Monday, June 29, 2015

Dresden Diary, Day 3: Do you believe in fairytales?





 


I see castles and fortresses, and hillside vineyards; plains of wheat and barley, and sandstone mesas… not in a fairytale book or romantic novel, but in real life. Not exactly the kind of images one thinks of when imagining Germany.  But here they are, all in front of me as the bus cruised along the hi-way taking us out of Dresden and on to Saxon Switzerland, still in Germany, not Switzerland. It confused the heck out of me, but found out that the name was given by 2 Swiss artists pining for their homeland.

On my last full day in Germany, I joined a mid-morning to mid-afternoon hiking tour of Saxony.  Mind you, the conference is ~11 hours long, so there was still plenty of time to get my science fix, in addition to the exchanged pleasantries by participants en route, which goes: “ what polymer do you work on?” or “Have you tried such-and-such solvent system?”.

I have to admit, romantic is not the first word that comes to mind when I thought of Germany prior to this trip. It was more like – precision, museum, history, etc…  But the quaint villages, fairytale-like castles, and wildflowers dotting this drive along the snaking Elbe river makes for great Hollywood scenery.  Indeed, our tour guide informed us that several scenes from the Grand Budapest Hotel, a film I adore, was shot in this region. Hollywood-aside, the greens, rivers and distinctive landscape makes Saxony a dramatic paradise just a short drive from Dresden.






There's supposed to be a goose sillhouette there,
but as hard as I squint, I still couldn't see it.
Our first stop was at the Sächsische Schweiz (Saxon Switzerland) National Park to see the Bastei rocks, a sandstone formation overlooking the Elbe River and offering spectacular views of the Elbe valley, table top mountains and sandstone, and forms the heart of the National Park. This park bordered Bohemian Switzerland, which is in the Czech Republic. We crossed the sandstone Bastei bridge made of sandstone rocks, cliffs and ranges. The rock formations and vistas have inspired many artists, dubbing this place Painters’ Way, where painters once sought inspiration for their masterpieces. Lucky me, I got to see it on a dreary day – the painters’ favorite weather – and on a weekday with very few people around.  


Proof that I was there. Ha.

The valley below and the mesa farther back
As we continued on, we had to pay 2 euros to enter Felsenburg Neurathen (Neurathen Castle), which was once a rock castle built in the 11th century, but now just ruins. It’s still amazing to see how the people in that century built the fortress by taking advantage of the rock cliff tops.  I have no idea how they brought the catapults and stone cannonballs up on top, but I guess in the name of defense, you do what you got to do.

 

Basteibrucke


Better pictures of the Basteibrucke here.



Statue of a monk hauled up by brave rock climbers.
 

(No, mom, I didn't climb up.)


Old style defense: catapult with stone cannonballs


 
 














Thankfully, I had a protein bar in my bag as we voted to skip lunch and headed straight to Königstein Fortress, Europe’s highest fortress, and covering an entire table mountain. There is really no way to appreciate its massiveness and grandeur from my iPhone pictures, so here’s an aerial photo snatched from the web, and my phone shots below.   
Königstein - built by nature and man


The valley below

Königstein, or king’s rock, is a cleverly designed fortress –a mix of man-built genius and sweat extending the walls from its natural stone formations. It was deemed unconquerable and was a state prison for a time in the 1920s and was used as POW camp in WW I and II. Its castemates housed the state treasure and works of art from the famous Zwinger during war times. It’s easy to see why the fortress was never conquered in its 750-year history.

They meant business.

 
No kidding.




Castle gates a la Game of Thrones
The current tennants -
He (and a hundred others) said hi to me 
As much as Dresden has taught me much about history, (and ehem, given birth to the first milk chocolate), I am really touched most by Saxon Switzerland’s unique and evocative landscape. How can something so beautiful exist?!  This tranquil region reminds me that there is more to Germany than its war history.  I used to think of Germany with somber tones and hues, but no more.  I’m glad I capped this trip with the German countryside. And the lasting impression I’m leaving with is of how a gem lies in East Germany – a place I’ll look forward coming back to.



This is the place where fairytales are born.







 

Friday, June 26, 2015

Dresden Diary, Day 2: Something old, something new

The internet is not my friend today, so I’m writing the journal the old fashion way – via Word. Gasp!

My day of exploration didn’t start until late afternoon at the end of a busy day listening, talking, thinking and seemingly drinking in science.  It’s a good thing my curiosity always wins over brain strain. On the agenda was the Zwinger (pronounced Zvi-nger) museum, which is a convenient 5-8 minute walk from the congress site. The Zwinger is a palace that was turned into a 3-in-1 museum complex, housing the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Old Masters Picture Gallery), the Dresden Porcelain Collection (Porzellansammlung) and the Mathematisch-Physikalischer Salon (Royal Cabinet of Mathematical and Physical Instruments).  Hard as it was, I had to decide which among the 3 museums I was going to, given the time limitation; all 3 closed at 6 pm and it was already 4:30 pm.  I eventually decided on the math and physics collection. The force was strong on this one.
  
The salon boasted of clocks, lenses, globes, measurement instruments and other related instrumentations. The museum highlights innovative technologies in precise timekeeping and calculation during 1550-1900.Hey, German precision, right? The top 3 items that stood out to me were the:
  • 5-minute clock that tells time in 5 minute increments instead of by the minute,

5 minute clock

  • the world clock (1690) that tracks 24 hour time zones in 1 face, showing the time in all latitudes on 360 individual dials,
  • 
  • a celestial globe, perhaps the oldest exhibit on display, dating from the 13th century. I have actually never thought that stars and constellations can be represented spherically, but here’s that representation showing stars as they are located on the apparent sphere above us, showing constellation figures to teach celestial navigation. One word: Wow.


World Clock - at least they don't chime
Celestial Globe - picture doesn't do it justice;
Stellar positions have been calculated for the year 1700.


Bonus: who remember what this is
and what it's for?
Since I didn’t have enough time to check out the porcelain museum (boohoo!), I took a cab to Neustadt to search for its hidden gem: Kunsthofpassage Skipping public transportation was a good decision as I wouldn’t have found it on my own otherwise. When Tripadvisor says it's a hidden gem, you better listen. (Un)lucky me, the sun shone and the rain stopped altogether as soon as I reached the secret courtyards. Sure, everyone knows how much I love dreary weather, but "Kunst”, as locals call it, really comes alive when rain starts to fall. Kunst consists of 5 small courtyards completed in 2001, boasting of nouveau art collections. Hence the name: Kunsthofpassage, which means ‘alley artists’ or 'art district path'. Of the 5 courtyards, the “Courtyard of Element”s is the most popular with its bright blue painted wall with metal pipes and funnels. On rainy days, the drain and gutter system turns into musical instruments!  Across this wall is a yellow-painted wall with metal rods that reflected the sunlight.
Something blue
After buying some artsy souvenirs - little adorable serving boards featuring fruchtfliege(fruit flies)-  I headed out to look for a place to eat.  Beside clichéd biergartens (beer gardens), there was not much in terms of regional restaurants in Neustadt.  I was surprised to see mostly Turkish, Greek, American and Asian offerings after 1 hour of walking around.
 
I went back to Altstadt and sat at a restaurant patio by the Frauenkirche plaza. The bell tolled 9’o’clock but it was still light out.  There was a horn quartet in the plaza serenading the passersby with impressive classical music as I enjoyed Alpine cuisine. I could swear they put cheese and beer on all their dishes! Dinner left me almost catatonic, so I finished reading my book as I relished every sip of my Toblerone macchiato.

To help me digest, I went for a walk along Bruehl’s Terrace, nicknamed “The Balcony of Europe”, which was formerly a defensive part of the Dresden Fortress. The Terrace was totally destroyed in February 1945 along with most structures in Altstadt, but has been rebuilt to look very much the same as it did in the past.

I continued walking along Augustusbrucke, the bridge named after Augustus the strong, and the oldest bridge in Dresden. The bridge indulged me in the breathtaking view of the city at dusk. Dresden was once known as known as Florence on the Elbe for its detalied baroque architecture. I tried to imagine how it looked like 70 years ago, but I couldn’t get unstuck in time. I also couldn’t help but look up in the sky to check for any signs of aircrafts, but all I saw were birds, presumably flying to their nests for the night.

 








Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Dresden Diary, Day 1: Contradictions

Was the bombing justified or not? Was it Churchill or Roosevelt? If only the river Elbe could talk.

When I found that the conference I was going to will be held in Dresden, Germany, I formed no opinion whatsoever. However, when friends heard about my upcoming trip, the reaction was fairly similar for all and goes like this: “Dresden?  Why would anyone want to go to Dresden?” In true Asian naiveté, I asked, “Why not?”

For most of us carrier/transporter of WWII-memories, the information and images passed on to us is either western or eastern hemisphere-focused. I fall in the 2nd category with my grandfather’s memory of serving as Philippine soldier who fought against Japanese troops in World War II; the death march in Bataan, his bayonet scars - these are the glimpses of WWII I’m passing on to my daughters as well.

Still, I learned about the holocaust, the Nazis, the allied forces before... but I have never heard of the Dresden firebombing. Dresden?  I didn’t even know where that was on the map of Germany! As such, I tried looking for books about Dresden’s history but found a dearth of information. Some says it’s one of the best kept secret of WWII. But why?! And why was it bombed?  Therein lies all the contradictions.


Some say the bombing was meant to interfere with mass civilian movements.
Some say it’s because Dresden is a city where main rail junctions and communication systems are located.
Some say it's to show Russia that the Allies are devoted to their cause.
Some say it's because Dresden listed over a hundred factories and workshops that supply arms - poison gas, field guns, war gears and aircraft - to the German war effort.
Was it or wasn't it any of these things? Was it Churchill or Roosevelt who commanded the area raid? Was it 18,000 or 135,000 casualties? Does it matter? Was it bigger than Hiroshima? Does it matter?
If only the river Elbe could talk.


Finally, I arrived in Dresden still clueless overall, but with an armament of questions, which has always served me well in my explorations. As the plane was descending, I saw Dresden bedecked in spring green. No signs of smokes or ruins or burnt trees here that would give any indication of the 1945 bombing. As my cab rolled in to Altstadt (Old City), I noticed low buildings, all new and clean. Then in little spaces, I began seeing tall churches – old structures, for sure. Then more - Renaissance, baroque and 19th century. As I got closer, I noticed their charred black color.




In the evening after the conference, the congress attendees were treated to a private concert at the Frauenkirche (pronounced Frah-wen-kir-she), the famous church that was obliterated during the war. This church was rebuilt from 1994-2005 using original materials as much as possible. Apparently, each stone was tagged and computer-fitted back to its original place. For ~50 years, the shell of the church laid like an “open wound” reminder of the war... I’m glad to see it healed.  


Dark vs. Light: the dark stones on the facade are from the original structure

 

I sat in my assigned seat listening to the organ and trumpet rendition of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Cantata BWV 147. I observed the church's interior and found it quite unremarkable with its bright pastel paint, very much a contradiction to it's exterior. I’m sure it’s nowhere near as grand as it once was. But the choice of color struck me – it’s a stark contrast to the dark history this church had been through.

It was still light after 9 pm so I took a little walk, passing the Fürstenzug (English: Procession of Princes), the largest porcelain artwork in the world, featuring the rulers of Saxony.  This mural escaped the war unscathed. While it was painted in 1871, it was later replaced with porcelain tiles in early 1900s to make it weather-proof and, apparently, war-proof too. The buildings fell, but the wall of tiles stood the test of time and bomb. 

So it goes.




Gute nacht, Dresden! Let's see what else you reveal tomorrow.

 

Monday, June 22, 2015

CSA basket challenge week #1: Belle of the basket

It's here! It's here!  Spring, and along it, the abundance of produce.

This is our first time to subscribe to CSA after hemming and hawing for many years.  Now that we're focusing on healthy cooking, I say, bring it on! And because cooking is really just kitchen alchemy, I'd be highlighting one vegetable in the science corner. So, how did we do with this week's basket?

This week's basket:


Salanova Lettuce - we had salad, salad, salad! With the best balsamic vinegar, you can't go wrong.
Romaine - More salad!
Zucchini - was turned into a savory zucchini, herb and cheese cornbread with anise seed - an experiment that turned out so awesome! I'll have to make this one again... and soon!

Turnips - Turnip fries for the head, which were a big hit with the adults but not so much with the kids. The turnip greens were cut up and baked in crustless quiche with brie, mushroom and tomatoes. YUM!
Swiss Chard - TBD - will most likely be sauteed although I really want to make a tart with it. Next time!
Asparagus - I really wanted to make this side dish/salad last Friday but didn't get a chance to, so asparagus will most like be roasted tonight.

Honey - enjoyed au naturele on homemade chocolate Challah and coconut lemongrass tea from Trader Joe's!
Raspberry Jam - sooo good on that chocolate challah and even on the zucchini bread. I can't wait to get fresh raspberries though.  I probably won't make it as sweet.

 
Maple Syrup - on banana pancakes today for Father's day, hello?

Herb Plants: Basil, Chives, Cilantro, Parsley - We pruned the chives and put some in salad but the rest of the herbs need to grow a bit more.  So far they're alive!! Huzzah!

Cherry Belle Radishes - This is the chosen cinderella in the basket.  The one vegetable that got turned into something magnificent.  Alas, the credit goes to my husband.  While the root was added to salad, the radish greens were made into delicious soup! The soup which was a hit with the kids and adults, and I'm hoping we get more radishes in basket #2.


Overall, I think week 1 was a success. I can't wait for week 2, 3, 4...! (And crossing my fingers for more radishes!)


Science corner:

Radish (Raphanus sativus), while low-caloric, is a highly nutritious root vegetable and contains isothiocyanate compound called sulforaphane, which is also found in brussel sprouts, cabbages, etc. Because of its molecular structure, sulforaphane is said to have antioxidant properties. Radish is also rich in ascorbic acid, folic acid, and potassium, and a good source of vitamin B6, riboflavin, magnesium, copper, and calcium.