Friday, July 24, 2009

Indigenous Creatures

Rarely seen by the human eye, the common Toilet Paper Fairy or TPF works to ensure a full roll of toilet paper is installed in every WC. We know they exist by the results of their hard work to make certain there is a always a full roll on every dispenser in a building. Toilet Paper Fairies like to keep busy and as such are usually found only in places where there are many dispensers to keep filled, usually hotels or office buildings. Occasionally the TPF is found in a private residence, but only when the owner has bribed them to stay with the promise of an unlimited supply of rolled paper product. More often private homes are not lucky enough to have a TPF, although some do have part time Fairies that flit through each place they are responsible for to check the status of the rolls, taking action as appropriate. Sadly, in a place that does not have a TPF on staff, the people living or working there must take it upon themselves to do the Toilet Paper Fairy's work. Most find that devising some sort of system to make sure that there is always a back up roll nearby helps eliminate problems when there is an unexpected outage.

As our lives become filled with hobbies and other experiences outside the home, the TPF workload has become heavier and the expectation of a full roll appearing on every dispenser as if by magic has become folly. Do your part in helping to keep the workload manageable for the TPF, keep your dispenser full and devise a back up system for those times where you just need to have more. Your local, hardworking Toilet Paper Fairy will thank you.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

The Green City

Freiburg im Breisgau is located in the southwest corner of Germany in the Black Forest, approximately 25 miles from the French border. The city is a university town and as such is filled with a well informed citizenry. Most people know the city of Freiburg for leadership in the field of environmental sustainability, specifically alternative energy sources. In addition to all the policy, research, development and manufacturing done in Freiburg, the city plays host to 'solar tourists' from all over the world and is the home of the International Solar Energy Society, a not for profit group that "supports its members in the advancement of renewable energy technology, implementation and education all over the world."

This city promotes environmental sustainability and has offered incentives to the residents to update older buildings with the latest technologies. The city core has been closed to automobile traffic since 1973 when the unique 13th century water channels, or Bächle, were reopened for all to use. The fresh water that runs rapidly along the sides of the walkways provide a fun place to cool off after a long walk through the city or a hard day at school.

Cobblestone streets and walkways have been restored to their former state with modern touches in order to accommodate necessary parking signage.

Before I left the United States I read an article in the New York Times about the Vauban neighborhood in Frieburg. We were fortunate enough to get a guided tour from one of the City Planners that had worked with the neighborhood and knew it quite well. The neighborhood operates as a car free zone with most needs being met within a short walk, bike or tram ride. Energy is generated for the majority of the homes and businesses by solar stations and heat is provided by a central plant that burns wood chips harvested (sustainably of course) from the nearby Black Forest. It is an upscale neighborhood full of row houses and green spaces for children to play. Their challenge will be to shift built resources to accommodate an aging population if those residents decide to stay in place as the young children grow up and move on.

Even the tram lines were treated as a greenbelt which is a great way to manage run off water as we got to witness live and in person during the morning's downpour.

The second neighborhood we toured was Rieselfeld; a former 'sludge farm' or sewage processing area. When the city decided to develop the land, they discovered that minimal clean up was required making it a much less expensive place than originally thought. By cleaning up the top few meters of topsoil, the city was left with a blank canvas on which to plan a new neighborhood. Most buildings were constructed in such a way that they could be transformed to meet the needs of a changing population. As the residents age, schools can become office space or senior centers and open space is good for everyone.

The plan called for 50% of the housing to be available as social (or affordable) housing, but as the neighborhood was executed they found that the demand was not quite as high as they originally thought. Some of the zoning was changed to accommodate row housing instead. Similarly to the Vauban neighborhood, the housing is connected by a network of green space and two-thirds of the acreage was converted to a nature preserve for all the residents to enjoy. While this neighborhood is much larger (about double the number of residents as the Vauban) they seem to have done a better job accommodating all ages, incomes and family types. The City Planner that led the tour through this area said that there was housing for both seniors and disabled people in the neighborhood as well as 25% of the housing considered affordable.

The Rieselfeld neighborhood contains goods and services for its residents, including a school and culture center. Near the central plaza a gym was constructed under a hill in order to preserve the green space for everyone to use and enjoy. This also helps with storm water run-off along with green roofs and more green tram-ways. One of the final open corner lots (there are two) is being held for a grocery store to anchor the neighborhood. In most cases in the United States, it is the developer that needs to make their investment back who owns that land. They may build whatever makes the most money whether it is the 'right' decision or not. In this case, the city both owns the land and has the resources to be patient and wait for the right development.

The residents all pitch in to keep the area nice looking and trash free. Public areas are adopted by families or buildings, planted and decorated according to what they think will look nice. Most are filled with lavendar, rosemary and other greenery. The one below had a nice collection of painted stones around its border. Each courtyard is managed cooperatively by residents of the buildings that surround it with a mandatory play area for any children.

Finally, where the neighborhood meets the nature preserve, the tram track curves around the last building on the block and returns to central Freiburg, stopping and starting at each kiosk to deposit its load of men, women and children within a short walk of their final destination.

Just another day in the Green City.

Schmuck!

Otherwise know as objects of precious metal often set with gems and worn for personal adornment a.k.a. jewelry.

The City of Pforzheim Germany, located on the northern edge of the Black Forest is best known for its jewelry and clock production. Schmuckwelten (Jewelry World in English) is a place where you can browse and buy anything from silver bracelets to a necklace with mini versions of Faberge eggs that will drip down your décolletage.

There is also a museum dedicated to the technical side of this industry located south of the city center. Fortunately for my pocketbook, I was in Pforzheim not to research sparklers, but to see my friend Valerie make her European operatic debut. Amazingly this small town of just over 100,000 residents supports a full city theater, opera, orchestra, chorus, acting company and ballet. Valerie sang the role of Abigail in a concert version of Nabucco held in an outdoor theater constructed next to the river for summer outdoor performances. It was well worth the trip to this "City of Gold" on the rivers Enz, Nagold and Würm to see this performance. Val knocked it out of the park and I was thrilled to be a part of her introduction to the European opera stage.

Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!

Once, twice, twelve times Milano


In five years Milan will host the world at EXPO 2015. There have been World's Fairs or EXPOs going on all over the world since 1851. Early fairs focused on industrialization; and then gradually the emphasis shifted to cultural exchanges and issues of humankind. Current day EXPOsitions are used as nation branding events where pavilions are set up to promote different nations of the world, similarly to what a country does now when they are chosen for an Olympic games.


One of the events leading up to the Milan event is a challenge named 12xMilano to architects and urban designers for a vision of the future Milan. In a small corner space on the end of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II closest to La Scala there is an interactive display of 12 different visions from offices located all over the European continent.

There are ideas for tranformation of the city, promoting better ecology, urban food production including a plan for a multi-story vertical garden and the usual suspects of transportation, building uses and density, infill, housing and easy to use, flexible public open spaces.


If you are in town, you should definitely stop by the space and take a look. All of the displays are in both Italian and English and there are great take aways to pick up and refer to later. It will be interesting to see what, if anything actually gets included in the city's plans.

(images courtesy of the 12xMilano project)

Monday, July 13, 2009

The oldest...

Approximately 2500 years ago; the Romans built a baptistry in the place now called Riva San Vitale. The builders used local stone laid in a square shape at the foundation eventually progressing to an octagon as the building went higher. Today this buidling stands as the oldest Christian monument still in existance in Switzerland.

The building contains a monolithic baptismnal font carved out of a single block of store and was installed about 800 years ago. It is just over 6 feet across and it sits smack dab in the middle of the small building. Look underneath and you can see an octagonal immersion font set into the ground.

Part of the original floor - black and white marble set in a rosette pattern - is still there. The literature says that the floor has been raised at least four times since the baptistry was originally built. There are also several frescos still in the building. Two were removed to the adjacent parish church, but others have been partially restored in place. A small apse currently contains a modern alter. Peer down the wall to the left or right of the alter and you will be rewarded by the sight of the original foundation wall.

All this history is located directly across the street from us. The church bells wake us up at 7am (and every hour on the hour since we've been here). Since I have been here I am learning that despite the history, there are those that do not always support preserving these old things from the past. The main point seems to be if we preserve the very old at the expense of the new, who is to say that in five hundred years we will not wish that we had preserved something that we thought was 'throw away' just because it was a more modern building.

(images courtesy of the world wide interweb)

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Age is just a state of mind


I have gotten myself into a situation where I am much older than the people I will be spending the month of July with. Because I don’t really know them at all I’ve found myself not telling stories or omitting details, like how long I’ve done something because I don’t want to give myself away. Today one of them was surprised that I had seen a kind of corny movie that she liked. What I didn’t tell her was that I saw it during it’s first release in the theater. I don’t feel (much) older than I was 10 or 15 years ago, but I know that my experience is making me much wiser.

Just how old is she?
The world may never know!

Monday, July 6, 2009

The same everywhere

Why is it when a woman traveling alone approaches a taxi line, the drivers inevitably try to talk them into a fancy ride (usually a Mercedes) vs. the car that is at the front of the line (usually a Toyota) when they arrive. And then when it is firmly stated that a ride is all that is required (not a limo), the driver suddenly has a bad back and needs help loading the bag into the trunk. It is the same in every city I have been all over the world. I wonder why that is?

Friday, July 3, 2009

Out Sitting in Their Field

Last night we had dinner at a farm. This in itself isn’t too surprising if you consider how many farms large and small there are around here.


A 15-minute drive from most of the East Bay will put you within spitting distance of at least a farm stand or a you-pick plot where you can buy as much as you can carry.


This particular farm was about an hour away from our home. We drove over a bridge to Sonoma County and found Green String Farm just east of Petaluma on Old Adobe Road. Green String Farms’ primary focus is on “growing food for people while simultaneously improving the land they grow on."


Before we ate we saw our meal being cooked on a spit (the goat), in a brick oven (flat breads) and got a tour and some education about where the vegetables that we were going to eat were grown.


This wonderful experience was made possible by the folks at Out Standing in the Field. Their mission is "to re-connect diners to the land and the origins of their food, and to honor the local farmers and food artisans who cultivate it."


They work all over the country (and sometimes world!) to
"bring together local farmers and food artisans, chefs and winemakers, we explore the connection between the earth and the food on your plate."


We have shopped at a local farmer's market every week for almost seven years now, getting to know the farmers and vendors along the way. This experience seemed to be a logical extension of how we try to eat at home. One of the best parts of the entire night was when the farmer, wine, cheese and bread makers came out to explain their process, craft and sourcing to everyone that was interested.



And then the sun went down and it was time to go home.