CC7A :: Colorful Chaos

Our CC7A team is back to creating after a summer hiatus. This month Monique is hosting and she picked a beautiful photograph of St. John's in Newfoundland that she titled Colorful Chaos.  

I didn't realize that the picture was North, in Canada. With all those colors I thought it was somewhere South, perhaps in South America. But I bet all those colors are beautiful peeking out of the snow in the dead of winter!

St. John's is said to be the oldest settlement in North America dating back to 1494 when John Cabot (a Venetian explorer) and his son Sebastian sailed into the harbor. And for the next 300 years this migratory fishing town turned into a strategic port that the French, Dutch and English continually battled for control. It ended with the French and Indian Wars in 1762 where the English successfully defeated the French in the battle of Signal hill and the French turned the city back over to the English.

I checked into why a Northern city might be painted so colorfully? It is an area called Jelly Bean Row. Tourist will ask to find the street or row where these house are, but it is a generic nickname that refers to all the row houses in the downtown area. Some say that they were originally painted so the fisherman could find their way home through the fog, which is a nice thought but not accurate. You can't see much through a dense fog no matter the color of the house.

They are actually the result of a revitalization began in the 1970s to the downtown in an effort to preserve the heritage of the houses that we're falling into disrepair and heading for demolition. One guy can be credited with the colors: David Webber, the Heritage Foundation Executive Director. He painted a sample block in bright colors. From there it spread like wildfire with people painting over the drab, dark colors of their houses and adding all kinds of fancy trims as well. At this point the majority of the downtown is decked out in these bright colors.

I got a little distracted in figuring out some history behind this picture, that I need to get to my project for this post! I went with the center colors in the pallet: orange - red hues. I love this piece of deep, cherry sea glass. I did another pattern with this red sea glass a while back that had an Egyptian feel to it. The red does sort of look like a burning sun hanging over a desert. I took some thick copper (14 gauge) and happily twisted and hammered away. Then shaped it around the glass so I could wire it in place. But first I dipped it in patina and tumbled it. I love how the tumbler takes the shiny edge off and buffs out the scratches from all my hammering. Last part of the design is a soft leather strap in the back that holds the necklace from shifting around too much.

And now on to all the rest of the CC7A artists: Monique (this month's host), Alicia, Christine, Therese and Sally

Slovakia :: Street Art

Cumil: The Watcher

Bratislava was a surprise for me. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I had heard for years how Slovakia had been depressed by Soviet control. My husband is Slovak, and visited when he was young while it was still communist. And he had painted a rather bleak view of the place.

I was pleasantly surprised to find a rather wonderful revitalization of an old world city. The split from Soviet Rule was in 1989 and called the Velvet Revolution (so named due to its peaceful separation). Four years later Czechoslovakia split again into separate countries, also known as the Velvet Divorce: where Slovakia and the Czech Republic went their separate ways. 

In the years that followed, Prague was an up and coming tourist destination and Western influence flooded into the country. Not so for Slovakia, still considered an off-the-beaten track destination. While we were in Vienna our hotel concierge gave us a quizzical look when we told him we were heading for Bratislava next. His reply was, "it'll be quick, you can see it all inside of 2 hours." I disagree, and wish we had more time while we were there. It was charming and still had its authentic character in much of the old town, the people and the shops we visited. One of the things I loved were all the quirky statues about town. There seems to have been a revival in the old town (called Korzo) to shed the greyness of the Communist era by repainting buildings and enlivening the old town with interesting sculptures.

Papparazzi

Schoner Naci

Cumil is one of the bronze statues in a series called 'Men at Work.' He is known by several names like the plumber or the watcher. The locals say that he is a symbol of a good man who is spending his time watching people and the life of Korzo. Others have more mischievous things to say about him like that he is looking up the women's skirts.

There are several other statues in the series called the Papparazzi and Schoner Naci. This last statue is the only one with a Bratislava legend. He is said to be a man named Ignac Lamar, son of a shoemaker. He was known as a gentleman wearing a black suit with tails and a top hat. He was smooth with the ladies greeting them with "I kiss your hand" in German, Hungarian and Slovak.

The thing that strikes me most about this quirky statue series is that it is a celebration of the common people who represent the country. Usually the statues are of the dictators, the scholars, the famous composers or memorials of some horror. But here in Bratislava it is the celebration of the people. And that in my book makes it unique and down right fun. I was taken with the response I saw on Lonely Planet from a local called Peter who took the time to translate and explain the meaning behind these statues. His final words were "Thank you for visiting our country." I found Bratislava to be a very friendly place to visit and worth the diversion off the beaten track.

Another Day, Another Castle

Hohenschwangau Courtyard Fountain

Burg Stahleck in Bacharach Germany

It is amazing that something as cool as a castle can become, well sort of common place. Both my husband and I wanted to see a castle or two. He absolutely loves the history, the architecture and of course all that armor. It turns him into an 8 year old boy. 

We started our trip in the Rhine Valley where there seemed to be a castle on every corner, quite literally. They liter the banks of the Rhine as they overlook what was the major shipping channel of the age. Today they've been turned into magnets for tourism, hotels, some are hostels and a quite a few are just left as ruins. No matter, we loved them all and could not get enough of them. At least in the beginning. Absolutely every one we saw would be a shout out "oh! look another castle!" We'd pull over, and start snapping away. Several of the them ended in muddy back roads that led to nowhere as the castle didn't have a road and wasn't receiving the hoards of tourists.

Burg Eltz

By far the best castle we toured was one of the early ones. Just over the hills of the Rhine in the Moselle Valley is one called Burg Eltz. It seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, not strategically positioned for anyone. And likely why it survived the bombings of WWII, and one of only 2 castles in the area that were never destroyed through the ages. The castle is still owned by a branch of the original family who have lived there since the 12th century (33 generations).

Hohenschwangau

One of the most interesting things about this particular castle was the family's ability to share. There were three family branches living here, which meant 3 households, 3 kitchens, and multiple additions to house for their growing needs. So each successor, whose inheritance was too small to build a castle on his own, simply contributed to building a castle together. Today the castle is 8 stories, has fortified walls with over 100 rooms. This also meant 100+ family members could live in the castle, which meant reinforcement when attackers arrived at the doorstep. The family ecosystem was a built-in process to collaboration and sharing. A model to learn from.

Hohenschwangau Swan Fountain

So after touring this castle, we started to compare them all to this one. And we saw quite a lot of them. 

Neuschwanstein in the distance

All along the Romantic Road of Germany (a concept that was developed after WWII to encourage a return to German tourism). It runs through 28 towns (dating to the medieval age) along a scenic route that rambles from the lower Rhine Valley to through much of Bavaria ending at the fantasy castle of Neuschwanstein (the one everyone photographs and Disney uses as it logo). 

We did end our travels along the Romantic road in Fussen as we thought it would make more sense to stay overnight near the castles vs. trying to do a day trip from Munich. Which is smart if you want to visit this area. However, be warned this is hands down the most touristy location of our entire trip. We honestly had no idea it was.  Upon arrival we were swarmed with bus loads of tourists coming in for the day (presumably from Munich). And while we arrived at noon, tickets (yes you must buy a ticket to tour a castle) were completely sold out for the day. The lines were long with waiting times of several hours. We decided that since we were there, we would bite the bullet and try for tickets the following morning. Highly recommend this strategy since you cannot reserve in advance. 

The hike up to Hohenschwangau

Hohenschwangau Two Swan Fountain 

Both castles require a hike up to the location. All castles seem to be built on hills, steep hills. It gives them a strategic advantage to the surrounding area. We decided to tour Hohenschwangau (meaning highlands of the swans, and yes everything seemed to be a swan throughout the castle). This is the castle that the legendary (aka crazy) King Ludwig II grew up in. He decided that he would build a second castle over on the other hill that was bigger, grander and with more bragging rights. This is the famous Neuschwanstein castle, which he supervised the building of, but which was never fully completed (at least on the inside). Had it been completed, it would have had 200+ rooms, but ultimately only 15 rooms were finished. Thus why we toured the original castle and snapped pictures of the other. The castle was still incomplete when King Ludwig died in 1886, and there after became a lucrative revenue source for the Bavarian royal family who opened it to paying visitors.

Due to its secluded location, the castle survived both WWI and WWII. In addition the Nazis used it as a hidden depot for plunder taken from wealthy Jews. Hitler's dream was to create a "Furhrermuseum" with an estimated 5 million pieces of artwork and cultural items he had stolen which included masterpieces from artists like Michelangelo, da Vinci and Vermeer. In April of 1945, the SS considered blowing it up to prevent the building and the artwork falling into enemy hands, but was in the end surrendered to Allied forces. Clearly, we enjoyed touring the many castles and learning more about the history behind each one. They all have stories to tell.

Karlovy Vary :: The Original Spa Town

Karlovy Vary

Tepla River

I'm not sure where to start with blogging about our recent trip. I have piles of pictures and quite a few stories.

These posts are not likely to be in any sort of order, and I suspect they will not be your typical (obligatory) travel post. You all know me by now, and assume you'd be disappointed if I didn't give you a crazy side story or random musing careful observation about the places we visited. So I'll take my time and work my way through all the notes I took on the trip.

Mill Colonnade (Hubby just walking away)

Let's begin, shall we, at the end of our trip. We finished up our road trip extravaganza in a very old world, spa town called Karlovy Vary, a town known by the Germans as Karlsbad. 

The town is just over the Czech-German border in the Northwestern part of the Czech Republic in an area called Bohemia. The town was built up around a natural thermal hot springs where the Ohre and Tepla rivers come together. 

It is old, very old; founded in 1370 by the King of Bohemia and is everything Calastoga, CA hopes to be when it grows up. We used to go to Calastoga all the time when we lived in California. I loved it. We would rent a little cottage, get a massage, have a nice dinner and swim in the pool heated by the hot springs. 

But here is the thing, Calastoga will likely never hold the charm of this wonderful old world gem. Karlovy Vary is built as an original walking city like so much of the old towns we visited through Germany, Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The streets are cobble stone, and cars have a very hard time navigating most places (if they are allowed). And that makes for a wonderful, leisurely place to stroll along the water, stop into shops, sample some street cafe food (or better a glass of something local). Most of California is designed to get into your car and drive off to the next destination, and you just don't get the same feel for a place unless you're elbow to elbow with the locals.

Griffin Statue

The hot springs are the main attraction and have several long colonnades built up around the springs. There is the old structure, the new one (or Mill Colonnade) and even a park colonnade that was built in the 1800s and has a Victorian feel. I spent hours walking around snapping pictures of all these Corinthian columns, to the point where you can see my husband just walking away. 

In the main building is the geyser and a row of 'taps' for people to sample the mineral water. Or as they say "drinking cures," which there are various ones depending on which source and temperature of the water you choose. Prolonged use of the cure is not recommended, and suggested that you speak with the spa doctor. Yeah, I wasn't so interested in water that needed a doctor's approval.

Karlovy Vary Cups

The ceiling over the geyser has a 'look out' to the sky above. I wonder if the geyser gushed if it would just come right out the top of the ceiling? They enclosed a room around the main geyser. It was a hot August day when we were there (at least 95 degrees) and it felt like about 115 inside. Holy cats! I just wanted someone to open a window ... please. Everyone else seemed preoccupied with taking a sip of the mineral water in these funny little tea-pot like cups. I wasn't buying. They look like some random tschotske from my grandmother's cupboard sitting next to the porcelain thimble collection. I just couldn't see bringing one of these babies home with me. But everyone else had one. We saw all kinds of people strolling around town slowing sipping on these cups as they sat on park benches or popped into one of the shops. 

We didn't see any American tourists (that we were aware of), not even British. This was an off the beaten track kind of place. Which I loved. Most of the tourists were German, Russian and local Czechs up for a few days from Prague. I felt like I really got away from all that I know back home. That is what travel means to me. Pure bliss.

A Travel Hiatus Among Other Things

Bacharach, Germany

Can you imagine waking up to this view? Swinging open your window, getting a faint valley breeze up from the Rhine River and slipping into your clogs to warm the kettle. 

Yeah, I certainly could get used to it. 

Check out the vineyard over there on the hill. We went by several and saw a few stout Germans traversing those vertical fields. I think you might need to be part mountain goat to tend these vines? The wine, and the beer from this region ... oh who am I kidding ... from all over the country is delicious. And we spent a week sampling our way down the Rhine and along the Romantic Road of Germany.

And then we spent a second week traveling through Vienna, on to Bratislava (that's Slovakia's capital city), then Prague and finished up in Karlovy Vary (the original spa town - it's what Calistoga wishes they were). We had a fantastic trip and I can't wait to tell you all about it. But for now, I'm still sorting through pictures and laundry. Piles of it since we also picked up one of the girls from summer camp. 

Yep, that's right. We dropped the kids at summer camp and promptly jumped on a flight to Europe. Last summer the house was just too quiet while they were away at camp, so the hubby and I decided to go away when they were away this year. Our first vacation alone in 12 years. I'll be back to blog about the travels, the stories and show you all the pictures.

The Sea :: Aegean

This is the final posting for my sea inspired series using sea glass beads from Znetshows.com. I still have a few beads left, so good chance I'll be back with more designs. But later in the summer, or maybe this fall. I've been swamped at work lately and haven't made it to my bead table at all yet this summer other than this handful of sea glass designs from early June. 

I made one last pair of sea glass earrings, this time in a beautiful sea foam green. And I included a companion pair using silver sequins. I never really thought of myself as a sequin person, but in these designs I love how it gives off just a bit of chime in your ear when you wear them. I can imagine sitting high up on the bluff of the sea with that bit of sea breeze giving everything a bit of sway.

For this series, I've given you a few places that top my bucket list to visit. This next place is featured in my inspiration board. The Aegean Sea, home to some 2,000 islands inhabited through the ages by Greeks, Turks, Phoenicians, Philistines, Egyptians and countless other travelers. If I were a time traveler and could go back in time, this would probably be my first stop. All those flowing fabrics, strappy sandals, dangling jewelry and plenty of wine. Who's with me?

The first time I can remember reading about the Mediterranean I was cracking open that enormous book of Homer's Odyssey that talked about journeys on the sea, colossal statues and sirens off the sea cliffs. Even though it is full of myth and legend, it had me dreaming of warm breezes and clear blue seas. Don't forget to check out all the other designers and the most current edition of Creative Spark.

The Sea :: Near East

This is the second post in my sea inspired series using beautiful, softly tumbled sea glass beads from Znetshows.com. I absolutely love the pale aqua blue in these beads. And normally I would just stop with blue, the color of the sea, and a touch of silver wire. Usually I gravitate to using silver with sea glass as I feel like it brings a sharp, fresh feel to the design. 

But in these, I went with gold and it brought out the touch of the exotic to each pair. The gold also paired up beautifully with this soft yellow, a color I had yet to try from the huge color choices over at Znetshows. The chain had me thinking of belly dancers, which a few of you might remember some past designs I did with a similar theme. These designs got me into a Near East state of mind for some reason, and transported me to the shores of North Africa.

The term Near East isn't used much anymore. Originally it was used to refer to the Ottoman Empire, and the countries under its control that lined the shores of the Mediterranean. The term was used in contrast to territories that would fall in the Far East, or Northeast / Southeast Asia and Far East Russia. Both terms are clearly defined through a Western lens. It described territories by the super powers of the age, the British, French and Spaniards, as they fought to gain more land and riches and outline the world by their conquests. Today, the terms are used mostly in the context of history and old empire boundaries.

There is an air of the exotic when I think of the historic region. It brings images of camels, sands, bangles, baskets and rich fabrics. Not to mention spices, tajines and tea served in glass cups. I long to shop the markets of Marrakesh or explore the romantic city of Casablanca. Not the one of Bogart and Bacall, but the ancient city called Anfa which was settled in the 7th century BC by the Berbers (the original indigenous people of North Africa). Berbers call themselves i-Mazigh-en, scholars guess the meaning to be 'free people' apart from the Romans and Greeks. The area was one of the most prosperous cities on the Atlantic coast because of its fertile land.

Anfa became a safe harbor for pirates, which was its undoing. The Portuguese attack and destroyed the town in 1468 and used the area as a military fortress. They renamed it Casablanca, meaning the White House. The old city of Casablanca is still referred to as Anfa. The beautiful Mosque in my inspiration board is called the Grande Mosquee Hassan II, and is the largest mosque in Africa, and 7th in the world. The minaret is 60 stories high and has a laser which light is directed towards Mecca. The building itself sits a rock edge looking out to the sea, and where the glass floor of the main hall shows the sea bed. The Mosque was commissioned by King Hassan II, with work starting in 1986 and finishing 7 years later. Pretty spectacular location looking out over the sea.

One more area that also sits near the top of my bucket list, right behind Croatia. Eventually I'll travel to Morocco, but probably after the kids are no longer traveling with us. Check out all the other designs and artists in this edition of Creative Spark.