This summer, we've ventured far afield to see what is available, not only in the Berkshires, but further afield. The results have been mixed, but with a few surprises along the way. Thursday night we headed to Rheinbeck to check out the entertainment at the Bard College Summerfest. The Fisher Center is a VERY modern stainless steel futuristic construction that is impressive when you come upon it. Our destination however, was the 'Spiegeltent' constructed for this summer's cabaret performances. The tent looks very like old fashioned circus tents with ballooning velvet canopies. Inside there's an ornate bar, posters and mirrored glass on the walls and intimate booths around the perimeter. The cozy tables facing the stage can be moved for the nightly dancing following the performance. The 'spiegelpalais' was popular in Europe in the 30's and gets it's name from the giant mirrored ball reflecting light throughout the tent. (Spiegel is the German word for mirror).
This night we were entertained by Maria Tecce, an American living in Europe, who was making her American debut. She was great--reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn in looks and style with a voice that seemed influenced by Eartha Kitt/Marlene Deitrich. Her songs were both traditional jazz and original creations including a guitar solo in Spanish of 'Bessame Mucco'. We really like the intimacy of cabaret and go often.
The bar served beer and local wine (stick with the beer) and light food which turned out to be a tasty surprise. Both Paul's lobster roll and my softshell crab on a bun were fresh and delicious. The accompanying cole slaw and potato salad tasted home made and for the ice cream lovers, the local "Jane's" homemade flavours are available at the entrance to the tent.
Spiegeltent has been extended through the middle of August. It's a fun evening and there are lots of interesting B&B's if you want to stay over.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Saturday, July 08, 2006
World Cup Fever
Picture this....two weeks ago, I get a phone call from Scott who says, "mom, wanna go to the World Cup with me?" Yah sure, first of all how do we get tickets and then there's the question of flights and rooms once we get there. But, that's exactly what we did. Scott was given two tickets to the Brazil/France game in Frankfurt and two more for the quarter finals to see Germany play Italy in Dortmund! After a little fancy footwork on his part, and a call to relatives outside of Frankfurt, we were on our way.
I've liked soccer since Scott was a 6 year old playing on the fields in Canada, but I wouldn't say that I was a serious fan. The World Cup, however, is something quite different. Every four years there's a fever that's infectious, especially strong amongst the European's in this city. The excitement we saw as we passed some of the bars here in the city couldn't quite compare though with sitting in the stadiums in Germany watching the actual games. To say that there was excitement in the air is an understatement. The flags, painted faces colourful outfits and the crowds all attested to the excitment of the matches. The sound of the fans could be heard from a distance and in the stadiums themselves, the chanting, singing, waving of flags and beating of drums was constant throughout the entire game. We have never seen anything like it and were especially overwhelmed by the crowd which numbered 65,000 in Dortmund. The game there was really exciting but it was somewhat sad to see the German team loose in the last few minutes of play. We sampled a LOT of beer, ate wurst, and a variety of local goodies and even got to spend some time in the town where I was born. All of my mom's family still lives there and no matter when we go, we're always made to feel welcome. For Scott it was the first time back in almost 15 years and it was fun to see him practise his German. We made a side trip to Colongne and thought it would be worth going back to. We both thought of Jory and all our friends who love chocolate during our tour of the "Chocolate Museum".
This Sunday is the final game between Italy and France. Popular opinion is that Italy will win, but I'm routing for the French. If you've never watched a game, tune in at 3:00pm--it should be fun.
I've liked soccer since Scott was a 6 year old playing on the fields in Canada, but I wouldn't say that I was a serious fan. The World Cup, however, is something quite different. Every four years there's a fever that's infectious, especially strong amongst the European's in this city. The excitement we saw as we passed some of the bars here in the city couldn't quite compare though with sitting in the stadiums in Germany watching the actual games. To say that there was excitement in the air is an understatement. The flags, painted faces colourful outfits and the crowds all attested to the excitment of the matches. The sound of the fans could be heard from a distance and in the stadiums themselves, the chanting, singing, waving of flags and beating of drums was constant throughout the entire game. We have never seen anything like it and were especially overwhelmed by the crowd which numbered 65,000 in Dortmund. The game there was really exciting but it was somewhat sad to see the German team loose in the last few minutes of play. We sampled a LOT of beer, ate wurst, and a variety of local goodies and even got to spend some time in the town where I was born. All of my mom's family still lives there and no matter when we go, we're always made to feel welcome. For Scott it was the first time back in almost 15 years and it was fun to see him practise his German. We made a side trip to Colongne and thought it would be worth going back to. We both thought of Jory and all our friends who love chocolate during our tour of the "Chocolate Museum".
This Sunday is the final game between Italy and France. Popular opinion is that Italy will win, but I'm routing for the French. If you've never watched a game, tune in at 3:00pm--it should be fun.
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