my electronic christmas message

To my friends and colleagues, wherever you are across the world, I just want to wish you a fun festive season... I am hoping that some of the stories in this blog, which I started this year, will show my appreciation for the amazing lifestyle I have...my only wish is that I could spend more time with good friends - but then you cannot have everything and I do appreciate all the great little connections we create with all my love and good wishes for 2012...

not sure about (the film) New Years Eve

I didn't ever see Garry Marshall's film Valentines Day last year - apparently I did not miss that much. I should have read the reviews this time - but at the same time I don't like to be limited in my expectations. But then again New Year's Eve is probably one of the most over-rated evenings of the year, despite age or culture... so I don't know which bit of my idealistic and naive optimism encouraged me to see this movie... It was a predictable romantic comedy, set in New York (where else) on the afternoon and evening of December 31, 2011 - very contemporary. The extensive cast of A list actors and actresses seemed to enjoy acting in and out of character, portraying a range of normal lives, with their everyday challenges... the formula was a little confusing cutting back and forth between all these terribly normal lives with their real challenges. It was interesting to see Robert de Niro as a dying patient, Halle Berry as his nurse and Jon Bon Jovi as the disillusioned singer. The entertainment was probably better than an average Thursday night's TV viewing but the ending was a predictable as the formula suggests - really sad there there wasn't just one little surprise to encourage some independent thought... o well at least I have a chance to make more of New Years Eve, 2011, if I want to...

a debut novel by Janice Lee - The Piano Teacher

Janice was raised in Hong Kong, of Korean heritage, educated at Harvard and she worked as an editor for Elle magazine before she started writing novels.... Three characters represent different cultures, timeframes and experience. Claire is the contemporary english wallflower, ready for life to unfold. In contrast, Trudy is a savvy eurasian, caught between cultures at the outbreak of a war that unravelled at many levels. Will is the charming and enigmatic man who spans both their worlds... The novel seesaws between 1941/2 and 1952, between the second world war and the Korean war and captures something of the political baggage of both. The reader is transported beyond their everyday world to the exotic east vs west complexity. I feel like I know Hong Kong and I have experienced the change from its British colonial past to its contemporary extension of China. I have heard locals talk from their own perspectives about the British and the Chinese in ways that I really appreciate. Yet I was quite shocked to read about the occupation of Hong Kong and the role of the Japanese. So it should not have come as a shock to read about the universal themes of love and betrayal - do wars really intensify the conditions that generate these extremes - it seems so - people are forced to make decisions in terrible circumstances and the compromises are more than most of us would accept - but the human emotions and condition remains the same. Perhaps the real appeal in this novel is its total believability about places and cultures I know too well. I can escape to a world more fractured than mine and feel the power of love and humanity. Only then, do I reflect on how lucky I am, at so many levels...

happy 150 birthday Gustav Klimt

An amazing man celebrated in a briliant city - and he is so omnipresent it is challenging to offer something more... So off we went to the palatial Belvedere - and we avoided the crowds queuing to see The Kiss, having already enjoyed that experience several years ago. Instead we wandered through the gardens to the Unteres Belvedere to see an exhibition of Gustav Klimt and Josef Hoffmann - titled the Pioneers of Modernism. This eighteenth century summer residence of Prince Eugene of Savoy houses so much great art work in its baroque interior, while sporting immaculate gardens with water features and fountains - pity they had all been turned off for the winter.

Art, design, architecture - all in perfect balance - complementing and extending beauty and function. It started with a glimpse of what went into the Beethoven Freize, now in the Secession building. We then saw some amazing examples of Klimt's artwork. He is such an accomplished artist who can create designs in tree trunks that make it difficult for you to see the wood for the trees. His women are stunning and elegant. His poster also proclaims that not everyone will enjoy what you create and that you cannot please everyone - what a piece of simple philosophy. But what was unique about this exhibition is the way components of design were transferred both to art and architecture.

The beautiful square, complemented by curves, arches and circles. Concepts of simplicity and usefulness, normally associated with furniture, were also evident in Klimt's art. It was not a surprise to see Hoffman's furniture in some of Klimt's portraits, but their collaboration in designing jewellery was out of this world. Here's wishing a truly talented man a fantastic year long birthday celebration - not sure if I will be back in this wonderful city in this time, but I will certainly enjoy what I can from my memory, and at a distance.

the best schnitzel in Vienna

We were warned to arrive early - by 2.30pm on Saturday afternoon, the queue stretched across the cobbled street... so we made another plan. On Sunday we arrived earlier and only had to queue through the double doors to the footpath. We had chosen to visit the original Figlmueller restaurant, just behind St Stephen's - for an amazing gastro experience. This has been the original dining room for over 100 years. The waiters wore their tuxedos with pride and exuded calm control. The specialty was clear - a thin pork schnitzel, which at an average 34cm diameter exceeded most dinner plates. We opted for the very traditional Wiener Schnitzel von der Kalbsrücken - a total treat, neatly presented in two segments. We complemented this with a bottle of local Grüner Veltliner, which was cleanly crisp. wow - an excellent last meal in Vienna!

up close with new frescoes in Karlskirche

Karlskirche is a stunning church just outside the Inner Ring in Vienna. From the outside, it is a mixture between a small St Paul's, and a mosque. The whole building is shiny white and the Roman entry pediment separates two amazingly scuptured minarets.

Inside, it is a Baroque explosion and the subtle surprise is a slim glass lift at the rear of the church which carries visitors up to a platform at the base of the dome - presumably it also gives access to the team of painters who are spending 4 years reconstructing the original frescoes, originally painted by Johann Michael Rottmayr over 225 years ago. It is a real treat to be able to ascend beyond the large organ and spectacular altar.

It feels quite precarious to walk out on platforms in the scaffolding, to see a spiral staircase taking you up through the middle of the dome. We were able to see glimpses of a beautiful blue sky just on sunset through the arched windows.

Then we gingerly walked up the steep scaffolding steps with a full 360' experience of larger than life full colour religious experiences. Proportions were elongated and emphasised and the cherubs at the absolute top were soooo chuby, even for well rounded cherubs! We were rewarded at the very top of more views of Vienna at sunset, as we peered through the arches of the pinnacle turret - it was truly magical.

Christmas markets in Vienna

An amazing city at an amazing time of year - it was a well planned visit to colleagues and a celebration of my birthday. It is difficult to judge the impact on a french family of living in Vienna - but they certainly have a wonderful spacious inner city apartment with a roof terrace. We slept in their daughter's bedroom, in a small turret... I would have loved to have been born to the Austrian aristocracy over 100 years ago - this city has an amazing past and is sufficiently wealthy to protect it for future generations.

So it was no surprise to be totally impressed by the christmas markets - with their contrasts between the neo-gothic architecture and trees full of red hearts and snowmen... Visually it was breathtaking and there were all the other components of great christmas markets - the spicy smell of gluwein, smoky maroni burners, lots of sweets and lebkuchen stalls, some creative stalls with wonderful candles and lots of hats and scarves... and everywhere people meeting, chatting, drinking, eating, having fun, enjoying the season, all invigorated in the cold night air...I loved every minute and enjoyed the several markets we visited. Not sure whether I preferred the Jeager Tee over the Ingwer Punsch!

More Surrealism at the Albertina - the Kaplan Collection

How lucky can one person be - to see 3 brilliant exhibitions in one museum, all connected by the common theme of surrealism - which for me is an extension of my art history and experience. Definitions abound but for me it is about representing emotions and the subconscious in a way that offers alternative perceptions of reality. I know that I don't always understand the whole picture, but accept that I usually enjoy the challenge in either an aesthetic or an intellectual way. I have always found Dali a bit tortured but his early work is quite simple.

I totally love the simplicity of Miro and there was a selection of the variety of ways he used two lithographs together to create an amazing sequence of work. So it was with an amazing sense of sensory overflow that I realised I was hungry and that it would be nice to appreciate the last of the afternoon light...

the Batliner Collection at the Albertina in Vienna

It is described as ranging from Monet to Picasso and tracing the path of art from Impressionism to Modernism. This private collection of over 500 pieces of art was donated to the Albertina in 2007 and now, over 100 pieces are on display. It was impressive, because at the entrance to the museum, the concrete steps were transformed to look like Monet's water lilies.
It was an interesting mistake that we saw this exhibition backwards - from abstract back towards the figurative art of the Impressionists. We began with cubism and surrealism - there was a whole room of art by Paul Delveaux - an impressively disconnected Belgian painter. In fact, it was an interesting extension of the Magritte exhibition that we had just seen. But I really enjoyed several important groups of artists - my favourite der Blau Reiter group were well represented with examples from Franz Marc (some beautiful orange and golden cows), Wasily Kandinsky, Gabrielle Muenter and their colleagues. I loved seeing old friends of Kirchner, Klee, Kokoschka and it was quite calming to come back to the classic impressionist painters of Bonnard, Cezanne and Monet... a wonderful journey collected by an amazing couple - I appreciate their legacy.

Botero - his paintings in Vienna

I first encountered Botero's sculptures when in Madrid in the early 1990's - they are not easily forgotten - exaggeratedly fat, in strange proportions and conveying simple still life combinations - I remember children climbing over these giant people and horses and people taking photos (myself included) from different angles. At the time, I did not know much about Fernando Botero, a Colombian artist, with an international reputation, now living in Paris.

So I was keen to see an exhibition of over 70 paintings in the Bank Austria Kunstforum in Vienna. I was confronted by expressionless fat, contorted people; massive heads and faces, gaint legs with perfectly circular defined patellas and pathetic stumpy arms. I was so surprised to see that he was of a fairly normal physique!
It was almost like a personal diary - growing up in Colombia, training as a matador, enjoying good food and the outdoor lifestyle... a few cracks emerged when we saw the widow and her young children - and then we were confronted by a whole room of his Abu-Ghraib-Cycle from 2004/5 - where he expressed his horror in a deeply universal manner - this man has a message and he can be heard. Is this the modern day Guernica?

Again, I am moved by the message behind the art...

Magritt: a voyage of discovery at the Albertina in Vienna

I had not seen a lot of his art and my pre-conceptions were of a quirky Belgian. I was able to appreciate his colour and design but I don't think I always got his message. So it was with a genuine enthusiasm that we visited the Albertina again, in Vienna.
250 paintings later I have a deep respect for this man and his experiments with psychology and philosophy. He is able to draw ideas, sometimes directly and sometimes through contrasts.

His classic painting "this is not a pipe" in French and English were a subtle reminder that what he painted looked like a pipe but it was not a real pipe that could be smoked - so he was not lying!
He challenges our assumptions, tries to capture our shadow self and uses clouds as universal symbols- again I know they capture a point in time, but can any painter really draw a real sky before it changes?

I loved his surreal images; portraits without faces, night and day combinations, large bird cut outs of clouds above oceans..
I am inspired to learn and understand more about this man and the surrealist movement...

Streuselteig from Dr Oetker

It looked easy in the packet and we had hand picked the pears direct from the tree on the golf course at Miltenberg... The pears looked so lonely hanging on bare branches but a golf club encouraged them to jump down - they were a bit hard and tart to eat straight away but we were patient...
We prepared the Streuselteig as directed only adding soft butter and an egg. Then I separated the mixture for the hard base, arranged the segments of pears in a circular design and then added the streusel on top... 35 minutes later it was cooked and smelled great.
Later today, we enjoyed a slice with coffee...better than any crumble I have made...and then I was told that Dr Oetker is only for people who can't cook!

Faces of the Renaissance -Bode Museum, Berlin

We queued for over an hour, very early on an extremely cold Sunday morning. It was the last day and I was lucky to be able to have my coffee delivered to me in the queue. But it was totally worthwhile. The Bode is an impressive Museum, having been recently renovated, which houses some amazing sculptures. They were limiting entry to this exhibition to 300 people at a time, which was appreciated. It was quite dark as we entered - but we quickly adjusted to the low light levels. And then it was like a whole new culture emerged in front of our eyes - the wealthy who were variously beautiful and arrogant. There was a subtle change in actual painting techniques from a fairly brutal profile to the more common 3/4 view. There were also the pragmatic attempts by those who had money to show their power. And there was an enigmatic quality to the women portrayed, mostly in their youth.
But I do remember leaving thinking that life now was not that very different from life over 500 years ago. Money is power and power can corrupt... but they had a lot of fun enjoying the process....

Gerhard Richter - A Panorama at Tate Modern

This is an impressive retrospective of a living artist - one considered by other artists, to be the greatest living painter. There were 14 rooms of contrasts, contradictions, continuities and creativity. I was impressed by his journey from Dresden, where he was born in 1932 and left in 1961, through Duesseldorf to Cologne. There seems to be a logical development of his talent which mirrors his significant personal experiences. Perhaps he was too young to fully understand the dreadful and futile bombing of Dresden - but he seems to have taken on a duty to represent what happened during and after the war, with the building and fall of the Wall, without showing any emotional connection or commitment. He is an impassive reporter than can paint to a photographic level, but often chooses to blur reality to soften the effect and distance the viewer.

He experiments logically with colour and texture. From the 3 basic colours he systematically developed 1092 different shades, and then repeated each one 4 times in a random manner in a giant grid - skilful and spectacular. In the same room we saw grey painted glass, and a large finger painting begun as blobs of paint on a canvas.

Later we saw abstract colour explosions, small and large, using different sized brushes and sponges. There seemed to be an increased raw energy in his later life, although he kept reflecting what was happening in the world through an impressive collage of paintings matched to newspaper texts of the beginning of the Iraq war and a stunning painting of the collapsing twin towers.

I came away impressed with his analytical creativity and his breadth of capabilities, but without a strong emotional connection to him or his life. Perhaps emotions had to be controlled to survive and focus on developing his paintely skills... and it was good to enjoy continued birthday celebrations with Steph - coffee and lunch in the Friends Room and a convenient drive to and from London.

3rd birthday celebration - Caldesi in Campagna

We are captivated by the small community of Bray - quite a nonchalant yet quaint village just minutes away from junction 8 of the M4 - but hiding some superb restaurants. The Hinds Head has been a favourite for better than average gastro pub fare. So it was my birthday that provided the excuse to try the italian Caldesi in Campagna. Katie and Giancarlo offered a very personal invitation on the website and it was mirrored in the a la carte menu. The italian staff represented an extended virtual family and their attitude and service was by far the best I have experienced in England. We were also lucky to participate in the Frescobaldi Fortnight, during which Paola Rocchi had left her restaurant in Montalcino to cook in Bray. Choosing what to eat was a challenge - so we were both influenced to try Paola's Tuscan cooking. I indulged in an eggplant and mozarella starter followed by a 5 seafood stew with superbly buttered mashed potato. Markus began with pasta, followed by braised beef and black kale. We were recommended matching wines with each course and finished with an expresso which was accompanied by slivers of home baked almond bread, marshmallow and a chocolate mint slice.
It was a superb culinary experience, and we felt like visitors rather than customers, especially when Giancarlo came round to say goodnight...what a treat!

The Ides of March - nothing really changes

Corruption, politics, greed... has the human race evolved any from the scheming and backstabbing culminating in the assassination of Julius Caesar over 2000 years ago?
Perhaps we think we are more civilised now, able to focus on liberal principles, saving the environment and sharing resources ethically... It also helps when George Clooney plays the cool, calm and charming Governor who is competing in the Democratic Primaries. But as the movie unfolds, it becomes obvious that we are all fatally flawed and that inevitably the wheel turns so that principles must be compromised in order to survive. The classic guises of sex, bribery, egos and blackmail all conspire in a surprising but ultimately predictable way to ensure that the 'good' behave badly, yet survive using the same language but now devoid of any real meaning. On one level life goes on but underneath everyone is at it, scheming, plotting, flying, falling ... and we all know that those at the top now have replaced yesterday's leaders, but will just as quickly be replaced by their own ignorance and stupidity...
Quite a dark thriller that is a depressing reality check

2nd birthday celebration - Brasserie Blanc

Raymond Blanc describes his Brasseries (apparently there are nine of them now - but I will always prefer Oxford) as a place for relaxed enjoyment and home cooking...
He is a genious and his attention to detail is completely consistent - superb environment, great photos and art on the walls, professional and friendly service, great presentation and of course fantastic french cuisine... it is one of the few totally dependable gastronomic experiences in Oxford.
It was wonderful to catch up with Steph - and it was a nice alternative to our usual film and bite to eat evenings. We enjoyed our starters; a potted hot smoked salmon with horseradish cream and a baby gem salad with anchovy dressing. The mains were a very manageable size; pan fried place with mashed potato and fresh vegies, and a smoked haddock and gruyere fishcake with creamed leeks. We even decided to go overboard and enjoy some indulgent desserts; I enjoyed the pineapple pavlova (really just a meringue) with pina colada sauce and Steph indulged in a steamed chocolate pudding... all beautifully complemented by french sauvignon blanc and rose... a lovely relaxing evening out in Oxford...

my 1st birthday celebration -The Fish at Sutton Courtenay

It was so good to be able to meet up with Karen at The Fish - a wonderful traditional pub just south of Oxford, managed by a friendly French team... just taking time out of busy lives is so important...
The menu was simple but inviting - another menu that I could have almost closed my eyes and randomly pointed and I would not have felt disappointed - in essence it all sounded good!
We decided to share our starters - I decided on the crispy duck salad with cucumber, spring onion and hoi sin sauce and Karen opted for the avocado salad with home smoked chicken and prawn mayonnaise and I am not sure which one I enjoyed most...
Then for main course I chose the real treat than I could never prepare at home - seared venison on a bed of buttery mashed potato with some great long green beans, peas and carrots - all home cooked vegies which I never bother with on my own... and I was not too envious of Karen's seared scallops and leek risotto, which looked fantastic. We drank glasses of french beaujolais and cabernet sauvignon... all good for a fun catch up in a suitably busy atmosphere...

Farewell to the Oktoberfest from Berlin

We saw the opening of the Oktoberfest in Munich and I loved the way the band entered and marched around the giant tent, and then the beer started flowing....
I was so impressed to be invited to the final night of Oktoberfest celebrations at the Fischerhuette near the Schlacten See, just outside Berlin. It was such a Bavarian experience, so many Berliners wore their lederhosen and dirndl, the band played all night and everyone knew all the words, we ate superb schnitzel and just kept dancing on the benches....so impressed that no one even went near a table as they would have in Australia or England...
It was a fabulous night...can't wait for next year

a great day in London

What better way to spend a sunny autumn Sunday in London than heading off to the Tate Modern. We caught the tube to Mansion House, had a quick peek at St Paul's and the Crisis in Capitalism tent camp - there is a strong feeling of shared empathy - before walking across the now stable Millenium Bridge in full view of the old Bankside Power Station, now home to the Tate Modern. We explored two thematic combinations of their own collections on Level 5: Energy and Process, and States of Flux - both quite radical and representing stark contrasts between style, familiarity and engagement. It would have been good to have travelled up the river but the classic English customer service thwarted us - the first salesperson claimed she knew nothing about the boat tying up at the floating wharf "it is not my company" and the second decided to change shift oblivious to the realities of the timetable - so we decided to save our money and walk up along the Thames Path to South Bank, and cross the river along the Golden Jubilee Bridge towards Embankment. Then we caught the tube a few stops to Sloan Square, in time to discover the Chelsea Physic Garden before it closed. This secret garden by the river collects and protects plants from far and wide. Franki, our guide shared some of the history and the geographical diversity of its inhabitants. It was such a quiet and peaceful oasis to enjoy discovering what so many pharmaceutical plants look like...
And then we concluded the day with a brilliant thali in a very popular restaurant - Masala Zone in Earls Court Road. Although part of a chain of 8 London restaurants, it was impressive in decor, food and service. The tribal paintings reminded me of Aboriginal art, the food was an interesting twist on usual curry houses and we were treated so well, especially for London. I have not eaten Thalis very often outside of India, but it was great to sample a curry, dhal, vegetables all together with papadams and relishes...
so then it was just a cosy glass of red on the chesterfield in the Kings Head, hidden back on Hogarth Place, in a quaint neighbourhood of Earls Court... A superb day out with good friends, altho so sad to say good bye, only for now.

400 voices sing Carmina Burana at the Royal Albert Hall

Three times lucky and I was even more impressed than I have been before - this choral masterpiece in such a spectacular location as the Royal Albert Hall and with so many voices together and alone. Chilling, inspirational and just superb...The 24 poems written in German and Latin during the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries were not so obvious - but the music by Carl Orff written in 1936 was and continues to be absolutely primal and spectacular. A full orchestra will a very well developed percussion section set the scene for so many adult and schoolboy voices, complemented by impressive soloists. A spiritual evening in appreciation of life...

superb photographs appreciating animals and nature

There is something about good photography that takes my breath away and forces me to appreciate the beauty, simplicity, reality around me...I remember wanting to be a travel photographer and I also remember realising that I needed to support myself and now I can only be envious and truly appreciative of those who have managed to do this... The Natural History Musuem has an exhibition of 108 brilliant backlit photos in the Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition and Exhibition. Whilst I might query whether a photo should have won or been a runner up across the varied categories, I can only enjoy the amazing talent, patience and perspectives of an international group of photographers. The verbal descriptions and technical summaries of each photo make for interesting reading and the experience cannot fail to be uplifting. This is despite the winning photo portraying my favourite birds, pelicans, being in the wrong place at the wrong time, in the recent giant oil spill. This photo is profound in meaning at so many levels. In contrast there is a virtual screen print of a brilliantly composed array of poppy flowers taken in the fields, just down the road in Wiltshire. What a great way to appreciate nature, in its many forms.

a little bit of Malaysia in Chelsea

it was a special Friday night in London - residents of 3 countries meeting up again - for the third time in 3 european countries - at a favourite Malaysian restaurant - Awana
we started early, because we could and the food was amazing, as always - great mixtures of asian tastes, artistically presented in rather a minimalist way with superb service. Ingredients were luxurious; duck, prawns, squid, pomello, green papaya, crab, scallops all complimented by spices and fresh vegetables. And the ultimate was the range of ice creams and sorbets; coconut, blood orange and star anise, tamarind, gin and tonic, lychee, lemongrass and chilli and so many more... What a wonderful way to reconnect and share the wonders of travelling in Italy by comparison with some harsh real life realities... and emphasise the importance of connecting with real friends at special times and places...

repaying The Debt?

A superb film, sitting on the edge of my seat until the disappointing ending....
A very believable trio of the Mossad recount and revisit their dastly deeds in the 1960's in a skillfully recreated East Berlin - I recognised Tempelhof Airport and several street scenes were very believable. The dynamic tension between the two men and 1 woman is well acted in the past and the present and the way the captive Nazi Dr from Birkenau interacts with them is quite challenging to watch. I guess the moral question is whether people can live with lies for the benefit of country and family for all their lives ... it is difficult to imagine my own personal reaction and I think the ending may have been a bit too English highbrow for me....

celebrating Sunday evening

the lights and colours of Gendarmenmarkt just around sunset are spectacular - and we were on our way to enjoy the Menu Classique at the wonderful french brasserie Entrecote, just down the road. The mixed green salad with walnuts was dressed beautifully. Our first 3 slices of Sirloin were covered in Fred's fantastic sauce beside a large handful of tiny streichholzkartoffeln, or matchstick french fries. After finishing this plate, we were offered some more slices of Sirloin and fries, which were all kept warm on a small tealight stove nearby... and the rest is a lovely memory... Languedoc wine, creme brulee, just relaxing after an active weekend....

the changing of the colours begins in Berlin

It was one of those cold crisp and clear weekends - we woke to perfect blue skies Saturday and Sunday - but it was still -1' at 9am on Saturday - I really wish I had gloves and a beanie as we cycled through the Tiergarten, and along the river, looking for wonderful red, yellow and brown leaves....
Sunday was warmer - you could feel the warmth of the sun - especially while having my first coffee on the Terrace at the Ampelmann restaurant - looking across the river to the Dom - then it was a fun cycle towards and along the Landwerk Canal - there are so many places to enjoy the sun by the water... and the changing leaf colours

Midnight in Paris - a little romantic nostalgia

I am always a little ambivalent about Woody Allen's movies - some are brilliant but his existential angst is sometimes a bit too much to bear, too close to reality to be entertaining...
But I usually go back to the cinema with an open mind - this time is was truly entertaining despite the cliches... it opened with a series of classical Parisian scenes in golden-brown light and in the rain at night - accompanied by light jazz - it gave everyone time to stop thinking and remember when they were last in Paris - a great personal introduction to being part of the escapism of the movie - the American voiceover was the beginning of the nightmare - a middle class capitalistic tea party loving american family on tour - typically the boyfriend/fiance did not fit in and preferred to reminisce to Paris in the 20's - we were treated to great scenes of the archetypal bohemian city with some wonderful tongue in cheek artistic characters - Gertrude Stein's open house was beautifully reproduced (it was great having seen some of the originals in July in San Fransisco MOMA) and we met so many of the great - Picasso, Hemingway, Matisse - each one echoed with audience slapstick laughter...There was an interesting flashback to Carla Bruni acting as a tour guidein the present in the Musee Rodin that was kind of fun... And the twist in the tale all happened as Gil, the escapist writer falls in love with Picasso's muse, who prefers to live in the 1890's in the belle epoch, and she walks away - leaving him to return to the present to confront the real issues he was running away from... a nice clear circle
the romantic nostalia was entertaining and expected - the cliches were also quite positively quirky and it all felt good with no real loose ends....

in the gorge of GeoParc Bletterbach

Since the end of the ice age, the river Etsch has carved out an 8km long gorge, through the different layers of sandstone and porphyry. It was a gentle path down into the gorge - and we could rock hop across the small river curling through the bottom. We passed various small waterfalls and there was a much larger one right up at the end. The walk up was via a set of twisting stairs, and from a distance the people looked like a giant centipede making its way up the rocky cliff. The views from the high meadow over to the Weisshorn at 2317 m were stunning. What a fun little morning walk - and a great warm up for visiting the very modern Kellerei Kaltern wineshop

A high traverse in the Rosengarten

Another stunning drive through the mountains towards the rose garden - a group of mountains that glow red in the sunset and were the home to dwarf king Laurin, who grew red roses. He kidnapped princess Simhilde and kept her in his rocky castle. When her brothers came to rescue her, he cast a magic spell and his castle and rose garden disappeared but he forgot about twilight!
This time we caught a very comfortable chairlft from the Frommer Alm up to the ski style Rosengarten Hut at 2339 m. We then took route 549, the Hirzlweg across the scree at the base of the mountains and past the imposing southern face of the Rotwand, round the corner to the Rotwand Hut. We sat in the sun eating our breakfast bread rolls and more apples looking up into the mountains, and appreciating the many paragliders enjoying the thermals. We returned along the lower path, via the Baita Masare Hut at 1995m, where we enjoyed a broth with fresh speckknodel. We wandered back through the forest and meadows to the carpark. We were lucky to return in time to enjoy our Veneziano aperitifs at the Castel Latemar and watch the amazing alpengluehen - a phenomenon where the mountains are illuminated by reflected pink sunlight.

A walking circuit round Langkofel in the Groedner Tal

It was an impressive drive up into the mountains as we caught glimpses of the bare and rugged white peaks of the Dolomites. We drove up to the Sellajoch Pass at 2231 m - to the base of three rugged peaks, the smaller Plattkofel and Zahnkofel on the left and the imposing Langkofel just in front of us at 3181 m high. We looked for the small cable car which would take us up to the Demetz Hut at 2681 m, just in the saddle. The views were stunning - across to the large high meadow of the Seiser Alm, dotted by small farms and fields. After a quick coffee and toilet stop we set off down the steep and stony couloir, zig zagging to the Langkofel Hut at 2253m. It was a rude awakening and a big achievement as we looked back up to where we had come from. We kept walking down the scree slope to the Ciaulonchsattel at 2113 m, where we found a few rocks to sit on under a tree. Lunch was a mixture of yesterday's fresh apples, schuttelbrot and kaminwurzen. So then the path started to flatten out a bit as we traversed the stony path under the sheer north wall of Langkofel in the shade and past a small glacier to the Tiesasattel and the Comici Hut at 2153m. There we treated ourselves to coffee and strudel and enjoyed the sunshine and great views across to the rocky monolith of Sella. It was a lovely walk through the meadows and the Stone City back to the car park. It was great to be up so high without having to slog up the steep slopes. I can't believe that only a week later, it is all covered in snow...

late summer in South Tyrol

I prefer to call it SuedTirol to reflect the Germanic culture, hidden at the foot of the Alps in northern Italy. This was not my first visit but it was planned to meet special friends, explore the Dolomites and enjoy great food and wine... all in a few short days...
We had a lucky start - to find an historic guesthouse in the small village of Montan, on the edge of the mountains just south of Bozen - the Gold Lion
It was built in the 1400s and is managed by the 4th generation of the Pichler family - Harald is a super chef, and his wife Barabara and their two daughters organised a brilliant breakfast. It was a great place for afternoon drinks on the terrace in the last of the afternoon sun and we were happy we took the halfboard option as the 4 course evening meals were locally sourced and impressive.