It surprises you, it amazes you, and it
makes you laugh or cry when you don’t expect it."
"This garden was made with difficulties, love, wild enthusiasm, obsession, and most of all, faith. Nothing could have stopped me."
"As in all fairy tales, before finding the treasure, I met on my path dragons, sorcerers, magicians and the Angel of Temperance."
~ Niki de Saint Phalle ~
(1930 - 2002)
*********************
Eve Blossom
Kurt Schwitters' own translation of "An Anna Blume"
Oh thou, beloved of my twenty-seven senses, I love thine! Thou thee
thee thine, I thine,
thou mine, we?
That (by the way) is beside the point!
Who art thou, uncounted woman, Thou art, art thou?
People say, thou werst,
Let them say, they don't know what they are talking about.
Thou wearest thine hat on thy feet, and wanderest on thine hands,
On thine hands thou wanderest
Hallo, thy red dress, sawn into white folds,
Red I love Eve Blossom, red I love thine,
Thou thee thee thine, I thine, thou mine, we?
That (by the way) belongs to the cold glow!
Eve Blossom, red Eve Blossom what do people say?
PRIZE QUESTION: 1. Eve Blossom is red,
2. Eve Blossom has wheels
3. what colour are the wheels?
Blue is the colour of your yellow hair
Red is the whirl of your green wheels,
Thou simple maiden in everyday dress,
Thou small green animal,
I love thine!
Thou thee thee thine, I thine, thou mine, we?
That (by the way) belongs to the glowing brazier!
Eve Blossom,eve,
E - V - E,
E easy, V victory, E easy,
I trickle your name.
Your name drops like soft tallow.
Do you know it, Eve?
Do you already know it?
One can also read you from the back
And you, you most glorious of all,
You are from the back as from the front,
E-V-E.
Easy victory.
Tallow trickles to stroke over my back
Eve Blossom,
Thou drippy animal,
I
Love
Thine!
I love you!!!!
~ Kurt Schwitters ~
(born in Hanover 1887 - died in London 1948)
Dadaist Practitioner of
Poems Performances Pieces Proses Plays Poetics
***********************
In March of 2006, we had the opportunity to spend our Spring Break in Hanover, Germany because Gerry was teaching a week - long seminar at GISMA, who sent him emails that began: "Good Morning Professor McCartney Dear Gerry." Who could resist such an entreaty? We flew into Manchester, England, stopped by Liverpool for a weekend to see Gerry's parents and let Sam stay there for some quality time his British grandparents. Then Gerry, Ben, and I flew on to Germany, where Ben and I were full - time tourists while Gerry taught.
I hadn't even anticipated how much I was going to appreciate my bonding time with Ben, but I really did, especially, since we spent many hours just the two of us together walking around and taking photographs and going to museums while Gerry was working and Sam, of course, was back in England. Ben loved running around with the camera, capturing what he liked to refer to as "the essence of where today meets yesterday." For example, this juxtaposition of 21st century transport and 19th century architecture was taken at the Herrenhausen Gardens, just a short drive from Hanover's city center:
In fact, Herrenhausen was our only jaunt outside of walking distance (besides Gerry going to work). It was not really all that far, and we were not sorry to have visited the Indoor Rain Forest House and captured the essence; however, unlike those websites that suggest this attraction is equally beautiful at all times of year, I would recommend saving this landmark for the summertime:
Gerry taught every morning and every afternoon joined us in some local excursion; and I know that he too really enjoyed having so much time with Ben -- it was nice for us to be able to treat him as a "kid" for a little while, before he grew completely up. Sam, on the other hand, was busy receiving the royal treatment as Grandpa's Boy! I think both Ben & Sam relished being the "only child" for a week, but they were glad to be back together at the end of the week for some good ol' sibling together time:
As for our tourist activities, Gerry, Ben, and I found Hanover to be a beautiful old city -- carefully reassembled after the War to blend reconstruction and preservation of whatever was left standing with new construction (well, I guess you could say this of most German towns). Hanover is not necessarily a tourist destination (like Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Munich, Berlin) but still there was plenty to see and do, and we enjoyed it all and certainly wouldn't mind going back if we have another chance. There is a wonderful huge stone - paved central square in the Old City, dominated by a gigantic medieval church and encircled by ancient historical buildings, plus some shiny new shops, such as the Oil & Vinegar store, which was full of great kitchen gifts and supplies -- along the lines of Williams Sonoma. I don't know if Gerry's teaching duties would ever take him there during the month of December, but I could just imagine the whole street scene filled with holiday sights and sounds and aromas of a traditional Christkindlmarket!
We lived in a local apartment complex, and picked up our supplies at the small shops on the plaza level:
Everything at the deli looked great, but we didn't buy anything there. We bought bread, sweet rolls, croissants, and ready - made sandwiches from the bakery -- just by pointing at each item and holding out our money and letting the cashier take the correct change. Everyone there seemed very helpful and honest, even though they could have easily fooled us! As on any trip, we encountered those -- such as the cashier at the little "Tabac" shop, where I picked up a few cards -- who were always kind even when neither of us could understand a word the other was saying, and those who weren't, such as the staff at the less than charming restaurant (Spago) where they treated us like Space Aliens. Reluctant Greetings Earthlings! Yankees Go Home!
We went to the grocery store every day for cereal, milk, orange juice, lettuce, strawberries, pasta -- things like that, just for general eating and snacking. We quickly learned to take along the big shopping bags left behind the previous tenants in our apartment, and to do our own bagging really quickly because there is no room for the items to stack up at the end of the tiny little conveyor belt. When buying Fanta or Mineral Water (for a mere 19 cents -- though in the restaurants it was more like $5 for the same size bottle!), we paid a plastic bottle deposit that we got back the next time. It was all kind of simultaneously New Age progressive and Old School quaint, reminding me in some ways of shopping as a child, with a basket on my arm, at the old - time corner grocery store with my grandparents.
In the dairy case we found nice wedges of Brie for 99 Euro - Cents. We had this for a snack a lot, along with bread from the bakery -- such a treat compared to the cost of Brie in America! This is also where we picked up items for the apartment, such as paper towels, laundry soap, etc. As Fruhling and Frohe Ostern were drawing near, the grocery counter was covered with the most beautiful Easter candy that I've ever seen! And over on the regular candy aisle we found our favorite German candy bars, miniaturized:
Ben and I spent the mornings following the Self - Guided Red Line / Thread Walking Historical Tour, using the little red information booklets to help us find our way and give us all the background information.
Leaving the apartment area, we walked east on Calenberger Strasse until we reached Rote Reihe, featuring the Lutheran Neustadter Kirche surrounded by a stone plaza; beyond that is a Concrete Memorial where the Jewish Synagogue used to be; and beyond that St. Clemens Catholic Basilica. This is a nice side street to walk down and take some photos, then circle back up to Calenberger Strasse and cross Leibnizufer, a divided major thoroughfare. The crosswalk and crossing lights make it very pedestrian friendly, even if there happens to be a lot of traffic. As soon as you're across the street, glance down to your left and you'll see the giant colorful Nana sculptures created for the City of Hanover by Niki de Saint Phalle.
Going forward, onto Schloss Strasse and Kramerstrasse, you'll cross a little footpath over the canal / moat. On the left is a large tower from the old city wall; on the right is the Leine Palace. Along Kramerstrasse, we liked the Historiches Museum, off to the left on Pferdestraße, for the scale models and the local color; this was Ben's favorite museum. Further along on Kramerstrasse, you can indulge in a creamy Italian ice cream cone Mr. Gelato (on your right). You'll recognize the big plastic ice - cream cone outside the door -- along with the All - American "Big Boy." We were never quite sure what the Big Boy was doing there, but he provides a very Midwestern presence, just in case you're feeling homesick!
At this point, you can turn in any direction for great shops, pubs, restaurants, and an immersion into medieval German history; for you are now at the Old Town Center, Old Town Hall, and mammoth Market Church mentioned above. From here, you can veer off to the right, cross Karmarchstrasse, and visit the Market Hall:
This market is nearly identical in nature to Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, if you happen to be familiar. It is filled with small stalls selling all kinds of gourmet groceries, and numerous little restaurants selling snacks and stand - up meals (plus a few sit - down places). Very colorful.
From here, you can head southward to the New Town Hall / Rathaus. You can also reach this area from Calenberger Strasse by heading to the Waterloo Underground stop and taking the pedestrian tunnel underneath Friederiken Platz. Be sure to go into the Rathaus lobby to see the four scale models of the city at different points in history (medieval, before WWII, after war, contemporary). At the back entrance of the Rathaus is a restaurant that was recommended to us (but we didn't ever find the time to eat there); and down the big steps is a scenic duck pond.
The Rathaus area is also the museum area. The Kestner is right on the corner, close to the front of the Rathaus. I really liked this small, peaceful museum, and Ben was mesmerized by the coin collection. The Landesmuseum (also called Lower Saxony Sate Museum) is behind the Rathaus, beyond the duck pond, through a little park, and across the street. Gerry liked this one best; it was comprehensive and classic. There was a snack bar (not as fancy as the Rathaus restaurant but nice), and a gift shop with lots of postcards. The Sprengel comes highly recommended by every guide book if you prefer Modern Art. If this isn't your favorite era, you might feel impatient in here; but it was perfect for me: "A major objective of the expansion is to allow extensive coverage of Niki de Saint Phalle and the Hanoverian artist Kurt Schwitters. . . . Besides Schwitters and de Saint Phalle [see poem and quotations above], the Sprengel Museums's key works include those of Max Ernst, Fernand Léger, Paul Klee, Pablo Picasso, Emil Nolde and Max Beckmann from before 1945."
I think that covers most of what we managed to accomplish in five days, along with the rest of the Red Line landmarks that I didn't mention here. Once you start walking around, you'll realize that before you know it, you will have covered the entire Red Thread several times. Along most of the path, there is an actual red line (well, more like orange spray paint) painted on the sidewalk to guide the tourists, but in some spots it's rather faded or perhaps obscured by stray litter. For the most part, the city is tidy, but there was a garbage strike on while we were there (so brace yourself), and some areas are in badly in need of some urban TLC. Well, we're used to that! We'd go again!
Spring ~ Time / Ice & Water
Apples, Walnuts, Leaves ~ / Ten Thousand Thousand
Rocky Road
SEE YOU IN TWO WEEKS FOR MY
Next Fortnightly Post
Monday, July 14th
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