We have been back in Paderno for five days now, and it feels good to be "home" again and not living out of a suitcase. The girls and I left Tim on Thursday morning and headed to Munich. The weather continued to be cold, cold enough in fact to dampen some of the planned walking tours we had discussed. Nonetheless, we visited Marianplatz to watch the 11:00 Glockenspiel performance and spent most of the day in the incredible Deutsches Museum, which has a science and technology focus. Amazing exhibits and information.
Saturday we went to Salzburg, Austria -- saw the "do-re-mi" steps of The Sound of Music and other sites where the film was shot or real places for the Von Trapp family. The castle was magnificent with views of the countryside, though the somewhat misty weather didn't help visibility in some directions. Perhaps most impressive is the cathedral, the Dom, which is quite different from the Duomos of Italy. Light, sandstone-like interior highlighted the artwork; while ornate in design, the whitish colors blended together, creating a soft, almost subdued ambience.
Sunday was Dachau, the prototype concentration camp for Nazi Germany. Although it wasn't technically an extermination camp as Auschwitz was, many people, mostly German political dissidents, were killed or died here. The museum and tour are well-done; the brutality of the Nazis are effectively, passionately documented without needless sensationalism -- of course, the acts themselves need no help in that area.
The bitterly cold nights kept us in our pleasant hotel room in the evenings or having dinner at cozy Italian restaurant a block from the hotel. Abbey and Emma agree with me that German food is not on the top of our food favorites, though the hotel's breakfasts were delicious with many choices of breads, cheese, meats, fruit, yogurt, etc.
Monday, we left Munich for Trento and then changed trains to Bassano, where a taxi picked us up to take us back to Paderno. Cold apartment. Brrrr. So we headed to the Tabacchi for some milk, bread, etc., while the apartment warmed up. Walking in, we saw the owner and said "Buona sera." She returned "Buona sera" and then looked up at us. Breaking out in a smile, she shook our hands, "BUONA SERA," she said again with emphasis, welcoming us back. Unfortunately, the apartment didn't warm up; the boiler was not working right. It kicked in on Tuesday night but died on Wednesday night. Thankfully Anna called someone in, and by Friday, we were warm and cozy.
I have met the new professors, two of whom have been here before. It should be a good group. We had a welcome dinner last night which was a lot of fun after a full day of seminars. Market in Crespano is tomorrow, and then the students arrive on Monday. I begin teaching on Wednesday!! Full classes this term! Abbey will be helping with some of the programs here, and Emma is ecstatic that she has another friend her age, actually two: Cassie (12) and Alex (10), brother and sister of one of the professors. Well, I'm off to go back home, get warm, and work on some Italian!!! Ciao!
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