Der Stille Berg (The Silent Mountain)

15th August 2014

This is a short post but one that I think worth sharing. Last Friday I went to the open air cinema in Innsbruck with a friend and we sat through the pouring rain under approximately 75% protection from our umbrellas watching Der Stille Berg (The Silent Mountain). 

Der Stille Berg (trailer link) is set in South Tirol during the 1st World War, and though it focuses on a love relationship between a young Austrian and an Italian girl, it does a beautiful job of simultaneously highlighting the futility and community wrenching truth of war. It's not a film that one would describe as 'nice' per se, but, in that it invites and impels the viewer to contemplate the current world situation through the eyes of history - it is excellent. It's in the German (Tirolean dialect) and Italian (maybe also Tirolean dialect) languages, but perhaps if you don't possess these, there is a sub-titled version available somewhere. Whatever - Go see it!

Fulpmes, Nr Innsbruck, Austria

4 August 2014

Fulpmes and Medraz

Yes I know, its been a long time since I wrote my last post. Much has happened in that time. Yes, the Tour de France is over and the Commonwealth Games are still running, but I have to say that I've been so busy since my arrival here in my little village of Medraz on the 13th July that I've barely noticed the weeks fly.  

So, where is Medraz you ask? Well, its about 20km South of Innsbruck in the Stubaital region of the Tirol and it's closest village just 2km away is the all year round resort village of Fulmes. 




 

This area here would be described geographically as Middle Tirol. Its not quite the South and its not quite the North. It's Stubaital and where Tal means valley, the Stubai runs along the Roetz river 40km to the Stubai glacier at its southern point. 

Pinnistal Alm

 Outside of work, time here has predominantly been spent in the saddle exploring the area which you can see through some of these photos. For those perhaps interested in both winter as well as summer, you can find a good overview in the regional tourist pages at: www.stubai.at/en


 
 
This is without a doubt a mountain bikers paradise and all are well catered for with detailed maps, well-signposted trails and plenty of refreshment stops to replenish the legs and the stomach!

There are trails in the area for all, but be warned, they all go up, and I mean up. In fact, some sections are so steep - 49.8% gradient - that to cycle up them is an impossibility - for me anyway. 

 
In fact, I struggle keeping the front wheel to the ground when the gradient on any trail and surface exceeds about 25%. Talking of gradients, I think I'll be putting up a video post here soon of me trying to tackle a plus 40% gradient and rolling off to the side (well, its better than going arse backwards I suppose)! 

This way to the Galt-cafe!!

That said, whether cycling, pushing or even carrying the bike, every trail has its own beauty, be it rough rock, Alpine forest or rolling meadows from which emerge the constant tinkling of cow bells creating a sort of 'sound of music' quality to each ride and providing a meditative musical accompaniment to help riders take the mind off the severity of the ride.  

Maria Waldrast Monastery

The scenery from the high point of each trail is literally breathtaking. Another particular high point (pardon the pun) was the Alpine flower trail reached by cable car from Fulpmes (Schlick 2000). Taking a walk at 1700m high above Fulpmes and experiencing life in bloom in the Alpine meadows of Tirol was truly awe-inspiring.

Maria Waldrast Church

While I've been on many rides, thus far I've especially enjoyed the red trail ride (middle difficulty level) to the Maria Waldrast monastery (Servite order founded in 1233) located at 1638m above sea level making it also one of the highest monasteries in Europe.  This takes the rider to the highest place of pilgrimage in Europe. 





With its stunning location, healing waters and beautiful church, it is easy to understand why for centuries it has been a popular pilgrimage stopping point. The monastery can be reached by car from the Metrai side of the valley or on foot or by bike (that's me) from the other.

To the wolfs den

The coming weeks will hopefully reveal a more settled drier weather providing exactly the sort of conditions that will be conducive to getting out and about even more so in the remaining time I have here. And for those interested, yes, I still have a trip lined up to the Wolf Science Centre in Ernstbrunn - That will take place toward the latter part of my stay. OK, until next time....Pfiat'eich!

Harrogate - The Happiest Town in the UK

11 July 2014

Farrah's of Harrogate

Quoting uncharacteristically from Wiki - "Harogate is consistently voted as one of the best places to live in the UK and in 2013 a poll by Rightmove of 40,000 people found that Harrogate was the happiest place to live in the United Kingdom :-)

Cheltenhan Parade

What's more, in 2013, beating off rivals including Paris, Rome and Vienna, Harrogate was declared to be the third most romantic destination in the world. With its many colourful restful gardens, parks, cobbled streets and exquisite restaurants, cafes and music this comes as no surprise.

Betty's Cafe at the top of Montpellier Parade

So there you have it, not only has Harrogate and Yorkshire in general done the UK proud with the very successful hosting of the opening stages of the Tour de France (see other blog), but whether Tour or no Tour, there's always lots on offer for everyone.

I'm here of course primarily to visit my parents who live here. Of course I've been making the most of the opportunity and two wheels to explore a little of the area as well as do some training in preparation for the Tirolean mountains that await me in a couple of weeks.






 
The following photos taken by me don't of course do the area any justice. So, you'll just have to come here and check it out for yourself. In the meantime, you are invited to enjoy a quick blog tour around the area............



 




Harrogate has something to offer everyone, from magical gardens, arts, crafts and music entertainment, iconic landmarks such as Betty's cafe, globally famous for its teas & coffees and baked delights, Farrah's confectionary, historical architecture and lush rolling green countryside for cyclist and rambler alike. 

 

There's definitely much to see and do in and around Harrogate. No wonder indeed that it has been voted the happiest place to live in the UK!

Le Tour de Yorkshire (formerly known as The Tour de France)

6^th July 2014: Harrogate, North Yorkshire

 

Me and my brother fly the flag on Stage 1

Tour de Yorkshire (formerly known as the Tour de France)

I think everybody involved in Le Tour this year has been blown away by the reception that they’ve received from the Yorkshire public, with the weather holding off to provide riders and spectators alike with some blazing sunshine (Press words not mine). The truth be told, it was a comfortable 19C!! 

Stage 1 from Leeds to Harrogate (190.5km) was won by the German sprinter Marcel Kittel from the Giant Shimano Team after a long and brave early break away by Nicolas Edet (Team Cofidis), Benoit Jarrier (Team Bretagne) and the 42 year old powerhouse of pro cycling, Jens Voigt (Trek) was pulled back after over 140kms. 

 

Jens Voigt, Benoit Jarrier and Nicolas Edet

The speed of the peleton was then kept high enough to assure the tens of thousands who had gathered around the finish line in Harrogate a thrilling sprint finish. They weren’t disappointed, although sadly, it wasn’t to be the finish the British had hoped for.

Indeed, the final position standings at the end of the stage don’t tell of the dramatic crash involving Mark Cavendish (Team Sky), Simon Gerrans (Team Orica-Greenedge) and Bryan Coquard (Team Europcar) just a few hundred metres from the finish line which left Cavendish out of the Tour with a dislocated shoulder, and Gerrans and Coquard lining up for Stage 2 with undoubtedly some very painful bruising.

Stage 2 from York to Sheffield (201km) was perhaps for many riders a surprisingly tough one, and one which would rival some of the non-mountainous stages that France can offer.   

Stage 2 Peleton, Nr Blubberhouses

It was certainly a stage that was tough enough to split the field up with Stage 1 yellow jersey winner Marcel Kittel (Team Giant Shimano) finishing some 20 minutes down on the eventual Stage 2 winner, and newly crowned Italian road champion Vencenzo Nibali (Astana Team) who classically stole away with just 1.5 kilometers to go and held off a charging pack on the line.

The race results however fail to tell of the hundreds of thousands who turned out on day, or who had camped out to witness Le Tour, whether arriving by car, on foot or even bike, some perhaps seeing the light of day for the first time after a long period of inactivity!!! The enthusiasm of the Yorkshire public as they lined the roads and streets to cheer their favourites, learning a little more at the same time about the tough sport of cycling was palpable. Indeed, the announcement that 2015 will include a UCI Tour de Yorkshire road race will surprise few in Yorkshire.

Having once again been left off the start sheet :-) I’ve been out on my MTB bike scouting the countryside for good vantage points from which to watch the event. In fact, this morning (6 July) I even rode part of Stage 2, and everywhere, even at 7.30am was greeted with an ‘Allez allez’ or a ‘not far to go now mate’ by people seated on the side of the road enjoying Le Tour English style with coffee and crispy bacon sandwiches to await the arrival of the race.

You (Dear Reader) will probably have your own favourite online locations to go to in order to read a more comprehensive and no doubt accurate review of each of the opening two stages, and so I’ll sign off here for now. Vive Le Tour!

European Shakuhachi Summer School 2014

18 June - 23 June 2014

The 2014 ESS Shakuhachi Summer School kicked off with an evening public concert on the 18th June in the Radolfzell Herrenhaus (political administrative building), located just across the road from the Weltkloster (World Monastery), the main location of the Summer School.

The Weltkloster building itself has witnessed a tumultuous and even sometimes violent history over its nearly 400 year lifetime with various transitions in ownership and residency dating back to 1617 with the arrival of the Capuchin monks in Radolzell. 

Aside from performances by official summer school teachers, the opening public concert also included a guest performance by 7 Komuso mendicant monks from the fuke Zen sect of Buddhism who were on tour in Europe. Interestingly the fuke Zen was flourishing in Japan at around the same time the Capuchin monks were attempting to ground themselves at the Weltkloster in Radolfzell. As can be seen in the photograph, a characteristic feature of the Komuso monks is the Tengai, a straw basket worn on the head to symbolise the removal of ego. Historically, the Komuso monks were permitted by the Shogunate of the time to travel throughout Japan playing the Shakuhachi while begging for alms. While travelling, the Tengai afforded the monks a degree of invisibility, a useful feature for those Komuso who were either Samurai or Ronin (Masterless Samurai) and employed by the Shogunate to travel incognito as spies.

ESS 2014 participants

That said, I think the Komuso who were playing at the opening concert had more innocent and positive intentions, and certainly their presence was appreciated by a large audience, including members of the public from Radolfzell and most of the approximately 40 ESS 2014 summer school participants who had made the journey to Radolfzell from as far away as Japan and Australia, as well as more locally from within Europe.

Furuya, Matama and Kakizaki Sensei's

Principle teachers at the summer school representing the KSK (Kokusai Shakuhachi Kenshukan) School of Yokoyama Katsuya Sensei, included FURUYA Teruo, MATAMA Kazushi and KAKIZAKI Kaoru from Japan. 



The Zensabo and Minyo schools were represented by Kiku DAY (Denmark), the Tozan school by Jean-Francois LAGROST (France), the Kinko school of Yamaguchi Goro by Gunnar Jinmei LINDER from Sweden and, KIKUCHI Naoru from the Sawai school of Koto. Additional teachers at the summer school included: Véronique PIRON (France), Horacio CURTI (Spain), and Vlastislav MATOUSEK (Czek Republic).
 

Group playing Murasaki Reibo

The morning's program started at 8am with a one hour session of Zensabo Shakuhachi meditation with Kiku Day. These sessions were well attended and in addition to exploring the concept of Shakuhachi in meditation, the group worked on traditional pieces such as Kyorei, Shingetsu and Sou Shingetsu over the three subsequent days to practice what they had learned.  


Robuki (Blowing the note Ro as a warm up) then followed in the Herrenhaus at 9am for all participants. These sessions lasted 30 minutes and ran in to the individual school sessions as outlined previously i.e., KSK, Kinko, Zensabo, Tozan, Improvisation and Minyo and Koto. 

I joined the Intermediate and Advanced KSK classes to work on the pieces: Sanya, Mountain Valley, Shingetsu, Daha and Reibo. In addition to these classes, I also joined the Zensabo class to work on Murasaki Reibo, the Kinko class to work on Rokudan in conjunction with Koto player Kikuchi Naoru and then collectively with all summer school participants I worked on a group piece called Gaoru, to be played the following evening at the Evangelical church in Allensbach.

Allensbach am Bodensee

After a full day of workshops, evenings were taken up with concerts in surrounding towns such as Ueberlingen and Allensbach (see photo) providing participants with the chance to not only to see something of the surrounding area, but also to perform in public, many for the first time. 

Allensbach Church, Bodensee

The final event of the summer school was the student concert, a chance for participants to perform pieces they'd been working on over the previous days.

 

Closing days in Denmark

13 June 2014

Gosh the last days commencing the weekend before departing Denmark were incredibly busy, what with getting the bike sorted ready for transport, attempting to close things down with projects in Denmark and, enjoying some social time with friends I'd made in Denmark. Talking of which, the Sunday before leaving was enjoyably spent with Wencke (my colleague from CBS and friend) taking a boat out to the Swedish Island of Hven and cycling around the Island while dodging the rain and trying to snap up a few rays of sunshine. 

  

Approaching the harbour on Hven

The Island, with a population of just under 400, is only about 10km round, maybe a bit more if you take all the nooks and crannies in to account.What was particularly interesting was a small farm museum a little way out of the harbour town of Bäckviken which is where the ferry docked. It depicts farming life on the Island at the end of the 19th Century. 

 



The upper floor of one of the large barns had been converted in to an exhibition comprising a very interesting, if not somewhat eclectic collection of all sorts of items dating back to that period - including these ice skates. I wonder what a speed skater of today would make of those!!




After a hour or so, and a missed rain shower, we headed over to Kyrkbacken for lunch on the pebble beach. We weren't alone with this idea though, with many ferry passengers having also made their way over to the Denmark-facing side by this time. 

After a couple of hours stop, the cycle ride back to the ferry around the Swedish side was in my humble opinion a little more attractive with views of the rugged coastline over to the east and green fields immediately to the west. 

Arriving at the harbour about 30 minutes before departure, left us with just enough time to sample an ice cream before sailing back to Denmark along the Oresund Straight and once again past the famous wind turbine land (see) mark of Middelgrunden about 3.5km from Copenhagen.

Sofie Spanget Takkula (Cello), Bjarke Mogensen (Accordian) and Camilla Sibani (Piano) at the Roundtower (Copenhagen)

4 June 2014

I've been waiting for this one since last Friday when I heard from Bjarke that he was playing in a concert at the roundhouse together with Cellist Sofie Takkula. 

Sofie Takkula plays Bach Cello Suite Nr 1

Since I learned that he played accordian, and then went online to listen to his playing, I've just been mesmorised by the diversity of this instrument and his ability to produce the most amazing music. First things first though. 

In addition to Bjarke, the evening also included solo performances by Sofie Takkula on Cello as well as duets with Camilla Sibani on piano. 

The evening kicked off with one of my favorites, Bach's Suite Nr 1, to which I was first introduced in prose while reading The Cello Suites by Eric Siblin.

Sofie Takkula joined by Camilla Sibani

Having read this amazing book, I was inspired to order Pablo Casals early 20th Century recording of the Cello Suites - DG digital release. 

Bach was followed by Shubert's Arpeggione Sonata (1824) a very long - too long sorry - piece which took us to the break, much needed I'm sure by Sofie and Camilla who by this stage had been playing Shubert for the past several hours - OK - 25 minutes perhaps!

Sofie and Bjarke prepare for Kraftwerk

A 20 minute break then took us to Bjarke and Sofie's duet performance of an amazing piece written by Sofia Gubaidulina called Fachwerk. Fachwerk comprises, not a duel between these two instruments, but rather, a slow passing back and forth in between shades of light and dark before the two instruments finally merge with a crescendo at exactly the same moment and position - the centre of the cross. I was left speechless by this piece. I was definitely not the only member of the audience to have been  taken on a personal journey by these two incredible musicians. As Fachwerk unfolded, I was continually reminded of the Japanese writer Murakani. Talking to Bjarke after the concert he was saying that it is very possible that the composer may have been influenced if not by Murakami then certainly by Japan. Indeed, Sofia have impacted strongly on Japan because she was awarded the Japanese Praemium Imperiale in 1998. As I write this post, I'm listening to other pieces by this amazing composer on a recording given to me by Bjarke after the concert. Aside from two encores, the main part of the concert concluded with a lovely three part Rhapsody (Rhapsodia Concertante) by Croatian Composer Boris Papandopolu.

This may have been my last concert here in Copenhagen. How privileged I feel not only to have enjoyed so many beautiful concerts, but also, I have made a few musician friends along the way with whom I am sure I will remain in contact. Tak Koebenhavn.