Christmas in New York

Greetings from New York! I have never blogged about New York before because I wouldn’t know where to begin or end and a post on a website seems inadequate to capture the many charms of this city. I would need a novel or an opera.  Christmas in New York, however, is a moment in time capable and worthy of description.

I am pleased to report that there was snow on Christmas Eve; not falling from the sky, but piled up along sidewalks and balanced on top of mail boxes.  I arrived to find a pleasant nip of winter in the air – the sort of brisk chill that is invigorating and fresh, worthy of mittens, not balaclavas.

I set out on my search for Christmas splendor in Union Square where the annual Christmas market was in full swing, with artists and jewelers and craftspeople selling their wares from red and white stalls decorated with pine tree garlands.  I didn’t buy anything, but I spend about an hour strolling around.  I had a pleasant chat with the world’s greatest sock puppet portrait artist, Marty, of whom I am a great fan and then I enjoyed a small cigar as I walked onwards in the winter sunshine. 

Marty: the Sock Puppet Portrait Guy

Later I found myself in Times Square, having decided to pick up my theatre tickets ahead of time.  Times Square looks the same at Christmas as it does at every other time of year, but it feels Christmassy nevertheless.  After all both Times Square and Christmas are all about colored, blinking lights and insatiable consumerism.  I collected my tickets for my upcoming shows (Billy Eliot, Hair, and A Little Night Music) and meandered over to 5^th and 42^nd to have a cigar at Nat Sherman.

The fellows at Nat’s welcomed me warmly and I enjoyed a 75^th Anniversary non-Cuban Montecristo Robusto in their Johnson Club Lounge, where I chatted about the injustice of the anti-smoking regulations with some local guys.  The cigar lacked complexity, but it was fairly strong, well-constructed and tasty.

After my cigar, I dashed over the Grand Central to have a cocktail with my friend Dave. Grand Central Station was buzzing with Christmas travelers boarding trains with bouquets of flowers, giant wreathes, bottles of wine and shiny, wrapped presents.  We sat at one of the bars, overlooking the station and taking in the light show on the ceiling, which was cool in a 1970s sort of way.  Eventually we boarded one of the trains north to Chappaqua for Christmas dinner with friends (sadly, not the Clintons).

Grand Central

On Christmas day I was insistent that we take in all of the typical Christmas sights.  We took the subway to Columbus Circle and walked along the south border of Central Park to 5^th Avenue; as we approached, you could actually feel the Christmas spirit intensify.  The streets were overflowing with people (almost all tourists) gawking at the impressive decorations and waiting in line for horse-drawn carriage rides. 

Cartier Building

The decorations on 5^th Avenue are impressive.  Every building is tarted up with lights and elaborate displays.  The window displays at Bergdorf’s were amazing; each window is a self-contained world of magic. They had sort of an Alice in Wonderland Theme – not especially Christmasy, but very cool.  The Cartier building is wrapped in a massive red ribbon and bow made entirely of glittering scarlet lights.

As I said, 5^th Avenue was thick with tourists, which meant that is was also crawling with those wanting to profit from them. There were about a half-dozen guys on every block selling fake designer purses, watches and sunglasses.  There were stalls selling souvenirs and winter accessories food vendors selling pretzels and knishes and then there was my favorite: the three card monte guys and the guys who play that game with the three cups and the ball.  It is fascinating to watch these guys, because they always draw a small crowd of interested onlookers, planning to profit from what seems like an easy game.  My favorite part is watching the one plant in the crowd – the guy who bets $40, $60, $100 and always makes a profit by picking the right card or cup.  Of course this guy is in on the con.  Quickly others in the crowd, inspired by the easy with which the plant is winning his money, start placing bets with less success.  For me, the entertainment is free.

pedestrians on 5th Avenue

I crossed the street and went to the Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, which was filled with the pious and the curious.  The music was beautiful, but the crowds were a bit too much to bear, so I did not stay too long.

Finally, the Mecca of New York Christmas cheer: Rockefeller Centre.  The centre is decorated with illuminated snowflakes, angels blowing gilded trumpets, towering toy soldiers and, of course, the massive Christmas tree.  It is all very lovely.  I had hoped to go ice-skating, but as with my previous trip to Christmas New York, the line is ridiculously long.  If you have your heart set on skating at the Rockefeller rink, I recommend getting there as soon as it opens.

Rockefeller Center

On the streets surrounding Rockefeller centre are dozens of people dressed up as Santa, Sponge Bob, Dora the Explorer, Hello Kitty, the Grinch, et cetera. For a dollar you can have your picture taken with them.  I think these people are just entrepreneurs who rent costumes and take to the streets in the hope of making a buck.  Not a bad idea, really.  I saw one child staring up with utter bafflement at group of costumed characters composed of two Elmos and two Cookie Monsters.  The poor kid must have thought he was seeing double.

Boxing Day was a day of theatre.  I saw “Hair”, which was joyous.  Every member of the cast had an amazing voice.  The best part was at the end when they sang “Let the Sun Shine In”, they invited people to join them on the stage to dance and sing along.  I bolted down from the mezzanine and clapped and sang and danced on the stage with all of the hippies.  It was awesome.  In the evening, I saw a performance of “A Little Night Music”, starring Angela Lansbury and Catherine Zeta-Jones.  It was a wonderful production and I loved it.  In between the two shows I enjoyed a cigar at Nat Sherman’s where I also attempted to dry out from the unrelenting rain outside.

Today I plan to go to the MOMA and the rest of the day is a mystery.  The snow and rain are both gone, the sun is shining, and my flight is not until 9:45pm, so almost anything is possible.  It is the 27^th and there are still the faintest wisps of Christmas still in the air.

Home

I arrived home yesterday. My last night in Luxembourg was fun, as i went to several locations participating in La Nuit des Musees, where all of the galleries and museums were open until 1am and had special events going on (jazz bands, performance art, cocktails, etc). It was great. 

d

Vianden

On Friday morning, after a hearty breakfast i took two buses to get to Vianden, which is Luxembourg's most popular tourist destination. Why is it popular?

Vianden Castle

That's why. Because there is a big 12thC castle on a hill surrounded by a little medieval village. It is perfect. The air smells of leaves and woodsmoke and grilling meats. There were virtually no tourists, so i felt like i had the town to myself. I visited the castle and took a chair lift up to the top of a mountain for coffee. I visited the house where Victor Hugo lived while in exile. (Apparently he wrote Les Miserables there.) and i just generally wandered around, because that's all there is to do. My hotel (the Hotel Heintz) was absolutely delightful, so i relaxed there before going out for dinner. After dinner i hopped between three different bar\cafes, enjoying wine, coffee and cigars. (Cuban cigars are about half the price that they are in Canada, but there are not alot of shops that sell them.)

view from Vianden castle

me (dale) on the chairlift in Vianden

The town was all abuzz though getting ready for the annual Nessmoort (Walnut Festival). They were setting up booths and there were walnut related products everywhere--liquors, sweets, roasted nuts etc. Apparently it is a big deal and they have been doing it for centuries. (Actually, they are festival crazy in this town; apparently they relish in any excuse to get dressed up in medieval costume, drink and eat sausage.)

Anyway, i arrived back in Luxembourg city this morning. I am staying at a new hotel, the Hotel Simonici, which is very modern (everything is white) with lots of art on the walls. It is very nice, although my room is tiny.

The city is lively today. Hundreds of Swiss soccer fans are running wild through the streets and forming marching bands. I went to an antique market in one of the squares (mostly junk, but it was fun to look), and then i had lunch. At lunch i met this Irish girt who has invited me to join her and some friends for drinks later, which i may do depending on my mood.

Tomorrow i return home.

I may write again later...or not.

d

Echternach

When we last met our heroine, she was off to Echternach, deep in the heart of "little Switzerland" and then....nothing. As it turns out that i have been in areas so quaint, that they are internet free! (i apologize if i am making even more typos than usual, but this keyboard is entirely random and difficult to navigate.)

On Thur4sday i took the bus from Luxembourg city to Echternach, which took just under an hour. It was raining when i arrived, but that did not dissolve my spirits, as the town is so charming. It is kind of like Tallinn, in that it is very small and very medieval feeling. There is a square and a pedestrian street, a church and a school and that's about it. I checked into my Hotel, Le Pavillion, which was very cozy; i then proceeded to explore the town.To my delight there were hardly any tourists and almost no one spoke English. There were however lots and lots of kids. There is an enormous boarding school in Echternach and after school and into the evening, the kids just roam freely. Some were as young as about 8 years old. They weren't creepy - like children from a certain movie that shall not be named - they were just hanging out and eating candy. It is hard to imagine people in North America letting children roam unsupervised, but to the best of my observation, not one of these children was being molested. Crazy.

Echternach

I walked around all the streets at least twice before i decided to venture across the bridge into....Germany! Germany is a stone's throw from Echternach - literally, i threw a stone and hit German soil. Unfortunately, the town on the German side isn't very attractive, but i did hike up a mountain path into the forest to see what i could find. (nothing)

Bach to Echternach, i had dinner outside of my hotel, sitting in the stillness, watching people walking sturdy rottweilers and German Shepards and listening to a couple of old men talking vibrantly in Luxembourgish.

And that was my day in Echternach.

I've Got a Lovely Bicycle

I awoke this morning feeling a million times better (still a bit sniffly, but much better).

After breakfast, I took a stroll through the weekly farmers market at the Place de Guillaume II, where they had a lovely array of fruits and flowers. Sadly, I was stuffed from breakfast, so I didn't try anything.

I then did something shocking....I rented a bicycle! They have those bike that lock up automatically and you rent them for like €1/hour and you can return it to any station in the city. I rode it cautiously at first, only on the sidewalks, but then I was riding in traffic without a care - and also without a helmet. It was liberating to be so reckless. I must say though that people here (and likewise in Paris and Amsterdam) ride bicycles differently than they do in Vancouver. First of all they are better dressed - men in suits and women in dresses. People in Vancouver slap on the reflective spandex just to commute to work. Second, people in Europe don't ride their bike like maniacs. In Vancouver people are dodging in and out of traffic, always racing. Here everyone seems to ride at a leisurely pace, perhaps so they don't get sweaty in their fine clothes. Anyway, it was fantastic.

me on my bicycle

I ended my ride at the train station, where I caught a train to Clervaux, in the middle of the picturesque Ardennes, which makes up Northern Luxembourg. It took 50 minutes to get there. Clervaux is slightly larger than Esch-Sur-Sure, but not by much. It seemed especially sleepy. All the stores seemed to be closed, I didn't see anyone driving or doing much of anything really, except sipping coffee and walking slowly. It was quite lovely. Everyone there seemed to speak either German or Luxembourgish, not English or French.

Clervaux

I went to Clervaux Castle to see the Family of Man exhibit. The Family of Man is a photography exhibit but together in the 1950s at the Met in New York. It showcases photos of people from around the work taken by a wide-ranging group of photographers. The idea was to show people from everywhere engaging in similar activities to show how people are are fundamentally alike. (Since it is from the 1950s, I suppose it is a reaction to WWII and the Cold War). It is very sentimental, but effective and I quite enjoyed it. I had also planned to visit a museum dedicated to Bettle of the Ardennes, but discovered that from October to May it is only open Sundays.

Cathedral in Clervaux

After a coffee, I returned to Luxembourg City...and to my bicycle. This time, I rode down a crazy, windy hill to the Petrusse Valley and to Grund. I rode the length of the valley and back again. There were any cars on the path I was on, so I could ride as fast as I liked. At one point, which stopped on the bike, some Japanese tourists took photos of me. I suppose I shall end up in someone's photo album in Kyoto as an example of a Luxemburg commuter.

I then visited the National Museum of History and Art. It has 2 floors of contemporary Luxemburgish art, including an exhibit by an artist called Foni Tissen, whose work I quite liked. The other floors were devoted to renaissance and medieval works, of which I have seen better collections, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. (Wow, that sounds snobbish!) The lower two floors were all ancient history stuff - Translation: rooms of clay pots and bits of clay pots and bits of metal that once formed part of something useful.

I had falafel for dinner. I had planned to go for something fancier, but it was 6:00 and I was hungry. I am never in Europe long enough to get on to their eating schedule.  All the restaurants close or stop serving food between like 3 and 8pm here and, well, I get too hungry for dinner at eight.

I had a cigar at the hotel bar and then went out for a stroll.

It is so warm here today; even this evening i didn't need a jacket.

The city is very busy tonight. The restaurants and bars are literally overflowing - people milling about outside with their drinks in excited groups. One street even rolled out a red carpet that stretched for several blocks and all of the shops were serving champagne to people on the street. I wanted to mingle there, but it was a very well-heeled crowd and i did not fit in.

I must say that the men here are all very well dressed in nice suits. It looks like a whole city of lawyers and investment bankers, and it probably is.

Tomorrow i head to Echternach in the area known as "little Switzerland", where i shall be staying the night.

Gutt Nuecht.

L'Eau de Vie

Last night after blogging, I enjoyed the most relaxing evening in the lounge at my hotel. I had a cigar and read the New York Times and worked on the crossword puzzle. I also samples one variety of the Luxembourg beverage, L'eau de Vie. Basically it is like grappa, but in stead of being made from grapes, it is made from fruit. There is apple, pear, strawberry, plum, raspberry, and others. I had the raspberry. It was quite nice.

I chatted with the waiter, who is from Germany. He told me that he recently went to Canada; and where do think he went? To Invermere, Cranbrook and Banff. How random is that? Invermere? He thought it was beautiful. He told me that he had always heard that Canada had very good ''weed'' and very bad chocolate. When I ordered my beverage he said ''Wunderbar'', of course it sounded like "Voonderbar". Delightful; I didn't know that German people actually said that.

I also talked to a Swiss man who has never left Europe because he does not think he could fly because he could not go without cigarettes fro the duration of the flight.

After a sleepless night due to a raging fever and an achy body, I began my day. I took a train to Ettlebruck and then caught a bus to Esch-sur-Sûre, which is North East of Luxembourg City. Esch-sur-Sûre is a tiny little hamlet nestled (that really is the most appropriate word for it) between the mountains in a steep bend in the river Sûre. The ride there was beautiful, past farms with horses and sheep with long tails and enormous cows. The town is tiny - population 250. It took me 20 minutes to walk every street. I played on a swing by the river and listened to birds and watched dogs playing by the river. The air was so crisp and the leaves were all in various shades of autumn.

Esch-sur-Sûre

The town dates back to about the 600s and there is a castle from about 800 on a hill in the centre of town. The castle is mostly in ruin now, but from its vantage point I had excellent views of the town. After a cup of coffee, I returned to Luxembourg city.

This afternoon I visited the AM Tunnel gallery. It is very odd. It is a gallery of photographs (100s of them) displayed in a tunnel 5 floors below the ground. The tunnel exists as a conduit between the various banks in the area (none of which look like banks, by the way; the all look like homes for royalty). The gallery had two exhibits: a vast collection of photos by Edward Steichen and a similar array of photos by Rene Burri. It was very impressive.

I haven't done much since then; I had dinner (pizza) and I have just been walking and relaxing. I just had some tea and a cigar at my hotel. I am pretty exhausted and still feeling quite ill, so I shall retire shortly.

The weather was nice today: about 17 degrees, cloudy, but not rainy.

Tomorrow I plan to take the train to Clervaux. Details to come.

d

Esch-sur-Sûre river

The Stuff of Nightmares

Day two in Luxembourg has had two things working against it: my cold and the rain, which was severe this afternoon. Aside from those two negative aspects, the day has been lovely. I went on a brisk walk in the park this morning before browsing through the shops on the Grand Rue. There is a fine selection of chocolate shops here, although I have yet to sample any. I did however buy a coat. It's weird, I know, but it is chilly here and the coat is nice; it is black and sort of marching-band-esque. It proved to be a wise purchase in light of the rain and cool temperatures.

Luxembourg busker

I then went to the Casino. No, not the gambling kind, some of you will be disappointed to learn (and you know who you are), it is a contemporary art museum called "Casino" (it was a gaming establishment in the 1800s). They had an exhibit called SK-Interfaces and it was great, although I may very well have nightmares. It was probably the creepiest exhibit I have ever seen - and let's not forget, I have seen mummies in Egypt, pickled babies in Russia and, yesterday, a jar of preserved fingers. The exhibit was this weird synthesis of science and art that culminated in art such as someone growing tiny leather coats using animal stem cells; some flowers that had been cross-bred with the artists own DNA; a fur coat made of road kill and an accompanying video of the skinning process; a video of an artist who had an ear grafted onto his arm; a display of artful hymens made of human and animal cells; ä collection of "perfume" bottles filled with liquid derived from human sweat and supposedly smelling of actual human fear; and a photography exhibit of a nude woman engaged in rather disturbing acts with a pig carcass. Yep. Not everything was creepy. There was a neat painting that you were encouraged to touch and when you did, the color would disappear (temporarily) from the places you had come into contact with. But by and large it was pretty disturbing (which means I loved it).

The rest of the after noon consisted of me wandering and, when the rain got too bad, hopping from cafe to cafe, sipping on wine and coffee and soup and smoking. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to smoke inside and to SEE people smoking inside. One cafe I walked past was filled with table after table of women with glasses of wine and coffee, smoking contemplatively and reading or writing in books. It just seems so civilized.

I had about a 3 hour nap today. I was wet and tired and I am, after, all, sick. This allowed me to go out this evening for a tea and a stroll. The streets are so welcoming here after dark. Everything feels so pleasant and secure.  I have to say that there are a surprising array of inviting cafes and taverns here; they aren't too loud or too quiet and the decor seems to always be just right.

Tomorrow I plan to venture outside of the city to explore one of the many villages in the country.

Gutt Nuecht.

d.