I passed!

During the last week I've gotten a couple of emails asking why the blog hasn't been updated. Sorry, but I've been studying like crazy for my UK driver's license theory and hazard video tests. Last Friday I passed! It was like being a teenager all over again, only I wasn't used to taking tests anymore.

Perfect score on the multiple choice questions and did OK on the video. Over clicked on one video and lost all those points so that hurt, but it's done now. I plan on taking the behind the wheel portion before the end of the year.

All the things I had to learn as well as unlearn made this an intense venture. When you've been riding in the car for 16 years you know the signs, not when you move countries though. I knew some of them, but many were things I'd never seen before. The whole level crossing (railroad) is completely different. You drive on the carriageway (not on the pavement because that's the sidewalk), in snow and ice you drive in as high a gear as possible. Then there's road hazards like sheep, horses and "organized walks". And don't forget those crossings: the zebra, the puffin, the pelican, the pegasus and the toucan. They had a panda, but it didn't work out so well. That's just a sample of the 1,000 test questions I had to know.

The video thing was really intense. If you play video games, you might feel more relaxed than I did. The idea is that you click the mouse every time you see a hazard or the hazard changes as you drive down the road. The only problem is after decades of driving I know that everything is a hazard. So figuring out when to click was no easy feat.

Here's an example of what I was up against:


There were 14 clips, each with "one scoreable hazard" and one video had two hazards.

Check back this week as I'll be back filling the last month, including the rest of the trip to the Nederlands with visits to Delft and Eersel, a weekend in Zurich and a great trip to Berlin.

United Berlin - Park Drei

The Mighty Wurlitzer
On Saturday we arrived at one of Berlin's most interesting museums, the Musikinstrumenten-Museum, in time for the weekly demonstration of the Mighty Wurlitzer. The museum has a beautiful collection of instruments, including an endless array of keyboards that can easily be imagined in some parlor 200 years ago, with a woman in layers of dress playing away. There's also some very interesting contemporary pieces and of course the Wurlitzer which is a huge instrument. Even if you have no inclination toward music, the museum is worth the hour or so it would take to fly through it.

Sugimoto
From there we headed over to the Neue Nationalgalerie. I had been interested in seeing the permanent collection, which was closed for two special exhibits. My disappointment quickly dissipated. First, the Mies van der Rohe building is spectacular in its simplicity and welcome. The first exhibit, featured German artist Rupprecht Geiger to mark the 100th anniversary of his birth, it was fun and whimsical and was perfect for the building space. Downstairs was all Hiroshi Sugimoto. While I suspect I'd seen work by him before, the scope of the exhibit made a lasting impression/introduction to the artist. Reflecting the simplicity of the building's architecture it also served to challenge your perceptions, your senses. Joe and I were particularly struck by a series exploring lightning. Before we read the description, we discussed whether it was tributaries and the delta of a river system from outer space or the human circulatory system. I will be seeking out more of his work.

Almost finally we were off to Kurfürstendamm to see Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtnis Kirche. The Ku'damm was insane with people, the first time we had that Times Square/Covent Garden feeling since arriving in Berlin. It was actually a sharp contrast to the Mitte region of the city where we had been spending most of our time, which while busy never have you that crushed feeling.

The church of course is perhaps Berlin's - and one of the world's - most moving monument to the destructive power of war. There's not much more to say beyond that.

The Fat Lady Sings
For our finale in Berlin we went to the Deutsche Oper Berlin to see South Africa's Cape Town Opera perform Porgy and Bess. I had always wanted to see this opera because I love the music. It just seemed incredibly exotic to see it in Berlin (with German super titles) by an opera company visiting from another continent.

We grabbed dinner before the show at the restaurant right at the opera house. An awesome meal, with incredibly friendly service at, what we felt, was a great price compared to what we might have expected in London or Washington for a similar meal at a similar venue.

On Sunday before we flew out, we wandered around a region off Alexanderplatz that Jennie and I had visited. Our goal was to find the Moskau Cafe. Jennie and I had lunch there in October 1989 and Felix told me he had gone there as a school achievement related celebration with his parents when he was young. A great visual exploration of the height of socialist architecture.

I only have one regret about this trip, we weren't there longer. We did so much, but missed so much, I am really looking forward to going back, seeing much of what we missed and having more time to just hang in the city, watch the people go by and meet more of the always friendly Berliners.

United Berlin - Part Zwei

My friend Felix had taken Friday off to play tour guide in true Felix fashion. During dinner the night before we had given him a list of places we wanted to go. When he met us in Alexanderplatz the next morning he had the list worked out according to a time schedule and the addition of a few key items he thought we shouldn't miss.

The TV Tower
First stop, the Fernsehturm (the television tower). Built in 1969 it was a huge symbol of the success of socialism. Today its a great way to get a view of the entire city, but if you want to dine in the revolving restaurant, book at least six weeks in advance. It was great to have Felix there to give us a narative of what we were seeing and where East and West had been divided. As he spoke, nearby tourists were hanging on his every word adding to the fun.

Life in the East
Our next stop was one of the most interesting experiences of the trip, the DDR Museum. The museum is full of real life artifacts of daily life from East Germany including a reproduction of a bathroom, kitchen and living room of a typical home. Felix talked about how he had the exact same object, in the same color in his house growing up. Joe and I pointed out that it was all pretty similar except you had more choices of color and objects, though we did wonder if everyone got to have all the objects. A really informative and fun stop on the agenda, try not to miss it.

From there we walked toward Gendarmenmarkt, which is one of the most beautiful square's in all of Berlin. It is all about the architecture in this space, but if the weather's nice and you have time it looks like a great place to hang for a meal or a drink. The concert hall is flanked by two dom's (cathedrals) the French and the German.

Leaving the American Sector
Keeping to our schedule, it was off to the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, which focuses mostly on the construction of the Berlin Wall, people's attempts to escape and the efforts of the East German State to keep them trying let alone succeeding. When Jennie and I had been there in 1989 it was quite small. Today it's in the same location, but about 5 times as large, though most of the exhibits are identical (I'm not sure they've even been dusted), but the stories are still as moving as the first time I read them. The oddest part for me was stepping out of the museum and not having any visual clue that the Wall had been just steps away or of the massive East German checkpoint that Jennie and I had plodded through to get to the East after checking in at Checkpoint Charlie with the American authorities. Weirdly though, a replica of the original Checkpoint Charlie booth is there with actors dressed in American and Soviet military uniforms and flags - for a Euro you can have your picture taken with them.

Then we went over to Potsdamer Platz to grab some lunch. With the Wall running essentially through the middle, it had ceased to be a key neighborhood in the city. The Wikipedia entry on Potsdamer Platz is worth a read as the history of the platz gives great insight into the history of the city itself. Today's it's considered a shining example of the unified Berlin. Almost all new construction with a giant outdoor food court area that is under an amazing glass roof that must be 40 stories up that has wings to create shade when it's warm. You'll also find a part of the hotel that I think inspired the setting for the movie the Grand Hotel.

After lunch we went to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. When we had driven by in the cab it had been moving, but when Felix took us and we went "in" it really spoke. As you wander about the stones are really close together and then you become isolated, only catching glimpses of other people who seem far off. Beyond that it's very hard to describe.

On our way to the Reichstag, the home of Germany's parliament we passed by the Brandenburg Gate, it was cool to walk back and forth through it. All of the new government office buildings that have been built since the capital of the country was moved back to Berlin form a beautiful space on the edge of the Tiergarten, Berlin's main park. We didn't go into the Reichstag, though visiting it's new glass dome is a favorite tourist activity, in part due to the long line and also because it has been a long day of hard touring.

Just as we arrived at the Reichstag, Sam called to say she was done with work so we met up with her and headed toward their new apartment in Wedding for a home cooked meal.

The Ice Tray
During the dinner preparations Felix had a little learning moment that while very funny, is a great reminder of how important it is to be open to new ideas and to be extremely empathetic about other people and their cultures. The new apartment features a refrigerator/freezer, in their old apartments they had only had refrigerators. As an American, Sam was very excited about the prospect of her own ice supply. It's not that Germany doesn't have ice, it's just not something they're in to.

So, Felix is making us a couple of drinks and Sam offers ice, which we're very happy to have. Now Felix is trying to pick the cubes one-by-one out of the tray so I say, "Didn't Sam teach you how to use an ice tray?" while giving him the universal symbol for twisting an ice tray and just like that ice everywhere! Sometimes, it's the littlest things.

Berlin United - Part Eins

The last time I was in Berlin was October 1989. My friend Jennie and I were some of the last Americans to enter East Berlin at Checkpoint Charlie because just a couple of weeks later, the Berlin Wall fell. Ever since then, I've wanted to return to see the changes; and going with Joe was very high on the list of London expat wishes.

We stayed at the Park Plaza Wallstreet Berlin, which is located on Wallstrasse. It is just steps from a main line on the U-bahn, 10 minutes walking to Alexanderplatz, the Pergamon and plenty of other major, must see sites. There's also an amazing tourist-focused pedestrian zone about five minutes from the hotel called Nikolaiviertel. In addition to plenty of places to eat and drink and the statue of St. Stephen slaying the dragon there are a great selection of antique shops and art galleries. My favorite place however was one of the nicest clock shops (new clocks only) I've seen in Europe so far. The most amazing music boxes as well.

Our room was a little on the small side, but we had gotten a great discount deal so we didn't mind. Despite the size, everything was brand new and it was jammed with plenty of services and amenities including a giant tub with room for two. The staff were incredibly friendly, spoke impeccable English and were more than happy to help with anything you needed - as was every Berliner I met.

We flew into Tegel Airport, arriving about noon and were through customs in moments with our bags already waiting for us despite the fact that we had been bused to the terminal. Love that German efficiency. We picked up mass transit passes and then hailed a cab. Cabs, like much in Berlin, are incredibly affordable, especially after life in London. Our driver gave a great, pride-filled narration on the way to the hotel. We passed by the Victory Column (where Obama would appear the week after), the Holocaust Memorial - officially called the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, the brand new American Embassy - the friendliest looking American embassy I've seen in a very long time - which officially opened earlier in the month on the 4th of July, then on to Museum Island and around the almost deconstructed GDR Palace of the Republic before winding up at the hotel.

Palast der Republik
The Palace of the Republic turned into this interesting quest for the first few days of the trip. I didn't know the name of the building, just that in 1989 there had been this huge white marble and gold glass building in East Berlin that you couldn't miss. And I couldn't find it in 2008. It took a few days and the help of my friend Felix who was born in "the East" and was involved in the protests surrounding the decision to tear the building down, to help me figure out that the giant deconstruction site I'd seen almost every day of our visit was the former Palast.

The Pergamon
We immediately headed toward the Pergamon Museum and grabbed some street food on the way. It was definitely a dramatic change moment. Everything, from the buildings that now had patched bullet holes to the new construction to the incredibly long line to get into the Pergamon was different.

The Pergamon didn't disappoint either. It was just as incredible as last time to see the Pergamon Altar, the Ishtar Gate and the other amazing pieces of the collection.

There was also an interesting, but jam-packed exhibit called Babylon Myth and Truth, I'd say more, but the title speaks for itself. Was very interesting given that present day Iraq, Iran were included in the historical overview.

The next day we started with a walk by of Märkisches Ufer, which is a short block where the architecture is considered to appear unchanged (and well-preserved) since the 18th and 19th centuries. From there it was off to the Bodemuseum via Alexanderplatz. Alexanderplatz is a major transport hub and the last time I was there was billed as the "Times Square" of East Berlin. As you might suspect it didn't even come close. It's mostly a shopping and eating spot now. We got our fix for some Dunkin' Donuts coffee there one day.

The Bodemuseum is first a striking architectural experience, built at the end of the Prussia empire with a soaring domed lobby that has a great cafe overlooking the huge space. We were specifically in search of the two sculptures they have by Bernini, so we could practice what we had learned in Rome early this year.

Then it was off to the Berliner Dom (if I have my German right, dom means cathedral). A beautiful church, the restoration from the destruction caused by the bombings during World War II is what is most awe inspiring about this place. Next on the agenda was Hamburger Bahnhof and on our way there we stumbled onto a great little find, the Hackesche Höfe, a little set of interconnected courtyards. For some, it's a movie theater and a great place to eat and drink. For us it was about the amazing architectural work, which is considered a classic example of German Secession style.

At the Hamburger Bahnhof we decided a snack was in order first, so we hit what we thought would be a typical museum cafe. Instead we landed at Restaurant Sarah Wiener. She's an "untrained" celebrity chef in Berlin known for not using recipes, though she has two cookbooks. Lunch turned into an amazing 2 hour, multi-course affair with wine, coffee and dessert. Everything was incredibly delicious and beautifully presented, I highly recommend this restaurant.

The museum was even more amazing. First, it is more than 10,000 sf so it's a huge space. We saw some great Cy Twombly, which was a great thing to reinforce what we had just seen at the Tate Modern exhibit. Some really amazing Anselm Kiefer work as well.

It had been a serious day of touring and we were set for even more the next day, so we headed back to the hotel to chill before meeting up with our friends Felix and Sam for dinner.

Loreen Time

Tate Time
Our friend Loreen was in town on business and we had a chance to get together twice for some great fun. First we went to the Tate Modern to see the member's only viewing of the Cy Twombly exhibit.

The exhibit was very interesting. My exposure to Twombly's work has been a bit scattered, usually just a couple of pieces in a museum so it was interesting to get a better sense of his larger oeuvre and inspiration. Loreen's engineer mind helped me to begin to gain insights into the effect that Twombly's time as a cryptologist has on his work. I definitely saw a new side of this artist.

After the exhibit we ended the evening with an amazing dinner full of great fun, wine and endless stories at Skylon restaurant.

Champagne and Caviar
The next evening we met Loreen to see her off on her Eurostar train back to Belgium from St. Pancras Station. The night before we had talked about how the station had Europe's longest champagne bar and since Loreen was heading out it seemed like the perfect excuse to check it out. Loreen selected a great bottle of brut and I picked a service with all the trimmings of Sevruga. Loads of fun, decadent and a great treat.

The bar is located at track level, looking onto the Eurostar trains arriving and departing (in this official photo the bar runs along the left side of the building) with a great view of The Meeting Place sculpture, which is a 30+ foot brozne sculpture of two lovers reuniting, or saying goodbye depending on how your perspective. All of which takes place in this huge, glass enclosed space.

Washington, DC Apartment for Rent

See DC's July 4th Fireworks from Your Living Room

Our tenant is moving out of our apartment in DC, so if you know of anyone who might be interested, send them the URL: www.wildhack.com/caphill. All the details are there, including how to contact Leslee, our amazing property manager.

The apartment will be available August 1, 2008. Spread the word.

Weekend in Zurich

Joe had been in Zürich for a week of client work so I joined him for a weekend to see the city. The best thing we did was get the 72 hour ZürichCARD which includes unlimited transport on boats, trains, trams and buses as well as free entrance to many museums. It doesn't include entrance to any special exhibits, but it does include permanent collections. If you only have a weekend in Zürich, it makes smart financial sense. Eating and drinking in Zürich is as expensive as they say, we found the prices comparable to London.

Fortunately Joe's meetings ended early on Friday and he caught up with me just after I'd checked into our hotel and had settled at a cafe for lunch. We stayed at the Hotel Rutli which is located about a 10 minute walk from the main train station. Great hotel with nice rooms for a good price which included breakfast. The room decor was really interesting - graffiti. The staff, like all the Swiss I met were extremely friendly, helpful and wiling to speak English. The hotel had one big drawback. Because it was in the 80s you needed to keep the windows open and the fan on (no A/C anywhere in the city that we could find); however, we were on a pedestrian street that was amazingly loud until after 3a both nights. I'd stay in the hotel again if it was weather for closed windows.

Our leisurely lunch initiated the theme of plenty of Swiss white wine with our meals. Crisp, dry and refreshing in the warm weather. From there, we went back to the hotel so Joe could get out of his suit. It had been a long week for him so we took a 90 minute boat ride that covered the top third of the Zürichsee (Lake Zürich), a great way to relax and recharge.

Zürich is a bit like Amsterdam in that much of what there is to do is wander around, enjoy the architecture and the food, shop if you're so inclined and visit museums and churches during the day. Or if you're up for it, party into the night. Joe and I went to bed early so we could hit the museums first thing on Saturday morning.

Chasing Giacometti
Alberto Giacometti was Swiss by birth and we had heard Zürich was a great city to see works we may not have seen before. The first museum we headed toward on our quest was the Museum Rietberg, but this was all wrong on the Giacometti front. In some literature we had there was confusion about the museum's new wing and Giacometti, just one of those things. However, we were really glad we went. The museum is in an old mansion worth seeing for the architecture alone. The museum focuses on art from Asia, Africa and Ancient America. All of the sudden I was reliving my visits to Thailand, Malaysia and Laos, an unexpected pleasure.

Halfway back to the center of town we tracked down the James Joyce Pub for lunch. Lovely, but not exactly what I had expected. It turned out to be an upscale bar/restaurant in a hotel, not a hole in the wall where philosophers and writers might hang out. According to some research I did later, the pub tiles, bar and fixtures - which are really impressive - were bought by a Swiss bank and moved to Zürich from Dublin about 40 years ago. Supposedly, according to one article I read, the decor is described in certain passages in Ulysses.

After lunch we took a tram that drove us down Bahnhofstrasse, the Rodeo Drive of Zürich. Next we stopped at the Fraumünster, a church famous for its Marc Chagall stained glassed windows. They were incredible, but no photos allowed. Right next door is St. Peter's which has the largest clock face in Europe.

At our second museum stop, the Kunsthaus Zürich, we did find the city's amazing Giacometti Collection. There was of course, plenty of other art worth seeing. The museum covers the full time range from old masters to 21st century art. One of the things I particularly enjoyed was the way that selected pieces were placed where they surprised you and challenged your perceptions. For example, you might find a 20th century sculpture in a room of 18th century oil paintings of still lifes and portraits. There was a rather unnerving exhibit going on throughout the museum that we never were able to get any information on except for assurances from security guards that it was an exhibit. Randomly placed throughout the museum were backpacks, briefcases, etc., The kind of thing that you tend to be highly attuned to in airports and train stations.

A Hot Dining Experience
Saturday night we had dinner reservations at Hiltl. The restaurant has been serving an all vegetarian menu (no meat or seafood) since 1898. If you are a vegetarian of any kind you must make a stop here. There's a cafe, a bar as well as the more formal restaurant. It's prices are often cited as a bargain in the city.

The restaurant was beautiful, the service amazing and the food was great. It was oppressively hot though, which made it a little tough to bear. We were upstairs in a dining room with windows that barely cracked open (which we were far away from). Outside it was in the low 80s, inside it was in the 90s. No ice in your drinks and all the water you wanted, but in small glasses -- and despite the fancy waiters and service you fetched your own water. We must've made at least six trips. After we finished our ice cold wine, I began dipping the water glasses in the wine bucket, a bit tacky, but so refreshing.

It was really a shame though. I would like to have explored the menu more and perhaps stayed for dessert, but fresh air was needed. It was an easy walk over and then down Banhofstrasse for window shopping toward the cooling breezes of the lake.

Fritz Glarner
On Sunday we went hunting for the Haus Konstruktiv museum. We were expecting the museum to focus on residential building design and construction, but it really was about consumer product design - furniture, household items, etc. Very cool building and some edgy and fun stuff.

However, our primary objective was to see the Rockefeller Dining Room. It had been in Nelson A. Rockefeller's New York City apartment starting in 1963 and then removed and sold in the 1980s. It was amazing, like stepping into a painting. It reminded me very much of the feeling of immersion you have in the Peacock Room at the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. The big difference being the 20th century contemporary flavor. Glarner knew Piet Mondrian and was clearly influenced by this relationship.

The nice part about Zurich is you can really get a sense of the city and see the highlights in a weekend and still have time for a leisurely meal or two at an outdoor cafe. Keep in mind that the Italian food is excellent - including the street pizza - given Zürich's proximity to the border. While I wouldn't mind going back, I wouldn't necessarily seek Zürich out, though I want to see the rest of Switzerland and it's a good gateway.