Jill forces theatrical intelligence

So what is the collective history of Germany? What kind of building can represent that? In this episode, Jill writes a paper and goes geek. Rough draft:

            Though Theater des Westens may not be the top priority of most Berlin tourists, the history behind the theatre is still somewhat relevant to the development of entertainment in Berlin and the German-speaking musical world.

Built between 1895 and 1897 by Bernhard Sehring, the theater was originally intended for use as a private concert hall with the ability to house the public in the future. Sehring’s idea was also to make the hall into a “Richard Wagner theatre” with the ability to house a decently sized orchestra with a proscenium to accommodate the staging. The architecture of the theatre itself derives from many different historical styles ranging from the Roman Empire, the Middles Ages, and the Renaissance. Sehring had also incorporated the popular Art Nouveau styles with the peek of the movement began around the same time as construction.. The German movement of this is called Jugendstil (derived from the name of a Munich-based magazine, Jugend: Münchner illustrierte Wochenschrift für Kunst und Leben), though this Germanic form of Art Nouvea was not introduced until 1896, just after the construction of the theatre. The combination of the architectural elements was seen as controversial at the time of the theatre’s construction.  Despite controversy, Sehring was certainly no stranger to architecture. Sehring’s architectural influence is evident throughout northern Germany and Berlin primarily in theatre, though many of his pieces were destroyed during World War II. Shortly after his acceptance into Architektenverein zu Berlin, he received first prize for a design competition for Berliner Museuminsel.

In 1895 Sehring began construction on the theatre despite not having a severe lack of funds and the required building permit necessary to take on the project. Needless to say Sehring accumulated enormous debts, but was still able to finish the theatre in just over a year’s time. It was the necessity to build up much more publicized and successful company in order to bring more attention to the theatre. For this, Paul Blumenreich was one of the theatre’s founders alongside Sehring however he had often credited himself as the theatre’s sole founder, saying “[…] und damit habe ich der Kunst der Zukunft ein herrliches Heim errichtet, da, wo ehedem ein schwarzer, schmutziger Bretterzaun stand.” The Theater des Westens GmbH alongside Sehring brought criminal charges against Blumenreich for his dishonorable intentions. He was convicted, but the charges were mild. Despite his disorderly conduct, the theatre had benefited financially. Though he is considered one of the theatre’s founders, Blumenreich was unable to help but leave a bitter reputation behind.

With Sehring considered to be the theatre’s masterful founder and artist, an inscription inside of the theatre reads, “Hanc domum artis colendae causa condidit. Anno MDCCCLXXXXVI Bernhard Sehring” (This house created by Bernhard Sehring in 1896 for the care/appreciation of the arts). Sehring remained the theater’s owner until his death in 1941.

The theatre had opened with mostly dramatic pieces, but since then it was used primarily as an opera and operetta house. In 1935, the theatre was used as part of the Kraft durch Freude Nazi program with a production of Beethoven’s Fidelio. The program aimed to proved organized leisurely activities to those in the German work force. The mentality behind Kraft durch Freude was “relaxation for the collection of strength for more work.” The government provided events directed towards the working class that were affordable and enjoyable, paying particular attention to both vacation times and the arts.

One of Theater des Westens’ most important functions was what it had provided to the Deutsche Oper. In 1944 during World War II, the building was partially damaged by a bomb, but the damage feigned in comparison to the Deutsches Opernhaus. Theater des Westens’ most heavily damaged areas were the roof, foyer, and the administrative offices. The roof was temporarily restored and soon housed the Deutsche Oper, which remained there from 1945-1961.

            Looking at the history of Theater des Westens up until 1961, the house seems like nothing more than merely a place for pre-existing operas and operettas. There seems to be little influence on what we see in Berlin or in Germany today. But for the theater and musical theatre community, Theater des Westen’s most pivotal performance may have been that of the German translation of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s musical My Fair Lady, which opened at the theatre on October 1, 1961.

            My Fair Lady’s libretto and story is based strongly upon the English language that the ability for the piece to be translated into a German representation spoke strongly to the theatre community, particularly to Berlin, which had been divided by the wall only months before the opening of the production. The piece, which relies heavily upon English/British speech dialects including cockney and Queen’s English, was translated to reflect upper-class German dialects and a heavy Berlin dialect or “Berlinische”. Despite the shocks sent through Berlin with the construction of the wall, the production was a success.

            So successful was the production and its translation that it was able to transcend the divided Berlin. Five years after the production premiered at Theater des Westens, it was performed at the Metropoltheater in East Berlin. There were, of course differing interpretations of the meaning of the production. In West Berlin, it depicted a traditional rags-to-riches story while in East Berlin, it was a critique to the failures of capitalism.

            Theater des Westens became the prime musical theater in Germany with many German-language musical premieres. This included original German-language musicals as well as the German-language translations of English productions such as Cabaret and A Chorus Line. The theatre may very well have shaped the creation of German musical theatre. The once exclusively English/American-based theatrical art started to spread to German composers and writers thanks to the success of the productions that began at Theater des Westens.

            Musical success continued for years into the 90s when an original German production of Blue Jeans ran sold-out for months on end. But the theater hit financial woes after the production finally closed and in 2002 the Berlin Senate privatized the house over to Stage Holding, one of Europe’s most successful musical theatre production companies, headed up by Dutch producer Joop van den Ende. Stage Holding/Stage Entertainment has also been the production company behind nearly every major main-stream theatrical musical in mainland Europe. The productions are usually translated from English and have continued to be incredibly successful throughout Europe. Productions include West Side Story, Les Misérables, and Beauty and the Beast among others. After a renovation done by Stage Holding/Stage Entertainment, the gala opening of the German production of Les Misérables opened at Theater des Westens on September 26, 2003.

            With the success of musicals at Theater des Westens, the shape of the German musical has been changing as well. Most notably are composer and lyricist duo Sylvester Levay and Michael Kunze who have created the most successful musicals to come out of the European mainland (the most successful musicals still belong to American and British writers). Unique to them is that Levay/Kunze are nearly as successful as their American/British counterparts, but their pieces are in German. With the continued funding from the Stage Holding production company, their many successes include Mozart!, Elisabeth, and Rebecca. In fact, Elisabeth is the most successful musical to come from the European mainland. With the growing popularity of the Germanic musical, Theater des Westens continues to revive and embrace the productions. Of the original German pieces out there, Theater des Westens is still considered to be the cultural and musical pinnacle for performances.

            Perhaps what’s so truly interesting about the effect of Theater des Westens on Berlin identity and culture has been its ability to house an artistic style that was once foreign to Germany. With the success of productions such as My Fair Lady and Theater des Westens’ continued commitment to musicals, the ability for the art form to grow has certainly helped the arts scene in Germany. The continued success of the German musical makes it one of the top in the world, rivaling the British-based productions (from mostly Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Macintosh).

            Theater des Westens shows a continued wave of musical development in Germany. Its memory seems almost forgotten at times considering it has housed mostly revivals and translated productions as opposed to new and original productions. But as far as a collective memory for Berlin and Germany, it’s important to remember the houses’ ability to constantly bring people together through the arts. This goes for anything from the house’s original productions, the Kraft durch Freude, or Stage Holding/Stage Entertainment’s commitment to bring international musicals to Germany. Theater des Westens is probably one of the few houses that can boast a repertoire of theatre that has shown a chronological progression of music theatre from opera to modern musical theatre.

Work Cited

Publicity Information from Katja Borch, PR Manager of Theater des Westens.

Janberg, Nicolas. Theater des Westens. Nicolas Janberg’s Structurae: International Database and Gallery of Structures. December 14, 2008. .

Jansen, Wolfgang. My Fair Lady: Die deutsche Erstaufführung 1961 Im Berliner “Theater des Westens” Berlin. Weidler Buchverlag Berlin. 1992.

Nandi-Pietschmann, Jacinta. Musical Theatre: My Fair Lady. Expaticas. December 15, 2008. August 14, 2008.

Pipes, Jason. Kraft durch Freude. Feldgrau. December 16, 2008. .

http://architekturmuseum.ub.tu-berlin.de/index.php?set=1&p=79&Daten=99904

http://www.bbc.co.uk/homes/design/period_artnouveau.shtml

http://www.berlin.de/stadt/en/krz_4.html

http://www.metmuseum.org/TOAH/hd/artn/hd_artn.htm

http;//www.morgenpost.de/kultur/article746515/My_Fair_Lady_ist_zurueck_in_ Berlin_mit_Laengen.html

http://new.heimat.de/deutscheoperberlin/start/?id_language=2

http://www.stadtentwicklung.berlin.de/bauen/wanderungen/en/s2_theaterdeswestens.shtml.

http://www.stageholding.nl/html/272_391.html

And you all thought Germany was fucked up

USA Today

EASTON, Penn. (AP) — The father of 3-year-old Adolf Hitler Campbell, denied a birthday cake with the child's full name on it by one New Jersey supermarket, is asking for a little tolerance.

Heath Campbell and his wife, Deborah, are upset not only with the decision made by the nearby ShopRite, but also with an outpouring of angry Internet postings in response to a local newspaper article about the cake.

Heath Campbell, who is 35, said in an interview Tuesday that people should look forward, not back, and accept change.

"They need to accept a name. A name's a name. The kid isn't going to grow up and do what (Hitler) did," he said.

After ShopRite refused the request for the cake as inappropriate, the Campbells got a cake decorated at a Wal-Mart in Pennsylvania, Deborah Campbell said.

About 12 people attended the birthday party on Sunday, according to Heath Campbell.

The Campbells' other two children also have unusual names: JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell turns 2 in a few months and Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie Campbell will be 1 in April.

Heath Campbell said he named his son after Adolf Hitler because he liked the name and because "no one else in the world would have that name."

Campbell said his ancestors are German and that he has lived all his life in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, which is across the Delaware River from Easton.

Skype

Sarcasm?

Sarcasm finds medical use in dementia detection

SYDNEY (AFP) – Sarcasm may be the lowest form of wit, but Australian scientists are using it to diagnose dementia, according to research published on Friday.

Researchers at the University of New South Wales found that patients under the age of 65 suffering from frontotemporal dementia (FTD), the second most common form of dementia, cannot detect when someone is being sarcastic.

The study, described by its authors as groundbreaking, helps explain why patients with the condition behave the way they do and why, for example, they are unable to pick up their caregivers' moods, the research showed.

"This is significant because if care-givers are angry, sad or depressed, the patient won't pick this up. It is often very upsetting for family members," said John Hodges, the senior author of the paper published in "Brain".

"(FTD) patients present changes in personality and behaviour. They find it difficult to interact with people, they don't pick up on social cues, they lack empathy, they make bad judgements," he told AFP.

"People with FTD become very gullible and they often part with large amounts of money," he said, adding that one in 4,000 people around the world are afflicted with the condition.

Researchers began studying the role of sarcasm in detecting FTD because it requires a patient to spot discrepancies between a person's words and the tone of their voice, Hodges said.

"One of the things about FTD patients is that they don't detect humour -- they are very bad at double meaning and a lot of humour (other than sarcasm) is based on double meaning," he said.

The research, conducted in 2006-07, put 26 sufferers of FTD and 19 Alzheimer's patients through a test in which actors acted out different scenarios using exactly the same words.

While in one scenario, the actors would deliver the lines sincerely, in others they would introduce a thick layer of sarcasm. Patients were then asked if they got the joke, Hodges said.

For example, said Hodges, if a couple were discussing a weekend away and the wife suggested bringing her mother, the husband might say: "Well, that's great, you know how much I like your mother, that will really make it a great weekend."

When the same words were delivered sarcastically and then in a neutral tone, the joke was lost on FTD patients, while the Alzheimer's patients got it.

"The patients with FTD are very literal and they take what is being said as genuine and sincere," said Hodges.

FTD, often referred to as Pick's disease, is similar to Alzheimer's in that it involves a progressive decline in mental powers over a number of years, but FTD affects different regions of the brain.

"It can be very difficult to diagnose in early stages and to separate from depression or, later on,schizophrenia or personality disorders," Hodges said.

The sarcasm test could replace some more expensive and less widely available tests for dementia, he said.

When questioned about the applicability of the test to people from countries not renowned for their appreciation of sarcasm or irony, Hodges said the test could be modified.

Lily spells

Thanksgiving in Berlin

Well I'm on my recent bount of insomnia, but hopefully that will remedy itself out soon. For about three days I wasn't going to bed before 5 and the past two or three have been nothing before 3. It's already 2:15 now and I'm wide awake and have to get up for class at 8. We'll see what happens.

But more importantly is that it is Thanksgiving and it's the first time I'll be away from home for the holiday. I'll miss mom's cooking, of course, but we're all attempting to make the most of it now. A nice chunk of our program is planning Thanksgiving dinner complete with turkey, sides, and hot cider. Yeah, basically we're awesome.

For some reason I suppose I like the idea of sadmasochism, knowing that I have to get sleep, I'm exhausted and yet I'm awake writing. I don't know what it is. Ok, well I will write more, I want to write more and yet I won't. Nothing coherent is coming out. Nothing makes sense.

Pictures of Thanksgiving to come if I don't put the procrastination off too much...considering there's still something I want to say about Vienna.

Amy RSVPs to Thanksgiving Potluck

COUNT ME IN! but dont expect me to bring anything... at all... I'm purely just going to show up and shove the food into my mouth and then leave without even saying thank you.. basically the usual amy-mode-of-operation.  

but really, what should i bring? just tell me and i can do whatever!!

Facebook guessing game

This is what we do on a cold night in Berlin.

Open up the laptop, pull up Facebook play the "Guess Who"

What happened tonight:

Pessimistic Description is read

Lily: Ew, I don't like this person, it must be ******

Some Pre-Thanksgiving Treats

Well, I know that I should be writing more and I've promised more particularly from break, but aside from my own procrastination, the internet I'm using here just plain sucks. I'll just say that plain and simple. It sucks.

So instead I'll give you this. Avoid the videos and find the PETA propaganda your entertainment source.

PETA Cooking Mama

Backpacking: Vienna Part 2

This is really Day 3 of Vienna. I know, I'm missing an entire day of stuff that I did in Vienna, but that's something that requires me to write a little more extensively. Perhaps my most eventful day in Vienna came the day after Halloween and the day I was to leave Vienna. I told myself that I would hit as many things as possible before my bus that evening. 

So the agenda the following:

Hit the Danube

Get to Schönbrunn Palace

Eat Original Sacher Torte at the Sacher Café

I did it all in the day. The enormous backpack was left behind at the hostel and I forced my laptop in my crappy little backpack so that I was assured it wouldn't get stolen in the luggage room. Maybe not the best idea for my shoulder, but done nonetheless.

So not a lot to say. The Danube was not as grand as I thought it would be. The Spree in Berlin, the Seine in Paris, and the Rhein in Cologne are all significantly more impressive. I suppose that's the test of time right there or maybe I just didn't see a nice area of the Danube. I'm pretty sure I just saw a little crappy area of it. Oops. I don't know. So here's to you, Strauss.

I had ventured (a few times) near Hofburg Palace just because it was in walking distance to a few other historical things and it was quite touristy so it was easy to walk around. Unfortunately, I didn't check out more of Hofburg as I told myself I would get to Schönbrunn. Hofburg was not too far from the Herrengasse stop on the U3 and walking distance to Stephansdom, which was under construction. I, of course, didn't go inside, but oh well. If I had more time in Vienna and was less exhausted, I'm sure I would have actually looked at things more intimately.

So the big thing of the day was going to Schönbrunn, which I didn't really think too much about until I actually got there. I couldn't help but feel as if I was getting back to my family roots. Granted, I'm not some kind of royal descendent, but my family does come from the Austro-Hungarian Empire and this was the palace that housed the royal family during the time my family had been living in the area. That alone was a pretty interesting thing to see. And again, I didn't go inside, but spent plenty of time exploring the grounds of the Palace, which I think was actually prettier and more appealing than the Palace itself. I would guess that I walked along most of the grounds seeing the pieces that were added including the Gloriette structure and the Roman Ruin.

Strange little note about food in Europe is that street food is a lot different than what we're used to in New York. Perhaps it's just me, but I can't help but feel more like I'm absorbing a culture when I experience the street food. There isn't a grimy sense like one gets from the street food in New York and to see locals eating it too is a sense of relief. As I've seen in a lot of European cities there are people often roasting chestnuts and in Austria they have huge roasters that look like big tin barrels. They're usually roasting chestnuts, potato puffers, and wedges. So for about 2 or 3 Euro I got some potato wedges with garlic sauce...and as horrible as it is to say this was probably one of the best things I ate on break. And of course, as disgustingly full as I was I still said that I'd get Sacher Torte. Hey, those were the only things I ate that day except for some coffee.

So the Sacher Café is not too far from where I had originally started near Hofburg. It's a little bit more of a walk from there, but the Café is located next to the Stadtsoper. So I took the U-bahn to the Stadtsoper, but of course why not stop at the bathroom...the opera toilet.

And the wonderful Original Sacher Torte at the Sacher Café. Not too far from the Stadtsoper. I blush to say that I couldn't finish this. Pathetic, I know. I was still full from those cheap potatoes. Damn it, carbs!! Warum?!? But delicious nonetheless and worth the rather touristy visit to it.

And then came the 10 hour bus journey back to Berlin. Drove through the Czech Republic, stopped by German border control and arrived back to Berlin close to 5:30 in the morning. AWESOME.

Backpacking: Vienna Part 1

So here goes the continued belated posts of what my two-week break was like. Anyway, after heading from the gray and rain of Stuttgart, I got on a train to Vienna. Two transfers to go along with that: Munich and Salzburg. Funny that I've been to both of them. The thing you have to remember about taking Deutsche Bahn or any other European train (maybe with the exception of the French) is that the transfers happen quickly. You might think that transfer are like airports especially considering how big the trains are and how they really are used on such long distance journeys like planes. But of course, this is not the case. You get off of your train and you have to more or less sprint to the train in hopes that it won't leave without you. The seven and a half hour journey to Vienna was great. In fact, I feel as if anytime I head to Austria, there's something very nice and relaxed about it and I just feel incredibly comfortable.

So Stuttgart to Munich:

It was snowing a bit when I left Stuttgart and about 45 minutes or so into the trip, there was snow covering wherever we were passing through in Germany. Beautiful.

I sat near a grandmother, her daughter, and two grandchildren (one boy and one girl) as well as another woman with her two kids as well. Strangely enough the behaviour of children that usually drives me nuts, didn't bother me much at all. Maybe it was the fact that I was sitting in first class (fuck yeah, I said it) or that the train was empty enough that there was no a claustrophobic feeling at all. I slipped on headphones and found myself slipping in and out of sleep pretty easily. But even when I did wake up, they were simply just nice people surrounding me. I ended up making conversation with the older woman particularly because of my shoulder was killing me and I asked if she had aspirin. She didn't, but offered me some muscle cream, which I thankfully took. It helped and I smelled like a very strong Bengay for the rest of the trip.

And of course, conversation about politics was made. Obama, I said, simply. She and her daughter were happy enough to hear that and we talked a little more about American and world politics. They told me that they had relatives in the States (in Texas) and I gave them my card, saying that if they ever come to NYC, they should let me know. Before leaving I made two rings out of US dollar bills for the kids. The mother enjoyed the kitschiness more so than her kids, so that was fine.

I think the best part of my travels was definately the conversations that I was able to make along the way. btw the conversations were in German. Surprising, I know.

I have to say that I am a bit surprised by the fact that I seemed to be able to speak for the most part. Once in Austria I transfered to the Austrian train line, paid an extra 15 Euro to sit in business and more or less passed out asleep. Some converstion was made with the two occupants and we joked around for a little bit.

Arrival to my hostel was basically me in a heap of exhaustion and it was already sundown for the most part. The map I got of Vienna basically sucked and left me even more confused particularly when I went out in search of a restaurant. The place I searched for was a bit sketch that I ended up settling for a diner-like place and took in some of the mediocre food. I believe it was called Raimund Café and was located across from the Volktheater. The best thing that night was basically for me just to retire.

Procrastinated photos

I said I'd put them up so here they are:

Paris:

(having trouble uploading more Paris pictures so deal with this crazy opera house)

Paris Opera House

Stuttgart:

Schlossplatz

Backpacking: Stuttgart

So where to from Paris? Well, my original plans had changed. As one may recall (if I ever wrote it):
London
Salzburg
Munich
Paris
Nice
Geneva
Well, we scratch out Nice and Geneva and replace it with Stuttgart and Vienna. Vienna I was excited about. Stuttgart I knew nothing about. But travel from Nice and Geneva and back to Berlin was mad expensive. The trip alone from Geneva to Berlin would have been more expensive than my combined travels to Stuttgart, Vienna, and back to Berlin the way I booked. So I went to Stuttgart. Here are my recommendations about Stuttgart: Don't go unless you reallz have something in mind planned. It was rainy and basically miserable. It's an industrial town with little to nothing to do and as my RA/TA in Berlin said, "Stuttgart is a city with a lot of money, but with little taste." He was right.
Adding to Stuttgart's already gray atmosphere was the horrible weather I was cursed with. Nothing but rain. There aren't really any hostels either so I forced to book a hotel falsely advertised as a walk from the Bahnhof...nope, it was more like a 30 minute U-Bahn ride and 15 minute walk from the Bahnhof. Oh well. I spent most of my time there because it was warm and dry.
I finally managed to venture out for a little bit because I was just beyond bored and hungry. I went down to the Bahnhof and found out that about a block away is a pretty active shopping center. Of course, I bought nothing. I bought iced tea, does that count? I did get myself a really great meal though. I went to a place that I'm almost ashamed may be a chain, but it was delicious.
Best steak and baked potato of my life. The steak was perfectly cooked and the restaurant has its own special sour cream concoction. Serve with a small thing of coleslaw, which too was delicious and I never eat coleslaw and a huge piece of garlic bread. Wash down with Bionade.
Oh and by the way, add a check mark to my to-do list for my entire time in Europe for trying Bionade.

The Stuttgart List:
Find something to do [check]

Schlossplatz is part of the shopping area. It's one of the touristy buildings of Stuttgart. I saw it in the rain. That counts.
More on my current location, Vienna soon.

Backpacking: Paris (cont.)

Okay, so I said that I would continue to say a little more about Paris considering I had such little time and space to do so yesterday. Paris was amazing. It's a beautiful city and I was able to catch up with an old friend from high school too. All around good time. Did I mention making conversation with Americans at a café? Underfed and overtired, I wandered the streets of Paris looking for something both small and cheap to eat. One because I didn't one to spend money, but two to not eat a heavy meal that would weigh me down for the rest of the day.

That being said and it only being about 11 in the morning, I found a small café where I heard an American couple talking to another American man. I plopped myself down, feeling strangely homely amongst the four of us considering we were the only ones occupying the café at the time. The couple was just leaving and I ended up making conversation with a guy a little bit older than my dad from Portland. We talked about my studies, about Paris and Berlin, about how his wife works mostly in Paris hence the travelling he or his wife get to do a lot. He gave me a few recommendations about what to do in Paris on a budget and then as he was about to leave, paid for my bill. Damn, should have ordered something more expensive. Just kidding. I politelz protested, and he argued with, "I was once a student too."
"Fun times being a student in the recession."
"All the more reason you should let me pay. You're still paying for school."
Done.
Anyway the day continues with me mostly wandering aimlessly around Paris somehow becoming more accompanied with it than I thought would be possibly. When I did finally meet up with my friend later that evening I felt like a Paris pro...despite the fact that I had no idea what anything was called that I had actually walked to.
We grabbed dinner, which was great. I think anyone living in London should make the trip to Paris just to eat because it's nearly the same price, if not cheaper, and the food doesn't suck. Yeah, London, I said it. Take it. Oh, did I mention we got desert on the Champs-Élysées? Yeah, we're just that classy.
I found the people...French. I lie. Overall I found them incredibly pleasant except for one woman who wouldn't sell me a few things because she didn't want to break a 20 bill for my 4 Euro purchase. Once I produced 4 Euros in coins, she was more than pleasant and obliged. She was indeed French.
Paris was stunning and it may be best to let the pictures do the talking...once I'm able to get them posted. Give me a day or two. It's hard to say everything about a place. I know it was great so that's that, I suppose. Pics to come soon.
Paris List:
Eat croissant [check]
Eat brie [check]
Eat baguette [check]
Wear a beret [check]
Smoke a Gauloises cigarette [check]
Drink wine [check]
Listen to one Jacques Brel song [check]
Eat crepe [check]

Backpacking: Paris

Well, like always, a little bit of my writing about what has already happened. In reality I'm in Vienna right now, but what about Paris?
I mean, I guess I should write something about it. Paris was beautiful. Unfortunately I can't upload pictures right now, but soon I will. The city is basically overloading with beautiful architecture, which I love looking at. I get the feeling that it could take me a life time with a camera just to even understand some the architecture of Paris. That being said I wish I did drugs because I think the Palais Garnier (Paris Opera House) would have been even crazier if I were tripping balls.
Arrival in Paris was unique as I've said, but what I may not have said. I think that I trekked around Paris for nearly 10 hours that day considering I came in before the sun rose. Maybe a few hours more. I sat a little, maybe an hour and a half tops between coffee and two small meals. It's not really a bad thing when you think about it, until you factor in the 22-pound backpack I lugged around all day. In short as far as my trekking goes, I watched a beautiful sunrise over the Palais Garnier and the Seine, was scammed at the Eiffel Tower (but whatever). It pales in comparison to the rest of my stay.
Ok...I will write more in a bit, but paying for internet with two minutes left means I better make sure I log out of everything. bis später.

The Writing in SNL

I think the writing is coming back because I can't help but think SNL is just plain awesome lately. Thanks SNL, for becoming awesome when I moved to Europe.

Arrival in Paris

So let’s just say the experience on the sleeper train I was so excited for was well, interesting. The ride was pleasant and as one would expect about a sleep like that, I had awoken several times during the night only to finally get comfortable and sleeping rather deeply as we were approaching the station in Paris. C’est la vie. Fuck yeah, I said it. I probably spelled it wrong though.
Anyway after some much needed confusion on my own behalf as I wandered aimlessly around Paris Est for some time and tried desperately to call my friend though I could not connect, I finally decided to suck it up, buy a metro ticket, and head out. By the way, it was still before sunrise. I take the subway to Opéra, because let’s face it, I would like to see the Palais Garnier once in my life instead of the Vegas imitation of it. To be honest, I thought the Palais Garnier was probably located somewhere else and decided that I would go out on a whim to the Opéra subway stop. Perfection. I get out of the subway, turn around and behold, the Palais Garnier. Beautiful. I know, I keep reiterating the fact, but to be honest it was one of those great moments: the sun was rising over Paris and hitting the building in morning light. That’s pretty fucking gorgeous, admit it.
This is then followed by more confused walking until I got here, well, here for the time being. That’s a Starbucks on a street that I believe is Rue de Seze. I have no idea. But realistically I can’t get internet right now and like most of my posts, this is written ahead of time. So at about 9:00 am in Paris, I was/am/etc sitting in a Starbucks (I know what you’re thinking about that too) without internet with 10% battery left and an electrical outlet that won’t work. But that’s ok. I’m here. Sore, confused, maybe frustrated, relieved…but here nonetheless.

Backpacking: Salzburg 2, Munich 1

Belated posting (nothing out of the ordinary):
I left Salzburg this afternoon for Munich (Oct 22). A few pictures I said I'd put up about Salzburg:
Breakfast outside of Mozart's birth house:
Walking along the banks of the Salzach:

Eating handmade bon-bons in Mirabell Garden:

Mozart family grave:

More updates on Munich later.
Hofbrauhaus Munich:

Backpacking: Salzburg

A quick update on London. Crumpet were not accomplished. We can cry about it later.

But Salzburg had a rather short list:
Find some form of Edelweiss [check]
Watch at least ten minutes of the Sound of Music [check] (I ended up watching over half)

I love Salzburg.

I don't know what it is about Salzburg that just makes me completely in love with it. I left friends in London at about 2:15 in the morning to take the hour long bus to Stansted and then the 6:30 flight to Salzburg. Horrible with shitty sleep, but once I hit Salzburg it didn't matter. After all was said in done with arrivals and S-Bahn I arrived at the hostel at about 10:30 and considering I was a half hour early to check in, I went to the lounge, made cheap conversations with some Aussies and watched the first half of "The Sound of Music." I'm not ashamed to admit it. I was tired. And CHECK on my list of stuff to do.

As for that form of Edelweiss. Apparently there's something here called Edelweiss Beer. I held back though, not wanting to both bust my budget or drink really. I had a half a small beer last night and that was just enough with my semi-splurge food.

More to the point about my arrival is that I had been expecting to sleep when I got to the hostel and perhaps venturing out a little later, but once I got in, I was fine. I locked my bag up and hit the town. I'd say I was on my feet for a good 5 hours or so yesterday. Stopping to sit for about ten minutes to have a cappuccino. More walking, more walking. And I loved it all. It didn't matter to me that I was more than likely dehydrated, under-slept, and under-fed the entire day. Come to think of it, here was the menu for the whole of yesterday:
2:30: Apple
3:50: Cappuccino
7:45: Dinner
And that was my whole day of eating yesterday. I felt a little hungry maybe once. And that was it. Not bad considering I hadn't eaten since about 7 the night before for my pre-show dinner. More on that another time.

I can't help but feel at least just a little sad about leaving Salzburg. There's more things I want to do here, but it will have to wait another time. I'm going to come back. Beyond its complete and utter beauty, I just have this sense of peace about it. Yes,"Sound of Music" makes it happy-go-lucky, but it's beautiful and pleasant without that. The weather was just beyond amazing that I wished I was wearing short-sleeves instead of my layered outfit yesterday. So yes, I stripped down to my undershirt and took on the city, walking along the banks of the Salzach, climbing up to one of the many bell towers that overlook the city. Stunning, everything about it. It could be pouring rain and I'd probably still think it was great, but of course the weather was more than perfect.

Ah, well, I will put some pictures up when I can. Of course, I left the wire to my card reader back in Berlin. Pictures will come when they can.

SNL and the Palin Rap

Dear SNL, you complete me.

Love, Jill

Euro-Backpacking To Do List: London

London

eat crumpets

drink tea [check]

eat scone [check]

see show [check]

eat fish and chips (extra check if with mushy peas) [check][check]

use word "tube," "queue," and "holiday" properly [check][check]

eat curry/Indian food [check]

listen to at least 1 Mary Poppins song [check]

try Guiness (from this side of the Lake) [check]

smoke Benson and Hedges [check]

Damn you crumpets for being so hard to find that the place called "Crumpets" was run by idiots with no sense fo patience and a menu that lacked the word "crumpets" that I felt like an idiot to ask. So no crumpets.  I have 13 hours left in London.

Backpacking: London

I’ve been bad about keeping this up. I’ve started writing things and never actually finished them or posted them, but the most updated thing comes from here.

And thus starts the European Backpacking Adventure. Oh yes, I said it. And here goes another check mark on the list of things that I have to do before I die.

Jill’s list of things to do before she dies:

Work on a production in a professional NYC house before age 25 [check]

Go backpacking in Europe [check]

Be successful (emotionally and financially)

Have a high position on a film or broadcast before 25 [check]

With that last point being said, a little shameless self-promotion that I will be billed as Associate Producer (so they tell me) and was the stage manager to “filmed” version of “Voices in Conflict,” which is set to air Nov. 10 on CPTV.

And back to other stuff. So the vacation list more or less looks like this:

London, Salzburg, Munich, Paris, Nice, Geneva, some area of Germany and then back to Berlin

I’m doing the whole spiel. I’ve got the backpack, the hostels, the Ryanair flights, and the trains. The only thing that’s missing is a real sense of money, but I figured that could always be worked out later…well, we’ll see.

So here I am in London staying with some friends in the NYU Abroad program. Thus far I’ve seen Buckingham Palace and seen other things from afar. Yeah, it was at night. It was cold. I was tired, hungry, lazy. I’ve got another day so I’ll shove it onto tomorrow. I’m happy to say that my list of things to do in London is nearly complete as well.  You can see it below. 

Surprisingly, crumpets are not as easy to come by as one might think.  You can get this enormous breakfast though. Looks more like a cowboy meal than a “full English breakfast.”

London is grey. That’s a given, but so is Berlin. But the transportation system here is okay. It’s spread out for me and I suppose I’m almost disenchanted by the fact that the city is rich and established. It almost lacks personality. I don’t even know if I’m forcing comparison to Berlin or New York, but London definitely has a different feel to it. As much as I had held high hopes of England, I couldn’t help but immediately feel the “Oh…you’re an American” pompous attitude. It started the moment we came in through Stansted.

“Oh, they're Americans it makes sense now,” muttered the guy checking our passports as we came up to the counter in confusion.

“And this one’s from Texas. That makes even more sense,” he commented on my friend’s passport.

Upon hearing that we’re studying in Germany, he immediately perked up to another one of us with a, “Bleiben sie hier?” to which I responded that most of us didn’t speak German. “Typical American,” he continued. So for the rest of the time I spoke German to him, wishing him a sarcastic “Schönes Wochenende,” before moving along.

Remember to make sure you know exactly what you’re getting or the restaurants will keep adding to your bill.  It’s under the assumption you’re visiting. Refuse additional foods or services and the list goes on.

But the experience of being in London I think is a nice one. I do get to see friends and experience something that I may never be able to do again.  For that I’ll take it for what it is.

The next destination: Salzburg, Austria.

Do, a beer, a female deer

And we're back from an exciting and somewhat overwhelming weekend on the German and Austria road.  For anyone who is planning to spend a decent amount of time in Germany, I highly recommend renting a car and hitting the road.  Major props to our driver who taught himself manual transmission within a few hours and drove the near seven hours to Munich to our campsite.That's right, you read that correctly.  Campsite.  Seven us squeezed into a car to drive seven hours to Munich to sleep in a freezing tent in lovely Munich.  Of course, I don't really know how beautiful Munich or Bavaria it was so overwhelmed by Oktoberfest.  

Ah yes, the drunks came by the thousands to bask in the warmth of a crowded beer hall and stuff themselves with tourist-friendly German food and liters of Paulaner beer (the beer of Oktoberfest 2008).

....I think this is the post that lack motivation to be finished.

more than just facebook newsfeed?

Agence French Presse:
MI6 pokes Facebook for new spy recruits

Britain's overseas security service, MI6, has turned to social networking website Facebook to help recruit new agents, it emerged Sunday.

"The open recruitment campaign continues to target wide pools of talent representative of British society today," a Foreign Office spokeswoman said.

"A number of channels are used to promote job opportunities in the organisation. Facebook is a recent example."

MI6 launched Facebook job advertisements a few weeks ago to try and reach a larger variety of people, she added.

The intelligence service began using radio and newspapers for recruitment more than two years ago. Budding spies can also apply for jobs at the MI6 website.

Paul Newman

I have this problem that makes me want to write to people who influence me. It's a "thank you" note of sorts, I suppose. The way that media had attempted to exploit his private life with his sickness was unnecessary. I had debated writing Paul Newman, but I just found that it would be inconsiderate of me to do that.

So no real letter now, but something short and sweet is what I can attempt to muster up.

I express my thanks to an acting legend who inspired me and many others through the arts and through charity. To have met such a level-headed and inspiring person nearly six years ago still remains one of the greatest highlights of my life. The personality and kindness is something that I know extends beyond the screen and the stage after such a short stage door meeting.
My thanks always.

Rest in peace.

Dinner with Ahmadenijad

In honor of Ahmadenijad. Oh dearest Ahmadenijad, sorry that I couldn't make it to your dinner. Business calls overseas. But I want you to know my feelings (Thanks to Val for this one).

@ Yahoo! Video

I swear this is it

Ok, I'll try and make this the last of it. I swear. I'm trying. At first I thought it had been Sarah Palin that was getting to me, but it's people too. I don't mean all Palin supporters, of course, but there's definately something about people in the U.S. that still scaares me. Yes, I go to NYU. Am I a Democrat? No. Am I a Republican? No. I've always considered myself in the middle or undecided so that I have more freedoms to make polical choices. I think it's obvious what my decision is for this coming election, though. My friend invited me to a group on facebook called "Students Against Sarah Palin." Obviously, considering the nomination is fairly new, the group is fairly new, but it already has more than 3,000 members. Several members recieved this message:

"Figures you go to NYU..where WELFARE and American disassociation reign surpreme! Liberals are killing this country. You did'nt learn a thing from 9-11, right in your own "hood". Well maybe next time some Towel Head, or Communist or Mexican kill 10,000 people in one bombing then you'll get some real perspective...what are you 24?"

Rose Donlon
316 Westwood Rd,Lancaster, NY 14086
(716) 686-0549

Look, I don't argue with differing political beliefs. You want to vote for Palin? Go ahead. It's every citizen's right to vote and make their own decisions. But the note isn't something about politics for me, it's just sick racism. I can be 20 and know that. I was 13 when 9/11 happened and I knew it then too. We don't need a right-wing racist from upstate New York to say this. I know what happened to my community, my friends' parents in the towers, or how to think when it was so close to me.

We've got enough perspective.

A continuation

Really?

Palin and the Presidency

So Jill's first election that she'll be able to vote in will be coming up.  I'm scared.  Seriously.  I guess it doesn't matter too much for me because Connecticut usually votes Blue, but I'm still scared.  I'm still technically "in the middle," but that doesn't take any fear away.  It's not McCain that scares me either.

In my inbox today:

"better than  preaching to the choir,  here's a way to spread our strong feelings!
 
Friends, compatriots, fellow-lamenters,
We are writing to you because of the fury and dread we have felt since the announcement of Sarah Palin as the Vice-Presidential candidate for the Republican Party. We believe that this terrible decision has surpassed mere partisanship; that it is a dangerous farce on the part of a pandering and rudderless Presidential candidate and that nonetheless, it has a real possibility of becoming fact.
Perhaps like us, as American women, you share the fear of what Ms. Palin and her professed beliefs and proven record could lead to for ourselves and for our present or future daughters. To date, she is against sex education, birth control, the pro-choice platform, environmental protection, alternative energy development, freedom of speech (as mayor she wanted to ban books and attempted to fire the librarian who stood against her), gun control, the separation of church and state, and polar bears. That says nothing about her unpreparedness to become the second-most-powerful person on the planet.
We want to clarify that w e are not against Sarah Palin as a woman, a mother, or, for that matter, a parent of a pregnant teenager, but solely as a rash, incompetent, and altogether devastating choice for Vice President. Ms. Palin's political views are a slap in the face to the accomplishments so fiercely fought for and from which weve so demonstrably benefited from.
Most important, Ms. Palin does not represent us. She neither expresses nor upholds our interests as American women. It is presumed that the inclusion of a woman on the Republican ticket could win over women voters. We disagree emphatically and publicly.
Therefore, we invite you to reply here with a short, succinct message about why you, as a woman living in this country, do not support this candidate as second-in-command for our nation.
Please include your name (last initial is fine), age, and place of residence.
We will post your responses on a blog called "Women Against Sarah Palin," which we intend to publicize as widely as possible. Please send us your reply at your earliest convenience...the greater the volume of responses, the stronger our message.
Thank you for your time and action.
Sincerely,
Quinn Latimer and Lyra Kilston
New York, NY"

Well, of course we also have to look at the frighteningly dead-on Fey/Palin SNL skit.

And not to steal any thunder from Noga, there's this one from Matt Damon:

By the way, Palin also tried to argue that polar bears are actually not the endangered species list and it was absolutely ridiculous that they should be because that listing prevents the drilling of oil in Alaska.

Why am I panicking about this election?

Sunday in Berlin

Things not open in Berlin:

Your local library

Access to your university

Things that are open in Berlin on Sundays:

Dönner Kebab Imbiß

Everyone Relax! They fixed him! Hitler's back!

Yahoo News:

Adolf Hitler has returned to Berlin.

Madame Tussaud's said Saturday it had returned a wax figure of the Nazi dictator to its newly opened Berlin branch weeks after the statue was beheaded by a 41-year-old German.

Hitler's figure can be viewed sitting at a desk in a replica of his bunker, Madame Tussaud's, the British waxworks maker, said. Hitler committed suicide in the bunker in 1945 as the Red Army converged on Berlin.

The Berlin branch said it does not allow visitors to enter the replica of the bunker, so that the figure is protected.

Madame Tussaud's has defended its display of the Hitler figure in Berlin as "a legitimate part of our show" because he "stands for an important part of German history."

The presence of the Nazi dictator's likeness in the new museum led to criticism in German media before the branch's opening in July.

Sweets

So they say that you'll find the best sweets in Europe.

Reuters:

Police closed down a Berlin sweet shop after discovering the owner was selling chocolates and lollipops laced with hallucinogenic mushrooms and marijuana.

The 23-year old owner of the shop in the trendy east Berlin district of Prenzlauer Berg, an area known for its vibrant night life, was taken into custody on suspicion of drug-dealing.

"In the shop we found 120 pieces of magic mushroom chocolate and countless cannabis lollipops," said police, who confiscated around 70 sachets containing various drugs, about 20 marijuana joints, a range of pills and some jars of drug-laced honey.

Police said one customer, who appeared intoxicated, was arrested after trying to buy a bag of hallucinogenic mushrooms from an officer in the shop.

(Writing by Josie Cox, editing by Peter Millership)

Some Germanic Updates

Remember my last post when I was pretty certain I would die?  Well, I almost did!  Not really, but close.  Prior to take off after taxiing out onto the tar matt at Heathrow Airport and waiting nearly a half hour, we pulled back to the terminal.  Problem?  Of course.  Technical difficulties. Electronic difficulties.  Apparently enough of a problem that we had to switch planes and be two and a half hours late.  Sweet stuff.

Whatever.  It’s in the past now.

Here I am in Germany.  I don’t really know what to think.  I live in Kreuzberg in Berlin.  Well, by technicality it’s Mitte based on my zip code. It’s a little bit like telling somebody there’s a nice uptown apartment and then plugging them in Harlem.  Not bad, not great.  It’s just there.

It’s a strange city though.  As fun as I’ve found it so far, I’m still calling it the City of Broken Glass, which I don’t think is politically correct but I’m sticking with it.  I also call it the City That Loves Its Dogs, But Doesn’t Like to Pick Up After Them.  And the dogs here don’t take neat little shits and wait for their owners to pick them up.  Nope, they explode shit - nice little addition to the shards of broken beer bottles that sprinkle the sidewalks.  Flip-flops may not be the best option here.  We wonder why the Europeans really enjoy their snazzy sneakers.

But it’s not a bad place at all.  It’s certainly got its history.  It’s swelling with guilt and tensions that have not been eased over the years.  I feel like there’s this constant shadow looming over Germany that just constantly reminds them, “Baaaad, Germany.  You stupid child.”  And Germany nods its head, sits in the corner and doesn’t cry.  It just feels guilty.

I suppose a lot has happened, but it’s hard to put together everything.  The drinking age is lower and cigarettes are cheaper and though I hate to admit it, I’ve had a drink nearly every night and smoked cigarettes as if I’m on set.  Bad, I know.  It’s my personal opinion, though that smoking in Europe is considered healthier.  I mean, look at the French.  They’re known for their incredibly satisfying sex lives AND their inability to put a cigarette down.  I rest my case.  Don’t try and argue it, you won’t win.

More to come, I guess.  Let’s plug a photo in.  Not a flickr one, but a touristy one, I think.