Summer adventures continue…
Germany, Munich, Reading- Berkshire, Travels, United Kingdom No Comments »
During our first week back in the UK, Dewi and I saw Giacomo Puccini’s Madam Butterfly at the London Coliseum. I was expecting it to be in Japanese or perhaps Italian, but with this performance the lyrics were all in English- they even had a little LCD display above the stage to read out the lyrics. The music was wonderful and we could see the orchestra in the pit in front of the stage. Dewi and I enjoyed crowd-gazing too, but we were quite disappointed to find few people who were dressed for the occasion- we were expecting gowns and tuxedos but it was a fairly casual affair. Cio-Cio San (Butterfly’s) son was depicted with a Bunraku puppet which required three puppeteers to create all the movement for this character- most unusual! In the final act, when Butterfly takes her life, this was exquisitely portrayed as ballet extras unfurled sheets of red silk from Butterfly’s body as the blood flowed from her.
Since being back in the UK, Bodra has been quite busy with work. He has been to Morocco visiting Rabat and Casablanca, travelling through Paris. Now he is in Johannesburg in South Africa. Our first weekend back from North America, Bodra and I went to Amsterdam to join Lauren during her European travels. Bodra stayed for one night and I stayed for a couple extra days. Whilst on this second visit to the ‘Dam I really enjoyed wandering around the city, despite constantly getting lost- all those canals and bridges can really confuse a tourist!
The weekend after Amsterdam, Bodra and I joined Kim, Ez, Dawn, Nik and Cam in seeing the theatrical show- “Enigma”, Derren Brown’s (a British illusionist and mentalist) latest magical performance. Of course by the end of it we were all feeling baffled and mind-muddled. Derren combines ‘magic, suggestion, psychology, misdirection and good, old-fashioned showmanship.’ He appears to be able to read what people are thinking and see through things, among other amazing mind feats. Three people were randomly selected out of the audience (he always says he doesn’t use stooges and chooses people by getting the audience to pass a Frisbee around) and Derren gave them each a different object. One person had a watch which they set to a random time, another person had a dice and the third had a pack of cards where they selected one card. All the objects were individually wrapped in tinfoil, and then Derren was able to give the exact time, side of the die and card. Perhaps he somehow caught a quick glimpse in the reflection of the tinfoil, or maybe that is what he wants us to think… who knows!
At the start of the show we were instructed that if we wished to we could write three favourite things on a card, which were then placed into a basket on the stage. One member of the audience chose the card and held it while Derren worked out the three favourite things, by getting them to say five words totally unrelated to what is on the paper. Not sure how he managed it but he was bang on!
We saw his show “An Evening of Wonders” a previous year, where he performed classic Victorian magic. One of the acts was an Oracle Act, where audience members wrote a personal question about themselves, then placed it into an envelope with only their initials and seating row letter written on the outside. Derren then chose a number of random envelopes and, without opening them, was able to divulge from the handwriting and the vibe he intuited from that area of the theatre (so he would lead us to believe) what the question was, as well as relay some person specific information and give an answer. About half-way through he took off his microphone earpiece, in case anybody thought he was being fed answers, and wrapped bandages around his head to completely blind himself. And then continued with the act, asking everyone in the audience to beam questions to him and he gave corresponding answers towards the area he felt the question was coming from. Derren appeared to be accurate- spooky!
He also performed a table-turning act, where four members of the audience were asked onto the stage, where they firmly placed their hands on a wooden circular table. He initially asked them to give him the names of people who had passed on, and he wrote these names on a card and placed them inside a wooden box. Derren talked to them in a commanding way, saying to imagine the life energy moving through the table and feel the table start to slide, turn and move a certain way… and then it did! So they began moving around the stage with the table moving them this way and that. He asked them if they were pushing the table but they all adamantly denied it. A bit bizarre! Then Derren got just one of the audience members to stay with the table, which then had a table-cloth placed over it, and together they made it float. We weren’t too sure of this act as it seemed a bit gimmicky- magnets perhaps?
In this latest show he performed a “Spirit Cabinet” routine which is a physical séance. In the second segment of the show he began with inducing a suggestible trance state called somnambulism on the whole audience. Derren got us to sit slightly on the edge of our seats with our hands resting on our thighs, close our eyes, then he used a particular tone and talked to us about feeling our body become floaty and light so that we will feel like standing up. Only certain members of the audience appeared to fall into the trance- not including either of us or our friends. A couple of the suggested audience members joined Derren on the stage.
With one of the ‘trance’ subjects, Derren performed the act where the subject believes their body is completely stiff- rigid like a plank of wood- and then they are carried by others and balanced on the backs of two chairs, under the shoulders and back of the legs. Another trance subject was made to drink a whole glass of vinegar without any complaints.
Onto the “Spirit Cabinet” routine: using a female trance subject as a medium, Derren placed her on a chair inside an enclosed space, with curtains to form the four walls. In the ‘cabinet’ was a table with an empty vase, sponge ball and a bell, and the chair. Derren asked for two associates of the ‘medium’ to come up on the stage and they checked out the cabinet to ensure it was legitimate- no door traps for someone else to sneak into the cabinet.
He asked if there were any spirits present for the ball to be placed inside the jar and the bell rung. He closed the curtains and in a few seconds the bell rang, he whipped open the curtain and the ball was now inside the vase with the medium still seated. This seems obvious enough- the medium merely obeyed Derren’s command. Various other instruments were added- a tambourine, chalk set on the table and a chalkboard- and related commands were given including automatic writing.
For the final spirit cabinet trick, Derren asked the two associates for two names of passed-on family members, and then sent them into the cabinet. He gave the medium two chalk boards to hold, sandwiched together against her chest. Derren placed a hood over the associate’s heads, in case they saw something disturbing whilst in the spirit cabinet. The curtain was drawn and a few seconds later pulled back, revealing smiley faces chalked on the hoods but aside from this all appeared as it should. The medium’s chalkboards where still sandwiched against her chest, and Derren took them off the medium, showing the names scrawled on them. Quite baffling!
Derren’s finale involved getting six men to choose a particular position across the stage and receiving a corresponding letter and then number. I can’t remember exactly how this trick went, but essentially Derren convinced the men of their lack of free will; somehow he manipulated them so they were exactly where he wished or he had managed to predict where they would go.
The following week Kim’s mother Hilary arrived in London, and together they went on a sixteen day tour of Slovenija, Austria and Bavaria. They started in Ljubljana, and their travels included Lake Bled, Bohinj Valley, Bovec, then Austria where they visited Salzburg and Innsbruck. Their last stop was in Munich where I joined them, but more on that later.
On the last weekend of July, Bodra and I went for a 4.5 mile walk along the Kennet and Avon canal, from Aldermaston Wharf to Theale. We started off with a pub lunch at the Butt Inn (hahah!), and had quite deep talks about our plans for next year… After a pint and some lunch in the sun we began our walk. Unfortunately this one wasn’t as picturesque as our previous walks have been so I wasn’t so snap happy.
Bodra and I parted on Sunday as he went on a business trip to Morocco. Thankfully I wasn’t too lonely as Dewi took me out to Swinley Forest in Bracknell to reconnect with my inner Ape in a high-wire adventure. We learnt how to use our harness, pulley and karabiner and climbed ladders, elevated walkways, crossing bridges and going through tunnels, all made of wood, rope and super-strong wire. There were five different courses through the forest, each becoming progressively more challenging. At the end of each course we were rewarded with a zip-wire, so we zoomed through the trees, the longest line stretching for 160m. We had loads of fun and I really hope someone will take me to the course in Aberfoyle, Scotland where they have a 400m long zip-wire and waterfalls…
On the Thursday, Rachael took me to Buckinghamshire to visit Waddesdon Manor, the fabulously ornate and sumptuous home of the Rothschild family for four generations. Every room was decorated with art and antique French furniture. Rachael and I spent a couple hours touring the house, using an audio-guide. Sevres soft-paste porcelain and King George the III’s silver service, a pot-pourri vase in the shape of a ship, Gainsborough and Reynolds portraits of relatives, a chest of drawers covered with gilt bronze designs of birds and children in trees, a chandelier made of broken modern porcelain called ‘Porc Miseria’ (”Oh my Goodness”)… so much to see! One of the rooms upstairs had murals depicting scenes from Sleeping Beauty. I learnt that the artist used members of the Rothschild family and staff of the manor as models for the characters. Even the family dog was included! Unfortunately we did not have the time or the weather to explore the gardens, but on the way back to Reading we saw dozens of Red Kites hunting for road kill above the highways.
Bodra returned home with a dreadful ear infection, exacerbated by the flying. We ended up going to the A&E on the weekend- he had already consulted the doctors twice in the past fortnight for it, going through a course of antibiotics and we were using ear drops also, to no avail. Arriving at the A&E, the entrance-way displayed huge posters warning patients that if they had flu symptoms they were to immediately return home. To me this created a foreboding atmosphere reminiscent of when a plague strikes a village. Bodra received more antibiotics and thankfully his ear infection cleared up by the end of the week.
Last Wednesday I joined Kim and Hilary in München. I stayed with one of my friends whom I met when I taught in Korea in 2002, who has been living in München for two years. Arriving in München on my own, I found it very easy to orient myself to the city centre using the S-Bahn. I stopped in Marienplatz and came out to the town square just in time to enjoy the chimes of the famous Glockenspiel at the Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall). The square is named for the Mariensäule (Marian column) erected to celebrate the end of Swedish occupation in 1638. I walked across the square towards the Altes Rathaus (Old City Hall) and soon found a bronze statue of Juliet, a gift from the city of Verona to Munich in 1974. I had intended to leave flowers with her, as is tradition for a chance at undying love, but I found a handful of undesireable males sitting beneath her so couldn’t see the charm in this action.
From here I wandered through the Victualienmarkt (food market), trailing my suitcase through the stalls, but as it was late evening most of the stalls were closed so there wasn’t too much of interest to notice. I came across a beer garden- loads of chairs and tables set up outside with many people guzzling back glass steins of beer. The bellys over here certainly affirm Munich’s love affair with beer!
I made my way over to my friends flat and soon she arrived. She lives in an old building on the top floor and from her window she can she Saint Pauls Church. She took me to a nearby restaurant for dinner where we sat outside listening to a pianist and saxaphonist. I chose a traditional German dish, jacket potatoes with a white sauce whose name escapes me now. I want to say quark sauce… After dinner we walked along the Isar river enjoying the warm night air and the atmosphere of the full moon and small campfires lit along the pathway. We had a magic night catching up on each others lives, as it has been seven years since we saw each other.
On Thursday I met Hilary and Kim at Hauptbahnhof, the central station where we decided to journey by train out of Munich to Hohenschwangau near Füssen. Lauren had recommended visiting Schloss (castle) Neuschwanstein, the castle which was the inspiration for the Disney Sleeping Beauty castle. The journey out took a couple of hours and we were famished upon arrival, so we settled in for lunch. I tried another traditional German meal, consisting of a bread dumpling served with a mushroom sauce. Super stodge!
Bellies satisfied (without beer) we began our walk towards the castle. From the village we could see the castle quite high up in the valley. We walked into the forest surrounding the castle and followed a path going alongside a river through a gorge. We had the company of butterflies along the trail and really enjoyed the forest air.
Upon reaching the Schloss we were more enthralled by the many flying craft in the sky- paragliders, hang-gliders and gliders all enjoying the clear skies and thermals. One of the hang-gliding craft had very unique wings- thin yet very long. Hundreds of tourists swarmed the castle, waiting for their tour group number to appear to permit them inside. Unfortunately we were only able to gaze at it’s exterior.
We didn’t have much time for anything else, barely time to pick up a souvenir magnet, so we made our way back to München. We met my friend for a vegetarian dinner at Prinz Myshkin, where I tried soy-tuna for the first time on a pizza. It was a real treat and tasted just as delicious as I had remembered real tuna could be. Still no beer however, instead we ordered a couple bottles of Chardonnay, perfect for the warm evening.
On Friday morning I met Hilary and Kim at the Neues Rathaus. We climbed the tower at St Peterskirche and were lucky enough to arrive in time to enjoy the entire chimes of the Glockenspiel. It soon became quite squishy at the top as more people appeared to enjoy the view, and on our way down the tower still more tourists braved the 306 narrow steps.
We next set off to the Munich Residenz- the former royal palace of the Bavarian monarchs- to feast our eyes on the crown jewels within the treasury. It was a very comprehensive exhibition, we could have spent a couple hours gazing at all the sparklies.
From there we made our way to the Hofgarten (Court Garden) where we left Hilary resting beneath a tree listening to a trio of busking string musicians, whilst Kim and I hunted down some lunch. We found our own personal musician in the pavilion for the goddess Diana, a weather-worn man playing pan-pipes, where we sat for our lunch. Every so often he would cease playing to spiel some kind of rhetoric in German and would laugh at his own remarks. He seemed happy enough with himself so once Kim and I had finished our lunch we gave him a hug and a kiss on his cheek to show our appreciation for his music and company. He then shared a few words in English and told us he had been speaking about how if we had public baths and more parties, the world would be a better place. Here here!!!
From the Hofgarten we ventured forth into the Englischer Garten, apparently twice as large as Central Park. They had some really adorable variations of ducks and geese there, as well as a standing wave which was being ’surfed’. According to nearby signs the activity was forbidden but that didn’t stop people attempting to surf the wave for as long as they could before losing their rhythm and falling into the water and being swept downstream. A super resource to have access to if you are a keen surfer and can handle the cold of the water!
We found the Chinesischer Turm (Chinese Tower) and beer garden, so settled ourselves for a stein and some Oompah action. Then we made our way to the local subway station and navigated ourselves to the Alte Pinakothek art museum. Being one of the oldest galleries in the world, it houses one of the most famous collections of old master paintings, so much of the artwork dates before the 1800’s. The subjects of this art was mostly religious themes and portraits of royalty. Not really my cup of tea as I found the general tone fairly depressing, and because there was so much to see it really became quite overwhelming. I think it would be better to pop in from time to time to see specific art works rather than trying to see it all in one go.
Hilary and Kim then left my company to make their way back to London. I stayed in the grounds of the art museum as they have a huge field which was bathed in sunshine, so I caught up on a few postcards. Then I wandered over to the Korean Zen Meditation class as my friend had invited me to join in, and as a reknown monk was visiting and Korean TV were filming it was quite a special event. We chanted prayers in Korean and German, lucky for me the prayer book had the Korean written in English, so it was possible for me to follow. I really enjoyed the class and hope to do this again one day.
After the class we went to a beer garden where I had a massive glass stein to enjoy. I didn’t get all the way through it but I really enjoyed the atmosphere and conversation.
For my last few hours in Munich, my friend and I went to Isar river again. The Isar river is spanned by many graceful bridges, adorned by elegant statues and monuments. We sat in the sun, nibbling fruit and feeding the crows and ducks.
It was a truly nurturing holiday as I had so much time in the sun enjoying that blue sky and wonderful company. Now I am just enjoying my own company and rubbing my peeled skin off my shoulders- too much of a good thing CAN spoil you! I really hope my friend comes to see me in NZ one day!
There was a three hour delay in my flight home due to a plane not landing as it should at Gatwick, so our plane needed to land at Stansted first before being able to get to Gatwick, which delayed it in reaching Munich. I was really happy to see Bodra again, there will always be something uplifting in your situation when you are returning to your love.
We saw “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” on Sunday afternoon which was really frustrating. These movies which just leave you hanging with so many questions! I’ve taken the ‘Deathly Hallows’ out from the library so hopefully I will find some time to read that and satisfy my curiosity.
I’m heading to Ireland again next week for four days with one of my old friends, David O’Leary, we’ll drive to the Giant’s Causeway so that will be very exciting. Bodra and Paul will be going to Pearl Jam on Wednesday. Next weekend we will be seeing Peter Pan at Kensington Gardens. At the end of the month Bodra and I will be taking a drive up North to check out Stockport and York and whatever else crosses our path, in an attempt to escape the drunken debauchery that is the Reading Festival. So- lots on!!!
Bodra purchased our tickets home on Tuesday. We’ve decided to come home for one month, as we need to be there for Paul and Rachael’s wedding on Feb 27th. We will be staying another year in the UK, and who knows what we will do after that. Hopefully Bodra will be able to work for Symantec in NZ by that time, but another option is to go to Brisbane for a year. Closer to one of my favourite places, Mullumbimby- yay!
So it is past 8am now and I still haven’t been to sleep… very naughty I know, but I just like to get the things I started, finished! & besides, Bodra will be home in a few hours and ready for a nap after his long flight home, so I need to keep him company. He has also experienced a delay with his flight home from Johannesburg- I think he has had to wait and extra five hours for his plane. We are meant to be going into London tonight for a dance party- yay for seeing more friends!
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