New friends and old

Pasay City is unbelievably busy.yesterday was a case of Dorothy finding she was not in Kansas anymore! One day it's -9 in an empty prairie city, the next, +27 in wall to wall people, cars, Jeepneys (mini busses that go shorter routes), taxis, side car bikes, buses, in streets lined with fruit stall, shops, and construction. It's nonstop busy. Bricks in sidewalks are worn down to nothing. 80's architecture blends with what could be from 1930s or earlier.

After an exhausting flight of 18 hrs in the air and at least another 8 or 9 sitting around in airports, we landed and found Alfie's parents who kindly met us with a hired driver.

Alfie's mom meets us at the airport.

Children begging for money surrounded us. One persistent 10 year old girl practically climbed into the car with us, tugging at Alfie's sleeve so he finally gave her some change. We landed without Pesos so it was all borrowed from Tito Ed, Alfie's dad. Everyone stayed at Alfie's brother-in-law and sister's (Ramil & Lovelle) place. We slept until quite early and had breakfast prepared by Melanie, a hired girl who also looks after the children.

Ramil and Lovelle's terrace overlooking Facundo Street.

Getting money exchanged is not great. You have to use an ATM on the street. Risky but better for exchange rate is to bring cash and exchange it at Marcello Exchange. I got a decent rate out of the machine but exchanging at airports is a better guarantee of having cash on hand when you land although the change rate is terrible and there's a service fee.

We ate at a fast food place where service was great and dishes were reuseable. The food was also healthy-ish. Back home we slept off our jet lag until 7pm, then scrambled to get ready for the reunion dinner. Alf, Inna and I caught a taxi to the mall. Note: ensure the driver starts his fare meter as soon as you start. Of course he ended up over-charging and dropped us off at the wrong side of the huge mall we needed to be. Greenbelt mall is in Makati, the business district. Everyone is ridiculously well dressed and the crowds were huge even at 9 p.m. on a Monday night.

At first we couldn't find anyone at the meeting place but then they wandered back. Finally I got to meet the original members of Half Life Half Death. Carol, singer, Joel, guitar, Ramil, bass, Casper, drums, and Pet, guitar. Later Rain, guitar, and his wife Pink joined us and at our final meeting place, the band's silent member and photographer, Norman.

The gang (L-R): Coy, Rain, Pink, Carol, Joel, Omai, Ramil, Pet, Me, Alfie. Missing: Bebet, Aldrin and percussionist Jesus.

It was a great experience sitting in the midst of a group of old friends who hadn't seen eachother in many years. It was like they picked up where they left off. Once friend, always friends. Though much of the conversation was in Filipino, they kept me up to speed with translative asides.

My new friend Rupert: adventures to follow!

We got home at 2am and finally sleep.

Mazur Sister in Hong Kong

Almost there. In Hong Kong, a city of legend, for the first time in my life. Unfortunately all I'll see of this world wonder is the airport. This journey to Manila began at 3:30 a.m. Jan 14 in Winnipeg. I completed last-minute cleaning, fussing, and readying my house for my house sitter. Then the cab was early so I couldn't finish breakfast. Argh!

Alfie, Charina and Evawwen joined me at the airport around 5:45 a.m. and then we were off to Vancouver. Who should I see riding first class but Ali Dekhordi, also on his way to Manila for work. We made arrangements to attend the Symphony on Friday - the Philippine Philharmonic. How Winnipeg is that? Ali was on a Waterton Lakes trip with me about 7 years ago in Grizzly country and scared off any hope of bear-spotting by singing at the top of his lungs in Farsi. That was also the summer of his infamous bearspray incident that has become legendary in the Alpine Club Manitoba Section history. But that's another trip from another chapter in my travels. Here is Evawwen commencing his travels at the age of three in the cockpit of the first airplane he ever set foot in:

I have never flown for 13 hours straight - until today. With a feisty two-year-old in front of me. Evawwen and I made a little finger game to keep him entertained while his mom and dad slept on each side.

Evawwen with his dad, Alfie: first plane ride ever!

The plane flew north west from Vancouver, over the range close to Mount McKinley - such huge mountains!! I wanted to walk the ridges of all of them. Then we crossed the Bearing Straight and flew south west over Russia and Mainland China. Now, it's humid and raining in HK and we've a couple hours yet to board the last flight - 2 hours flying time to Manila. Alfie's parents are supposed to meet us at the airport and take us to his sister's place in Pasay City.

Charina, bright and cheerful after a 13 hour flight in the Hong Kong airport.

The currency exchange for HK dollars is $7.50 to the US dollar. Coffee, yogurt and a Canadian maple granola bar cost $69 - HK!

On the road again

"You sure don't let the moss grow under your feet," a friend remarked recently. I was explaining my upcoming trip to the Philippines. Once again I'll be bringing my fiddle and performing with friends who will be having a reunion concert of their New Wave band that was active in the late 80s-early 90s: Half Life Half Death. I've been playing in an off-shoot band started up in Canada by HLHD's lead singer, Alfie Vera Mella, (haLf man haLf eLf) adding a classical touch to his melody-heavy complicated epic-length songs. I'll continue this blog as I travel.

I've continued to travel with the old skrepka since returning from Europe last January, but on a lower-key scale so here's a few highlights of the past year, starting with Spring:

In May, my music-loving mountaineering friend Len and I headed South East to Chicago to see if we could accomplish a weekend of Chicago Symphony Orchestra concerts and Museums just as easily as we would a weekend of climbing in the Rockies had we headed West. We found we could indeed, even though it was a whirlwind.

The mirror bean thing in Chicago's Millennium Park.

We did the Museum of Science and Industry after which I could die happy having seen 1920s actress Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle full of miniature artifacts ranging from Rudolph Valentino's collection of mini suits of armour to a sliver of wood from the supposed true cross.

Colleen Moore's dollhouse at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry.

Len was all over the Field Museum, being a geologist, and I loved the brilliantly designed Evolution gallery. We could have spent days there but had to also squeeze in the Art Institute of Chicago. Highlights were the photo gallery, the Impressionists' section, and the American Gallery which houses the famous American Gothic painting and Edward Hopper's remarkable Nighthawks, which was the inspiration for a piece for cello and orchestra by Canadian composer Vincent Ho.

One of several Van Gogh paintings NOT in at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam but at the Chicago Art Institute.

Speaking of new music, the CSO has a great Music Now concert series that features new projects throughout the year either by or curated by the two composers-in-residence, Mason Bates and Anna Clyne. The weekend we chose had two concerts going on: Music Now's Mercury Soul at the Red Moon Theatre, and a concert from the regular classical series featuring Yo Yo Ma performing Schumann's Cello Concerto. Yes, you read correctly: Yo Yo Ma, one of the world's greatest cellists of our time. Len and I were over the moon. Especially when we found ourselves standing within 10 feet of both Ma and the CSO's conductor Riccardo Muti at the unbelievably fun evening of DJ Mercury Soul - who turned out to be young master Bates himself. This story I must tell:

When Len and I arrived at the Red Moon Theatre, we had no idea what to expect. An open space had some tables for people to put drinks on, the bar was open, and several small stages were set up with music stands waiting on them. A skinny white kid was bobbing his head behind a Mac Book Pro up on the DJ bridge. Another young man in black was hovering around him. Electronica was pumping through the sound system and people were milling around. Eventually, the lights over a small stage with four music stands came on and as a string quartet mounted the stage, the electronica started pumping more intensely. The musicians were watching the man in black who was watching them. Soon he started conducting and brought them in. The beat faded and they took over with what turned out to be a few select movements from John Adams' Book of Alleged Dances (I found everything out later). When they finished, the electronica returned and the audience members started to dance. Every half hour or so the same thing happened in another part of the theatre space. The pieces played included: a duet for clarinet and marimba by Anna Clyne, Concertino for twelve instruments by Igor Stravinski (written in 1921) and finally a piece for percussion by Mason Bates. Just before the Stravinski, Len turned to me and said, "Isn't that Riccardo Muti over there?" Indeed it was. Then my attention was caught by the unassuming gentleman next to him. "Len, isn't that Yo Yo Ma?" Indeed, Len confirmed it was. Our evening was complete.

The next night, we wandered in to a pre-concert talk only to find the skinny DJ from the Red Moon being interviewed by a distinguished older gentleman in front of a crowd of Chicago's discerning cultural elite. "Who are your musical influences?" "What is a typical day of composing like?" they asked. The DJ kid was composer-in-residence Mason Bates. I had to ask a question: "We were at the Red Moon event last night and thoroughly enjoyed it," I began. "Yes!" he fist-punched, "Someone who was there!" and briefly explained the event to the discerning classicists who had not been in attendance. "What motivated your choice in the pieces?" I asked. Their modernity, he explained, made them the best match for electronica, even the Stravinski. Privately I had to disagree, having experienced what electronica maestro Stefan Obermaier can do with Beethoven. But I was pleased to bring up the subject to liven up the discussion.

Hearing Yo Yo Ma perform live was an experience of a lifetime. It was quite comical to see him pop out of his chair, cello and all at the end of particularly emphatic phrases. His passion was evident and his skill incredible. Still...I can't help preferring the flawless tone of Colin Carr when he performed with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra at the International Cello Festival in Winnipeg in June - THAT was amazing!

In June, I took my violin on a short canoe trip, heading out to the Mantario Wilderness Zone in Manitoba's Whiteshell Provincial Park. My trusting friend Toni and I launched my wood and canvass canoe from the shores of Big Whiteshell Lake at 8:00 p.m. and faithfully portaged our stuff on an unknown (to her) 2 km knee-deep-in-muck portage via headlamp in pitch dark. I was wearing a dress. As one must when canoeing in absolute wilderness at midnight. Look, I didn't have time to change after work. And besides, I knew where I was going. When we launched from the shores of the second lake, Ritchie, green aurora borealis flickered in the sky above us. The water was glassy still and we glided peacefully, making a bee-line for the Ritchie Lake Campsite, hoping to find our friend Dan, who I'd promised we'd meet that night. As I scanned the shoreline I called out to him, hoping we'd arrived at the right bit of granite. No answer. Turns out he was sleeping alone in the back country...with earplugs in! Of course, this was to shut out those noisy drunken bears who were partying in the next campsite...

Have Fiddle will Paddle.

That weekend we wasted basking in the sun, wandering around to find dragonflies attacking beaver dams, and I got in some practicing in the wilderness, just because I could.

Dan and Toni and I had a repeat experience on the September long weekend only this time we headed out to Winnage Lake in the Experimental Lake Area in Ontario and experienced barren post-forest fire landscape as well as exploring where First Nations people have left pictographs on east-facing walls of granite. Amazing to stand or float by rock where hundreds of years before, people dipped their hands into pots of naturally-made paint and pressed them to the rock.

First Nations pictographs, several hundred years old.

Each night I played music for the birds and the stars and my friends. On the last morning, several groups of paddlers sailed by and shouted "thanks for the music! It made our weekend!"

My fiddle and I have stayed relatively close to home since then - there's no way I was going to drag it 63 km on the Mantario Trail at Thanksgiving in October, which was - by the way - my eighth time completing that hike (yes, I'm so vain!) - this time with Dan. Every time it's different and every time it's great fun.

Above Ritchie Lake, Mantario Trail.

Musically this fall haLf man haLf eLf performed at a book launch for Dadolescence by Bob Armstrong, published by Turnstone Press. Our covers of New Wave songs by The Cure, Modern English and Depeche Mode plus one original, Never Ending Sun, complimented Bob's tale of a stay-at-home dad trying to find his place in the world, starting with selling off all his New Wave records as a rite of passage to becoming a real grown-up. In November, we were one of the opening acts for Philippine hip hop bands Glock-9 and Parokya ni Edgar. Finally, in December we joined forces with solo Winnipeg artists Cassie Hatcher and Sid Strange for a fundraising concert to support Aqua Books, a centre for songwriters, and authors, dubbed by it's owner Kelly Hughes, Winnipeg's Cultural City Hall.


Finally, aLfie and I are down to our last days of preparing for rehearsals with his former band mates in the Philippines for a reunion concert on Feb. 3 of HLHD.

And the moral of the story is...

I seem to have a tradition of getting sick at the very end of a long journey abroad. I've been sleeping off a bad chest cold since I got back from Spain, which was not helped by having to remain conscious for 24 hours-plus in order to catch three different flights on Saturday. What also didn't help was climbing Montserrat in a blasting icy wind on Friday. I'm hoping my hiking partner also didn't get sick, because the last time we ended a journey together, we both got sick at the same time.

I'm referring to the end of my walk on the Camino de Santiago when Enric and I visited a "miraculous healing" water fountain and both got sick in the same way (which I will not describe as it's too gross and you can use your imagination; needless to say it was an effective weight-loss program), after we had parted ways. I haven't heard but I hope he survived the Montserrat freeze unscathed.

On Thursday, after getting home at 2:00 am, we slept in, ate breakfast, checked out each others' documentaries and music videos, websurfed, had lunch, sat in the sun in the garden, played with a stray cat, and relaxed. So much for sight-seeing! But it was important to visit as well.

Neighbourhood cat.

Enric soaking up the sun: January in Spain. 

How to really enjoy a vacation: I'm not frowning, I'm squinting in the winter sunshine!

Then I caught a train to Barcelona to meet up with Florian and the two Lucs for the evening. On the way to meet them I came across the Sagrado Familia, a church of Tim Burton-like creepiness designed by Gaudi, inspired by the bizarre natural rock formations of Montserrat. I thought it was hideous in an appealing, Edward Scissor-hands kind of way, if that's possible.

I found the boys busy in an internet bar so I went shopping (a dangerous past-time in Barcelona this time of year!) and met them later. When the objective seemed to be to find cheap beer and wander around all night, I said goodbye and headed home. There had been some opportunities to hear music but I would have to look for those another time, since going to bars by yourself is not always fun or wise.

Friday was a much better day, consisting of a hike up the actual Montserrat itself.

Enric and I cheated and took a tram up to the monastery and then hiked the rest of the way to the summit, which was a pretty big undertaking unto itself. There was several routes leading to several symbolic and sacred places of note including a cave where the black virgin statue was found centuries ago. It now rests behind the altar inside the monastery cathedral.

Almost all the trails we followed had yellow Camino de Santiago markers, because Montserrat has been included in the Catalunyan branch of the Way of St. James. Once again, I found my Camino!

Again, that familiar symbol: the Camino de Santiago in Catalan.

A very significant event: on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage on Montserrat, my Templar protector returns the hiking pole that helped others and was left behind when we both got sick from a healing fountain. We balance it on our fingers because it is important to lead a balanced life.

Completely frozen, we quit Monserrat in time for the last train down the mountain, and warmed up at home with hot showers and music before heading out to a nearby town for a final dinner: a wine shop with a restaurant that served wine with cold dishes including vegetables, bread, and fine cheeses. A truly excellent idea.

At the beginning of this trip I said to Rien and Nico that I thought this journey was going to be like another Camino, only instead of walking I'd be taking the train every day. Sure enough, it did end up being very Camino-like, and several times I was actually on parts of the Way in Tirol and Catalunya. It was so important to me to be able to see my Camino friends again and develop those relationships further, and talk about our respective walking experiences a year-and-a-half later. Also, the Mozart conference in Salzburg allowed me to make new friends with whom I walked another journey - a musical one - as we learned about making music together and studied the life of one rare human being: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Now that I'm home I have a huge To Do list as a result of this trip:
- learn Spanish
- learn German
- improve my French
- play with other musicians more often
- return to Europe as soon as possible!

Quelle language yo hablo hoy?

Already it´s Thursday and I´m in Barcelona. Seems like world away from Vienna but it´s only just a two-hour flight! Like going from Winnipeg to Calgary. Different language, culture, history, ways of life, sociological attitudes, and climate.

In Vienna I wandered the first day and found the museum of sound where you can conduct the virtual Vienna Philharmonic. No matter how hard I tried to keep a steady rhythm, the damn orchestra would not follow! Maybe because it consists mostly of men, even today. In film footage they showed, I spotted only three women. WTF?

Time fled away and I met Monika for dinner near St. Stephensplatz (huge central cathedral). We ate at her favourite falafel place. Really good food. We discovered a free concert being offered later at another Romanesque church, possibly St. Michael´s. Violin played with baroque bow and viola da gamba. All 16th and 17th century compositions.

So lovely in that setting. To our immediate right was the remains of - I think - the first Pope Benedickt (there were no numbers next to his name), reclining graciously behind a glass sarcophagus in his Roman-soldier-style outfit. He´d been dug up from a crypt in Rome centuries ago and brought there. His skin-covered dried husk was covered in sparkles and jewels but you could see his ribs. Hard to believe, but close study confirmed for me that yes, this was an actual deceased human body. Yeesh. I hope he enjoyed the music too!

Last day in Vienna, Monika and I caught a guided tour of the Lipizaner horse training school, built in something like 1732 and located right downtown in the middle of old Vienna. Even though the stable was built in the mid 1500s, it´s still used and in perfect operating condition. There´s also a huge indoor winter training hall where Maria Theresa used to host 8000 guests at a time to see the horses perform.

Believe it or not: this 16th century building houses a whole bunch of white performing horses in the middle of downtown Vienna.

Next we walked the Ring, saw the Burg, the Hapsburg´s Imperial winter palace, just on the outside, and discovered the Naschmarkt, a very Viennese tradition: the snack market where you can buy a little of this and a little of that for your dinner, plus kaffi, und schokolade (coffee and chocolate)...(these are a few of my favourite things!)

Beethoven composed the 3rd, 5th, and 7th Symphonies in a little flat across from the University of Wien, around the corner from a house where Schubert later unsuccessfully wooed one of three beautiful sisters. Spiral stone steps led us up and up and up to Herr Beethoven´s old haunt and we saw the piano he played back in the day.

Usually 18th and 19th century artist renderings of people are idealized and you never get a solid handle on what they really looked like but a plaster mask taken of LVB´s face while he was alive really puts you in touch with the man. It stands in a display case in one of the rooms: severe and growly eyebrows, pursed grumpy mouth - that´s what he looked like. You could see every line and bump of his face.

It was too late to go into the house where Mozart lived on Dom Gasse but at least we found it. Same touristy souveniers as all over Salzburg were in the shop window. Central, busy, and full of life - a location perfect for the sociable little party animal, Wolfgang.

Monika and I ended our evening with dinner at a 400 year old wine cellar, something only found in the Quebec area this side of the Atlantic Ocean!

Wednesday morning I cursed myself for booking a 6:30am flight to Barcelona. Thankfully the train system in Vienna and surrounding area is so good I could get there in time. Arrived in Barcelona 9:00 am and was greeted by the familiar face of my Templar Knight. A jam session was priority after settling in to the basement of Enric´s family home and then we hit the town.

More winding cobble-stone streets, but different from Vienna because of the lush balcony gardens, palm trees, and extreme cleanliness. Way more crowded, to. Around 7:00 we discovered three random French guys from Marseille who joined us for a free Renaissance organ concert in the huge Cathedral, below which is buried the remains of the patron saint of Barcelona, St. Eulalia. When Florian wasn´t napping, he was fidgeting and making his friends laugh, but also listening to the huge ancient organ. The Adagios were brutal so we left after an hour but not before a bunch of old ladies who escaped before us.

Wandered again and found an awesome Tapas bar, then the Manchester bar, full of photos of New Wave artists and others from Manchester. Very appropriate since Enric just returned from that city. Of course, the boys found a cute girl from New York to chat up and I discovered a Montrealer living for a year in Spain.

It´s important to note that the trains stop running early during the week but we did catch a bus home. At 2:00 am. Today, mountains and castles!

The Danube isn't really blue

It's foggy today in Vienna, which makes for some great photography. I wandered through a fairground called Prater this morning. Crows calling through the empty amusement park made it kind of creepy. There's a lot of Geist Hauses that I'd love to see but the whole thing seems to be closed this time of year.

I arrived in this Art mecca of Europe yesterday after a fantastic week of studying the Mozart String Quartet in D Major K. 575 with the Manhattan String Quartet in Salzburg. Three hours a day of coaching and then museum touring left me with a huge knot in my neck. Last night my Camino friend Monika took me to a meditative free-dancing class which really helped loosen up my creaky old corpse.

All last week the food was fabulous at the Pitter hotel and it cumulated in a final farewell dinner. I now have a large group of American friends from all over the states, but a ton of the group were from Connecticut and Boston, two of my favourite places in the States! Also Chicago, another great town.

On the last day in Salzburg, I wandered up this big hill or outcropping thing that rises above the altstadt and wandered through an old fortress dating back to the 1400s. You can see snow-capped mountains in the distance and the narrow streets of Salzburg winding at your feet. The houses I thought were built into the cliff were actually buried in a landslide in 1669 but the facade-like fronts protuding were actually cleaned out so you can access them. But they didn't bother cleaning back the whole cliff. So that's why there's just the front of these houses sticking out of the mud-face.

Now, off to see old Vienna!

Christine

I'll have what he's having: Donizetti's Elixir of Love

The Salzburg State Theatre (Salzburger Landestheatre) put on an absolutely stunning performance of Gaetano Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore on Tuesday, Jan 11. The tiny stage's revolving floor accommodated a stark but effective set that converted from modern cubicle office to wedding party hall for this modern telling of an age-old theme. Nemorino is a poor little office schlub in love with his gorgeous boss, Adina. She falls for the dashing business man Belcore who also is a soldier and convinces her to marry him before he gets shipped out on duty. Enter the yoga-posing new-agey health guru Dr. Dulcamara, selling love potions (really just Bordeaux wine). Nemorino buys it and drinks it but is then told that it takes 24 hrs to take effect. He spurns Adina and laughs at her, confident the potion will work. But the soldier is to be shipped out early so the wedding is moved up to immediately. In desperation, Nemorino joins the army and pays for more love potion with the money. Meantime Adina's office staff, Giannetta, spreads a rumour to all the cell-phone-texting girls that Nemorino's just inherited a fortune from a rich uncle and is now loaded. They all chase him and Adina is jealous. There's a famous, beautiful tenor aria here by Nemorino that is standard in all tenor repertoire and it was a delight to hear it. Pavel Kolgatin was fantastic in the role as were all the performers. This performance was really well directed and coreographed. Little jokes and pantomimes were going on all over and the leads were flawless in singing and acting. In a duet with the Doctor, Adina keeps singing while attempting to swill beer and light a cigarette, which the Doctor grabs from her. So great to see opera in Salzburg! For a taste, there's a trailer for it on Youtube here.

Wednesday, Jan 12 was a performance by faculty members of the Universität Mozarteum: Piano quartet in c minor op. 15 by Faure, Divertimento " Le baiser de la Fee" by Stravinsky, Duo No. 1 für Violine und Cello by Martinu, and Piano Quartet in g minor Op. 25 by Brahms. The room allowed very live accoustics. The pianist and violist were solid and really excellent. Enrico Bronzi on Cello was a virtuoso, making faces the whole time and playing effortlessly.

Tonight was a cello recital of Bronzi's students. All were really good. So lucky to study at a wonderful facility. There's a huge modern wing at the Mozarteum with sound proof practice rooms.

Mornings this week are spent in coaching sessions with the members of the Manhattan String Quartet. I'm learning a lot. Breakfasts and lunches are included at the hotel and the food is always amazing. Some of us found a good place for cheap, healthy vegetarian dinners across the street called My Indigo.

Mozart's Birthplace

Afternoons so far have been organized with visits (and a lecture) to Mozart's birthplace and the house where the Mozart family lived later, which also houses an archive of original autograph manuscripts and letters written by the family members. Today I saw the original letter Mozart wrote to a priest who was a family friend, to tell him that his mother, Anna Maria, had just died in Paris. A very sober letter from a very young man, usually full of wit and fun.

Pouring rain here. Still need to look at the Mirabel gardens and a giant fortress on the top of a nearby cliff but hopefully when it stops raining.