Lion King

Yesterday I went to London with Jacob's fabulous coworker Marcia, and we saw Lion King on the West End! (Jacob was unable to go because he's been really busy finishing up his Master's program. He's ALMOST finished!)

The production is currently playing at the Lyceum Theatre (above), which was actually managed by Bram Stoker in the 1870s-1890s. I wouldn't say this production had the best vocal talent we've seen on the West End, with the exception of the lady who played Rafiki (the baboon), and maybe the kids who played the very young Simba and Nala. They were really good. But the part that really blew me away was the costumes. They were absolutely incredible. Since I can't really describe them, here's a video I found on YouTube (from the very production of Lion King I saw) that shows the scope of the costume genius. The way they did the giraffes was my favorite.

Her Majesty the Queen's (real) birthday

Since we moved here the British Monarchy has been a source of total fascination for me. We've loved visiting some of the current Royal residences (here, here, here and here) and learning about past monarchs on TV programmes and at historical sites. We also watched Her Majesty the Queen's annual Christmas broadcast with keen interest. And we've been hearing about the fact that Her Majesty the Queen has two birthdays. Today is her actual birthday; she is 83. Since 1805 the Sovereign's birthday has been been officially celebrated the second Saturday of June with a big parade called "Trooping the Colour." (According to the official website of the British Monarchy, the date was chosen because "good weather is more likely.")

Since we're on the subject, I loved watching the Obamas meet Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh a few weeks ago at Buckingham Palace. And, yes, many people in this country were deeply offended that Michelle Obama hugged the Queen (also, that she didn't curtsy). Thankfully the Queen was not among those offended.

A post about Her Majesty wouldn't be complete without a few lines from the British National Anthem, "God Save the Queen." (If any of you Americans would like to sing along, you already know the tune. It's the same as "My Country, 'Tis of Thee." Not joking.)

God save our gracious Queen!

Long live our noble Queen!

God save the Queen!

Send her victorious,

Happy and glorious,

Long to reign over us,

God save the Queen

Springtime photos

Things are beautiful around here! The tulips were in Cambridge yesterday, and the cherry blossoms and duck family were in our village last week (there's a river that forms the border of our village--the swans have just laid eggs too, so maybe I'll catch photos of the 'ugly ducklings' soon).

(I know they don't come close to the cherry blossoms my in-laws get to see in DC...Hi Miriam and Jim!)

The Eagle

Tonight we ate at The Eagle, a famous pub in Cambridge. Jacob had the lamb shank with mash and seasonal veg, and I ate salmon with new potatoes and veg. It was good.

The pub, which is in a building built in the 1400s, is famous for two reasons. During the Second World War, RAF and USAF forces left graffiti on the ceiling (names and squadron numbers) in what is now called the "RAF bar." It was interesting.

The other reason The Eagle is famous is because it was the setting for the first public announcement by Watson and Crick that they had discovered the structure of DNA. In February 1953, Francis Crick interrupted people's lunch to announce that he and James Watson had "discovered the secret of life." According to another plaque in the pub (not the one pictured above), Watson and Crick "used The Eagle as a place to relax & discuss their theories whilst refreshing themselves with ale."

Happy Easter!

Easter is easily my favorite holiday. Unlike Christmas, it still manages to focus on Jesus and not commercialism. (I know, there's still some commercial aspects, but they haven't hijacked the holiday. Plus, I can't complain when a holiday's primary commercial focus is chocolate.) I also enjoy the celebration of springtime and newness of life that come with Easter: flowers, eggs/chicks, bunnies, etc. It's a beautiful time of year. Happy Easter, everyone!

(Photographs in this post were taken on our last trip to Germany. They get really excited about Easter there!)

Just a couple more...

I would have included the above photo in the original post, but Irena just emailed it to me. I HAD TO post it. Yes, that's Jacob LICKING my forehead. Where does he come up with this stuff? (Maybe he thought I was a snow cone.)

I also came across this photo after I posted about the Germany trip, and I thought some of you might enjoy it.

Wie schmeckt's?

Blogging about a trip to Germany just wouldn't be complete without a detailed description of some of the awesome things we ate while we were there. I already posted about our trip to the cheese-maker, and this post doesn't include everything we ate, just a few highlights. (The above photo is mini-Bratwursts on a bed of yummy sauerkraut with the most delicious potato puree on the side.)

(We ate lots of pastries because we stopped at lots of bakeries. This strawberry/almond pastry from Munich was both delicious and beautiful.)

(Here Irena is enjoying stuffed Schnitzel.)

(I ordered this "farmer's pan," which included lots of delicious veggies and meats.)



(In addition to all the "free snow cones," Jacob enjoyed some ice cream.)

(This gorgeous plate included tender, delicious lamb as well as green bean bunches wrapped in bacon. I plan to copy the latter sometime--very cute.)

(This store display might look familiar; we stopped in Aachen, one of the German towns whose Christmas market we enjoyed in December. They have an Aachen specialty called Printen, which is basically the most amazing gingerbread on the planet. We again enjoyed some. This time the display is Easter-themed, but just as pretty as it was in December.)

(We'll be talking about this one for a long time. Jacob ordered a "pork knuckle." The meat was so tender and flavorful, and it was HUGE. He also enjoyed the knödel on the side.)

Dachau concentration camp

Sunday we went to the Dachau concentration camp, which was actually the first concentration camp in Germany. It served as a prototype for subsequent camps. It was a sobering experience, hence the separate post.

Just a few interesting facts about Dachau. Most of Dachau's prisoners were political prisoners, only 1/3 of prisoners were Jewish. Dachau was in operation for over 12 years, making it the longest-running concentration camp of Nazi Germany; official numbers report over 200,000 people imprisoned there with 26,000+ deaths at Dachau and another 10,000 at its satellite camps. Many of the most horrible medical experiments on prisoners took place at Dachau.

Dachau was designed primarily as a labor camp, not an extermination camp. However, there are 2 crematoria, the second having been built when the first was deemed too small. There are also gas chambers, but historians say they were never used.

The below memorial at the site was very moving for me personally. The statue's imagery with barbed wire and human bodies was too much for me to unemotionally view. And the nearby memorial with ashes of an unknown prisoner, which says 'never again' in several languages, stirred me.


The Holocaust wasn't too long ago for us to feel comfortably distant. There is a sort of protection in not remembering the Holocaust--it keeps us from having to think about nightmares the victims actually lived. But the benefits of remembering outweigh the discomforts. We absolutely MUST remember. The visit to Dachau gives me a new commitment to what the famous (and controversial) Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel said:

"I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented"

The Alps

Last Friday we began our week-long trip to Germany. We had lots of fun adventures, which will take a few posts to relate. We traveled by car, accompanied by Jacob's fabulous boss Irena. We had a great time listening to lots of episodes of NPR's "Car Talk" on the iPod. We spent 3 nights in a rustic cabin (pictured below) at Edelweiss resort in Garmisch, Germany. The cabin didn't have running water, but we were able to shower at a nearby bath house. The cabin was cozy and warm, which was great because we got LOTS OF SNOW!

The interior of the cabin was pretty small, but adequate. I climbed up into the loft to take this photo of Jacob and Irena watching TV (yes, there was a TV but no bathroom).

One of the highlights of our time in the Alps was a trip to Neuschwanstein Castle, which I've wanted to see since I was a child. It was beautiful even in the low-lying (view-obstructing) clouds. We enjoyed the tour and learning about the lunatic king who built it (Ludwig II of Bavaria).

On our hike up, Jacob enjoyed munching on countless "free snow cones," as he called them. The freshly fallen snow hopefully hadn't yet been polluted.

We also stopped in Ettal at the Schaukäserei where they make and sell cheese (and other milk-based products like butter and yogurt). Those of you who know me will realize what a heaven this place must have been for me. We sampled many delightful cheeses and bought some to take home. They're SO DELICIOUS!! While there we also enjoyed a mug of hot chocolate made with their milk. It was amazing!

Klenkes

We just returned from a week in Germany, but we're too tired to finish writing about it tonight. I did, however, want to post a quick photo from this afternoon when we stopped in a fabulous German town called Aachen. This photo is dedicated to my brother Mike. Greetings from Aachen, Mike!