Summer vacation

There was art. Lots of art. And trains. Hours on trains. And also: a website update.

Hello ~ I’m Scott and welcome to your 5-Minute Vacation for Sept. 24th. I share these snippets of our travels in the hope that my photos and stories will allow you to go on a vicarious vacation and “get away from it all,” if only for a moment. I appreciate you inviting me into your inbox today.

Here’s the previous 5-Minute Vacation if you missed it.

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Sunrise on Dresden’s Theaterplatz.

Today’s Travel Word

la rentrée: Although this word translates to “the start of the school year,” its more general meaning is the end of the summer holidays and a return to work.

Remember back when school started and one of your first assignments was to write about how you spent your summer vacation? Today’s postcard takes inspiration from that.

What did I do on my summer vacation?

I saw art. Lots of art.

In July, I went to Munich to visit three museums. In August, I went to Dresden to visit two. Both times I took the train and loved it. For any trip less than six hours, I think a train is the way to go. They’re comfortable, safe, and much less hassle (no security lines!) than traveling by plane. (BTW, whenever we travel by train, we call it “a training mission.” Yes, it’s painfully punny. We love it.)

As convenient and comfortable as the trains are, they lack healthy food choices. Rosemary’s solution was to repurpose a plastic Chinese takeaway container as a salad kit. The blue painter’s tape kept the container from spilling and held the sliced almonds and fork in place.

We visited these museums in 2020 but for art lovers like me, one visit is never enough.

These five museums have a fantastic collection of Western European paintings beginning in the 15th century. These collections boast fine examples of just about every ~ism: Renaissance, Baroque, Northern Renaissance, Neoclassical, Romantic, Impressionist, Fauvist, German Expressionist, Cubist, Abstract Expressionist, Pop, etc. I’m sure I’ve left out some ~isms but you get the idea.

Of course, both cities have more to visit than just the museums. For example:

The Asam Church (full name is St. Johann Nepomuk) in Munich was built by the brothers Asam in the first half of the 18th century. It was built as their private chapel, sandwiched between their respective houses.

This UFO-like thing looked like it had just dropped off some extraterrestrials to visit Munich’s Museum of Modern Art.

Dresden has always been know for its riverfront.

Throughout the summer, talented musicians set up on Dresden’s street corners and play for us tourists. In 2020, we heard several talented opera singers. This year, chamber music with a modern twist was the rage.

In addition to art, there was also wine.

Every August, there’s a wine fest in Wiesbaden. For ten days spanning two weekends, dozens of producers from the nearby wine regions set up booths on the Marktplatz. It’s a great way to sample their wines.

Prost!

It’s also a great way to have fun. In addition to the wine vendors, there are food vendors (mostly sausages and pretzels), live music, and plenty of places to sit with friends. Every time we went, the place was packed. It’s a fun way to enjoy the dog days of summer.

But it wasn’t all art and wine. I also did some work. I updated one of my websites, adding a lot of photos. You can check it out here.

Like any good vacation, it was over too soon. Now, it’s la rentrée for me ~ back to reality a.k.a work. In addition to work, Rosemary has submitted her retirement paperwork and the initial paperwork for our move back to the States. There’s going to be a lot of administrivia in the next three months.

Between now and then, I have a couple of trips to share with you. Plus, there will be new trips (Christmas market season is approaching!).

I hope you’re navigating your rentrée well.

Until next time, ~

Tschüss!

PS ~ there are more photos from our 2020 trip to Dresden (the birthplace of milk chocolate) here and our 2020 trip to Munich here.

If you are new to my photography, you can see more at scottgilbertson.com.