Parts Unknown

My husband and I have very different television tastes. We meet in the middle on a few things, one of them being all things Anthony Bourdain. (Note - it is almost impossible not to want to eat watching Parts Unknown or any of his other wonderful programs).

His death comes as a surprise and shock to many around the world who loved him, or who he inspired with his fearlessness and embrace of "all" food, not just five-star. Some of the best meals I've had in my life have been in unexpected places or circumstances.

(photo: an unremembered red, time and place unknown)

"Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, howevre small. And in return, life - and travel - leaves marks on you. Most of the time, those marks - on your body or on your heart - are beautiful. Often, though, they hurt."

Farewell to Europe, again

I am winding up my last night in Europe, for now, listening to a wonderful jazz trio play a set. The hotel bar has a terrific selection of wines and coffees and food, and great live music ... 

(I'm right now listening  to a fusion of "Sunrise, Sunset" and some sort of Argentine tango. Fabulous). 

Gone are the days when I would willingly cram myself, 8 people to a room, in a hostel. (And of course, if I had to, I would. But I'm using some "free hotel points" for my stay here, and it is VERY much appreciated). In fact, since the accommodations in Sárospatak are convenient to the institution and community based, but not full of "comforts," I have been able to relax all the more in Budapest. I will be returning to the United States, and to my fiancé, reasonably well-rested, and even more important, I took a little time on my own (today) to process what the summer of work has been. 

Some people might say that I should not take any time away from anyone else, that the three (+) weeks away in the United States were enough and that I should have immediately returned home. 

(For the record, my fiancé was not one of these people).

But, I contend, having a day of rest to myself was *very* important. I walked around, and I rested when I needed to. If I were following the vacation schedule of some people I know, they are up before dawn and they do things all day long. 

THAT is not a vacation to me. I woke up at a reasonable time, and did two things that were crucial. 

Moved at my own pace and volume. (Two things that I don't get to do musically all the time, actually. A lot of that gets dictated in one form or another). 

Today brought some amazing moments. I had a moment of complete peace, and calm, in the middle of one of Pest's squares. The breeze was perfect, and everything was silent - inside and out. 

That will be my goal for the upcoming year. Peace, inside and out. I needed to put a little investment into my "peace bank account." The year ahead will be wonderful. It will also not be easy. 

I will leave you with the final stanza of one of my favorite poems, from one of my favorite American poets. This is the conclusion of Edna St. Vincent Millay's "THE CONCERT." I was introduced to this poem by a friend and colleague who I met nine years ago at Tanglewood.

"Come now, be content.

I will come back to you, I swear I will;
And you will know me still.
I shall be only a little taller
Than when I went."

The question will never be if I will make it back. Or if Zheng will know me. Or if I will know myself. The question surely is, just how tall, and by how much.  

PHOTOS: Are from today's adventures in Budapest.

To market, to market

Today I had the pleasure of celebrating Thanksgiving by practicing and rehearsing with Ellen, followed by a great lunch at the Central Beijing Conservatory. I took a taxi from the Conservatory back to my hotel, and had a delightful conversation with Bob about something we discussed at our Morning Prayer. Followed by this, he reminded me that I had aspired that afternoon to explore one of Beijing's famous street markets, where you can buy everything and anything. His question to me was:

"Kristin, do you think those grilled spiders are going to wait?"

So, I got re-dressed to brave the outdoors (today was a bit nippy) and trekked off to find this market. I walked around and found all sorts of shops - McDonalds, KFC, Rolex, Casio. And then ... a walkway that probably is the original inspiration for any major US city's "Chinatown."

Wow.

Before I left the US, people had told me to "find and eat the maggots." Maggots were not found today, but this is what I DID find ...

Snake (grilled on a stick, skinned and scaled, but you could still see the corpus). And, the proprietor of the snake-shack offered to let me have the snake for free.

Monkey (I had to ask what animal it was. My response included pantomime.).

Baby scorpions (By the way, if you want to eat a baby scorpion in China, you order it while it is still alive. They grill it for you while you wait. This does not take long. Apparently, it is bad form to eat "stale scorpion.").

Tarantula. (Recommended by Zhong at lunch, reminded by Bob via afternoon chat.).

Frozen cherries on a stick. These seem to be very popular, based on the lines near this stand.

Osama bin Laden playing cards (complete with jokers - a deck of 54 cards).

Plenty of people that are willing to barter.
Jasmine tea ice cream. (I had some of this, despite the temperature. It's great!).

People selling pot-stickers and dumplings which looked REALLY amazing. I almost got one, and thought ... Hmmmm ... If I was Mr. Grilled Scorpion Man (let's call him GSM), I would not want to take home scorpions and bring them back the next day. I, as GSM, new capitalist and businessman, would instead sell them to Mr. Pot Sticker for a "special price." And then, today's scorpions would be tomorrow's pot-stickers. I asked Mr. PS what was in his dumplings and other products, and he looked at me and said, "vegetable." (He was right in-between the tarantulas and sea urchins).

This wonderful journey continues to be incredible for all senses - for the scope of the imagination, for the ears, for the spirit. Zhong asked me today if, "I am always laughing and smiling." My response is, "I think so." He said, "You are a teacher. You are supposed to be serious." (This he said while giggling, by the way). That may be true, but, I think there is terrific authority in both happiness and an inexorable sense of humor.