Clam Castle

There is so much recorded history in Europe. Stories reside in every nook and cranny of old buildings and villages. In Grein, we took a short walking tour of the town that included an old theatre as well as the usual church and village square. 

The Danube is prone to flooding and 2013 was a bad year. The Austrians have come up with some ingenious engineering to create temporary walls to hold back up to 15 feet of water. However, not all of the town was protected and the waters crept up the streets, creating a lot of damage. 

The river looks so peaceful here, but if you search for 2013 Danube floods, you'll see many videos of raging water. 

Later, we took a bus to Castle Clam. Our tour was conducted by the Count himself, a young man in his early 40s who lives there with his wife and three children. He was very engaging, although it felt a bit odd, as if we were intruding a little. However, conducting tours helps to maintain the castle. The castle has been in this family for 16 generations, since 1454. I find that amazing. 
The tour began in the central open courtyard where a balcony runs along the second floor, seen above. The Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph I enjoyed hunting and came here to visit and hunt. Some of the trophies mounted on the walls (and there were a lot of them) were shot by the Emperor. I preferred the flower boxes. 

We climbed a narrow, twisting staircase to the small medieval chapel where the Count told us Mass is still held. He said that celebrations, such as birthdays and Christmas begin with Mass here. It was quite something to imagine the many years of worship that went on and continue to the present. 

The family lives in a separate wing from the tour. I enjoyed seeing how the public rooms were furnished and set up as if someone had just stepped out of the room for a moment. 

One of the most impressive rooms is the dining room where the table was set with Meissen porcelain and fine crystal. The Count told us that this room is still where Christmas dinner is held. He grinned as he said that they use different dishes, as these are priceless, and with children and dogs in the room, breakages are inevitable. 

Just before entering the room he pointed out a portrait of one of his ancestors. He asked us to notice that his arm was in a sling. Casually he mentioned that this particular gentleman was one of three thrown out of a window in Prague during the Second Defenestration! You might remember that I mentioned the event a few posts back.  I was quite tickled to make this connection from one historical site to another. 

Clam Castle also holds big music festivals. Elton John, Pink, and others have performed there. The castle grounds produce wine and we were treated to a snack and a glass of wine before leaving. 

Here at home the trees are beginning to change colour and when I walked today, leaves swirled down from the trees. The heat of summer seems distant now. I'm loving going through my photos and remembering our wonderful trip.

Linking with Mosaic Monday, hosted by Angie of Letting Go of the Bay Leaf. 

St. Florian's Monastery

Today's look back at our European Adventure takes us to St. Florian's Monastery in northeast Austria. Tim opted to go on a bike tour while I chose to visit the monastery. My thinking was that I can go biking any day, but Baroque architecture and history are hard to come by in our region. 

St. Florian was a Roman soldier who ran into serious trouble for NOT persecuting Christians, and who became a Christian himself. Although condemned to be burned at the stake, he was thrown into the river with a millstone hung about his neck. As a result, he became the saint of floods and firefighters.

Our tour began in the crypt below the church, where the first church on the site began in the 900s. St. Florian is buried here, along with a lot of other people. In the top left corner of the mosaic above, you'll notice the ornate coffin of Anton Bruckner, the Austrian composer. Behind the coffin is an ossuary of some 6000 Christians whose bones were retrieved during some phase of building. The bones are neatly stacked in rows behind iron grills. It was a little freakish. 

From the cellars we climbed upstairs to the church which is full of light and loveliness. The ceiling is very ornate, but if you look very, very closely, you'll see that the ceiling frescos are trompe l'oeil, (fool the eye), and that the stucco work is painted, not 3-D, unlike the white pillars below. 

Anton Bruckner was a choir boy here, and loved to play the organ, seen above. His coffin is directly below the organ, when the organ is played, the music is heard in the crypt below. 

We wandered through long white hallways with marble floors and wide arches that opened to the courtyard below. I can't help thinking that it would have been very chilly to go from one room to the next in the winter cold. 

Our guide gathered our group together in front of a set of beautiful wooden doors with inlaid patterns and told us we would be seeing the library next. 

My heart went pitter patter when I stepped into the room. It is truly magnificent. Such a richness of books - 150,000 of them - on gorgeous wooden shelves reaching high, high to the ceiling. Sets of beautifully bound volumes filled the shelves - white, blue, brown, with the occasional red. Light poured in through tall windows set between the bookshelves. 

Hidden doors at each end of the room allow the curved shelves to open for access to the next rooms, also used for books. This is a working research library and when we entered a young man slipped quietly through the door to allow us our time in this magical space. I could have stayed all day. Our guide didn't hurry us at all, but allowed us to soak in the atmosphere and ask questions. Such richness.

How about you? Bike ride or monastery? Tim enjoyed his ride and the guide told the group about the history of the area. 

Linking with Mosaic Monday, hosted by Angie of Letting Go of the Bay Leaf. 

Apples, Dahlias, and other good things

It was a lovely afternoon - such an afternoon as only September can produce when summer has
stolen back for one more day of dream and glamour. (L.M. Montgomery)

Lucy Maud Montgomery's writings remain as popular now as they have been for many years. Anne of Green Gables and Emily of New Moon remain close friends of mine and I occasionally dip into the books even at my very adult age. 

Recently, a local sculptor, Nathan Scott, collaborated with an east coast artist to create a new statue of LMM. Grace Curtis did the sketches and Nathan sculpted the bronze piece that now resides at Cavendish, PEI. I love the way LMM is captured holding her face to the sky and soaking in whatever loveliness she felt. 

"Dear old world," she murmured, "you are very lovely and I am glad to be alive in you." (L.M. Montgomery)

This morning I went out to cut a bouquet of dahlias. I think I love dahlias more and more each year. I'm already thinking of what colours and shapes I want to add to my small collection. I think I need some dark burgundy blooms, and pale yellow. I have a yellow dahlia, but it's in a pot and because of that the stems are quite short and unsuitable for cutting. Next year I'll know better. 

"If I wasn't a human girl, I think I'd like to be a bee and live among the flowers." Anne Shirley (L.M. Montgomery)

Just before my clippers snipped this blossom I noticed two bees, curled up fast asleep among the petals. At first I wondered if they were alive, but one stretched his legs out and rolled over to let me know they were okay. I tiptoed away, not wanting to disturb their slumber. 

"I believe that the nicest and sweetest of days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens, but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string.
Anne Shirley (L. M. Montgomery)

The tawny shades of hydrangeas fit so well with autumn. Where the light shines directly on them, they are burgundy, pink, and green. Underneath, paler blue. 

I have noticed a LOT of spiders coming in this year. I know they like to hide out in flowers, so as soon as I brought the hydrangeas into the house I plunged them into a sink filled with water mixed with some white vinegar. The crawlies soon came to the surface. 

I've been using peppermint oil as a deterrent for the last day or two and I think that's working, too. I diluted it and put it into a spray bottle to squirt around windows and door frames. 

"Everything we had was small except our love and our happiness." Emily of New Moon (L.M. Montgomery)

We have a bumper crop of apples this year. If you lived nearby, I'd be happy to share them with you. I've made apple cake, apple crisp (5 of them for the freezer), several apple tartes, and included them in salads and savoury dishes, too. They are wonderful! 

"Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It's splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world."
Anne Shirley (L.M. Montgomery)

This morning (I don't teach until the afternoon today), I made a Bavarian Apple Tarte, first tasted at my cousin Caroline's house and made many, many times since. It's quick and easy to make, and a great go-to recipe for a gathering. It's still in the pan here because I made it to share with friends and it needs to travel. 

What is September like for you just now?

Cruising the Danube

For our second week in Europe we enjoyed a river cruise along the Danube. This was our second cruise with Avalon Waterways and we have only good things to say about it. Delicious food, attentive staff, wonderful excursions, and so much more. We loved being able to slide open our stateroom windows and lean over the railing to watch the water drift by. 

All river cruise boats are roughly the same width and length because of the lock system along the rivers. Balconies have to fit within that width and Avalon came up with the great idea of having the windows slide fully open to give the sensation of a balcony without losing space within the room. 

On our first morning we woke up to the sight of green forested hills, utter quiet, and a small village, Engelhartszell, dominated by the Trappist Monastery. Founded in the late 1200s, the monastery has had its ups and downs with changing politics, religious differences, and fires. 

Tim and I took an early morning stroll around the village of well-tended homes and gardens. The blue building above is so beautifully maintained with its detailed paint work, and was built in 1598, according to the sign. 

Later, we toured the Monastery and learned more about its history. The church is a beauty, rebuilt in the 1700s in Rococo style. The ceiling fresco above contrasts dramatically with the one below. 

In the 1950s a fire destroyed part of the interior of the church, including one of the ceiling frescoes. The monks were told there was no money for restoring it in the style of the other frescoes, so a local artist, using the same paint colours, created a cubist fresco in 1957. I like the way it reflects the changing times of history although the differences were quite startling when I first walked into the building. 

In the grounds of the monastery is a garden and park that is open to all, and a playground and aquarium designed to educate visitors about the ecology of the Danube and the surrounding landscape. 

The monks began producing beer and cheese to augment their living. Although the production is now done by others as the monks are aging, the beer is still produced locally. We tasted three of them - I barely sipped as I don't really like beer at all. However, the cheese was great! They also produce a local apricot schnapps, and we brought a bottle of that home with us. 

In the afternoon we set sail downriver. Beautifully kept fields slipped by, cows munched contentedly, and the occasional castle dominated the hills. It was pure relaxation and loveliness. 

Linking to Mosaic Monday hosted by Angie of Letting Go of the Bay Leaf. 

These September Days

Today, Wednesday, was the first full day of classes.Yesterday was a soft start for new students only. And so begins another school year. 

On Monday evening we took a walk at Island View Beach. Light fades earlier and earlier. 

As twilight falls, shadows cast strong contrasts on sculptural driftwood. We walk in the sand where none of the sun's warmth remains. Gulls drift quietly on the water as if sensing the close of summer. 

In the garden, tomatoes ripen. Tomatoes, zucchini, and green beans play starring roles in dinners throughout the week. For a simple Sunday supper I roasted tomatoes - a mixture of plum, cherry, grape, and regular varieties with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and lots of fresh garlic cloves. When the tomatoes began to caramelize just a bit, I sprinkle feta cheese and capers over, then baked it for a few more minutes, and finally tossed fresh basil over it all. Spooned onto crusty bread or whole wheat toast, it made a fine meal. 

I tried something different for a recent breakfast. Sauteed mushrooms and chopped asparagus, plus crumbled fried bacon, and a scattering of grated Cheddar cheese on the bottom of the baking dish, topped with 8 eggs mixed with 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/2 cup milk, seasoned to taste, fresh herbs - chives and parsley, topped with sliced tomatoes and baked until set. Delicious, and the leftovers are great! 

What I'm currently reading. I finished Once Upon a River in short order and have been perusing the two cookbooks with leisure. Literary Paris is a book to enjoy slowly; it's full of quotes and photos of that lovely city. Louise Penny's latest I'm going to save for this coming weekend, for I know that once I begin, I won't want to stop. 

Summer still lingers in my garden. I picked a lovely bouquet of roses - Bolero, Winchester Cathedral, John Cabot, and an unknown variety, and arranged them in a marble vase that once belonged to my mother-in-law. It's sitting on the fireplace hearth and petals are dropping, a lovely litter of pink and white.

Days are summer, early morning and nights are autumn. A sweater to begin and end the day, a light dress suffices in the middle. Golden light through darkly silhouetted trees. Change is in the air.

City and Countryside

Shall we take one last look at Prague? If I don't step this up, I'll still be posting about this trip come December! I'm choosing the highlights as there is so much we saw and did. My journal is filled with perceptions, observations, and details which you would tire of reading.

We spent a morning visiting the Jewish Quarter, choosing a self-guided tour this time. The Jewish Museum in Prague comprises a complex of buildings and sites and one ticket covers all of them except for the Old-New Synagogue, which is a separate entrance. That building is also the only current Jewish house of worship and prayer in Prague.

The Jewish Town Hall, above was built in 1586 and renovated in the 18th century. I found it a particularly beautiful building with the blue walls and white trip (I'm a huge fan of blue and white), and the dark clock tower atop. 

One of the most moving sites we visited was the Pinkas Synagogue where the walls are covered with the names and places of the 80,000 Jews taken from Prague by the Nazi regime. No photos are allowed. It is a quiet place other than for the continuous reading aloud of the names written on the walls.

In another part of the synagogue there is a display of artwork done by the children of Terezin camp, a "model" town devised by Hitler as a means of placating the Red Cross about the treatment of displaced Jews. A Jewish artist from Vienna, Freidl Dicker-Brandeis, brought art supplies in her allotted luggage and worked with the children of the camp, using art as a means of expressing their emotions. When she knew she would be transported to Auschwitz, she hid more than 4000 pieces of art in the attic where it was discovered after the war. You can read more about it here.  

When I looked at the artwork, I could not help but compare it to the lighthearted drawings my own grandchildren create. The Terezin children drew pictures of camp life where guards hover, of families torn apart, of waiting for transport to who knows where. It was a sobering sight. 

Hitler's plan was to maintain the Jewish Quarter in Prague as a memorial to an "Extinct Race" and so he brought many artifacts from other parts of Europe to Prague where they remain today. Another synagogue explained much of the daily life of the city. The graveyard is an astounding site. The Jews were forbidden to expand the boundaries of their quarter, including the graveyard, so new layers of soil were added on top of old graves, and the old stones removed and placed in the new soil along with the new gravestones. This happened many times over 3 centuries and now the graveyard is several metres higher than street level with the most amazing hodgepodge of gravestones. 

We like to get out into the countryside, away from the more touristy areas, if we can. We're sometimes asked how we do this without knowing the language. Google Maps is wonderful, and can be downloaded to use offline. Transit schedules are often on the internet, as well, and we used that a lot. 

Divoka Sarka is a nature reserve on the outskirts of Prague with a walking loop of about 3 hours. There is a lake, but you can't walk all the way around, because of a fenced complex, as we discovered, and had to back track. Going the other way we soon left the lake (where it seems homeless people like to hang out), and entered a lovely wooded area with a little stream. 

It was another very very hot day and we took our time. We had brought a lunch (sandwiches from a bakery) and sat on a bench in the shade enjoying the peace and quiet. There was a flock of goats along the way, but very few people. 

We left Prague, by train again, headed for Linz, Austria, where we met up with our cruise boat. The views from the train were lovely; fields of newly mown hay, white houses with red tile roofs, lots of trees, and the occasional view of a village in the distance. 

I find that it takes time to distill experiences such as these. Tim and I talk about various bits and pieces often. Reviewing my photos bring back a lot of memories. And it's fun to share them with you, my readers, and to read your comments, as well. 

Linking with Mosaic Monday, hosted by Angie of Letting Go of the Bay Leaf

Prague Castle

Prague Castle is an extensive complex of churches and palaces and is the largest medieval castle in the world. It is indeed massive and would take days to explore. We were there for an afternoon and evening saw just a fraction of it. 

The towers above belong to St. Vitus Cathedral, begun in 1344, in the French Gothic style as the master builder was a Frenchman. 

It remains the largest and most prominent church in the Czech Republic and is the resting place of many Bohemian Kings and Holy Roman Emperors, including Saint Wenceslas, also known as "Good King Wenceslas" in the Christmas song.

 

Construction of the church was characterized by many stoppages throughout the centuries as money ran out, wars occurred, and priorities changed. In the 1920s Alfons Mucha, a painter in of the Art Nouveau movement, completed several windows in the church. The church was finally completed in 1929, 600 years after its start. 

Our tour guide took us to this room in the castle where the Second Defenestration of Prague took place. Defenestration is the act of throwing someone out of a window as a means to execution. In 1618 the Czechs, mostly Protestants, got fed up with the Habsburg representatives from Vienna who were trying to force the population to become Catholic, and tossed two of them out of the window. The men were saved by the pile of straw and manure below the window and escaped with minor injuries. 

However, the whole affair blew up and was a major factor in the start of the Thirty Years' War that devastated Central Europe, killing between 5 to 11 million people. 

The view from the Castle is impressive. There are long flights of steps to walk up to the Castle (we took a bus, but walked down). The tall modern looking structure in the distance is the Zizkov Tower, built between 1985 and 1992. Its purpose was to block television transmissions from the West during the Soviet era, however, it wasn't completed until after the fall of Communism. It's now used for communications and tourism, and was once voted the ugliest building in the world. 

There are so many beautiful buildings in Prague. This one, with its buttery yellow paint and ornate decoration, caught my eye while our guide was talking. Did you notice that only part of the building is painted yellow? Behind the tree, the walls look dingy and not so well-cared for. I wonder why? 

Domestic Affairs

We've been home for a week and are settling back into normal life again. As soon as Tim filled the bird feeder, there's been a lot of activity with nuthatches, house finches, chickadees, and sparrows vying for space. I love the agile nuthatches who seem to like to feed upsidedown. What sharp and pointed beaks they have.

The house finches fly from the hedge to the feeder to the fig tree. Figs came ripe while we were away and it appears that the birds got them (there weren't that many) because no one else has owned up! I was hoping one of our children would get them. 

I was surprised to see a hawk on our gazebo, just outside the kitchen window. He moved to the lemon tree shelter where I took this photo. There wasn't a small bird to be found anywhere when this predator appeared. He hung around for awhile then took off in a flurry of wings. 

The first couple of days we were back we attended to the garden. Huge piles of clippings and weeds were taken to the yard waste dump. I trimmed the lavender, deadheaded roses, cut back the hydrangeas, and more. 

I've been intending to paint our living and dining rooms for more than a year, but the time was never convenient. Deciding it was now or never, I bought the paint (Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore), and prepared the walls. Tim took down the curtain rods and moved furniture. The china cabinet needed to be pulled out and for that to happen I emptied it, piling everything onto the dining room table. I wanted to protect the teacups, so I placed them into a tray. I liked the look so much that they are now sitting on the hutch as you see them. Those teacups spark a lot of memories. 

Painting went well. My daughter came and was a huge help (Tim was at work). We have not yet hung the pictures on the walls as I've rearranged things and need to think about where I want things to go. 

The dahlias, roses, and zinnias are providing me with lots of flowers. How luxurious it is to go out and clip away in the garden. 

This week I'm entertaining two grands. When both parents work, childcare in the summer requires lots of planning. I'm happy to help out. 

Next week I'm back at school for a prep week before classes begin after Labour Day. The summer has zoomed by so quickly. I'm not quite ready for it to end. Are you?