Summer 2006 Trip Letter
June 8 – August 21
“Where am I Today?”
In Numbers:
Weeks 10
Days 68
Beds 17
Countries 4 Germany, CZ, Austria, USA
States 6 CO, CT, Il, NH, RI, CA
Cities 7 Stuttgart, Prague, Brno, Vienna, Denver, Chicago, San Fran
Oceans 2 Atlantic, Pacific
Lakes 2 White Lake (New Hampshire), Lake Michigan (Chicago)
People 50 family and friends
Guardian Angels 1 in Prague with the name of Peter; I would still be on the airport bus if he did not help me
Days of driving a car 3
Illnesses 1 bad sinus infection
Mishaps 1 I could not rent a car on my arrival to the USA in June because my driver’s license was expired
Tours 2 Ritter Sport Chocolate (Gr), Svarowski Crystal, Austria
Most Expensive Coffee 3.60 Euros At the Frankfort airport ($4.61 – this is just for a cup of coffee, nothing fancy)
Books Read 3
Pearls of wisdom
· Have nothing to eat after afternoon coffee and cake – German sculptor Garmisch, Germany
· When glaciers are gone, they are really gone
· Life is to be enjoyed
· Candles are flattering to an old face
· Life isn’t for everyone
· Snow simplifies everything
· We are like the moon; we all have our dark side that we never show to anybody. M. Twain
· No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds, November
· A bad bed is one thing, but a bad pillow is unbearable
Praha (Prague) has: churches, steeples, tolling church bells, red roofs, wooded green hills, statues, old buildings, flowers, gardens, sidewalk cafes, concerts, music, art, shimmering river, cobblestone streets, friendly people, good public transportation, pilsner beer, pigeons, homeless, hidden rose garden, the Prague measure equalling the length from your finger tips to your elbow, good ice cream, the Charles Bridge, many tour groups in the summer and very little trash on the ground, a guardian angel called Peter (he guided me from the bus to the subways to the bus station and back to the subway to the spot where I needed to switch trains), and a day trip to Cesky Krumlov for a medieval celebration
Brno has: my friend Anna I went to visit, cool churches on hot summer days, outdoor parks for catching afternoon naps under shade trees, a movie theater (saw the DaVinci Code with Cz subtitles so I missed all the French translations), a Capushin crypt containing many naturally desiccated bodies, a funky crypt pub, a university where you can get a cheap lunch at the student cafeteria if you know how to get there, a baggage storage area at the train station, the bus station next to the train station (not all places have this so very convenient to store your bags at the train station after getting off the bus), less crowds than Praha, at least one bus with no AC - the one I was on for 3 sweltering hours to Vienna
Wien (Vienna) has: more churches, fancy shops, outdoor cafes, a nifty clock at the Anchor building where lifestyle mannequins parade around at 12:00 noon accompanied by classical music, the famous painting called “The Kiss” by Gustav Klimt, and the Spanish Riding school, home to the famous Lipizzaner stallions, which was not open on my one day in Vienna because G.W. Bush was in town
Chiemsee Lake area Bavaria has: my traveler friend Birgit, the huge lake, pretty little towns dotting the lake, ferry boats, small islands, a palace built on one of the islands by King Ludwig (I or II) with 5000 candlestick holders, lots of bike trails, great hiking trails in the alps (scaled Mt Hochfelln at 1670 m 5478 ft), friendly locals inviting me to picnics and a wok BBQ, pretty houses with bursting window flower boxes, German classes to visit and help the students converse in English, Zirbenschnaps made from pine trees or so I was told – the taste is acquired, a famous frigid cold foot pool devised by Sebastian Kneipp, a German priest 1827 – 1897, who developed water treatment as a means of curing illness to keep one young and fit by walking laps in this knee deep pool if you can stand the ice cold water (I barely made it half way then had to rest and warm my legs before making the return). I now realized I did it the wrong way. I wasn’t walking like a stork. I will say the invigorating feeling in my legs stayed for many hours afterwards. I was sorry I tired this on my last day in the area. Here is the proper way for Water Stepping.
To combat hot summer weather or the change of life flushes, and just for overall invigoration, water stepping is the most effective of the Kneipp treatments.
Many German health resort towns have built basins fed by ice cold natural springs in the forest just for this therapy. The wanderer or hiker can take off their shoes and socks and easily refresh him/herself in these wading pools. It is heart-warming to see not only the very old but the very young doing this.
Similar water basins at intervals along our highways (in Canada and the US) would be wonderful health stops. Long car trips are not good for the circulation and the treatment of water stepping is very invigorating.
But since we don’t have such facilities, your bath tub is a good place to practice this. Fill the tub up to calf level with cold water. (This treatment is never done with warm water.) Walk back and forth in the tub, always lifting one leg out of the water. Walk like a stork, one leg high up out of the water.
The alternation between air and water is what makes this treatment effective. Ten to 15 seconds might be all you need. By no means stay in the water longer than comfortable. Or you can even try walking barefoot in the snow (high stepping all the time). It’s very stimulating.
Afterwards dry your legs, put warm socks on and take a walk.
http://www.h-e-a-t.com/powerwat.htm
Chicago has: many universities, a beautiful big fountain, water front, beaches, walk/bike trails, Marshal Fields, Tiffany mosaic ceilings, man operated elevators, the Marhold Rare Violin office in the Studebaker building where you can secretly sit outside the office and listen to wonderful antique violins being played, a secret winter garden on the 9th floor of the stately public library downtown, a well run youth hostel, bridges over the water, famous architecture, boat rides, Millennium park, hardly any trash, little India, Buddy Guys hole in the wall restaurant for a tasty lunch with live blues, museums, the miracle mile for shopping, my friends in Naperville who rarely sit still, and the history of the Chicago fire from 1871 started by a cow. I wanted to find more about the fire and here is what I found.
"One dark night, when people were in bed,
Mrs. O' Leary lit a lantern in her shed,
The cow kicked it over, winked its eye, and said,
There'll be a hot time in the old town tonight."
What do we know about the Great Chicago Fire?
Historians agree that on Sunday evening, October 8, 1871, the Chicago Fire did indeed start in the barn of Mr. and Mrs. Patrick and Catherine O'Leary. While the blaze ironically spared the O'Leary home, located on the city's West Side at 137 De Koven Street, much of the rest of Chicago was not so fortunate. Before the fire died out in the early morning of Tuesday, October 10, it had cut a swath through Chicago approximately three and one-third square miles in size. Property valued at $192,000,000 was destroyed, 100,000 people were left homeless, and 300 people lost their lives.
In November and December of 1871 the Board of Police and Fire Commissioners held an inquiry. The purpose of this investigation was to determine, among other things, the cause of the fire. The board interviewed fifty people, including Mr. and Mrs. O'Leary. A shorthand reporter took down over 1100 pages of handwritten testimony. Despite all this, the board members failed to ascertain the fire's cause, stating merely in their report that "whether it originated from a spark blown from a chimney on that windy night, or was set on fire by human agency, we are unable to determine."
So did Mrs. O'Leary and her cow cause the fire, or is this merely a nineteenth-century urban legend? An analysis of the original transcripts of this inquiry, 1871 Chicago real estate records, and other period source materials provide powerful evidence that the latter may be the case. Furthermore, these same records provide a fascinating theory as to who really did cause the fire
My home town of Norwich, CT and surrounding area has: my Mom, my grandmother still doing well, a brother, relatives, good friends, Connecticut Sun women’s national basketball team – they just lost in the finals to the Detroit Shock in the eastern conference title, spectacular 4th of July fireworks by Grucci set on the Thames river using 3 barges to shoot off the fireworks, ferries to Block Island for a day at the beach, Mystic for the seaport, great seafood, thick woods as dark as night, historic houses, the birth place of Benedict Arnold, steamy summer days and nights, great neighbors, roadside corn stands, tobacco fields and an informative tobacco museum, Groton for the submarine museum, road trips to Misquamicutt, RI for tumbling in the Atlantic surf, large frogs sitting on even larger spools of thread statues welcoming all who cross on the Frog Bridge in Williamantic (http://www.millmuseum.org/frogs.htm), and many fond memories
New Hampshire has: another brother spoiling us with a lobster bake on our arrival, rain, bugs, more dense woods, a hidden 24 hour self serve, hand-made ice cream stand in the middle of the woods, lakes for kayaking, mountain trails, and lazy summer days
San Francisco has: a sister with her parrot, cockatoo, and bird collection for entertainment, a great city sky line, fabulous weather or at least the day I was there, renovated piers to spend oodles of money without realizing you are spending vast quantities on such things like an apple, a tomato, a drink, etc, a landmark book store called City Lights, an old time saloon called Vesuvios, Coit Tower for wonderful views, very steep hills, the Green Tortoise Hostel, South Beach Pizza, Chinatown, the baseball park, the historic Beach Chalet at the edge of Golden Gate Park facing the Pacific Ocean, and easy access to Millbrae, San Jose, Santa Cruz, and Piedmont for visits with other friends but I didn’t get a chance to see everyone
Denver has: my storage unit I tore apart looking for things and eventually found and many wonderful visits with dear friends to catch up on the latest
Germany / Austria has: many small picture perfect villages with the alps at their doorstep (Mittenwald, Hall, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Oberammergau, Etal), heavenly out door swimming pool areas, bigger cities (Heidelberg, Innsbruck), Achensee Lake with its glacier blue water nestled in the alps, another mountain hike to Dalfaz-Alm at 1693m, cows with their clanking bells, castles, churches, monasteries, outdoor cafes, outdoor markets, and excellent weather while I was there
Thanks to everyone who made this a memorable summer. I cherish my time spent with family and old and new friends. This quote says it all for me:
I keep my friends as misers do their treasure, because of all the things granted us by wisdom, none is greater or better than friendship – Pietro Aretino
Becky of Arabia
September 1, 2006
“Where am I Today?”
In Numbers:
Weeks 10
Days 68
Beds 17
Countries 4 Germany, CZ, Austria, USA
States 6 CO, CT, Il, NH, RI, CA
Cities 7 Stuttgart, Prague, Brno, Vienna, Denver, Chicago, San Fran
Oceans 2 Atlantic, Pacific
Lakes 2 White Lake (New Hampshire), Lake Michigan (Chicago)
People 50 family and friends
Guardian Angels 1 in Prague with the name of Peter; I would still be on the airport bus if he did not help me
Days of driving a car 3
Illnesses 1 bad sinus infection
Mishaps 1 I could not rent a car on my arrival to the USA in June because my driver’s license was expired
Tours 2 Ritter Sport Chocolate (Gr), Svarowski Crystal, Austria
Most Expensive Coffee 3.60 Euros At the Frankfort airport ($4.61 – this is just for a cup of coffee, nothing fancy)
Books Read 3
Pearls of wisdom
· Have nothing to eat after afternoon coffee and cake – German sculptor Garmisch, Germany
· When glaciers are gone, they are really gone
· Life is to be enjoyed
· Candles are flattering to an old face
· Life isn’t for everyone
· Snow simplifies everything
· We are like the moon; we all have our dark side that we never show to anybody. M. Twain
· No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds, November
· A bad bed is one thing, but a bad pillow is unbearable
Praha (Prague) has: churches, steeples, tolling church bells, red roofs, wooded green hills, statues, old buildings, flowers, gardens, sidewalk cafes, concerts, music, art, shimmering river, cobblestone streets, friendly people, good public transportation, pilsner beer, pigeons, homeless, hidden rose garden, the Prague measure equalling the length from your finger tips to your elbow, good ice cream, the Charles Bridge, many tour groups in the summer and very little trash on the ground, a guardian angel called Peter (he guided me from the bus to the subways to the bus station and back to the subway to the spot where I needed to switch trains), and a day trip to Cesky Krumlov for a medieval celebration
Brno has: my friend Anna I went to visit, cool churches on hot summer days, outdoor parks for catching afternoon naps under shade trees, a movie theater (saw the DaVinci Code with Cz subtitles so I missed all the French translations), a Capushin crypt containing many naturally desiccated bodies, a funky crypt pub, a university where you can get a cheap lunch at the student cafeteria if you know how to get there, a baggage storage area at the train station, the bus station next to the train station (not all places have this so very convenient to store your bags at the train station after getting off the bus), less crowds than Praha, at least one bus with no AC - the one I was on for 3 sweltering hours to Vienna
Wien (Vienna) has: more churches, fancy shops, outdoor cafes, a nifty clock at the Anchor building where lifestyle mannequins parade around at 12:00 noon accompanied by classical music, the famous painting called “The Kiss” by Gustav Klimt, and the Spanish Riding school, home to the famous Lipizzaner stallions, which was not open on my one day in Vienna because G.W. Bush was in town
Chiemsee Lake area Bavaria has: my traveler friend Birgit, the huge lake, pretty little towns dotting the lake, ferry boats, small islands, a palace built on one of the islands by King Ludwig (I or II) with 5000 candlestick holders, lots of bike trails, great hiking trails in the alps (scaled Mt Hochfelln at 1670 m 5478 ft), friendly locals inviting me to picnics and a wok BBQ, pretty houses with bursting window flower boxes, German classes to visit and help the students converse in English, Zirbenschnaps made from pine trees or so I was told – the taste is acquired, a famous frigid cold foot pool devised by Sebastian Kneipp, a German priest 1827 – 1897, who developed water treatment as a means of curing illness to keep one young and fit by walking laps in this knee deep pool if you can stand the ice cold water (I barely made it half way then had to rest and warm my legs before making the return). I now realized I did it the wrong way. I wasn’t walking like a stork. I will say the invigorating feeling in my legs stayed for many hours afterwards. I was sorry I tired this on my last day in the area. Here is the proper way for Water Stepping.
To combat hot summer weather or the change of life flushes, and just for overall invigoration, water stepping is the most effective of the Kneipp treatments.
Many German health resort towns have built basins fed by ice cold natural springs in the forest just for this therapy. The wanderer or hiker can take off their shoes and socks and easily refresh him/herself in these wading pools. It is heart-warming to see not only the very old but the very young doing this.
Similar water basins at intervals along our highways (in Canada and the US) would be wonderful health stops. Long car trips are not good for the circulation and the treatment of water stepping is very invigorating.
But since we don’t have such facilities, your bath tub is a good place to practice this. Fill the tub up to calf level with cold water. (This treatment is never done with warm water.) Walk back and forth in the tub, always lifting one leg out of the water. Walk like a stork, one leg high up out of the water.
The alternation between air and water is what makes this treatment effective. Ten to 15 seconds might be all you need. By no means stay in the water longer than comfortable. Or you can even try walking barefoot in the snow (high stepping all the time). It’s very stimulating.
Afterwards dry your legs, put warm socks on and take a walk.
http://www.h-e-a-t.com/powerwat.htm
Chicago has: many universities, a beautiful big fountain, water front, beaches, walk/bike trails, Marshal Fields, Tiffany mosaic ceilings, man operated elevators, the Marhold Rare Violin office in the Studebaker building where you can secretly sit outside the office and listen to wonderful antique violins being played, a secret winter garden on the 9th floor of the stately public library downtown, a well run youth hostel, bridges over the water, famous architecture, boat rides, Millennium park, hardly any trash, little India, Buddy Guys hole in the wall restaurant for a tasty lunch with live blues, museums, the miracle mile for shopping, my friends in Naperville who rarely sit still, and the history of the Chicago fire from 1871 started by a cow. I wanted to find more about the fire and here is what I found.
"One dark night, when people were in bed,
Mrs. O' Leary lit a lantern in her shed,
The cow kicked it over, winked its eye, and said,
There'll be a hot time in the old town tonight."
What do we know about the Great Chicago Fire?
Historians agree that on Sunday evening, October 8, 1871, the Chicago Fire did indeed start in the barn of Mr. and Mrs. Patrick and Catherine O'Leary. While the blaze ironically spared the O'Leary home, located on the city's West Side at 137 De Koven Street, much of the rest of Chicago was not so fortunate. Before the fire died out in the early morning of Tuesday, October 10, it had cut a swath through Chicago approximately three and one-third square miles in size. Property valued at $192,000,000 was destroyed, 100,000 people were left homeless, and 300 people lost their lives.
In November and December of 1871 the Board of Police and Fire Commissioners held an inquiry. The purpose of this investigation was to determine, among other things, the cause of the fire. The board interviewed fifty people, including Mr. and Mrs. O'Leary. A shorthand reporter took down over 1100 pages of handwritten testimony. Despite all this, the board members failed to ascertain the fire's cause, stating merely in their report that "whether it originated from a spark blown from a chimney on that windy night, or was set on fire by human agency, we are unable to determine."
So did Mrs. O'Leary and her cow cause the fire, or is this merely a nineteenth-century urban legend? An analysis of the original transcripts of this inquiry, 1871 Chicago real estate records, and other period source materials provide powerful evidence that the latter may be the case. Furthermore, these same records provide a fascinating theory as to who really did cause the fire
My home town of Norwich, CT and surrounding area has: my Mom, my grandmother still doing well, a brother, relatives, good friends, Connecticut Sun women’s national basketball team – they just lost in the finals to the Detroit Shock in the eastern conference title, spectacular 4th of July fireworks by Grucci set on the Thames river using 3 barges to shoot off the fireworks, ferries to Block Island for a day at the beach, Mystic for the seaport, great seafood, thick woods as dark as night, historic houses, the birth place of Benedict Arnold, steamy summer days and nights, great neighbors, roadside corn stands, tobacco fields and an informative tobacco museum, Groton for the submarine museum, road trips to Misquamicutt, RI for tumbling in the Atlantic surf, large frogs sitting on even larger spools of thread statues welcoming all who cross on the Frog Bridge in Williamantic (http://www.millmuseum.org/frogs.htm), and many fond memories
New Hampshire has: another brother spoiling us with a lobster bake on our arrival, rain, bugs, more dense woods, a hidden 24 hour self serve, hand-made ice cream stand in the middle of the woods, lakes for kayaking, mountain trails, and lazy summer days
San Francisco has: a sister with her parrot, cockatoo, and bird collection for entertainment, a great city sky line, fabulous weather or at least the day I was there, renovated piers to spend oodles of money without realizing you are spending vast quantities on such things like an apple, a tomato, a drink, etc, a landmark book store called City Lights, an old time saloon called Vesuvios, Coit Tower for wonderful views, very steep hills, the Green Tortoise Hostel, South Beach Pizza, Chinatown, the baseball park, the historic Beach Chalet at the edge of Golden Gate Park facing the Pacific Ocean, and easy access to Millbrae, San Jose, Santa Cruz, and Piedmont for visits with other friends but I didn’t get a chance to see everyone
Denver has: my storage unit I tore apart looking for things and eventually found and many wonderful visits with dear friends to catch up on the latest
Germany / Austria has: many small picture perfect villages with the alps at their doorstep (Mittenwald, Hall, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Oberammergau, Etal), heavenly out door swimming pool areas, bigger cities (Heidelberg, Innsbruck), Achensee Lake with its glacier blue water nestled in the alps, another mountain hike to Dalfaz-Alm at 1693m, cows with their clanking bells, castles, churches, monasteries, outdoor cafes, outdoor markets, and excellent weather while I was there
Thanks to everyone who made this a memorable summer. I cherish my time spent with family and old and new friends. This quote says it all for me:
I keep my friends as misers do their treasure, because of all the things granted us by wisdom, none is greater or better than friendship – Pietro Aretino
Becky of Arabia
September 1, 2006
posted by Becky of Arabia at 8:26 PM
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