Hillerleiturgia - the Blog

Change and Decay

2011-12-08T13:37:00.000-08:00

Day 12 - Tuesday, 6 December 2011, Berlin, München It's time to leave Berlin. We have breakfast and say good bye to the wonderful staff at Hansablick, especially Monica and Peter. They are really kind and helpful. We cab over to Tegel, and go to the Lounge to await our flight. Loading is a bit of a madhouse - this is not true of all German airports, but does seem typical of Tegel

Not finding, and then finding.

2011-12-08T10:27:00.000-08:00

Day 11 - 5 December 2011, Spandau and Berlin We have to keep remembering why we came here. It was not for museums, churches, and public buildings (although we are always drawn to such venues) it was for the Weinachtsmarketen. So, with that in mind, we go out to Spandau, and the suggestion of our waitress from last evening. I've been out once before, when I went to see the

Those Prussians!

2011-12-08T09:55:00.000-08:00

Day 10 - Sunday, 4 December 2011 - Spree, Berliner Dom, und Gendarmenmarkt The last time we were here we took a delightful cruise on the River Spree from near our hotel at Hansablick around the center part of Berlin. We loved it and thought that we would try it again. We were able to take the cruise, but a much shorter one. We went from near the Berliner Dom to around

A Nexus of Style

2011-12-05T16:27:00.000-08:00

Day 9, Saturday, 3 December 2011 - Charlottenburg und Reich The best laid plans... Our intent was to go to the Museum Berggruen, but it is closed. Luckily, right across the street (we're avoiding the Weinachtsmarkt at the Schloß) is the Sammlung Scharf-Gerstenberg. The Berggreun would have given us Picasso, et. al., but this collection will move us into the symbolists, whom I

Museums and Public Dialogue

2011-12-05T15:08:00.000-08:00

Day 8 - Neues Museum - Friday, 2 December 2011 I have been looking forward to sharing this with Arthur since I first visited here in 2004. In 2009, when we were last in Berlin, we went to see the collection, which was opening up two days later, one day later than we were going to be here. What a disappointment. So now, to right all wrongs, our intention is to spend the entire day at

Foundations

2011-12-02T15:19:00.000-08:00

Day 7 - Thursday, 1 December 2011 - Berlin to Leipzig and back God, I love European trains. They are quiet, efficient, and ubiquitous. I get up early and have a quick breakfast at the hotel to catch my train for Leipzig at 7:51. It breezes into the Hauptbahnhof on time to carry me away. Traveling south, it follows the new tracks put underground to Potsdamer Platz, tracks that I saw being

Stuff!

2011-12-02T14:13:00.000-08:00

Day 6 - Wednesday, 30 November 2011 - Tiergarten und Museum Insel I don't know which surprises me most. Is it the fact that there is a tractor parked in front of our hotel in the Hansaviertel? Or is it that the tractor was built by Porsche? Both are intriguing. Arthur got up very early to catch a train to Köln, where he visited our last trip here, and wanted to go back for more. Who can

My Life!

2011-11-30T15:40:00.000-08:00

Day 4 - 29 November 2011 - Berlin, Tiergarten Yesterday, we walked from the KPM site to the Gropius site by way of the Tiergarten. Today we're taking the S Bahn to Potsdamer Platz. The goal is to see the cultural institutions in the Tiergarten that we have somehow avoided in past visits. We're off to the Neue Nationalgalerie which is ensconsed in a wonderful building by Mies Van

Purity and Mammon

2011-11-30T14:38:00.000-08:00

Day 3, 28 November 2011 There is the usual breakfast, and our destination is only a couple of blocks away. A little explanation must be made. We are going to see the Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur (KPM) in Berlin. We first became aware of this institution when we saw some remarkable dishes in a now defunkt shop in San Francisco. The design of the dishes was very simple with the exception

Searching for Advent

2011-11-28T16:01:00.000-08:00

Day 2 - Berlin, 27 November 2011 We get up later than we thought. I had hoped we could somehow get out to Saint George's Church, somewhere in Charottenburg, but that was not to be. There is breakfast in the breakfast room with all the usual characters. I think that this is the first First Sunday in Advent that I will have missed either attending or celebrating the Liturgy in a long, long time

Germany in Winter - 2011

2011-11-27T13:19:00.000-08:00

Day 1 – 25 November 2011 We’re in Austin, finishing up a delightful visit with Arthur’s family. There have been dinners with Patty and Dan, with Big Art and Marji, along with Arthur’s brother, Tim. The children have all grown up and are either in their last years of high school, or are almost completing college. Relating to them is new and different, and quite satisfying. Our time here has

A Circuit of Time - 29 August 2011

2011-08-29T19:56:00.000-07:00

A Visit with Anna I am, for the first time in my life, alone in Alma, Kansas. It is a small village some 40 miles west of Topeka the State Capitol, and is itself the county seat of Wabaunsee County, Kansas. It is where my mother was born, and it is a place that we visited faithfully as children, journeying either from another part of Kansas, or Monte Vista, or Denver, Colorado, or from either

Köln - Thursday, 28 July 2011

2011-07-28T13:51:00.000-07:00

Es tut mir leid! It is my last half day - I shall have to get back to London to catch my flight to SFO tomorrow morning. I have a couple of things to do before I go, however. I grab breakfast at Hotel Domstern, and then go out to take a couple of exterior shots at the Dom. My real intent is to find my way over to Antoninkirche so that I can see the Barlach Engel. On the way, I stop at

Köln - Wednesday, 27 July 2011

2011-07-27T12:54:00.000-07:00

Altarpiece at Minoritenkirche Der Dom, Ja, aber es gibt anders I have an irregular sleeping pattern last night - very odd. So I wonder if I will be tired today. I have breakfast and the English and the Canadians are still there. We talk about income taxes. My goal today is to see Kolumba, the Archepiscopal Museum at Köln. Arthur raved about it when he went to see it a couple

Köln - Tuesday, 26 July 2011

2011-07-26T14:46:00.000-07:00

Before and after all that Gothic I sleep in a bit, but am at breakfast by 9. It's a typical German hotel breakfast, except that here, all there breads are hausgemacht, and so good. So I have slice of bread packed with whole grains and nuts along with a little sausage and cheese. Very good. There are two young women from Canada there along with a couple from England.

Salisbury, London, Köln - Monday, 25 July 2011

2011-07-26T12:44:00.000-07:00

Steak and Mushroom Pie A Day Lost I get up early to pack, and then go out to find some breakfast. I am hoping that the pastry shop off the Market Square will be open because I was eyeing their many pasties the other day, and wanted to have one before I left. I am in luck, they are open, but with out seating. So I buy a wonderful Steak and Mushroom Pie, and a black current

Salisbury, Sunday, 24 July 2011

2011-07-24T13:23:00.000-07:00

Conflux - a study of the contrasts of sacredness I am sleeping fitfully, and happily so - relaxation has begun. There is, however, a sense of being prepared to meet and do for the choir. This I find to be fulfilling and meaningful, but it does require effort and energy. I get up early in order to have a little something to eat prior to liturgy, so I pop into Café Nero

Salisbury, Saturday, 23 July 2011

2011-07-23T15:20:00.000-07:00

Getting to know Sarum I slept well, and luckily the hotel is very quiet. There's no breakfast here, so I have to go out and find some, and end up at Nuggs, a restaurant nestled into a medieval building (1268). Scrambled eggs, with lox, and toast, along with a side of baked beans, seemed to be in order for the morning. Across the street in the square there is a market, and

SFO - LHR, 21-22 July 2011

2011-07-23T05:12:00.000-07:00

Just Getting There is Half the Battle It is a bittersweet day. I'm excited about my travel to England, but my heart is in my throat about Anna leaving for Kansas. Thus we have arranged for a last breakfast at the diner nearby (a favorite of hers). The conversation, however, isn't a usual good-bye conversation, but rather the usual attempt to try and figure ourselves and our family out,

The Streets of Berkeley - 7 July 2011

2011-07-07T15:48:00.000-07:00

Trolling for lunch - finding the Gospel I had just finished a counseling session with a troubled individual and it was well past the lunch hour. As I thought about where to go to lunch, someplace quiet, where I could rest and hide for a minute or two. I decided that I needed to take a long walk and fine something different. I walked down to Oxford Street, and then continued north to Center

The Streets of Berkeley - Some weeks ago.

2011-07-07T15:16:00.000-07:00

Suffer the Little Children One of the things that I am going to miss is calling my daughter Anna on the phone, and arranging to meet her at A Musical Offering, a short distance from her office on campus, and my office at Saint Mark's Church. There over a decaf Americano and their wonderful Peruvian Corn Bread, and Anna's "tea to go" and some other goody, we would talk about our work, and lives,

Pablum or Meat - Museum Exhibitions

2011-03-26T19:12:00.000-07:00

It always makes for a pleasant weekend when one of us suggests that we go to a museum. We do share a common attitude in museum attendance, and one that I share with my daughter as well. I found this out when Anna and I went to the Vatican Museum in 2000. In the lobby, she sat me down and said, "Dad, I don't do museums with any body." "Great!" I replied, "I'll meet you back here at

A sermon for Saint Luke's Day

2010-10-19T12:45:00.000-07:00

“A Stewardship of Healing” St. Luke, Evangelist17 October 2010 Trinity Episcopal ChurchSan Francisco, California Ecclesiasticus 38:1-4, 6-10, 12-14Psalm 147II Timothy 4:5-13St. Luke 4:14-21 INI I. Stewardship – what is it? In the biblical story of Joseph, the character of Joseph is slowly revealed to the hearer or the reader. Gifted, arrogant at times,

A Journey and a Pause (Two New Books)

2010-10-01T17:33:00.000-07:00

Serendipity is such a delightful, and this blog may reveal me to be something of a creature of habit, or of a certain addiction. Twice within the past two weeks, I have parked my car on 14th with the intention of having lunch at Blue (wonderful Mac and Cheese, Tuna Noodle Casserole, and Sloppy Joes - really!). The first instance, I realized I needed something to read. So I walked down to

But wait a minute...reading Roberto Bolaño

2010-09-04T19:01:00.000-07:00

I first became acquainted with the work of Giuseppi Arcimboldo (Italian, 1527 - 1593) when I was a kid in Denver, Colorado. For some reason the Denver Art Museum has his painting Summer in its collection. I remembered it for its audaciousness and being a bit clever (at least to a 13 year old kid) and not so much for its interpretation of life. Never-the-less, as I made my way through Bolaño's

A Recipe for a Saturday

2010-07-31T22:02:00.000-07:00

Saturdays are wonderful - even when you're semi-hemi-demi retired or unemployed, or whatever you want to call it. What sets it apart is that it's time for Arthur and me and togetherness. So here is the recipe for a particularly delightful Saturday. Peaches from the farm we subscribe to - small, intensely juicy and sweet-tart. The New York Times and The San Francisco Chronicle -

Rant Alert: Quit Making it Look Like a Choice

2010-07-30T21:55:00.000-07:00

The Kids are Alright or: Something's Wrong in Hollywood We just got back from seeing the mildly humorous The Kids are Alright at the Bridge Theater. I loved seeing Annette Benning, Mark Ruffalo, and Juliane Moore do their stuff. They're charming and funny and Annette Benning's laughter is simply infectious. But there is something at the heart of this film that I find dis-heartening and

Time with old Friends

2010-06-27T22:58:00.000-07:00

This last weekend was a delight with the visit of my old classmates The Rev. David Peters, from Sacramento, CA., and The Rev. Dr. Fred Niedner, from Valparaiso University in Indiana. It was a weekend of old memories, discussions on the Old Testament, the Church, and coming to grips with our lives as older men. It was also a weekend of eating. Noted below are two recipes that seemed to work

Mahogany Risotto with Duck Confit and Fresh Peas

2010-05-29T20:48:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make risotto, and suddenly realized that I didn’t have enough Arborio rice. Arthur suggested that I use some of the Mahogany (Black Japonica) rice that we had around. This is the recipe that resulted. It employs two methods. The first method cooks both of the rices together, and results in a nutty al dente dish. The second method pre-cooks the

The Earth and All its Creatures, Rogation Procession 2010

2010-05-16T17:26:00.000-07:00

Be with us now and bless the fruits of this land, and all those who labor and rest in this place. Grant us faith to know your gracious purpose in all things, and continue your blessings to us through the bounty of your creation; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. With that prayer we began our annual Rogation

Further Thoughts on Herta Müller's "Herztier"

2010-05-12T11:32:00.000-07:00

My last post to this blog was about Herta Müller's Herztier (published here as "The Land of Green Plums"), and her collection of short stories Nadirs. Since my discussion with my friends at the Trinity Book Club, and also doing a bit more reading and research, I've decided to amend my comments. On the frontispiece of the book, the author share's this poem by Gellu Naum: Jeder hatte einen

New Books - Additions to my library, April 2010

2010-05-06T19:35:00.000-07:00

Two Books by Herta Müller "Lord God, heavenly host, deliver us from this exile" "The flowers in the vases are such big bouquets that they are thickets, beautiful and in disarray, as if they were lives." I purchased this book, Nadirs (Niederungen), by Herta Müller because our book club was reading her The Land of Green Plums, and a copy was not available. I bought this volume of short stories,

Day Ten, London, 11 March 2010

2010-03-12T16:07:00.000-08:00

Medallion of St, Katharine I get up and rush down for breakfast. There is a young man sitting down there who very much looks like Jason Stratham – curious. A comment about the breakfasts at St. Katharine’s: it was always the same thing; Hardboiled eggs, industrial croissants or muffins,

Day Nine, Paris, 10 March 2010

2010-03-11T14:20:00.000-08:00

I get up at 8:00, and get ready and go down to breakfast. I used to like this little hotel, but something seems amiss. The bathroom was in need of repairs, and the breakfast was a mess; and to add insult to injury, they charged a supplement for the breakfast. Not good. I go over to the Centre Pompidou, walking up from Chatelet. There is a wind blowing dust off the decomposed granite that

Day Eight, London/Paris/Chartres, 9 March 2010

2010-03-11T11:51:00.000-08:00

Today is Eurostar day! Better than that it will be a Paris day, and even better than that it will be a Chartres day! I get up early and get myself over to St. Pancras International. Very nice set-up. You check in and then are ushered past passport control (you enter France in London) and then to a nice waiting area with restaurants, etc. I buy a water and an egg mayonnaise (read egg salad)

Day Seven, London, Monday, 8 March 2010

2010-03-11T11:04:00.000-08:00

Today is the day for the Tate Britain. I'm hoping to see The Fairy Feller's Masterstroke which I first saw at the Tate in 1974. I sleep a little late, and skip breakfast and get myself over to Pimlico Station, where a sign at the door of the Tate greets all the visitors coming in - "Due to an industrial action (read strike) not all the galleries will be open today." I went in anyway hoping

A review of Gilead - for the Trinity Book Club

2010-03-08T14:23:00.000-08:00

Chorus (in bold):There is a balm in GileadTo make the wounded whole;There is a balm in GileadTo heal the sin-sick soul. Some times I feel discouraged,And think my work’s in vain,But then the Holy SpiritRevives my soul again.(Chorus) If you can’t preach like Peter,If you can’t pray like Paul,Just tell the love of Jesus,And say He died for all.(Chorus) There has been a great deal of talk in our

Day Six, London, 7 March 2010

2010-03-07T13:15:00.000-08:00

I have asked friends on liturgy-l to suggest places for me to go to mass this morning, and several have made recommendations. I have chosen to go to St. Mary the Virgin, on Bourne Street in Belgravia. One person wrote the history of the building, and described it as "rather cheaply built" - glorious to me. If Shawn Tribe (see: http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/) were following this blog,

Day Five, London, 6 May 2010

2010-03-07T11:20:00.000-08:00

Today is my sister Wendy's birthday, and I will spend the entire day thinking about her, and giving thanks for her place in my life. I thought of her especially yesterday at Stonehenge with the sheep grazing all about the monument - sheep grazing with great dignity. Wendy appreciates that in animals - just their presence and dignity. Today it is the British Museum, and I skip breakfast at St.

Day Four, London, 5 March 2010

2010-03-05T15:28:00.000-08:00

The scrim has descended again, but that's because I read email before writing today's journal. Christ lifts up the sinking Peter I didn't go to Morning Prayer this morning. There are a bunch of people here making a Cursillo, and they want to be by themselves. In fact, I had to leave early to get to Victoria Station by 8:45, so that I could catch my tour to Windsor, Stonehenge, and Bath. I

Day Three London, 4 March 2010

2010-03-04T12:02:00.000-08:00

I arrive late for Morning Prayer - it was early because it was to be followed by a Eucharist at 8, which I stay for. There are only three of us, priest included. I marvel at how all the liturgies descended from the work of Cranmer have diverged - how there isn't a sense of cooperating, at least with the English versions. Some prayers are distinctly the same, others are totally new to me. It

Day Two - London, 3 March 2010

2010-03-03T12:33:00.000-08:00

Wash me thoroughly from my wickedness *and cleanse me from my sin For I acknowledge my faults *and my sin is ever before me. Psalm 51:2-3, From Morning Prayer in Lent, Common Worship - Daily Prayer St. Katharine So began my morning, with these words from Morning Prayer. Not to say that I was feeling especially like a sinner today, but that the day (which was mostly cold and grey anyway) was

Day One - London, 2 March 2010

2010-03-02T12:14:00.000-08:00

St. Simeon Styletes sitting on his pillar. How does one begin a retreat, or a spiritual quest? When I made my new situation in life (being laid off from my job of some 24 years) known to close friends, almost universally they had the same advice. "Go away," each one of them said. "You have been given the gift of time." The going away part proved to be relatively simple - it was the time part

Travel Nerves

2010-03-01T09:57:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting in the Church Street Cafe nursing a de-caf mocha, and taking care of last minute details before going home to pack. I always have this free-form anxiety before I travel, and it's not fear of blowing up in the plane over the polar route, or getting lost, or anything like that. I think it's about the loneliness that comes when I travel by my self. I enjoy it immensely, but have

The Elegance of the Hedgehog - A Review

2010-02-08T10:56:00.000-08:00

I read this book with my computer at the ready. Like Umberto Eco's work, it is necessary to complete the context of Barbery's book. Ideas, place names, artists, shops, and pastries were all new, and I felt the necessity to fully explore the references. What drives this work is not only the plot, which is intricate and compelling, but the entire context of the plot. The context is not only the

"Adopted" - A Sermon for the First Sunday after Christmas

2009-12-27T19:58:00.000-08:00

“Adopted” The First Sunday after Christmas 27 December 2009 Trinity Episcopal Church San Francisco, CA Isaiah 61:10 – 62:3 Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7 St. John 1:1-8 INI I. A Theological Conversation We had just come home from a friend’s on Christmas Day when I decided to quickly check my email. In looking through the various FaceBook messages, and other oddities I noticed a message from

In the midst of earthly life...

2009-12-13T20:04:00.000-08:00

Sometime in the early sixteenth century, Martin Luther wrote these lines in hymn: "In the midst of earthly life the snares of death surround us..." I could not get these lines out of my head as we watched Tom Ford's remarkable film, A Single Man. Aside from the plot which tracks an individual's grief over a lost love, and through whose gaze we are enabled to see so much other grief and

New Books!

2009-12-04T14:16:00.000-08:00

If you've been to our house, you know how evident our love of books is. Recently, three new volumes have come into my library - let me introduce them to you. The first is Per Pettersen's "Out Stealing Horses", a charming tale of growing up in a Norway complicated by Nazi's, personal tragedies, and incipiant love. This is one of the most calming books that I have ever read. My immediate

T Day Menu

2009-11-26T17:30:00.000-08:00

We're in Austin, Texas, visiting with Arthur's family, and decided not to have the traditional menu (for the most part). So here's the offering from Anna, Linda, Patty, Michael, Arthur, Danny, and God-knows who else: Butterflied leg of lamb marinated in ginger, citrus, rosemary, olive oil, and garlic. Small Red Potatoes roasted in olive oil and rosemary Japanese sweet potato with black sesame

Sacrifice

2009-11-22T20:09:00.000-08:00

As with many of my pet peeves, there comes a time when you understand what the peevishness is really all about. It becomes clear and transparent, and you can either give up on your attitude, or become clear about why you object to a behavior or situation. Such moments of clarity are few and far between, because the reaction to certain things is so immediate that there is no time for

A Serious (Righteous) Man

2009-11-09T16:12:00.000-08:00

Ok, maybe this wasn't a good movie to see on a Sunday - thereby overloading it with too much religious symbolism. That, however, seems totally unavoidable. This movie is inherently religious, that is its humor and delight, and that is the ground from which it grows. The people who seemed to be enjoying it most were sitting behind us to our right - howling mightily - and later comparing all

Dinner!

2009-11-03T20:19:00.000-08:00

I love the challenge of left-overs. Well, not everything was a left-over, just the pork roast. I didn't want, however, just to heat it up - it never resembles its former glory. Something new had to be done. Hanging around in the kitchen were some fresh green beans (from our farm subscription) and some not-ripe Anjou pears. What to do? One inspiration came from the old Garibaldi's that

Dia de los muertos

2009-11-02T19:06:00.000-08:00

I came home on Halloween, after a long meeting, and found that Arthur had set up something that has become a custom in our home - a table for el dia de los muertos, the Day of the Dead. I was happy to see it - a seemingly more interesting way to observe the days around the 31st of October than bad candy and even worse costumes. So I sat and looked at it for a while - it would be a good way to

Angels Unaware

2009-10-25T16:17:00.000-07:00

From the Bodemuseum Basilica I have a date every Sunday morning at 8:00 a.m., (soon to change to 9:00 a.m.) when I celebrate Mass in Saint Mary's Chapel at Trinity Church. It is always a small group of people, but it is satisfying. There is always a sermon, that at times takes on the dimensionality of a discussion. This morning it was Jeremiah talking about the messianic return of remnant

Thursday, 8 October 2009 - The Last Day

2009-10-10T13:40:00.000-07:00

Today is a bit somber - for several reasons, not the least of which is that it is raining, and that today is our last day in Berlin. The mood and the weather all make the choice of seeing the Memorial to the 6 Million Murdered Jews of Europe not only appropriate, but necessary. The entrance is obvious, but not when you're approaching the memorial from Ehrman Straße, having just come from

Wednesday, 7 October 2009 - Sans Souci

2009-10-08T13:06:00.000-07:00

Today we go to Potsdam, catching at Regio at Zooligischergarten and proceeding to Potsdam Hbf, and from there on Bus 695 to the Park. On the bus a Berlin teacher with a group of students gives us an introduction to the park. Very nice. We buy our tickets and are in the palace within 15 minutes. There is no longer a guided tour, but an audio-guide, which makes it a lot nicer. So we amble

Tuesday, 6 October 2009 - Nefertiti und anderer Freunden

2009-10-08T11:58:00.000-07:00

The goal for today is to see something again that has fascinated me since my childhood and to share it with Arthur. I first saw Nefertiti out in Charlottenburg when she was housed in the Aegiptisches Museum there. Now she has been moved, and I'm under the impression that she is at the Altes here in Berlin. So we have breakfast and take the SBahn to Friedrichstraße and then walk over to

Monday, 5 October 2009 - Unsettling

2009-10-07T12:51:00.000-07:00

One quick note about Berlin - it is a city of graffiti - some very interesting, most not. It is everywhere, buildings, roads, private homes, public homes, churches, you name it. I find it unattractive. There is an abandoned building near our hotel - not built pre-war, not destroyed in the war, but rather recent - say the '80s. metalic panels, perhaps 10 stories - just sitting there and

Sunday, 4 October - Stealing?

2009-10-06T12:38:00.000-07:00

It's Sunday morning and I'm going to skip church. I checked to see if there was a Anglican congregation in town, but it's way out near Olympiastadion, and then some blocks. Too far! So we take the UBahn to Hackesherplatz and walk over to Museuminsel via the bridge by the Berliner Dom and the Altes National Museum. I had forgotten, we actually have to walk across the island and over the

Saturday, 3 October - Water

2009-10-05T12:03:00.000-07:00

Today, we have decided to take a boat tour on the Spree River. The dock is just a few meters away from our hotel, and so we walk over in the morning and get on board. The first time I came to Berlin, I couldn't believe how much water there was here: rivers, canals, lakes, streams, ponds, harbors - you name it. This, then, was a real treat. We left from near Hansaplatz, and took the Spree in

Friday, 2 October 2009 - Wandering

2009-10-02T17:11:00.000-07:00

After breakfast Arthur and I walk down 17 June to the Brandenburg Gate. All along the way, people are preparing for tomorrow's holiday - the reunification of Germany. The air is full of buzz, and the lawns of the park are lined with Prussian soldaten. We walk up Unter dem Linden and peer in at KPM and other stores, have a coffee at Einstein, and move up the street to Bebel Platz (where I

Thursday, 1 October 2009 - Transition

2009-10-01T12:34:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention something about last evening. It can be summed up by a comment made by a woman as she rounded the corner from Via de Martelli onto Via de Cerratani, where one is suddenly confronted by the bulk of the Duomo, "Oh, my God...Holy Shit!" was her comment. And that pretty much sums it up. Last evening I walked around the cathedral - it exudes such power. I think that is in

30 September 2009 - Surprises!

2009-09-30T15:11:00.000-07:00

I went to the Uffizi on Friday, and as my hotel had made a reservation for me for today, I returned. I thought that I would go back to some things that I had not paid much attention to. I did come to one conclusion, and that is that Boticelli is ok, but there are far more interesting and engaging painters. Again I was amazed at how many people take a "hit and run" approach, spending a few

29 September 2009 – St. Michael’s Day – Mussolini too!

2009-09-30T07:56:00.000-07:00

I’m taking the train down to Rome today, so I’m thinking of Mussolini too. Both the Stazione Santa Maria Novella and Stazione Termini (Roma) come from that era and they are both remarkable installations. The outbuildings along with the termini all have clean lines, are beautifully constructed from quality materials, use great type faces for all the original signage, and excite you about

Monday, 28 September 2009 - Pisa, People, and Passolini

2009-09-28T14:34:00.000-07:00

You thought I was going to put the tower there, didn't you. Admit it. If you take the train to Pisa, you have to march across the entire city to get to the Duomo. Along the way, there's not much. There is Santa Maria della Spina, which was built on the Arno in Pisa as a repository for a thorn from the crown of thorns (I wonder if those people at Sainte Chapelle realize that they are missing

Sunday, 27 September 2009 - Two Churches Palimpsest Redux

2009-09-27T14:53:00.000-07:00

I wake up at three, change into jeans and hit the streets. My goal is to hike up to San Miniato, have lunch, and then hike down again. Simple enough. However, on the way, I pass by Santa Croce and am lured in. I can't go to Santa Croce without recalling "Room with a View". This time however the fact that the entire south side of the nave is wrapped in plastic (including Machiavelli, and

Sunday, 27 September 2009 - Meat among other things

2009-09-27T14:03:00.000-07:00

This, by the way, is probably one of the best restaurants in Florence! Every, time I'm here, I eat here. The food is simple, unapologetically toscano and quite simply delicious. As I passed it this morning, on my way to church, I recalled my first time there with my friend Barton Sheffield. At the end of the dining room, one could see back into the kitchen where there was a large wooden

Saturday, 26 September - Afternoon

2009-09-26T13:45:00.000-07:00

After lunch I walked to the Bargello, former prison, now art gallery. This is the place for Donatello, Della Robia, Michelangelo, Verrocchio, and fellow travelers. This building was extensively redone in the nineteenth century, as was half of Europe. The window in the Magdalene Chapel is so much a product of that time, that it betrays the whole effort. Here the building, in its present form

26 September 2009 - Detritus

2009-09-26T08:21:00.000-07:00

I get up relatively early and head to breakfast. No one is talking much; not like last time when people seemed to relate more. So I study my maps and determine where to go and what to do. Since San Marco, the Dominican monastery of Savonarola, Fra Angelico, Fra Bartolomeo and so many others, was just down the street, I decided to start there. The entrance is free - yes! At the top of the

Friday, 25 September 2009 "Erasures"

2009-09-25T12:38:00.000-07:00

On my way back to the hotel I pop into the Palazzo Medici Riccardi. A bit of a disappointment here. The Museo Marmi was disappointing, however the Capella dei Magi is nothing short of spectacular. The depictions of the entourage of the Magi capture the faces of real people. After a nap I went out again to encounter Florence. I think I may want to climb the cupola again, or the tower, or

Friday, 25 September 2009

2009-09-25T11:04:00.000-07:00

I waited for the church bells, but never heard them, and slept past my 8:30 Uffizi reservation. But, hey, this is Italy! What is time here? A quick shower will suffice, and maybe it's time to start growing a beard. Breakfast with all the other tourists in the breakfast room and out the door. Naturally I can't just go to the door with my on-line ticket, but have to go over to Door 3 to get a

Thursday, 24 September 2009

2009-09-25T07:34:00.000-07:00

All the window shades are closed, and people stay asleep until around 11:30 or so. Slowly we all awaken and begin to adjust to the fact that we're already half-way through the day. The woman next to me asks if I would up the shade "ein bischen" and I do. She laughs, and remarks in German about a Magritte painting in which men are walking around on clouds. I look out - and it looks just like

Wednesday, 23 September 2009

2009-09-25T07:15:00.000-07:00

I think that half the fun of travel is the anticipation. So at dinner last night, I relished the time with Arthur, and the anticipation of the travel we would soon be doing separately and together. I got up early to see him off and to finish packing. I had allowed a great deal of time, so it was a leisurely pace that accompanied my shower and my last minute errands. The Yellow Cab came in

Something new

2009-09-25T07:03:00.000-07:00

Usually, I keep a journal when I travel. Each evening ends with a Moleskin journal and a pen, and a few minutes of scribbling. This time, I'm trying something new. I've wanted to start a blog to augment Hillerleiturgia, but just haven't found the time. Now I can journal and share. I'll add links to Hillerleiturgia when I return home. Welcome!