The Convery Press

Christine is spending the summer on Mackinac Island and is deprived of the pleasure of taking a “turn about the gardens” with me.  Patrick joins me almost daily.  I know that Elizabeth and Maureen find this traditional follow-up to our family repasts to be the most anticipated part of their visits.   Thanks to the internet, Christine needn’t feel left out — she can revisit this short slideshow every evening!

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Fast Tube by Casper

I spent a large part of my fall and winter semesters worried about the summer and filling out countless (5) internship applications. I was so excited to spend my vacation working on a research project in one of these programs, but March brought along 5 rejection letters and I had to re-evaluate my plans. My friend Morgan told me she was planning on working on Mackinac for the summer and living in her vacation condo on the island. Her sister Emmalilly was going, too, and then my friend Kirstin got a job at Fort Mackinac. With a few e-mails and phone calls, I had a job lined up at a clothing store, Decked Out, and one month ago I moved into my summer home with Morgan and Emmalilly!

This past month has been a lot of working and a lot of fun. I get about 45-49 hours a week at the store, which ends up being six days. Morgan and Emmalilly work with me, and also at the Arnold ferry dock. There are several older ladies who work at the store and four other girls our age. Most days, I bike down to work, spend about 8 hours selling clothes to tourists, and then make the trek up a steep hill and back home where we cook together, eat, and then bum out on the couch with computers and TV. Not very exciting, but we have fun together. Sometimes we even venture out at night to visit Kirstin, hang out at the Grand Hotel, or go downtown for movies or ice cream.

I have two more months up here, and then a week at home before its time to go back to school. I am trying to enjoy this opportunity as much as possible, as much as I miss home and Ann Arbor. This place is so amazing, and I feel really blessed to be able to see all this beauty around me every day!

Lest anyone should think that I am neglecting the art, architecture, history, and culture of Europe in favor of its wine, beer, and distilled spirits, I offer this brief history lesson.  I believe that I will acquit myself of any bacchanal distortions by this proof that I am earnestly and attentively absorbing the history and culture of Europe during my visit.

Plzen’s contribution to beer history began in 1295, when the King of Bohemia, Wenceslas II (not to be confused with “Good King Wenceslas of Christmas Carol popularity), founded the town of New Plzen on the banks of the Radbuza River. At the city’s founding, King Wenceslas gave its 260 citizens the right to make beer and sell it from their houses, a lucrative privilege that was passed down through each family.  As was the trend with other European trades, the brewers and maltsters of Plzen eventually formed guilds primarily for economic reasons but also to help ensure that the accumulated knowledge of their trades would be passed down through the generations.

The advancement in beer and brewing took a set back as conflicts between Czech Protestants and Hapsburg Catholics came to a head on 23 May 1618, when an assembly of Protestant Czechs, long persecuted by the Catholic Hapsburgs, threw the Hapsburg governors of Bohemia out the windows of the Prague Castle precipitating the Thirty Years War (1618-1648).  During the ensuing struggle, rampaging mercenaries destroyed cities throughout Bohemia, Bavaria, and much of Europe, spreading the plague as they traveled. Even worse than the  reduction of the population of the german states by 15-30% was the  serious blow to brewing progress. By the time the treaty of Westphalia brought the Thirty Years War to an end, the power of the Holy Roman Empire had been critically eroded and much of Europe was in ruins — AS WAS ITS BEER.

For more than 150 years the quality of beer was at best inconsistent and more often poor mainly due to a lack of understanding of the fermentation process.  The early 1800s brought many important developments to the understanding of yeast microbiology.  Brewers of the period knew that yeast was needed for fermentation, but they were uncertain of its precise role and had no way to propagate it intentionally. German scientist Theodor Schwann’s experiments (1837-1838) demonstrated that yeast cells grew and reproduced during fermentation; he argued that fermentation was a living process. Bohemian brewers, armed with their new-found knowledge of yeast, began to connect differences in style with variations in yeast properties. In 1838, several of the city’s brewers deemed 36 barrels of local beer undrinkable and dumped it out in the town square, right in front of City Hall. The brewers decided that building a brewery would serve the dual purpose of making money and brewing better beer.

Legend has it that soon after this event (1840), a strain of much-envied bottom-fermenting yeast was smuggled out of Bavaria by a monk  and passed on to a Bohemian brewer. The resulting beer met with instant success, and two years later, the brewery responsible for launching the Pilsener style began operations. Pilsner Urquell’s brewery began as a collective facility operated by several of Plzen’s independent brewers, who designed it specifically to brew the new lager style. The brewery was built on the bank of the Radbuza River, near a well and directly above a sandstone foundation that was easily carved with tunnels for cold storage, or lagering, of this new breed of beer. A 29-year-old lager brewer from Bavaria, Josef Groll, was named master brewer of the new enterprise .  Originally known as the Mestansky Pivovar (Citizens’ Brewery), the brewery was later renamed Plzensky Prazdroj, meaning “original source of Pilsener” in Czech.

The Plzen brewery first sold Josef Groll’s clear, light-colored lager in 1842.  The beer acquired the name Pilsner Urquell (urquell is German for “original source”). News of this remarkable Plzen beer spread throughout Bohemia. The arrival of the railway and the beer’s popularity amongst German and French tourists soon meant that Plzen’s famous brew gained international appeal.  Today,  ‘Pilsner-style’ beer represents about 90% of the beer consumed in the United States and about 70% of the beer consumed world-wide.

Easter is late this year and not only has all the snow in Munich melted, but the tulips are in bloom and the leaves are beginning to bud-out on the trees.  With winter over and Spring upon them, the Germans are no doubt as anxious as this visiting pilgrim to celebrate the change of seasons with a good beerfest.  But it’s Lenten season, the time of fasting, not feasting.  Leave it to the Munich natives to solve the dilemma between abstinence and revelry: The first beer fest of the year is celebrated with both gusto and Lenten devotion. During two weeks, wrapped around St. Joseph’s Day, March 19, the people of Munich observe Starkbierzeit, “strong beer season,” a noble tradition started by none other than pious Paulaner monks hundreds of years ago.

The Paulaner monks,, set up shop in Munich in 1627 to do good works…and they clearly succeeded! A short time after their arrival, they started to make a very strong and malty beer which they brewed according to a medieval Benedictine recipe. The friars called this brew Sankt-Vater-Bier (“Holy Father Beer”), a name that soon evolved into Salvator, the Latin word for “Savior.” During Lent, when, according to ecclesiastic doctrine, only liquids were allowed to pass their lips, these friars made their Salvator “double” strong (“doppel” in German). The stronger they made it the more nourishing it was, and it didn’t break the fast! Thus, they came to call their double-strong Salvator Bockbier, their Doppelbock or liquid bread.

What’s good for the pious monks must be good for the people at large too. The citizens of Munich soon followed the friars’ example in Lenten self-denial. Come Ash Wednesday, it’s time to go easy on the solid bread and to break out the potent liquid bread with the monastic tradition. Today, most Bavarian breweries make a strong spring beer, their own version of a Doppelbock, and in deference to the Salvator brew that started it all, they usually label theirs with a name that ends in “ator,” such as Maximator, Optimator, Unimator, or Triumphator.

Our local guide, Michael, has a Catholic understanding of these matters and explains to us Americans, who may be saddled with a more puritanical view, that in Munich and all Bavaria drinking a lenten beer is like saying a prayer. …..

That being the case, I am unashamed to acknowledge that I have been extremely prayerful since my arrival in Munich.

    Today was mainly a travel day as we rose early, ate breakfast, checked out of our Paris hotel and boarded our charter bus to the train station where we arrived an hour and a half early for our four hour train ride to Luasanne Switzerland where we ate lunch and explored for a couple of hours before meeting our charter bus to head to Lucerne.   We had a brief stop (an hour) in Bern, Switzerland before continuing on to Luzerne (Lucerne) where we had dinner before walking around the sleeping town for a couple of hours.

   The day was not overly stimulating which allowed time to reflect on some major cultural differences between the United States and this region of Europe.  It is noteworthy that there is abundant FREE parking in Luzerne and is some areas of Paris (though very little parking space of any sort in Paris).   Though I have no use for the free parking as I am without a car, I cannot help but find it notable and it has left no small impression upon my ‘Yankee’ sensibility.  I am infinitely more sensible of the fact that for the presence of this magnanimous offering of free parking, outside of my own hotel room, I must generally pay quite liberally for the priveledge of evacuating my bowels or my bladder.  It is not a polite subject, and I am certain, with that being the case, that both the French and the Swiss are relying upon me and other visitors to let the subject go without passing.  Unfortunately, I cannot find it in me to let the observation pass any more easily than I may let my water pass for less than the price of 1.40 Euro in France or 1.00 Franc in Switzerland.  Complicating the matter is the corollary fact that even commercial ‘toilettes’ or ‘waterclosets’ are more rare in this part of Europe than an American who has a working mastery of a foreign language.  The end result is that I find myself stuffing my pockets full of the coin of whatever realm I happen to be in and searching always for the next opportunity to satisfy these simple human functions on the strong reservation that such another occasion may not soon present itself.

Louis XIV was an absolute monarch who regarded himself and the state to be synonymous.  He took as his symbol the sun.  As the rising and setting of the sun set the course for each days labors, so too did all of France rely upon him to set their day in motion; He gave light to the people and his radiance reflected everywhere; He viewed himself to be the source of all warmth, enlightenment, progress, and life and as such the sun was fittingly his symbol.  He established his seat of power in Versailles away from the rebellious people of Paris yet within reach of the city.  He built Versailles to reflect and reassert his greatness and to make his power and authority felt by the 1,000 to 3,000 courtiers who appeared daily to fawn over him in the hopes of garnering favor.  The palace is so immense that I doubt that anyone can claim to have visited it in its entirety as such an undertaking would surely require a concerted and well-planned effort carried out over the course of many many months if not years.

To gain some slight perspective, click on the panorama picture assemble from several individual photos.  Zoom in and see the ‘Chateau’ beyond the gilded gates which contained the Royal apartments together with some 50 other rooms, halls, and salons — it comprises such a small portion of the buildings of the palace that it appears to be a rather rather small element of the palace.

 

Perhaps more impressive than the palace are the gardens which cover nearly 2,500 acres, containing more than 200,000 trees, 210,000 flowers planted annually, 50 fountains with over 20 miles of pipe, and over 300 sculptures commissioned specifically for the gardens. The panorama immediately below is taken from just above the Latona Fountain more than 550 feet from the palace.  The “Great Canal” in the distance is 1500 meters long to help put the scale of the gardens in perspective.

 

Paris is overwhelming. Overwhelming nearly to the point of discouragement. The city itself is vast- sprawling endlessly, it would seem, in every direction. With over 4600 square miles within its borders, it is quite impossible, to hope to take it in. In almost every direction we travel we find distinguished stone buildings in endless succession climbing six or eight stories high with their mansard roofs. Ornate wrought iron adorn the front of most of the buildings adding to the sense of refinement and stability. Among these buildings, are hundreds of palaces and stately mansions from centuries gone by. Paris is home to over one hundred museums and dozens of magnificent historic churches.

Today (Saturday) we began our day with a bus tour of Paris during which our guide pointed out many historic palaces, homes, residences of historical figures, and bars and restaurants frequented by 19th and early 20th century artists. Our guide also attempted to explain the historic development of the various parts of Paris as well as its architectural and political heritage – too ambitious an attempt for two hours (a two semester course might more fitting).

 

We ended our bus tour at Notre Dame and spent the rest of the morning admiring this architectural wonder with its ornate stonework without and its sublimely beautiful and uplifting interior. This treasure of Gothic architecture with its towering and broad ceiling vaults upheld by seemingly slender column is magnificent as are its main and numerous side altars adorned with frescoes depicting inspirational accounts from sacred scripture.

 

Following our visit to Notre Dame, we had lunch at the Louvre and spent most of the afternoon admiring this great collection which includes DaVinci’s Mona Lisa and the Venus DeMilo.

  5 of us headed off for the catacombs shortly after 4, but found it already closed at 4:30 so we doubled back (a 20 minute subway adventure) and rejoined our group for a visit to Montmartre where we enjoyed a long uphill walk to the streets of this hilltop section of Paris where street entertainers occupied our time before we headed off to our scheduled dinner.

After dinner we negotiated the subway system to head back for another night visit to the Eiffel Tower. Tonight´s visit included a trip up the Eiffel Tower where we spent the better part of an hour enjoying the panoramic view of Paris at night before heading back to our hotel for a well-earned night´s rest.

We arrived in Paris in the early morning hours, collected our luggage and boarded our bus to check in to our hotel. Though we had been up for more than 24 hours and got little (if any) sleep during our crowded flight, we quickly reassembled in the hotel lobby after settling in to our rooms. Though we would have dearly loved a nap, we knew we would adjust better to the 6 hour time change and make the most of our visit if we forged ahead with our first day in Paris. Hans, our guide for the next ten days took us a couple of blocks from our hotel where we found a street full of food and wine shops where we spent 15 minutes purchasing picnic lunches before we began a forced walk west toward the Seine. Along the way we took in a couple of sites and got some little history and background of Paris. Our first stop was the Jarden du Luxembourg. These gardens which cover nearly a square mile provided a pleasant setting for our group picnic.

 

After lunch and some time spent admiring the extensive statuary in the garden and walking the exterior of the castle (built as a Royal residence reminiscent of Florence in favor of the Medicci queen) we headed to St. Sulpice.  St. Sulpice is a huge and imposing church which took a over century to complete after its construction began in 1643. The interior contains some remarkable works of art.  We continued on to the Ile de la Cite where the tribe of the Parissi first settled and from which Paris grew. The most well known landmark on the Ile de la Cite is the Cathedral of Notre Dame. The exterior of Notre Dame with its enormous square and lovely riverside garden piqued our appetite for our official visit planned for Saturday.

After walking around Notre Dame, returned to the hotel for a short rest before going nearby for dinner. Following dinner, Hans gave us an overview of the Paris subway system and riding tips before marshalling us into the busy city below ground for our trip to the right bank and the Eiffel tower. While we opted to leave going up inside the Eiffel tower for tomorrow we did spend time admiring it from the ground both nearby and as we took in other sights in the area.

To rest our legs and cap off our night, we took a guided river cruise down the Seine.  We eventually made our way to a subway station and made our way back to our hotel for a well-deserved night’s sleep.