Two Dog Nights

I remember the Three Dog Nights rock roup and it took me awhile to understand the name came from the number of dogs you needed to keep warm in the far north.  That crossed my mind during our stay in Lausanne, Switzerland since we stayed at our friends home, Roxanne and Dan O’Keefe.  Since the family was away on a cruise we stayed in the O’Keefe’s bedroom and so did the two big black dogs, Rose, an old sweetheart and Nikki, a girl with a lot of “Bravo” , more bark then bite, but she can startle you.  They both settled down every night by or under the bed, Nikki reluctantly not on the bed where she inevitable spent much of her day.  As I  listened to the dogs different breathing or gentle nocturnal growls I thought that I was possibly experiencing my coldest time in Europe, definitely a two dog night.

The time in Switzerland was sweet because we were in people’s homes. Both Brittany in Zurich and Whitney at the O’Keefe’s had a free berth for their project time here. We all agreed it was a necessity to afford the country. A dinner for three at a moderate restaurant with only entrees and no other dishes, two beers and a water was over $90.  A coke cost about $5. or $6. Depending on where you bought it. I think Whiney mentioned a McDonald meal (found everywhere I might mention) that would cost about $5. at home cost about $12. In Switzerland. So the hospitality and kindness of others made this leg of the journey particularly affordable. And then there was that little interruption of the French strikes…

We were delayed about three days trying to get to Spain to continue the visits- which unfortunately required passing through or over France for most options.  French trains were on strikes, fuel was being blocked for airlines and cars, traffic on expressways was being slowed to a walk at times by protesters and  so we booked a flight. Then the French air traffic controllers went on strike and our flight was, naturally, canceled.  So we are actually taking a boat-a ferry- from Ligorno, Italy to Barcelona, Spain. It seemed like a good idea at the time. We had spent two days walking in to get train tickets and being shot down, this seemed a sure reservation.  A plane would have been smarter. 

I am now sitting on a ferry that left 4 hours late and will take about 20 hours to get where it is going. It’s off season so the bar and casino are closed. It crossed my mind that seeing Italian slot machines might have been entertaining. Or maybe not. This is after spending the day yesterday on trains to get TO the ferry and staying overnight in Italy eating mediocre pizza while horrible radio music blasted from the kitchen. And we were charged 4 euros for the honor of using a glass, silverware and a napkin, none that fancy I might say.  I would say this ferry idea was a misstep on our European jaunt, not because it has been less than stellar, but because I was to be in Spain right now and we will really have to move it to get everywhere to everyone.. I note there are no business people on the ferry. Live and learn. 

Kevin points out we are steaming across the Mediterranean, a body of water people have been sailing on for thousands of years before us.  That is true.  Why am I not comforted????

PS. Made it to Spain! Saw Abby, stayed in a hostel with hundreds of 20 somethings, am doing great. Old dog learning new tricks.

Land of mountains and Lakes

We headed into Switzerland and saw some beautiful scenery in Austria on the way to Zurich.  Brittany is staying with a very generous and warm family, Lisa and Chris and their three beautiful sons. They took us in while in Zurich and we had a wonderful home experience just when the travel was a little wearing.  Brittany is researching Contemporary Swiss Figurative art, by creating a body of figurative drawings and interviewing artists.  We had a good visit with a few at an art exhibition in town and talked about the figurative work we found there.  In between our journeys to see art I was able to review her drawings and research while having fabulous, meals, play and conversations with this wonderful family and their friends.  The whole visit was a tremendous treat on every level.  Then on to Lausanne, about 2 hours southeast to see Whitney.

Whitney is working with CPW, a company that is joint venture between Nestle and General Mills through an introduction by Dan O’keefe who is working now for them in Switzerland.  She is working with the Health and Nutrition Team in the marketing division. I met her colleagues and supervisor of marketing and everyone is extremely pleased with her performance as she works on a variety of tasks: gathering visual art to create a free visuals resource, redesigning cereal packages for emerging markets, researching product placement in emerging markets by other companies, researching the use of vitamin C as a supplement in cereals and consumer perception of that practice, to just name a few.  I am so proud to see the level of value Whitney is adding to the company and their recognition of her contribution. I think a good relationship with the company could be forged with other strong interns, an advantage for our students with General Mills in our region. I am grateful to our friends the Okeefe’s from Hudson who gave us our lodging and are helping house Whitney during her stay- we missed visiting with them but hope to another time when they are here.

The trains strikes in France are affecting the rails and flights so we broke down and planed an Easy Jet flight from Zurich to Barcelona for tomorrow.  I admit I am not sad to miss one of those marathon overnight, multiple train odysseys, but we'll see if this is actually easier!  Hopefully it is a rare occurrence as we are trying to keep costs down.

Until next time when we are in the warm again... 

On the Tracks: Visiting the Students

I am in my new office- the train- on the way to Zurich. It is not as comfortable as South Hall but one can’t beat the scenery.  We are already in the mountains with towns nestled deeply in valleys. In his usual reserved way, Kevin has said nothing, but I was beside myself the first time I saw scenery like this and it thrills me again today. I am always amazed in each language when the announcement goes on for about 3 minutes in German, French, etc, and then there are 3 words in English and other languages at the end: “Next stop: Salzburg”. I can’t help wondering what I missed…

It is amazing that over a third of our time in Europe has already past. I am sure most those in the SAE program feel the sudden speed up of time. Now the trips between places to see the students are going to be longer with more train changes, so I’ve warned students about possible delays.  I made this train with three minutes to spare.  Flexibility-the name of the game in SAE.

Our travels have been engaging. I am getting used to the walking walking walking I do everyday- it is very good for me. When my knee goes out (in its unpredictable arthritic way) it is painful but it just started to happen in Prague and I am hoping it leaves again without reappearing!  The constantly moving on can feel wearing but then there is another student, another new place to see through their eyes and learn about a new topic they are deeply researching.  The engagement always overcomes the exhaustion. I feel everyday this is an amazing privilege and am happy to be involved in this program. This is partly the group of students. They are wonderful people and most are on task.  They also genuinely like one another and so the cohesiveness and caring is a great benefit as well.

 We have now slept in 10 different places in a little over a month. Having Kevin along helps so much.  He has worked on researching our lodging and train plans and though we decide together and sometimes I have made reservations, he is the primary travel agent in the team. That frees me up to be writing reviews for students, responding to their emails and check-ins and reports, communicating with them about upcoming meetings and generally tracking everyone.  To do both things with such a large group (20) would be stressful I think. I may feel differently if he is jobless in January, but at the moment it feels like a wise decision.

My experiences with  the students are very positive.  I blogged on my visit to Kristen in Orkney, Jake in Cornwell , Will in Scotland, the London trio (Kate is getting amazing interviews with MP’s, Erin is trying to buckle down on tapestries, and Kendra did well in London on homeless through volunteering  but now is  trying to establish the right contacts for her  project topic in Malta), Megan in Paris  and finally Breanna in Frankfort.

So I will blog a bit on the last several visits.  The trio in Berlin are throwing themselves into the city’s culture, each in their own way. Jeanne has visited many art museums and galleries to explore the contemporary art scene and knows much about the different venues in the city. She shared some interesting ones with me when I visited, particularly Tacheles.. Paul is very at home in a neighborhood park near their apartment, Mauer Park, where he is documenting a section of Berlin wall being painted over and over by street artists as part of his investigation of the role of artists in responding to the Berlin Wall.  It is the 20^th Anniversary for reunification in Berlin so a very good year for those doing projects on Communism and the west!  He just landed a great interview with an important artist in Berlin to add to his research. Zach and I “rode the rails’ so to speak as he shared information he has uncovered on the Berlin transportation system-a timeline of history of how things were built, by whom and when as Berlin grew. We saw some cool sights as we explored the S-Bahn or U-Bahn! Even did a bit of detective work which was a treat for me. The students share a one bedroom apartment and have their share of visitors as well- bless the tolerance of youth!

Onto the duo in Prague and their warm greeting with a homemade meal in their little apartment! I didn’t realize how we had been eating out for a month until that moment. Amanda shared the amazing collection at the Decorative Arts Museum. The staff she is working with helped her decide to direct her investigation toward the graphic arts and the shift in the last 30 years of imagery, style and purpose. So that brought us to a unique venue- the Museum of Communism, put together by one entrepreneur with a passion to collect and display the record of this era. Worth seeing to understand the history of these eastern bloc nations and very “home-made” but powerful. Hannah outlined her progress on Jazz in Prague, again a historical look, focusing on those musicians playing in Prague in both eras. Thanks to Hannah reserving tickets I saw a fantastic, intimate show by a jazz guitarist and pianist on Friday ( Are there any other kinds of Jazz clubs in Europe? Every one we have been to has been small with an attentive audience- no wonder it’s a joy to play in Europe..). A beautiful city with excellent guides, what could be better? And did I mention there were 15,000 Scots in kilts in Prague square Friday?  Scots vs, Czechs football.

The 14 hours overnight to Postojna, Slovenia was a bit arduous. I found myself singing cowboy songs (much to Kevin’s dismay) as I past the’ super tired’ point while waiting on a train platform in the cold an hour in a half between midnight and 1: 30.  Perhaps these overnights aren’t the best choice at my age!  A nap later I was caught up in the visit to Haiya. She is doing great in a “”cozy” place just as she reported. The Slovenian Karst Research Institute she is doing her project at is the center of cave/karst research internationally. Would my colleagues Ian and Kerry have loved the conversations I had there (and understood so much more of it)! We were very graciously received and enjoyed our visit with Haiya, seeing an immense cave, visiting with various researchers and the director and having a yummy Chinese meal at her abode. (Yes she found what she needed to make some of her dishes in a small town in Slovenia- a very resourceful young woman.)

What a challenge and opportunity to delve so deeply into one thing for these students, their own little “sabbatical”.  And after seeing what they are up to here in Europe I can only say, “SAE students rock!”  So soon our lives will become fractured into many 

different compartments again. I hope your life is going well and the compartments are not TOO full! Keep in touch, enjoy the fall- I hope the sun shines on the upper Midwest today.

Ciao!

On the continent again

We are traveling across Europe now, criss-crossing the countries to visit the students.  Taking the Eurostar like a streak from London to Paris was direct and easy.  Back in Paris we stayed in an apartment of a french sociology researcher in the China town of Paris.  We rented the bedroom of her son away at boarding school and had good interactions with her during our stay and felt very at home. It was nice to be back to great bread and amazing cheese.

Megan is investigating Gypsy jazz and the guitarist Django Reinhardt.  I met with Megan and chatted about her project so far in a park in Paris used in the past by the rich and now a public park with some curiosities like a small pyramid and Greek colonnade. She is renting a room in a town outside Paris but comes in frequently to work on her research at the library, explore and find more music and musicians to investigate. We joined her at a concert in a small Jazz club by Reinhardt's grandson who is also a jazz guitarist. Megan had a chance to interview him before the concert in French. She is really making some good contacts for her project and is relishing her time in France!

We traveled on to Frankfort and found it a very pleasant surprise. First we bought  food for the journey and never touched it  because in first class they gave us drinks and then a meal!  The surprise was that it was a "Menu Rose":," Rosa Menu"or "Pink Menu" depending on whether you speak French, German or English. It came in a slick box with compartments that open to reveal different components of the meal: the starter-Pink radishes with hazelnut oil and pink pepper berries; the main dish -Salmon Tartare with crunchy pink rice ; and dessert- chocolate fondant with raspberry heart.  I kid you not!  Not surprising was having a room, once again, on the top floor or "attic" as the cheerful proprietor told us.  She must have been at least in her seventies if not eighties and answered the gate about 9:30 Pm when we arrived, sprinted up the multiple flights of steps , calling down for us to :take our time" as we marched up luggage in hand.It was a great place and the provided breakfast of rye bread and spreads was a delight as she chatted about a range of topics and stories. She was very intelligent with an engaging personality.

After London and Paris where one is in constant streams of people down numerous stairs through tunnels and onto subway cars, Frankfort felt open and uncrowded.  I met Breanna at the Museum of Communication since she is working on a social networking project comparing the practices of American and German college students. II was absolutely delighted to find the installation of sheep my friend Curt had found on the Internet. The flock is made up entirely of old dial phones and is absolutely wonderful!  For a small museum it had some fabulous examples of art related to communication, even a wrapped public phone by Christo and Beuys "Communication" piece of two cans and a string. I enjoyed the selection of examples of TV's , radios, etc from the past.  Very interesting and a helpful timeline for Breanna's paper.  Our walk around town, dinner and finally apple strudel as the sun set was a delight.

On to Berlin where an apartment of three of our SAE students had just swelled to four with the arrival of a UWRF grad to visit- Jason. And our son Zero appeared to make it a five -some in Berlin.