In the museum of Mr. John Tradescant are the following things: the hand of a mermaid…a number of things changed into stone…a picture wrought in feathers…a cup of an east indian Alcedo, which is a kind of unicorn…the passion of Christ carved very daintily on a plumstone…a hat band of snake bones.~ Georg Christoph Stirn, [...]
Easter water is thought to have healing properties–farmers once herded their cattle to brooks on Easter morning to protect them from illnesses. Another tradition calls for young women (ahem) to bathe in the early morning on Easter to secure everlasting youth and beauty. Who am I to doubt it?
All bathed and youthful, we had [...]
How a lady feels after an uncharacteristic night of Blaufränkisch… The Medicean Venus, in her case of rosewood and 200 year old warbly Venetian glass, looks something like Snow White waiting for her transplant.…
Saturday began at the Naschmarkt, a produce and specialty food market along the Wien river that has been around since the 16th [...]
You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait, be quiet still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet. ~Franz Kafka
At first impression Vienna is [...]
These days I have been pondering the way one gets hooked into certain responses, particularly in the face of discomfort (a flat writing day, a lover’s spat, uncertainty about seeming pipe dreams, or just plain getting wait-listed for Yaddo–again!).
One could simply not tell oneself the same story, could make a choice to experiment with a [...]
perhaps all a person could say about Milano can be seen from the roof of Il Duomo…
We flew over the Italian Alps in the wee small Kia in the wee small hours of Friday night. All highways are dark here, even this Swiss autobahn with its speed limit of 130 km/81 mph. The liquid black [...]
Dorothy Parker (who also inspired this title) said, “The best way to keep children home is to make the home atmosphere pleasant–and let the air out of the tires.” The kids are at home by choice this weekend, wheel-less it’s true, but planning an adventure for next weekend…in Milan! Yay!
In response to a few requests [...]