Tucker Goes Global

France – Paris (“More gold!”)

Posted on July 13, 2013 by Michael Tucker

A white-gloved slap in the face to anyone who works with numbers, the French language has no individual word for “seventy”, “eighty”, or “ninety”! Seventy is “sixty-ten”, eighty is “four-twenties”, and “ninety” is “four-twenty-ten”. The resulting barrage of numbers rattled off by clerks charging me for, say, a cup of coffee or two photocopies has frequently left me aghast with sticker shock, only to be baffled again by the mountain of change they return to me. Each time I walk out of their shops trying to sound out the combination-lock code they had just recited, I appreciate the utility of cash registers with customer-facing totals.

At a landing about 150 steps up the hill toward Sacré Couer, I was surprised to find a skinny college-aged kid playing a piano as accompaniment to a rapper. How and why in the world would one endeavor to bring a piano up there? And even more mysterious, how does the basilica remain so gleaming white after 200 years? In a city of postcard images, Sacré Couer is the one I find the most beautiful.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/DSC02120.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

I have discovered that the secret to fitting seamlessly into Paris cafes is the same as the secret to everything else–portray confidence and everyone will assume you know what you are doing. Do not, however, request modifications to menu items; such requests will be met with an explicit ‘No’ and an implicit ‘These recipes have been developed over many years with great expertise; who are you to presume to improve upon them?’ Also, do not expect to garner the waitstaff’s attention when you might desire it; they have a highly-evolved capacity to ignore.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/DSC02089.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

I picked up a copy of “L’Officiel des Spectacles” which lists the numerous free performances of classical music throughout the city. Although it is not mentioned in the publication, every night around 11:00 outside my window some old man performs a stirring rendition of “Hacking Up a Lung in G minor”. How many of the ubiquitous street-side cigarette butts has he accounted for over his years?

After he returned from a vacation to Paris, my last boss and I agreed that it would be good to redecorate our office with a Versailles theme. Something like this…

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/DSC02175.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

…Unfortunately for us, at the time capital constraints did not allow for such improvements. Luckily for Louis XIV, there were no such constraints when he was the King of France. Nor was there such a thing as too much gold. “If all the gold at Versailles were added up and weighed, about how much would it amount to?” I asked our tour guide. “I don’t know and I refuse to know!” he responded, adding “At Versailles, we do not talk about money.” Yeah, right. I can imagine no finer monument to the display of wealth–room after room of eye-popping luxury and extravagance. And then you get to the gardens and the surrounding “miniature” châteaux. It’s really mind-blowing that anyone ever had the money (and the ego) to build this!

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/DSC02223.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/DSC02236.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/DSC02204.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/DSC02200.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/DSC02188.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

The Contemporary Versailles Playlist (as selected by Louis XIV)

Empire of the Sun – Lux [“I knew I was going to like them just from their picture!”]
The Beatles – Sun King [“No less than The Beatles shall announce my arrival!”]
The Kingsmen – Louie Louie [“I always have to change my wig after cutting a rug to this number!”]
Bow Wow Wow – Louis Quatorze [“I simply cannot resist songs about ME!”]
Ta-ku – Fourteen [“The morning after a particularly righteous soirée, I just need to chill out with my monogrammed ambient house jams!”]
Queen – Killer Queen [“A whore quoting Marie Antoinette–how apropos!”]
Prince – Diamonds and Pearls [“Any king would be proud to have such a masculine, libidinous prince!”]
Lady Gaga – Poker Face [“A social climber with a middling title, but I just adore what she wears to my parties!”]
Abba – Dancing Queen [“This is the song with which I charm my mistresses…”]
The Rolling Stones – Play With Fire […and this is the one with which I seduce them.”]
Vampire Weekend – M79 [“How did harpsichords and string quartets ever fall out of fashion?”]
The Black Keys – Gold on the Ceiling [“Best suggestion my decorator ever had!”]

Posted in France - Paris | 3 Comments

France – Paris

Posted on July 8, 2013 by Michael Tucker

While sitting down at a cafe table is a simple thing and clearly comes naturally to Parisians, I find it a little intimidating. When the weather is nice and virtually all the chairs outside are full, there is often such a strong vibe about the place; I don’t want to blow it! It’s like visiting their church–they know all the rituals by heart and can tell who is looking around and trying to imitate everyone else.

Once you are nestled in there (probably sitting closer to four strangers than you usually do to your best friends) it’s a magical place. Maybe because of the legacy as headquarters of people’s revolutions; maybe because of the novelty (and challenge) of just being there for a couple of hours without “doing something”; certainly because of the excellent coffee, wine, and food that can be conjured with a few mispronounced words.

Authentic French croissants–reason enough to visit Paris–perhaps reason enough to live in Paris–perhaps reason enough to live.

Sunset. Sancerre. Success.

Meeting new friends in new places is a wonderful thing. However, there is nothing better than having old friends around, especially when you are far from home. I was very happy to find myself together with Lisa and Son at a wine bar in my neighborhood where we had a lunch of Bordeaux, cheeses, charcuterie, and pâte. Note to self, this place (Le Baron Rouge) offers fill-your-own-bottle from their tapped wine barrels for less than 5 Euros. Afterward, we wound our way along the Seine, crossing over to Ile de la Cité for ice cream at Berthillon and somehow still finding room for crêpes later that afternoon. At 5:00, we arrived at the Louvre where Lisa and Son had arranged a private guided tour for the three of us. Afterward, we went to the sleek and cool Le Garde Robe and tried on a few more wines and shared plates.

King Louis XIV’s Hall, Musée du Louvre

While I am saving several museums for when my brother arrives later this month, I did go to one more this week–La Gaîté Lyrique–for their exhibit on sound systems. It is a history of how mobile stereos gave rise to new musical cultures and a record of the creativity that has been applied to good old speakers and amplifiers.

Watts on Wheels

Since arriving, I have found in the recesses of my memory a small reservoir of French, presumed evaporated since shortly after the last day of 8th grade. Just enough to be dangerous, really. Enough, for instance, to ask a store clerk if they had inflatable mattresses, mistakenly certain of the words “inflatable” and “mattress” (what did I ask for?) Not enough, for instance, to avoid incurring a few massive eye rolls and being offered a few English menus. Context and routine have helped me through most exchanges, although I can’t help but wonder–have any of these waitresses actually asked “You’re so dreamy, can I give you my phone number?” immediately before I replied “No, thank you–just the bill, please.”

Le Cheese-Cake

Posted in France - Paris | 2 Comments

London – Theatre, Art, Sport, Queuing

Posted on June 30, 2013 by Michael Tucker

It shouldn’t have come as a great surprise given that “The Queue” has its own Twitter account, but the wait for same-day tickets to Wimbledon was epic. Having arrived for a discounted late-admission ticket (rumored to be wait-free), I nevertheless learned that the path to tennis’s fastest surface crosses what must surely be its slowest. Luckily, once within the hallowed grounds, it proved worth the wait. The decorum of the all-white player dress code and the shimmering grass held the same mystique as they did when I watched on television as an aspiring middle school player so many years ago. It was the first day of the tournament, and I attended matches between unseeded entrants in ladies’ singles and gentlemen’s doubles.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01971.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

The banner outside the Victoria & Albert Museum read “David Bowie is here”, and at 10:00 that morning so was I, and so were 150 people in front of me, queued up to visit the special exhibit. Now an exhibit on a glam rock superstar is my kind of exhibit, and a surprisingly cool thing for a world-class classical art museum to offer. It featured dozens of Bowie’s outrageous stage outfits, hand-written lyrics, instruments, a computer running the random word generator he sometimes used for inspiration, and a two-story video board and venue-quality sound system playing concert footage. Afterward, the museum courtyard proved a great place for a picnic with the sun making a welcome appearance.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC02009.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

While Bowie maintaining cultural relevancy for over 40 years is fairly astounding, Shakespeare is still drawing full-house crowds for works penned 400 years ago. Friday night I saw the comedy “The Tempest” at Shakespeare’s Globe, a circular open-roof theatre constructed to resemble the original Globe as closely as possible. Although my lack of fluency in antique English and the British accent necessitated intense focus on the dialogue, the performances and overall experience were good. Wikipedia would subsequently confirm that I had, more or less, understood what was going on.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC02016.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

I saw one other noteworthy special museum exhibit this week: “Saints Alive” by Michael Landy at the National Gallery. Infused with an irreverent sense of humor, it consists of classical portraits of saints mashed up with random elements of contemporary art and self-destroying mechanized statues that visitors can power with foot pedals and levers. There is also a huge wheel-of-misfortune that one can spin, inscribed with some of the more bizarre fates that historical saints have suffered. Confession after viewing is advisable.

In my last few days in London I have been visiting or revisiting some of its cool neighborhoods. I blew through calories at a street food festival in Dalston, hung out in a cool record store on Brick Lane, mingled with tourists and teenagers at Camden Market and with hipsters at Spitalfields Market, and met up with my New York-based friends John and Leana (on their way to Glastonbury Festival) on the Pho Mile in Shoreditch.

Chocolate Fondant with Clotted Cream at Street Feast London

Camden Market street food seating

Urban Picnic at Brick Lane

Rough Trade Record Store, Brick Lane

Tube routes, frustrating cloudbursts, pints of crisp ale, lunches on the grass, familiar-yet-unfamiliar language, and the spontaneous mental soundtrack of my favorite British rock bands will decorate my memories of London. It’s a city that knows very well how to be a city and does it with style. Although I’ve had a fun time here, it’s hard to be sad to leave given my next destination. Tomorrow, to Paris by train.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01989.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01915.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

Posted in United Kingdom - London | 2 Comments

United Kingdom – London

Posted on June 23, 2013 by Michael Tucker

Is there another city more unmistakable than London? The double-decker buses, the phone booths, the Underground signs, the bridges, the buildings–everywhere you go you are surrounded by iconic imagery. London is certainly a city with an identity and it is amazing how much one recognizes without having previously spent much time here.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01809.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

My first few days there I had the good fortune to have Daniel in town, as he was in the U.K. for work that week and took a train to London for the weekend. He also hooked us up with a swank room at the Hilton London Tower Bridge. I flew in from Amsterdam on Friday afternoon on Easy Jet and took a train from Gatwick to London Bridge station.

Friday night, Daniel and I met two college-era friends at a Pakistani restaurant and then went to a Nile Rodgers / Chic concert at The Forum in Kentish Town. Nile has a full quiver of shimmering guitar riffs and played through an impressive catalog of his own disco-era hits and songs he produced and played guitar on for others such as Diana Ross, Madonna, and David Bowie. His new song with Daft Punk was not in the set, but was the first song played over the house PA after the band left the stage.

Saturday was a fairly epic London day. We stopped by the Borough Market and picked up some berries, baguettes, cheese, a meat stick, and mushroom pate to go with the half-bottle of wine gifted by the hotel. Daniel also made a highly successful acquisition of a “2-pound” oyster, which might accurately describe its weight as well as its price.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01779.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01774.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01771.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

We then set up at the mall leading to Buckingham Palace to watch the annual “Trooping the Colour” parade in honor of the Queen’s birthday, featuring the Queen herself flanked by Dukes and Duchesses. Afterward, we had a picnic in St. James’s Park–a very English sort of picnic involving rain coats and umbrellas at intervals.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01791.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01805.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

Following this, we walked through Westminster and as the rain became more persistent, dropped into the Red Lion pub. After a pint there we walked along the Thames, eventually settling at the Craft Beer Company pub in Clerkenwell where I had probably the best-tasting beer of my life, a barrel-aged BORIS Imperial Stout. That night we had a late Vietnamese dinner and then hung out at a unique and bar with plush decor and a no-pretense house party vibe called The Bridge in Shoreditch.

After a relaxing Sunday I relocated to my London residence, an Air B’n’B rented room in the Hackney neighborhood. It’s in a comfortable, bohemian flat overflowing with charming clutter and esoteric books that I share with a digital archeologist (?) and a fine arts graduate student. I feel like it’s missing a moody cat named after an under-rated philosopher.

This week I have visited several London landmarks–St. Paul’s Cathedral, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, the Tate Modern Museum, and the Churchill War Rooms. At St. Paul’s, I had a very nice guided tour and then climbed the stairs to the top of the dome for great views of London from all sides. Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens are huge public parks where you can always find space for yourself despite the hundreds of people around you. The Tate Modern had a great collection of paintings by modern masters, as well as the requisite ‘what the hell was that?’ installations and video pieces. The War Rooms–set in the secret underground offices from which Winston Churchill and his staff conducted the British military during World War II–gave a detailed account of the PM’s life and of war-time life in London. Having visited a museum in Berlin that presented the German perspective on the war, it was cool to then see one authored from the British perspective.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01866.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01849.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01883.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01833.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

London is an awesome city–so much history and so much going on. In between rain showers, it is even quite beautiful. I am excited to have another full week here; plenty of time to take photos with local celebrities like the ones below. Note, this was our second attempt to capture the classic phone booth shot. The first was derailed when the appointed booth was discovered to have been the unfortunate setting for a prankster’s deuce-dialing.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Phone-Booth.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01930.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

The remaining events of the week can be expressed in 17 syllables each.

Haikus in English from London

1.
Ale and Sriracha
To blame for my sleeplessness
‘Worth it’ I decide

2.
Kingsland Highland Road
…suddenly Shoreditch High Street?
Again, map unfolds

3.
To check the forecast
Is a waste of precious time
Bring an umbrella

4.
The last train had left
Dejected, I wandered out
In search of a bus

5.
Defeated and drenched
I cross the cafe threshold
Gloating, the rain stops

6.
A second knocking
On the door; most unwelcome
While in the bathroom

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01922.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

Posted in United Kingdom - London | Tagged Favorite | 4 Comments

Netherlands – Amsterdam

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Michael Tucker

I took my first European train trip leaving Berlin but rather than the punctual and predictable service I expected from the Germans, my scheduled train was cancelled (due to flooding along the route). Luckily, and with the help of a station agent and a nice German girl, I was able to catch a train to Hannover and connect with another train to Amsterdam from there.

Amsterdam makes a big point of being bike-friendly and riding one here is awesome. Bikes appear to have special precedence over cars and pedestrians–they all patiently defer. In fact, compared to walking, with its attendant terrors of cornering trams, obtuse intersection angles, multi-median crosswalks, and of course the invincible cyclists, biking feels much safer.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/My-Bike.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

Armed with a rented cruiser and a vague sense of the city’s layout (but somehow no actual map), I rode down to the Concertgebouw concert hall and watched a free classical performance by a talented violin-cello-piano ensemble. Afterward, I visited the Van Gogh museum. Among the best of his paintings shown those featuring blossoming trees–very beautiful. I also learned that Van Gogh had originally wanted to become a draftsman. Drew, that bodes well for your potential as an artist. It bodes poorly for your ear.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01722.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

After the museum, I decided to just ride around for a while. I cruised through the city center and beyond, got lost, took a break next to a canal to estimate my position, started again, and ultimately found my way to the familiar landmark Vondelpark. There I procured an orange juice and a banana, found a comfortable spot on the grass, and sat there feeling peaceful.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01748.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

The next day I rode to the Western Canal Ring in the Jordaan neighborhood to take a self-guided walking tour. I started at the Westerkerk cathedral where I overheard what I can only imagine was a horribly unsuccessful audition for the position of organist. From there I walked from canal to canal and boutique to boutique in the “9 streets” area. I imagine it could be very nice living in a townhouse along one of those canals.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01757.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01763.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

After that, I made a visit to Amsterdam’s…ahem…”entertainment district”. While I purchased no goods or services myself, it was an experience just to see what was on the menus at the coffee shops and walk past the avenues of window girls.

As Amsterdam was just a two-day stopover on the way from Berlin to London there was no time for more. However, it was great to visit another famous European city, ride a bike, and relax canal-side.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01742.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

Posted in Netherlands - Amsterdam | 2 Comments

Germany – Berlin (week 2)

Posted on June 9, 2013 by Michael Tucker

I’d have to say that Europe is off to a good start. It is been very easy to adapt to reading books in cafes, sitting in parks, drinking beer in the afternoons, and wandering in and out of little boutiques. The weather has improved quite a bit and the nights have been weirdly short (sunset was at 10 pm, sunrise at 4 am). Berlin has much to do and I’ve been getting out to some interesting places.

On “Museum Island” I hit the top exhibits of the 5 neighboring museums floating on an island in the Spree: the Ishtar Gate (entrance to Babylon), a bust of the Egyptian Queen Nefertiti, Greek sculptures, and European renaissance-era paintings. Also on the island is the Berliner Dom, a beautiful Evangelical cathedral. It being a clear and sunny day, there were many people “worshiping” from the lawn just outside.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01601.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01597.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

Velvety wallpapers in dark colors, oil portraits, and porcelain were all the rage when Queen Sophie Charlotte of Prussia commissioned the 17th-century baroque palace “Schloss Charlotennburg”. The decor still creates the desired effect–intimidation and wonder at the vast wealth of the monarchs. Although the inside of the palace is impressive, the real jewel is the garden out back which–while it is still landscaped to royal standards–now serves as a public park. Having brought two sandwiches from a Turkish bakery, I had a small picnic near the pond and then just laid in the grass for a while.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01612.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01614.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01621.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

I went back to the Reichstag building one evening to tour the glass dome that stands on top. The dome is a nice modern ornament on an old gray building and although it is made of clear glass it always looks blue under the sky.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01643.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01648.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

Over the weekend, I went out with my Air B’n’B hosts to some Berlin hipster bars. Here is how to open a Berlin hipster bar in 5 easy steps: 1. Find a space that could be plausibly be described as “reclaimed” or “formerly abandoned”. 2. Make no improvements. 3. Collect furniture left curbside for city trash collection. 4. Install two 30-watt bulbs for lighting. 5. Hire a DJ to spin obscure 60’s psychedelic rock.

These places are actually very cool and I loved hanging out in them. You see the quintessential European social scene: 12 people crowded around a tiny table covered in glasses and candles, having long, quiet conversations–presumably planning their next revolution.

I spent a Saturday afternoon day drinking and swimming at Badeschiff, a revelation in waterfront utilization. On the bank of the Spree, a white sand beach has been man-made and from it extends a dock leading to a swimming pool inside the river! A bar, stage, and upstairs deck complete the scene. Highly awesome. A group of 10 guys showed up in Baywatch jackets and red swimsuits, reinforcing the mythical German love for David Hasselhoff.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01669.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

Sunday afternoon was the famed weekly Mauerpark flea market, attended by thousands. It’s another chance to pick up a cool t-shirt or vintage leather jacket or just hang with your friends and have a cookout on a tiny portable grill. Best of all, there is karaoke. The small amphitheater where it takes place was packed and the singers were performing to a crowd of around 2,000! Amazing. Next time, I’ll be on the performance bill.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01672.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01676.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01682.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

Returning to the question of whether Berlin is the coolest city in the world, I’d like to offer few more reasons why it may be true:

1. Free park-ing – Berliners know how to make an afternoon in the park, usually packing friends, dogs, beers, and perhaps a small grill or a boombox or an acoustic guitar. I enviously eavesdropped on this party in Volkspark Hasenheide and marveled at the genius of their playlist (Dusty Springfield, Iggy Pop, et al.).

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01625.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

2. Ubiquitous art – from museums to galleries to murals to graffiti to urban animal statues to the humble cappuccino.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01528.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01567.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01569.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01568.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

3. Doner on every co’ner – Doner kebab is the unofficial official food of Berlin and, should you order it, will possibly be remembered as the best 3 € you ever spent. Some locations offer interesting options, such as the surprisingly delicious falafel-fried cheese-peanut sauce sandwich.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01514.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

4. Hanging (out in) gartens – Like their diesel engines, some German traditions were built to last.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01589.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

5. Freedom of beach – Being land-locked does not deter Berlin from offering excellent (if artificial) mini-beaches. In summer the Spree is a snaking soirée.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01666.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01605.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01645.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

Posted in Germany - Berlin | Tagged Favorite | 6 Comments

Germany – Berlin

Posted on June 2, 2013 by Michael Tucker

It is mind-boggling to try to reconcile Berlin’s infamous past with the sheer awesomeness of its present. To recap: in the 1940’s it was the headquarters of the Nazi party and the German Secret State Police, in the 1980’s, it was the focal point of the Cold War and half the city was under Soviet Control, and today it is an outrageous blend of canal-side bars, cafes, beer gardens, techno clubs, curry wurst, doner kebab, black stockings, half-shaved hairstyles, and good vibes. More succinctly, fascism → socialism → hipsterism!

I love this place. I didn’t know much about it when I arrived, but it is making a huge impression. This is all despite the clouds and drizzle that have me backed firmly into a one-pair-of-jeans-and-one-sweater corner. The people are attractive, polite, rule-abiding, happy, and relaxed. There are always enough of them walking outside and sitting in cafes to make the atmosphere lively, but never so many that it seems crowded. The automobile traffic appears light and low on road rage. The public transportation system is clean and efficient. They use Mercedes as taxis. There is good and cheap food available all around. There is German beer. There are canals, tree-lined streets, cool buildings, and public parks. Good bands visit here on tour. One of my friends called it the coolest city in the world…might he be correct?

Tuesday I arrived and found my way to my Air B’n’B apartment in a Turkish-dominated corner of the Neukölln neighborhood. That evening I went to see a South African indie folk-rock band called Dear Reader at a cool club named Lido in the Kreuzberg neighborhood. I found that Berliners make very polite and very still audiences–once the show started, there was very little talking and almost no one weaving through the crowd.

On Wednesday I took a long walk from the Brandenburg Gate (city gates) to the Reichstag (parliment building) and along the Spree (river that runs through Berlin), then went to the club B-Flat in the Mitte neighborhood to see a bebop jazz band (4 dudes supposedly playing the same song).

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01484.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01491.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01506.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

Thursday I visited the Eastside Gallery, a one-mile stretch of still-standing Berlin Wall that was transformed into a permanent art installation when the city commissioned artists to paint murals along its panels. On a sunny afternoon with Berliners sunbathing and having picnics on the lawn between the wall and the Spree, it was impossible to conceive that this was the former epicenter of such hard feelings, tension, and oppression. It is impressive to me how Berlin acknowledges and and commemorates its history rather than trying to build over it or pretend it never happened.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01525.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01526.jpg” width=”240″ lightbox=”on” ][frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01536.jpg” width=”240″ lightbox=”on” ][frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01532.jpg” width=”240″ lightbox=”on” ][frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01530.jpg” width=”240″ lightbox=”on” ][frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01535.jpg” width=”240″ lightbox=”on” ][frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01533.jpg” width=”240″ lightbox=”on” ]

Topography of Terror is another example of Berlin’s accountability for its past. It is a museum constructed on the former command center of the Secret State Police documenting the rise of the Nazi party and its atrocities. There is no excuse-making, low-balling, or fact-denying in this exhibit; it is a bone-chilling story, and most eerily, a true one that took place only 80 years ago! That’s scarier than a German fairy tale!

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01548.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01546.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

After touring the museum, I walked through the Gendarmenmarkt (plaza framed by cathedrals and a concert hall) and then had a very German dinner of roast pork with beer sauce and sauerkraut at Potsdamer Platz (showy shopping and entertainment district).

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01552.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01558.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01563.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

Saturday I visited the art galleries and cafes that line Auguststrasse and then took a long break to drink pilsner at Strandbar Mitte, just across the canal from the Bode Museum. It’s been a long and very good week already!

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/DSC01577.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

Posted in Germany - Berlin | 2 Comments

Cancún → Texas → back on the road

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Michael Tucker

After a brief stay in my favorite unlisted Houston hotel (Château Glover/Mayo) and infusions to address severe deficits in vitamins T and Q (tacos, barbecue), I joined a party of 13 revelers assembled in Cancun to conduct Son and Lisa’s bachelor/bachelorette party. As our shuttle bus from the airport pulled up to the hotel, it was evident that the roof was on fire. No, I don’t mean there was a glittery disco/funk party taking place; there was literally a fire consuming the palapa roof of one of the hotel’s front buildings. The incident made the front page of the Cancun daily newspaper…along with a gratuitous woman in lingerie…stay classy, Cancun.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/image.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

We found ourselves in the middle of a classic first-world problem: “My resort wasn’t ready for check-in so I had to drink fancy cocktails at a seafood restaurant and then have free drinks and a free 3-course dinner by the infinity pool of their other property!” It’s a rough life to lead, but someone must. By that evening we were able to check in, and to compensate for the delay and for the rooms smelling like a barbecue pit (which, frankly, I considered an upgrade) they offered us gift certificates redeemable for massages (ladies) or surf-and-turf (gentlemen).

For the remainder of the weekend, we availed ourselves of the all-inclusive nature of our hotel. Our daily program began at the breakfast buffet and continued with a couple of laps to the swim-up bar, a long rest on reclining chairs on the beach, a visit to the palapa bar, a swim in the ocean, happy hour, and an over-sized dinner. By evening, we worked like ants who had just found a spilled bag of sugar, transporting our body weight in glassware between the bar and our lounge table. Our amazement at the bartenders’ willingness to fulfill ridiculous requests (i.e., “Please fill this plastic bottle with whiskey”) was exceeded only by our capacity to deplete them. Suffice it to say after that vacation I needed a vacation.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/DSC01460.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/321360_10200871636730961_1332478613_n.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

Luckily, my next stop was College Station where I had a long and relaxing stay at Mom and Dad’s house. In addition to catching up with them and getting their advice while outlining the early portion of my trip to Europe, I practiced making a couple of my culinary specialties (cochinita pibil and beer-can chicken) and watched seasons of Mad Men and The Office on Netflix.

I also made a couple of trips to Austin. One was to attend the wedding of my friend Angela, whom I am so pleased to see begin the part of her life to which she has been looking forward for so long. Another was to see my West Austin crew, who planned an awesome weekend of country club & lake style (indoor tennis, golf scramble, pool party, boat trip on Lake Travis).

It seems the world has turned while I was away. Babies have been born, houses have been built, jobs have changed, minor dramas have ensued and subsided, hairstyles have been updated, new friends have been met. I am happy about all of it.

At last arrived the final and main event of my “visit” to Texas–Son and Lisa’s wedding weekend. I arrived Wednesday in order to get in a few extra nights at Château Glover/Mayo, watch the Pacers game with Daniel Wednesday night, and have lunch with Daniel and Son and drinks with Tom and Nancy and Daniel on Thursday. On Friday, the wedding events ensued with a Tea Ceremony at Lisa’s parents’ house. The groom’s family and attendants arrived to the house dressed in our traditional Vietnamese ao dais and presenting gifts of jewelry, liquor, and food as a dowry in exchange for their acceptance of the marriage. Speeches were made, prayers were said, songs were sung. This was all conducted in Vietnamese, but was clearly very ceremonious and auspicious. Afterward, we took some pictures, greeted the families, and had a delicious lunch featuring the roast pig that was part of our offering.

Following the tea ceremony, we chilled at Lisa’s house and played some Rock Band. Then we walked across the street to the church and had a rehearsal for the wedding. As a relative greenhorn to Catholic ceremony I was a little confused by the sit/stand/kneel sequences, but figured I could just imitate Marc. That evening, we had a rehearsal dinner at Goode Company BBQ. When I returned home, Daniel and Leah were hosting a Pacers victory party and I got to catch up with Blake and Cheryl and conspire to meet up with them in Europe this summer.

On the big day, I finally got to wear my new custom suit which Son and Lisa had procured for each of the groomsmen on a trip to Vietnam. After 4 months of flip flops and t-shirts, it honestly felt good to tighten a tie right up to the shirt collar. We lounged at Lisa’s house and then at the church and then organist played our intro music. Son was smooth and confident and Lisa was beautiful and graceful and the priests were eloquent and pious (so I gathered–they spoke in Vietnamese).

At the reception, Anita returned from the bar having placed an order that presumably went something like: “One whiskey please, good sir. No, don’t go to any trouble, I’ll just have it in the glass it’s already in. Yes, yes, the large one with the spout and the melted red wax.” It did not require the entire duration of the 8-course dinner for our table to help her finish that drink. Thus, the stage was set for the moment the band took the stage. And it was one hell of a band–The Spazmatics–and they took the stage with a fury. The ensuing dance party was righteous and my tach was on red-line the rest of the night, fueled by pride at Son’s marriage, joy at being among so many of my great friends, relief for having completed the formal portions of the weekend, and 80’s rock.

In true “…if you party with Glover…” fashion, there was no pause in the weekend’s festivities. Leah, Jen, and Karla threw an Indy 500 party for Daniel on Sunday morning/afternoon and then I joined Leah, Jen, and Daniel at the wedding of one of their friends that night.

Monday morning, I flew to Berlin and it is from there I write to you. Thanks to all my friends for packing so much awesome into the short time I had to visit you. Now my way-too-easy life recommences its go-global agenda and I am thrilled about that, too. I’ll save impressions of Berlin until next time. On the road again and feeling good.

Posted in Mexico - Cancún | 4 Comments

South America – A Retrospective

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Michael Tucker

After a 3-week Peruvian/Ecuadorian odyssey, flying back to Medellín felt like returning to an auxiliary hometown. I had planned to spend the week visiting other sites in Colombia, but after having spent the night in different places 11 out of the previous 23 days, I just wanted to relax and be someplace familiar.

Having no other agenda for the week, I spent a few more days volunteering with Angeles de Medellín. It was nice to see the neighborhood and some of my favorite kids one more time.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/DSC01418.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/DSC01420.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/923155_652127291480857_720362653_n.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/DSC01433.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/946711_464582433622568_1132853812_n.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/DSC00965.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

I also visited the public sports complex near the soccer stadium, which is presumably where competitions would be held if Medellín is selected to host the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/DSC01440.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

Now at the end of four months in South America I feel very comfortable there, if not quite “at home”. I am weary from so many flights, bus rides, unfamiliar foods, and short nights and ready to see my friends and family. Here is my brief retrospective on my visit to South America.

Impressions: (1) South America is an outdoorsman’s paradise. Between the Andes, the Amazon, and Patagonia you can do and see practically anything to do with nature. If I had my trip to plan over again, I would spend even more time outside of cities–hiking, surfing, mountain-climbing, and crossing desserts and glaciers. (2) Culturally, South America is far less attached to rule and order compared to the United States. Laws are ‘suggestions’ and enforcement is not strict. Punctuality is de-emphasized. Business hours are less regular. Public services are less reliable. Relationship fidelity is less expected. ‘Yes’ means maybe. More improvisation is required. (3) The people are happy. Well, except for the Argentines in Buenos Aires–they seemed slightly depressed or at least subdued. Other than that, there seemed to be a general sense of well-being. Less competition and less sense of entitlement. If you have a wife and children and a job and a home–things are great! Your husband doesn’t have to be a doctor, your wife doesn’t have to be a model. Very little complaining when alarms rang all night, electricity went out, or buses broke down in the middle of the night.

Highlights: Enjoying the benefits of not having a job, such as deciding what I want to do every day and thinking about about what I want to think about. Meeting cool people, locals and travelers from around the world and getting new ideas from them. Doing some atypical (and sometimes frightening) things–camping, fishing, hiking, playing with dangerous animals. Making personal connections to new places, and therefore caring about more of the world. Kicking my Spanish up several notches and making friends I could never have met if I only spoke English. Eating weird foods–piranha, llama, cuy. Seeing places for myself that were previously so far away and strange they may as well have been fictional–Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, The Amazon, Machu Picchu.

Regrets: (1) I knew I wouldn’t see it all, but I wish I had made time to visit Patagonia at the southern tip of Argentina. (2) For about six weeks I was practicing meditation on a regular basis and getting into it. Then after getting mugged I just couldn’t do it for a while and I haven’t got back to it yet. I need to get started again.

Most importantly, I am excited to keep going and see new parts of the world. It’s hard to believe I still get to do this for another eight months. I am starting to plan my European trip for this summer, so if anyone wants to meet me there drop a line.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/DSC00638.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

Posted in 3. South America, Colombia - Medellín | Comments Off

Ecuador

Posted on April 27, 2013 by Michael Tucker

I flew from Lima to Quito and finalized reservations to spend a few days at the nearby Maquipucuna Nature Reserve. Maquipucuna is a 14,000 acre protected area and research center in the Andean cloud forest. My first morning there, I took a bird-watching hike at 6:30 am with a guide named Arsenio (woot! woot! woot!). I’m not a major bird aficionado, but we saw some cool ones with snazzy outfits and funny names–motmot, tanager, woodcreeper, quetzal.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/DSC01340.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/DSC01346.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

After breakfast that day and the following two days I took long hikes along trails that traverse the property. Just me and my one-armed guide, Carlos. Just walking. Crunching through the soggy leaves and sticks like a bowl of granola. Making good use of the rubber boots that the lodge loans to its guests, sinking into mud puddles, crossing shallow creeks, approaching waterfalls. Occasionally stopping admire a flower or spot an animal–along the way we saw agouti, jaguarandi, deer, turkeys, hummingbirds, frogs, and butterflies.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/DSC01361.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/DSC01380.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/DSC01335.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/DSC01382.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/DSC01349.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/DSC01363.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

Carlos is still genuinely impressed by the beauty of a flower or a butterfly or a landscape that he must have seen thousands of times. I wish I were more like him in that respect, because I think he has it right–what is truly beautiful is eternally beautiful.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/DSC01348.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/DSC01333.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/DSC01383.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

Carlos pointed out several medicinal plants along the way and explained their various properties. From one particular tree, he carved out a small hunk of its fiber and handed it to me–“smell this.” I did and said, “Yeah, it’s familiar but I can’t name it.” “We call this the tuna tree.” “Oh, it is! That’s disgusting!” This tree has no medicinal value. However, others do–especially in the Andean medical tradition. Once, to help cure his gravely ill son Carlos gathered leaves from seven specific trees which were affixed to the boy’s body to ward off evil spirits. The leaves, of course, were glued on after his son’s body had been thoroughly cleansed by rubbing it with a live guinea pig. Big cost savings idea for my friends at Brackenridge–replace all these trumped up pharmaceuticals and surgical interventions with guinea pigs and leaves.

Whenever we got back from hiking, I would clean up, inventory my new mosquito bites, and then have lunch. It rained hard every afternoon and there was no Internet access. Sometimes, there was just nothing to do.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/DSC01324.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

After returning to Quito, I took a day trip to Otavalo to see its Saturday street market. It was certainly massive, featuring miles of booths of produce, meat and poultry, fake versions of American brand clothes and shoes, Andean souvenir hats and sweaters, makeshift restaurants selling chicken soup from giant barrels stirred with canoe oar-sized spoons and roasted pork sliced off from the fully-intact pig’s body, and push carts offering ceviche.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/DSC01394.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

I also went walking around Quito’s historic downtown area which features a very impressive stone basilica with amazing stained glass windows within, and Spanish colonial buildings throughout.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/DSC01396.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/DSC01406.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/DSC01408.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/DSC01410.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”on” ]

I am currently back in Medellín, Colombia to spend my last week in South America. I look forward to seeing many of you very soon when I’m back in the U.S. for a few weeks beginning May 1.

Posted in Ecuador - Maquipucuna, Ecuador - Quito | 4 Comments