En un momento dado y sin saber a que hora el grupo se dividio y mi esposa y yo decimos conocer El Palacio de Luxemburgo que actualmente es la sede del Senado francés y sus jardines están abiertos al público y son considerados por muchos como los más bellos de la ciudad. La construcción de este hermoso palacio y el diseño de sus jardines se debieron a un antojo de María de Médicis, quien cansada de las intrigas reales en el Palacio del Louvre y añorando su tierra natal, la Toscana, decidió comprar estos terrenos, en ese entonces fuera de la zona urbana de Paris, y construir su propio palacio “a la italiana”. Después de algunas negociaciones, la reina logró comprar en 1612 la residencia de un duque de la zona, llamado François de Luxembourg. A pesar de sus intentos por llamarlo “Palacio de Médicis” y a los distintos cambios de propietario que siguieron con el paso del tiempo, el palacio siempre fue conocido por el nombre de su antiguo dueño. Actual mente en los jardines de este palacio se dan cursos de apicultura y la miel obtenida de sus colmenas es vendida en otoño en la Orangerie del jardín.

www.descubriparis.com/palacio-y-jardin-de-Luxemburgo.php

You are here now. That’s good. I’m glad.

You might not have known… or perhaps you did…

But you are about to embark on musical journey.

Our EP———L’Orangerie———has been released.

BAM!

You can download it right now. We sent it around to the Advanced Copy audience and we got great feedback. We think you’ll like it too.

*** Just send an email (it can be blank) to: orangerie@royalnative.com

— the email will land in our mailbox, and you’ll receive an automated reply immediately, containing your link to the download…

L'Orangerie

The Abandoned Orangery

After the initial recordings in that misty old château, for The Empty Quarter, we returned to Normandy once again. But this time, we set up our studio  in an abandoned orangery. The natural reverb was spectacular… almost fantastical. It’s lulling power was not lost on us. Pennington practically went mad calculating the plethora of ways to use that dreamlike feel.

You’ve heard/enjoyed/loved some of the music already… Such tracks as : She Just Is and October… these are on L’Orangerie. And you’ll get them, as well as, three other great tracks, when you download it. And after all, why not? This is one of the rare instances when the band actually recommends you download their music for free.

And if you have downloaded any of our other tracks, well then, your music library won’t be complete without this. Even if you’ve just enjoyed our streaming tracks online, we would highly recommend downloading L’Orangerie. I wouldn’t want you to miss. I really wouldn’t.

*** Send Us an Email at orangerie@royalnative.com — you’ll receive the download link pronto — safe, fast, no hassles.

Royal Native

Thanks for listening,

Jules & Henry

(Note: orangerie@royalnative.com is just for the EP link – for all other information and enquiries, please contact us on commander@royalnative.com – thanks!)

It is a gap of greenery nearby a snake shaped river. A shortcut to Giverny, the normand impresionist mecca. A small swamp in the south west corner of the Tuilerie royal garden. A symbol of the inifinity integrated to the Paris cosmic vision. Something to look yourself inside. A shamanic  experience of lights and shadows commotions. A wrist to ZZ Top’s very grand father better known as the Raphael of the water.
It’s the Paris Orangerie (Museum).
On the side of that waterlily swamp, canvas of the main representants of modern classicism as P. Picasso, H. Matisse and A. Derain; masterpieces from modern primitivists as Douanier Rousseau, M. Laurencin and A. Modigliani, the Boticelli  negro, blossoms the flowered normand garden of that Impressionist Sistine Chapel.

Des travaux sont engagés au Manoir de Restigné.

L’orangerie, qui abrite les bureaux et le laboratoire Cosmétotextiles SKIN’UP , s’aggrandit.

4 bureaux sont aménagés dans les combles de cette superbe Orangerie classée.

2 superbes lucarnes XVIIIéme en pierre de tuffeau cintrées dominent d’ores et déjà le magnifique Mansard. La pierre coupée par le tailleur de Pierre, Paul Louis RICHER , est en 3 blocs, cisélée à la main. Superbe réalisation

Les artisans, compagnons et  entreprises de Touraine se sont attelées à cette rénovation prévue depuis 2005.

Postdam fica a uns 25 minutos de trem de Berlim e é Patrimônio Histórico da Humanidade, com seus diversos castelos e jardins. Segundo a Wikipedia, Potsdam é capital federal do Estado de Brandemburgo e tem 146.000 habitantes. Eu fiquei com essa cidade na cabeça depois de conhecer um casal de alemães no Pantanal, que me disse que eu tinha que dar um jeito de ir para lá durante minha estadia em Berlim.

A agenda estava apertada e o único jeito de ir (tirando o domingo que usei para conhecer Berlim) seria matar algum período do congresso em que estava. O dia todo – que seria o ideal – não dava. Mas meio período seria possível. Peguei uma tarde que não traria nada de interessante e tomei o trem para Potsdam.

Na verdade, ao chegar à estação, sem ter passagem, dei de cara com o trem dizendo “Potsdam” e todo mundo entrando. Era pegar ou largar, e talvez ficar tarde demais para ir. Perguntei a uma menina se tinha como comprar a passagem dentro do trem e ela me olhou como se eu tivesse vindo direto de Marte. “I Don´t know…you can try”, ela disse, meio que rindo. Eu “traiei”, mas não rolou, também ninguém me cobrou e cheguei lá como clandestino, mas com o firme propósito de comprar uma passagem retroativa e compensar minha “gersada” talvez tipicamente brasileira.

Eu tinha pouco tempo e tinha de ser eficiente para conhecer o essencial e fotografar. Ao chegar à cidade, demorei uns 20 minutos para conseguir me movimentar. Vi um cara que deveria ser um guia turístico e pedi informações básicas. Ele me deu um guia da cidade (utilíssimo), me indicou quais linhas de ônibus tomar e o melhor roteiro para quem tem apenas 3 horas para conhecer a cidade. Até aí, tudo indo 100%. Quem tem boca vai a Roma – nesse caso, a Potsdam.

O problema é que Potsdam fica na ex-Alemanha Oriental: as pessoas simplesmente não falam inglês (os mais velhos devem falar alguma coisa de russo),  e eu não falo alemão. Ou seja, a comunicação foi complicada até que uma alma bondosa (os mais jovens – alguns – falam inglês) resolveu me ajudar e me explicar o que o motorista do ônibus tentava me dizer: ele não tinha troco e eu deveria comprar a passagem do ônibus lá dentro da estação, e que ele me esperaria (e todos os demais passageiros idem) caso eu fosse rápido. Corri para a estação e, no guichê, a mulher me explicou: “Sua passagem de Berlim para cá vale para os trajetos de ônibus em Potsdam, você não precisa comprar”. Tive que confessar o crime: “É que eu vim sem passagem…”. “Ohhh…”, disse ela.

Resolvido o caso e tendo comprado a passagem de ida, de volta e tudo o mais, voltei ao ônibus e fui aceito pelo motorista. Tudo o que eu precisava fazer agora era validar meu ticket na máquina – mas tentei fazê-lo na máquina errada – para o olhar incrédulo de todos os passageiros. O fato é que você paga esses micos ao ir para lugares novos. Solte-os em Mombuca e aposto que não chegarão nem em Charqueada.

Além do charmoso centro histórico e dos lagos (estes não visitei), Potsdam tem como principal ponto o Parque Real de Sanssouci, com seus castelos em vários estilos: o Palácio Novo, barroco e que foi o Palácio Real da Prússia; o Schloss Charlottenhof, neoclássico; o Orangerie, renascentista,  e o mais famoso, o Sanssouci, no melhor estilo Rococó e que foi construído para o rei Frederico o Grande desfrutar da vida sem preocupação (“Sans souci”). Tem também a casa de chá chinesa, obviamente com influência chinesa.

Postdam tem importância histórica ao ter sediado a Conferência de Postdam, em 1945, quando Stalin, Churchill e Truman decidiram o que fazer com a Alemanha rendida na guerra. Consta que foi ali que Truman decidiu jogar as bombas atômicas em Hiroshima e Nagazaki. Este foi também o último encontro dos aliados da Segunda Guerra Mundial – depois disso, a distância entre União Soviética e Estados Unidos só se fez aumentar, culminando na Guerra Fria, cujo auge se deu nas décadas de 60 e 70.

Abaixo, algumas fotos que gostei da minha curta mas proveitosa estadia em Potsdam. Eu realmente gosto de fazer essas coisas nas minhas viagens.

Esculturas bem dramáticas no Novo Palácio

Fora do caminho; tirada do terraço do Schloss Charlottenhof

Na escadaria do romântico Castelo renascentista Orangerie

Ainda no Orangerie. Gostei muito dessa foto, não sei exatamente porque.

Passado, presente e futuro no Sanssouci. E eu dando uma de paparazzi.

Nos fundos do Sanssouci.

Nas belas vinhas dos terraços do Sanssouci

E um pouco do novo...

 Tem tantas outras…aos poucos vou colocando no Flickr…

Valeu a pena, não? Uma boa foto deve liberar alguma dose de endorfina e nos faz sentir melhor…

Amalfi Dreams – green rooibos, blood orange peels, spearmint and apples

Autumn Moon Pumpkin – rooibos, honeydew melon, apple pieces, stinging nettle leaves, sunflower petals

Cupid’s Blend – peppermint, spearmint, apples, rosehip peels, rose, red rooibos, green rooibos, cornflower petals

Ginger Biscuit – rooibos, sliced almonds, pistachios, ginger, red peppercorns, orange petals, apple pieces

Ginger Peach – rooibos, peach bits, calendula petals and gingerroot

Indian Summer – green rooibos, rhubarb bits, red currents, sumac, malva flowers, orange, mango and peach flavorings, sunflower petals

Latte Da – rooibos, chocolate chips, dried milk, coffee beans, chamomile

Madagascar Vanilla – rooibos with cuts of natural vanilla bean from Madagascar

Mango Lassi – rooibos, mango, pineapple, papaya, coconut slices and freeze-dried yogurt

Melograno – rooibos with pomegranate, flower petals and apples

Mootz Run Blend – red bush rooibos, green rooibos, hibiscus, honey bush, schizandra berries, rosehips, licorice root, orange peel, papaya bits, lemongrass, mango bits, essence, clove

Morning Zen – green rooibos, yerba mate, jasmine, peppermint

Orangerie- rooibos, orange peels, marigold petals

Papaya- green rooibos, papaya bits, sunflower petals and essence

Roasted Almond Chai – rooibos, spices, apples and roasted almonds

Traditional Chai -red roibos, green rooibos, star anise, fennel, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, pepper, and a little bit of licorice root

White Chocolate Truffle – rooibos, imported white chocolate, cocoa bits, toffee bits

Woodland Raspberry – rooibos, raspberries, hawthorn berries, heather, rose petals and vanilla

Rooibos comes from the Cederberg Mountain Region of South Africa. Rooibos is caffeine free and contains vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals to support your healthy lifestyle.

I’ve written about my beloved adopted home, Paris, but I have yet to actually cover my favorite parts of the city. It’s easy to pick up a guide book to walk around Louvre and the Eiffel Tower and how to rush through the city in three days, but then there’s that exceedingly crucial part of Paris that Parisians capture so well – sitting and enjoying the moment. Whether in a cafe, or a park, or a garden, they do it so well and every visitor should learn to adopt this practice to get the full effect of This is Paris. I have now sent my list of Parisian favorites to two friends who are Paris-bound this month. It was also two years ago that I landed at Charles de Gaulle with two suitcases and a key to my very own French flat to begin what may be one of the best times of my entire life. So, voila – here is a list of my favorite Parisian moments. (It helps to wear your most debonair outfit to feel the full effect, and a great hat helps.)

Montmartre. Way up on top of Paris in the 18th arrondisement, this is a quaint little neighborhood of Paris that gives fantastic views of the city, especially from the heavenly white Sacre-Coeur. A bottle of red wine and a seat on the stairs by the cathedral makes for a memorable moment overlooking the city lights at evening. I happened there one evening while some musicians performed. They were not the best band, but it didn’t matter.

La Seine. La Seine, la plus belle Seine! This river makes Paris so moody and blissful as its architecture glistens in its waters like a Renaissance painting. My favorite was walking along this river back and forth across all its bridges. The best bridge is the Pont des Arts (photo left), a wooden walkway that leads to the Louvre. This is a great place to sit on a bench and read a book or people-watch. Another fantastic place to watch the Seine is on the Ile St. Louis. My friends and I would sit along the southern side facing the Latin Quarter with a bottle of red wine and watch the tourist boats go by. (Yes, open alcohol containers are legal).

Places des Vosges. This little courtyard is surrounded by historic buildings, now holding art galleries and restaurants, and is such a great place to take a rest in between your shopping in the Marais and to sigh a happy sigh because, after all, you’re in Paris. If you have little ones like my niece here), there is a small playground here. I liked to bring a falafel-and-pita from L’as du Falafel on Rue de Rosiers in the Jewish quarter, and sit on one of the benches here with it. Mmmmmm. Even Lenny Kravitz apparently agreed, it is the best falafel place in the whole world. Especially if eaten in the Places des Vosges.

Jardin de Tuileries. Another favorite. This garden stretches from the Louvre across the heart of Paris towards the ferris wheel, where you can catch a view of the Eiffel Tower. There is a lot to see in Tuileries, from sculptures of women hiding in the bushes, a shrubbery maze, the mini-arc (if you look at through that Arc to the actual Arc de Triomphe, both line up with the modernized arc at La Defense), duck ponds with fountains and chairs, flower gardens, and the small Orangerie gallery featuring Monet’s Water Lilies (left)and other impressionist art at the other end. Again, another great place to sit by a fountain with a book or a falafel and sigh happily. There is also a clean bathroom at the end of the jardin near the ferris wheel.

 (*note: if you don’t want falafel, you can substitute with a Nutella crepe).

Luis XIV, el Rey Sol, decidió fijar su residencia, el gobierno del país y la corte a las afueras de París, en un lugar cercano a la localidad de Versalles.

Así nació el mayor y más suntuoso palacio de Europa, fuente de inspiración para posteriores monarquías europeas. Durante los 72 años de reinado de Luis XIV, éste invirtió increíbles sumas de dinero para levantar un palacio que mostrara al mundo su poder.

En su construcción llegaron a trabajar hasta 30.000 personas y se emplearon los materiales más caros y exclusivos.

Versalles se encuentra a 27 km de París y fue declarado Patrimonio de la Humanidad en 1979.

El palacio llegó que a albergar a 20.ooo cortesanos, se estructura en un edificio principal y varios pabellones en los jardines, que alcanzan una superficie de cien hectáreas.

Se entra al Palacio a través del Patio de Armas. La visita se incia en la planta baja del ala norte, donde se halla la Capilla Real. Desde aquí se accede a la primera planta donde se hallan los Apartamentos Reales, compuestos por salas dedicadas a dioses mitológicos – desde la Sala Hércules a la de Apolo -, el enorme Salón de los Espejos, los aposentos del Rey y la Reina, además de otras dependencias comunes.

En la parte posterior del Palacio se extienden los jardines, diseñados por André Le Notre, grandes estanques, fuentes, parterres y un enorme lago presidido por la escultura dorada de Apolo.

Algunas de las zonas del palacio:

Dormitorio de la Reina: Es la estancia más importante y lujosa de los apartamentos de la Reina. Aquí durmieron María Teresa de Austria, María Leszczinska y María Antonieta. La habitación se conserva tal y como la dejó María Antonieta antes de ser guitollinada en 1789.

Salón de Venus: Fue antesala de los aposentos reales. Como todo en Versalles, recibe el nombre de un mito vinculado con el sol.

Salón de los Espejos: Ocupa toda la fachada posterior del Palacio, junto a los jardines. En sus 73 metros de longitud, se distribuyen siete espejos en los que se reflejan siete ventanales. Aquí se celebraban los grandes acontecimientos y bailes.

Capilla Real: Aunque se ubica en la planta baja, su altura alcanza el primer piso. Éste estaba destinado a la familia real, mientras que la corte debía permanecer abajo.

Fuente Latona: Está inspirada en la leyenda de la madre de Apolo y Diana protegiendo a sus hijos. La fuente está formada por cuatro tazas escalonadas y coronada por una estatua de la diosa Latona, obra de los hermanos Marsys (1670).

Orangerie: Este espacio alberga árboles enormes y es una muestra del buenhacer del arquitecto Jules Hardouin Mansart. Se ideó como un vivero en el que cultivar especies tropicales en el duro invierno de la Île de France.

Hoteles París

Apartamentos París

Vuelos

Más información sobre Versalles – En francés

I have looked forward to visiting the Orsay and the Orangerie with their important Impressionist collections. The Orsay Museum picks up where the Louvre collection leaves off—1848 to 1914– with the best general collection of Impressionist work: Manet, Monet, Renoir, Degas, Van Gogh, Cezanne, and Gauguin.

Located in a former train station, the physical building is spectacular. E-husband (and b.f.) and I enter the train station into a light- filled grand room where trains used to run. There is a crowd (we waited in line for fifteen minutes) but it isn’t uncomfortable like the crowd in the Louvre.

Grand Entry at the Orsay

Clock at the Orsay

Vincent Van Gogh Starry Night Over The Rhone

Although the outside of the building is not ostentatious, the inside is perfectly designed after a recent remodel to house two rooms of Monet’s Water Lillies. Within minutes we were sitting in the oval shaped rooms surrounded by Monet’s Water Lillies—I have seen paintings in museums of the water lilies but didn’t know they existed as wall-sized panels. He created them this way, inviting us to stroll along the curved walls as though we are strolling along his lake. The feeling is amazingly similar.

Claude Monet's Water Lillies

LICHT Eine Hommage an den ungarischen Bauhauslehrer bis 1928, L. MOhOly-Nagy Begegnung der Künste Theater, 2D/3D-Animationsfilme, elektronische Komposition, Foto, Mode

2009 feiert das Bauhaus sein 90jähriges Bestehen. Die internationale Produktion LICHT feiert mit und entwickelt die Bauhaus-Idee vom Gesamtkunstwerk weiter: Beim Einsatz diverser Kunstsparten und der Mode wird Bild für Bild die Geschichte eines rituellen Doppelmordes zu einem spannenden Krimi zusammengefügt. Bald wissen wir: In einem geometrischen Raum eingefasst, wie zwei leuchtende Rubine unter lauter Pflanzen, wurden Mann und Frau zum Opfer ihrer Leidenschaften und einer Wahnidee.

Stimme: Rania Dimtsia
Frau: Alíz Miklusicsák
Mann: Marc Philipps
Foto: Cecilia Szabó
2D/3D Animationsfilme: Ivó Kovács (ivo3d.hu) / László Zsolt Bordos (bordos.eu)
elektronische Kompositionen: Lothar Voigtländer
Licht: Michele Hövelmanns
Regie: Kristóf Szabó

Orangerie – Theater im Volksgarten – Volksgartenstr. 25 / Köln
Kartenreservierung: 0221-9522708
Premiere: Do. 13 August 2009 Weitere Termine: Fr.17, Sa.18, So.19, Mo.20.
Beginn: 20.30 Uhr
Mit einem Workshop vom 03 – 06. August, 09 – 12 Uhr,

credits/ links:
www.kristof-szabo.com
www.bordos.eu
www.ivo3d.hu
www.orangerie-theater.de

Licht 2009

Licht 2009

A month or so back, whilst killing my brain cells in a data entry temp job, I wrote in my moleskin,

 “Thought of the week: they didn’t have data entry in the 1900s when things were good and pure. Listen to erik satie.”

 I am now working again for the same company before, and so decided to ramble along with this thought as a starting point.

 **

 When I call myself a Modernist (with all the appropriate levels of irony and facetiousness) I am never quite sure if my interest should be manifest as a desire to have lived in the early twentieth century, to recreate the values and hopes of that era (be it in writing or in method), or simply an appreciation of /SLASH/ kinship with a purer time. Probably somewhere in the middle of all of these. Recently, I have experienced a notable slowing down in my life – some might call it growing up – and my current way of thinking is underpinned by the aforementioned appreciation of, and kinship with, a purer time. That is, a slower, less hectic, less demanding, less box-ticking-orientated approach to life. i want out.

 There is something about modernism which seemed to grasp and celebrated the death knell of simplicity, reveling both in the new excitement of a globalizING, technologizING world, and an inseperable appreciation of reality through eyes opened by the new order. Before a success- and commerce-driven experience of the every day kicked into gear, Picasso’s analytical still lives and Kandinsky’s exuberant portrayals of the Russian landscape briefly saw the world as it could have been.

 Something tried to destroy that in the 1940s.

 These works remain for me mementos of a non-day-glo, no-instant-gratification, non-merchandised and, most of all, artisanal rather than theoretical approach to art (let’s just stick with the arts for now, or this subject will get out of hand!). Even the most existential, searing portrayal of life such a Soutine’s poultry, or Giacometti’s Orange on a sideboard are rooted in representation… without wanting to sound old fashioned, I like that. The end of representation seems to me parallel to the end of reality as a lived experience.. Theory’s dominance came in tandem with the rolling out of vicarious living: tv, computer games, internet etc.

 I want out.

 But when I consider the purity of day-to-day life back then, before the internet, pandemic advertising and 24-hour customer service, I feel pangs of jealousy and longing. Currently caught up in the trappings of customer service, a 21^st century buzz-word for Joe-Job aimed at the temporarily unemployed, I continue to ponder the original question. If they didn’t have data entry in the 1900s, what did the multitudes do… well for a start, the world population was significantly smaller, and social stratification was clearer (I won’t touch the ramifications of current population levels here…too big and way out of my point of reference). Now, we are encouraged to pursue our dreams only to find at too late a stage we have gone too far without thinking about the openings available to us. Here I am, a postgraduate from the Courtauld Institute of Art, working in a call centre.

Erik Satie’s piano works remove me from 2009. They place me squarely in the Lapin Agile, or some other such Parisian drinking den crowded with delirium tremens of the highest order. Even Tom Wait’s piano ballads of the 70s feel soothing, sitting me squarely amongst imaginary boho savants and drunken revelers in the Troubadour, LA, CA. Debauchery in both of these cases as a removal from life. What I seem to be desiring is pure removal: pure escapism. This is certainly better than this electric-lit, chalk infused, pinboard- partitioned, break-prohibited cell, alone with my thoughts and my telesale prompts.

 I WANT OUT.

 More recently, a few wonderful bands have sprung up from American backwaters, desperate to escape all of these trappings. Bon iver and Bowerbirds are only the most notable, existing for themselves self-sufficiently as life once was. We’re probably going back further than Modernism now. My point remains intact. I was born at the wrong end of the 20^th century.  

Two works that I have seen in the last few years stand out for me as exemplifications of artistic purity. Monet’s Les Nymphéas at Paris’ Orangerie, and James Turrell’s Deer Shelter at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park… The latter proves that all is not lost, and that conceptual works can still stand up to scrutiny and resemble a real human experience: one looks through a skylight in absentia towards the shifting sky… that’s it. Abstracted reality. Pure form. Pure experience.

Deer Shelter, James Turrell

Les Nymphéas, Claude Monet

 This is how Erik Satie’s music makes me feel, as do such bands/ composers as Susuma Yokota, Christian Fennesz, and the unimpeachable Stars of the Lid. These pure feelings having nothing to do with data entry. They also probably having nothing to do with Modernism… I just want out.

First day in London, a sunny bank holiday Sunday, lucky us!
It was the perfect day after the long flight, and we took full advantage of it. Well, kind of half of it, it was hard to get up early in the morning after a flying day…

And here’s our itinerary:

• From our place in Chelsea we walked to Hyde Park, with a short stop at the Butterfly Jungle
• A nice stroll in Hyde Park past the Royal Albert Hall, Albert Memorial, Round Pond, to Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground

It was lots of fun, a bit of wait but not that scary as it shows in the pics.

• Afternoon tea at the Orangerie

Another long line that went fast, kids found friends and chased pigeons, so all was good. Well, I’m not into tea, so that was … you know, for the kids…

• Another stroll through Kensington Gardens past the Palace brought us to a bus stop
• From here we took the BUS for a quick glimpse of central London, the arch route (Wellington Arch, Marble Arch)
• The bus ride ended on Oxford Street, just a short stroll to our dinner destination
• Belgo! Yum for everyone, and super kid friendly too!

With almost a dozen of mussel dishes, I was instantly hooked. All the other Belgian ingredients mixed in the pot, kids eat free with parents …
no more fish&chips for us in yummy London, yay!

• Another bus ride, bus no 19 brought us back home through the bustling Piccadilly Circus

As expected, first trip day&city, no jetlag for us

Loue sans frais locaux professionnels en RDC sur élevé d’environ 105 m² extension possible 70 m² , entièrement refait à neuf , entièrement cablés , chauffage collectif au fuel , très lumineux , quartier orangerie, loyer mensuel hors charges 1100 euros/mois.

contact: info@starthop.fr site: www.starthop.fr blog: http://starthop.wordpress.com

I’m talking about real dogs, not bad looking guys because her fidanzato, Gianni, is quite handsome; a graceful, well-ironed  young man with blue eyes, big smile and great sense of humor.  I am happy “my first homestay daughter” Cesca found a man to love and a man to love her. 

Now back to the story about dogs: One evening Matt, Cesca, her friend Elena and I were walking around the extraordinarily beautiful seaside town of Trani. Trani is all beige-ish white, sun-bleached cobblestone, turquoise and sky blue with bits of green along walkways and flowers in window boxes. In the 11th century, Trani was a major launching position on the Adriatic for the Crusades.

Trani is crowded with Italian tourists in the summer: hundreds of expensive sailboats moored in the gently sloshing harbor; Italian men wearing perfumed ascots, perfectly pedicured blonde women, and kids in crocs out for an evening passesgiata.  Gelati American music.  Italian chatter. Vespa horns. Strings of lights. Wafts of espresso, garlic, and fish both fried and grilled. 

We were there in April, not the tourist season, and we were the only Americans there.  The evening was chilly enough for a thick sweater.  The four of us walked along an ancient cobbled strada past the crescent harbor out to a promontory to have a look at the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas. Everybody in this part of Italy loves St. Nicholas. His Trani cathedral lies on a raised open site near the sea and is built in the characteristic white local limestone. It has also a large crypt and a lofty tower. The Romanesque portal are beautifully ornamented in the Arab style.

The sun was about to set, accenting the sturdy building’s clean stones and making the sea a deeper blue. A single ten or eleven year old boy bounced a green rubber ball against the side of the cathedral.  I don’t remember what we were talking about.  Maybe how Italians iron their clothes and Americans don’t. We heard the clicking of toe nails against the cobblestone.  A thin, red-eyed dog with a black saddle-shaped spot on its white body circled us three times. We called him Spot. Spot took position at Cesca’s right side, curling down his floppy ears and keeping time with her steps.

“All the homeless dogs in Italy have red eyes,”Cesca said when I noted our new companion looked as if he’d been drinking.

Three or four more homeless dogs– one golden and one sleek as a greyhound– rushed out of Trani’s thin Medieval alleyways like a pack of beggars chasing coins. Spot bared his teeth and barked the other’s away. He became our guardian, our protector, our canine guide in Trani.

“Wherever I go dogs find me,” Cesca said as she trucked along the ancient streets, Spot loyally keeping pace at her side.

Just the week before, Cesca successfully defended her thesis in veterinary medicine.  “You can call me a doctor who smells like a dog.” She laughed.

 Elena, Cesca’s friend and colleague was also a vet.  “The smell has sunk into our skin.”  She rubbed her arm. “We are saturated from working with dogs all day long.”

Spot sat when Cesca stopped. Matt noticed the black hair on his back was shaped like a big heart. 

 Cesca said. “I am their favorite.” She laughed and Elena agreed. “The dogs go crazy for Cesca.”

So there we were, the four of us, in a medieval town, with a dog shepherding us along  the walkway abutting the sea.  Gianni, the fidanzato, was at home, watching soccer on the TV, recuperating from his day at work.  My daughter Ruby’s flight to Bari from Rome was delayed three hours.  What should we do?

Eat. 

Spot moved on to wherever stray dogs slept in Trani.  We entered a rather famous Trani restaurant called the Orangerie on the Piazza Quercia. What should we  Outside, under a tented patio, we drank ‘spreetz’, chatted, and from our front row view of the port watched lights bob on the sea until the mosquitos started to bite. upstairs. Gianni joined us, we moved upstairs, and we dined….

Mamma mia!!!!! The chef at the Orangerie, Luca somebody, is know for giving traditional dishes a superb makeover.

Grilled seafood involtini: thin eggplant slices rolled around a fleshy white fish and potato puree.

Shrimp on a bed of green apple matchsticks.

*Octopus floating atop a bread and potato raft with a toasted sail

Orechiette with Rape

Pasta with cherry tomato

Grilled Orate

Green salad

espresso

No room for dessert

*Every time we said octopus in Italian, Cesca corrected our pronunciation: polipo. We imitated the way she moved her lips. In Bari, people eat raw polipo. “They net it, bring the animal to shore, turn the head inside out, pound it against the rocks,” Cesca said. “Then they eat it. Crudo. With a few drops of lemon juice.” 

We don’t do raw octopus, but I often prepare the traditional pasta of Puglia.  Orechiette, by the way means ‘little ears.’ Here’s my recipe for Orechiette with Rape

Cook a pound of semolina orechiette according to package directions. 

Meanwhile, wash and then steam a bunch of rape* for about 3 minutes.  The rape should remain rather bright green. Let the vegetables cool a bit before roughly chopping the bunch into small pieces.  Small pieces give better pasta coverage.

Please note that you can use any strong-flavored greens, such as mustard greens, collards, broccolini, kale, and chard in addition to or in place of the rape.

Pour 1/2 cup of good green olive oil (preferably from Puglia) into a large skillet.  Heat the oil add 3-5 cloves of chopped garlic.  When the garlic begins to be transparent, add the chopped greens, being careful to get out of the way of hot oil when it spits as you add the moist greens.  Stir and continue to cook for about 4 minutes.

When the orechiette are cooked drain. Be sure to reserve 1/2 cup of the water in case you need it; the reason you would need it would be because you didn’t use enough olive oil to lubricate the greens and pasta.  Add pasta to the vegetable and oil. Stir from the bottom so as not to break any of the pasta. If needed add the 1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking water.

Season with salt and pepper, as you like.

Variations:  Add a can of anchovies to the garlic and oil mixture.  Add  1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes. 

Place de la Concorde

 Deze foto is genomen op de eerste dag, vroeg in de ochtend kwamen we aan in stralend zonnig Parijs. Fris en fruitig was ik nog op de vrijdagochtend, daarna werd ik ziek zwak misselijk van de zon en het stof. Maar dat mocht de pret niet drukken. De eerste dag gingen we van de Madeleine, over de Place de la Concorde, de Orangerie in, de Dome des Invalides met het legermuseum, vervolgens naar D’Orsay, naar de Notre Dame waar het veel te druk was (En een zwakbegaafde Nederlandstalige Chinees een uur nar ons heeft lopen staren) om te eindigen in het Quartier Latin.

De Orangerie was voor mij misschien wel het absolute hooftepunt. In Parijs komt de Monet en impressionisme liefhebber wel aan zijn trekken. Turi vond het maar niks, al die planten. Hij mocht zich uitleven in het Musée d’Armée. 

één van de acht Nymphéas in de Orangerie

 De tweede dag was al net zo intensief als de eerste. ’s Ochtends deden we een nieuwe (geslaagde) poging bij de Notre Dame om vervolgens naar Musée Carnavalet te gaan. Tegen die tijd begon uitputting ons al te vellen. Maar dapper gingen we door naar de Sacre Coeur, een mooie kerk met verschrikkelijk veel toeristen. Wegwezen dus, naar de volgende publiekstrekker: Lafayette. Niks voor mij, ik moest en zou naar de ZARA (yes!)

’s Avonds een romantische wandeling door Parijs gemaakt, die ervoor zorgde dat ik geen ruzie meer ging maken met mijn allerliefste vriendje. Ach hij vermaakte zich wel:

Tja..

In der Kölner Orangerie findet am 01. Juni 2009 eine Info-Veranstaltung zum Thema Indonesien statt, dazu ist jeder herlzlich eingeladen. Der Eintritt ist selbstverständlich kostenlos.

Geboten wird, neben traditionellen Tänzen, Musik und Infos zur Geschichte des Inselstaates auch ein reichhaltige indonesisches Buffet.

Mehr Informationen zum Indonesien Tag-Programm

Indonesien Tag in der Orangerie Köln

In meiner Jugend habe ich mich auch für eine Gruppe begeistert, die einst  in Westdeutschland mit ungewöhnlichen Instrumenten, verrückten Versen und auch mit ein bisschen Klamauk für tolle Stimmung sorgte: Insterburg & Co. . Prominentes Comedy-Überbleibsel aus dieser Formation ist die vom Bildschirm her bekannte “Knalltüte” Karl Dall. Er gehörte einst zur Gruppe um Ingo Insterburg. Warum ich mich an diese Gruppe erinnere? Nun – in Sondershausen gibt es eine Formation, die sich zwar nicht mit Klamauk und Comedy positioniert, wohl aber mit einem kunterbunten unterhaltsamen Musik-Mix und vor allem auch ungewöhnlichen “Musik”-Instrumenten. Denn wenn hier neben Percussion, Querflöte, Gitarre, Klarinette und Kontrabass auch ein Werkzeugkasten-Xylophon, eine Schrotsäge oder ein Spachtel zum Einsatz kommen, dann ist das ein “Zweiter Aufguss”. So nennt sich nämlich die Musik-Formation aus der Musikstadt Sondershausen. An diesem Sonntag  (5. April) ist die Gruppe ab 17 Uhr live zu erleben – in der berühmten restaurierten Organgerie des Barockdorfes Bendeleben zwischen Sondershausen und Bad Frankenhausen im Kyffhäuserkreis (Nordthüringen). Der Titel des Gastspiels  ist dabei Programm. “Aufgebrüht”…

Für Musikfreunde ist es auf jeden Fall ein Erlebnis der besonderen Art, wenn die Musiker des zweiten Aufgusses ihre seltsamen Instrumente, wie das Werkzeugkasten-Xylophon oder die Schrotsäge auspacken und Lieder aus der ganzen Welt zu Gehör bringen. Man kann erleben, dass man mit Gebrauchsgegenständen aus dem Alltag wie beispielsweise  einem Spachtel auch musizieren kann oder aus Uhrfedern und einer Nähmaschinenabdeckung selbst ein Instrument bauen kann.
Zum Repertoire gehören Volkslieder, Filmmelodien, genauso Rock und Blues Titel, wobei alle durch eigene Arrangements einen  spezifischen Anstrich erhalten. Auch selbst getextete und komponierte Lieder fehlen im Programm des “Zweiten Aufgusses ” nicht.

Den zweiten Aufguss gibt es seit 2006 als Quartett mit Martin Jahn Trompete, Blockflöte, Schrotsäge und anderen skurrilen Instrumenten. Angela Jahn spielt Akkordeon und Blockflöte, Sabine Großkopf Querflöte und Dieter Großkopf Gitarre, Mandoline und Djembe.  Als Sängerin gesellte sich Susi Wiener bald dazu, die es 2008 in den hohen Norden gezogen hat und eine Lücke hinterließ, die Gritt und Michael Weißenborn mit Klarinette, Gitarre, Posaune, Tröte und Gesang wieder geschlossen haben.  Jonas Konrad Weinrich ist  jüngstes Mitglied der Formation und  spielt den Kontrabass und verschiedene  Perkussioninstrumente wie die Cajón.

Der erste Auftritt unserer Gruppe warübrigens  Juni 2007 auch in der Orangerie Bendeleben anlässlich einer Ausstellungseröffnung von Martin Jahn. Danach folgten Auftritte zum Rolandsfest in Nordhausen 2007  und 2008, zum Residenzfest in Sondershausen, Kunstfest in Nordhausen und viele kleine private Veranstaltungen. Und 5. April ist die Gruppe nun erneut in Bendeleben live zu erleben – ein Grund für einen schönen Ausflug in das Barockdorf am Kyffhäuser, um die sehenswerte Orangerie zu besuchen und um den “Zweiten Aufguss” zu genießen. Viel Spaß dabei…

Sonntag, 5. April, 17 Uhr, Orangerie Bendeleben

Paris, Day 3, March 7, 2009 — Laurie and I started off our day with breakfast at Laduree (www.laduree.com/index_en.htm), probably the most amazing patisserie in Paris. They have several locations, but the one almost directly across the street from our hotel on the Champs Elysees had been tempting us since the moment we arrived. There’s a sit-down restaurant, but also a separate bakery where you can get the most amazing confections, gift-boxed in the prettiest boxes you’ve ever seen. We’d tried stopping in a few other times to get some of their famous macaroons, but the line was always too long for us to wait. This morning, however, we decided to treat ourselves to breakfast there, and it was excellent, even if my tiny glass of orange juice cost 7.80 Euros. The rest of my meal (an apple tart), though, was very reasonable. Laurie got a trio of “petite” pastries, which she also enjoyed. We’d also ordered a side of bacon, which we never received because of a shift change with our waiters, but we were so full that we didn’t mind that the bacon was missing. Laduree is such a wonderful experience that one friend of mine, who just returned from attending grad school in Paris, had told me not to bother to return to the U.S. unless and until I’d been to Laduree. She was definitely right in her not-to-miss recommendation.

After breakfast, Laurie and I walked a few blocks to the Arc de Triomphe, but our legs were too tired to climb to the top, so we then took the Metro to the Tuilleries Gardens, which were actually a bit dull and disappointing considering the time of year. Gardeners were preparing flower beds for spring flowers, but nothing was planted yet. It actually reminded me quite a bit of the National Mall in Washington, DC — just a big expanse of green to wander around. In fact, most of Paris reminds me of DC — lots of wide avenues, roundabouts, and public squares and green spaces. Then again, DC was laid out by Frenchman Pierre L’Enfant, so it’s no coincidence.

Anyway, the Tuilleries Gardens have one thing that the Mall doesn’t — little outdoor cafes where you can sit, relax with a carafe of wine (why have only one glass?), enjoy the scenery and ambiance, and watch the people walking by. The weather was quite nice, so we took about a 40-minute break to chill out with some wine.

Next, we visited the Musee de l’Orangerie, at the Place de la Concorde end of the Tuilleries, which features several of Monet’s water lilies series. These painting were huge, wall-sized paintings, and the Orangerie displays them in an oval room, with the paintings actually built into the walls so that they curve slightly — a very interesting, unusual way to display them. The French take their museum-going very seriously and are very quiet in the museums. Laurie actually got shshed when she excitedly ran into the girl who’d sat next to her on the flight to Paris. Oops!

After leaving the Orangerie, it was time to eat again, so we stopped at a restaurant that Laurie had been dying to try, based on its reputation for having the best hot chocolate in Paris: Angelina (www.groupe-bertrand.com/angelina.php). This was another very popular spot, and we had to wait in line for about 30 minutes before being seated. Although Laurie raved about the hot chocolate (I just had a sip of hers, and it was, indeed, absolutely fantastic — thick, dark and rich, with whipped cream on the side – and unlike anything masquerading as hot chocolate in the U.S.), I was a little disappointed in the menu, and wasn’t particularly impressed with what I orderd — in fact, I can’t even remember what I ordered! I’m not sure it was worth the 30-minute wait, but if you happen to wander by when there’s not a line, definitely stop in for the hot chocolate. Ironically, we’d also ordered a side of French fries, which we never received — just like our side of bacon never arrived at breakfast. We dubbed the day our “Day of Missing Side Orders.” Again, though, just like at breakfast, we were so full from the rest of our food that we were fine with the fact that the fries never came.

Next, we jumped on the Metro and rode up to Montmartre, the neighborhood surrounding the Sacre Coeur on the only major hill in Paris. I loved Montmartre immediately. The narrow, winding streets had more of an “old Europe” feeling than the wide boulevards of formal Paris, and there were lots of artists and art shops lining the streets. But the main focus of Montmartre is the Sacre Coeur, which sits at the very top of the hill. You can reach the Sacre Coeur by either a series of stairs or by a funicular, and considering how much walking Laurie and I had done the past 3 days, we opted for the funicular. We reached the top shortly before 6:30 and took a quick tour of the Sacre Coeur, which we cut short due to the fact that a mass was about to start. Here’s a shot of the Sacre Coeur. All the people sitting on the steps were waiting to watch the sun set over Paris — the view is amazing from here.

While Laurie and I waited for the sun to set so that we could see the view across Paris at night, we wandered the streets, and in a weak moment, I allowed an artist to talk me into letting him draw my portrait. It was actually a lot of fun, and reminded me of when my parents had a street artist draw my portrait in New Orleans when I was about 5 or 6. The artist (Olivier) was fun to chat with while he drew me, and he did a pretty good job, although I don’t think he got my chin right. Oh, well, it was still a lot of fun. Here’s a shot of one of the quaint little squares of shops and restaurants in Montmartre:

And here’s a view of the Eiffel Tower from Montmartre. I really need to Photoshop that antenna out of the picture, but I haven’t had a chance to do that yet.

And here’s the Sacre Coeur at night. You can see it at night from just about any point in Paris, since it sits at the highest point in the city.

Laurie and I finally headed back to the hotel. Here’s one last photo from the day, of the Arc de Triomphe, from the street in front of our hotel: