November 28-December 15 2015
Rome, Bologna, Nuremberg,
Vienna, Budapest
Sunny: This journey played out against a world made hostile by unemployment,
religious zeal, suicide bombings and demonstrations, most recently in Syria and
Paris. Thousands of refugees streamed into Europe seeking better lives in
Sweden, Germany, and elsewhere.
ROME
We
flew KLM (Delta) to Amsterdam, then on to Rome, The Eternal City. Il Teatro
Pompeo hotel welcomed us once more. It’s a modest, clean albergo with a great
location near Campo di Fiori. (130 Euro/night with generous breakfast buffet)
Il
Palma Gelateria beckoned. We feasted on rich, dense, gianduia with our standard
nocciola. Although we only had one day in Rome, we visited Piazza Navona, Campo
di Fiori, Piazza Farnese, Trevi Fountain (still being cleaned) and the
Pantheon. Our dinner at a fixed price restaurant near the hotel offered authentic
Roman dishes and I mean plural! We stuffed ourselves lest we offend La Signora,
Paola, who consulted all her customers, telling each he/she was “molto
gentile”, then asking whether they enjoyed the four-course fare. The moment
Mike paid our 50 Euro bill; the waiter rushed the money to La Signora. She is a
shrewd businesswoman with considerable holdings. All must pay in cash.
A
large group of demonstrators advocated green policies and decried terrorism.
Several groups, including the World Wildlife Foundation, carried balloons,
chanting as they marched. One sign read “Terrorism di no, Pace di si!”
An
artsy looking silver haired senior was eating breakfast at the table next to us
at the hotel. We discovered she had spent two months in Italy painting en plein
air and enjoying the mind space and freedom of a seventy something. Her name is
Susan Giles. She has written and illustrated two books for children, spent two
years teaching in Ecuador plus a recent career in the wine industry of Napa
Valley.
The
sunny countryside rolled by our train windows during our 2 hour train ride from
Rome to Bologna. A kind man offered to lift my luggage when he saw me swaying
awkwardly off the steps.
BOLOGNA – 30 Nov – 4 Dec
Each
of our recent Project Notify science gatherings has a new poignancy as Mike
decides when to pass the baton. We cherish the many hours spent online and at
meetings with this altruistic crowd of docs and researchers. Maybe we have our
own brand of Ted Talks? Last night our dinner companions were from: Tunisia
(now working in Paris), Japan, Ireland (now working in Belgium), Slovenia (now
working in Sweden) and Brazil (now working in the UK). Topics ranged from
politics to religion and much in between. It was fascinating and educational
listening to their opinions and experiences.
Earlier we had a drink with
another cluster of Mike’s colleagues: from Spain, South Africa, France, USA and
Australia. When we mentioned our upcoming cruise, our Chicago friend proffered
information about her Hungarian father who emigrated to the USA as a WWII
refugee and cousins who thrive there today- one in music, one an actor. We
emerged with recommended sites and cafes.
When we told Romans we were
headed for Bologna, they universally endorsed Bologna’s reputation for the best
food in Italy. The egg pasta is my favorite. It’s rich, al dente and so tasty you
could enjoy it without the filling or sauce.
At the suggestion of a meeting staffer, I toured a fine
temporary exhibition of Ancient Egypt at the Bologna Archeological Museum. The
artifacts are so well preserved! This was the best Ancient Egyptian display
I’ve seen. Many colored sarcophagi and two mummies! Only three other people
were there. I remember Trish’s four-year-old patience as we waited for hours in
DC in order to see “King Tut.”
Today,
I was one of three people in the Medieval Museum. Bologna was a world center of
civilization in this time period. Lots of art related to honoring popes and
University of Bologna professors. Lots of weaponry! The guided tour greatly
increased my enjoyment and understanding. Partly, it’s a treat to have the
museum to myself and to have all the time I need to meander through. One yuck
moment when the female security guard insisted on inspecting my ticket, then
tore half of it off and lectured me. My imperfect understanding of Italian left
me unclear about my travesty. I think I entered her section from a private
hallway? Lots of bluster plus my eventual escape.
Yesterday
I ordered Branzino from the “Fresh Fish” menu at Stella’s Trattoria. The
scrumptious, light yet glutinous bread arrived in a cute little paper bag. When
I received the bill, I saw a charge of 27 rather than the 16 Euros I saw on the
menu. When I pointed this out to the cashier, he explained the 16 Euros
referred to the entrée above. My fish charge was by weight! I’m told my facial
responses are dangerously transparent. To smooth things over, he poured a shot
of
Limoncello Cream for each of us
then left his desk to toast me. I love this country! I like to eat at small
cafes where I can watch the world go by. Given all we’ve eaten for dinners,
today I ate a piece of pizza with mushrooms for lunch. The crust was light and
crisp, the mozzarella melty yum.
One
night (at Cantina Bentivoglio) we had a creamy custard dessert with sweet
citrus sauce, the next (at Trattoria Battibecco) we stared down two generous dollops
of pure fudge with vanilla sauce! We won’t be stepping on a scale anytime soon.
The
mellower shopkeepers here enhanced my holiday shopping in Bologna. This
contrasts with the attentive, guarded, seemingly suspicious clerks in Rome and
Florence. In one morning I found several gifts, all the while speaking Italian
without having them answer me in English. Whether they were as insecure as I am
about my second language or they again are mellower, I don’t know, but I love
it! We stroll through the charming old colonnades, turning away from the
university students’ puffs of smoke from cigarettes (e-cigs and traditional)!
The
public library is housed in the basement of an old palace in the center of town.
It looks like a book fair, with minimal service desk space and seating on the
periphery. So, when you descend, you clearly see the Information Desk. I asked
the young librarian whether it was fun to work in such a central austere,
windowless space? She said that wasn’t a problem, but the old librarians were!
Did she not notice I was an old librarian? Apparently they insist on retaining
everything even when digital dupes exist. Space is a premium, so this is a sore
spot. The library sponsored a very popular “Living Library” session, but lacks
enough room to provide it on a regular basis.
Viking
Cruise Line e-mailed us that, alas, the Danube is shrinking and the low water
necessitates a smaller ship. Should be interesting. One of the advantages of
travelling in December was a chance to enjoy a larger suite. Now what?
Adventure awaits. Sure hope they have a dance floor. One of the best things
about a cruise is the nightly dancing with Mike.
PADUA
A
highlight of our Italian stay was connecting with Mike’s band mates Diego and
Marino and their families in Padua. Diego posed an offer we couldn’t refuse- if
we would take the train to his home in Padua, about 100 km away, he would hire
a driver to transport us back to Bologna. At dinner, we ate tucked beside the
deli counters that supplied an expensive, formal restaurant across the street.
Therefore the cozy diner is called “The Ingredients.”
The
meal was incredible! Sparkling wine followed by mushrooms & moist, tasty
polenta, carpaccio & rye bread, TWO chocolate desserts: cake with fudge
like frosting & chocolate covered sticks to dip in milk chocolate ganache.
Limoncello or Brandy as a finish.
How
did Mike get these two wonderful bandmates? Mike’s brother Rick’s Ophthalmologists
Band needed a bass player, so Mike said he knew Diego, an ophthalmologist from Padua.
Would Diego be interested in playing with Rick and Mike at the annual meeting
in Seattle? Sure! Okay to add Marino? Sure! How about a year later in Orlando
at the same meeting? Sure!
Mike: meanwhile, I was in two days of
meetings in Bologna with participants from 26 countries in an amazing medieval
hall with a ceiling 4 stories high and quite chilly. We eventually moved to
another hall with frescoes all around but with only a two story ceiling and
thus warmer. I gave 2 talks on the first day and we discussed the progress made
and the future for this WHO Project Notify. If you have any interest in
transplantation or the use of medical products of human origin, you can visit our
website at www.notifylibrary.org
This
project is, for me, very interesting as it provides a gathering from a
diversity of fields from a wide range of countries with diverse prospectives
and experiences. It is an extension of my retirement and keeps me in touch with
multiple fields that my career has provided me. My job has been to write a
summary document (under Booklet on the site) and serve as a Coordinator for the
project with staff based in Italy and Spain. We do a lot of our work by e-mail,
texts, Forums and weekly Skype calls. This was our annual face to face meeting
which helps us cover issues that arise during the year and meet with editorial
groups that cover various areas. Sunny enjoys the local environ while I spend
time in these meetings.
This
year, with the meeting in Bologna, we decided to take advantage of the air
travel and spend extra time as tourists. Thus the trip down the Danube to
Budapest. I look forward to a reunion there with three of my former Fellows who
have spent time in my labs over the years.
NUREMBERG
Sunny: Fog masked
the countryside during our 8-hour train ride from Bologna to Nuremberg. I could
see the land was planted in vineyards. Our evening arrival in Nuremberg was
made magic by the glittering sounds and sights of Hauptmarkt Christmas Market.
Rows and rows of booths of holiday goodies and crafts plus a performance stage
and carriage rides. Along with the other Christmas lights, it was glorious. Our
Hotel Saxx (recommended) looks out on the market. An Advent wreath adorns the
reception desk. We climbed the stairs to a packed restaurant serving only
skinny little bratwursts, sauerkraut, and potatoes plus beer, of course! The
potatoes blended with soft onions and cooked slivers of apple. Do try this at
home. Thus began our eat-the-meat section of the trip, contrasting with our
home Mediterranean diet. Mike’s right. Fried stuff tastes great! My mantra is
eat the dessert if it looks really good, then be judicious later. An example of this was a white chocolate and milk chocolate fondant covered banana punctuated with chocolate chunks!
We shopped for gifts at the market, and then joined the
crowd singing Christmas carols. Happy, happy folks downed adorable collectible
mugs of spiced wine and hot toddies. Festive international fun! The next day we
explored a delightful, nostalgia-evoking Toy Museum. From bone to wood to metal
to plastic (& on to 3-D printed?) toys. Floors of hundreds of examples.
Especially memorable are the Steif teddy bears, large model train setup modeled
after Detroit Michigan’s, and the finely rendered furnished dollhouses. I
thought of our niece, Meredyth who adored the dollhouse her Dad, Wes, made for
her.
This was our second trip to Nuremberg. We missed our friend,
Martin, who took several days off work to escort us around his homeland. His
remarks at the piazza next to where the Nuremberg trials were held echo in my
mind. The gist of it was modern Germany’s resolve “Never to Forget.” Never to
repeat. I thought of this when I heard Angela Merkel welcoming refugees.
This town is teeming with tourists! We squeezed into a lunch
restaurant, and were told we’d have to wait…unless we were willing to join a
German gentleman at his table. Why not? Well, one reason might be that we spoke
no German, and he spoke no English? Mostly the gestures were him ordering still
another beer and me sipping my liver dumpling soup. Mostly the talking was by our
new German friend while we politely nodded our agreement to who knows what.
Mike had goulash, quite rich and tasty. One ‘communication’ from our tablemate
deserved the label and that was when he pointed to framed 1945 photographs of a
totally devastated(now restored) St. Sebold’s church. Gulp.
We walked across the square then listened to an organ
concert in historic St. Sebald’s. After viewing photgraphs of the destruction
of the Cathedral from the bombings of 1945, Mike wrote a poem lamenting war. He put in this in their logbook:
“Oh
we the Human Race
Tortured by the horrors
We embrace
And still we go on
Not learning from the past
One wonders how long
Can we, as humans, last?”
ERLANGEN
After a short train ride we arrived at our ship. Years ago
we visited the aforementioned Martin and his family when they lived in
Erlangen. They have since moved. We received a warm welcome aboard from the
Viking Staff.
THE VIKING JARL RIVERBOAT
Rain raised our boat in this canal, so we’ll be on our way back
to Nuremberg. Our cabin is comfortable and roomy with fresh flowers! It comes
with gingerbread cookies, fresh pears, and Champagne.
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