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
December 29 2023. Vienna!!
Freitag, 29 December 2023
First, a bit more about the problem finding our room in the hotel, last night. Mike decided he should go to a pharmacy to see if they would give him anything to speed up his recovery from the 24-hour stomach flu (which was then in the 48-hour period). He left the room to speak with the front desk folks to find out where there would be an open pharmacy. All of a sudden, I got a call from him saying he was stuck in a stairwell somewhere between the 5th and 6th floors. Apparently, he left the room and turned to the left rather than the right which takes you through a door into a vestibule where the elevator is. At the end of the hall at the right he opened the door, and it was a stairwell rather than the little 6th floor lobby… and when the door slammed shut, it was locked (I suppose that’s for fires). Probably if he went all the way down the seven flights he would have exited outside. But I came to the rescue…
Actually, the hotel is fine and quite popular as a restaurant/bar hangout for young, chic people sporting the latest in European fashion. But they do need some signage!
We began our day with breakfast at Chez Bernard which is located on the top floor of our hotel (Hotel Motto). That was after we attempted to switch to a larger room (so I could have a desk in the room). But the hotel is solidly booked. So I had them remove two pink-ish colored easy chairs (1920s vintage, but made to order in recent years for the hotel) so they could put in a desk. Now I’m a happy camper. Chez Bernard is a bustling place so it was amazing we could even get in without a reservation. Food was good, but service was slow. Finally, we set out for the day.
We headed to the Naschsmarkt and on the way stopped to look at some art deco buildings by Otto Wagner, including Majolikahaus which was built in the very late 1890s. It’s covered with tiles decorated with floral motifs of the Art Nouveau period and style. Next door is another building designed by Wagner which is covered with gold and white medallion-like shapes. Both buildings, I believe, were owned by Jewish families who were relocated (one was moved to the ghetto and the other fled to South Africa) during the Aryanization of Vienna. As I understand it, the Majolikahaus was owned by a Jewish developer named Wilhelm Frankl. Austrian officials determined he was “insane” so that they could take over the building which was deemed an architectural treasure. It was sold to a butcher and after WWII the original family (I guess with Wilhelm no longer being insane) sued unsuccessfully to get the property back. The butcher eventually donated the building to the church, which re-sold it fairly quickly.
From there we walked through many interesting streets requiring stair climbing and navigating many courtyards…. Until we found ourselves walking through the “Museum Quarter” which meanders through several arched walkways that have been painted in contemporary styles. I think they may repaint those ceilings periodically with different patterns. Then it was time for a late lunch, so we headed to the Palmenhaus and waited a bit, but did get a table. Palmenhaus Restaurant is located within a greenhouse that was originally built in the 1820s. The greenhouse was demolished about 80 years later and then a new building that reflected the new Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) era was built some years later. Palmenhaus was home to important exhibits in the first few decades of the 20th century and then was closed for some time and then restored and reopened in the 1960s. The restaurant sits in the center of the greenhouse.
…Pleasant knock on the hotel door just now—with a very upbeat guy delivering “evening drinks” to the room. I gather this is a nightly occurrence. I opted for champagne—so here I sit, drinking my bubbly and writing to you. Given that this was Mike’s first full day of not being really sick, he is napping and missing the drinks.
From Palmenhaus, we trekked to the State Library which is quite a site…. Baroque in all its glory, with amazing trompe l’oeil murals on the ceiling and archways. Inside the grand space, there was an interesting exhibit about Yoicho Okamoto, a Japanese American photographer who documented the destruction and also the rebuilding of Vienna after WWII. He later became the first American presidential photographer, documenting LBJ.
By then, although our little daily itinerary had more places we wanted to check out, we were pretty beat and decided to walk to the U-Bahn (metro) and head back to Hotel Motto, to get ready for dinner (tonight at Vestibul). Actually, I’m signing off now and sending this daily report. I’ll talk about dinner tomorrow if it is really good.
All the best –
Fern
December 28
Greetings from Vienna
On our last day in Geneva, we walked back to Bistrot de Halles Rive to meet most of the clan for lunch. Mike is still a bit under the weather so he’s now an official taster for bouillon at multiple restaurants. The rest of us had oysters and pates and various dishes. I had the local perch.
Then we headed, uneventfully, to the Geneva Airport—entering on the Swiss side this time. The Geneva Airport is officially in both Switzerland and France and it is possible to enter (and depart) from either country. The French side seems smaller, and we often use that because lines seem to move faster. Anyway, we boarded our flight to Vienna and arrived about 90 minutes later. Our hotel is located in what appears to be a hip neighborhood; we are not downtown. More on that tonight after we explore.
Anyway, the hotel is fairly funky with an art deco flair. It’s sort of turn-of-the-century Paris chic: parquet floors, brass, chintz fabrics in pinks and greens and huge chandeliers. There’s a huge red statue /sculpture in the lobby. And among the various free bath items you find in the bathroom (all very branded) is a little box of condoms.
This will either be a favorite hotel or one we hate. The verdict is out until we see more, and in daylight. Our room doesn’t have a desk making it difficult to do this travelogue. We are trying to change rooms, but the place (and the whole city) is totally booked.
I’m off to get dressed and head out to explore Vienna, We haven’t been here in decades.
One funny thing to tell.
The lighting throughout the hotel is very dim… atmosphere, I suppose. The charming elevator which is very art deco and lots of brass. The hotel doesn’t seem to have any bellmen (are there any bell-women?) which is fine. So we got on the elevator and went to floor six. When we got out of the elevator the rooms only went to 613, but we spied an unmarked door (signage here is non-existent) so we went through that door and it took us to a metal grated outdoor walkway. We took that walkway which led to another door and then a small vestibule and another door, and finally there were rooms including 617, our room. We thought it was a very odd way to reach our room…. But oh well. Later I went down to the lobby to ask a question (no room phones, as they just expect everyone will be on their cell phones – very hip), I realized that when I walked out of our room I went directly to a little (actually a rather large) foyer, and there was the elevator. I hadn’t taken that circuitous route on the outdoor walkway.
Turns out it’s one of those elevators that has two 6th floors,. And you need to know which you want (actually its just that the doors open on two sides, but not at the same time.) So now at least we know how to get to our room. Again, no signage.
We had dinner in the restaurant which was packed and again, hip… with lots of people dressed to the nines… and others very sporty. Mike had his bouillon.. I had escargots and steak tartare.
That’s it. Off to see Vienna.
We shall see if they can change our room.
Fern
Greetings from Geneva-
Got a bit of a late start today; Mike still didn’t feel great…but the good news is that whatever he had (probably stomach flu) seems to be on the way out as of now (5:30 pm). It was a bit of a challenge to get some simple food for him at the hotel, as the Longemalle houses a very famous and quite wonderful Lebanese restaurant called Balila, whose menu is not exactly equipped for problematic stomach issues. It took a lot for me to explain that all he wanted from room service was clear bouillon and some rice on the side. They kept offering a wonderful carrot puree and some lentil soup. Finally everyone got it and they were able to do bouillon and rice. Big success and Mike said it was wonderful and medicinal. I also managed to find a pharmacy and got several over-the-counter pills (a few of which he took). During my stroll to the pharmacy, I got some breakfast in a little café located inside a rather chic small department store (that was conveniently just down the street from the pharmacy).
Once Mike was settled and looking forward to sleeping the day away, I headed out to revisit what people here call the “smurf houses” (“Schtroumpf” as they refer to it). Mike and I had visited this housing some years ago but it rained all day so I decided to return given that the weather was on my side today. It was about 1.5 miles, so the walk gave me some of my daily steps. And I learned, a la Wikipedia, that the word “Schtroump” is a French made-up word first uttered by the Smurfs’ Belgian creator, Peyo, when he could not think of the French word for “salt.” So now you know. Anyway, somewhere along the way, the Swiss started calling these rather whimsical houses smurf or schtroumpf houses.
They are truly delightful… and hold your breath… they are subsidized housing units for low-income families in Geneva. The architects were devotees of Gaudi; the houses were built in the early 1980s and they are home to 170 families as rental units, subsidized by the city of Geneva. The rent is based on income. And like in the US, the number of people applying way outnumbers the supply of affordable housing.
The housing is located in the part of Geneva called Les Grottes Saint Gervais (caves of Saint Gervais) and has an interesting history. The village of Saint-Gervais dates to the Middle Ages and remained fairly rural – with fields, woods, vines, and a scattering of large housing sites — until the end of the 18th century. Then these large plots of land became the sites for small factories and worker housing with small gardens. Later this district was deemed unsanitary and dilapidated and the powers that be intended to raze it.
In 1971 there was a city plan that set to turn the area into a “satellite city” surrounded by roads and highways. But those who lived in the area—low-income people, including many artists and writers and creatives—organized themselves into the “Action Populaire aux Grottes” (APAG) to protest the city’s plans. Apparently, they were successful, and the government abandoned its plans. Instead, there was a renovation project, but the buildings in the area adjacent to Saint Gervais were razed and by the 1930s people said the neighborhood looked like “a peace-time bombing.” Today, I’m told, the Grottes district remains well ahead of other areas in terms of urban participation in Switzerland.
I also lucked out. I wound up chatting with an older gentleman who lives in the project and he offered to show me the inside. Pretty cool.
I decided to take the tram back although it’s not super direct, so it required a bit of walking at both ends of the tram ride to the hotel.. more steps for my daily requirement. I do always like to use public transportation when in another country—if only to see how it operates and to see who uses it. The Geneva system is very efficient—and definitely an honor system. In all the times I’ve used it, I’ve never been asked to show a ticket. But I always have one. While Geneva is very White, about 50% of those on the trams I’ve been on are people of color.
I’m off to meet Elizabeth for dinner. It’s supposed to be a good restaurant – Le Jardiniere; few choices as so many restaurants in Geneva are closed from December 23 through January 9. I generally don’t like to eat at hotel restaurants (this one is at the Woodward Hotel), but those are the ones that are open. We shall see. I don’t like eating at hotel restaurants because you’re usually sitting among other tourists. I’d prefer to be with locals.
That’s it for me for today.
Fern
Post-dinner: Le Jardiniere is quite lovely with views onto the Geneva harbor. These post-Xmas days appear to be slow at restaurants; probably everyone is eating their leftovers from Xmas. So, the restaurant was remarkably quiet, sophisticated, and good, I had the artichoke appetizer which came with burrata and some artichoke hummus. I followed that with pumpkin sage gnocchi. Both dishes were very good. There was also an amuse bouche… and a little crisp potato cube on top of which a small piece of roasted kale sat… Tasty and beautiful to look at; almost too precious to eat. Elizabeth wasn’t as impressed with her main course (fish). We chatted until about 11:30 and then taxied back.
Geneva: December 26 2023… On the Day After
Greetings on the day after Christmas…
Geneva takes these holidays seriously, so most shops and restaurants are closed on the 26th as well as the 25th.
We were to meet everyone for lunch at Bistrot des Halles (which is located inside a wonderful, downtown, upscale, indoor market) at noon. The only place to get anything that resembled breakfast (since we chose not to eat the big buffet breakfast at the hotel) was at Starbucks!! Conveniently located about 100 feet from our hotel. By the time we finished, we got a message that lunch was cancelled. I think that Julia and Julian were just exhausted from yesterday and little Siena was fussy and the nanny was ill. So, Mike and I strolled around town and eventually decided to get lunch at the Halles—just the two of us. The Bistro des Halles is a wonderful little restaurant that sits inside the market and utilizes local and seasonal ingredients. It’s pretty much meat and fish and some very traditional Swiss and French cooking. I had a veal dish and Mike had crayfish ravioli. We opted to stay away from the traditional and ever-present cheese fondue.
Then Mike, still feeling a bit under the weather, decided to skip the circus and head for a nap at the hotel. I headed out on foot to the circus—Cirque du Noel—about a 2-mile walk, I think. I met up with Em and Hem and Finn, and then with Julia and Louis and Ella. Ella promptly noted that I had no one, meaning I suppose, that I was alone. Ella was sporting her own circus outfit: a mermaid dress complete with tail which dragged a bit on the floor and made me nervous that either she or a passerby would step on the tail and get her off-balance. She complemented the mermaid outfit with high-top sneakers that glowed and sparkled and also lit up as she walked. Definitely a little trend-setter who is very aware of her “look.” We had first and second row seats for the big event… and popcorn (and later there was some cotton candy in the mix).
It was a small circus in just one small tent. No large animals and actually no clowns. There were acrobats, jugglers, a ventriloquist, some dancers and singers, and a modified high wire performer. The women performers were dressed in garb that would work well in Las Vegas casinos and bars with pole dancing. The cast all looked like they were from Slovenia or Poland or some former eastern bloc country—quite blond. Louis and Finn managed to get some “high-5s” from the performers because they were sitting so close to the performance area. And at one point, Julia got selected to come to the center of the stage (which she politely declined but it was difficult to say ”no”) so she wound up in one of the acts.
By the time the event was over it was dark, and the kids and parents decided to stay so everyone could go on the rides and probably have a bunch of junk food. As it turned out Ella ran into a little friend, Leo, from her class and the two immediately walked hand in hand—quite adorable.
When I got back, Mike still wasn’t feeling up to par. So he ordered soup from room service, which turned out to be not such a great decision. I decided to stay at the hotel for dinner and am now back in the room. Hopefully all will be better tomorrow. We’re hoping to visit a very special housing development that we saw once before in the rain. The Swiss refer to it as “Smurftown.” If the weather is good, I will probably go, but the plan had been for both of us to see it again.
Take care.
Best for the post Xmas and pre-New Year period.
Fern
Geneva: December 24 2023: Christmas Eve
Merry Christmas (to those who celebrate) –
Warning, for those of you accustomed to our more usual travel to distant places and searching the unknown—this set of travelogues will be very tame. We are in Geneva (via NY) and then on to Vienna. It’s a short trip focused mostly on family. So, no big exotic stories to tell, and unlikely to have too much drama. That said, we are headed to Vienna for about a week after Geneva.
We arrived in Geneva yesterday morning to spend Christmas with Mike’s family — his sister-in-law, two nieces and their spouses, and the combined four children (all under the age of six), and two dogs. It’s a short trip and not quite the usual Tiger/Pyatok travels to developing nations and exotic locations. We left Oakland on December 20th and stopped in NY for about 40 hours to celebrate Mike’s birthday in the old stomping grounds… and then headed directly for Geneva. We’ll be here for 5 nights and then head to Vienna for New Years, and then we are back home.
New York was fun, sort of relaxing, and filled with lots of eating—starting at Le Gratin, a new restaurant by Daniel Boulud located on the first floor of The Beekman Hotel (where we stayed). Le Gratin is fashioned as a Lyonnais restaurant; it was perfect for us—the food was good, the atmosphere was casual, and we could just roll out of the room and head for dinner after checking in. And The Beekman is always a delight—a Queen Anne–style building from 1888, built a short walk from the Brooklyn Bridge which was opened I believe in 1883. The Beekman has a magical atrium that soars nine stories high that you really sense when having drinks in the bar (Temple Court). The following day (Dec 21) we set out separately— I headed to the Whitney (not my favorite place, but I wanted to see the Harry Taylor show). Taylor’s work was interesting and also complicated to see the political nature of the work ensconced within an institution frequented primarily by an elite class. Nonetheless, the work is worth seeing although more potent as historical statements (and perhaps a statement overall that history should not be forgotten and that we haven’t moved as far as we think we have).
I then met up with Mike at the Union Square Christmas Market which was fun to stroll… and Mike availed himself of a hot chocolate topped with babka and marshmallow! Totally sinful, but it was his birthday.
For dinner, Mike had requested a “stately place with history,” so off we went to Gage & Tollner—don’t think you can get much more stately and historic than that. We took the subway two stops to Brooklyn and voila!… there amid the homeless and stores that sell cheap liquor is the more than 130-year-old restaurant—famous over all those years. As a child growing up in Brooklyn, I knew of the restaurant and had passed it many times when strolling downtown Brooklyn, but I had never been inside (nor had Mike).
It’s located on Fulton Street and named for the original owners Charles Gage and Eugene Tollner, and it’s in a converted 1870 four-story brownstone that may still have residences above (not sure). The building is a designated landmark. The restaurant was popular with judges and lawyers and businessmen (yes probably only men in those days) since it is fairly close to the courts and Brooklyn City Hall. It was owned and operated by the same family for seven decades and then sold and closed in 2004. For a period the space was occupied by some retail shops (can’t imagine how they set that up in that space. Then three young-ish foodie entrepreneurs started a crowdfunding campaign in 2018 and re-opened the restaurant in the historic venue (restored) which now boasts a far younger and hip crowd than its history, but it kept many of the famous chop-house items on the somewhat small menu. The space is long and narrow—maybe 100’ by 25 ‘ and has lots of amazing woodwork and arched mirrors and chandeliers. In the old days, I’m told that the waitstaff had the number of years of their employment embroidered on their uniforms because they worked there for many many years. As a kid I was told that many famous (and rich) people frequented Gage & Tollner including Truman Capote, Diamond Jim Brady, Fanny Brice, Mae West, and Jimmy Durante. Anyway, we had great starters including crispy hen-of-the-woods mushrooms in some kind of homemade siracha sauce and Peconic snails… and then classic steak, cooked to perfection.
We taxied back to the hotel, and in the morning met up with two of our god-children for brunch at the Beekman. Good to see them and to hear about their protest activities re: the Israel/Palestine situation, and what they are up to.
Then we headed to Newark Airport to fly to Geneva. In many ways the flight from the East Coast to Europe is less comfortable than flying from the West Coast. The NY-Geneva 7.5 hour flight turns out to be more difficult to sleep than the 12 hour flights. Once you’re settled on the plane, the meal arrives and then you’ve only got about 3-3.5 hours to go — not long enough to sleep, but you’re tired. So –at least in my case—I felt more tired arriving in Geneva than usual. And of course you arrive very early (7:30 am) so it’s too early to check into the hotel. We strolled a bit and then settled in the lobby until our room was ready. Then we quickly showered and unpacked and headed to Elizabeth’s to watch the kids trim the tree. Julia and Julien and their three kids (Louis-6, Ella-4, and Siena-1) live in Geneva; Emma, Hem and Finn (almost 5) live in London.
After the little reunion (and meeting the new dog, Tilda), we headed back to the hotel for a quiet dinner at Balila (a wonderful Lebanese restaurant that I’d like to clone for the Bay Area).
Yesterday, Mike and I strolled to the Geneva Christmas Market (nothing too interesting but a nice walk) and back to the hotel. We are staying at the Longemalle, which we like – smallish, on a pedestrian street in the heart of downtown Geneva. Last night we went to Julia and Julien’s (JuJu’s for short) for Christmas Eve dinner. Julien’s mom and aunt and cousin (from Angouleme—about an hour north of Bordeaux) were there as well. We had met them before at JuJu’s wedding and at previous Christmas events over the years. They are interesting with a long history involving the Mitterrand circle of politicos. So, the conversation was lively. We all moaned the shift to the right throughout our countries and beyond.
JuJu served wonderful foie gras (uh oh—don’t tell anyone in California), and a huge spread of raw fish—with champagne and also great wines. We topped it all off with Buche noel (we brought one we had ordered from a great bakery we had found over the years called Christie’s located just across the street from a hotel we’ve stayed at on previous trips). Turns out at least two other guests had the same idea so they had about 4 buche noels—one will be transported the Xmas Day dinner.
All the best – and merry Christmas.
Fern
Merry Xmas –
Today we headed to Elizabeth’s house in Carouge for Xmas Dinner. Carouge is about 2 miles from the center of Geneva and easily reached by tram (or you can walk—about 35 or 40 minutes). We’ve often walked but given that we needed to bring all of our gifts, we opted for a taxi. Dinner included all of us, plus Julian’s mother and aunt and cousin and an old friend who lives in Geneva but has lived in many places in the world. His English had a distinct American accent—turns out he lived for three years in Miami. Total was, I think 11 adults and 4 kids; Siena stayed home with the nanny,
After all the present exchanges and the kids finally settling down to watch a movie, the grown ups had dinner, prepared by Hem and Em and Julian. The present exchanges took a long time what with so many people and kids. We learned that Ella is quite direct and opinionated, and made no secret of presents she liked and those she didn’t. All things pink and purple were clearly the hit with her. For the boys, there was lots of excitement with things that had working components; the lights that you wear on your head to see in the dark and the measuring tapes were a big hit. The dog seemed to have fun with the wrapping paper and general excitement to which she could add her own mischief.
Dinner was pretty traditional and excellent: caviar and blini for starters along with some fish pate; capon and guinea fowl with lyonnaise potatoes, green beans, roasted carrots, and beets; all followed by three different buche noels.. and of course, lots of wine. Before-dinner-conversation centered around the potential of a Trump presidency with the French being totally appalled by the idea and what they felt was an “impossibilité’ and we all anguished over the move to the Right everywhere. We also explained a bit about the electoral college—something noone seems to understand fully.
At dinner, we focused more of the conversation on food, and where to have Xmas next year, with Julian’s mother offering up Angoulême (about 45 minutes from Bordeaux) as the option. Sounds good to me.
That’s it… Tomorrow we will head to Halles de Rive for lunch and then we are supposed to go to a circus with all the kids. Mike is a bit under the weather (cold or sore throat ; fortunately not Covid—he tested) so he may skip the circus. We shall see.
Best to all of you.
Fern
PS – This is, in some ways, the most relaxing trip I’ve taken in decades. My book is done and at the publishers and I’m between projects. So it’s much easier to concentrate on the here and now, rather than everything I left behind. Once I get back to the states, life will return to ‘normal.’
Brno: January 2, 2024: Reconnecting with Old Friends
Greetings on our last morning in Vienna — as we pack and head to the train station …
Yesterday morning we made our way to the Vienna Hauptbanh (train station) to catch a train to Brno (Czech Republic) to visit old friends… Jana and Jar, and their son Jan, and the partner of the original base of our friendship—Rudolf. This was probably our 5th or 6th trip to Brno over many years.
When we lived in Finland, we were friends with many young international people who–like us–were living in Finland for a year, mostly on some kind of grant or fellowship (also like us). One of those in this friend group was a guy named Lallin who was an architect/planner, working at the same firm Mike worked at (to supplement his Fulbright stipend and my grant). Over those months we learned a lot about what was then Czechoslovakia and Lallin’s love of his country and his decision to return home in spite of the political difficulties in the 1970s. While he would not yet be home, he encouraged us over and again to visit his country and especially his home Brno, before we headed back to the US. As it was, we were planning to travel (driving) all through what was then “Eastern Europe” (Poland, Yugoslavia, Hungary, etc.) so visiting Brno became part of our trip. That first visit was eye-opening. We were hosted by Lallin’s parents and stayed at their house. His mother and father were both teachers and then high school principals. An aunt also lived at the house along with Lallin’s sister and her two young children (Jana and Michal). We could never figure out where the family slept while we were there because they gave us (what seemed to be the only) bedroom. We arrived late in the evening because we were driving our own car and came through Poland. In those days crossing those borders was complicated and time consuming. By the time we’d wake up each morning everyone was up and the house looked like everything was in place. I think several people in the family slept on the floor of the kitchen and living room while we were there.
Anyway, while we had a great time and they were wonderful hosts, no one really spoke much English, so there were a lot of hand motions and pictures needed. We returned two years later when Lallin was back in Brno and together we did an amazing driving trip through the entire country—lots of stories to tell about that trip; and then we returned again few years before the Velvet Revolution… And then again a few years after that to learn more about the immediate changes brought on by the collapse of Communism and the break-up into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Somewhere along the way… I think in 1986, we met his partner, Rudolf (who is a total opera fanatic). Then Lallin got a heart transplant (apparently much easier to get there than in the states, since there is the assumption that everyone donates their organs) and we came to see him again. We had been planning to visit again–a few years later–but Lallin passed away a few days before we got there. We decided to come anyway to see the family which included, at that time, his niece Jana who was, by then a nephrologist, her husband Jaramil who was a professor of geology at the university.
Now we were coming again–just for the day–because it was so close to Vienna. We would see Jana and Jar (who is now the dean of the faculty of science at the university) and their son Jan who is a young 32-year old lawyer (and law clerk to one of the judges in the federal court, and who has just passed the exams to be a judge himself), and of course Rudolf, who is still considered part of the family. During the first years we met Rudolf with Lallin we learned a lot about the difficulties of being gay in Czechoslovakia.
Jana and Jaramil met us at the train station in Brno. It was a rainy, dreary day for a reunion, but the welcomes were warm and it was good to reconnect. Our train ride from Vienna to Brno was not without complications. It turns out that our ticket was on a “private” rail line (go know!!) so they had a little trouble finding our track since the government doesn’t announce the tracks for these trains as quickly as it announces tracks for government trains. The train was pretty low quality… but Jara told us that our train was much better than the government ones (!!) We had purchased “first class” tickets although the trip was pretty short. We figured the seats would be more comfortable, and it wasn’t very expensive. It was definitely a second world train (probably 1960 vintage, old German train). Not quite as bad as trains I’ve taken in Romania, Tibet, and Uzbekistan…. But close.
Nonetheless, we arrived safe and sound… and also learned that there are three classes on these Czech trains: Economy, First, and Business. Turns out that Business class is higher than First Class?
We then all met up with Rudolf and Jan at a restaurant with a view (which we couldn’t see in the rain) and had fairly typical Czech food (meaning lots of heavy meat… and potatoes.. and of course, beer). We talked on and on about politics (theirs, ours, and the world) and the environment (Jan is working to become a legal specialist in the newly emerging field of Czech environmental law), and what we’ve all been doing over the past years. It had been 10 years since we were last in Brno. Fortunately, Jaramil and Jan speak English very well, (and Jana understands but is hesitant to speak), but communication with Rudolf is limited.
Then we headed to their house for coffee and pastries and more conversation. Brno is/has always been an industrial city very overshadowed by Prague. It is the second largest city in the country with about 400,000+ residents. It is now a tech center but having difficulty encouraging young people to study technology at the university. It is home to about 5 large universities (some of which Jar says are very highly rated internationally). While we could see some new construction, Brno still seemed very much a second world city—but much loved by its residents who, like Jan, appear to return after university.
We learned that the amount of funds the US has given to Ukraine is more than the entire Czech budget. The Czechs have donated their old Russian tanks and other equipment to Ukraine in support of their role in the war with Russia because the Ukrainians know how to fix and use those old Soviet-era equipment. Then the Czechs can replace those weapons with new ones… well “newer,” according to Jan, who corrected his father’s description. Father and son were funny because Jaramil’s (Jan’s father) work involves locating minerals that are radioactive and recommends how they can be safely extracted if needed. Jan’s work focuses on regulations regarding such materials and their impact on the environment. Jaramil says jokingly that Jan (his son) will eventually put him out of business.
Jan took us on a tour of the newly renovated court building where he works–which was quite impressive. There were really good, large-size documentary-style black and white photographs of all the judges in a gallery-style wall on one floor. First we were surprised to see such “casual” photos rather than official portraits. Then we were also surprised that the majority of judges were female. And it was interesting to learn that one of the judges is interested in photography so she took all of the photos! Nice touch.
The Czechs have grown weary of the war in Ukraine especially because while they overwhelmingly welcomed Ukrainian immigrants at the start of the war, they are now seeing their taxes increase, to help pay for the immigrants. And the Czech Republic seems to back Israel over Palestine because of a general fear of Muslims and dislike of Arabs who are “paying their way” to get degrees at Czech universities. It’s probably also tied to the fact that they fear immigration overall—since they are a fairly homogeneous population.
Then we headed back to the station to catch our “non-first class” seat. Before taking a taxi for a late dinner (restaurants are open until about midnight here in Vienna—my kind of town), we went to the train information counter to check what kind of seats we have for our trip to Munich in a few hours. Turns out that while we thought we had first class seats (it’s a-5 hour train ride and we have our baggage; the “business class seats” are the only ones with room to store baggage) which we do… but again, it is Business Class that is the best seating. We couldn’t upgrade for our train, but we were able to rebook for a later train … We shall see.
We had dinner at a restaurant called Market (in the Naschtmarkt area), which was good… Asian. We had four starter plates and were pretty full at the end. Then back to the hotel to pack.
I’m going to sign off now and end this travelogue series… unless something really interesting happens between now and our flight to SFO. We are staying at an airport hotel so we can just walk to the plane tomorrow morning. Can’t imagine that anything worth writing about can happen between now and our arrival in SF.
Take care.
Fern
Fern's Travel Notes 