Lagavulin Induced Afterthoughts
by annie and beq
Really hard.
First faux then the knowingness askod was leaving too. We had our day planned, stroll to the market, replace some gorgeous flowers (thanks conchita) we had been enjoying .. tulips would have been nice .. preparing a loverly bloody steak dinner (didn't we all have plans to cook at least one meal when we arrived??) ah, but apparently this was not to be. The best laid plans .. and it's all faux's fault!
Poor askod was going to have to take the bus to Lübeck. Somehow, somewhere on the trip to the airport she planted the seed of a little day trip for us all. So .. when we heard we were going on an excusion little did we know it would be in 15 minutes. b (as usual) whipping up an agenda as easily as he whips us posts (yes, it sometimes only takes him seemingly seconds) propelled us into the car for a day trip complete w/wikipedia instructions and history for LÜBECK!
Although we knew we were traveling w/ the future prime minister of Sweden little did we know he was an expert on baltic sea commerce and conflicts. As per instructions (from b, naturally) our travelogues were read out loud lavishly enhanced by askod's willingness to educate us all. Cut to the chase, there is more in all of this in a less whiskey induced moment when the jet lag wears off but for now we arrived and parked the car in the here and now and walked into a medieval city complete with an encircling river and gates...
The cathedral (one of many, but this one, oh) was bombed in '42 by you know who but rebuilt with the most breathtaking stained glass windows, but before you even enter you encounter it's long history as you approach the door there is a bronze devil sitting on one of the slabs of stone used to build the cathedral.
The story goes that he helped to build the church because he thought it was going to be a wine bar and when he discovered it was to be a cathedral he began to tear it down. The workers promised to build him a wine bar across the street (praise the LORD-AH!).
Then entering the images of skeletons, death and the devil are incorporated into the structure. before we describe the full impact (can we? no, but maybe later) the first thing my eye caught (other thank the 1000 plus ft ceilings) was the modern art piece in one corner composed of ascqued 15 ft crosses complete w/multiple huge nails imbedded in the centers dripping blood swathed in gauze/canvas and multiple layers of swathed plaster , at least 15 of them a 1/3 on rollers which implied perhaps they were used in a procession. the stained glass was unigue (i thought) because more than 1/2 if not 2/3rds of one side of the structure was all of clothed skeletons, devils and skulls. the other side was totally surreal w/ the bombed out windows .. oh words fail me, b's posting the photos.
We aren't doing this place justice but we're hurting from lack of sleep and we haven't even hit the trifeca .. Lübeck just happens to happen to have a puppet museum par excellance .. jesus .. tomorrow. They only displayed a few over 1000 of the 48 thousand ... jeez so much for a relaxing day at the market.
We are going to seriously miss Camp Bernhard. Always a bit hard (did i say challenge?), but never ever a burden.
Oh! If you happen to have a sweet tooth you can visit Niederegger (Marzipan aus Liebe) (Oh my goddess) and after coffee and cake purchase for yourself your very own little (ahem, anatomically correct) devil.
Posted by b on January 8, 2007 at 21:34 UTC | Permalink
breathtaking stained glass windows,
Breathtaking!
As I mentioned to slothrop a few days back i really appreciate the wealth of vocabulary training i get from his posts, but tonight has brought me the fun of it:
Lagavulin:
Lagavulin is a small village approximately three miles outside Port Ellen on the Isle of Islay, Scotland. It is best known for being the home of Lagavulin Single Malt whisky.
No wonder y’all had so much fun.
I want to hear some of all those Langavulin afterthoughts.
And i also want to know what catlady had hidden in her accordian and how she got it through ForeignLand security.
Jana! What a treat. Come grace our streets over here Jana, and help us rebuild a sane society.
Posted by: Juannie | Jan 9 2007 3:22 utc | 4
alas, Juannie, I was reduced to drooling over Jana's accordian (and singing), but I did get to sip a bit of the Lagavulin before annie and beQ drained it dry. (and believe me, I can hear the Lagavulin in annie's post and see her inimitable typing style)
now I'll have to come back to see Lübeck, and spend several more days in Berlin to see the museums and clubs.
however, I'll have a chance to play the accordian (as a rank beginner) and piano at a local benefit concert this Saturday--the trio I play with is headlining a program to raise money for Lt. Watada's defense in his upcoming court martial.
Posted by: catlady | Jan 9 2007 7:07 utc | 5
hello moonkind.
although I would like to take credit for the idea of a trip to Lübeck, b was, once again, the mastermind behind that trip. another example of his thoughtfulness.
just got home, so this will be my last "land of the amazons" post. what an interesting trip home it was, too. got to have a little side trip to Goose Bay, Newfoundland in ye cold Canada because the headwinds were such that we had to refuel during the flight.
so, we sat on the airfield for nearly two hours to fill the plane with unleaded, or whatever it was, which meant I missed my connecting flight, which meant I got to wait in Newark for four additional lovely hours. However, I made it to my home port in time for the last shuttle of the night to my burg, a mere one hour from the airport. So, let's see...that made the return trip...alot of hours. more than 13 hours in one airport or another and then a lovely bus, whose driver asked my drop off point three times and still forgot it when we got to town so he had to go back to where I left my car.
where was b when I needed to get somewhere...
on the way to the Newark airport I saw Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty from the plane and I waved to Conchita, but don't know if she saw me.
I haven't seen any mention of our excursion on my last night in Hamburg, so let me note that we did finally hit the Reeperbahn and the Erotic Art Museum. b wanted to give us a tour of streetwalkers... don't know how we missed that one. However, I must also say that I prefer my own imagination to the ones I saw exhibited. did find a good poster for a gift, however.
we were all a bit tired, I think, because we kept misunderstanding what one person or another said (and this was before the single malt moment.) Ouzo helped us all digest some of our thoughts, I think.
b took us to an old bar by the harbor that was at least 100 years old. the piano had a wench (not that kind) above it so that it can be raised off the floor when the harbor waters rise...something that occurs at least once in the year, if I remember correctly. the air outside the bar was brackish and I think I heard some shanty songs coming from the briney deep. or maybe it was annie.
hope askod had an uneventful trip back to the land of midnight sun, except not now, more like midnight noon now, except that's also an exaggeration, maybe. cannot tell you all how wonderful it was to meet the swede. I wanted to adopt him and bring him home (since he's now been "outed" by annie and beq, I"ll say "he") but his girlfriend would have probably missed him too much.
thank you again, b, for making our meeting not only possible, but unforgettable. thank you to all the mooners who came together. hope you have relaxing flights home, you tail enders. hope we all get some sleep again. I'm sure b will be happy to have his place to himself after all the bedlam. he'll finally get a decent night's sleep too.
now I am sitting in the middle of my reality once again. wish you could have all been with us during the beginning of the new year...hopefully next time.
Posted by: fauxreal | Jan 9 2007 7:11 utc | 6
Aw, thanks for bringing back memories of Lübeck!
I was stationed there at an ASA listening post in '64 for a year when I was in the army - it was the only US base far enough north from where one could go to Copenhagen on a week-end pass, which ended with me getting a discharge in Europe and turning expatriate in Denmark.
Posted by: Chuck Cliff | Jan 9 2007 10:33 utc | 8
It's over.
Annie and beq are on their way home. The clean up is mostly done. The inner tension relieves its tears and I am savoring the memories.
"Why aren't you here with me?" Jana's "Gold" is playing in the background.
A goldish moon brooch dongles next to the screen and a new beautiful picture I mysteriously found while tidying up is delighting my eyes. Thank you so much beq - a big hug for you!
A special virtual hug to the moonbat whos gracious contribution did allow another one to take part without any restrictions. A toast to Ham+bun for being the generous hosts they are.
There is a big stack of progressive U.S. magazins around that people did bring for me - it will take a while to dive through all of them. Fauxreal left a staple of mixed CDs for me - virtual company I really appreciate - it's a rainy day here ...
Some have asked for pictures. Sorry folks. We do have or may in future have professional prospects that are incompatible with commenting here. So there will be no pictures of the moonbats on the never forgetting web.
To all the visitors, the real ones and the virtual ones, those who came to Hamburg and those who come to the Moon of Alabama, a very heartfelt thank you.
Und es ist mitten im Winter
Es ist Januar
Ich bin allein mit meinem Engel
Der noch nie im Himmel war
A round of drinks for b! What a real mensch. A mensch is a human being, not in the biological but in the humanitarian sense. At the highest level, a hero is a mensch, but to qualify, one need merely be a good person. Take a bow.
Sometimes it seems as if selfishness has become a religion. And ironically, the more proficient we become at being takers, the less it makes us happy. However, from what I hear, you went above and beyond to duty to make moonies happy comfortable warm and fed. And even though I wasn't able to make it, it warmed my heart. Take some time and do something good for yourself. I suggest a hour and a half massage. Human touch. As you have touched many whom you have hosted and others by proxy.
Posted by: Uncle $cam | Jan 9 2007 16:13 utc | 11
Jah Kas Cool Boy... remember our Flesh and Blood in that dreamy weather that
Posted by: fauxreal | Jan 9 2007 17:29 utc | 12
hmmm - Berube is skipping out. While I have no current plans to do so, this is probably quite similar to what I would write:
Blog maintenance on this scale is a daily, sometimes hourly thing, regardless of whether there’s a new post up. And even if I didn’t try to maintain the blog on this scale (a good idea in itself), there’s still the problem of the invisible blogging. I don’t write these posts out in advance, you know. I sit down for an hour or two (more for the really long posts), write them in one take in WordPerfect, look ‘em over, transfer ‘em to the blog, preview, edit, submit, and then proofread one last time once they’re up. (Because sometimes you can’t catch a typo until it’s really up there on the blog, and even then, I’ve missed a bunch so far.) Which means, among other things, that I do a great deal of the planning-before-the-writing while I’m not blogging. And that’s what’s been so mentally exhausting. It’s like ABC from Glengarry Glen Ross: Always Be Composing. And while it’s been great mental exercise, and it’s compelled me to think out (and commit myself in public to) any number of things that otherwise would have laid around the mental toolshed for years, it’s not the kind of thing I can keep up forever, and it wouldn’t be seriously affected if I went to a lighter posting schedule. I’d still spend way too much time thinking about the Next Post and the Post After That.Goodby Michael ...
ms. m, i am rushing to get out the door, but saw your post and it kicked off a whole process of associations for me. no, b is not a dwarf. at first i thought, b is a giant, but then i wanted to say b is a wizard, so it will have to be - b is a giant wizard. and for the others: danofsteele is a teddybear, rick happ a clydesdale, annie a pony, fauxreal a cat, beq a fluffy dog, hamburger a lion, askod a frog. these are my associations and they are drawn from various aspects - personality, appearance, attitude, etc. i don't know how much sense they make and hope no one takes umbrage, but it is what came to mind for me.
and ah, beq, what a lovely gesture.
Posted by: conchita | Jan 9 2007 21:30 utc | 16
r giap
he didn’t say it. he wept. yes.
-----------
and a grand good time was had by all
great
Posted by: Noirette | Jan 9 2007 22:32 utc | 17
after a good number of blocks in the cold i have a couple of revisions. danofsteele is a polar bear - because they swim and askod, while i love frogs, i think may be more of a parrot, an amazon parrot. i hesitated to use that association in a forum like this where words are (nearly) everything, but in this case an amazon parrot is what comes to mind, but not because he mimics. sorry no word association for catlady - sadly, our paths did not cross. i would have to call her a ghost, and from all reports that does not sound at all appropriate.
Posted by: conchita | Jan 9 2007 23:05 utc | 18
fauxreal - I got that stop in Goose Bay too but only for half an hour but I stared out the window the whole time cuz I finally got my snow. Oh. Oh. And pictures to prove it. Also got the view of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. Made my connections half asleep but was only an hour late arriving home. We listened to Jana while we ate hot soup. SO is enchanted too.
Thanks for writing about the Reeperbahn excursion faux. There is still so much that can't be expressed. (glad I'm not dealing with a German keyboard anymore though).
B, you are just the most incredible man.
Posted by: beq | Jan 10 2007 3:07 utc | 19
Back home and having recuperated a bit of my sleep deprivation I am already starting to miss it. Not the sleep deprivation, but the company it took place in. Gosh, this was great. Batteries charged up with more positive energy then in a long time.
Those who did not make it will have to make the next trip, whenever that will be.
And conchita, I like the amazon parrot better... :-)
Posted by: a swedish kind of death | Jan 10 2007 9:28 utc | 20
@ askod
kermit is kind of a cute frog and very simpatico. however being a frog in Hamburg could be deadly ;>)
as for next time, perhaps in Venice? Ryanair flies there too!
aaarrrh!
Posted by: dan of steele | Jan 10 2007 10:29 utc | 21
Yes, the exploding frogs. Clearly a sign of apocalypse.
If Venice is the place, my presence is assured. Where ever cheap flights go, I can too (increasing up my carbon footprint waiting for low price train communications).
Posted by: a swedish kind of death | Jan 10 2007 12:27 utc | 22
Thanks to all the travelling moonberries for the updates on last days activities and trips home. Bun and I had a great time in our days and nights with you and glad you got to see Lübeck, one of our favs too. Will have to make the Erotic Museum a destination at some point - wouldn't have heard about it but for you guys. Meeting you all was such a treat and having ASKOD at our landing pod a special pleasure. Thanks b for all the behind the scenes work you did and for including us. Onward to Venice!
Posted by: Hamburger | Jan 10 2007 13:43 utc | 23
what can i say? i owe an update on those incredible puppets (the bird from faust, where does one begin?)
catlady , we did not run the Lagavulin dry. we were responsible and coherent to the very end ;)
not too wordy this morn, my heart is clogging my throat, til venice..
Posted by: annie | Jan 10 2007 14:33 utc | 24
askod, i happen to LOVE frogs, but this">http://animal-world.com/encyclo/birds/amazons/images/dblyel17_s.jpg&imgrefurl=http://animal-world.com/encyclo/birds/amazons/Amazons.htm&h=412&w=421&sz=15&hl=en&start=9&tbnid=JlzMVfXZyzPX4M:&tbnh=122&tbnw=125&prev=/images%3Fq%3Damazon%2Bparrot%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DG">this should explain why i reverted to my original thought of a parrot.
as for venice, dan of steele, you need only name the date and the place.
Posted by: conchita | Jan 10 2007 16:17 utc | 25
Conchita,
ASKOD is way too brilliant to be in the frog or parrot category, but considering his lively, colorful personality, perhaps an amazon parrot is a relevant comparison. Catlady being talented/classy – perhaps a red fox? For sure, B is a giant/wizard (with a giant heart also). Conchita: a wise, inquisitive owl? Your other associations round us all out.
Now, who is going to write/illustrate the children’s book or at least a beginning chapter that we all can read in Venice?
Posted by: Rick | Jan 10 2007 16:49 utc | 26
Rick,
I've started a "scrapbook" with some of my and conchita's photos. I'd like others to send me some of their fav photos as well to incorporate. we could send it around for people to add to.
Posted by: Hamburger | Jan 10 2007 17:08 utc | 27
to the hamburg gang
received the card of karlo & freddie & flowers & it shall stay on my bookshelf next to a photo of master mikis theodorakis
& it gives strength
i am a sucker for sacrements
force et tendresse
Posted by: remembereringgiap | Jan 10 2007 20:41 utc | 28
meditating on marx maybe, perhaps poulantzes, always althusser because of benjamin
Posted by: remembereringgiap | Jan 10 2007 20:43 utc | 29
The comments to this entry are closed.
great story, ladies! at first looking at the photo alone, i had to wonder if it was a long-waited portrait of one of the group - not saying of whom.
wish i had made it to lubeck, but seems like b will be needing a new bottle of lagavulin, so perhaps i will have to make another delivery and get a tour of lubeck in the deal.
have a great flight back to the dreary old u.s., and get ready to start calling your reps to demand congress denies bush the $1b banknotes and 20,000 bodies.
Posted by: conchita | Jan 8 2007 22:04 utc | 1