6/5- 6/11
Still talking about our time in Provence. Relaxing and fun — the pure pleasure part of our trip: strolling through stalls on Market Day in Cotignac; long informal dinners on the veranda with friends (ours who invited us to stay at their home and other friends of theirs); exploring the area; special lunches at two Alain Ducasse restaurants; enjoying the quiet beauty around us. Then off to Germany.
Market in Cotignac
Berlin is a fabulous city. We love visiting with our friend Gunda who spends her summers in Berlin and the rest of the year in San Francisco. She becomes our tour guide. One of our first stops is the Jewish Museum. It was not open fifteen years ago when we first visited Berlin. The museum is a strange building. If I remember correctly, the design represents a broken Star of David. We see through photos, memorabilia, and maps, the unhappy history of Germany’s Jews. The Holocaust Tower is a large concrete room with a huge door that closes behind you. The dim light comes from a slit in the top of its pointed roof. I immediately think of those "showers."
We drive to Lake Wannsee and the villa where the Final Solution for European Jews was decided at the Wannsee Conference (see Blog, June 15). The Max Liebermann villa nearby offers respite. You may wander through the upstairs rooms filled with Herr Liebermann's work. Its café serves wonderful pastries, coffee, with a view down to the water. We stop at water’s edge, watch two white swans glide away. The next morning we wander in Berlin’s famous department store with a food floor even bigger than Harrod’s. Afternoon, we walk the lovely area around our Regent hotel before a good-bye dinner with Gunda in a nearby restaurant with Austrian schnitzel, delicious white asparagus, not to mention a fried goodie for dessert.
With Gunda at Max Liebermann Villa
White Asparagus
6/15-6/21
Our last country Poland: our first stop is Krakow. It's really picture perfect and very charming. The Nazi big wigs and their families headquartered here and so the city was spared. We visit the Schindler factory which is now a museum filled with history of Jewish persecution. In the old Jewish Quarter of the city the oldest synagogue built in the 1600s and an ancient Jewish graveyard stand side by side. A small Jewish community is alive and well. I have Shabbat dinner at the Krakow JCC. It is run by an American who spent time in Israel before coming to Krakow to teach Hebrew. Jonathan Ornstein is an amazing young Jew (42) enthusiastic about what is happening. He continues to be instrumental in helping this Jewish community grow.
17th Century Graveyard
Krakow
My maternal grandfather left Warsaw a hundred years ago to settle in San Francisco. I think of him often during this trip. We take the express train from Krakow to Warsaw. Two hours of tranquil farm land, woods, and open spaces pass by. Warsaw dramatically different since my 1963 visit. No longer grim, it bustles with life. After the Soviets left in '89, the refurbishing and rebuilding has transformed most of the city. (That being said, people we spoke to aren't happy about the populist Right Wing movement on the rise.) The year old Polin Jewish Museum is breathtaking and innovative in its varied ways of following the history of Polish Jews from the 10th centuryto today. (90% of the Jews who lived in and murdered in Europe during WWII were Polish).
Warsaw Jewish Museum
Warsaw
On the light side, a big surprise for us! The food in Poland is delicious and always beautifully arranged on the plate, not sausage and kraut, . Most people under 40 speak English. Everyone couldn't be more helpful.
6/21-6/22
Our last day and evening we spend at Clivedon, a Downton Abbey contender originally built in the 17th century. It is a first class hotel now. Large lovely rooms, great food, gorgeous grounds abundant with roses, and filled with British cheerio! Close to the airport, a wonderful way to end our trip. GLAD to be home, back with our dog and able to sleep in our own bed!!!