Blog #24 – Decembre 2008

 
T’was the Season…Of Surviving Christmas Huts
The world may already be emotionally adjusting to New Year’s, new presidents, and new hope…but here at Rue Cassette we’re still trying to conquer our recounting of the endless holiday festivities of December 2008.   Ah yes…such is the life and constant struggle of a blogging existence – trying to remain relevant when time and events fly so much faster than the ability to photograph, upload, and provide completely unnecessary blabber about them.  But that is what the loyal readers of le blog have asked for, and regardless of whether I’m 25 days late in this current effort, I shall remain steadfast in my pursuit of the pure ideals of…exceptional blogging-action. 

And I’m going to start this edition right off the bat with a simple confession, which is…we overdid the Christmas Huts this year.  Plain and simple, we went Christmas Hut bonkers.  What looks like such a harmless, festive, spirited activity – browsing little holiday trinkets, sipping on spiced wine, spotting an occasional Euro-elf…unfortunately can quickly deteriorate into nothing short of mind-numbing exhaustion if not enjoyed in moderation.  And across many lands and inside many stands, moderation was the opposite of what we pursued this season, which resulted in turning December 2008 into what I will always remember as “HutFest 2008”.  Please enjoy Microsoft’s blogging technological advances of “the Inline Spread Photo Album” to enjoy just a small preview of the onslaught to follow….

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Rest assured that our excess will benefit the loyal RC readers in some token way – namely on no-cost advice on what I will summarize as “Christmas Huts 101: The Dos and Don’ts of a Timeless but Endangered Western European Tradition.”  Throughout our 3 part December adventures, (1 Part French / 2 Parts German), these little gold nuggets will be notably scattered throughout the remainder of the blog so that all y’all can avoid these deliberately deceiving pitfalls in the future.  And with that let’s all agree to carry-on to the première partie (Part 1)…

Part 1:  Christmas in Paris, like Dynamite in the John
Did anyone happen to pay attention to the December news story about finding dynamite in the toilets of a Paris department store?  Well let’s just say that our Christmas in Paris this year was kind of like that – plenty of hype, full of action, and in the end, no one got hurt.

With your permission I’d like to start at the Macro-level of city and work my way down.  My thoughts are well-known on how well Paris presents itself during this magical season (if not, you may want to peruse the December 2007 blog).  All of that was still very much in order, from the innovative “melting snowflake” lights of the Champs to the overly-chic jewelry store decor on Place Vendome.  My personal favorite, the incomprehensibly tall centerpiece Christmas tree at Galleries Lafayette was also back in effect, with a somewhat ironic theme of “Noël Grand” (“Big Christmas”).  With the economic crises and new fear of terrorist attacks in central Paris department stores, I can assume their big season revenues weren’t nearly as “grand” as they would have liked.  But that didn’t stop us from getting a fabulous snapshot of their tree, and the city’s splendor!

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Christmas in our beloved 6th arrondissement was no exception to the holiday spirit, highlighted most notably by the appearance of…you guessed it, Christmas Huts surrounding both Boulevard Saint Germain and Place Saint-Sulpice.  This was our first opportunity of the year to stuff ourselves on heavy Savoyard cuisine (think cheese, potatoes, ham, and bread served together), drink vin chaud (literally hot wine), sniff dried sausages, touch home-made scarves, and look at airplanes made from beer cans (really? really.)  We also had an opportunity to learn our first Christmas Huts 101 lessons:

• DO bring an umbrella. The roof coverage of these shacks is actually minimal, and unlike some parts of the world this past December, Western European cities are much more prone to rain than the fairy-tale white fluffy stuff.     
• DO NOT forget the umbrella inside the eating area of a hut while suffering from a cheese coma.  

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More specifically, we head to our Rennes quartier (quartier = one part of an arrondissement.  For example, the Latin Quarter is one part of the 5th arrondissement.  And you said you never learned anything from RC!)  Christmas on Rue de Rennes had a quite impressive addition to its festive decor this year – lining the streets with a modern interpretation of “Icicle Lights with Balls”.  This was a much celebrated addition from our windows, because we had been missing the neon purple lighting from nearby Cinema Arlequin profoundly since they were retired….  

Finally, at Rue Cassette, life was as festive as ever as traditions were finally starting to feel like…traditions.  Champagne was popped (not pictured), garland was hung (not pictured), and (for the third year!) our trusty decorations were hung reflecting a time of Noël… 

 

While much December celebrating can happen in a warmly-decorated home, there is something to be said about venturing out and enjoying some blockbuster holiday events.  In our household, #1 and #2 on that list are those sponsored by our respective places of employment.  Why?  And aren’t work parties lame?   I would say two things about this, based solely on my personal experience.  1) Not in this town and 2) Not when you like your co-workers.  

Bamboleo!  The Microsoft theme this year was decidedly…Spanish.  Think Gipsy Kings meets Paris Night Club.  Think non-stop Bailando at the Bodega…ay, ay, ay!  Finally, think “I hope these aren’t the same guys coding the software”…Let’s hear it for sales and marketing, baby.

What you see here is a couple ready to embrace the dance floor.  What you don’t see is Shannon’s flamenco shoes, which she always brings just in case…

What you probably don’t want to see is action pictures…like me caught mid-funky chicken on the dance floor with co-worker and friend Aaron Painter (in case you couldn’t tell, that is officially a red sweater.  Works with Christmas.  Works with Spain.  Brilliant!).  And who else snuck an invite to the event – French extraordinaire Denis Hil!  

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Call it sweet revenge from the previous year – but the International School of Paris decided to shake away its bohemian party holiday roots, and as a result, threw together a sufficiently swankified event at a chic Italian-inspired hangout Barlotti.  We were lucky enough to snag a table with dear participants of the “great RC fondue catastrophe of 2007” -  Emily & Hitch, and Xavier & Michelle.

It’s amazing the conversation that flows with the powerful combination of our world’s best educators and world’s best Italian red wine.  Here we find Emily and Rukiya caught in the act… 

Did I really need more reasons to love Duke?  Is my current love, despite a recent dry-run of national championships, not unconditional enough?  Apparently not.  Because to top off the holiday event agenda, we received an unexpected invitation from Duke Alumni of Paris to attend a special cocktail soirée and sneak-peak entrance to the new exhibit at Le Grand Palais.  And instead of investigating whether or not this invitation was accidental (Mars Johnson in Paris?), we graciously accepted…and there we were standing in front of the iconic Hotel de Crillon, where Part 1 of the event was hosted.  A small piece of advice – when invited to the Hotel de Crillon (or any hotel featured in Wikipedia for that matter), you should probably go.  Especially if its Christmas.  

  

The exhibit itself was…modern.  And sensational.  In fact, at no time during the tour could I differentiate it between a museum and a raging night club.  Those white lights on the pillars?  Not white lights after all, rather moving words….

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Translated to “Images of the Night” – projections of sequenced still images and full videos were everywhere – ceiling, floor, walls, hung banners, and much more.  I think at one point videos were being projected on me….and that was not a highlight for anyone!  GO DUKE.

 

Part 2:  Christmas in Munich, Like a Fool in the Rain
Some early December background Johnson family conversation is necessary for these next two segments.

Lars:  “Let’s do something Christmas-y this year.  Do you think Prancer still lives in Norway?”
Shannon:  “Probably not.  And those SAS calendar specials are a rip.  But Germany is pretty Christmas-y”
Lars:  “True, and my parents live in Heidelberg, the capital of Christmas-y”
Shannon:  “And don’t forget Munich.  Oktoberfest was amazing.  Great weather, too.”
Lars:  “Hold on to your lederhosen.  We’re going to both.”

And just like that, we were off to Munich…in search of a broader European continental Christmas spirit.  What struck us in Munich (literally) was….freezing, cold, non-stop, penetrating…rain.  But there was a great Christmas tree in front of the world-famous Glockenspiel.  I believe Shannon risked the long-term water-proof state of her camera to take this picture…   

And I risked my life…for some quality ice-skating with our dear friends the Grosserichters (featured in many past blogs)!  Thanks to Bartley we have some ice-skating footage as this month’s integrated video experience featuring the four of us that braved the ice (Hannah in Pink, Amelie in Red, Helge in Blue, and myself in long wool coat).  I realize you all would have enjoyed this more if 1) I had bitten it pretty hard and 2) you could recognize any of us from the other mini-Germans in the rink…but I do not personally “eat ice” for the pleasure of the RC readers, and I blame the picture clarity on YouTube (a subsidiary of Google), not Bartley’s camera skills….

  

          

And then there was the…you guessed it, Munich Christmas Huts (disguised in native language as Christkindlmarkt).  You can call it what you want…but I know a hut when I see it, thank you….

In this environment (the largest communal gathering of huts known to modern civilization), I added to my 101 guide:

• DO spend money on items that are consumable.  These include Bratwursts, Cheese, Pretzels, Candied Nuts, and regional desserts (see below).  Notable exceptions include Lebkuchen and Marzipan, and especially those dangling hearts that appear to be edible…but are not.    
• DO NOT spend money on items that cannot be eaten, especially lace doilies, brass stocking holders, glass-blown ornaments, and Christmas hats with neon lights.  Notable exceptions include a single German-crafted holiday welcome piece for your home or apartment (see below), especially those featuring pine cones and cinnamon sticks.   

 

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• DO arm yourself with someone who can be considered a local (that is my Mom below).  Negotiations can be fierce and outcomes ambiguous.  This becomes especially relevant when purchasing your one allotted German hand-crafted item (see below)…

 

• DO make this experience about family and friends.  This is, after all, Christmas.   

• DO NOT assume that small ones like Hannah and Amelie will give you an equal share of their dessert (in this case, the regional specialty Damfnudeln).  They make look small, but a properly raised German girl knows how to protect her share of the pudding…

There were other lessons to be learned outside of the huts.  I am not often asked to teach piano (due to my limited selection of three songs), but when given the opportunity to pass on the magic of “Heart and Soul” to the next generation…I gladly accept.  Special shout-out to Helge and Bartley’s new custom book cases, which is only surpassed in coolness by their endless collection of German, French, and English books…

And for the grand finale of the Munich trip – an (almost complete) Grosserichter / Johnson Reunion brunch!  Across three generations – 13 out of 21 is not half bad for representation of the two clans.  Look for the OC Johnsons and PDX Georges to round out this group sometime in the next decades…  

 

Special emphasis of the brunch was spent admiring Dirk Grosserichter’s new daughter, Clara, as well as general merry-making.  What a family-inspired way to wrap up the Munich journey!

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Part 3:  Christmas in Heidelberg, like Weissbier in the Belly
It’s a little comical in retrospect I suppose…envisioning a snowy Christmas village like Heidelberg vs. rainy Seattle for our holiday break.  That being a relatively un-informed vision of course – as it rarely snows in Heidelberg, and Seattle had enough of the white stuff this year to look like a city in the Alps (I am informed in late January that the snow continues).  But nevertheless, Christmas break 2008 wasn’t about the weather – it was about family, and Heidelberg – capital of adorable!  A town that feels like a good Weissbier in the belly – that is to say, relaxed…and great.

Where exactly is Heidelberg?  It’s where my parents live!  No, but seriously, think not so far from the French border…something that you can peruse on your own using this embedded Virtual Earth Map.  The town itself is built around both banks of the Neckar river, with one side dominated by the University campus (“Universitat Heidelberg”) and the other with the old town.  

As my dad is on sabbatical working on research with the university this year, he scored a great apartment in the heart of campus.  Here we are upon arrival to their place after a short 4 hour train voyage from Paris.  Don’t let this picture deceive you – I have, never in the history of our relationship, packed more than Shannon.  I have mysteriously, often carried more than Shannon…

Heidelberg certainly supports an outdoorsy, active lifestyle.  Here we find panoramic view into the old town from the high bank of the “Philosopher’s Walk”.  For us, most important thing to philosophize about was how to keep warm, and how on earth we were going to get down to that bridge and over to the old town center…

That is what I call successful outcome of philosophy.  On the bridge, warm and toasty. 

The main corridor of Heidelberg’s old town is one of the longest (and most precious) “foot traffic only” shopping zones in Europe.  Rest assured in the days leading to Christmas we spent plenty of quality time on what I would like to refer to as “the Strip” of Heidelberg (not to be confused with Vegas…quite a different feel actually).  We strolled along, went to church concerts there, window-shopped there…

We dined there, put back hearty German beers there…

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And then, when we least expected it, we ran smack into more CHRISTMAS HUTS there!  This added some of the most profound learnings to my 101 guide:

• DO drink whatever they serve spiked (e.g., gluhwein, vin chaud, Irish coffee, etc.).  Let’s be honest, the warm alcohol rarely makes a person feel bad in 20 degree weather. 
• DO order the commemorative mug.  After this Christmas, I don’t know if we are ever going to touch another hut with a ten foot pole.  Therefore, a classic souvenir is in order.

 

• And finally, DO pay proper respect to the huts that dare to go beyond the traditional design and services of a standard dinky hut.  In this case, a double-life size version of those German twirling candle heat whatchacallums, featuring enough light to supply a small city, and enough booze stands to light up a small army.  That is special…and that deserves patronage. 

Here is a tip not related to hut-lore.  When a town offers a funicular, ride it.  It usually leads to high-elevation with good views…

And as you can see, Heidelberg was no exception!  In this case you get to see a new perspective on the town from the castle lookout…

And in my humble opinion, one of the most unexpected but novel treasures Heidelberg has to offer is inside the castle itself…a keg crafted for the king, capable of holding hundreds of thousands of liters.  Even better, you can climb to the top (as my mom and I did below)! 

And when the cold and adventure was too much, it was back to campus for some good old-fashioned Christmas traditions – making Lefsa (Norwegian Flatbread) for dunking in Cocoa, playing Yatzee to a round of Weissbiers…

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…and what good would Paris-based kids be if they didn’t bring a bit of Champagne for a holiday toast!  Thank you Mom and Dad for hosting Heidelberg Family Christmas 2008! 

Wait…That’s all for 2008?
Not exactly.  But for NYE 2008-2009, among other short adventures, you’ll just have to come back in two short weeks for le blog of Janvier!  In the meantime Bonne Année 2009, here is two Rue Cassetters wishing you a fabulous start to the New Year and plenty of new hope to celebrate!