum. 

Autumn along Lake Zurich -- only

the Eurasian Coot seems to move.

This site is only a 40-minute trip from Zurich.

It's too beautiful to visit only once.

A local Sister walks before us.

Wall Art

Wall "art" thrives in the small towns along Lake Como in Italy. Whether it's graffiti, an age-old fresco or a ceramic Madonna and Child, exterior walls reveal symbols of faith, historical profiles, and creativity. 

On a home -- 

in a botanical garden --

and on a business in downtown Menaggio.

My least favorite -- but perhaps the most creative -- on a wall of an abandoned school. It is titled "Angels." 

Varenna, Italy

Varenna, Italy is located on the east shore of Lake Como in the Italian Alps.

Doting Lake Como's shoreline are villas. While many aristocrats sold their 

villas when expenses exceeded income, others have retained them

and charge the public to tour the lavish interiors 

and amble through the botanical gardens.

Castle Vezio overlooks Varenna. It pre-dates the 13th century and before that

was a military fortress whose tower was a "sighting tower".  Somehow -- and

please don't ask me how or when -- a Queen Teodolinda figures into the history

of the fortress. 

This is a view of Varenna from the castle. Both of the gray roofs are

 church buildings with the smaller, oblong one being a

church dating back to the 9th century AD. 

Walking Tour of Zurich

Zurich was founded by the Romans in 58 B.C. This is the Lindenhof, once a Roman fort and now the people's square. 

Legends of the city's founding date back to the martyrdom of two saints (a third was added to the story centuries later). The martyred trio are said to have been beheaded at one site, carried their heads to another, and were buried at a third. Statues and paintings throughout Zurich feature this legend.

The architect of this ornate building became so disgruntled with the criticism received by those who thought the design too elaborate for Zurich that he sculpted the faces of his critics over the windows. 

And here we have a "monument" to punitive sentences awarded to recalcitrant Zurich youth: they were stripped, caged, and visible for all passersby to see.

On the day of this tour, much of downtown Zurich was closed to automobiles. Foot traffic, bicycles, and mass transit were the means of getting around. And here, with the old Fraumunster church in the background, is a fleet of Twikes, 2-person vehicles whose occupants can choose to pedal or rely upon the electric battery. 

A Side Trip to Winterthur, Switzerland

Located about 16 miles northeast of Zurich, 

Winterthur boasts a number of 

art museums, a thriving industrial economy, and 

a municipal history dating back to 1264 AD.

Being "green" is a lifestyle here as seen by the four blocks of bikes parked

on the streets by the train station. This is the city's "park and ride"!

 

These shoes are "on sale" (an a sidewalk item)

 but their price is almost $100. That's not a "sale price"

in the Warren's budget.

Winterthur may not have 1250 drinking fountains like Zurich,

but citizens and visitors 

refill their water bottles at these public watering holes. 

While art museums hold the masters, folk art adorns the public

fronts of businesses and private homes. One might see geese in one block

and dragons or angels in another. 

Next time: How the young used to be publicly punished in Zurich. Believe me, it's not an idea we want to emulate.

Our Neighborhood

This graffiti is one of hundreds at Fabrik, a former factory that anarchists took over in the 1980s. They applied for -- and received -- arts funding. The "canvases" can change daily.

Grapes from the bio-farm up the street grace our meals these days. Luke said it best, "And these grapes have never been in a car." Talk about a low carbon imprint!

The Zurich harbor on a sunny autumn day.

One of our favorites hikes is on the ridge to our west.  To the south of this spot are the Alps and to the west a village with red roofs and white walls. 

 

Just minutes from home we build a campfire and enjoy a brotwurst roast.  Once each month the kindergarten class treks into the woods (rain or shine), makes a fire, and cooks a lunch. On this Saturday we are honing Luke's campfire skills.

Love among the Ruins

Okay, so this isn't Katherine Hepburn and Laurence Olivier in "Love Among the Ruins" but Lunch among the Ruins with Roger and Becky. Note the chocolate bar -- and the ruins.

The history of this Castle Hohentwiel in Singen, Germany, spans a thousand years. 

Prior to any "permanent settlement," inhabitants may have banded here for protection. The Romans used this extinct volcano as a signaling station.

A view from the top reveals the lower level of this castle "complex."

Homeward bound, we enjoy telltale signs of autumn.