From Eindhoven to Maastricht.. October 22, 2019
Greetings from Maastricht, Netherlands
Hope all is well and that you are all surviving in spite of the Trump Daily Trauma. Unfortunately we get CNN here – loud and strong, so there’s no escape.
After an early breakfast in Eindhoven, we packed up and headed to Maastricht (a wonderful town that I’ve personally visited four times prior to this trip, but it was Carols’s first visit. We decided to take small roads which added to the simple 75-minute journey, but gave us a chance to really see the Dutch countryside and to stop in a few small towns en route. Our plan (??) was to stop for lunch in Roermond – a town with lots of canals and rivers running through. We surveyed the town and then looked for a place for lunch and literally stumbled upon the smallest castle in the Netherlands which had been converted into a little inn with a wonderful restaurant. Kasteeltjm Hattem, sits on a river and was certainly more than we had expected for lunch. The castle itself is pretty spectacular, sitting in a wonderful park with a grand drive to the front of the building. We had a delightful lunch which was interrupted briefly by a stray chicken that strolled into the elegant dining room, and as we exited we met the “sleeping pig” – which I believe might have been on its way to the butchering process, although it was treated very much as a pet. We shared two lunch specials: lobster salad and steak tartare.
From Roermond we made our way – slowly– to Maastricht – which from our long walk around town seems as wonderful as it was in all my prior visits. But, before I describe the town, let me tell you about the Kruisherenhotel, where we are staying. It’s a former monastery and church and was built in 1438. Late in the 18th Century, the French conquered the Netherlands and the Order of the Holy Cross was driven out of the Netherlands. Under French rule, the monastery became an accommodation for soldiers and some parts of the church were used as barracks and to store weapons. The former monk cells were used as dormitories and an eating area and some rooms were used to manufacture ammunition. In 1815, the intention was to sell the property, but again it reverted to being barracks and also a munitions store. By the end of the 19th Century, there were efforts to find new uses for the site. Around that time, the Historic Building Trust of the Netherlands saved the site from further ruin. Victor de Stuers, co-founder of the Trust was born and raised in Maastricht and decided the property should be restored. He approached his friend who was a government architect. The restoration was completed in 1921 and then the National Agricultural Research Station was moved to the building. But the old church proved to be too cold for research so they moved that function to the cloister. Over the years the church was used as a postal service, offices for the Food Inspection Department, and also as a sports facility.
During WWII, the buildings stored copper that was requisitioned by the Germans and used for munitions. At the end of the war, the Allies hid various goods on the site to prevent them from being stolen. The church served several other diverse functions over the next decades and finally Camille Oostwegel a wealthy Dutch man who studied hospitality, was looking to develop a hotel, and selected the Kruisheren and decided this was a perfect venue (I agree!) –supposedly paying homage to the building’s former use as a place for people to stay. While he received support from the city of Maastricht for his plans, the Historic Buildings Committee was less enthusiastic. Apparently the guidelines for historic buildings state that they can only be renovated if the building remains in its original form. So – the architects had a real challenge.
They eventually designed a building that sort of sits inside the original building and everything that has been added can be easily removed. The result is amazing. The entire “shell” of the church and monastery remain in tact and repaired. But a very contemporary set of structures has been set inside. It’s hard to explain.. but imagine a glass elevator “floating” in the space of the medieval church, that gets you to the floors above; imagine an orange “floor” that floats above the original first level of the church. On that “floor is a bar and restaurant, with nothing really bolted to the walls of the original church. Because the hotel needed some offices and they could not build walls that attached to the church walls.. the architect created an egg-like form that sits inside the building where the office workers sit. Even the entrance to the hotel is a structure that holds the automatic sliding doors – it’s a polished copper “tunnel”… and so much more.. The photos don’t yet do justice to the space… I’ll try to capture better over the coming days.
Anyway, after checking out our rooms, and the hotel itself we strolled the city center… crossed the River Maas on the footbridge.. and eventually (after getting some work done) strolled to dinner across the street at a little Turkish restaurant called Mandalin – Turkish, with a bit of a French twist. Food was great (started with a mezze plate, moved onto my very favorite Turkish dish – manti – but they did it with a bit of a twist in that it had portobello mushrooms and truffles, and our main course was the rack of lamb… ).
Strolled back to the hotel and had an after dinner drink in the apse of the church!
Oh, to make things nearly perfect – the sun came out today.
All the best –
Fern
Eindhoven. October 20 and 21, 2019
11:00 PM (local time)
Greetings from Eindhoven
It was a jam packed day.
But first a bit about our Michelin star dinner last night at Zarzo – a fairly unpretentious space in the central area of Eindhoven. It’s sort of Spanish fusion, a bit difficult to describe, except to say it was fantastic. We had the 5 course fixed meal (they had 6 and 7 course meals as well). But in addition there were several surprises that showed up at the table in addition to the selected meal. We started with an amazing chilled basil ad tomato “gazpacho” served in a wine goblet. We asked how they made it and I think they cut the tomatoes into quarters and spread them out and put salt on them and they stay overnight. Then they create an emulsion of basil which is pressed so much that it’s just a liquid to which they add Spanish extra virgin olive oil and then they add some of the tomato. I’m not planning to try it, but it was amazing. They then brought two or three other sample tastes (including a sour cherry with what I think was a pesto, small bites of raw mackerel with some kind of dipping sauce, a homemade wafer with a wasabi-like paste and herbs and dried mushrooms – each dish served on a plate or platter made special for that dish) before the actual meal began. Then we had veal tartare served along with some kind of amazing potato (I think) bread and some dipping ingredients. The veal tartare had caviar, crème fraiche and herbs.
I don’t remember all of the dishes and don’t want to make everyone’s mouth drool.. but there was a pigeon dish with pear, a garbanzo dish with herbs and raw egg and some kind of cream (or at least that’s what I think it was)… I know the photos don’t do it all justice.
Needless to say, after that meal and several glasses of wonderful Spanish wine, I was pretty beat. Hence I didn’t finish the posting last night.
After breakfast this morning, we headed (by car – with me driving and Carol navigating) to what is known as “Sectie C” or Section C – a section of town that has been populated by artists and makers for decades – occupying abandoned and/or no longer usable warehouses and industrial buildings on a fairly large tract of land surrounded by a cute neighborhood. The whole property was open because of Design Week and again most of the exhibits had to do with sustainability and ways to change Dutch practices for the better. One particularly fascinating project was the Wikkle House.
It’s a long story as to its origin and the making of the machine that actually fabricates the house, but it’s made of 12 layers of corrugated cardboard with a thin piece of wood separating each set of the six layers (for rigidity and also to enable the insertion of electrical tubes and other utility needs) and then covered with a plastic like (but definitely not plastic – they described it to us in English as “the raincoat”) and then another layer of wood. The units are modular and can be created using as few as two sections or as many as needed. We say one with five sections and one with just two.
We strolled all of Section C and then stopped in one of the studios for a simple wine and cheese lunch. One thing about Design Week – there are eateries everywhere – each with different ethnic foods and everything looked and smelled fantastic. We opted for the wine and cheese because it was in one of the few indoor areas. Most of the others are outdoors and it was getting pretty cold and windy.
Then we drove to the Van Abbemuseum which –keeping with the theme – had devoted about 2/3 of the museum to artists working on sustainability issues from a more global position. Driving is fine because no one here drives very fast, but the big challenge is making sure not to hit any cyclists. Fortunately they seem to totally follow the rules, the lights, and stay on bike paths which are everywhere and soften the streets. Bike paths are wide, go in both directions, and have their own lights. Anyway, the museum is about 85 years old and was totally renovated about 15 years ago, including the construction of a new building that wraps around the old one from the rear and the side – creating a rather large complex. The museum sits on the River Dommel so it has an unusually natural setting, albeit within the heart of the city. I think they widened the river a bit and added some kind of “fish ladders” and created a bank along the river that abuts the museum. There’s a sort of “lake” feeling which is felt when you sit in the museum café (which can be reached by a little footbridge that brings you into the back side of the museum. The façade of the new building is covered with a natural stone that came from Lapland.
What’s been good is that these artists are really becoming storytellers, accumulating a great deal of research and finding ways to convey important messages and to explain complex information graphically and through unique projects. As many of you know, despite my training in the arts and my long association with arts schools, I hate museums and only go on rare occasions. But this was worth it, and beyond that it did seem like everyday people were attending these events and the museum – so my concerns about rarified art for investors were eliminated. There was virtually nothing here that anyone could purchase and own – except perhaps the growing concern and need to act on important issues.
By now it was close to 6:00 pm, so we headed to the hotel to think about dinner (eating, eating, eating), but along the way we spied what looked like a really cute store which had a lot of vests and scarfs made of felt. How lucky that we found a parking spot right there in front of the shop. As it turned out it was really this woman’s apartment (first floor) and she makes wonderful vests and scarves. She’s probably in the high 70s/early 80s and has lived and worked from this flat for decades. Her story was interesting, The building was constructed in the 1930s as rental units and stretches an entire block. She was trained as an architect and had her office there (I believe living behind the office). But the city (about 10 years ago) decided to tear down that whole housing block because it is very close to the Philips Eindhoven Stadium where soccer is played. I suppose they felt they could sell the property to a developer. Anyway, she led the fight to preserve the building and just last year (maybe two years ago) they won the fight and everyone remained in place in the building they had called home.
She was feisty and interesting, although we also learned she had a stroke just two weeks earlier and was a bit concerned about her health situation. She was flustered when she couldn’t remember how to use her Apple Square to accept our credit cards. Yes we made a purchase, and no she no longer considers herself an architect, but her clothing is very constructivist and architectural.
After a very brief stop at the hotel we headed out to a restaurant called Flavor and Spice (Indonesian with a touch of Afghani!). We took a taxi so as not to get totally lost in the neighborhood where the restaurant sat. It was adorable. Only seats about 30 people. A couple – probably about 50 years old – own it and she is the one who figures out the menu and cooks quite a bit. Her husband is the co-owner and he tends bar. He’s Dutch and she’s Afghani (having emigrated about 25 years ago with her family, but then lived in several other places including India). I think her father was an Afghani diplomat way back when.
She’s a nutritionist by training and is very into maximizing food usage and eliminating waste. She purchases food daily at the market and figures out exactly what she needs even if it means running out of dishes. She professes to have hardly any waste – organic or otherwise. Food was great, including a really nice Dutch IPA.
That’s it for today.
Stay well.
I glanced at CNN tonight and was sorry I did! But you know I’m a news junky so…..
Best –
Fern
Groeten uit Eindhoven. 10/19/19
Greetings from Eindhoven (Netherlands) –
I’m in the Netherlands for about a week, with a good friend from LA. We’ve been trying to make an annual trip and we’ve been pretty good in recent years (Santa Fe, Marfa Texas, Montreal, and now Netherlands). We started out in Eindhoven where the Dutch Design Week Festival (one of the largest design weeks in Europe) is going strong. The theme is “If not now, then when?” – and includes literally hundreds of talks and more than two thousand exhibits ranging from major museum shows to visits to small studios. A lot of it seems very conceptual rather than concrete. But it’s a big event for this city of 230,000 people (fifth largest city in the Netherlands).
Eindhoven is home to Philips, the well-known Dutch company that started out as the manufacturer of light bulbs — and grew into one of the world’s largest electronics companies. A lot of Eindhoven’s growth can be traced to Philips. And as a result of the company’s presence, there are many high tech companies here and Eindhoven is a successful tech and industrial hub in Europe.
Arrived yesterday afternoon – met up with Carol at the Amsterdam Airport (my flight was about an hour late, so Carol explored the airport for two hours)! We then went to pick up our rental car to head directly to Eindhoven – it should be about a 90-minute drive, but somehow we got wrapped up in the loop road around the airport and went in circles, and then as we got close to the hotel we made a wrong turn and had to do a bit of back-tracking, so it took us close to three hours to get here. I drove and Carol navigated.
Our hotel, Innhotel Art Eindhoven, is actually the 1909 building that housed the Philips factory and is where the first light bulbs were made. The architects did an interesting job to retain the industrial character of the building, including having rooms with 15’ ceilings. The interior designer – on the other hand – must not have realized that Philips made light bulbs, since the rooms are really dark (dark walls and not too much lighting!)
We freshened up and headed out to a very lively part of Eindhoven called Kleine Berg, which seems to be comprised of only walking streets, lots of twinkle lights above, more bars and restaurants than you can imagine and lots of little shops, outdoor eateries, and bookstores. We walked from the hotel (nearly everyone else is on bikes). We were among the last people to have dinner at Berlage – mostly shared plates from an eclectic menu. Food was good, wine great, and prices quite reasonable when compared to the Bay Area or NY. We strolled back to the hotel arriving in our rooms around midnight. I actually worked for a few hours and probably hit the bed around 4:00 am. But after a good night’s sleep (5 hours) woke up ready to hit the ground.
We set out at about 10:30 and in spite of the rain, we decided to walk to get our passes for the Design Week events and exhibits. En route, we stopped to take an escalator (sort of a moving ramp) inside an amoeba shaped structure to what we thought might be some kind of tram system — Turned out it is a huge bike storage area where people park their bikes to go to work or shopping.
Interesting note about Philips (whose name is everywhere here in town) – the family had prepared for the German invasion, so when the family and the Philips directors learned that the German invasion was to take place the following day, key family and company leaders fled to the United States, taking a large amount of the company’s wealth with them. Somehow, they managed to run the company from the US. throughout the war. Operating from the US as the North American Philips Company, they managed to run the company throughout the war. At the same time, the company was moved (on paper) to the Antilles, to keep it out of German hands.
It was supposed to take about 20 minutes to walk to one of the registration areas for the Design Week events, but we managed to misread the beginning of our journey on the map, and wound up in a very different part of the city – interesting with lots of Muslim markets and small shops. Eventually we realized something was really wrong so we hopped in a taxi (mostly women taxi drivers) and got set in the right direction. We were actually headed to the Feel Good Market, en route to the Design Week registration. It’s a once-a-month Sunday market where craftspeople sell their wares – it stretches for about 10 blocks. So, we got our registration bands and also walked the market, and went to see many exhibits. There are more than 2,600 exhibits spread out all of the city, in five clusters. The city has done an amazing job setting this event up (its been going on for about 20 years) with over 100 venues operating simultaneously. The theme is clearly sustainability and there is a great effort to make the event carbon neutral – minimal plastic (if any), bikes, electric cars, public transit, no bags for any purchases, all structures made of wood, etc.
Many of the exhibits focused on interesting roles related to large companies, showing that it’s more than the development of sustainable products and about a process that might require entirely new business models. The exhibits showed the importance of clients (big companies, for the most part) understanding they have a stake in embracing sustainability and that, they can and should make informed choices.
The whole week seems to be a draw for experts and community people to discuss practices and challenges and to develop a network of changemakers who see options for alternatives that meet current and future needs – and the bringing together of issues like health, safety, mobility, sustainable product development, architecture, technology, as well as core urgent issues related to water, climate change, and food. One key issue seemed to be promoting the use of wood in building design and moving away from the Dutch reliance on brick, steel, concrete.
One very interesting young woman with whom I spoke – a recent graduate student at the University of Rotterdam – had developed a very fascinating and very graphic way to have participants understand just how much “energy” they consumed through a clever and visual set of three-dimensional blocks of various sizes and weights – self defining how many times they did laundry, how frequently they purchased electronic gadgets, how frequently they flew, etc. You put these “blocks” on a special scale with a counterweight for the maximum amount per person… and see if you topple the scales. It confirmed that my large amount of airline miles was really a bad thing, but not having children balanced that off!
After several hours, we stroll back to the hotel in the rain, with just enough time to freshen up and head to a restaurant that came highly recommended — Zarzo. Will report on that tomorrow.
All the best –
Fern
Très tard dans la nuit…
Just returned from fantastic Ry Cooder performance at the Montreal Jazz Festival – more on that later; it’s about 1:00 am.
Started the day with another bagel adventure… very hooked on these Montreal bagels (which you can find in Oakland at Beauty Bagels on Telegraph Ave – but guess it’s true about the water having an impact on the taste. Beauty Bagels are definitely not as good as the ones in Montreal!) From there we walked to the Museum of Archeology which had a special exhibit on Egyptian queens, as well as the requisite introduction to Montreal history. The museum itself (located at Pointe-à-Callière is considered a national archaeological site – the very site where Montreal was founded. The museum attempts to present the history of the city from indigenous settlements to the present day and does a pretty good job. There is a 20-minute film that is definitely a promo for Montreal and very upbeat placing Montreal in the “I” position of the story.. It walks on eggs to be “neutral” but definitely could use a once-over to undo some terms and phrases.
From there we walked (total walking today was about 6 miles – in the heat; it was in the high 80s today and quite humid; not my favorite weather; I wilt at 72) to the Museum of Contemporary Art. We strolled through great cobblestone streets and cute boutiques and literally hundreds of cool-looking restaurants; stopped for a salad and continued uphill (through a lot of construction and infrastructure renovations) to get to the museum – affectionately called the MAC (Musée d’Art Contemporain de Montréal). The current exhibition was the work of Mexican-born Rafael Lozano-Hemmer– a prominent international artist working in Canada. His work is large-scale, participatory installations that generally incorporate technology, light, and public spaces. He considers them “anti-monuments,” and they are often displayed outdoors to increase accessibility. These works were exhibited inside the museum (thereby limiting exposure). The exhibit was somewhat participatory and several pieces had subtle political content. I believe that all or part of the exhibit will be coming to SFMOMA later this year.
Choosing to visit museums today was a good idea as it got us out of the heat for about an hour each time; walking in the heat was grueling especially when the streets were not shaded and when we had to walk around construction areas.
After our culture exposure… we trekked back to the hotel, taking some different streets and seeing some new areas of town. Quick cooling off and then we headed to dinner at Bouillon Bilk, a modern restaurant with yet another wonderful menu. We shared… an asparagus dish that came with clams, mussels, apple, and quinoa; a yellowjack sashimi with yuzu kosho, grapefruit, fennel, and cucumber (those were two appetizers). For the main course we shared duck, which was prepared with raspberries, chick peas, kale, and sesame. OK.. we figured since we shared the meal we could get dessert (pineapple tartlette – fruit is healthy -right?)
We dashed out of the restaurant to get to the Jazz Festival; we had pre-purchased tickets for Ry Cooder who is doing a tour in conjunction with his new album “Prodigal Son.” It was a real treat. Cooder is a legend in his craft, and is perhaps best known for his slide guitar and for his collaborations with traditional musicians from around the world. His range is broad and tonight he played and sang work inspired by everyone from Johnny Cash to Blind Willie Johnson. Cooder is also known for having produced the Buena Vista Social Club. His recent work, exhibited tonight and in his new album is quite spiritual, building on black and white gospel church music, in a really fresh and modern way. The tour includes his son who performed solo as the start up and then accompanies his father as part of the group, playing drums. The message was clear — our moral state is not what it should be! The city is transformed by this huge jazz festival with free concerts outdoors day and night at several venues in close proximity and ticketed performances inside huge theaters. The one we were in tonight held about 1,500 people I’d guess.
Stopped for a little nightcap and strolled to the hotel. Carol leaves early in the day; I leave end of the day. It’s supposed to be even hotter tomorrow so I will try to find some spot to stay cool. Back to the office on Monday!
Take care –
Fern
1. Arrived in Montreal June 27, 2018
Bonsoir. Salutations de Montréal –
Very short trip to Montreal (following short jaunts to NY and Chicago last week – and back to California for two days and then here – not the most logical of my travels)
Long story as to how and why, so I’m just going to jump into what’s happening here. By the way, while I’ve been to Montreal several times, my last visit was about 15 years ago.
Arrived in Montreal yesterday (Tuesday, June 26) early evening. I’m traveling with an old friend from graduate school days (Carol) who flew in from L.A. We met up at the Pierre Elliot Trudeau Airport (named for the father of the current President – the one our president accused of betraying the US). Settled into our hotel : Auberge du Vieux-Port, a 150 year old building on the Saint Lawrence River. It was originally a warehouse and has been renovated so that there is still some authenticity but also modern rooms. It’s small (45 rooms) and each of the rooms has brick walls and wood floors and are actually quite spacious.
We then walked to Le Club Chasse et Peche for drinks and dinner. The menu was fantasitc and the food was wonderful; among the best meals I’ve ever eaten. Carol and I shared the braised piglet risotto with foie gras shavings, followed by a great salad of heirloom tomatoes and beets, followed by the special chasse et peche dinner which included sweetbreads and lobster in a fantastic mild soy ginger wasabi base. We couldn’t help but end it with dessert — maple syrup parfait with a red berry sauce, and some kind of dark chocolate shaved swirly thing on top. Pretty good start to the gastronomic four days to come.
Today we had breakfast at the hotel (included in our room) and then set off to walk – we decided to stroll to the classic Habitat 67, the housing complex built for the World’s Fair in Montreal in 1967. Designed by Moshe Safdie, the Israeli/Canadian architect. I had actually seen Habitat first while a student when it was built so it was interesting to see it now – 50 years later.
Of the many pavilions built for Expo 67 only two remain intact – Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic dome which is now the Montreal Biosphere (devoted to the environment) and Habitat which was seen as an attempt to reinvent the apartment house. Expo drew about 50 million visitors (apparently a record then and even now) to a country with about 20 million people and a city of about 3 million..
It’s a complicated story – To some, the project was seen as a new solution for housing… but from the beginning, the finances were messy; costs spiraled out of control although the assembly line-style production was touted as a prototype for many other developments. The production was done with an onsite fabrication plant. In order to attempt to recoup the high costs, the government set rents so high that no one could afford them. Within a few years there was a global economic downturn, the oil crisis and the Vietnam War were in full bloom; money for these kinds of projects disappeared. More than that, the concrete soon needed lots of repair. Even viewing it today you can see evidence of patches and leaks. It is said that one former resident fled the building after developing asthma and finding his cat dead (presumably from the mold). By the mid-1980s, the building was in private hands.
Anyway, the walk to Habitat was a little less exciting than what we expected. We strolled along the waterway for about a mile and then had to cross under the freeway through industrial areas and walk along a bike path that really didn’t consider pedestrians at all. By then it was getting hot and humid and really no place to find shade.. Also, no place to stop to get a cold drink. Really don’t know how those people who live in Habitat get around; you can really only access it by car and there aren’t any services close by. Still, I hear there are diehards who believe that Habitat’s utopian ideas have been successful. To give it credit, the units look quite wonderful with large balconies for inner-city gardens and sleek concrete walls with big windows… but you have to learn to live with mold!
We decided to nix the walk back to the hotel and opted to hop into a taxi to go to the marche (market). We opted for the big one Marche Jean Tallon.. which we didn’t realize was quite as far away as it was. And there was a lot of traffic, so the going was slow. We got to see several other parts of the city along the way…Chinatown, the Jewish neighborhood, and a lot of very sweet shopping streets. By the time we got to the market, we were famished so we headed to a little café for what turned out to be wonderful paninis with salad – just what the doctor ordered.
We strolled the market and then took the metro back to our hotel. The metro is simple to use, inexpensive, clean, and efficient. It was an easy 20 minutes back to the hotel. We changed quickly to head to the home of an old friend who has lived in Montreal since 1976; I last saw her when she lived in Calgary about 12 years ago.
Carol and I hopped into a taxi to head to her house in Outremont – the Francophile neighborhood about 20 minutes from the old town of Montreal where we are staying. I met Carol (her name is also Carol) and her then-husband and very young children when we were all living in Helsinki, Finland many many years ago. We became good friends over that year and have kept in touch in a loose sort of way. So now her children are quite full grown with children themselves who are emerging into adulthood. Peter is an architect with his own firm and Valerie is a neurologist specializing in Parkinson’s Disease. Valerie’s husband is an emergency room doc. Valerie has two daughters and Peter has two sons. Three of the four kids are in college and one is in high school.
We started out at Carol’s house for drinks and snacks and then we all headed to a local restaurant for a huge meal and a lot of reminiscing and political talk about our two countries! Given the current political situation in the US, we had lots of questions about living in Canada. Carol has been a Canadian citizen for many years. It was great to catch up and to reconnect with Carol’s children and to meet the grandchildren.
After we pretty much closed up the restaurant, Carol and her husband Ed drove us to the hotel. By now it had cooled off considerably and was raining. Rain is in store for tomorrow, so not sure what impact that will have on our plans.
Bonsoir… l’année prochaine au Canada ??? Next year in Canada ? (It’s close; it’s civil ; it’s democratic ; it’s tolerant — what more could you want ? And French isn’t sooo difficult to learn !)
2018: Bring it on! (Bordeaux) 1/1/2018
Happy New Year to All –
We slept late and had our usual breakfast, packed, and then sat in one of the sitting areas of the hotel – working. Guess reality and getting back to the grind is setting in. I generally work throughout our travels (a little each day), but on this trip I worked more in “batches” and somehow didn’t finish everything I brought to do… so I think the flight home will be like setting up an office on the plane. It’s fine, not complaining. Yndo prepared a light lunch for us – vegetable soup and salad and a gluten-free lemon loaf. Quite good and I’m neither gluten-free nor vegan.
We are off to Paris for the night – staying in that new Yotel (which looks like the bed takes up the entire room) – a chain that has developed with very small rooms but the hotels are located right inside the airport. Should be interesting. We booked the largest room, which is still microscopic. Not sure where you put your bags in that room. But it’s just for a few hours.. We head back to California tomorrow morning (Tuesday) – and I head to Seattle on Wednesday. The goal is to drop off the bags and meet friends for dinner (they made reservations at L’Arpege which is fantastic), but we shall see if the weather holds up and our plane is actually on time – a necessity if we are to make the dinner. If not, I think it will be airport food (guess if you have to have airport food, Paris airport food is probably better than most.)
Right now they are predicting stormy weather and lots of rain. We are keeping our fingers crossed it blows over.
See most of you stateside.
Be well – Here’s to a healthy, peaceful, and tweet-free 2018 (but I can see on my phone that this is already not possible).
Farewell to Bordeaux… we shall return.
Fern
PS – Landed in Paris; no bus from plane to terminal; long wait. Then baggage at far end and exit at total opposite end of baggage area; always forget that Charles de Gaulle is a big airport. Then as we started to walk (hike) to the Yotel, we checked the information online for the route and started to read all the information. Turns out Yotel is inside the secure area, so you need to either check your baggage or else put it into a storage area at the other end of the terminal. Our bags are fairly small so we could probably get through security with them as carry-on, but would require a bit of re-organizing that we had not planned and we’d need to figure out a few things regarding liquids, since we purchased a few things. Anyway, decided that Yotel would not work for us; so we headed to the CDG Sheraton, where we had stayed once before when we had a connecting flight early the next morning. But by the time we reached the Sheraton it was about 9:15 and the reservations at L’Arpege were at 9:30. We still needed to check in and get bags to the room and then either hop in a taxi or take the train. Was not looking good. We figured it made sense to cancel the dinner plans and just eat at the Sheraton (not the final French meal we had imagined… but we’ve had great meals for the past 16 days – and already eaten way more than we wanted). All good; flight leaves in the morning. Change planes in Chicago (praying for no blizzard) and then in San Francisco at 6:30 pm tomorrow (Tuesday).
12.31.2017 New Years Eve in Bordeaux — Goodbye 2017; Hello 2018
31 December 2017. En ce dernier jour de cette année folle. In this last day of this crazy year.
Last night’s dinner at L’Estacade was fine – very relaxed, low key… L’Estacade sits out on the Rive Garrone across from the side of the river we are staying at… It’s on stilts and feels like a dock restaurant. We had oysters, salads, a penne pasta with fish and a small appetizer of sweetbreads on polenta. All good. It was a long hike back, so we opted for a taxi. After this morning’s breakfast at Yndo, we headed to return the rental car (should have done it last night!) and that is always fun… (not). The GPS kept taking us to the front of the train station and we knew we needed to be behind the station to get to the parking area (6th floor). Getting around the building was no easy thing. Took about 10 tries, but finally got the car up to the 6th floor of the garage and dropped off the keys. Then we headed to the tram to get to La Bourse where we would walk the two or so miles along the quai to the Cite du Vin (a wine museum). Tram was fairly straightforward – they seem to have a very comprehensive system — very frequent stops, totally silent, no overhead wires, clean, easy to purchase tickets at each stop (although no one ever checks). Getting off at La Bourse we were able to do what I suppose every tourist does: take photos at the reflecting pool directly across from La Bourse….
We then walked along the river, past the amazingly complicated city-constructed skateboard parks – one for older kids, another for little ones… and through a great outdoor market that was sort of a combination of any great farmers’ market and Oakland’s Off the Grid Food Trucks on Friday nights at the museum.
It was such a wonderful blue sky day that we reluctantly left our umbrellas (hotel umbrellas) back in the room. I, more than Mike, was convinced that the weather would hold out on this my birthday!
As we walked, we thought about stopping in one of the many restaurants along the quai… but decided to hold out until we hit the Cite du Vin – Bordeaux’s very new (opened mid-2016) and very creative homage to the international wine industry. Quite cleverly they have set it up to make Bordeaux the world capital of wine by ensuring that exhibits include all wine-producing nations and they even serve many, many non-French wines throughout the building. It sits on the banks of the Garrone River. The building was designed by a team of French architects – personally I think the exterior is a stupid looking shape, but it is definitely iconic. The architects’ comments about the design: “This building does not resemble any recognizable shape because it is an evocation of the soul of wine between the river and the city…. Every detail of the architecture evokes wine’s soul and liquid nature: ‘seamless roundness, intangible and sensual’” (Mike’s comment on this quote is even stronger than mine – “Barff”)… Their comments are sort of antithetical to the way the exhibits are handled and how the museum tries to ensure that wine is for all people.. not just those who can figure out what ‘seamless roundness” means.
Anyway, it was a good move to wait to eat until we got to the wine museum; they have a wonderful restaurant, Le 7, on the 7th floor with commanding views of the river and the northern part of the city. And the food was great. We shared (given that tonight is probably a big meal) – raw and smoked beef appetizer served with “mustard ice cream” (it actually had the texture of gelato and was cold like ice cream, but a delicate mustard taste).. main course of wonderful sweetbreads with chanterelles, tiny crispy greens, and paper thin carrots in a delightful and understated sauce. We ended with rum baba – totally soaked in a good rum!. Then we headed to see the exhibits.
The real draw has got to be the creative efforts made to ensure that understanding wine is not elitist, not boring, and not just for adults. As you enter the building you get an iPhone like device and headphones (every language imaginable – and even one for kids with cartoons explaining everything along the way). But you don’t even need the headphones or the translations as the exhibits — all very interactive – are large and interesting, and often lots of fun. In one room you can sit at a dinner table with both real and projected people. The projected people are having conversations (about wine and food) and everything is projected onto the table.. food courses which keep changing, your silverware, etc. The projected person pours wine into a two dimensional glass at your table and it’s as real as it can be complete with the video guy cleaning off the bottle. The museum founders must have (smartly) consulted with not just historians and oenologists, and scientists, but also with professional popularizers… and set designers.. I think that the museum director came from running a sophisticated theme park. In any case, I’d say – good move!.
All good until we attempted to leave the museum —- what about those umbrellas? It was pouring… winds and squall-like conditions… Dashed back into the gift shop and we are now the proud owners of two Cite du Vin umbrellas (to add to the collection of many other umbrellas purchased in similar circumstances). We waited a while and then braved the few blocks to the tram station… (never even bought tickets) and went the five stops toward the hotel and then walked the ½ mile back to Yndo. Apparently we needed to order a taxi to our restaurant for tonight, by early this morning because it’s such a busy night. We didn’t do that, so Yndo drove us to dinner.
This is now being written on January 1…. We spent a rainy new year’s eve at La Tupina – a small, delightful Bordeaux restaurant just off the quai. The restaurant is on the first floor of a somewhat non-descript mid-18th Century building. It was actually a perfect place for us. Food was good but not over the top, no decorations for New Year’s and no funny hats or horns. I truly hate that stuff, and since New Year’s is my birthday, I naturally think it should be more about me than about the hoopla surrounding the change of the year. That said, we are always traveling on New Year’s and have had New Year’s dinners in about 25 or 30 different countries. Somehow, they all get into that hat and noise-maker thing. And generally, even the best restaurants have set menus which are not as good as their non-holiday pre-set dinners. La Tupina was a pleasant surprise, although as is standard on New Year’s, it was a set meal.
OK.. for the foodies .. Others, move on to the next paragraph! We arrived at about 9:15 and the pace was leisurely… starting with a glass of champagne accompanied by a wonderful tiny, but thick pancake-like croque with truffles, cream, and a scallop. This was followed by a blini with paper-thin beets, cream and caviar, wrapped with smoked salmon. Of course by then we were up to wine (from Bordeaux, naturally!; we liked the fact that La Tupina doesn’t even bother having wines from anywhere else… just Bordeaux). The next course – naturally – foie gras sitting in a foam of chestnut emulsion. We both selected the meat dish for the main course, since we’ve had so much fish I think I’m developing gills… The meat dish was venison with truffles, baked pear, and a potato (shaped like the pear – perhaps to create visual balance on the plate?) that was whipped but crusty with a finely ground nut covering… And before we rolled out and figured we had gained several pounds (good thing we are walking a lot), we had a very hard-to-describe, but quite luscious, dessert – some kind of ice cream that was dipped in a marshmallow-ish liquid which was then carefully burned to create a crust around the ice cream which was then placed atop a baked pear with raspberries on the edge.
We literally rolled out of the restaurant at about 12:40 am (again, no fanfare at midnight, just food!) and it was impossible to get a taxi back to the hotel. It was only drizzling at that point so we decided to take the tram and then walk from the tram stop to the hotel. We were pretty seasoned commuters by then. The streets of Bordeaux were filled with young people dancing in the rain and singing French songs that we assume were pretty current. They all seemed to know the words. We joined a group of twenty-somethings on the train and they were all singing as well. Seems to be some kind of tradition to wear costumes so some kids were dressed as cows and other animals… all on our tram. As one group got off at a station, another joined in and the singing continued.. and some dancing. Seems like it’s good to be twenty-something in Bordeaux.
We left the tram at Quinconces and walked back to Yndo in the on and off again drizzle. It was a good dinner and a good New Years and a good birthday. Thank you all for your warm wishes.
All the best to you for the New Year… Have a wonderful New Year’s Eve. We are toasting you!
Fern
12.30.2017 — Vin et plus de vin et plus de vin et plus de vin… From Bordeaux to Saint Emilion
Greetings from Bordeaux (and Saint Emilion).
Started today with a bit of an upset – Mike woke up with some kind of back pain, and initially felt he would just stay in bed. But after some Advil he seemed a bit better and we decided to stick to the plan to rent a car (at the train station in Bordeaux) and drive to Saint Emilion. I would drive so he could just relax – and then if he felt he couldn’t walk, he could find a nice bench in Saint Emilion. So, following the Yndo’s wonderful breakfast (where they basically create whatever you want and keep coming with freshly baked goods and jams that the owner has made – today’s jam was banana!), we took a taxi to the railroad station to pick up the car. Mike found a chair nearby and waited while I went onto the queue for the car. Never saw such a long line for a rental car, but everyone waited patiently (we are definitely not in the US). Eventually I got our car, and off we went to Saint Emilion (after scraping the car a bit on a bollard that was in my blind spot).
The drive – which is just about 30 miles – was less interesting than we had imagined (going through a lot of industry as you leave Bordeaux), although as you approach Saint Emilion the road is flanked by vineyards as far as the eye can see.
And Saint Emilion (a UNESCO Heritage Site – another program the US no longer participates in since #45 has taken us out of UNESCO) is charming – filled with numerous Romanesque churches and ruins and narrow cobblestone streets. The medieval town’s history goes back to the 2nd Century when the Romans planted vineyards in the area. Supposedly, monks started up the commercial wine production in the area. We strolled the streets (fortunately no rain), and stopped into a little bistro for lunch (cassoulet and salad), and then strolled some more as Mike’s pain seemed to have subsided. At one point, when we were planning this part of our trip, we considered staying in Saint Emilion for two nights. While it is quite delightful, I’m very very glad we settled on Bordeaux. We would have been bored in Saint Emilion – too small.
As we ate lunch, we wondered a bit about how Bordeaux fared during WWII and how much destruction it experienced. Our quick Google research uncovered some interesting stories, including the fact that a lone German soldier defied Nazi orders to blow up the Bordeaux Port (toward the very end of the war). He had fallen in love with a French woman who was in the Resistance. Instead of blowing up the Port, he blew up the bunker where the munitions he was supposed to use were stored. He was deemed a traitor by Germans, but honored in France – where he died at the age of 92. He had become a French citizen, married, and had children in France (not sure if it was the same woman).
Drove back to our little haven at Yndo (now Mike thinks he can live forever at Yndo).
Tonight we eat across the river in a restaurant with a view to the center of Bordeaux. Not sure what to expect on the food side. We shall see. Will report tomorrow. We kept trying for reservations at Miles and at Dan (new young chefs getting a lot of attention – I guess too much attention), but no luck.
All the best –
Fern
Bordeaux. December 29, 2017
Salutations le lendemain au dernier jour de l’année ! (Greetings on the next to the last day of the year!)… I hope that is correct. Hard to believe that 2017 is just about over. How did we ever make it?
So, for the foodies — Le Chapon Fin was quite good – probably I’d rate it 8 out of 10, but service was definitely 10. I’ll do my best to tell you what we ate, but don’t remember everything.
Mostly it’s difficult to remember all the “transitions” they brought to the table…to help “cleanse” our obviously messy palates. I’m clearly not doing the dishes justice as they were quite beautiful and their descriptions were intriguing. I also don’t know all of the ingredients in each – which they described in great detail (in French and also in English – naturally sounded more scrumptious in French).
- Little spoonfuls of beetroot mousse (?) with something else in it and foie gras with pistachios
- Tiny portion of exceptionally good thin pasta with squid ink and razor clams
- Appetizer for Mike – crispy veggies; appetizer for Fern – abalone with some kind of sea foam and quince (I think it was quince)
- Main for Mike – Monkfish with simple crisp yams and some kind of fruit I think (maybe mango?); main for Fern – scallops with clementines
- Another palate cleanser – tiny spoonful of chocolate mouse with tiny dab of cream
- Dessert – pear soufflé with tiny dab of fresh pear sorbet
- Red wine…
I think that’s the main gist of the meal. The place has been around for well over 150 years and has a very long and interesting history – including the architect who did the interior in 1901 and decided to make it feel like a grotto. It’s been updated, but they kept a lot of the features and sense of the place. Turned out that the sommelier (whose English was exceptionally good) grew up in Vancouver! He got interested in wine when he spent a semester in high school in Bordeaux and vowed to come back. After university and working in restaurants in Vancouver, he lived in Italy for a while and then relocated to Bordeaux, which he clearly loves. It was great to talk with him because he’s passionate about food and wine and likes to tie everything back to historic periods. Naturally we had to go through the very serious process of having the wine brought to the exactly correct temperature, seeing it poured into a wonderful decanter.
We had walked to the restaurant and walked back to the hotel. Got to the room at about midnight – just in time to check out CNN, to follow the protests in Tehran, T’s tweets, and the horrible apartment fire in NY.
Fern
Geneva to Bordeaux! December 28, 2017
After a somewhat messy day, and an unbelievably slow boarding process in Geneva, we arrived in Bordeaux. It’s now well after midnight and I’m beginning to fade, so this will either be very short or it will be continued in the morning.
We had a leisurely, but also stressful morning in Geneva; I had taken an antibiotic when I had the stomach problems because I was convinced it was bacterial (still think it was). Anyway, after I began the regimen, I checked with my own doctor who concurred that I should complete the series of 6 tablets. So this morning, I reached to take the pill and couldn’t find the packet. Searched the room inside out (we had already packed to leave Geneva as we needed to vacate the room at the Auberge by noon), unpacked and repacked suitcases – without any luck. We had actually changed rooms at the Auberge the night before because we had no hot water in that room. So, we got keys to the old room and checked there – no luck. Decided to walk down the street to the little café where we had gone for breakfast the morning before (the last time I took the pill), but alas they were not there either.
We headed to Elizabeth’s because the plan was to meet there and then head up the mountain into France (Saleve) to scatter Richard’s ashes (Mike’s brother). By the time we got to Elizabeth’s it had gotten a bit colder, meaning it would be cold up there – and it was snowing (lightly). Since Julia/Julian/ and baby were not yet there, I explained my little problem to Elizabeth who rose to the occasion by contacting a doctor friend who understood and was able to match me up to the local pharmacy who could replace the pills based on her prescription. Thank you Elizabeth.
Elizabeth was also very organized with regard to the plan to manage the ashes – she had little jars lined up (that would be filled before we left the house) and the idea was for each of us to have a little jar to scatter… About 8 or 9 of these jars. But alas – we couldn’t open the urn! The top was stuck. Perhaps a final statement by Richard — taking control of the day! So, that ceremony will be held at another time. We hung out at Elizabeth’s for a while and then headed to a local café for a late lunch before Mike and I headed to the airport. But alas, we dawdled too long and all the cafés were finished serving lunch – drinks only at that point. We eventually found a small place where we could get some food. By now the NY friends had left for the train. After this late lunch and another glass of wine at a second café, we headed to the Geneva Airport, which is a quick taxi ride away.
Given that the airport is essentially situated on the border of Switzerland and France, we could enter the airport on the French side and have less of a customs hassle. We were flying on EasyJet – Europe’s answer to Southwest. We had only taken it once before for a short hop in Europe. The flights are fine, but they cut corners on all of the amenities, check-in, luggage, etc. You can only check in online (cannot check in at the airport); you need to decide if you will have check-in baggage or just carry-on when you purchase your ticket (or soon after) so that you pay for the baggage handling in advance. If you decide later, it is more costly. You do get an assigned seat.
Anyway, we got to the airport about 2 hours before flight time. It took about 45 minutes to get our bags checked – long snaking lines; and then another 40+ minutes to get through security – more snaking lines. Obviously we have absolutely no status at this airport or with this airline! Once on the other side it was pretty smooth sailing. The flight to Bordeaux is only about 60 minutes. But landing in Bordeaux on EasyJet was pretty funny. You land in a separate terminal from all the other planes and it’s sort of outside of the regular airport. We went into the main terminal briefly (dragging our bags) because we wanted to find an ATM. The main terminal was deserted. I guess ours was the last flight into Bordeaux for the night.
Short taxi to our hotel (Yndo) and voila! Bordeaux. We had driven through Bordeaux some years ago but never stayed. Hard to get a sense of the city on the drive from the airport, but Yndo Hotel is delightful. It’s at the edge of the city center — a 19th-century chateau with just 12 rooms – impeccably decorated and renovated – not in the stuffy French Louis XV style, but tastefully ultramodern! It’s sleek and sophisticated – and also a bit quirky and bohemian with an interesting modern art collection scattered in the public spaces. It’s serious, but also playful in its approach to design. We’re happy campers!
We headed out immediately for a late dinner (10:30 pm reservation at Le Noailles) of oysters, steak tartare, salad with crab and walnuts, wine, and ice cream (pistachio and rum raisin). Guess I’m recovered.
More tomorrow when we truly discover Bordeaux… Most likely in the rain.
All the best on these closing days of 2017 – perhaps the most frustrating year we’ve known.
Fern
Insert Photos:
Wild Girls Logo: café where I had lunch on the 27th with Julia; streets on the square in Carouge have lots of painted “street games” on the plaza – very kid-friendly; on the street in Carouge; baby Louis looking pretty peaceful.
Fern's Travel Notes 