A Room With A View

As some of you know, I made a quick trip to Florence last week. It was a little insane, but I have a friend living there for a year, and I have failed to visit other friends living in fabulous places in the past and always regretted it. I told Hosmer I was thinking of going the last weekend I spent with him, and it was one of the few times he seem really engaged and excited. (Also I remember him talking about visiting Florence with Florence once, and he put his arm around her shoulders and said "It is your city dear." At which she gave her signature eye roll.). The living room in the apartment where I stayed had a view of Duomo. I saw many martyred saints and ate many plates of pasta and cups of gelato. What more can you ask of a trip? Here are some photos; you can see more on flickr.

Weekend in Oswego Morphs to 5 minutes in Albany

I planned to visit Hosmer this weekend, I was looking forward to discussing the upcoming primaries and the Super Bowl. But I was defeated by Oswego weather. Hosmer called me when I was on the train and convinced me to turn around at Albany. There had been a big ice storm in central New York and another one was predicted for the approximate time of my arrival. It reminded me of Kym's trip to Oswego last winter during the record snowfall- she made it, unlike me.

Even the car rental people seemed to agree with Hosmer, so I turned back. I do feel kind of wimpy about it, but Dad sounded relieved. I had 5 minutes in Albany to buy a new ticket and hop on the train back to New York that was luckily waiting in the station. A somewhat anti-climactic morning. Fortunately I had my DVD of Infernal Affairs to watch (and compare to the Departed).

Greetings from Copenhagen

I've been in Copenhagen since Tuesday night. Vienna was wonderful, but also hot--99 degrees in a city with little air conditioning. (Luckily its many beautiful museums do have factory air.) Yesterday I went to Viking Museum in Roskilde, where I got to help row a boat into the fjord and saw remnants of Viking ships that were almost 1000 years old. Today I am off to see Jane--I promise to abscond with her at the slightest hint of mind control.

Update From Austria

On Saturday, I took a cable car up the Untersberg, the mountains which looms over Salzberg. We hiked around and it was beautiful. I wish I had had time to hike up and down the entire thing. Here are some pictures. (By the way, now I am in Vienna, at the Hotel City Central).

Pictures of Salzburg

This is the Schloss Leopoldskron, where we eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, and have tea and coffee twice a day. There is Bierstube (beer cellar?) where we are encouraged to go in the evening and discuss issues over a few cold ones.


Recognize the patio? (Think children in outfits made of curtains, canoeing).



My working group.



The view from the balcony off the dining room.



I think Maria imitated this statue in the Sound of Music. It is just outside the building where we sleep and have meetings.



The garden outside the schloss.

Greetings from Austria

I arrived safely yesterday around 2. My luggage arrived safely 7 hours later. Everything else has been going smoothly. The seminar is interesting, we are fed constantly, and I have a view of the "Sound of Music" lake from my room. Pictures to come.

Travel Plans

I'm off today to Salzburg, where I will be attending a seminar in "Colleges and Universities as Sites of Global Citizenship." The conference center is housed in the building where the patio scenes from the Sound of Music were filmed. After the seminar, I'm going to Vienna with one of my colleagues, then up to Denmark to visit Jane. I'm taking my computer, so hopefully there will be some posts from abroad.