Eye of Greece

Athens, the eye of Greece, mother of arts / And eloquence.
- John Milton

The Ancient Agora: Marketplace and center for Athenian government since the 6th century BC. Socrates dialogued here. The apostle Paul did, too. I loved how green everything was - our reward for coming in the winter! There was tons of fresh citrus on trees all throughout the city, and wildflowers everywhere.

We had the playground - I mean, the ancient ruins - to ourselves.

We are posing with a view of the Areopagus (aka Mars Hill), the rock that you can see tiny people on. It used to have big buildings on it. Paul delivered his "To an Unknown God" sermon here (Acts 17), and there's now a large plaque commemorating the speech.

The Acropolis: There is evidence of habitation here since the early neolithic era (6,000 BC). Most of the buildings remaining were constructed under Pericles' reign during Athens' "Golden Age," 460-430 BC. The Erechtheion, Parthenon, Temple of Athena Nike, and Propylaia still adorn the top of the rock of the acropolis.

The famous "Porch of the Caryatids" at the Erechtheion, a temple worshipping both Athena and Poseidon. This location was, according to myth, "the site on which Athena and Poseidon held a contest, judged by their fellow Olympian gods, to determine who would possess Athens At the touch of Athena's spear, the first ever olive tree sprang from the ground, while Poseidon summoned forth a fountain of sea water Athena won, and became patron of the city." I have actually always loved Greek/Roman mythology, and I'm inspired to read up on it again. (As an aside, one of these Caryatid-women was taken by Lord Elgin and is one of the controversial "Elgin Marbles" in the British Museum.)

A Daddy column with an Ionic Daisy capital:

The Parthenon: famous and architecturally interesting, as I'll try to show by quoting my guidebook: "To achieve the Parthenon's extraordinary and unequaled harmony of design, its architect, Iktinos, used every trick known to the Doric order of architecture. The building's proportions maintain a universal 9:4 ratio, not only in the calculations of length to width, or width to height, but in such relationships as the distances between the columns and their diameter; many other proportions apparently follow the so-called "Golden Ratio" of 1:1.618. Additionally, any possible appearance of disproportion is corrected - all seemingly straight lines are in fact slightly curved, an optical illusion known as "entasis" (intensification). For example, the columns (their profile bowed slightly to avoid seeming concave) are slanted inwards by 6cm..."

The Theatre of Dionysus: This was likely the most exciting place for me to visit. When it was rebuilt in the 4th century BC, it could hold 17,000 spectators. One third of its original 64 tiers of seats survive. Aeschylus, Aristophanes, Sophocles, and Euripides all premiered their masterpieces here, on the hillside of the acropolis. The important people (magistrates, priests) had designated seats with names engraved. There was an especially prominent throne for the representative of the Delphic oracle, who would come for the festivals. I also learned that the citizens (men) of Athens would take turns being members of the chorus. An interesting part of one's civic duty!

The National Archaeological Museum: They transported this entire (beautiful springtime blossomed-frescoed) room-with-shelf from Akrotiri on Santorini Island (where we had just been) to the national museum in Athens. Some propose that Akrotiri was the legendary lost city of Atlantis, devastated by the enormous volcanic explosion in around 1600 BC. Layered in ash for centuries, this is exceptionally preserved (akin to Pompeii/Vesuvius) and I thought it was beautiful.

We also had time to visit the museum of ancient Greek folk instruments, an attractive display in a converted mansion. They had headphones with great listenings and we had the place to ourselves.

I bound over generations as I trace my heritage and land in Athens. It seems like most aspects of my life can be traced to the ancient Greeks - with their political, architectural, artistic, philosophical, and scientific mode of life. This trip was like visiting a newborn Western world who was marveling at its hands, cooing in its bassinet.

Sollen wir das Klavier spielen? - Ja, gerne

A hypothetical situation imagined over a year ago has come to fruition: I am friends with a neighboring family, bring Daisy over to play with 2-year-old Konstantin, and get to teach 10-year-old Lily piano. They are even paying me.

The only thing different from my original plan is that...are you ready for this? Our lessons are in German.

Ha. We just finished our second lesson this week, and I am scrambling to memorize the different terminology, much less simple commands like, "Let's start again at the beginning."

Here is a recent mortifying experience: I taught Lily what sharps and flats were. In the book, a sharp is labeled as "das Kreuz" and a flat is "das B" (***which is maybe why the note "B" is actually "H" in German?). Not knowing what else to do, I started calling notes "A Kreuz, D Kreuz, H B" you get the picture. I was shocked when I found out the real naming system. In Germany, a "C" is "C," "ces" is Cb, and "cis" is C#. Wow, I need to remedy that next week. I actually think that the German naming system makes more sense and is less confusing. You know, when you're singing note names it's often hard to balance two syllables on a single note. How many times have I tried to sing "Bb" as a whole note? (A thousand.)

As a background for how I came to know this family - I met Trixi at a tram stop here in the city as we conversed about our similar baby carriers. She is an English teacher at a local college, but is from here. (Actually, her first husband was Irish, so her English is actually Irish. It's funny to listen to her.) She is the one who told me about the Spielgruppe that we go to, helped me with German questions, invited me to special events at her church, and we've arranged meetings periodically throughout the year. She lives with her husband, 18-year-old Zabby, Lily, and Konstantin just up the hill from us. She and Zabby speak English, but not Lily or Konstantin. Lily needed a music teacher after hers ended maternity leave, so voila. I was employed, with the full limits of my language abilities exposed, and something very fun to look forward to on Monday afternoons. Daisy loves playing with K - they run down the hallway holding hands, love giving hugs and kisses, and D always asks for me to draw "autos" after they go home.

Oh what fun it is to ride...

The snow came down...

View from our kitchen window:

...so Daisy and I went for a walk in the park around the corner.

We saw tons of kids riding mini wooden sleds with runners beneath them. Daisy must have looked like she wanted to try...

...because a nice little girl offered to share her sled with Daisy. As you can tell, Daisy loved her first sled ride. (Thank you for safely holding her on and braking before you reached the street, nice little girl.)

The End.

California Familying

We are so thankful to have seen all of our family in our visit to Orange County, California. During our two weeks + two days, we bounced back and forth between the two households. The weather was beautiful, we celebrated Christmas, the New Year, and our 6-year anniversary, and had a wonderful time reconnecting with our roots. Although Daisy got sick, antibiotics helped and we were all healthy by the time we needed to trans-Atlantic again.

Highlights with Chris' family:
4 Cousins = Heaven for Daisy. Katie, Jeremy, Bekah, Levi, Faith, and Claire made the trip down from Redding so that we could all spend Christmas together. I loved seeing Bekah teach Daisy how to ride a scooter, Claire (only 3 months age difference from D!) and Daisy playing and "communicating," and the whole gang work on some gingerbread houses. After they all went home (sniff), we spent {quieter!} time with Chris' parents reading Piglet books to Daisy and planning for our upcoming Italy vacation together. We also took a memorable trip to Balboa, complete with dinner on the pier during a blazing sunset.

Highlights with Holly's family:
Daisy kept asking for "more tea" at her first Ladies Tea, hosted by her Great-Grandmother (Gigi), and stepped into a piece of Holly's childhood when she played with Great-Granny and Grandpa in Palm Springs. She learned about basketball and guinea pigs from Opa and Uncle Joel, tea parties from Grandmommy, and Snow White from Aunt Rebecca. We all had fun at an inspirational family New Year's Eve party {salon} where our topic was Carpe Diem. The Galileo brothers (aka Joel and Chris) took a trip to LA's Griffith Observatory, talked physics, and spent cold (haha) nights outside with Joel's cool new telescope. It was hard for all of us to say goodbye!

Christmas Markets, part 2

How did it come to be January 14? With our 2-week trip to California and a fire-cracking start to the new year back in Germany, my blog posts have certainly piled up. On to number 1:

No need to belabor these Christmas markets, but I had some images that I thought were worth sharing. Köln, a city 1 hour southwest of us, and home of this magnificent Gothic cathedral, had some wonderful markets. Popular, though; our regional train was standing room only the whole way there. Here are Chris and Daisy in front of the Dom markt, one of the seven markets in the city.

Another market had a medieval theme, with costumes, demonstrations like hammering iron, and the most wonderful bread. (It had way too much sugar in it to be authentically medieval, though.) It was hard to choose, but Chris chose "Viking Blood" as his hot beverage, while I took the opportunity to sip some Mead. (It was alright, kind of watery, I thought. That probably is authentic!)

From Köln, we traveled another hour west to Aachen, where we had first visited on Father's Day. This time, we were able to see Charlemagne's simple marble throne, perched on the 2nd floor of the chapel, which was not available for viewing last time. A French tour guide was saying something about how they believe that the marble was significantly brought over from Jerusalem. Also, I've read that Charlemagne symbolically placed his throne in the chapel instead of in a secular building, thus linking his authority with spiritual authority. We had time to see the market briefly before Daisy needed to go home. Here is the glowing city hall, and you can glimpse the tops of some of the tents below.

Sometimes, it's hard to remember that we're in Europe. But when I see a picture like this one of Chris, I realize how distinctively European these cities and sights are. We're hoping to soak it up during the rest of our time here!

Finally, here is a little video clip from our homey Mülheim market, which winds down through the old town and circles up by the church. Daisy loved all the Christmas trees that lined the streets! There were just the typical food and drink stands and decorative, handmade items for sale.

Christmas Market

I was prepared to enjoy the Christmas Market season in Germany, but I am just swept away by the festivity, popularity, and sophistication of it.

Here are some sights from our recent evening spent in Düsseldorf:



Throughout the downtown, 6 different markets with different themes and emphases exist. It's huge, and practically the whole city is ablaze with lights and frolicking people, many of them tourists. More than 250 huts are set up, offering delicious food and hand-made Christmas decorations, jewelry, or other accessories. It feels almost like an amusement park. A huge undertaking for cities all over the country!

Hot, mulled wine, called "Glühwein," candied almonds, decorated gingerbread-like "Lebkuchen," Stollen, and roasted chestnuts are traditional staples. We are also learning about things like Reibekuchen, Eierpunsch, and Poffertjes.

In the center square, there was a very large nativity scene hand carved from Bethlehem wood. I think Daisy made it on the news somewhere, because as she ran up to get a closer look at "Baby Jesus!" some news crews zoomed in on her...

Chris took Daisy on a restored 100-year-old carousel. She loved it, of course. She also had fun chasing, spinning, and jumping with some other kids around the square. Apart from this, though, she quickly became miserable after too much time in her buggy, out in the cold. We, too, tired of negotiating the crowds and came home empty-handed. Next time!

We're hoping to reach Köln and Aachen next weekend. I am sure that I'll want to share some pictures from those places, as well.

Chris' 28th Birthday

We mainly celebrated Friday, December 4 with food: cinnamon rolls in the morning, meeting for pizza at lunch, and having the Tomsons over for lasagna at night.

Chris blowing out the candle before dessert:


Chris' birthday gifts were a binder with the lyrics printed with some of those long Bob Dylan songs, so now he can really play and sing them, and a sudoku book. However, his real present came the previous Friday, when I surprised him with a babysitter showing up at our door, strolled with him through the Muelheim Christmas market, took him on a train, and produced tickets to see one of his favorite orchestral pieces, Smetana's "Ma Vlast," with the Essener Philharmoniker. "Ma Vlast," or "My Fatherland," has 6 movements, the most famous of which is the 2nd, "The Moldau." We both loved the performance.

Happy 28th, Chris!

Video: Daisy's new skill

I might be wrong, but I think that Chris and I were a little older when we learned how to do this:

Daisy's Christmas Cookie Cut-Outs

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Chill at least one hour, roll out and cut into shapes, bake at 400 degrees for about 6 minutes.

Let cool, then top with icing and sprinkles.

St. Martin's Day

We had the wonderful opportunity to celebrate a new holiday: Martinstag. On November 11, children make their own lanterns and go door-to-door, singing the traditional songs about Martin, a Roman soldier who got baptized as an adult and became a monk. He is remembered for his kind act of cutting his cloak in two to share with a beggar during a snowstorm. Children form singing parades, carrying their lanterns, led by a man dressed up as Martin and riding on horseback.

I learned the traditional songs by borrowing (and copying) a songbook from a girl at our church. One of my most treasured souvenirs, I'm sure! Daisy made a "laterne" at Spielgruppe, and Chris and I munched on ginormous Martinsbrezeln. The day is a sort of launch into the holiday season here, and I'm enjoying having a long wind-up for Christmas.

Here are our sweet pretzels and Daisy's lantern:

Pumpkin Carving

Yesterday's Sunday activity with the Tomsons was...carving pumpkins! Chris and I hadn't done one in years. It was Daisy's first time, and it was so cute to watch her become familiar with what a pumpkin is. She now pats the jack o'lantern's "cheeks."

It was a festive night. I made a pumpkin stew with wild rice for dinner and we had candy bars for dessert. I am currently attempting round 2 of toasting pumpkin seeds. My first batch had a good initial crunch, but is there any way to make the hull less tough and chewy?

Münster

Last Sunday, we took a day trip to Münster, named for its monastery built in the early 800's during Charlemagne's missional expansion of his empire. This church was consecrated as St. Paul's Cathedral in 1264, and its architecture represents the transitional style between Romanesque and Gothic.


Our (only) American friends here, Neil and Megan, accompanied us on this trip. We have a tradition of getting together every Sunday, and this trip was perfect because we could all travel together on a group ticket. This photo is from our very German lunch in the city center.


Münster was 90% destroyed during World War II and quickly restored in the 1950's. The tall facades and the pointed arches on the fronts of buildings are very charming. This particular image shows the Town Hall in the Prinzipalmarkt, where in 1648 the Peace of Westphalia was signed, ending the Thirty Years' War.


Another interesting part of Münster's history involves a short-lived (1534-1535) Anabaptist theocracy, led by John of Leiden. Adult baptism is still a main tenet of the denomination, but this was a radical group. They called the city New Jerusalem, burned all books except the Bible, proclaimed shared ownership of all property and goods, and practiced polygamy. The leaders of the Anabaptists were tortured and killed when the city was reclaimed, and their bodies were displayed in cages hung from a church tower. While the bones were later removed, the cages still hang today and it was startling to see them in person.


The city is known for its bicycles and its large university(3rd largest in the country with over 40,000 students). An old palace has been converted into part of the university, and there is a botanical garden in the back where we let Daisy run around and play. We are needing to do that more and more on our travels!

Video: Playgroup

In case you ever wanted to be a fly on the wall at a German baby group, this is your chance! I captured a bit of snack time and some of our closing songs. Normally there are a couple other mom/baby pairs attending. Daisy loves these songs and requests them at home.

The other babies' names in this video are Lara, Lea, and Kayra. The moms' names are Michaela, Nadine, and Hamide. The facilitator's name is Silke. She got in an accident and now her voice is scratchy. She is really nice and both Daisy and I have warmed up to her.

Someone has discovered Poobie (Pooh Bear)

It has happened. Daisy loves Winne the Pooh. So far, our Pooh-related activities are comprised of watching "Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree" on the computer and playing the theme song on the piano while Daisy dances with her stuffed Tigger and Pooh Bear. (However, this "Pooh Bear" is actually a souvenir Berlin bear in red sweater.) How do those songs get stuck in one's head ALL day?

Holly's 27th Geburtstag

Thank you, everyone, for helping me have such a warm birthday in a foreign country! Chris and Daisy were spectacular, bringing home flowers and bakery treats in the morning while I took a bath. At lunchtime, Chris surprised me with a giant cake and a gift of a new red coat. We had time in the evening for a walk in the park (saw some holly) and our new American friends, Neil and Megan, came over and joined us for tea and dessert. (Neil and Megan were also the ones who babysat for us earlier that weekend!) I think I will always remember this unique day.