RIVER MEMORIES

Charming Small Towns

A Word About Cheese

The Dutch have been producing cheese since 400 AD. In the Middle Ages official dairy markets and weigh houses were introduced that controlled both the quality and weight of cheese.

Today most cheese production has been taken over by factories, but there are still 600 plus cheese producing farms. Dutch cheeses include Gouda, Edam and Leiden. Gouda cheese accounts for 50 percent of all cheese production. Edam is the only cheese in the world that is perfectly round and is the second cheese product. Leiden cheese is distinguished by the addition of cumin seeds.

Soft cheese (jonge kaas) is ripened for three weeks, sharp cheese (belegen kaas) ripens two to seven months, and very sharp varieties (oude kaas) ripen at least twelve months.

Years ago the farmer would take his cheese to market once a week. A buyer would make a bid the farmer refused, and the bidder walked away. The bidder returned, the farmer would raise the price, and the buyer would walk away again. The third time a price was agreed upon and the cheese officially weighed. Meanwhile the bidder would bang the palm of his hand on the cheese to see if the holes in it were the right size. That was called ‘cheese bashing’. With each slap either the farmer had reduced his price or the bidder had increased his offer. When this ended the buyer sampled the cheese.

Then cheese porters, dressed in white uniforms and lacquered straw hats, carried the cheese to the weigh house on barrows painted the color of their section. The weigh master called out the weight marking it on a blackboard. There were 80 cheeses to a barrow weighing about 353 pounds. Finally the cheese was loaded onto a lorry or taken to a warehouse.

Wooden shoes are traditional and have been found to be warmer and dryer than rubber boots. Clogs are mostly worn in the countryside and in fishing villages. Three million pairs of clogs are manufactured every year. At one time leather shoes were a luxury only the wealthy could afford.

LOST--Almost

It was only a few minutes stroll on the cobbled promenade along the river to the point of land where the Rhine and Mosel Rivers meet. The bronze statue of Wilhelm on his horse is huge. The original statue was destroyed, but replaced in 1990. Many concrete steps lead up to the monument. After checking it out and taking my pictures, I strolled along the Rhine River for a short way.

It seemed as if I should be able to cut over to the Mosel by taking any street as the two rivers form a triangle of land. I walked through a residential area for some time, but the Mosel was elusive. I was just short of turning around to retrace my steps when I saw a couple of young men speaking to a girl getting into a car. It sounded like English.

“Do you fellows speak English?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“I’m trying to get to the Mosel. Can’t I cut across here somewhere?”

They started to give me directions and then said, “We’re headed that way. We’ll show you, if you like.”

As we walked I learned they were Mormons doing their missionary work in Koblenz. It’s hard to miss them dressed in their black pants and white shirt and tie.

When we reached the alley/road, which I would never have given a second glance to, I was glad they had walked along with me. I made a right turn and suddenly I was on the Mosel only a few feet away from the boat.

Some Very Hot Days

Acres of vineyard covered hillsides all along the river especially as we approached Boppard. Church steeples, ancient castles and towers emerged out of the forested river banks. Europe experienced an unusual heat wave that year and we experienced extremely warm temperatures. So much for leaving the Texas heat at home? Thank goodness for the A/C on the boat in the 104 heat!

Kelheim is a picturesque little German Village. We happened to be there on my buddy’s birthday and she wanted to celebrate, so at the end of the street just beyond the Ludwig statue we entered a 1607 Brewery. It was mid morning so the temperature in the lovely old courtyard was fairly comfortable. She enjoyed her beer, which this non beer drinker admitted was pretty good.

BMW stands for Bavarian Motor Works. In 1916 they produced aircraft engines, in 1928 they added automobiles. A car rolls off the production line every 90 seconds---and only after it is ordered! Their home office in Munich is a three cylindrical building that is full of windows. The BMW tower at 950 feet tall is visible from afar. A revolving restaurant is at 650 feet.

The Munich Opera House, 200 years ago, was the largest at that time. Unfortunately it burned only five years later and there was no money to replace it. So the people paid an extra penny for each beer and soon there was enough money to finance the rebuilding. The Opera House that seats 2000 people and employs 1000 people is literally the house pennies built. Like Vienna no opera is performed any two successive days.

You might also want to check blogs: Heidelberg 1-22-14, Gl blower-Wertheim 6-2-13

Wurzburg palace 10-2-10, Grein 12-28-11 Melk monastery 6-20-12, Rudshime, Werthein 6-30-13

Kelheim 1-19-14, Bamberg 6-16-13, Nuremberg 12-19-12 , Room 600 4-3-10, Passau 1-26-11

TIBET

                                                          Lhasa, Tibet

 

      Most of Tibet is too arid and cold to support human life. Geographically the country is about the size of France. The huge plateau has an altitude between 1000-5000 meters (3900-15400’). The Qamdo region in the eastern plateau is at a lower elevation and is drained by the headwaters of the Salween, Mekong, and Yangtze Rivers. The Lhasa area has a greater rainfall than the rest of Tibet, the climate is less severe, and most of the population lives here. Semi-nomadic shepherds who tend herds of sheep, yak, and horses live on the uplands surrounding the valleys. The towering Himalayas, surrounding the Tibetan plateau on three sides, made it an insurmountable obstacle to travelers and invaders.

     The country has existed since the 7^th century as a remote mountain theocracy based on the mystical tenets of Lamaism. Here feudal Lamas, whose spiritual authority was matched by their complete control of internal affairs, ruled the population. Some reigns were benevolent, others were ruthless. After the 9^th century the monasteries became increasingly more political, and in 1641 the Yellow Hats crushed their rivals, the Red Hats. The Yellow Hats adopted the title of Dalai Lama (Ocean of Wisdom).

     The autonomy of the lamas waxed and waned during various Chinese dynasties, with almost complete independence enjoyed during the Republican era, 1912-1949. The revolution brought changes. China invaded Tibet in 1950, and in 1951 military action and pressured negotiation reestablished China’s sovereignty. After years of increasing suppression, a revolt broke out and the Dalai Lama escaped disguised as a scholar walking over the Himalayas to India, where he remains today. Known as the Living Prince of Peace, the Dalai Lama is now elderly.. After 9/11 he called President Bush to express his condolences.

     Widespread persecution of the Tibetan people continued, reaching a peak during the Cultural Revolution. Between 1950-’70, over a million Tibetans were killed, 100,000 were exiled, and most of Tibet’s cultural heritage destroyed. Thousands of monks and nuns were sent to labor camps. Hundreds of ancient monasteries were destroyed. Arbitrary agricultural reforms such as imposed planting of unfamiliar crops, and the collectivization of yak and goat herds undermined traditional Tibetan culture. The population further destabilized when the Chinese government encouraged non-Tibetan Chinese to settle in Tibet. In spite of such hardships the Tibetan culture has continued to thrive under the stewardship of the exiled Dalai Lama, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.     

    Chinese built factories and infrastructure, so don’t understand the Tibetan ingratitude. The Chinese honestly believe that they saved the Tibetans from feudalism and that their continued occupation is a mission of mercy. For a long time the Tibetans saw the situation very differently as they found it hard to forgive the destruction of their monasteries or the assault on their religion and culture.

     One afternoon six of us went to visit the Sera Monastery, an active temple where monks are in training. Founded in 1419, Sera means stone hill. It also is the name of a ‘roseberry bush’. At one time every family sought to send a son to become a monk and the monastery accommodated 5000-6000 monks. But like other religions fewer people are choosing the celibate life. Many monks were persecuted or killed during the revolution. Today there are about 700 monks at the Sera Monastery. Upon entering the temple we saw a monk sitting on the floor printing. He was fast and it was fascinating to watch him. The pages were about 4 X 15 inches and he printed 100 copies of the page before going on to the next page. Pressing prayers onto cloth was the first form of printing.

    As we circled the temple we saw a few pilgrims moving clockwise with their prayer wheels and beads. The really intriguing thing here was the philosophical debates taking place in the shaded courtyard.

    At 3 o’clock a monk on the roof banged a gong to alert everyone that the two-hour debates were about to begin. The monks work in pairs, with the older monk asking a newer one a question. If answered correctly the older monk slapped his hands, palms together. If the answer was wrong he slapped his open palm with the back side of his right hand. If he pulls the prayer beads up his arm to the elbow it means that he will teach the newer monk the correct answer. It was extremely noisy in the courtyard and I wondered how anyone could even hear a question, much less answer it. It was an interesting visit.

    There are 500 million Buddhists in the world who believe that time on earth is temporary. Out of death and destruction comes life. Buddhist art is not self-expressive, each part has a meaning and artists do not sign their work.

    Each morning we opened our drapes and curtains wide to allow the sun to shine through and warm up the room. It was effective. We had clear , warm, sunny days all the time we were in Tibet. It stayed light until after 9:00 PM but did not get light in the morning until 7ish.

   Tibet has an interesting culture. It was a fantastic visit.

You may want to check posts: Jochang Temple 8-25-11, Tibet & Yak 6-13-10, Potala Palace 2-9-14