Dans: Miguel Angel Berna’s ‘Goya’ at Tel Aviv Dance 2010

Posted on October 11, 2010 by admin

I chose to see two performances from the Tel Aviv Dance 2010 Festival. The second one will be another encounter with Alvin Alley and his American Dance Theater, the third one after he made me discover modern dance in Bucharest at the beginning of the 70s, and then I have seen him again on the 53rd street in Manhattan a few years ago. Last night’s performance of Miguel Angel Berna and his Compania de Danza was a fantastic first experience with the work of an impressive artist.

(video source centroaragonesdedanz)

Berna has founded his company in 1990, so he must be now in his 40s, but he has the eternal youth look of many of the great male dancers. He is himself a very gifted dancer, with the silhouette, style and temperament that can belong only to a Spaniard. Together with his team he created in Goya a performance that is deeply Spanish, which takes the themes of the Caprices, Follies and Disasters of War melds and recomposes them in a dark, deep and expressive universe in which humanity fights for survival under the threats of terror and and evil. The result is true to the form and spirit of the work of Goya and has impact on the feelings and interior world of the modern viewer. The performance in Tel Aviv last night was rewarded by the knowledgeable audience here with thundering applause, no little matter if you know that this audience is exposed to the best the contemporary dance scene can offer from the local and world productions.

Posted in ballet | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Exhibitions at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art

Posted on October 11, 2010 by admin

Liliana and me spent the Saturday morning at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, which at this time of the year is very much worth a visit gathering several very interesting exhibitions.

source http://www.tamuseum.com/exhibition-images/11762

David LaChapelle is quite well known to the Israeli audiences a documentary on Channel 8 recently presented some of his works. The fashion photographer, film director, and most than everything master provocateur comes to Israel with a very consistent collection of works from the last few years and a few works created especially for this show titled in a sober manner Postmodern Pop Photography. Some of the recurrent themes of LaChapelle are present here – the dialog with the commercial and consumerist world where he made himself a name and started his career, the relation between the famous (Michael Jackson, Courtney Love), reality and myth, the decomposition and amplification of the symbols of values of the society (in the dollars and shekels works), Jesus and his relation to the modern world, and the apocalyptic landscapes of a world after catastrophe be it the devastating storms he knew as a kid in North Carolina, or the deluge. The careful screening of his works which sometimes may be as complicated or more complex than a full feature film are presented in documentaries screened in a side room. Some of the works in the show can be seen at http://www.tamuseum.com/exhibition-images/11762

source http://www.tamuseum.com/exhibition-images/11639

The works in Lena Liv’s Cathedrals for the Masses exhibition use the same media – photography – and also deal with some kind of myths, of a different type however. The Leningrad-born photographer went back to the capital of her country of origin to catch in a series of big size triptychs the stations in the metro in Moscow, arguably the most beautiful in the world. Built during the Stalinist era, the Moscow metro stations can be looked at as symbols of another type of worshiping of the temporary new gods invented by the Soviet regime. I’ve never been to Moscow or Russia, and the feeling when seeing these photos is ambiguous. Hard to detach them from the story and history, yet they do have a beauty of themselves and a quality which seems to improve in time. The cathedral metaphor does not seem completely out of context. The sentiments that they inspire are strong, and I did not have to go farther then one of the museum keepers whom I asked for directions and who told me a few words about the exhibitions in a tone that I cannot describe other that piousness. Watch also http://www.tamuseum.com/exhibition-images/11639

source http://www.tamuseum.com/exhibition-images/11867

I have discovered Avigdor Arikha a few years ago when I visited the exhibition he opened at the British Museum where he had donated one hundred of his figurative works. If his life and work will ever be described in an opera it will be composed by one tragic prologue and two acts, quite different in style one from the other. Arikha was born in Bucovina, and as a child he was deported to Transnistria, as were most of the Jews in Bucovina. He watched his father die, and was saved by the Red Cross who had discovered the drawings he made in the deportation. Arrived in Israel he studied art, traveled and settled in Paris, and worked in two radically different periods and style – one abstract and one figurative. The current exhibition is composed of a series of self-portraits and illustrations he made to a book of Agnon in the 50s. While the portraits are interesting as gathered in a multifaceted comment about his self, physical evolution and decay of flesh while keeping the spirit, is the the series of illustrations that I liked more, as they spread for a period of a few years of artistic research and evolution, when Arikha was refining his abstract style and vision. Some examples from the exhibition can be seen at http://www.tamuseum.com/exhibition-images/11867

source http://www.tamuseum.com/exhibition-images/11472

source http://www.tamuseum.com/exhibition-images/11472

Two artists belonging to the same generation but coming from different backgrounds are gathered in a an interesting dialog in the exhibition Meeting Points: Ronit Agassi, Gary Goldstein. Ronit is born in a kibbutz in Israel, Gary in Tennessee. Ronit works with materials that generate a monochromatic effect asking for attention and effort to decipher shapes and messages. Gary starts from graphical techniques and pop art effects from comics. Both led the viewer to a feeling of uneasiness, as the usage of familiar cultural symbols are in the works of both artists slightly out of context, as none of them seems to be very sure or vary happy in expressing his identity, though they do use the ideograms of the worlds where they were born and raised. More examples at http://www.tamuseum.com/exhibition-images/11472

source http://www.tamuseum.com/exhibition-images/11707

Larry Abramson: Paintings 1975-2010 is a comprehensive retrospective of the Israeli artist born in South Africa in 1954. Works from different periods of his life and creation witness and exploring and investigating spirit who integrates well minimalistic techniques of abstract art and melds part of them into a strong and explicit politic message. Recurring symbols like the crescent and direct messages like in the group of works dedicated to the erased identity of a Palestinian village are some of the elements that stay in the memory of the viewer after visiting the exhibition. See some of the works at http://www.tamuseum.com/exhibition-images/11707

source http://www.tamuseum.com/exhibition-images/11659

The last exhibition we visited yesterday was Yadid Rubin: Plowed color. Here is a completely different type of artist. Born in 1938 Rubin lives and works in Kibutz Givat Haim Yichud. Starting from the landscape that surrounds him, Rubin avoids programatically any ideology in his work, being much more interested in color, texture, materials the work of art is composed from, and the effects he can create by playing and combining them. The effect is fabulous, I have seldom seen in the works of other Israeli painters such an interest and even love to work with color, from the fauvist nuances of his debuts to the maxi-pointillist effects of his latest works. The Chelouch gallery contributed to the exhibition, and a few more pieces can be admired at http://www.tamuseum.com/exhibition-images/11659

Posted in art, museums | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Film: Marti, dupa Craciun (Radu Muntean – 2010)

Posted on October 9, 2010 by admin

I have previously seen only the first film of director Radu Muntean – Furia (The Anger) made in 2002 – and I remember it as a very different kind of film. The style was dynamic and dramatic, and the theme was related to the period of transition of Romania after the fall of the Communism, with strong critical social accents against the decay of the morals and culture of these troubled times. Eight years and three films later Marti, dupa Craciun (Tuesday After Christmas) which I saw yesterday at the Herzlya Cinematheque is a very different kind of movie. The social commentary is not at all in focus here (although not completely absent), the localization is not important as the story could happen any place and any time, and the style is very different, aligned with what became known as the Romanian ‘minimalist’ New Wave style. What is common is the quality. The promise that Muntean was showing in that first movie turned now into the work of a mature director, fully mastering his tools, very sure on the story he wants to tell and the way he tells it.

source www.imdb.com

Marti, dupa Craciun tells a classical love story of a triangle that is caught in the critical moment of the relationship. To emphasize the dramatic lines of the conflict the segment in time that the script chooses are days before Christmas, the ultimate family holidays seasons. It is at that moment of the year that Paul Hanganu, a successful banking adviser in his mid 30s must chose between his lawyer wife Adriana and the younger dentist Raluca, with whom he has fallen irreversibly and incurably in love.  No moral judgment is made about the situation or about the decision, love (in good Romanian literature tradition I may say) is looked at as an indisputable work of destiny, something one cannot fight, closer to disease or witchcraft than rational decisions. The whole story evolves around these three characters and their close family and friends circle which is busy with the holiday routine. A fragile balance oscillates not only in the soul and mind of the man who must chose between the stability and fidelity of his wife and the  intensity of the feelings for his lover, but also between the lie of a relation that if revealed will be condemned by the social environment, and the truth of the sentiment in the new relationship. If eventually the truth is to prevail it will be at a high cost and nobody will be happy the day after Christmas. Fulfillment of love comes at a price, and there is no such thing as fair game in triangle relations.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud48PDgKS6k

(video source undo251280)
The ‘minimalist’ style is poignant in this film and works well, which may become in time one of the examples that explains in cinema schools how the method works. We have here all the principal characteristics of the style – the long and static shots where the focus is left to the actors, the low tone in which the story is told with realist and sincere dialogs, the avoidance of any sophisticated settings or complicated camera work. In order for the method to work good actors are needed, and director Muntean directs the work of a wonderful team, with Mimi Branescu (Paul), Mirela Oprisor (Adriana) and Maria Popistasu (Raluca) in the principal roles. Memorable scenes like the opening which sets the context of the sexual tension that drives the whole story,  the scene in the dentist’ s cabinet where the three characters dance around the innocence of the little girl of Paul and Adriana who is the potential victim of the story, part of them knowing the truth and part ignoring it, the scene of the revelation of the truth when the world of Adriana falls apart, and the final scene, where the Christmas carols symbolize the serenity and sacredness of the holidays, and of the stable family life which does not exist any longer, because the day after comes after any holiday.

For many years the Romanian cinema had to pay a double dept – describing the Communist era with its lies and oppression, and dealing with the reality of the traumatic transition of Romania from dictatorship to democracy. Hesitating in style for more than a decade after the fall of the Iron Curtain, the accumulated energy burst to life after the first years of the century with the young directors of the new wave, in a style that had to deal with the economy of means of a cinema school that works at low budgets, and with a need and capacity of telling the truth and being true to the themes it dealt with and with its viewers. This is one of the big qualities of Marti, dupa Craciun – it is true in its message and never sounds false or artificial. It is good to see that the young directors of the new wave who are not that young any longer continue to be true to themselves, while gaining in experience and maturity. It is also good to see that new themes and new environments show up in the Romanian films. Marti dupa Craciun is a mid-class drama which describes a Romania that goes beyond the social traumas of the past. Such movies and such themes are good and necessary for a mature cinema school.

Posted in movies | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

An European Vacation / 9 – St Peter in the Black Forest

Posted on October 8, 2010 by admin

The village and abbey at St Peter (Sankt Peter in German) was one of the revelations of our trip. Hidden under just one star in the Michelin green guide it represents a real gem, a beautiful and well conserved testimony of the religious and spiritual life of the past millennium in this area of Germany.

approaching St Peter

You actually can feel the surprise waiting for you when approaching the village, as the silhouette of the two onion-shaped towers of the principal church of the abbey is visible at several kilometers whatever direction you come towards the village.

Berthold II the founder of St Peter

The parking is at about 5 minutes walk from the entry of the abbey. In front of the gate a small and beautiful plaza with a few restaurants and souvenir shops has in center the statue of Berthold II executed in 1902 by Julius Seitz. Berthold II, duke of Swabia extended his control over the Black Forest aby 1090, and then started to build new settlements in the area, among which the Benedictine Monastery of St Peter which was to become the burial place of the family, as well as the village around it. He placed in 1095 the monastery under the protection of the Holy See, which ensured the continuity and support of the monastic and spiritual life for more than seven centuries, despite wars, plagues and other events that impacted the area and the whole Europe.

the two towers church at St Peter

Two of the devastating wars of the 17th century destroyed to a large extend the complex of buildings of place, so the reconstruction was badly needed when Ulrich Bugli became abbot in 1719. Under his guidance a new church in Baroque style was built on the existing structure, so that externally some Romanesque appearance is being kept.

The Napoleonic era cut short the monastic life here, as the abbey was secularized in 1806. Since then the building complex functioned as a hospital during war time, and then was taken back by the church, which used it for various destinations during the last two centuries. A theological seminar functions here until this day, the church and a rich library are active, and various other spiritual and artistic activities are organized here. We had actually to make our visit under some hurry conditions, as a concert was supposed to begin in the church later in the day and the church was being closed to prepare for the concert.

interior of the church at St Peter

Entering the church the visitor is stricken by the elegance and beauty of the single-aisle structure. It is one of the most beautiful Baroque churches that I have seen lately. The elegant columns which divide between the side chapels, the sparkling white of the walls enhanced by the indirect light (no windows are apparent when you face the principal altar), the dynamic beauty of the well conserved paintings, all make of the visiting of the building a fabulous spiritual and artistic experience.

ceiling of the church - St Peter vanquishises the sorcerer Simon Magus

The painting of the ceiling belongs to Franz Joseph Spiegler, a well known artist of the Baroque religious style, and represents St Peter vanquishing the ‘evil magician’ Simon Magus, actually the founder of a Gnostic sect that was competing with Christianity in its first century of existence.

altar panel in the St Peter church

I also admired the altar paintings, both the central altar as well as the side ones. All are perfectly kept and maintained.

statue of Berthold II inside the church

Statues on the pillars represent the members of the ducal house of Zahringen who are buried here. Here is another representation of Berthold II.

fountain in the churchyard at St Peter

We had little time to visit anything else but the church. As I understand from the beautiful brochure of the place, tours of the church, monastery, and library are organized some of the days, but only in German. We could admire in the courtyard a baroque fountain which seemed to be contemporary with the 18th century works in the church …

statues group out of the St Peter church

… as well as a modern art works which show that the place continues the tradition of being not only a religious place but also a cultural center for the area.

As the day advanced we went back to our car, preparing to head to our next objective – a cuckoo clocks museum!

Posted in travel | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

where we come from? where are we going? de unde venim? unde ne ducem?

Posted on October 7, 2010 by admin

I found this story this morning told by one of my colleagues on a Romanian language Internet group. He heard it at a conference at the Bible Land Museum in Jerusalem , so the origin may be in the Jewish rabbinic folklore, but I think that it is true for any people or for any human being. I liked it and asked for his permission to take it to this blog.

Am citit in dimineata acesta aceasta pilda povestita de unul dintre colegii mei pe o lista internetica de limba romana, El insusi o auzise la o conferinta la Muzeul Tarilor Bibliei din Ierusalim, asa incat banuiala mea este ca sursa ar putea fi folclorul rabinic evreiesc, desi cred ca se potriveste oricarui popor si oricarei fiinte omenesti. Mi-a placut si i-am cerut permisiunea de a o prelua pe acest blog.

source sodahead.com

Cica un baietzel din diverse motive pleaca de acasa.
Vrand sa ajunga intr-un loc plin de promisiuni, din cate aflase el.
Si mergand el ,nu dupa putzina vreme ajunge la o mare intersectzie de drumuri.
Spre nenorocul lui, tabla indicatoare a drumurilor era cazuta asa ca
baiatul nu avea habar in ce directzie trebuie sa mearga.
Si cum statea el necajit acolo la intersectzia drumurilor,
se apropie de el un batran, intreband-ul dece e necajit.
Copilul ii spune ca nu stie in ce directie sa o ia deoarece
stalpul cu tablele de indicatii a cazut.
Atuncea batranul il intreaba :
– De unde vi?
– Pai uite vin de pe drumul acesta.
– Si cum se numeste localitatea de unde vi?
– Se numeste…… si ii spune numele.
Atuncea batranul ia stalpul si il aranjeaza in asa fel
ca numele localitatzii de un unde vine copilul sa coincida
cu drumul pe care venise.
Astfel indicatoarele de drum aratau exact fiecare drum unde duce.

source http://freepages.family.rootsweb.ancestry.com

The story says that a young boy for reasons known to him leaves his home,
willing to get to a place full of promises, as he had heard.
He walked and walked and after a while he reach a big crossroad.
To his distress, the crossroads indicators has fallen down so
the boy had no clue which way he had to head.
As he was standing upset at the crossroads,
an old man comes by asking him what is the reason of his distress.
The boy answers that he does not know which way to head because
the crossroads indicator has fallen down.
Then the old man asks:
– Where are you coming from?
– Well, I came this way.
– And what is the name of the place you come from?
– It’s called … and he speaks the name.
Then the old man takes the crossroads indicator and arranges it so that
the name of the place the kid came from
coincides with the road he came on.
Now the indicators were showing exactly where each one of the roads was going.

Posted in judaism, story | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

An European Vacation / 8 – In the Mountains of the Black Forest

Posted on October 6, 2010 by admin

Weather seemed to get angry on us in the morning of the third day of our European trip. It was cloudy for most of the morning and early afternoon, but the worse was yet to come. Weather would play as we shall see later a role in our trip in the Black Forest, in which we decided to do in two days the three itineraries recommended by the green Michelin guide.

wind energy stations near Freiburg

The first itinerary was a loop drive in the mountains of the Southern extremity of the Black Forest. Here are located the highest peaks of the area, and they can offer good opportunities for hikers. We chose to conquer two of them using the tele-cabin services. On the way we made a first stop to take pictures of the wind energy stations. After the sun energy panels we have seen in the previous days this was another proof that ‘green’ energy is on focus in this area of Europe. The ‘windmills’ also allow for spectacular pictures.

view from Mount Belchen

The first peak we reached was Mount Belchen. It is 1414m high, and offers good views of the Alps on the South, Vosges on West and the Rhine valley to North. The elevator takes the tourists over the forest areas and we could admire from there the dark green of the forests that gave the name to the whole area. If you drive the area you need to pay attention to the roadsigns, as the GPS software for some reasons does not know Belchen – so rather look for Wieden which is the closest inhabited place.

Maltese Beer in the Black Forest

The next stop was at Mount Feldberg, which has also a couple of hotels and restaurants at the down station of the elevator. We ate a soup at a pizza place which for some reasons was advertising a Maltese beer that I never heard about during my trip to Malta 🙂

the lighthouse on Mount Feldberg

Feldberg has an altitude of 1493m and a wide and windy plateau was waiting for us at the upper station. If I was to complain that my passion for lighthouses could not be satisfied during this no-sea vacation, here I got the closest thing to the true thing – a structure (communication tower? just observation point?) which resembles a tall lighthouse on the peak of the mountain!

Bismarck's Monument on Mount Feldberg

A monument to the 19th century German chancellor Bismark is the other landmark on the peak of the Feldberg mountain. The two are quite spectacular, and for the mountain lovers this is a nice place to spend some time. It was getting cold for us however, and we decided to descend and continue our trip. We were heading towards what proved to be one of the unexpected discoveries of our excursion.

Posted in travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

An European Vacation / 7 – Entering the Black Forest

Posted on October 5, 2010 by admin

We had a good part of the afternoon ahead of us when we finished our visit at the Danube springs. We decided to head to Freiburg, which was out night stop and where we had booked the hotel, but the timetable allowed us a stop in Titisee, the small tourist city on the shores of the glacial lake which was initially in the schedule of the next day.

Titisee - the lake

Titisee is nice, but maybe a little over-hyped. Looking retrospectively I would not say that it’s a ‘must see’ stop, and I would award it just one star (‘Interesting’) rather than the two (‘Recommended’) that the Michelin green guide for Germany generously gives it. The skies were clear by the time we were by the lake, and the blue was reflected beautifully in the water.

Titisee - in the streets

Germans love lake activities like boating or water-skiing, so it was no wonder that the streets were pretty crowded even if the tourist season was over. The main street of going down to the lake looks like any tourist street in any commercial resort you have visited any other part of the world, and only the cuckoo clocks in the shops were telling us that we had entered the Schwarzwald - the Black Forest region.

Rainbow over Freiburg

The overnight stop was in Freiburg, at the Mercure Hotel. It's an uninspired building but well located in the center of the city, with underground parking and standard (good) facilities of the Mercure chain. We went out for dinner hoping to find some German specialties. In the meantime a short rain cleared the air and allowed me a spectacular picture of the rainbow over the roofs of the town.

the Freiburg Munster

I caught another beautiful shot of the cathedral (Munster) in the center of the city in the semi-light of the sunset. Built between the 13th and 16th century in Romanesque and Gothic styles with a splendid arabesque tower the building dominates the old city. Unfortunately it was too late in the evening for us to visit the interior.

We were not that lucky with the dinner that evening. Our hopes to eat good German food faded out when we found that the first two places recommended by the hotel were fully booked. Next time make the reservation from the hotel, especially if you go out on a Saturday night - this is a lesson some never seem to learn! We ended by having a rather standard dinner in a schnitzel and beer place called Tacheles where neither the schnitzel nor the beer were too inspired - but at least they had a big screen and we could watch a Bundesliga football game.

Freiburg - view of the city

Next morning - the third day of our trip - we decided not to spend time in the city, but to go and explore nature and other interesting places in the Black Forest area. We just took one last picture from the hotel terrace and took up to the road.

Posted in travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

2 x 20

Posted on October 4, 2010 by admin

Two of my favorite cultural institutions are celebrating this month their 20th anniversary.

I discovered the Internet Movie Database (or IMDb) about a decade ago. It immediately became my principal resource of information about the art of making and watching movies. I soon turned from a sole consumer into a contributor, writing short reviews about the films I was seeing, helping other people with information, participating in the discussions and even contributing with new information or fixing errors (this happens quite seldom, to be precise). I am approaching the 900 film reviews threshold which I should cross sometime in the next few months. For me IMDb represents not only a permanent bookmark on my browser, but also a confirmation of the power of the Internet into becoming a repository and media for information exchange for people from all over the globe united in their shared passion.

ARTE building in Strasbourg

The European channel ARTE is my preferred TV channel. If I would be asked to give up all other stations and keep just one I would keep ARTE. Beyond its exquisite cultural programs that include films, TV series, art, music, cultural actualities, music and experiments in all the arts ARTE is remarkable for two aspects – it keeps innovating the media of television to the point of turning it into an art, and it represents by the national texture of its team a symbol of hope – German and French television people work and create together, in a way that makes the hostilities of the past remote history. I can just hope and dream that some day the same spirit of reconciliation will prevail in the area I live.

It is no coincidence in my opinion that the two institutions were born about the same time two decades ago. That was the time when the technical revolutions in communications represented by the Internet and cable and satellite television was meeting the political revolution represented by the fall of the Communism in Europe and the breaking down of the barriers in communication and censorship. When technology and freedom meet nothing can stop the access of people to communication and culture, and the birth and persistence of the two institutions prove that access to communication and quality can definitely come together.

Happy Anniversary IMDb!

Happy Anniversary ARTE TV!

Posted in movies, TV | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

An European Vacation / 6 – At the Springs of the Danube

Posted on September 22, 2010 by admin

After the afternoon visit in the Schaffhausen museum it was time for us to head to Germany. I decided to ignore the recommendations of the Michelin Green Guide (which I seldom do) and visit one objective that the guide was not giving even one star, but which was deep entrenched in my memory since childhood. As a good pupil in the Romanian schools I had heard that many times that the greatest river in Europe which ends its path in the Delta of the Danube in Romanian territory has its springs some place, in the Black Forest in Germany. I had been as a student at the very end of the path, at Sulina, where the Danube waters flow into the Black Sea. Time had come to see where the path starts.

Driving from Schaffhausen into Germany was as event-less as the majority of the European borders nowadays. No border control, no customs, barely a sign on the road. Still a strange experience for somebody who lived for 31 years without a passport and without the freedom to travel, and now lives in a country where the borders are severely guarded, in some parts neighboring hostile countries.

solar-pannelled stables

The landscape though changes immediately one crosses the German border North of Schaffhausen. The spectacular mountains of Switzerland open to broader plains, there is more farming, and what is striking is the number of solar panels on the buildings – in some cases the full surface of the roofs being covered with solar panels. I just took note and wondered why this extensive use of solar energy in an area that does not get that much sun is not replicated in Israel, where sunshine is a fact of life and weather for the majority of the days of the year.

springs of the Danube

There are some geographical and historical controversies about where the springs of Danube really are. Two small rivers the Breg and the Brigach join in the small city of Donaueschingen. The tourist objective identified with the springs is actually the springs of the Breg, near palace of the princes of Furstenberg. The tourists arriving by their own should be careful to ask for directions when entering the city, as there are no clear signs, despite the popularity of the place. Parking may also be a problem in pick season, we got relatively late on a Saturday afternoon, so we did not encounter any special problems.

Donauequelle Fountain

I can understand why the Michelin is not enthusiastic about the place. It is not spectacular, and it is the emotional significance of the place that prevails. The springs are actually a round fountain, from where water flows with timidity out to start the 2850 kilometers path across the old continent. A marble fountain represents a mother with a child – symbolizes the Baar area around lovingly embracing the baby river.

Romanian inscription at the springs of the Danube

Most if not all nations that the Danube crosses in its way to the Black Sea put memorial inscriptions on the wall near the fountain. Here is the Romanian one.

the church in Donaueschingen

The fountain neighbors the park and the palace of the princes of Furstenberg which can be visited in prearranged tours. We had not arranged anything, and it was anyway quite late in the afternoon, so we just entered the beautiful St. Johann church that is located on the other side of the fountain.

inside the church in Donaueschingen

The building dates from the first half of the 18th century and is built in late Gothic style. It has been recently decorated and its beautiful interior radiates light and tranquility.

Posted in travel | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hag Sukkot Sameah

Posted on September 21, 2010 by admin

(video source gdashdcast)

Tomorrow night, on the 15th day and on the first full moon night of the Jewish year starts Sukkot, or the Feast of the Tabernacles. An agricultural festival at origin, as similar holidays of other peoples celebrating the crops and coming of the autumn, Sukkot received a special meaning in the Jewish religion. During the week the holiday lasts the families are supposed to live and eat in the sukkot (open roof booths, tabernacles) as a reminder of the 40 years wandering of the nation in desert after the Exodus and before reaching the Promised Land.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cok_4N1ZbqY

(video source maozisrael)

It’s a family holiday which has a special flavor in Israel. Sukkot show up near almost any house in the country. Some of the other traditions related to the holiday are described in the video above.

(video source Peres)

Sukkot is one of the holidays when the house of the President in Jerusalem opens for the citizens. Above you can see one of these opportunities filmed in one of the previous years, with president Shimon Peres receiving and being honored by his guests. He shook the hands of 8000 people that day.

(video source infolivetvenglish)

Jerusalem has a special place in the traditions of Sukkot. In the old times the holiday was one of the three occasions each year when the people of Israel came in pilgrimage to the Temple. Today the temple is no more, but parades and music in the streets entertain the many visitors of the city during these days. The prophet Zechariah predicted that when the days of Messiah will come all nations will gather in Jerusalem to celebrate together the holiday.

Hag Sukkot Sameah!

Posted in holidays, Israel, judaism | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment