2. Roma Italia April 12 2023
Greetings from Rome – Campo de’ Fiori. Galleria Sciarra. Coppedè. Lots of Steps.
Wednesday, April 12.
Began our day by walking from the Donna Camilla to the Galleria Sciarra, a wonderful building with a covered walkway – a private courtyard that is actually open to the public, and which is not visited by many tourists and actually I think little known except to locals. It’s an example of Italian Art Nouveau–lovely, but unfortunately when we got there (we had never seen it before) there was a lot of renovation going on so it was a bit difficult to truly appreciate the Gallery in all of its glory. But still it was great to see.
From there we walked to the Campo Fiore market which was abuzz with locals getting fruits, vegetables, herbs and other daily goods. It’s the oldest market in Rome, and every morning, (maybe not on Sundays), the square is filled with stalls selling fruit, vegetables, meat, poultry and fresh fish, and assorted clothing and accessories as well as “kitchen necessities” like things that curl carrots and make zuchinni into little rosettes. Other stalls have dried fruit, nuts and spices, and florist stalls surround the fountain located in the center of the square. Specialties that can be found at the market include the amazing Roman artichokes, which has already become a daily staple for me. Surrounding the market and on adjacent streets are delicatessens and bakeries. Along the walk we passed hordes of people lining up to see the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain… Glad we had seen those places many years ago when the lines were quite smaller and glad we agreed not to revisit.
Then we walked (hiked) about three miles to get to Coppede, a neighborhood we had never seen on other trips to Rome. It was pretty much an uphill walk (didn’t’t realize that at the onset) but we persevered except for a short stop at a little outdoor Lebanese café to have some cold mezze. Finally we arrived in Coppede, excited to see all these amazing examples of Art Nouveau, Liberty, Art Decò buildings (residences) that seem to have also been influenced by Greek, Gothic, Baroque, and maybe even medieval art. The story that is told is that this neighborhood was the brainchild of an architect (I think from Florence) named Gino Coppedè who designed this neighborhood and oversaw the construction between 1913-1927. It’s an eclectic mixture of all of these historic styles and amazing ironwork. It’s been said that Coppedè is Rome’s answer to Gaudì ‘s Barcelona structures… although I don’t think I’d agree. The area is totally residential except for a few embassies, and not really easy to get to except on foot although there are some trams that can get you there.
But there is always a glitch… On this day, and for a few more to come, they are filming some 1920s italian movie (maybe something very Mafia-oriented) and thus one of the most wonderful buildings in the area and the famous fountain with the frogs were inaccessible—we could see them but could not get close. Street were blocked, but it was great to see all these people in period costumes from the 20s (wonderful dresses and coats) walking about, and getting in and out of 1920s vintage cars. Still we were able to see and get up close to many other houses in the area. Coppedè has apparently been the backdrop for many films in the past decades.
The entry into Coppedè has a very dramatic arch, but the filmmakers had also commandeered that, making it difficult to photograph. I should note that many of the buildings have very impressive frescoes. We were in awe of the whole setting and am still amazed by the craftsmanship and abilities of the diverse artisans needed to create these special places—a big contrast to what we produce today. Then again, I don’t think I’d have the stomach for this in great quantities. Think Gilded Age!!
Finally, after our 9 mile walk, we taxied to the Saint Regis Hotel which has an interesting history and is the lap of luxury with $25 glasses of prosecco and equally priced cocktails. Still it was fun to get inside and see the spaces..
After a brief stop at our hotel, we headed down the street to Antica Pesa which is a well known restaurant more than a century old yet still maintains its quality and manages to keep up with the times. The entryway of the restaurant is filled –floor to ceiling— with framed photos of famous people who have eaten at the restaurant: Sean Penn, Robert Di Niro, Danny DeVito, Madonna, Sophia Loren, and Picasso, and the like. Rumor has it that there is a sister restaurant with the same name in Brooklyn. Will have to check that out on my next trip to NY. We started with artichoke (naturally).. this time done with some kind of mint sauce; a baccalau with cod cappuccino, potatoes whipped into a cream, and some kind of almond mousse, spaghetti carbonnara, and a honey pork with chicory. All very good.
Much more to say about Rome.. it was good to revisit. Tomorrow we head to Todi, via Calcata. That should be an interesting drive. Perhaps tomorrow will be more newsy and less gastronomic. But then again, it is Italy and eating is a sport and an art.
Arrivederci Roma.
Fern
Saluti Dall’Italia. April 11 2023
Ciao!
Arrived in Rome on Monday (April 10) evening around 6:30 after an excessively long layover in Frankfurt (our least favorite airport). Taxied to our hotel which is in the Trastaverre section of the city—a neighborhood I’ve walked on previous trips but never stayed in, so this will be fun. First a bit about this trip. When we made our plans for our December 2022 trip to the Middle East, there was always the possibility that the trip would need to be canceled: Egypt’s economy had crashed; Jordan was having problems; and of course Israel is always problematic. Beyond this, we were supposed to start our journey in Ethiopia and they were having problems with the Tigray. Anyway, we decided to book a backup trip to someplace easy—some place easier than our usual travels to more distant and less-traveled locations. We decided that a driving trip through Italy could be fun and require a lot less planning than the Middle East. So, for those of you who followed the trip in December know, we did go to Egypt and Jordan and Israel, and the backup trip became unnecessary.
But, driving through Italy—to both new places and places we’ve been to sevral times in the past—seemed delightful. So, we decided to postpone rather than cancel that “backup trip” and thus we are now here in Italy. It’s a pretty calm trip and we don’t expect too many crises or problems (to which we are accustomed based on our usual travel). But stay tuned, we always manage to have a few adventures.
And as usual, feel free to ignore this travelogue or to read it. Eventually, it will all be on my travel blog which includes aobut 40 countries, but is missing a lot of photos (and thus I haven’t officially launched it, but it is up there in the blogasphere).
So after reaching the very charming Hotel Donna Camilla Savelli (more about the hotel later), we settled in and then headed for dinner. It was a Monday night and all of Rome had celebrated “Little Easter” (Pasquetta) — everything is closed and many restaurants served big lunches instead of dinner, thus limiting our options. We decided to stroll the narrow and gnarly streets of the Trastaverre in search of an open restaurant and stumbled on Osteria Roody, a little place that has probably been in that location for many decades. Very friendly staff (even though only one English speaker) and we had a good meal –shared the famous Roman style artichoke which was heavenly and a pasta dish and lamb chops with grilled chicory, all followed by great tiramisu. Then we strolled back to the hotel at about midnight to have a nightcap.
Donna Camilla Savelli Hotel is a former convent that was commissioned by a noblewoan whose name is now taken by the hotel. She also apparently funded the adjacent church in 1642. Within the hotel proper there is still a small chapel, where a nun sits and asks for an offereing when you come inside to see the space (which is lovely).
On Tuesday morning, following breakfast, we headed out to stroll Trastaverre and the nearby Jewish ghetto. We stopped in at the Fondazione Museo della Shoah which had large historical photos of Rome during the 1930s and 1940s along with a short film that depicted the roundup of Jews in the area and their subsequent demise. The exhibit and film were interesting, but I felt as if it was all about what the Germans did and had very little about the role of the Italian Fascists and Mussolini.. sort of “whitewashed that part.” We also visited the grand synagogue which is famous for having a square dome.
From there we walked to the Testaccio neighborhood which is one of Rome’s many gentrified areas that used to cater to working families and is now an “in” area, complete with great restaurants and expensive apartments. We were starving so we stopped at the Testaccio Market and meandered the stalls—finally deciding on a fantastic pizza place that makes about 25 different kinds of pizzas each better and more interesting than the other and all available to purchase. You make your selection (after standing on line behind dozens of Italians who seem to all be regulars) and then the pizza guy cuts from the large pizzas the types you select— making them as big or small as you like (everyone gets many different kinds—a sort of “platter of pizzas”) and then the pizza guy weighs your slices and gives you the price. Mike went to find a table in a courtyard in the market, while I made the pizza decisions. Turned out to be a good thing that there was a wait—I was able to see all the different options and there was one English speaking person on line, ahead of me, so I got to hear the options in English. Thus, I was very ready when it was my turn. We had one that had a white cheese base and then lemon and mushrooms (amazing) and one tomato piece: sun dried and fresh tomatoes and red onions with spices; one with roman style artichoke, prosciutto, and some other ingredients; and two other kinds of pies.
Then we walked to the Ostensiense neighborhood which is known for having a lot of murals and graffitti. It, too, was a former working class area and is now borderline chic. The neighborhood was the location for a lot of Rome’s industry and there were major power plants in the area as well. One of those power plants has been turned into a museum, which I am certain the designers and curators had a lot of fun creating. Much of the original machinery remains (now painted black) and all sorts of white marble sculptures (figures) uncovered throughout Rome from the Renaissance and Baroque eras, stand in front of the machinery—great contrast. The “museum” is called the Centrale Montemartini. We loved it—the contrast (and similarity?) between the machines and the sculptures was great: both beautiful and requiring a good deal of artistry. Nearly all of the male statues were missing their penises (broken off) … not sure what that’s about, but I’m sure one can do some research and find some academic who has studied this issue.
Despite having already walked more than 9 miles (which we felt in our calves), we decided to move forward and head to the Garbatello Lots – a neighborhood that was created in Mussolini’s time (and still functioning) that was planned and modeled on British planning concepts for workers who toiled in the nearby factories. By then we definitely needed some gelato… and then—way too exhausted to walk back—we got a taxi (using my new Italy Taxi app!) back to the hotel.
For dinner we headed to Rosciolo which is across the Tiber… and we saw the area we had been walking in all day, at night. By the way, the walking bridge closest to our hotel has hundreds (maybe more) of little locks (suitcase locks? Bicycle locks?) stretching across the entry to the bridge – placed supposedly by young (and old) lovers who carve their names in the locks and then place the lock on the chain and throw away the key. This is probably a copy of what was done on one of the bridges leading to the Île de la Cité in Paris, where all of the locks needed to be removed because the bridge was collapsing since it was not structurally sound enough to handle the weight of over 700,000 locks that had been installed by couples.
We wanted to eat in Rosciolo’s ittle salumeria but with only about 4 tables it books quickly and despite having tried to book well before we left for Italy, we were unsuccessful. So we opted for Rimissi Rosciolo which is owned by the same family but is more of a sit down osteria although it too is lined with shelves and shelves of canned and jarred goods that look totally yummy.
We got the fixed meal which included: an antipasti of tuna, white beetroot, and peaches (amazing); small pieces of lamb with giardiniera (equally amazing); two pasta dishes: fregola with fermented lemon and smoked herring (thought it would be weird but it was delicious); marinated risotto and raw prawns (this dish turned out to be a little strange, although the prawns were super); a cauliflower dish that was made with coffee, kombucha, and Jeruslaem artichoke (another winner); lamb chops with black cabbage…. All followed by ricotta eclairs with oranges. They could have rolled us out.. especially with the wine pairings. I feel like I gained 10 lbs with just the one meal.
Guess it’s obvious that we are not going to any of the famous monuments, chruches, museums… We’ve seen them all before and this whole trip is dedicated to seeing neighborhoods in many cities and to avoiding tourists.
We are good and hope you are doing well.
Tomorrow more Rome, and then we are off on our driving adventure.
Meglio per te (I think this says “best to you.”
Fern
Toronto Girl Trip June 11 2023: It’s a Wrap!
Sunday, June 11, 2023
Greetings from T.O (as many signs indicate for Toronto) on our last day in the city.
Began Sunday with a bit of a late start because we needed to pack and check out of the hotel. Then we headed to the Aga Khan Museum which is about 20 minutes (by taxi) from downtown.
Before talking about our day and the museum, a few points about Toronto that I haven’t mentioned yet.
The city of about 3 million (nearly 7 million if you talk about Greater Toronto) has a nice vibe, is very urban, yet has lots of small and large parks scattered about and is clearly growing— especially vertically. No way to count the number of cranes and construction of skyscrapers as they seem to be everywhere. Lots of glass towers and a changing skyline. There are rivers and some deep ravines, people of many ethnicities and origins (more than 50% were not born in Canada), and is the third largest tech hub in North America. It’s very livable and walkable and seems to have a good deal of cultural facilities and respect for its many First Nation peoples. And unfortunately, like all cities, it’s clear that homelessness is alive and well with tents and unhoused people sleeping on the streets in what seem to be random locations. This trip to Toronto was the first visit for me in at least 25 years so the city looked very different from what I remembered. The long waterfront and harbor as well as the islands remain but I remembered lots of small neighborhoods filled with Edwardian and Victorian buildings and family-sized houses. Some of that still exists, but the overall impression is of glistening, towering (probably expensive) residential towers and also many financial institutions. And many industrial sites have been transformed into eating and entertainment destinations like the Distillery District. I’m guessing that many of those old neighborhoods that I remembered disappeared to make way for all those high rises. Already in 2011 there were about 2,000 buildings taller than 10 stories and when it comes to real skyscrapers (taller than 30 stories), Toronto is set to outpace Chicago in the next few years.
The architecture includes great variety with some buildings dating back to the early and late 19th Century and others newly built. Somewhere I saw a quote that said something like “Toronto is a brash, rag-tag place—from mixed periods and styles.” The CN Tower, completed in 1976, was the tallest building in the world until 2007 when the Burj Khalifa was unveiled in Dubai. And I would be remiss not to mention that when walking we were often on wonderfully shaded tree-lined streets and often found ourselves edging wonderful buildings of the University of Toronto which seems to sprawl throughout the city with its more than 60,000 students and which probably also makes the city feel young and adds to the vibe I’ve mentioned before.
Ok… so on to the Aga Khan Museum. We arrived in time for an early lunch at Diwan, the restaurant inside the museum. The space with its towering ceiling (about 30 feet?) is an interesting mix of modern, sleek, and ornate. There are decorated wood panels that are hand-carved and from 18th Century Damascus… but also very hip and beautiful dinnerware and large glass windows looking out at the gardens. Approaching the grounds (they have a huge parcel), one is immediately struck by the 5 large granite-lined pools into which the buildings are reflected. And the center pool houses a wonderful reflected “sculpture” that is really a series of large black letters that sit at varying heights on simple poles coming out from the pool. The letters are upside-down and backwards and from a distance look like a two-dimensional graphic display against the sky and the building behind. But as you get closer and look into the pool, the letters reflect (in their proper right side readable form) to create a statement in the pool. I think the letters and statements might be changeable, but maybe the statement that is there is permanent. It read “There is a voice that does not use words,” which is a quote from Rumi (and there is currently an exhibit that focuses on Rumi). So perhaps the statement changes with each exhibit. I was mesmerized by the sculpture and could have watched it forever since it’s always changing as the light changes and as the wind moves the water. I loved it.
The site includes two buildings around this formal garden (where the pools are): the museum and the Ismaili Center, a religious and social building which is oriented toward Mecca. Inside the museum there are several galleries and also a glazed courtyard. The main exhibit at the current time was the one on Rumi which was interesting, although difficult to enjoy because some tour guide was explaining the show to a group of tourists and they didn’t use headsets, so you kept hearing her booming voice wherever you went on that floor. Having been to Konya in Turkey some years ago and having sat through the whirling dervish’s performance, it was interesting to see some of the visuals related to that. (When we saw the dervishes, I was dizzy within 5 minutes, and I was just sitting and watching). There was also a “themed” exhibit.. this time on “water.” The exhibit focused on pieces from the museum’s collection that pointed to the importance of water as a life-giving source in Muslim art and literature – from ceramics and paintings to architectural elements and metalwork. And there was an exhibit called “Cultured Pallets” by Canadian-Iranian artist Soheila Esfahani, that included about 100 shipping pallets that were transformed by painting patterns in geometrical ways on the pallets and other everyday objects that are used as temporary holding areas for objects. Each pallet was laser-etched in a process that takes about 700 hours to complete for the whole installation. Then they are hand-painted, with color and some golden areas. Sort of interesting, albeit a stretch to see the artist’s conception regarding “the feeling of in-betweenness — a space where those experiencing migration often find themselves negotiating identities and cultures.”
As we left the museum, we had another chance to watch the pools and re-read Rumi’s statement.. and then it was a taxi to the hotel to get our bags and off we went to the Toronto Airport. 2023 “girls trip” was over and we each went to our respective flights. Unfortunately, my flight left two hours later than scheduled, which meant I would land at SFO around midnight… and then there was no gate at SFO for my flight so that took nearly 45 minutes.. Finally got my car at SFO and was at the house around 1:30 am (body time 4:30 am)… But still, it was a great trip and now we need to plan the 2024 trip.
Best
Fern
Toronto Girl Trip Day 3 June 10 2023
Saturday, 10 June 2023 (18,000 steps)
Beautiful day in Toronto; blue sky; 79 degrees. If anything, a bit too humid for me, but not complaining.
Began the day by walking from the hotel to Chinatown where we waited a bit for a table at a dim sum place called Rol San, which was highly recommended. It was good, but not nearly as good as many of our Bay Area dim sum places.. but still fun and good start to the day. From there, we decided to head to the Distillery District (today was neighborhood strolling day) which is a pedestrian-only area that is home to a lot of 19th century buildings and once was the site of a large whiskey distillery. Today it’s lined with cobblestone streets, hip restaurants, bars, art galleries, and boutiques. We strolled a bit and then walked to the St Lawrence Market area… about 20 minutes away. A former industrial area, the St Lawrence Market area is also lined with restaurants and cafes and little shops. It’s the oldest part of Toronto and is home to the St Lawrence Market which is a huge indoor retail vendor market which is the focus of the neighborhood. There is also a lot of city-sponsored public housing in this area.
Once the center of Toronto, the functions had, over time, been relocated to other parts of the city and the neighborhood declined. By the 1960s, the industrial uses were disappearing and there were many empty and dilapidated buildings. In the 1970s a new progressive mayor decided to turn the area into a residential neighborhood, that would not follow the path of mistakes of urban renewal The idea was for this new neighborhood to be thoroughly integrated into the city without any clear boundaries and to contain a mix of commercial and residential uses and include subsidized as well as market rate low-rise housing. Apparently, the mayor was influenced by the American/Canadian planning activist Jane Jacobs, who had moved to Toronto in the late 1960s following a protracted and very public disagreement with Robert Moses and also because she worried about the fate of her two draft-age sons. It is said that she became tired of fighting New York City government. Jacobs quickly became active in stopping the Spadina Expressway and supporting the regeneration of the St. Lawrence neighborhood.
After walking around the St. Lawrence area, we were in real need of a gelato fix and also some ice cold water.. We finally found a good place and rested up from the walking and the warm weather.
Refreshed, we headed to yet another neighborhood which we believed was an upscale hip area but must have gone astray because we were in a pretty seedy area… but did see a lot of murals. Then we taxied back to the hotel and decided to check out the Toronto Metro system. So, we hopped on a train for a few stops… got off and walked a bit to some random location and then went back by train to the hotel to get ready for a late dinner (finally, back to my eating schedule rather than these “early bird” dinners before the theater.) The train seems efficient but nothing special, sort of like BART.
After a brief stopover at the hotel, we headed to Taverna Bernhardt for our 9:45 reservations. The restaurant is named for the famous French actress and is supposedly an homage to the cooking of the owner/chef’s hometown—Montreal. The special (and one of the few dishes available every day) is rotisserie chicken which sort of melts in your mouth. It’s served with wonderful crisp thick fries, a little cole slaw, and pickle. We started with three small plates: a sea bass crudo, a great baby eggplant dish with tahini, and carrot almondine. Great organic wines… The restaurant is located mid-block on a very residential street in the west side in a little house. We ate outside near the hedges and finished off the meal with 2 desserts: a flourless chocolate cake soaked with cherries and a sunflower and pear sorbet sundae…
Then began the task of finding a taxi back to the hotel. By now it was about 11:30. We tried the apps (I now have two) and it seemed that no taxis were available. So we walked two blocks to a bigger cross street and figured we’d have more luck with the app there. But alas we then found out why it was so difficult to get a taxi. Many streets were blocked off for some kind of street fair. So we reversed course and walked to another large street that was in the opposite direction. We had better luck but had to wait longer than we have at any other time for the taxi… Arrived at the hotel and now I’m finishing this note and packing.
Tomorrow, we head to the Aga Khan Museum and then we are off to the airport for our different homeward destinations. Hope to write the final note tomorrow before my plane takes off.
See you stateside very soon.
Fern
Toronto Girl Trip Day 2: June 9 2023
Friday Greetings —
We heard it was a good day in the U.S. with the first group, of many-yet-to-come, indictments…
Set out today for very early lunch (sort of brunch) at the Art Gallery of Ontario, which was quite yummy… simple soups and salads. And then we headed to see the museum which turns out to be quite wonderful (this said by someone who wouldn’t go into a museum for 20 years, and still is hesitant about the commodification of artworks and how museums contribute to value that does not get passed on to the makers). But “AGO,” as it is called (Art Gallery of Ontario–get it?), is a very manageable museum… small enough to see a good deal in one visit and complex enough and with many temporary shows to be able to make return visits. Architecturally, it’s warm with a lot of beautiful wood walls. Moreover, they have a great collection of Canadian and Inuit art as well as the works of other native groups. Additionally, they currently have one installation by Yayoi Kusama, the Japanese artist who is sometimes called the “princess of polka dots” and who is famous for the reflective “balls” and mirrored infinity rooms that are always fun to experience. You only get one minute in the room (totally timed and they are strict about it), so I went in twice!
They also had several other immersive experiences including one room that was all black except for a circle of light that appeared from time to time. The idea was to sit or lie on a round “couch” with others staring up at the ceiling (although you can certainly just stand) and feel the vibrations and sense of volcanic movement. The Icelandic artist Jónsi tries to make you feel you are inside the volcano. There’s a lot of technology involved with creating the sounds for the piece. But it works.
After a sufficient dose of “art” we walked through the neighborhood which edges on Toronto’s Chinatown and continued on to the Kensington Market area. Kensington Market is more of a multicultural neighborhood than a market. It’s an older neighborhood which was designated a National Historic Site of Canada about 15 years ago. One journalist wrote that “Kensington today is as much a legend as a district.” During the early 20th century, it was the home to Eastern European Jewish immigrants. It was overcrowded with densely packed houses and one of the poorest areas of Toronto. During that time, it became known as “the Jewish Market” where Jewish merchants operated small shops that sold items that were imported from the homelands where the immigrants were from.
The Jewish population moved to the suburbs and also further north in the city in the 1950s, and other immigrants from the Caribbean and East Asia took their place in the neighborhood. As many of us know, in the 1960s and early 70s many Americans moved to cities in Canada as a protest to the Vietnam War and many of these political refugees settled in and around this area and into a section known as the Annex. Over more recent years, immigrants from Central and South America and parts of Africa also located in Toronto and many started their Canadian lives in the Kensington area. In the 1960s there were plans to tear down much of the neighborhood’s densely packed small houses and replace them with large housing projects. But this plan never materialized due to a change in administration.
We stopped for a great gelato and then continued to walk to Chinatown, and eventually taxied to the hotel to freshen up before dinner and another play in the Luminato Festival.
Dinner was at Oji Seichi deep in the heart of Toronto’s Chinatown—a fantastic place for ramen, but we opted for an array of great starter plates—veggie tempura made with a really light and fluffy breading and we also had wonderful karaage, seaweed, and cucumber salad, and extremely fresh gyoza. Oji Seichi is tiny and brightly lit with wood bench seating. They consider it Canadian Japanese! Would definitely return and recommend it highly.
We then walked to the Ada Slaight Theater to see “Aalaapi,” a genuine treat, since we didn’t know that much about the play (mostly it fit our calendar and sounded interesting). Aalaapi is Inuktitut for “Choosing silence to hear something beautiful” or something along those lines. The play uses documentaries and also radio pieces spoken in French, English, and Inuktitut languages (always flashing the translations onto the “front side of the house” which is the only stage set–the front facade of a house. Throughout the performance, you’re watching the house (and the play) through that window.
Basically, the play focuses on the daily lives of a few women from Nunavik (far north Quebec and home to Inuit people) whose lives move from the north (where they live with their ancestors on ancestral lands) and the south (where they must go in order to advance educationally). The dialogue is often intimate as the women tell stories of their history and the richness of their culture. And they always talk about the importance of silence as defining their very being—silence they can only experience in the north. Throughout the play they also mention cooking Bannock (and they are actually cooking it throughout the performance (and they serve it to the audience at the conclusion of the performance).
Images project across the facade of the house, which serves as a screen, and there is also a soundscape of footsteps walking and breaking the snow on the ground and also wind sounds. In the words of the “script,” the audience is invited “to listen in order to see better.” It was an incredibly powerful play performed by Inuit activists who “opened” the door of “the house” at the end of the play to invite questions from the audience, which also proved very interesting as the two performers talked about the difficulties of holding onto their native language, of having to leave “home” in order to become more educated, and the conflicts related to whether or not to return to the very small villages of their background. They talked about the fact that it was illegal to speak their language just 50 years ago and what impact that had on the continuity of their culture. And they also talked about a nickel mine that has been trying to lease land owned by First Peoples—promising jobs and cash, but potentially destroying the Intukitut lifestyles and environment. Thus far, the people in the 200-person town has stood strong and stopped the development.
So much more to say about the play and the similarities between the people speaking Inuktitut and township people speaking Xhosa in South Africa and Lapps speaking Sami, and oh so many more examples. I’m hoping this small group gets funding to take the show to other communities.
Because there was so much to discuss after the play, we figured we should head for drinks! And dessert! So, we went to Bar Raval which is on the edge of Toronto’s Little Italy. Bar Raval was totally packed with all under-30s… There was only standing room.. so, we noticed what looked like a really nice little restaurant next door where we were able to snag an outside table for four—Daili. Perfect choice – drinks and fantastic desserts in a new American/Asian/French flair. We opted for poached pears that were. soaked in some kind of wine and spices and Chantilly cream, and a panna cotta made with sticky rice and white chocolate and rhubarb and some other yummy stuff. We also had a serving of sake sorbet (to die for!)
Stuffed and happy, we taxied back to the hotel at around midnight. We are becoming expert at using the taxi app (Beck’s taxi).
Toronto’s got a good vibe.
More tomorrow
Fern
Short Girl Trip: Toronto, June 8 2023
Greetings from Canada, the place we all want to be from.
It’s the annual girl trip! This year it’s short and to the north. Four full days in Toronto.
Before I begin, let me just say something about the fires (which had us a little worried for a while). We truly lucked out in that somehow whatever smoke was hitting Toronto blew south and east just before we arrived. So while we haven’t had great weather, the air is fine, although a little hazy… sort of like the fog that rolls into Berkeley in the summer. We have even had some sun.
Greetings from Toronto…. (or Toronno as the locals say). A very short 4-day trip with friends
—the annual trip with all short “girls”..
As a group, we’ve traveled together (sometimes just two of us, sometimes three, and sometimes there are four or even five) to Marfa TX, Netherlands, Montreal, Detroit, DC/NY, south of France, and more); this year we selected Toronto for a variety of reasons:
- We only had 4 days
- None of us had been to Toronto in years and we knew a lot had changed
- We often try to tie trip into some arts event or festival; during the time we are here, the Luminato Festival will be in full swing
- We like to visit ethnic neighborhoods and eat good food
So Toronto checked all the boxes.
We arrived late on June 7th (Wednesday)—each of us landing at about 9 pm—and connected easily after going through customs; taxied to the hotel by 9:45 and literally ran into the hotel restaurant which turned out to be fairly good…. Or maybe we were so hungry anything edible would have tasted good.
Today, Thursday, was really Day One.
After a quick breakfast at the tiny café attached to the hotel, which appears to be totally organic, leaning toward vegan, where we had an interesting “egg toast,” we strolled to the Bata Shoe Museum. It’s an amazing collection with more than 15,000 objects covering more than 4,500 years of history from Chinese bound-foot shoes and sandals from ancient Egypt to current-day Nikes and shoes needed for different climates and different jobs and shoes that reflect changes in society and social customs. There’s some good text that gets into how technology changed the nature of footwear and also how shifts in society and customs can be traced through shoes and shoe design and manufacture. The museum has shoes from every part of the world… from silk shoes from China to fur shoes for Samurai warriors. The museum exhibits about 1,000 pairs at a time.
We stumbled upon a group of college students with their instructor at the museum. They are doing a study (with a grant from the Canadian government) on how AI and other technologies will affect the design of museums. Like them, we downloaded the QR code at one part of the exhibit and attempted to follow the instructions which would enable us to put a shoe onto our feet and see our whole body in an image wearing these rather phantasmagorical shoes. Well, we were able to download the shoes but couldn’t get further than that. But these college students whizzed through the instructions and were able to model the shoes digitally…. So lesson learned for the students: these kind of exhibits that use AI will need to have guides at the museums help visitors learn the technology!
By the time we left Bata, it was drizzling but we walked to the Gardiner Museum which was a few blocks away. The Gardiner focuses on clay and there were several interesting exhibits including one highlighting Indo-Caribbean women, along with their stories. We tried to grab lunch at the restaurant but without reservations it was impossible.
Then we headed to an amazing early dinner (for me it was more like late lunch, given my usual eating times) at Canoe which is located on the 54th floor of the TD Bank Tower with spectacular views of the whole city—but we did need to contend with the minimal visibility. Anyway, the food was incredible and very upscale. We opted for the a la carte menu and shared two starters (scallop en croute—a huge scallop in the shell which was cooked with some pancetta, celeriac rémoulade, chanterelles, lobster oil, and sea lettuce—and had a sort of flaky and delicious “bread” which “resealed” the shell; and a venison tartare that came with roasted asparagus and pickled shallots, and probably some other stuff) and two main courses (halibut with asparagus and some kind of very whipped potatoes that had some apple puree, I think, and crispy onions). We were headed to the theater after this early dinner but managed to squeeze in a quick dessert: a sort of decomposed rhubarb cheesecake… and of course some nice wine.
Well-fortified, we headed to the St Lawrence Center to see “Treemonisha” which was staged in conjunction with the Luminato Festival. It’s an opera written from notes and music by Scott Joplin and is one of the few pieces completed soon after the abolition of slavery. But Joplin died before finishing it and thus it was completed by someone else. It fuses European classical music with ragtime, folk, and gospel which really makes for a wonderfully distinct score and also has a woman lead character who winds up being chosen to lead the community–definitely Joplin was a feminist and ahead of his time.
It’s an all-Black cast and orchestral ensemble (apparently a first for Canadian opera). The story takes place in 1884 on a former slave plantation in an isolated forest, somewhere between Texarkana, Texas (Joplin’s childhood town) and the Red River in Arkansas. “Treemonisha” is a young freedwoman. The opera was largely unknown before its first performance in 1972 (seven decades after Joplin wrote it). The story is very touching as it tells of Treemonisha, who is about to be married but discovers on her wedding day that she was not the birth daughter of her upscale freed parents and runs away (or is kidnapped, depending on your interpretation) to seek the band of “conjurers” of which her birth mother was a part (but had died soon after giving birth). To cut to the chase, she eventually brings the two groups of African cultures (the Maroons who live in the forest and the Freedmen) together—clearly a revolutionary idea that this would be done by a woman and is anointed the title “leader.”
It was beautifully staged and performed and I’d recommend it to you if you happen to be lucky enough to see it listed somewhere.
We then walked back to our hotel, which brought our steps for the day to nearly 18,000….and I’m sure I will feel it tomorrow.
Best—
Fern
January 1 2024 –Part Two: For the Foodies
This one is for the die-hard foodies…. So read at your own risk.
New Years Eve dinner was at Steirereck in Stadtpark… a very elegant, modern design building with soaring glass windows and walls of copper sheeting. And they really do NYE big time. Since we had tickets for a 10:00 seating at a concert at the Kursalon in Stadtpark (Mozart and Straus—concluding with the Blue Danube), we opted for an early seating for dinner at 7:00. The concert hall and the restaurant are 5 minutes apart, so we thought we were in good shape. Turns out the dinner lasted well beyond 10 pm so we dashed out after just the first of several desserts. Anyway, for the foodies on the list, here is the menu. The photos do not do the food justice, but I haven’t had time to do any photoshopping and food photography is a special art.
First came the “bread service”—about 32 different kinds of breads cut at your table, The guy names each and tells you the ingredients of each…and he can do it in at least three languages. Oh and champagne at the same time (choice of 4 different bubblies). Also, at each table there is a “game” you can play during dinner… sort of like monopoly. Maybe because they want you to really relax and take it slowly.
Starters (each served separately and displayed beautifully, and each very tiny bite size—thank goodness):
• Yeast bun with fennel pollen and loomi (dried lime—needed to look it up)
• Scallop with golden beet and Asian pear (they called it Nashi pear)
• Jerusalem artichoke with citrus salad and yacon (according to Wikipedia yacon is “a species of perennial daisy traditionally grown in the northern and central Andes—known for its crisp, sweet-tasting, tuberous roots.”)
• Crispy saffron with apple and lemon balm
Now the “courses” in order of their appearance at the table
• Pike Perch with something they called “superschmelz” kohlrabi and a coconut pineapple sage dressing.
• Spring chicken with golden beet, tangerine and chervil root
• Catfish with Yacon (again yacon), pistachio and perigord truffle
• Celery with Meyer lemon and also gold caviar
• Duck with Jerusalem artichoke, yuzu, and kale
• Champagne sorbet with orange blossom and citrus
• Wild (?) chocolate with almonds, berries and medlar (I think it’s like a rose, as there were petals)
• Salty and sweet delights (we missed this because we headed out to the concert after being in the restaurant for more than 3 hours of eating
Regarding liquids… I started with champagne, then moved to white wine for the first two courses and switched to red for the remaining courses. Mike still wasn’t drinking although he’s ready now… seems all better.
OK… enough on food. .. But I would put this up there with the best meals I’ve ever had… right up there with Gyogu in Tokyo and Singlethread in Healdsburg…
It’s 2024! January 1 2024 : Vienna!!
January. 1. 2024
It’s going to be a long time until I say 2024 with ease.
Hoping this new year will usher in progressive changes at every level.
So, it’s 2024; where have all those years gone?
We headed out this morning to have New Years Day Brunch at Das Loft which is on the 18th floor of the SO Hotel which is located on the other side of the Danube from where we are staying. The building was apparently an old Sofitel Hotel and then about two years ago got a big facelift from French architect Jean Nouvel and it has been rebranded as SO. While the special New Years Brunch was quite wonderful, the obvious star of the morning is the spectacular views from the restaurant and the interior as well. Since Mike now seems back to normal, we started the new year off with bloody marys.. (sp).
After this leisurely brunch we walked to the Karmeliter Market area — once the old Jewish section of Vienna— and now supposedly a hip area with some remaining traces of Jewish life. It’s a sweet neighborhood with a combination of commercial enterprises and Wilhelmian buildings. We then headed by public transit (we’re real pros now on the system) to see a wide range of social housing throughout the city.
Then we walked and took trams to get to Gleis 21 and more trams and trains to get to Wohnpark Alte Era (sp?) to see more examples of social housing and family neighborhoods. The quality of the housing, the parks, the schools in the areas was impressive. Having worked with many child care organizations in the states, I know they struggle to make play equipment and yards exciting for kids and are soooo limited by what materials are allowed and what kind of playthings can be used (given how litigious our society is). Here, all of the play areas and equipment were made of wood and rope (In the US, we don’t allow that because a kid might get a splinter, or the rope could catch on fire). And all of the structures were on springs, so they continued to bounce as kids walked and jumped. It was a totally fun experience and kids seemed to enjoy all of the equipment.
Eventually we headed back to the hotel (more trains and trams) and once at the hotel began to pack. Then we headed to Plachutta for dinner—which is about a 7-minute train ride from the hotel. It’s a family-owned restaurant that focuses on the Viennese tradition of “tafelspitz” which is a dish that has been popular in Vienna since the 19th Century and was a favorite of Emperor Francis Joseph who led a very frugal lifestyle. He preferred simple but tasteful food. Tafelspitz is a lean cut of beef that boils in a savory vegetable broth. Apparently, it is the quality of the beef that makes the difference. But there are many different cuts of meat to choose from at Plachutta.
The dinner is served as a bit of a ritual— First you select the kind of beef you’d like. You’re helped with a diagram of the cow noting the different cuts. And the waiters will happily give you an explanation and make some suggestions. Given that the beef is cooked in a broth with vegetables, it creates a tasty soup. So a copper (must be copper) pot comes to the table with the broth and vegetables piping hot and inside that same pot are the pieces of meat. First, though you eat/drink the broth and then you move onto the meat which is also served with spinach and potatoes as well as a flavored horseradish and a creamy sauce. The restaurant was packed and many people were waiting for tables.
It was good, but I admit boiled meat is not my thing.
Then we headed back to our abode at Hotel Motto to be able to get up early the next morning to head to Brno, Czech Republic.
More on that tomorrow.
Fern
December 31, 2023. Vienna!! 2024—Bring it On!
Happy New Year—
This is being written in the wee hours of January 1, 2024
After breakfast we were planning to head to see the Wortuba Church which is a bit of a trek from downtown (about one hour by metro), but after a recent email from a friend who suggested we visit the newly-reopened Vienna Museum (opened just three weeks ago), we decided to head there and then go to the church. The architect for the church chose the site of former Nazi barracks and planned for the church to be a bold religious statement. He died before the building was completed. It’s a real Brutalist building constructed of massive concrete blocks without any symmetry. But alas, after going to the museum and recognizing the time it would take to get to and from the church and then to get ready for dinner and festivities tonight, we opted to head back to the hotel after the museum for a few hours and then get ready to party!
The museum was well worth the visit, but needed way more time than we could spare. Given that it is New Years Eve Day, the museum had an early closing time, and we were practically the last people to leave. Over three distinct floors there is one continuous permanent exhibit that depicts and tries to explain the history of Vienna: “Vienna. My History.” The exhibit focuses on the place and the people—the politics, religion, social structures, the environment. Topics include work, housing, traffic, immigration, and ecology — then and now. The exhibit(s) is arranged chronologically and winds around the building. There are lots of different formats and tactile objects as well as many interactive efforts to bring viewers into the exhibit to comment, engage, and voice opinions.
We headed to the second floor where the exhibit focused on the 20th and 21st centuries. The exhibit went out of its way to bring credible information about Austria’s role in WWII and the plight of Jews in Vienna. Everything in the museum is presented in both text as well as graphics and photography, and wherever possible presents questions for viewers to ponder. Physically, I was struck by the number of hands-on aspects the museum has developed and hope that enough consideration has been given to viewer handling of the items. For example… there is a wall of photo portraits of pre-eminent Austrians in various disciplines (music, literature, science, etc.). Each portrait is really a door (about 20” x 20”), which when opened tells the story of that person’s life and accomplishments in easy-to-understand text. I hope the hinges can handle all the wear and tear. And in another section, there is a big discussion of social housing, including two walls of images of real people (photos mounted on ¼” boards). Viewers are encouraged to pick up these photo boards (which are leaning on a series of shelves. On the back of each photo board is text from interviews with the person in the photo. All of these people are living in social housing.
And the exhibit attempts to gather basic information from viewers—putting dots on a giant street map of Vienna to depict where the visitors reside, asking some key questions and providing large-format
“cards” for viewers to write responses and then post them on a wall. The responses are put into a pre-arranged grid so that the responses appear to be respected and readable for other viewers. I’m hoping they are collecting these responses and will do something with the information.
There was considerable “space” given to the Red Vienna period when socialists controlled the city, and how current issues such as immigration, housing, etc. are being addressed.
We then walked back to the hotel and prepared for our dinner, which was about a 15-minute taxi ride from the hotel. Our amazing luck with winter weather in Geneva and Vienna seems to be running out. Today was colder and grey; no sun to be found anywhere, so it felt even colder than it really was. I think that will be the case for the remaining days here.
We had 7 pm reservations at Steirereck in Stadtpark… and tickets for a concert that began at 10pm. It was supposed to be a 5-minute walk through the park to get to the concert hall. We figured we had plenty of time… But we arrived late to the concert since dinner was more than amazing and clearly 2.75 hours was not enough time for the dinner. We dined for more than three hours (and still had to miss one of the many dessert courses! Or we’d totally miss the concert). Anyway, the restaurant was beyond expectations. Thre were more than 32 choices of bread. The menu (for the foodies, there will be a follow up with descriptions—stay tuned) included 7 courses (all delicate and plated beautifully… and not heavy) in addition to four different amuse bouches.. and of course, lots of bubbly and good wine. And at the end they presented me with a lovely tartlet with a candle, and thankfully did not sing or make a spectacle!! The restaurant is in a beautiful modern building of natural materials of wood glass and concrete—and a terrazzo floor. Oh.. one more thing. At each table was a deck of cards and some dice and directions on how to play some game.. sort of like Monopoly. I guess when you are going to stay for so many hours, they must think you might need a distraction from the meal?? And as the photos show, the suggested attire for dinner (and also for the concert) was “black tie.” We didn’t quite make the cut, but e tried.
Following this totally amazing meal we headed to the concert at Kursalon in the park. It was a small hall (400 seats) with a 13-piece orchestra and a Strauss and Mozart repertoire, including some singers for certain choral parts. They were good and the audience loved it.. a bit schmaltzy for me, but lots of fun. Naturally, they ended with the Danube. Then we headed out to catch the fireworks at midnight. They were all over town. Inside, the concert hall was set up for dancing after the concert, but we begged out. Apparently, all over the city people dance the Danube at midnight.
Tomorrow, New Years Day, we head to brunch at the new Jean Nouvelle-designed hotel and then we’ll stroll Vienna a bit more. Then it’s Brno for the day and we are off. More tomorrow.
Oh— important to note.
Mike had been complaining when he packed for this trip —about his bag being too heavy because he had to bring along a nice pair of black shoes (as compared to everyday hiking boots) for New Years Eve, for which he decided to bring along a bow tie! Anyway, as we were getting ready for dinner, Mike starts to laugh… He had packed two black shoes; problem was he packed two black right shoes …. No left shoe. To me the two black shoes were very different (beyond which foot it was designed for), but he felt they looked alike, and it was a “natural” mistake. So, Mike’s bow-tied white shirt and black suit were complemented by construction-like BROWN boots. Imagine me doing something like that! Never!
All the best for 2024. I suppose that California has several hours to go before celebrating.
Fern
December 30 2023. Vienna!!
Greetings from Vienna/ Day Two — sorry for the length; feel free to just look at the pictures. This note is being sent on the morning of December 31.
Sounds like the California coast is really getting a beating. Hope those of you receiving this in California are OK.
First, last night’s dinner at Vestibul was quite wonderful, although Mike was being very careful in his selections. We started with two appetizers: chestnut soup for Mike and an artichoke dish for me. For main courses Mike had the char and I had wonderful duck. And of course, we ended with a great desert—can’t be in Vienna on a diet. As I remembered, food in Vienna is rich and complex. Vestibul is located in the Burgtheater’s imperial carriage entrance and marble hall, so the setting inside is definitely “royal.”
We began this morning with a quick breakfast at Cafe Ritter, one of Vienna’s oldest cafes… from the 1880s…. probably same waiters as when it opened. And in some ways time seems to have stood still — cash only (none of this weird plastic money and certainly no digital funds). It’s a hangout for many old timers and also some hipsters who seem to like the vibe.
We headed out to Gasometer… and now that we are experts on the U-Bahn (the Vienna Metro) we caught the train which went directly to Gasometer. We had seen the remains of the old gas works cylinders in Rome, but here in Vienna they have taken the four structures built at the very end of the 19th century and created housing. The gasometers were in use until about 1960 and then were shut down. The city preserved the exterior walls and eventually created housing blocks within the cylindrical frame. The city took on the task of remodeling and revitalizing the structures (which were landmarked) and selected four architectural firms to do the design. The challenge for the architects was to create affordable units (social housing) as well as offices and entertainment and shopping within these cylindrical buildings. The four buildings are connected by skybridges. Altogether there are about 800 apartments with about 1,600 tenants and about 70 student apartments. We explored the buildings although we could not see any actual units, just the public spaces and the exteriors.
We then hopped back onto the train to get to Hundertwasserhaus… one of Vienna’s most visited residential buildings in a residential district—a collaboration begun by an Austrian artist named Hundertwasser who was interested in architecture (but not an architect). Initially, he wrote and published a lot about architecture and his theories about how people should live with nature in urban areas and lectured at universities about the need for compatibility between nature and people. Eventually the Austrian chancellor recommended that Hundertwasser be given an opportunity to implement his ideas by constructing a residential building. But since Hundertwasser was not an architect, the city needed to provide him with an architect with whom he could work. Josef Krawina was selected. The building was to be for social housing.
But the partnership was not a happy one as Krawina straightened all the lines and changed Hundertwasser’s whimsical design. To Hundertwasser the project was no longer a house for “people and trees.” Eventually Hundertwasser got permission to build the house which required many, many exceptions to local building codes. Still, the arguments between the two “partners” were intense and lengthened the time of construction; Krawina eventually resigned from the project. The city needed to find another architect and they eventually used the city architect for the project. But the legal authorship of the building was in question for decades.
Anyway, the Hundertwasser building is delightful, with bright colors and tiles, and uneven floors in the corridors. The 250 bushes that were planted when the building was started are now tall trees. It’s a little like a cross between Gaudi’s La Sagrada in Barcelona and Watt’s Tower in LA. The Hundertwasser building complex has good marketing because, like Watts Tower it has become a major tourist destination. We even saw people with luggage who were stopping by to see the building on their way to or from the airport.
From there we walked across a canal to reach the official nation of Kugelmugel, after stopping briefly at a little neighborhood café for a light lunch.
Yet another structure that was controversial in a different way—Kugelmugel or officially “the People’s Republic of Kugelmugel” is a “micro-nation” located within Vienna. Apparently, it came about because of a dispute between an artist (Edwin Lipburger) and the officialdom of Austria, because the building would be spherical. It was built in 1976 and declared itself a sovereign nation, to bypass the codes. Some years later it was moved into Prater Park and is surrounded now by an 8’ barbed wire fence. It is the only address within “the Republic” and is located on a short street that the “Kugelmugel nation” named “Antifaschismusplatz.” Although Lipburger died in 2015, the Republic officially says its population is more than 650 “non-resident citizens.” It looks sort of like a big basketball sitting on the edge of the park where today there are amusement park rides.
Then we headed to Karl Marx Hof—part of what was known as “Red Vienna.” We realized if we took the train we wouldn’t get there while there was enough light to photograph, so we hopped in a taxi (those of you who know me, know that I don’t Uber). Taxis are easy to find, and you can hail them on the street like in NY.
Karl Marx Hof is more than a kilometer long and I think it was the longest continuous residential building in the world at that time. It was designed by one of Otto Wagner’s students (Otto Wagner was the architect for the Art Nouveau buildings I noted yesterday or the day before). The building was constructed between 1927 and 1930. (per Mike… “I’m stunned that they could do this in such a short period because 50-unit buildings in Oakland can take that long!”) And here there are about 1,400 apartments.
There are about 5,000 people living at Karl Marx Hof. It was considered innovative for its time, with laundries, showers, two medical clinics, kindergartens, dental clinic, a “mother’s advice center,” a library, a youth home, a post office, and a pharmacy…among other amenities. There was also an “advice center for interior design and housing hygiene.” In the 1930s the Karl Marx Hof was a center of resistance against Austrian fascism. But after the Austrian Social Democrats were eliminated, the building was renamed, but still the signage remains.
There are four female statues on the building that symbolize “liberation, enlightenment, child welfare, and physical culture.” According to my limited research, the mayor of Vienna stated at the opening of the building: “When we are no longer here, these stones will speak for us” and “The Karl Marx Hof – look! – that’s a piece of Marxism!”
From there, with the sun setting, we took the U-Bahn back to the hotel….somewhat smoothly, although we did wind up initially, on a train headed for the mountains.. But the public transit system is so good that it was easy to regroup and find our way. Like Geneva and so many other European cities, one is supposed to purchase a ticket, but supervision is non-existent and there are no barriers to entry, so people seem to come and go. And in many of the stations, on the platform between the two sets of tracks, there are glass enclosed kiosks displaying and advertising items you can purchase in the stores, including jewelry. These displays house the actual jewelry or clothing or whatever… and seem to remain undisturbed. Imagine that on the BART platforms!
For dinner, we headed to the Naschtmarkt and ate in a little place called NENI—an Israeli restaurant with quite good food. We had a Moroccan-style dish and a sweet potato dish as starters. Then we both had the salmon… followed by what they called an “authentic” NY cheesecake. It was good but definitely not a NY cheesecake.
And then we were back.
We have a long list of other things we want to see and are trying to figure out our last two days. It is now New Years Eve morning here—many places are closed today and tomorrow (New Years Day). On January 2, we will take the train to Brno, Czech Republic to have lunch with old friends and come back here to pack. We leave on the 3rd by train to Munich… from there we will fly directly to SFO. So, we’ll have to prioritize what we see today and tomorrow.
Happy New Year… Let it be a better and more peaceful year than 2023.
Fern
Fern's Travel Notes 