Here are some of the illustrations from travels over the past twelve months.
Illustrations in pen and ink
Gary Kirkpatrick
Dylan: Then and Now, portrait in Conte
I did this drawing after watching Dylan, the movie. He stands in history as an important song writer and musician. Bob Dylan was awarded the Noble Prize for Literature for “having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition”. The prize was awarded in 2016.
Lodz- or should I say ‘Łódź?’ Another must visit
Europe has a nearly endless supply of great cities, towns and villages. Add Lodz to your list, one of Poland’s top destinations. It features Ulica Piotrkowska, a 5 kilometer shopping street lined with restored Art Nouveau houses. Scoot over on the tram to the Manufaktura, a large complex of beautifully renovated textile factory buildings filled with shopping, dining and an excellent museum. Go to Radegast Train Station, the Jewish memorial at the station used to whisk Jews to concentration camps. The Central Museum of Textiles has examples of worker housing, a mansion and textile machinery.
Lodz has been around since the 14th century but it was a town of just 750 until the 1820’s. The Kingdom of Poland decided to industrialize central Poland, which had been part of Russia. By the outbreak of WWII, Lodz had a population of 1 million!
The 19th century industrialization began with the establishment of the industrial zone then known as New Town. In came German migrants knowledgeable in the manufacture of textiles, attracted by Polish government offers of loans and concessions. Starting in the 1870’s Jewish entrepreneurs fueled the industrial explosion, making Lodz one of the world’s largest textile producers. The structures were largely preserved. Renovated in the early 2000’s, it is now a huge shopping, restaurant and museum pedestrian zone. The last factory closed in 1989 after years of declining production.
On one edge sits the Palace of Izraela Poznańskiego.
Jews played a prominent role in the development of the textile industry, none more so than Izrael Poznański (1833-1900). He was born into a family of merchants who moved to Lodz in 1834. He took over the family business in 1852. By 1872 he had built a plant with 200 mechanical looms. The expansion continued, reaching its peak around 1890.
The infrastructure and edifices of Łódź were built at the expense of Poznański and Karl Wilhelm Scheibler. They sponsored schools, hospitals, orphanages, and places of worship. But they did so on the backs of workers who suffered with terrible working conditions and horrible housing, leading to many strikes.
Wawel Castle, watercolor
Our last days in Berlin lead to Krakow instead
On our way to downtown Berlin for a few night’s stay we were stopped by the water police: bridgework ahead so we could not proceed. The day before we passed under 58 bridges as we circled through Berlin’s south side, almost scraping the undersides, barely enough height even with our rain hood and bimini down. But today we could not get past even one.
As we were pondering our next step, a call came in. A friend was down in the ER in Krakow. That’s in Poland. As we’d already made our final arrangements for the winter, we rerouted from the bridge work to our winter berth. It took several hours. Fortunately it was a glorious day, yet another in an abnormal and nearly unbroken string since we entered Germany on the Moselle nearly two months ago.
We backed the boat into our space, set the lines and booked a passage to Krakow. By plane including the need to arrive early and transfer flights, bus or train it’s about 8 hours. We chose the bus as it was about 25% of the price of the train and even less compared to flights. We left the next morning and by the next evening we were there. We found our friend in stable condition, alert, communicative and on the road to recovery.
Krakow was the capitol of Poland for 500 years ending in 1596. That’s why we’ve been here twice before, in 1998 https://garyjkirkpatrick.com/czech-epublic-to-poland-798/ and in 2018 https://garyjkirkpatrick.com/category/blog/polandtouristblog/. In 1998 things were grim for the Poles. The economy was barely moving. Pensioners had sunk into deep poverty. They were called the ‘enterprising elderly,’ a term that made things sound unrealistically upbeat, but it was true that some sought to make a few zloty renting a room in their homes to travelers. Others sat or stood outside selling household valuables.
We were among very few from the west to make the journey as tourists. In those days a beer cost $.50 or less. You could not find a place to eat breakfast so we asked our hosts to make us coffee. We bought other items the night before. During lunch and dinner the restaurants were sparingly populated. Often it was only us. Hardly anyone spoke English.
Twenty years later brought a world of difference. A beer cost $3.00. Cafes and bars abounded. Restaurants were everywhere, offering very good local food at bargain prices. The museums were open, the exhibits very professionally assembled with excellent English translations.
Seven years later has brought much up-scaling. Now there are sophisticated restaurants and renovated hotels offering plush accommodations. A beer is $4.50. It’s become harder to find basic Polish food in the restaurants as hamburgers, pizza, kabobs and fancier versions of traditional meals abound. Not to worry too much, as there is still plenty of kielbasa, and pierogies abound in the grocery stores. Pierogies are now come in a large variety of stuffings. Bigos, a stew with sauerkraut and pork, is harder to find. It was on the menu in a tourist zone restaurant for a bit over $10. It was served in a bread bowl. The staff was dressed in folkloric costumes while traditional music played, a bit too loudly perhaps but I was glad to hear it rather than the relentless pop that drifts over much of Europe.
At a rooftop joint we had salmon and turkey. Wine was on the menu as it was in the bigos place. As in Germany it is much more expensive than beer. I have not had to courage to give Polish wine a try. They listed Spanish and Italian wines as well.
Back in ’98 we were one of few people in the country speaking English. In 2018 there was quite a bit more and now everyone working in tourist sites speak English. In addition quite a few know the language elsewhere in town, even in supermarkets. Call emergency and supposedly you can talk to someone in English.
But in the ER and ICU we visited there is a shortage of English speaking staff. Fortunately the medical care our friend is receiving is top notch, to my educated layman’s eye. The monitoring and diagnostic equipment appear up to date. They seem to be following rigorous sanitation protocols.
In our spare time, between moves between hotels and apartments- we could not find one with continuous availability right off the bat- we visited the Krakow History Museum at the Krzysztofory Palace. It overlooks the enormous main plaza with the magnificent Rynek Podziemny, the building sitting atop the must see Rynek Underground museum. The temporary exhibits on the 2nd and 3rd floors offer a view of local and Polish culture. The lecture room is lined with traditional portraits of presumably notable figures. Nearby there are several more modern, and if you will, more creative portraits.
The Poles are enthused of nativity scenes. The exhibit includes a walk-in version, with its stunningly bright color scheme. There are a number of very good architectural drawings on the ground floor.
Next: a visit to a half dozen magnificent churches.
Houses Along the Way
More traditional than my usual style. The thing about realism from an artist’s point of view, or at least from mine, is that realism provides a way to measure and improve your skills. It’s not the only way.
For purchase information see https://garyjkirkpatrick.com/guarantee-and-shipping-information/
Good vibrations: frolicking Berliners
Walking in the parks. Saxophone and singer playing guitar. Boats lined decorated with flags, lots of passengers drinking and dining. Boat parades. Canals lined with cabins and mansions,bathers young and old along the shore. Walking dogs, riding bikes. Drinking beer, eating sausage. A blanket on the ground, reclining, drinking tea and talking with a friend or lover. Maybe both.
Darkness falls and the boats illuminate with strings of lights, bright colors reflecting off the water as the music plays on. A boat with a hot tub slips by. Now a large ship slides through the narrow channel at Insel der Jugend, passing gaggles of cabin topped pontoon boats anchored in the bay. Then a gay pride boat parade.
Berlin: water laced, history packed
If you visit Berlin just by land you might miss the extensive network of lakes, rivers and canals in which it is embedded. There are substantial lakes on the western and southeastern sides. Approximately a third of the city is green area, parks, woods, gardens, lakes, rivers and canals. Even so, with more than 75 major attractions, it’s not like you will be twiddling your thumbs- we spent 30 days here some years back and went to a different museum every day and did not finish seeing them all.
Berlin has long been an important city, serving as capital of the Margraviate of Brandenburg (1417–1701), the German Empire (1701–1918), Weimar Republic (1919–1933), Nazi Germany (1933–1945), and today’s Germany after the reunification of 1990. The Spree runs through its center, taking you past famous and impressive architecture: the Reichstag , the classical Pergamonmuseum, the Palace of Tears, and much modernity built following the devastation of WWII. There are day trip ships galore plying the Spree, as visitors from everywhere love the views in the center as well as the nearby countryside settings.
There is much outdoor frolicking in the summer. Where we moored on our second night, across the narrow channel from the Insel der Jugend, some party barges picked up passengers just behind us or slid by with music blaring and beer bottles clinking. One moored behind us long enough to pick up a group of about 30 Americans waiting on the shore with balloons and other party paraphernalia. The others that passed by in the evening hung strings of lights illuminating the passage, revelers singing in their best karaoke voices . Forward of our bow is a bar with a floating hot tub, strings of lights and welcoming indoor lighting flickering on the channel. Across the pedestrian bridge is a restaurant serving local favorites, sausages, fries and Flammkuchen, a thin crusted pizza relative.
One evening an excellent saxophonist played with recorded accompaniment on the edge of Treptower Park, the huge green zone bordering the river. Earlier we’d visited the Berlin city history museum, a tall three story structure. The elevator is hidden. To use it you must ask if you want to avoid the winding sparkling white staircase that takes you up the equivalent of two stories per flight due to the very high ceilings. A guard takes you to the elevator and stays with you to the top floor, where you find yourself in the 1200’s. That’s the beginning of Berlin.
The water authorities allocate space for what they call “sportboats.” You have to vacate the moorings every day between 10-11 am. All those who want to spend another night spend an hour or so puttering about. It appears, however, that there is no enforcement, as we were unable to find a spot across from the Palace of Tears despite two efforts. Your boat must have a ship’s radio license and the radio operator must have a radio operator’s license. Neither are very difficult to get. For the latter you must pass a written test. I did mine online with the Royal Yacht Association. The ship’s pilot must be licensed. This is not so easy to get. There is a written and practical test.
The Palace of Tears is aptly named for the thousands of families and lovers who parted here after the infrequent visits the East German government allowed. The Palace was the entry point where people passed through customs, their documents carefully scrutinized by stone-faced guards. The tears of mothers, sisters, brothers and lovers flowed as they said their forced good byes. The exhibit in the very space tells this tragic story.
Roaring down the Rhine II: Cologne
From Koblenz we turned north, continuing to run with the swift current. However , before we left Cologne we had to haul the boat out of the water. We’d grounded briefly on the way the Cologne (Koln) while attempting to enter a small harbor.. I was able to back us off the shallows with just a bit of scraping so I thought we had escaped with no harm, as there is a skid bar protecting the rudder and prop.. When later I accelerated to higher than normal cruising RPMs there was a loud rapping sound. We were lucky find a mechanic who was able to get us a quick slot at the only crane in the area, normally always booked. As it turned out the rudder needs a new bushing, which we will have to deal with over the winter.
In Cologne there are three boating clubs on the south side. At one we were helped into a berth by two members. From there it’s just 10 minutes or so by bike to the center of town along the river. There is activity everywhere in the pedestrian/biking zones.
Like so much of Germany, Cologne was heavily bombed. Again there is little left of the old center. However the famous Cathedral (Hohe Domkirche zu Köln[) was spared. It is a long time World Heritage Site and is Germany’s most visited, with some 6 millions each year. It’s 157m/500′ spires are the world’s third tallest. It is a top notch example of Gothic architecture. Construction began in 1248 but not completed until 1880, perhaps setting a record for the slowest project in history. It was to hold the reliquary of the Three Kings of Christian fame. I wonder where the bones were to come from.
On the same site Christians built the its first church. It seems likely that the Merovingian King Theudebert spearheaded the works. Another large cathedral on the site finished late in the 9th century. Called the St Peters of the North, it was 95 meters in length. Churches then had relics, which helped attract supplicants. Peter’s staff and chains were the items of choice.
Cologne has a 150 meter tower overlooking the Rhine. It offers great views of the river and its barge traffic as well as the general area.
Roaring down the Rhine I
You last left us in Limburg, what has the neat old center full of medieval era half timber buildings. From there we go no further, although there are a few kilometers left of navigable waters. Instead we glided downstream, aided by the small current (1km), which made more difference than I thought it would- something you can feel as you move along.
We entered the Rhine, with five times the current of the Lahn, and we are going downstream so it accelerates us effortlessly. There is a constant flow of 110 meter barges stretching into the distance and hotel ships with passengers numbering in the thousands. With each you have to determine if they have a blue board out, meaning they are on the wrong side of the fareway. Most had blue boards posted but you have to check each ship. It’s a wide river so there is plenty of room on either side, but generally you want to be on the opposite side to the ships going upstream as they have chosen the side with the least current, meaning its opposite has the most current. Typically river current is strongest on the outside of the curve.
There’s the torrent of history on this river. Geographically it starts in the Swiss Alps and empties into the North Sea after dividing up and flowing through the Netherlands as the Wall and the Ijsell. For the Romans is was the barrier separating the Empire from the “barbarians,” so called because they wore beards (barb). My father and my wife’s crossed the in WW2 on the way to Berlin, so this history is personal too. And the Nazis made it as difficult as they could to ford, as once crossed the country’s underbelly was fully exposed.
It’s six fast kilometers to Koblentz from the Lahn’s mouth, a mere blink in its 1230 kilometer length. It took just about 20 minutes with the 5 kph current. We exited into a small sound on the left bank. There are two or three clubs there- we could not tell for sure how many. At the far end where we saw the most number and largest boats. We headed there and were waved in. Some friendly and helpful club members helped us back in. That was about the last we saw of them. We always hope to have some conversations with the locals. We learn about their club and gain local knowledge of the waterway and the city or town where we are.
Koblenz
Koblenz (from Latin for “confluence”) began as a Roman military post in the 8th BCE. It is at one of the most important junctions, that of the Rhine and Moselle rivers. This junction, Deutsches Eck in German, features a huge statue of Kaiser Wilhelm, symbolizing the 1871 German unification spearheaded by Bismark. Also see my blog https://garyjkirkpatrick.com/the-lahn-to-limburg-as-in-the-famous-stinky-cheese/ Koblenz is the northern end of the Rhine Gorge, a World Heritage section lined with vineyards on steep hillsides, ancient castles and picturesque medieval villages.
Basil Faulty in that old British comedy “Faulty Towers” advised to not mention the war (he said it “var’) in front of Germans. He said it jokingly but I have taken it seriously ever since, but the war’s presence kis inescapable. Koblenz’s city center was bombed to a pulp in WWII. On just one night, July 14, 1944 – 800 bombs were dropped. Today what remains is not even a poor imitation of its lengthy past. Little remains of its medieval past aside from the basilica of St Castor and a few buildings.
Included in the postwar construction are the excellent contemporary art museums. On the must visit list is a classic car showroom with Formula One cars, Bentleys and Rolls Royce, Porches and more, Some are for sale. And you can’t miss the a fabulous cable car over the Rhine to the ancient citadel of Ehrenbreitstein. The citadel museum is so so.
The Basilica of St Castor or Kastorkirche. Castor was a 4th century hermit. Dating to 836, the present Romanesque structure has four towers. The church was completed in 1208 with a Gothic vaulted roof from 1498.
Along the Rhine you find bike and walking paths galore, well utilized in the area bordering the old center area. The bars, cafes and restaurants lining the river with its expansive views are busy with beer, wine, ice cream, along with schnitzels, rouladen ,thinly sliced flank steak filled with bacon, onions and pickles topped by a red wine sauce. And there’s probably sauerbraten. Beef is most often used but pork and chicken are as well. In all cases the meat is marinated for 5 to 15 days. But you will find upscale modernities like ravioli stuffed with goat cheese, hamburgers galore. and especially sausages by the ton. Ice cream, gelato, pastries. You won’t go hungry unless you are among the street dwellers, comparatively few in number it seems, but you notice them.
Eltz Castle
From the Hautbanhof (train station) we took a train and then a bus to the fairyland castle Eltz. It was built starting in the 12th century by the Eltz family, who still occupy the non-public section. The other sections were built by other different sections of the family over the centuries.
In 1268, Elias, Wilhelm and Theoderich, all Eltz brothers, became embroiled in disputes with one another. As a result they split the castle and the estate. Eltz became a Ganerbenburg, an arrangement whereby several family lines then owned the castle, and live together there. I presume they did not own the castle buildings in common, but each owned their section of the building. This would not speak directly to the ownership of land and of the governance of Burg Eltz.
As a result of the division of the castle and its construction over time the look of each section is distinct as seen from the castle’s interior.
It is just one of three castles in Germany that has never been destroyed, despite being under siege several times. It sits high on a rock foundation. On three sides you see the Elzback River, which empties into the Moselle. Once there was a village on the slopes below, occupied by servants, farmers, craftsmen and the like. All visits are guided.