We had the pleasure last night of dinner with our friend Ben, his mother Debbie, cousin Barb and their friend Susan. Ben came into our lives early this past summer when he showed up to work on assignment at the Embassy. Turns out his Government job was only to pay for his music studies - he is an extremely talented operatic tenor with a wicked sense of humour and he puts up a damn fine blog as well. God I hate multi-talented people.
He had been in Berlin last year studying and performing and when he returned to Vancouver after several months in Rome decided it was now or never. So in September he gave up his comfortable job and moved to Berlin with a suitcase and some IKEA pillows to pursue an operatic career.
Last night's dinner was a veritable feast of Prussian delights at the Restaurant Marjellchen in Charlottenberg near Savignyplatz. Anyone who has read Christopher Isherwood's Goodbye to Berlin - the inspiration for Cabaret - will recall that Sally Bowles and company lived in a rooming house in the area of this lovely Platz. These days its known for its restaurants, chic boutiques and some rather good examples of pre-War buildings.
But our main interest last night was food - good hearty Prussian food. And the heartiest of all was Ben's pork chop. Oh sure the rest of us had hearty - borscht, double chicken broth, veal aspic, pork and beef fillet hot pots, chicken livers, dumplings, boiled potatoes, fried potatoes - but his was hearty! It had to be the biggest damned pork chop I'd ever seen! It was at least an inch and a half thick! And it came with dumplings! And onion gravy! And Ben, because his mother always told him to finish his plate, did exactly that! And he had desert to! Well so much for the starving artist theory! 08 novembre - Santi Quattro Coronati
Laurent and I are currently on a little extended weekend break in Berlin. One of the pleasures of living in Rome - and despite my bitching there are many - is that you are only an hour or two away from most major European cities: London - 2 1/2 hours, Athens 90 minutes, Berlin 2 hours. And the many discount airlines that service the city always have deals on the go.
Despite my unfortunate experience with EasyJet two weeks ago - and that really wasn't their fault, I mean a strike in Italy who would have thought????? - we flew with them this past Friday. The Berlin flight leaves from Ciampino, Rome's other airport. As airports go its small but surprisingly efficient, we were through check-in in 20 minutes and through security in minutes. If we had left from Fiumicino, the big airport, we would probably still be waiting in the security line up. Just proves that things can be made to work in Italy, all you need is the will.
It has been almost 10 years since we were last in Berlin and Monday will be the 20th anniversary of the fall of the wall. We will be missing the major celebrations as we are leaving Monday afternoon but the city is still very much "en fete" for the occasion. And I'm not sure I want to stand in the predicted rain with thousands of people at the Brandenburg Gate.
This is my fourth visit to Berlin, the third since the country was reunited. I was first in Berlin when it was still a divided city - my friend Gary and I came here in the mid-80s. I recall as our flight took us over East Germany our aircraft was escorted by two MIG-jets almost all the way into the city. It was a cold, damp dreary few days and the Day of Atonement, a major Lutheran holiday that meant everything was closed. We stood at Checkpoint Charlie and looked over the wall. We planned to go into East Berlin but the slow crawl on the U Ban that took us through ghost stations and our arrival at Fredrichstrasse station to find a platform lined with soldiers changed our minds. It was an unsettling experience as I recall feeling trapped and a German I met explained that it was like living on an Island.
Today we are staying in a hotel a block away from that same station and, except for dinner last evening, haven't left Mitte (formerly part of East Berlin) since we arrived. The purpose of this little jaunt was to see the newly renovated Neues Museum and the new Museum of German History. Everything we wanted to see on this trip is within walking distance and had we decided to go to the opera or theatre all of the more well known venues are near by. That and some great restaurants and cafes.
The weather has been a bit on the chilly side and today was foggy but we had the warmth of Friday lunch with our old friend Daryl from Warsaw plus lunch with our friend Ben and then dinner with him, his mom Debbie, cousin Barb and their friend Susan.
I'll have a bit more to report in the next day or two but now its time for kafe und kuchen - coffee and cake! And what better place than the Operapalais Cafe.
Sadly all I can do - damn gluten intolerance - is press my nose against the glass and salivate over Europe's largest cake buffet. 08 novembre - Santi Quattro Coronati
This past Saturday was the first of our season's concerts at the Accademia and it was nice to exchange greetings with a few of the regulars who we recognize from past seasons including the rather courtly gentleman who sits to our left. However we noticed that the pleasant couple who always sit in front of us weren't there - I know they had a full concert series (26 concerts) last year maybe like us they decided to only do one of the half series.
Our series got of to a good start with Antonio Pappano conducting the first in a string of all Russian concerts under the umbrella title Passione Russa.
The evening began a trifle slowly with Anatoli Lyadov's The Enchanged Lake - a morose little tone poem that set both Laurent and our friend to the left into the land of Nod. There didn't seem to be much passion - Russian or Italian in either Lyadov's composing or Pappano's reading though the strings had their accustomed shimmering tone.
The last item on the programme was the Tchaikovsky - I love the Italian spelling Čajkovskij with a little moon over the C - Symphony n. 4. If the programme notes are correct this was the 82nd time the orchestra had tackled the work since they first performed it in 1910. It was their second time under Pappano the first being in 2006. I often find Pappano's conducting a bit over the top - too much molto forte, to much pianissimo, not much in between - and this was again the case. But he coaxed a wonderful reading of the pizzicato Scherzo movement from the players. I had never been more aware of the humour in the extended section for plucked strings. It was almost tongue-in-cheek in its light-heartiness. After such a subtle reading of that movement it was rather jarring to hear Pappano's bombastic treatment of the Finale. A good performance that could have - had the other three movements been as brilliant as the Scherzo - verged on great.
Sandwich between was the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto 4 performed with the Norwegian pianist Lief Ove Andsnes. Even though Rachmaninoff is not to my taste - I find his music often seems too "Hollywood" - Andsnes gave amble proof as to why he is considered one of today's top young pianists.
Here he is playing the Greig Piano Concerto No. 1 with the BBC Symphony at one of the Proms concerts.
Granted Slatkin isn't really a conductor that sets the world on fire - he could use a bit of Pappano's bombast - and there are times when the balance needed between orchestra and piano for a concerto are missing but damn Andsnes is one fine pianist. And sort of cute looking too! 04 november - San Carlo Booromeo
And a few more items in my continuing attempt to make up for the paucity in household tips in the past three years:
Reheat Pizza
Heat leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove; set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the food channel and it really works.
Reheating refrigerated bread
To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave next to a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.
Measuring Cups
Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient (peanut butter, honey, etc.) and watch how easily it comes right out.
Normally I would be posting one of my Lunedi Lunacies to start the week off with a smile but today is a day of remembrance. All Souls, in the church calender, is the day when all those who have died are remembered. In my old parish in Toronto the Orthodox Kontakion for the Dead was sung at the end of every Requiem mass. This canto from the Eastern liturgy contains a phrase that has always cut to my heart when it asks that the deceased be granted rest in a place "where sorrow and pain are no more."
Today I remember especially four dear friends, three who I lost in the past year and one who's passing three years ago is as painful today as it was then. And it is my earnest hope and prayer that they are all in a place where sorrow and pain - physical or mental - are no more.
Three years ago my daring Ryan decided to leave us. Why he choose that path is still a question that nags at those of us who loved him. We will never know and perhaps it is best to let the question rest - it was his path and though it robbed us of possible good times there are still the memories of what was shared for too brief a time. I still find that when I've seen an opera that I enjoyed - or better yet didn't - I want to pick up the phone and call him. When I read an article, a blog post or book that I found fascinating that I want to send him an e-mail telling him all about it. And I so long to hear about his latest project, the new book in progress and his travels, reading and listening. He always had so much to share. And Christmas without one of his "Crackers" just isn't complete. And there is so much that has happened since he died that I wish I could share with him . That lose of sharing is as acute today as it was three years ago. Ryan, your "darling boy" still misses you!
Deb and I met when I went down to Montreal to "look in" on a redesign project she was working on - five years later I left the project and retired to join Laurent in Poland. We were quite the team - all of us pretty much from "away," - Deb from London, Peggy and Anna from the Maritimes, Carla, Maggie and Anthony from Toronto, Esther from Vancouver and me from Ottawa. We formed a tight little group - first around Jennie, a madcap Australian, then briefly a very unmadcap Egyptian who didn't work well with women or gays (wrong group for you bucko) then with our Cathy. We had our differences - meetings could be drama ridden and I recall a few conference calls that had the wires burning up. But we produced a damned good product and more important we had fun and enjoyed each other as co-workers and as friends.
Deb had a wicked sense of humour and it was matched by an evil grin and a twinkle in her eyes. We shared a lot together - for a brief while we even lived together in a house in Pointe Claire. It was shortly after I left that she was diagnosed with cancer the first time. At one point she decided to move back to London to be with her partner James (left: Deb, James and I in January 2008) but still kept up her treatment in Montreal. Every few weeks she would get on a flight and go back to Montreal for her chemo - rest a day or two and then back home to London.
I was with her the day she celebrated two years of being cancer-free - we had returned to Montreal for a reunion and the day was spent having corned beef at Schwartz's, picking up 20 dozen bagels with Anthony at St Vitar, quaffing wine in Old Montreal and dinner with the gang at a wild Vegetarian restaurant Gillian had chosen.
She met me at Heathrow the morning after she had been told the cancer was back. We were going to the tea at the Savoy and the Panto at the Old Vic. That was four years ago and on a train ride into London two years later - another Panto trip - she confided that at the initial diagnosis she had been given two years, three at the most but she had every intention of beating the bastard!
She fought a long hard battle and I honestly believe that she wasn't defeated nor did she surrender. She made peace. Nowhere was that more apparent than on the day this past spring when we all gathered to say goodbye. Deb I miss that twinkle and that grin.
In the Foreign Service there are people who come into your life for a brief time and then are heard of no more other than as names on reports or posting lists. Then there are the others! People who keep showing up like bad pennies - like Steven and Betty Jean Culley. Okay they aren't bad pennies, far from it but you get the idea. We had been together in Warsaw back in the late 1990s and we had corresponded sporadically over the next few years. They were preparing to leave Rome for Damascus as we were arriving and they were our first dinner guests after our arrival. And it was at that dinner that Steve told us that he had been undergoing cancer treatment but had been give the all clear. We broke open a bottle of grappa to celebrate. Sadly our celebration was short lived - Steve and BJ came back several months later for his check up and the cancer had reappeared. And they were going to stay in Rome for a while so his treatment could be resumed.
It was a bittersweet time. It meant that we were able to spend time together - Christmas with them and Sarah and Brian, an odd evening out - we even dragged poor Stephen to the ballet one evening (right: Betty Jean, Stephen and Laurent in our box), dinner, coffee or Sunday lunch. But it also meant that Steve was going through some pretty rough times - times when he just didn't have the energy to socialize. But he never seemed to loose his ability to laugh and that laugh was so distinctive you could never miss it. And he had one of the strongest people I have ever met in my life - BJ - beside him all the way. It was a battle and the two of them faced it head on and still had time for friends, family and laughter.
The evening before they left for Canada I spoke with Steve - we were suppose to go out for dinner but he had a long journey ahead of him and had to conserve his energy. He sounded tired but at the same time exhilarated that he was going home. I know at that point as we said goodbye he knew what was coming but the last thing he said was: Its been a slice. And he gave that laugh. Two months later when Betty Jean's e-mail arrived I knew that his laugh had been silenced. Stephen I miss your laugh.
Frank and I were work colleagues and friends for almost 30 years. He was a bright, charming, opinionated, loving and quite often exasperating man. We had worked together for Air Canada at Ottawa Airport and then after retirement both of us found ourselves working at Transport Canada (left: Martha, Frank and Bernie - old AC and TC friends and colleagues). Our clashes - particularly at the Toronto Commuter Desk - were known to be the entertainment highlight of not a few peoples Friday nights at Ottawa Airport. We both had our way of doing things and we both knew we were right!
But none the less we were friends - actually his wife Sharon (who worked with us) and I were, at one time shift spouses i.e. we worked the same shifts and saw each other more often than we saw our real spouses. Frank and I were almost direct opposites: he was as straight as they come - I .... wasn't; he was a devout Catholic - I was a lapsed Anglican; he was a die-hard right winger - I was born a lefty; he was a company man - I worked as a Union rep. So we were never at a loss for things to "discuss" - and sometimes those discussion could get heated. There were times when after the heat came the cool, almost icy, but it never lasted.
Frankie took sick after I had left for Italy and I got reports of his condition from our mutual friends. Once again it was cancer and he underwent treatments which I know were wearing on body and soul. It was a long battle that, being very private people, Frank and Sharon endured quietly. When the news of his death arrived two months ago I greeted it, as I had with Deb and Steve, with a mixture of relief and sadness. Frankie I will miss our "discussions" no damned it our arguments.
I know that this day is a remembrance of all Souls who have departed this earth but today I think of four of them in particular and in my heart pray that they are in a place "where sorrow and pain are no more!"
With so many kids going around as Superheros and cheesy Disney characters - yes I know I went out at Halloween once as Peter Pan but that was in a homemade costume not something run up in synthetic silk in China - I got the biggest smile when my friend Elaine sent me these photos of Xavier and Felix wearing their Halloween best!
I think young Felix makes a mighty fine pumpkin - but I have a feeling the ghosties and goblins would want to hug him not run away!
And older brother Xavier is a sterling specimen of Zebrahood - now that's not a disguise I would have thought of - so hats off for originality.
I congratulated Elaine on her sewing skills and here's her response: I'm sorry to say they were store bought...GT Boutique! Maybe one day I'll be the kind of parent who cooks and sews..sigh! ;) Well I don't know about her cooking and sewing skills but I know she's got being a great mom down real good! And Bob ain't such a bad dad either!!!!
Once again this year we find ourselves in a place where All Saints - Ognissanti - is celebrated in a major way. Last year I wrote about how it was observed during out time in Poland and a bit about the very similar traditions here in Italy.
In the Church of England we had - I use the past tense as I am not longer a member of any parish nor do I attend mass regularly - our own traditions and being C of E that included music for the celebration. The most popular hymn for the procession on the Feast Day was Ralph Vaughan Williams setting of For All The Saints. It is one of my favorite hymns.
This version is sung by the Choir of Paisley Abbey. The Abbey is a kirk within the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) though it appears that many of the hymns they sing are taken from the Church of England hymnal.
These next three days have always been amongst my favorite in the church calender: October 31 - All Hallow's Eve November 1 - All Saints' Day November 2 - All Soul's Day
Its a triumvirate that has all the bases covered - Hell, Heaven and what ever is in between. The tradition of All Hallows as a celebration of goblins and ghosties and long legged beasties is an old one going back to the Celts. My Irish ancestors celebrated Samhain around this time of year. As with many pagan festivals it was appropriated by the Christian church in the 8th century and then by global marketing in the 20th.
In the Christian church it was originally a night of fasting and preparation for the Feast of All Saints (All Hallows - All Holy Ones - ergo All Hallows' Eve = Halloween) but the old traditions also said it was the night when spirits and demons roamed the earth freely. The only way to avoid them was to disguise yourself as one of them or to frighten them with something as terrible as themselves. Thus pumpkins (turnips and rutabagas in England?????) were carved with horrible frightening faces.
I don't think this pumpkin that I carved for yesterday's Halloween Breakfast was going to frighten anyone. Not quite the message you want to send to demons and ghosts!
My friend and colleague Chris and I worked up this witch who had more scare value than that pumpkin. Its a wonder what you can do with a few garbage bags, some coloured file folders and someone with Chris's creativity. She's a bit of a genius!
And though Halloween is not celebrated much here in Italy - though it is making inroads with blanket marketing at the moment - Laurent thought we'd keep up the tradition of having a pumpkin to ward off evil tonight, just in case some goblins or ghosts were hanging around our place. It seems to have work - haven't seen one all night!
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