"Flashing" across Europe

I felt like a Christmas light last night- one of those annoying flashing ones that you don’t realize you put on the tree until it’s too late and there they are, embedded and flickering relentlessly. Last night I was flinging off the duvet with a hot flash every ten minutes. (Probably not, but it did feel like it.) It is my age, sigh.

Now we are speeding toward the continent, leaving London behind. The time there was good. I felt like I was moving constantly. We stayed in a fellow’s loft space in an African/Turkish section of the city. The neighborhood gave me a start as we walked down a street market with everything from fish to scarves. African music pulsed as the market was winding down at 5 PM. We just found the place when the owner, Richard, sped up on his bike. Up we went 8 flights of stairs to the loft, an eccentric designer’s creation- ingeniously assembled from found, recovered or reused materials and objects. Everything did have its place and was ordered in an aesthetic assembly, for example multiple wildly upholstered couches, a wall of various mirrors, and many curving speakers designed by Richard. He is a design teacher at a private school. It had two bedrooms created with some plasterboard and some cloth covered panels- all recycled materials. The bed was very comfortable, which I can honestly say hasn’t been the case so far on the trip and I appreciated that. Staying with someone has its ups and downs but generally you learn more about the place and I recommend that.

The first day included a tour of Sotheby’s by an aquaintence, Richard Fattorini, who is director of Printed Books. We saw several extraordinary collections including the annual Scotland Painting show, a collection of jewels of the Duchess of Windsor and a rare look at Audubon’s life sized 4 volume set of American birds. Only about 7 of the surviving 119 are in private collections and this one will be up for auction this year. We just watched as another staff member paged through it for someone else- amazing. I had only seen one page displayed in museums. Also saw a Shakespeare original folio and an original English bible. An extraordinary collection of firsts coming up for sale from a collector’s estate. The three students came on the tour and so it was insight into the background of sales for all of us.

Spending time with Erin at the Victoria Albert Museum was interesting. The tapestries she is studying are unusual – very large and such detail of hunting! A look into the past in this part of the country. I hope some of the textile curators respond soon on getting her into the back room and restoration if possible. Sunday I helped the Simon Community hand out soup, bread, fruit and drinks from their van in a church yard in London. Kendra has been volunteering with them to learn more about the homeless, both causes and strategies to assist the homeless. She goes on to Malta in about a week to do the same research there. The night after my afternoon with Kendra all those in London met for an “English” dinner. Many different dishes were tried: Sheppard’s pie, Chicken and Leek Pie, Wild Boar and Sage Sausages and such, not to mention the puddings including Spotted Dick!

Kate is doing a project interviewing Members of Parliament on their views on a reformation proposed for the House of Lords, but parliament was not in session. We took the chance to take a tour of Parliament and had a very informed guide that gave good insights into the building, history and present function of Parliament. The spaces are incredible and worth seeing in themselves. But it was also a great refresher on what we all study but do not always put into place- this tour made it come alive.

Because of the opportunity to interview MP’s Kate had some tidbits to share from a personal tour she had that enriched the visit that much more. My own late night tour with a guard when I went and observed parliament in session one Saturday night in the past had a story I particularly held onto that did not make it into the public tour- which statue a suffragette had chained herself to in a protest for women’s rights – another piece of history we should not forget,

London had more walking than I can remember doing in some time- I walked for a few hours in the V & A just looking for the modern exhibits- and never did find them! But it also has a good supply of old English Pubs that offer a brief haven from the crush of crowds- a place for a small nosh, a pint of cider or ale and a sit in some comfy leather chair. Ah, London!

Return to Edinburgh

We started form Orkney at 7:30 AM and arrived back at Dalkeith on the mainland at 10:30 PM.  Continuous travel: car to ferry to trains to bus and then a good walk.  Even the bathrooms are up multiple flights of stairs in Scotland!  Plan that particular trip early rather than when the need is great….   We were glad to see Dalkeith Palace again where we stayed before the trip up to Orkney and a day after so I could meet with another student-William- working on his project on the Scottish Romantics in Edinburgh.  

Will and I were able to visit the Roselyn Chapel during our meeting  (after a wrong bus trip and subsequent cab ride thanks to my travel  savvy- my “being lost” record remains untarnished).  What a revelation that was! I had visited it in 1997 in the very early years of restoration. It was not a “tourist destination” and the family actually went there for Easter service that year, a chilly experience but memorable for the traditional egg roll that took place down the aisles.  (As I remember Adam tried to emulate that event at Dalkeith House but was a bit peeved at the lack of cooperation of the students he organized- surprisingly they did not listen carefully to the directions of the seven year old on how to conduct an egg roll!)  The inside has been cleaned and the fabulous carvings are now clearly visible. There is a visitor’s center, movie, exhibit and tour guide talk for groups visiting. The income is helping the Stewart Family with he costs of the restoration. It has ties to works by the Romantics such as William Scott and Mary Wordsworth who commented on its demise and mentioned it in their works. Dan Brown’s novels have caused a boom of tourists now so my experience was very different than the visit to a little appreciated gem years ago.But It was a worthwhile trip to revisit it now. And I left wondering about the deep crypts beneath the chapel discovered with x-ray but never opened. Besides the family and knights interred are all the statues meant for all these intricately carved platforms in there?  And what other treasures lie in spaces as deep as the Gothic church itself?

 Our room in the “palace “was tucked away- four flights of stairs and then another short flight for good measure. Another “hostel” (since it is dormitory facilities for the Wisconsin in Scotland Program) so again, the less than comfortable twin bed with the WC and shower 4 hallways away!  But the visit brought back our experience of the House- a 17th century estate house built on the foundation of a castle. We were in Room 208 and I can honestly say I didn’t know that part of the house existed. This may explain how Adam, at seven, could hide from me so effectively in that house!

We had a great visit with our friend Charlie Radar who is teaching there this term. He is such a wonderful conversationalist with a steel trap memory and great sense of humor that infiltrates his stories.  A few pub dinners and wee drams later we left grateful for such fine company.

We left Dalkeith early this morning, a beautiful day on the grounds and bused into Edinburgh, a city everyone should have a chance to visit. Its historic vistas due to the old city building up on a dead volcano ridge are so outstanding! Edinburgh is a lively place with contemporary music, art and culture happening everywhere in town. I hope I return there again soon. Highly recommended!

Visiting sheep, cattle , an owl and Kristen

I write tonight from Orkney, an island on the far north coast of Scotland. We arrived Thursday traveling from Dalkeith outside Edinburgh. First a very early morning bus to avoid the traffic jams of the Pope’s visit that morning. Then several trains to the coast, a ferry ride from Thurso across to Stromness (quite rough- walked like a complete drunkard!) and a walk in a gale to the car hire to pick up a car. Then the real adventure began. Because it was already dark the proprietor led us out of town and pointed us in the right direction to find our B&B across the island near where my student was staying. Kev did a great job but by time we came close to the “neighborhood” the winds were in full force all the way from Nova Scotia! We could not find the place, so after about an hour we tried rousing someone at houses along the road. I had some success with a kind man who led us in his car to the right place along the country roads-whew! I had not been in winds like that in some time- there is nothing between New Foundland and the coast we are on, so the winds, rain, waves and weather sweep in dramatically from the sea. We experienced a windy day and calm day there- both pretty wonderful.

We spent a wonderful day exploring parts of the island with Kristen who is doing great here. She doing photo essays on traditional crafts on the Orkneys and had just spent a week with Andrew Appleby. She is reflective and enjoys the quiet of the rural setting. We visited with Andrew, a ceramicist doing wonderful pottery but also very valuable applied archeological research on early Neolithic pottery on the island. He is making very valuable contributions to understanding the early methods of working with clay here and I find so many similarities to what we discovered in China and I know happens in Africa… our human communities are not so dissimilar in our ingenuity and community needs as creatures on this planet.

Though sadly,Skara Brae was closed due to the weather (an early Neolithic village site older than the Egyptian pyramids) we did get to wander among the standing rocks in the Ring of Brodgar. I found it amazing to be able to touch them, stand beside them- I even took my self portrait reflected on a standing stone. These monoliths just speak to time, ritual and perhaps endurance. The archeology here is so close to the surface, literally. Farmers just have burial mounds, early churches, and prehistoric footprints sitting on their land. The Orkadians seem to take it all in stride and respect the past so much an aspect of their present.



Nature is wonderful here- the beautiful pastoral landscape without the interruption of trees, the sheep and cattle, many sea birds- we even saw an owl that nests on the ground and hunts by day- he moved away too fast to catch a photo but the vision of the sight on the post looking right at us next to the car remains vivid.

Several hikes with Kristen were so interesting- especially one along the shore on cliffs rising behind the B & B we stayed at. The top was like a bog and springy to the step. The colors in the waves and foam were clear aqua’s and blues- lovely and surprising. Our proprietor gave us many insights into the area’s history and a look at the landscape he experiences through his eyes- Stewart Toy is a painter and his work embellished the house. He is also an avid fly fisherman. They stock the lochs with trout by harvesting eggs at spawning time and helping the fish grow in nurseries to ensure against pollution and weather impacting the trout population. One morning we had fresh fruit, yogurt and granola and the most wonderful Brown Trout fillet and lightly fried potatoes. A delicious end to our stay on Orkney!

7 Days in Paris

And on the seventh day she rested...

Paris was a good experience. It was my first time conducting the Semester Abroad -Europe Orientation and I enjoyed working with the students. The structure of morning meetings for information, some group "walk-about"s and the evening meets on the Terrace at the hostel allowed time for them to explore and me to meet with each student. Twenty is plenty to keep track off!

The start had a few surprises. One of my students decided not to go at the gate right before we were going to start boarding. It was making a tough call at the time to let her stay but it turned out to be the right decision, just a little stressful for the start of the journey. Then it was a on to Paris- a pretty smooth flight though nothing seemed to help me sleep until the few hours before we arrived. Since I had inadvertently taken Excedrin with caffeine the night before and slept little by evening of our first day I bottomed out and had to sleep a few hours in the early evening. I recovered well then and Saturday was a good day for teaching and exploring Paris.

There were some low and high points in our adventures here in Paris but overall everyone picked up many of the skills they will need to navigate in Europe at their project sites. And watching their enthusiasm and pure joy at being here was infectious. We had a big dinner together at La Gueuze and it was superb. Student shad everything from pigs feet to mussels and many strange new desserts as well. Everyone felt extraordinarily happy to be together and made a leap to getting to know those at their tables. Many museums, markets, walks and travel arrangements later, the day came to head to their separate sites. The day they left felt much like the day we came- it was hard to sleep and I had a 4 AM wake up call to start the goodbye as each started their journey. That went on all day. All left on Thursday except for two who had to go on later trains- one Friday and One Saturday. The photos I took of each is on my Face book photo album (sans Megan who I missed when she left early- missed her by a minute, and Seth who leaves today. Kevin and I took a walk to Notre Dame after the last student trundled off and decided at the spur of the moment to stop for a drink and watch the world from a cafe'. Seconds later the sky opened with a terrific downpour! I felt like I was in the palm of the universe and toasted in gratitude for all our good fortunes so far.

After 7 days of fairly intense work I took a day of play and we went to see Chartres Cathedral- a gorgeous day in France and very mellow and moving. I rebooted and was ready to address the papers again.

Kevin and I will take the Eurostar to London tomorrow and go right on to Edinburgh. It will be fun to revisit Dalkeith Palace where we will stay and see our old haunt (I taught there in WIS in '97 and '03). Then it's quickly on to the Orkney's to see my first student. Will post photos soon- promises, promises....

Paris Shimmers

Paris! We made it to the city of lights and the first days in Europe went fairly well. We are now 20 instead of 21 students as I lost one minutes before boarding our flight- not literally, but she opted to stay in the states with her family, feeling it was best for her.

The group has acclimated to being in this amazing and somewhat overwhelming city so well they are teaching me how to navigate the metro! Well, on the other hand my sense of direction has not returned simply because I am on another continent- at least we know it is a global malady. Though their expertise is mostly due to an excellent exercise Magdalena made up that we did in class before leaving. Then we went off in groups of ten to see Sacre' Couer, a high point in Paris in Montemarte, an interesting neighborhood with an artistic history. Then students were free to wander all afternoon and they took advantage of it. We discussed the history of the neighborhood and what they could find there and they sought out the sights- some of the boys walked for the next 5 hours! We went to see an old cemetery in that neighborhood with some very famous residents. It was something to walk anywhere with that kind of density of crypts- centuries of French families stretching out for blocks.Vampires anyone?

Tonight the group went to a wonderful neighborhood haunt and SAE tradition, Le Gueuze, and everyone ate amazing food, even splurged on wonderful desserts! Students got to know one another at the tables during the three hour meal. Afterward a few of us ended the evening up on the Terrace on a beautiful cool night. Seeing Kevin and Haiya watch the Eiffel Tower lit and then- surprise- shimmering with lights for minutes on the hour delighted me and them, and it was a fine end to a good day. I will post some photos of our adventures soon!