|
Post by gabriele on May 21, 2016 2:50:16 GMT
Came here directly from FB, enjoyed sharing the tour with you. Like fumobici, I was there to see the BART construction (but in SF). When they tore up Market Street the 'street' was then heavy wood planks...made for interesting sounds when a heavy bus went over the boards... I remember they used some rather expensive bricks on some street detailing; seems some commuters would slow down, bend down, pick up a brick, slip it in their brief case and be on their ways. Supposedly a number of men redid their patios with them. Sounds like an urban legend but several of them got caught...taken to court, the bricks 'liberated'; I don't remember the penalty.
Can we look forward to a report on the station designs when they become known? Here in LA they just opened the light rail from downtown to Santa Monica...FINALLY! Of course so much of it is in vehicle traffic so it's not much faster, but definitely easier. I don't always agree with the art/design choices for our stations but at least the money is there for it to be done.
|
|
|
Post by gabriele on Apr 7, 2016 11:10:52 GMT
My mother read to us some evenings and since I was the youngest I often didn't know quite what the stories were about but I loved to listen to them anyway. I'm old enough (now) and when I was young we lived in an area where there was no tv reception so I listened to the radio, especially the serials...for children in the afternoon and then adults in the evening. But books! We had a series, My Book House, edited by a woman who wanted to expose children to good literature starting with nursery rhymes and simple stories, all the way up to nonfiction and biographies. The illustrations were wonderful! (our edition was from the 30's, perhaps a gift from our father's mother who had been the principal of a school way back when). The classic illustrators of the 20s and 30s made every story (especially the fairy and folk tales) magical. East of the Sun, West of the Moon; Baba Yaga; Snow White and Rose Red; stories from the Arabian Nights...they colored my imagination and while we were in a rather dull small town, I 'lived' in a different world. I loved the garments in the PRB illustrations and when I learned to sew well of course I made dresses reflecting my memories. I have continued to read children's stories and especially quality Young Adults. For those who still like fantasy, a favorite of mine is the Garth Nix (he's from Oz) series Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen. There's a younger series with each book based on the day of the week, I forget the name of that series. And someone who I dearly love (and reread some of his books every couple years) is Charles de Lint. He's Canadian and his stories take place in Canada and other lands not of this place and time.
I echo the votes for for the Narnia series, the Golden Compass series (but what a horrible movie!) did anyone read the Madeleine L'Engle books? Probably still available but not known outside of the US (and probably not that well in the US anymore, but books by Holling C Holling. The one I read first and loved the most was Tree in the Trail but he wrote other books. "The story of a cottonwood tree that watched the pageant of history on the Santa Fe Trail where it stood, a landmark to travelers and a peace-medicine tree to Indians, for over 200 years." I learned more history and Indian culture from that book than from school... As an aunt, great-aunt and adopted aunt many times over, sharing books with children has always been a great delight for me. I don't know who posted about Children's Books on Facebook but I'm so glad you did--
|
|
|
Post by gabriele on Apr 1, 2016 5:18:43 GMT
#37 has HAND tattooed on the back of his fingers...(right hand) I wonder what's on the left one...
|
|
|
Post by gabriele on Apr 1, 2016 5:06:43 GMT
My suggestion (coming from 11 years of hefting and splitting our firewood as well as other rural physical activities) is: Dolomite (calcium & magnesium). Combined (and don't pay a high price) they will relax the muscles, etc and ease some of the pain. An older doctor in that area gave only injections of calcium for severe pain and it worked. My second thought is that what you did with your arm also affected your upper back (knee bone connects to the thigh bone, etc if you remember the old song) and the weakness and soreness comes from the cervical spine. A good friend has had problems for a long time so I'm drawing on his own knowledge and experience) and if you know anyone who does massage to help you out; if not use a hot water bottle on that area of the spine to see if it loosens things up. I had a whiplash accident that wasn't identified until 6 months later and so I'm all too well aware of how the upper back affects more than just the back. Check out this diagram to see what area affects what and see if that particular area of the spine is especially sensitive: home.earthlink.net/~pnemanic/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/spine.jpgIf it is very sensitive in the spine area then I'd suggest either a massage therapist or a chiropractor. I'm fortunate that I've found a couple of good (not pricey, either) chiros: The first one I went to, and now the one I rely on. Both rely on their own skill and experience and not only xrays and multiple tests and tens units and the like. Another easy tool is to take a tennis ball and put it against the spine in the sore area and lean back against it (sit in a chair with a firm back). A friend travels with them and uses them when driving... me, I use them more for my feet...along with golf balls. Tired feet? Roll the larger ball around under your foot...you'll find the sore areas and it will help them stretch and relax. The golf ball is for those areas that need more attention... (I had studied reflexology..). IF you have medical coverage and you have access to an osteopath, that's who I would choose because they're more familiar with the spine and won't use a medical Rx shotgun to try to treat all symptoms without accomplishing much. X-rays won't show spinal misalignment or any sort of tendon, ligament or muscle damage. Just a waste of money. I hope you find some of this useful, I know how debilitating it can be...
|
|
|
Post by gabriele on Mar 29, 2016 10:41:09 GMT
I am so thankful that even if there were real magic in the world I wouldn't be trusted with it...the men with the leaf blowers would be eunuchs and the men who own the businesses would discover all their children weren't really theirs.
What is the most irritating after the noise is the fact the gas powered ones are against the law and they still use them. The law is toothless...
But there probably isn't, and I'm not so I content myself with wishing (someone) that everything they've ever wanted come to them all at one time. It's not a curse, it's well-wishing...they'd just have to deal with the 'everything at one time'. It also reminds me not to want much and be satisfied with what I have. Just in case.
and about the original post....I used to talk to myself in French so I could practice and it made it a more personal conversation. Unfortunately the French speaking side of me disappears (a very wise person) when I'm in a bad mood...then it's the Italian swear words I learned when I worked in an Italian restaurant in San Francisco (from a Sicilian co-worker).
|
|
|
Post by gabriele on Mar 29, 2016 9:57:43 GMT
Feeling rather dissatisfied with TT at this time (March 2016) I wanted to read some honest discussions about TT...I'd forgotten what this kind of honesty feels like. Rereading Nutrax's post #619 rings so many bells and having tried my best I feel as if it was wasted effort.
When I replied to a poster who spent his post complaining about how 2nd world people were treated--(when the OP had already reported how easily his interview for a visa for Greece went) I flagged his post because I thought it was off topic. I got a reply from Shi-whoever saying no, it wasn't off topic and rather than reply as I did, I should just flag it, that that's their job, doing the moderating, not ours. I replied to her and explained that I had written because I was proud of what the WE forum does and tries to do and that we had been successful in helping the OP....(defending the brand, as it were). She disagreed. I guess we're not supposed to stick up for the work we do and show our successes...and then I got a very nasty reply from nokka who had complained. I have been called a troll and the mods allow it to stand, now this...I feel as if I'm back working at a dead-end job where we're not supposed to have feelings or self-respect, just keep churning the advice out, and for LP's sake don't make any waves.
I had read the day before that the Observer (linked to The Guardian) is no longer allowing comments on their articles. Supposedly it requires too much moderation because of all the hate posts...but Guardian readers have said they think it's more than that and many only come to an article to read the comments. And I'm seeing that from Planet Jane in the General Chat thread on Old TT members where she's threating people with being suspended...and I didn't find the conversations that challenging.
I confess I am curious about how many people have left TT in the past year...I know Ansh is in a very good school in India and that no doubt takes much of his time, I hope he's doing well. I'll have to check out his blog and see where's he's travelling to, or has gone to recently.
I don't know that this will come to anyone's attention but I just needed to feel that I could actually communicate with real people without worrying about the Mods looking over my shoulder all the time.
K2, what other forums do you find worth your time now? Nutrax, I hope you do continue to contribute on TT, especially the California and Health subjects...which are pretty uncontroversial/safe.
I'm not planning on leaving TT but I'm also not planning on staying.
I guess my biggest nightmare is that Brad Kelley supported Trump. If that were true I couldn't support LP at all...
|
|
|
Post by gabriele on Mar 26, 2016 8:18:05 GMT
I'm not RC but religious expressions fascinate me. I arrived at CDG and rather than stay in Paris over Easter I chose to drive to Chartres (having been there once before).The cathedral is so beautiful it would be enough to be there but when I went to mass it was so absolutely different from a service at ND de Paris that I wouldn't have known it was the same religion if I were an alien. All the priests in Paris wore wrinkled polyester chasubles and looked as if someone had made them leave something important to come there. It was a shared vespers with an Eastern Orthodox group and they were so happy and joyous and their vestments, well they were wonderful. I have always had an antipathy to ND de P from the first time I saw it in person. I decided I would go sometime...and thought if I went for vespers at least there would be music. There was music but grumpy old men singing (the RCs) added nothing to the service. Chartres was the other side of the coin. EVERYONE was happy to be there and even the homily was nice and I was glad they don't use the passé simple anymore...it strains my vocabulary. I've been in the area close to Lourdes and felt fascinated by its lure (to others) and repelled by its spiritual gluttony. I love some of the little chapels in the towns in the Pyrenees, mostly Romanesque and many of the 11th and 12th century. I guess it's the simplicity which interests me.
I am fascinated by cults and so the cult of Ste Therese seemed so French and then I started reading about her family and how Mme. Martin had to get their family priest to talk to M. Martin about his responsibility to do his husbandly duties because he was sort of too saintly for all that. And with such parents it really isn't at all suprising that the girls would become nuns and that Therese would insist on going to Rome to get permission to join the convent when she was too young to do so... I believe that people can be capable of strong spiritual experiences but not everyone looks forward to getting TB.
I do like Sacre Coeur but then I like Montmartre (rented a cottage on an interior courtyard one week over New Years---wonderful!) and it comes with a great view, no cars and a charming little two-level merry go round at the base (nearby) of the funicular. And great fabric shops.
I respect Bernadette...she didn't want to be a saint, only became a nun because it allowed her to escape from public view. If you see the photos of her in what was supposed to be her native clothing...it wasn't. That photos was taken after she had entered the convent and the clothing and head covering were over her habit...and she didn't like having to do it.
I think it is the linking of religion with the state like this that made the law of 1905 (or whenever) come about...and Jean d'Arc was only canonised centuries after and I wonder if it is because she was a powerful symbol for the Masonic orders (I saw a great post card of all the men in the regalia marching on her birthday...she couldn't be allowed to stay a secular heroine...
I'm glad you were there and took photos of Lisieux. I find it rather frightening. On the other hand, your visit to two saints in Paris I found charming and restful, almost kindly.
I don't know when they celebrate Holi in Paris, that would be a nice antidote to the religiosity of Lisieux...
|
|
|
Post by gabriele on Jan 9, 2016 11:30:06 GMT
The photo below your text "There were a few objects that I could not identify."
looks to be a stand (once bolted to sidewalk or such) which would hold trash bags (the inner form) with the trash being inserted through the hoods on top. Lift the hood, remove and replace the bags and haul the litter away. The hoods would deter (maybe) people from digging thru the trash or being rained on or blown away.
Fisherman's waders would seem more practical but they can also be more dangerous. Maybe they were wetsuit feet and bottoms under the clothing for safety and comfort. I certainly would. Such workers would be in unions, yes?
Nice seeing the work being done but really looking forward to the refurbished canal. I like the area also although the time I was going to take the canal ride it rained heavily (and I'm used to rain) so I cancelled.
|
|
|
Post by gabriele on Sept 3, 2015 14:29:51 GMT
My first time visiting 'here'....('here' being lille-fantastic-2) and it was a much needed vacation from mundane reality. It has been so long since there has been anything in Los Angeles which does not bore or provoke apathy. I stopped being a member of a couple of museums because rather than investing in art they're (LACMA, at least) more concenred with a 'world class' museum campus which requires millions and millions (this ia a municipal museum, so fund raising required) and what has been offered has cost millions just to consider designs...the current one makes me wish the LaBrea Tar Pits would open up and start devouring the buildings...slowly, so the art could be saved but the area lost completely to the past...bad architecture to take its place with bones of sabre-tooth tigers and such. There is a new museum (a billionaire decided he wanted his own museum for his own collection) is opening soon downtown and it reminds me of a boxy cheese grater.
But this collection from Lille...it provokes so many responses, intellectual, emotional, physical. I don't know if you planned ahead for an esthetically pleasing but neutral hotel room (rather than an individualistic decorated older hotel) but it seemed both a balm and a balance...
Now I shall go back and explore lille-fantastic 1...
thank you so much. much needed cultural therapy.
|
|
|
Post by gabriele on Jul 10, 2015 3:30:24 GMT
Hi K2, sfgirl here (gabriele)...the friend who needed to find 'open mikes' sent an email to our mutual friend raving about Sacre Coeur and so he said he'd have to look up info on the place. Of course I came here, and have a half page of links for him to enjoy. Seems it's the woman and her daughter (I know both of them)...neither speak French but are trying, and I'm sure they're having a fantastic time. Only problem with visiting these pages is I want to be there myself---not in high season, but sometime. Maybe I'll hit the lottery..maybe. As always, such a pleasure to visit your corner(s) of Paris and France.
|
|
|
Post by gabriele on Sept 20, 2014 20:51:05 GMT
I've been quite close to Lourdes on several trips to this area but I felt more compelled to stay away than to go, even for curiosity's sake. I love old churches but some of the oldest have suffered from modernisation that ruins (IMHO) them. I went to a concert of an occitan artist Claude Marti (it coincided with a small festival in a small town in the Ariege Pyrenees) and while the church was lovely in its simplicity, some time in the 50s (I think) they had removed whatever artwork had remained and replaced it with dull, dour paintings of the apostles with the same huge-eyed faces that conveyed nothing. They unfortunately reminded me of the sad-eyes waifs that originated with an artist in San Francisco and spawned generations of sad-eyes children, dogs, cats--you name it. It was difficult to focus on the singer with all those mournful facing looking down on us and I suppose during a mass (at least one should hope!) there might be a measure of joy but aside from the wonderful Claude Marti, there was little to celebrate or enjoy in that place. Seeing some of the mosaics in your pictures brought all that back to me...I have seen wonderful Byzantine mosaics (Greek, Russian and other Orthodox churches) but they have their own established references so a complete image has only the essential elements with embellishments. 'Orthodox art' as bastardised by non-Orthodox artists (and copyists) is worse than just bad art, it's insulting to the source. Unfortunately, that approach has polluted so much of religious observances (and I am most definitely not RC and not a member of a Christian church---probably more a Cathar sympathiser if anything---but the culture of a church is the culture of a people...and the extreme tackiness of what is offered in the name of religion is appalling. Good intentions (producing such things) is not mitigated by the end result.
On the other hand, I think Chartres cathedral does it right...
On one trip in the Aude, I went to Rennes-le-Chateau. Not because I bought into the 'Holy Blood, Holy Grail' schtick but because it was near someplace else I was going and I thought I should see it if only to see the view. It was worth the drive for the view. I noticed all the cats in the church grounds and surrounding area were all black. Not ominous, just decided there was a black unneutered male cat having his way with the familes...unto several generations... Talk about tawdry bad art. The original plaster casting may have had some good lines but the paint jobs...mentally I wondered if the work was done by PS members who were atheists...and once the ugliness has been perpetrated it had to be kept up...nothing like layer upon layer of bad paint to remove any sense of spirituality... At the time the graveyard was still open so I entered. I usually like old cemeteries but this was both uncared for in some areas and over cared for in others. The tomb of old Sauniere was still there and it had only a name and a somewhat large (40cm or so) plaque with a profile of him...and not an attractive image or man. I wondered how the locals felt about their family members having to share the church yard with him...of course probably half of the tended graves had ceramic markers from Lourdes with the statement: At Lourdes I prayed for you. I had a mental image of someone going to Lourdes and praying that the Virgin Mary protect the soul of her (mother/sister/aunt/grandmother) from the unclean presence of that old priest (etc). I visited a wonderful old church between Foix and Laroque d'Olmes (Ariege)...the tall tall cypress trees around the edge, new monuments being erected...and only a few of the Lourdes markers there. I did see one somewhat strange erection...it was in cast iron and it incorporated both Christian (RC) symbols but also those of the Masons...but then, this is the Ariege where one is not supposed to be expected to choose between them, really. The graveyard near the old Cite in Carcassonne has some well-built stone houses and markers (and notices that if the rent isn't paid when due the graves may be taken back and the 'occupants' required to be moved) and yes, enough Lourdes souvenirs to delight those who believe in pilgrimages...at this point I was hoping that unlike so many of the plastic figures/statues of saints and such that are made in China the souvenirs were made in France...I'm sure there's no law against imported religous items...
I know on one travel forum there are people asking for assistance in planning a trip there since there isn't direct service and I wondered what the place was like. After some of your reports Kerouac which fill me with various positive emotions and make me wish I were there, this made me so very very glad I had not gone. The undergound basilica looks more like a shelter for nuclear disaster or the plague or (even worse) a place of containment in case of civil uprising. I wonder how many people discover they are claustrophobic upon entering there? Do they have roller derby in France? I could imagine a women's roller derby team madly skating down the long hallway into the main room and then skating around the room, faster and faster while people cheered them on. The bad acoustics would probably benefit from an event like that...
On your question about the priests and nuns sitting separately....I think the men would worry that the women would gossip and distract them while the women would be very conscious that the men regarded them as lower creatures and necessary for purpose but not really of much value. Then too, priestly misbehavior has a long, long history in the church...better safe than sorry girls!
I think I need to go revisit the Gorges of Kakuetta to cleanse my 'palate'...lovely place.
|
|
|
Post by gabriele on Sept 4, 2014 10:22:32 GMT
I know it's Paris (and since it is you taking the photos, I know it's a real Paris) but I feel turned on my head and it is a Paris of dreams of childhood (in which cars take up space but have no meaning), it is a Paris that Wim Wenders could have used instead of Berlin for Wings of Desire...the city the angels knew in black and white, which only turned to color when Damiel chose to fall from heaven (a wonderful Bruno Ganz)....where things are somehow timeless but in time as people move through their lives, where angels perch on monuments and towers and the city is clearly seen..but not the same city. Again, without the cars specifying the date, it's Alain Delon in Le Samourai...which I remember almost as a silent film (although a main character was a jazz xinger)... somehow silence and black and white images seem linked, but not because the original movies were black and white and silent... no, it's as if the black and white contain silence, time stopped, waiting for something else to happen, then sound can return. I have been reading 'Camus A romance'...taking time to absorb the writer's exploration of Camus....I remember embracing the idea of the existentialists when I was first learning French (1956), foundering on Sartre (in english) and then reading Camus. I didn't fall in love with Camus but with the France and Paris (mainly Paris) of Camus...a world of change, of new ideas and people who were so....beyond the world I knew. I read one of his plays (Les Justes) in French in 1959 and it told me more about the conflicts in the world at the time than any serious reporting in newspapers or magazines. Camus, too, walks some of the streets in your photos or perhaps lives in an apartment down one of the narrow streets you've recorded. I'm going to have to come back to this when I have more time, perhaps have a little cognac (fine à l'eau), I know I have an old Piaf album but that would be too emotional for black and white...maybe Francoise Hardy's Star...
Kerouac, when you walk around some areas/places, do you ever hear music that sort of suits where you're at (hear it in your head, not with your ears)? Again, thank you for making your Paris ours as well... Merci mille fois as my Third Year French teacher used to say...
|
|
|
Post by gabriele on Aug 29, 2014 7:20:45 GMT
I think if I had to have a religous affiliation (I know, it would never happen in France) I would choose to be Buddhist...a much more interesting place than the new cathedral. How fourtunate you came across it! It strikes me (all those hard brick walls reminded me too much of the Albi cathedral and the fight against the cathars, hence the choice of the verb) that there is nothing RC about the place. There are no kneelers and it appears there is really no room to kneel if some very observant person wanted to. I hate to think what the acoustics in the large or small rooms are. Definitely not a place one would want to go for an organ concert... I remember when SF MoMA was located in the Veteran's Memorial building (next to what at the time was the home of the SF Symphony and Opera. Went to a couple exhibits there. Not a good location...but the new building left me quite cold. And at the time (one hopes their collection has gotten better) I found no reason to go back to visit (by that time I'd moved from SF). I think it was the Today Show that used to have a hand painted sign of each day's date... August 29, 2014 (as example). Some genius with the museum decided that the sign for the day of the big earthquake (Loma Prieta) was a worthwhile archetypal artifact that deserved to be on display in SF MoMA...and was. The museum is currently closed (since 2013) for renovation and expansion. One hopes it improves with all that money thrown at it. I agree it is in a cramped environment but then I've found few modern buildings that I respect (let alone like) so enough on that place. On the subject of modern cathedrals (and I do love the gothics), I think the New Saint Mary's Cathedral is quite awesome (in the best sense of the word) even after all the years since its construction. It's not big on most visitors' agendas but there are a lot of foreign visitors so it has its fans... Here's a couple links www.aviewoncities.com/sf/stmaryscathedral.htmwww.greatbuildings.com/buildings/St_Marys_Cathedral_SF.htmlTo walk into it...because there are no interior walls, I felt I was being drawy up by all the vertical movements expressed in the exterior walls and the supports. I went for a concert and the acoustics were very good. In comparison, the 'new' cathedral (Nuestra Senora des Los Angeles) is...well..it reminds me of an armadillo...I won't even go there for free concerts. There is a wonderful website in the UK called Ship of Fools...and one of the things it does is have Mystery Worshipers visit various religious institutions and then report on the experience. Probably no photos (or few) but for those who like to explore churches, it's worth a visit (and don't miss the Gadgets for God department either... shipoffools.com/mystery/And the Buddhist temple? When finished it will be the largest in Europe...(when finished...) www.bouddhisme-universite.org/node/701and it seems (another site) they don't allow visitors. Too bad. Thanks for another great shared adventure...
|
|
|
Post by gabriele on Jul 10, 2014 22:10:53 GMT
Hi Kerouac, I came here "just to get the link" so I could post in on Thorn Tree...but of course I had to stop and revisit Chartres with you again. It happens often...I reread a post and it's not just revisiting it, it's discovering it all over again... Thank you... sfgirl42
|
|
|
Post by gabriele on Jun 25, 2014 19:53:46 GMT
This topis has started being discussed on Thorn Tree but since many people concerned with Paris do not follow Thorn Tree threads, here is some basic information I have come across. SPLM isw an association of various parties concerned with vacation rentals, particularly based in France and more so in Paris. SPLN members pay the taxes that a hotel would collect and have a commitment to service to the customer, the industry and the neighborhood. I had rented a cottage from a member in 2004 or so and followed the owner who then became part of a larger company specializing in Montmartre rentals. When the subject of the Loi ALUR came up, I contacted her for more information. She provided me links to the SPLM website and other background information. Statement (in French) from the head of SPLM to the mayors of Paris (who it seems may have control over the implementation of the law): www.splm-france.fr/loi-alur-2/Seven Keys to Understand the law: www.splm-france.fr/les-7-cles-pour-bien-comprendre-la-loi-alur/News (which includes other LOI ALUR links: www.splm-france.fr/category/actualites/About SPLM: www.splm-france.fr/about-us/Their arguments again implementing the law against all temporary rentals (non-hotel) are valid and I'm sure this will become much discussed and debated. While I may never visit Paris again, I would like to think that the convenience and pleasures of having one's own space while in Paris will be possible for all who can afford it. As an argument against the full applicaiton of the law, they point out that offshore companies could rent apartments and avoid the law if done discretely. Since I have read some horror stories on TT about people who booked online and ended up with a place that failed to provide what was offered and no refund given (more in other countries than in France). Kerouac I know you posted on TT about this so hope you will add any news you get, thanks gabriele (sfgirl)
|
|
|
Post by gabriele on May 17, 2014 23:46:50 GMT
It's been 37 c here in Los Angeles and I do remember the great benefits of shutters that I enjoyed when staying in the south of France. I was there a couple of times in late fall/winter and they were a real benefit then too. Of course in the Pyrenees area, the shutters were solid, not louvered but I too remember the pleasure of being able to open them to let some sunlight in. I rented a gite once that was stone with 45 cm thick walls and since it was old, the shutters were heavy iron, but in addition to keeping out the heat of the day, they were also thick enough so there was no heat transfer through them. A house in Mirepoix that was the first place I stayed in France (and stayed several times after, including the last visit) had had wood shutters and they hadn't seemed well-maintained. In reading a blog from a local source (in French) she (La Dormeuse Blog) had photos of various houses along the canal that circles the town and I was both pleased (for the house) and not to see the shutters and door were either replaced or well-prepared and painted. The 'not' was because the owners are/were? Canadians and the husband was getting up in years and I don't know if the wife would have continued to come to France without him. But when one follows the life of a small town through blogs, online newspapers and city websites, there are always comings and goings... About the lack of shutters in northern Europe (parts)....there was a series of detective fiction about a Dutch detective van de Valk (Nicholas Freeling) and I remember one story where he visited a very isolated area in the Netherlands and as he walked around noted the lack of shutters and how one could observe the inhabitants everyday lives...which he doubted was how they really lived their lives.. My friend who lived in Amsterdam at the time agreed when I mentioned the story...said the lack of privacy in ground level dwellings bothered him no end...that he was both drawn to look and repelled by the idea of seeing someone else's private life--especially if it were boring and full of typical practival Dutch things...
and K, your curiosity about what's behind the shutters...I feel something similar but in a different way...I love to look at online ads for houses for sale...the older the better. And in renting gites, my rule of thumb was 'the older the better'...the oldest was the house in Mirepoix, built partially with stones from the old city wall, originally a business downstairs (so small!) and living quarters (2 rooms) upstairs (but most of the houses along the canal were like that..). That place was at least 300+ years...the house (with the iron shutters) was 150+....the old stone basin (1x2 m) for laundry was still there, along with nearby well (covered over). The original kitchen was somewhat detached from the house proper (safety, no doubt) and still had an immense grilleade (is that the correct term for the barbecue?) Sometimes I would find out some of the history of the original owners of the houses...and if really fortunate, the stories and old photos would have been passed along to the new owners... When I rented a cottage in Paris in Montmartre, the dwellings that were on the open square (a small one, and not really square) had been nun's dwellings...but the week I stayed there my dreams were all about events during WWII....people hiding, planning an escape, like that sometime I might do some research to see if there's anything about that specific area...I was there Christmas to just after New Years and it rained off and on...my friend couldn't join me which was fine, I was able to explore Paris in a somewhat surrealistic fog of the dreams, feeling invisible (neither a local nor a tourist) and never seeing any of the neighbors (apartment houses/flats surrounded the smaller dwellings). And I had no interest in knowing anything about them... When you explore the 'unimproved' areas of Paris do you ever get lost in time, however briefly?
|
|
|
Post by gabriele on Mar 21, 2014 8:09:42 GMT
I first had oxtail as take out from a Chinese place in San Francisco...they didn't sell the usual foods and it looked good, so I got it...and it was. I haven't fixed it much as it can be pricey (and I've found, all too often defrosted from having been frozen)..but since I had liked the Chinese dish, I looked for Chinese recipes and I think they recommended if conerned about freshness, to soak in sale water for a couple hours (this technique is also used when cooking game...too often the person who cuts up the meat doesn't let it hang properly and blood remaining in the meat adds a horrible flavor) and/or adding a little rice vinegar or cooking wine...
I have been able to get some affordable lamb shanks (from Australia) and I cook them like your oxtails, Kerouac and then do the picking the meat from the bone...except I do keep the broth (after removing most of the fat) as it has all the good 'whatever' that bones give to the broth. First dish is a curry and the rest goes into bags...worth the time and work.
The top of my bucket list is a minestrone soup that I loved...of course this was in SF in the 60s...but I found a copy of the recipe in a book about famous SF restaurants, so I bought the book, and one of these cold days (if we ever have a winter in SoCal again..) I will make it. It calls for: either a huge amount, or a small size dish 2 # bARLEY 3 OZ 3 # SPLIT PEAS 5 OZ 3 # DRIED LIMA BEANS 5 OZ 3 # DRIED RED BEANS 5 OZ 2 HEADS CELERY CHOPPED 6 STALKS 1 LG HEAD CURLY GREEK CABBAGE CHOPPED 1/4 SMALL HEAD 2 BUNCHES CHARD CHOPPED 6 LEAVES 3 OR 4 LEEKS CHOPPED 1 LEAK 3 # SALT PORK CHOPPED 5 OZ 4 OR 5 ONIONS CHOPPED 1 GARLIC TO TASTE 1 CLOVE 2 QT TOMATO PUREE 1 CUP PLUS 2 C. SOLID PACK TOMATOES SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE 2-3 t SALT, 1 t PEPPER DRY SWEET BASIL TO TASTE 2 T ASSORTMENT OF SQUASH, EGGPLANT, SPINACH, ETC CUT INTO SLICES 1 # UNCOOKED MACARONI (RICE OR OTHER PASTE CAN BE SUBSTITUTED FOR OR SUPPLEMENT THE MACARONI).
The soup was started at 6 am every morning and allowed to cook until lunch time...at which time they'd start another batch...fresh grated parmesan or romano...couple slices of Italian brea... Some of the beans were mashed up, the lentils of course became part of the soup base...so it was think and satisfying.
I can't see making the soup with the smaller amount..even though I don't know how much the big recipe makes, and I dn't know enough people I'd want to cook for to come eat it. I suppose I cold freeze it....
All the minestrone soups I've had recently are more broth with some beans...no substance...not the working man's lunch that Mike's served...
I think I'll check the Guardian and see what sort of recipes they have for oxtail...sometimes they're good (the recipes), sometimes....total failures...
|
|
|
Post by gabriele on Mar 21, 2014 7:38:42 GMT
Yes, they want people to re-ener their password or make a new one...which I did. There's one new post in WE, but they did move Ansh's Schengen forum to the top which is good. Don't know if anyone else ran into it (I posted complaints about various 'new look' concerns) but the space for comments is ridiculously small....I also dislike the text color and the placement of the Report function..which currently takes up the entire width of the page AND too much space..well, it's enough that I won't bother reporting anything except something that irritates the hell out of me. Which put me in a non-generous mood so I won't contribute links (on TT) about two articles from Skift skift.com/2014/02/07/lonely-planet-buys-budget-travel-magazine-reportedly-for-2-4-million/skift.com/2014/03/17/the-best-lines-from-outside-magazines-very-long-profile-of-lonely-planets-boss/I don't know if many people bother to read such things but it lets LP know someone is watching them... I did notice on my profile (from the top of the page link) that it listed all the most recent posts...but whatever gormless idiot came up with THAT plan needs to go sit in an empty field and think on the meaning of life and stop being so innovative. I don't usually watch or recommend US tv programs but a friend who knows my dislike of some hipster techies, had me watch an episode of CSI LA....one extremely self-satisfied techie was being particularly detestable, and one of the senior members, [looking at him, top to bottom, the senior member wearing a proper suit, looks at the young man's almost beach attire with long shorts (men's pedal pushers?) and scuffy sandals...] said...do this, do this....and go home and put on some big boy pants...this is not your playground. I'll try to find out the techie's name (from the program) and will use it as a generic term for planners who don't plan at all well...
|
|
|
Post by gabriele on Mar 11, 2014 8:22:23 GMT
thanks---it's still symbolism, which is a good thing...
|
|
|
Post by gabriele on Mar 10, 2014 6:27:21 GMT
Hello Kerouac, wonderful visit, thank you very much. I wonder if the high percentage of visitors from nearby regions could be attributed to the lack of foreign tourists? It would an incentive to me, if I lived there... On the paths...they make sense to me. The building itself is so rigid and fixed; it presents itself: Here I am. But the meandering paths with obstacles (the holes) and separations break the format: The interior layout does the same. It makes the visitor not simply march up to the entrance (as many in other museums do)...to be confronted by art/history/creativity which requires a non-linear, non-logical state of mind to really appreciate it. Some museums have sculptures outside to engage the visitor with art before they enter the galleries; the Louvre pyramid brings people to another encounter with the non-traditional approach to art (another Asian architect)...so the Japanese firm took a limited budget and with harsh winters as a concern, came up with something that required the visitor to deal with impractical things where function is usually the main consideration. As you did..to say you don't know why they did it. It made you think...but logic could not give you an answer. On "Some of the people in this part of France probably spent evenings like this only about 50 years ago." George de La Tour painted two versions of The Magdalen with the Smoking Flame: The Louvre loaned their copy to the LA County Museum of Art and it was displayed next to their version and in return, LACMA loaned their copy to the Louvre for a similar display. Here's the LACMA version: collections.lacma.org/node/238963LACMA is not a great museum but it does have some nice works. There is also the Japanese Pavillion which contains a great collection of Japanese art, sculpture, netsuke and screens. It is laid out so you start at the top and follow a slowly sloping ramp down, with scrolls, screens and such displayed much as they would be in the classical Japanese house...so the guest encounters first one, then another, then another. There is a small stream of water that follows the path and creates a harmonious sound to accompany the art. Only in two small rooms (that one walks through to another area) are the walls straight and the art in a line on the wall. In San Franciso (long ago) I used to go to the Japanese Tea Garden in the early morning before the neighboring De Young Museum (in Golden Gate Park) would open. Even on warm days the fog would linger and following the paths (yea, meandering) one felt the path might have just been created, that it wasn't there before. I have had a great affection for Japanese art, design and garden ever since then. The Japanese Pavillion has another virtue; like the museum at Lens, it is not crowded at all...so I know what a pleasure that can be. My other thought on the walkway was that perhaps the holes were designed to percoate the rain into the subsoil (hence the gravel)....approaches like this are becoming more popular where the lack of enough rain or other water make the cost of water for lawns a serious concern (esp in California). It also works against the flooding caused by runoff, always a good thing. added thought: tour guides must go crazy taking people to that museum...'it's not organized!'... (etc).... again, thank you... gabriele (sfgirl)
|
|
|
Post by gabriele on Jul 21, 2013 13:59:35 GMT
|
|
|
Post by gabriele on Jul 21, 2013 13:57:27 GMT
|
|
|
Post by gabriele on Jun 19, 2013 14:15:23 GMT
|
|
|
Post by gabriele on Jun 11, 2013 21:47:29 GMT
Cross posting to WE as those forum members seem to ask good questions. Lonely Planet hires CTO from within in first leadership move in post-BBC world skift.com/2013/06/11/lonely-planet-makes-first-moves-in-post-bbc-world/Comment from SKIFT: "LP has a formidable challenge ahead of it as Google has signified that it wants to own travel and has the resources to reach consumers at every step of the way as well as hire whoever it wants to make this happen. " I tried posting this on TT in the All About LP forum and it got lost. Posted on WE...see if it lasts.
|
|
|
Post by gabriele on Jun 11, 2013 7:54:33 GMT
The oldest post on France in Frommer's is 41 days old...but there are definitely people following this part...Kerouac2's post on the Most Beautiful Village has garnered 498 views and 49 posts....with heady discussions such as one used to find on TT...and it was originally posted on 5 June...
I think the issue is to get valid posters to ask good questions, I think the responses will follow...this is certainly better than Rough Guide's forum.
|
|
|
Post by gabriele on Jun 10, 2013 7:39:12 GMT
#3, #6 Thank you, very helpful and useful.
|
|
|
Post by gabriele on Jun 9, 2013 21:41:42 GMT
9 June regards posted a brief note about air traffic controllers in France causing a 50% cut in flights for a couple days. Having been in situations when a potential strike would be close to disaster, I did more research and found an article with all the pertinent info in the Mirror (not my usual choice on newspapers). I cited it, copied it, and added a few personal comments and clicked to post. The post got hung up in la-la land and the page stayed stuck where it was. I had other things to do so I did them and came back to find it was still circling the airport so I copied the text and refreshed the page and was taken to the header page. There, in my list of posts, was the errant thread. Went to it and found Adreas had edited it and posted it...which really pissed me off. Here was my reply to him: "Andreas, why was this edited? Some people don't want to have to go to another website just to read the news? If there is a legal reason then guidance should be given to forum members about such things. I've been waiting hours to free up my screen (it was stuck on 'send' and didn't receive a notice that it was being subject to scrutiny by mods. A response is requested. Thank you." Here's the thread: www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=2326219&messageID=20886798#20886798His comment on it: "Edited by: Andreas_at_LP A brief excerpt with a link to the website ' I am so angry I could spit...but it wouldn't reach that far. Do we now have a a gestapho to determine what we can and can't post from other sources? Is it to save space? Some people don't WANT to be given a link (I know people who have complained in their reples to information provided that they don't have time to look at all the links people have spent time looking up [the woman from Australia that's trying to bike all over France---very unappreciative, demanding sort wo won't get anymore assistance from me]. And if they're aiming at the prtable device people, they won't appreciate links either. If I don't get a response on-thread do you think I should take it to a complaint site on TT? thanks
|
|
|
Post by gabriele on Jun 2, 2013 5:06:53 GMT
I didn't really mean it to be about the real Zabba...but more like a cartoon character...I think my real criticism was directed at the people (management) in charge. I've tried to figure out exactly what the mods did/do...because they're not IT people...and they spend more time telling us 'no' instead of telling us useful stuff...
|
|
|
Post by gabriele on Jun 1, 2013 9:28:35 GMT
Hi Ansh,
If I had to guess, I think I would guess that he's chosen to leave...had enough of it..and probably has enough experience to get a good job. I hope it was his choice. But then, we don't know how much responsibility he's had for what is done and what isn't done. Of course it's going to make for interesting questions when it comes to job interviews....
"So, Mr. Zabba, you did what at TT? And what did this accomplish? Can you provide information on how much profit you generated for your company? No? Well, then, how did they measure your productivity and accomplishments? Could you describe the business model for the company and how you and your group functioned within that? I see. You were not aware of the company's business model or if they had one, and if they had one, who was responsible for it and how it might affect the work you did? And how did you get the TT job Mr Zabba? A friend of a friend, I see. Basic knowledge of geography, regular typing skills, able to follow basic instructions and willingness to take charge of the coffee making was considered extra qualifications? Yes, I can see why they'd select you. And now you're looking for a challenge, an opportunity for growth with a forward looking company and salary commensurate with your experience. Now Mr. Zabba...oh, Mr Zabba isn't your legal name, it's the name you used at TT and it's how you're best known. I see. Oh, you're saying I can verify you worked there by looking at the site and seeing all your posts. Yes, that is handy. And you're particularly pleased with the "No Business Accounts" post that has its own place on the page. No one else has accomplished that. Is that during the time you've worked there? Ever? No one else has ever accomplished that? Well, Zabba' if I may call you that, that really is quite an achievement. I don't know if our company could even approach the possibility of your making your mark here in such an impressive way. Yes, I can see how you would be proud of it. Did a screen shot and framed it for your room at home? Yes, I might have done that myself. I'm sure your mother is very proud of you. Yes, yes, we'll call you if we have an opening that might suit your qualifications, thanks so much for coming in, it's been a pleasure. "
I hope Zabba wouldn't be offended by my attempt at humor...it's really about TT, not about him.
|
|
|
Post by gabriele on May 31, 2013 20:35:58 GMT
|
|