From Small-Town to Super-sized World

Train ride along the Rhein River with lots of castles and vineyards

Blog 5


As an instructor, I love sharing my experiences while learning about my students' stories. By comparing certain aspects of life in Germany and Canada, I will tell you more about my background and transformation.


When I arrived in Canada, everything was new, exciting and scary at the same time. For most of my life, I had lived close to my family and friends. The furthest distance was during my six-month internship at a yarn company in southern Germany. It was less than a 3-hour drive from there to my parents' home.


Moving 6,000 km away to a metropolis like Toronto was inconceivable. I hardly knew anything about Canada. Until then, the only time I left Europe was for a summer vacation to the Asian part of Turkey. I was used to a small town of about 10,00 people. In comparison, Frankfurt, where I worked, seemed enormous, even with a population of only about 600,000 in the early 1990s.


Aside from the big cities, much of Canada is rural or wilderness, so travel between inhabited areas is often long. It's not surprising that Germans and Canadians have different perceptions of distances. While many Canadians view a 2-hour drive as a short trip, many Germans may even question such a trip for a weekend.


Arriving in Toronto, I experienced a culture shock. Everything was super-sized: giant homes, huge cars, wide roads, massive parking lots and shopping centres. Getting to the next bus stop required a long walk. Anywhere outside of the centre of town, you still need a car. 

from my sketchbook

I love the space Canada offers. In Germany, the small streets with on-street parking annoy me. The traffic volume is so bad that I prefer public transportation during my visits. It makes traveling less stressful, and I get endless opportunities to sketch. 

 

from my sketchbook

When I visit Germany these days, I still enjoy that everything is close. You can usually walk to a couple of grocery stores, bakeries and a multitude of boutique stores.


Many Germans frequently complain about the reliability of public transportation, but it takes you almost everywhere. As Germany is less than half the size of Ontario, it becomes clear why public transit is more available in Germany. With over five times the population of Ontario, the density in cities makes public transportation more manageable.


The densely populated German country also means that most people don't own a house. Roughly half the population rents their living space, especially in the cities. Many people move to the suburbs because they cannot afford the rental fees in the large cities. It is a struggle to afford a house in Germany without a second full-time income. Plus, most people stay in their homes until they are too old to live independently or die. Therefore, many children take over their parental home. This situation is slowly changing as employment decisions have forced more people to move.


In Canada, people aim to buy a house or apartment. For many, renting is a transitional phase. When I came to Canada, I could hardly believe that people moved, on average, every seven years. However, these days, the dream of owning a house is almost unattainable for many young people due to housing shortages and the high cost of living.


I feel happy in our neighbourhood. Our family could not have afforded a house with a large yard in Germany. It was the perfect place for our children to grow up. Plus, I love my spacious art studio.

 

I like that we live close to the Ottawa River and many green spaces. However, I miss the many paths through residential neighbourhoods, through fields and woods that link towns and make Germany very bike-friendly.

During the next five months, I will reflect on my decision to stay in Canada relating to my five core values:

• Creativity
• Community
• Connection
• Collaboration
• Curiosity

Discovering Prince Edward Island - Part 2

 

 

Blog 42

 

September 13 was another cloudy day with a forecast of occasional showers. We drove to Charlottetown and parked near the harbour, where two huge cruise ships anchored. Later, some passengers told us that the larger vessel had space for 2000 travellers, more than the residents of most cities on Prince Edward Island.

Bettina and I started our outing in Charlottetown at the Food Hall & Market, where we found the best fudge I have ever eaten, made from potatoes. The local crafts were also tempting. However, when travelling with only a carry-on suitcase, you can only buy things you can consume immediately.

 

We took the boardwalk to see more of the harbour and visited a local art gallery and the St. Dunstan’s Basilica, which was breathtaking. We also found an outdoor patio of a seafood restaurant on a pedestrian street when the sun finally appeared.

We finished our sightseeing tour watching the process of the smaller (1800-passenger) cruise ship leaving Charlottetown. We hardly reached the car when the heavy rain started, creating dense fog. It was a scary drive back to the cottage.

 

The following day, we visited the Prince Edward Island National Park in Greenwich, which has the biggest sand dunes on the island. Under sunny skies, we walked a large part of the trail on a floating boardwalk over Bowley Pond toward the spectacular beach with white sand.

As we headed east, the wind increased, and the sky turned dark grey. By the time we reached the East Point Lighthouse, it started to drizzle.

The drive back to the cottage was another scary affair, with water standing on the roads, poor visibility and heavy traffic. However, it was mild enough in the evening for a barefoot walk along the beach.

 

The sun was shining again the following morning. We strolled through Victoria-by-the-Sea, visiting some galleries and the Island Chocolates Café. Their chocolates tempted us to enjoy truffles and hot chocolate on their beautiful sunny patio.

 

 

Because of the clear skies and good visibility, we followed the coastal road west to get a view of the Confederation Bridge. Unfortunately, a new subdivision will soon obscure the sight - a tragedy for plein air painters in many areas.

 

In the afternoon, we drove east along the shore to the Argyle Shore Provincial Park, where the tide had only started to move out, so we could only walk a short way along the rocky beach. We had more luck at Canoe Cove, where the low tide exposed a large area of warm red sand.

We stopped at Rocky Point for a fantastic view of Charlottetown harbour and continued to the Blockhouse Point Lighthouse on a rugged road. Managing the road in a Toyota Corolla was more exciting than the lighthouse, but maybe we were only tired at the end of the day.

 

 

As news about tropical storm Lee hitting the Maritimes got increasingly urgent, we decided to leave a day earlier than planned. Therefore, we almost missed the most stunning pink and purple sunset I have ever seen because we were busy packing. 

 

 

During the night, the rain started drumming on the roof. The wind howled so loud that I feared we had missed our chance to leave the island. After hardly any sleep, I finally got up as soon as it got light. Two hours later, the sun peaked through the clouds, and a complete rainbow appeared. Nothing indicated the big storm ahead.

We were relieved when we crossed the Confederation Bridge. We still didn’t know where to go because the eye of the storm was fast approaching New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. There were hardly any cars on the road.

After consulting with my husband and my friend Hélène, we went to her house in Dartmouth. We had to drive slowly because the wind gusts pushed heavily against our small car. Luckily, the rain fell only lightly. We arrived briefly before the centre of the storm arrived. Safe in my friend’s cozy house, we watched the dance of the trees while playing cards. 

 

Discovering Prince Edward Island - Part 1

 

Blog 40

I returned from my trip to Prince Edward Island and Halifax/Dartmouth. I was on the island once before, in the spring of 1998, when our family returned to Ottawa from a six-month stay in Halifax. However, we were limited in our adventures because of our toddler and dog. Therefore, we had a lot to explore this time.

We flew to Halifax on September 9 and arrived in the early evening. The night was warm, and after eating a nice Indian meal in the closest restaurant to our hotel, we went to the waterfront to enjoy a magical walk along the lit harbour area. 

On the following day, a gorgeous Sunday morning, we wanted to go for another walk downtown but couldn’t find any parking. We left the city to drive to PEI, taking the scenic Sunshine Trail along the coast. We stopped at the Blue Sea Beach Provincial Park to enjoy a picnic. With temperatures in the high twenties, the place was busy. People were walking their dogs, spending time on the beach or swimming.

After a short drive through New Brunswick, we crossed the impressive Confederation Bridge to Prince Edward Island. We continued our drive along the shore on the Red Sands Shore Drive to the Blue Spruces Cottages in Hampton. Our cottage, set back from the beach, still offered a view of the Northumberland Strait. It was already late, and we went to the neighbouring Victoria-by-the-Sea for dinner. The search for a table at any restaurant on this balmy evening was futile. Therefore, we ordered food-to-go and enjoyed a quiet evening at the two-bedroom cottage.

Unfortunately, there was a fine rain the next morning. The sun-filled landscape of the previous day had changed to a bleak sight under the grey sky. We followed the Red Sand Shore Drive to Summerside, where we walked on the Baywalk Boardwalk until we reached the lighthouse.



The sun reluctantly peaked through the clouds during our walk, and it got muggy. As many restaurants and stores were closed on Mondays, we were happy to find Moment’s Cafe, a small Asian restaurant, where we enjoyed their delicious bubble waffles.

On our way up along the coast, the weather got increasingly miserable. Cabot Beach Provincial Park looked desolate in the rain, and we only stopped at French River to take some photos of the colourful huts at the harbour.

As the weather didn’t look any more promising the next day, we drove to Cavendish to visit the Green Gables Heritage Place. The site was busy with tourists who looked for things to do on a rainy day. We started with a walk through the visitor centre, which offered information about the author, Lucy Maud Montgomery, and her famous novel, Anne of Green Gables. We visited the Green Gables House and took the Haunted Wood Trail to the Cavendish Cemetery, the author’s Cavendish Home and the Post Office with its exhibition. We finished with a stroll on Lover’s Land Trail.

We took the Gulf Shore Parkway West to see the white sand on the north shore. We stopped at the Cavendish Beach East Dunelands and witnessed the destruction from post-tropical storm Fiona in September 2022. The coastal erosion and the loss of large areas of trees were shocking. However, there are signs of new growth that give hope.

Many restaurants and shops were closed after Labour Day. We finally found the Blue Mussel Café in North Rustico. While we ate our mouthwatering food on the outdoor patio, the water of the Rustico Rustico Harbour glistened in the sun.

We walked on the boardwalk along the North Rustico Harbour Trail, where we saw many grey-blue herons looking for fish despite the noise of the fishing boats. A short trail brought us to North Rustico Beach, where we walked on the beach, listening to the rushing waves in awe.



Next week, I will post Part 2 of the PEI travelogue.

Precious Memories

 

 Blog 38

Every year for a decade, I eagerly anticipated September for our KAM 7 painting trips to Kamouraska. We always rented the same house for a week at the bank of the St. Lawrence River and only missed one year due to a mixup of dates. We spent many magnificent hours painting together in any weather, took turns cooking for each other, and enjoyed our evening chats.

With the pandemic, this tradition stopped. However, I have more than one hundred paintings from the trips and even more cherished memories. At the top of this blog is a collage of some of my favourite Kamouraska paintings.

This September, I had to look forward to my friend Bettina’s visit and our trip to Prince Edward Island. When you read this blog, we will already have spent almost a week in the Maritimes. This trip is one item off my bucket list. I have another highlight waiting for me before I return to Ottawa in the middle of next week: I will see my friend Hélène for the first time again since she moved to Nova Scotia three years ago. We will spend three days together and hope for good weather to go painting en plein air. I brought my watercolours on my trip and cannot wait to explore the Halifax area with Hélène. I will tell you all about my journey in upcoming blogs.

Have a week filled with creativity and joy!

Spring Travel Journal Part 6 - Germany

  Clematis, watercolor and watercolour pencil, 8.5" x 5.5"

Blog 28

We left a Schenna early on Father’s Day, which falls on Ascension Day in Germany and is a public holiday. We wanted to have lunch with one of Ingo’s cousins in the Augustinerkeller, a famous traditional Bavarian tavern with a beer garden in the centre of Munich.


However, we ran into several obstacles along the way. First, Ingo saw on the Deutsch Bahn app that our train would leave almost an hour earlier than scheduled. I have never heard of a train leaving ahead of time, but it is another sign of the chaotic state of the German train system. 

Mittenwald, Germany

Next, we had to take a scenic detour because the highway to Munich was closed due to an accident.

I was not keen on going to the beer tavern on Father’s Day because many men use the day for a bike ride with their buddies to celebrate without responsibilities but with lots of beer. When we finally arrived, the place was uncomfortably full, and the noise level was immense. I was glad that Ingo and I did not have time to join the others but walked to the central railway station (Hauptbahnhof).


While it was grey in grey in Munich, the weather improved when we drove further north. We enjoyed a comfortable drive and a great view. I was excited for the days ahead with my parents and sister.


We were almost in Aschaffenburg, about an hour from our destination, when our son, Dominic, informed us that my mother had collapsed and was on her way to the hospital. I was beside myself with worry.

Our mood was sombre when my father and Dominic retrieved us from the train station. We had all these plans for trips with my parents and had pushed them to the end of the stay because we wanted to wait for Dominic to join us.

Instead, my mother spent the rest of our vacation in the hospital. I was very stressed and worried about how my dad would manage by himself. He often jokes that his doctor told him he could still do anything except work in the kitchen.

 

 

Mainz Cathedral with the Dom-Café

We tried to distract him by visiting the beautiful Mainz, where we enjoyed delicious pastries in the Dom-Café next to the Mainz Cathedral (Mainzer Dom) on one of the mild days. 

 

 

 

works by Niki De Saint Phalle, not from the exhibition

I also needed a distraction and went to the reunion with my friends from the language school. We visited the Niki De Saint Phalle exhibition at the Schirn Kunsthalle in Frankfurt. I am not a fan of her work and stared at her provocative sculptures, installations, and paintings uncomprehendingly. Only after I read part of her biography could I appreciate her work and motivation.


I loved her sculptures of voluptuous, colourful female figures called Nanas. These sculptures challenged traditional representations of women and aimed to celebrate femininity and empowerment. Something that is still as relevant now as it was in her time.


Here is more information about the exhibition:

https://www.schirn.de/en/exhibitions/2023/niki_de_saint_phalle/

https://youtu.be/abmlyMx1zOk

 




 

Visits to the Frankfurt Cathedral (Frankfurter Dom) and St. Paul's Church (Paulskirche) were a big contrast to the provocative art of Niki St. Phalle. An assembly of representatives from various German states used the previously Protestant St. Paul’s Church to address political reforms. Today, St. Paul's Church is a powerful symbol of democracy, tolerance, and human rights.

At the end of the trip, despite all the happy moments with family and relatives, my mood was heavy as I dreaded the farewell from my parents.

 

 

 

This trip reminded me again of the difficulty of living far away from my loved ones, particularly as they age. It was also a reminder not to postpone things and to take time to nurture precious relationships. I am excited about some family time this summer and a trip to PEI with a friend from Germany this fall.

Spring Travel Journal Part 4 - Venice

Drive to Oriago, pencil, sketchbook, 6 3/4" x 4 3/4"

 

Blog 26

Venice had been on my bucket list for years. In 2013, we had booked the first trip, which got cancelled due to floods. This time, I was frustrated because it was pouring when Ingo’s cousin, her two children, my father-in-law and his sister left Schenna.

 

Villa Pisani

After three hours, we stopped near Stra to visit the grandiose Villa Pisani, a Baroque rural palace close to the Brenta Canal. We had enough time to stroll through the villa’s beautiful garden with flowers and many hundreds of years old trees and orange and lemon trees. Unfortunately, the labyrinth was closed for repairs, but we saw the sun peek out behind the clouds. We continued our journey to Oriago.

 Chiesa di Santa Maria Maddalena (Church of Saint Mary Magdalene), Oriago

Before we continued on board the Tiepolo, we had lunch as part of the cruise to Venice. I have never seen people eat so much food at a time. We started with a fish or meat platter as an appetizer, followed by spaghetti with seafood or ham and a salad. Then, we received a platter of two big slices of fish or meat. I let half of the food go back and wasn’t even upset that we didn’t have time for the dessert of fruit salad with ice cream, even though I love ice cream and fruit.

 

Villa Foscari (La Malcontenta)

We stopped at the Villa Foscari (La Malcontenta), where we had a short guided tour. While the frescoes were exquisite, the palace and gardens were no comparison to the ones of the Villa Pisani.

quick sketches along the way

 

The sun warmed me so much that I moved to the upper level and had a fantastic view of Venice. However, I was disappointed once we moored because the entire area was extremely overcrowded.

sketch while we were waiting for the owner of the Airbnb

 

Luckily, Ingo’s cousin guided us away from the crowded areas to our Airbnb, a Venetian Palace on the fourth floor of an old house. In retrospect, I can hardly believe we stayed in so much extravagance. The faucets were golden, and the stunning table with inlaid work (worth 100.000 Euros, according to the owner) looked made for royalty. I was so nervous we would break or soil anything that I could only cherish the experience once we locked the door behind us again.

 

one of the bedrooms

After breakfast at a local cafe, where we enjoyed delicious sweets while people-watching, we went to the DaVinci Museum. We saw multimedia exhibits of his art and life-size models of his inventions you could operate. The kids had lots of fun, and I was in awe of Da Vinci’s genius and foresight.

 

outside terrace of the Peggy Guggenheim Museum

sketch in the museum garden

Our next stop was the Peggy Guggenheim Museum of Modern Art, a beautiful building on the Grand Canal. I am not a great admirer of modern art, but I liked the innovative works by Kandinsky, Severini and Metzinger. Plus, the museum’s view over the Grand Canal was spectacular.

Afterwards, I got on one of the swaying gondolas crossing the Grand Canal while other boats drove up and down the canal. It was not the best choice for someone with extreme motion sickness. I was sure we would end up in the water. The ride in one of the water buses was much more pleasant and stable. Even though it was overcrowded, we had a great view of the Venetian buildings. 

 

capturing our driver

I returned to Schenna with a multitude of impressions and inspiration.

 

 

Can you believe we didn’t have a single drop of rain during our Venice trip? However, the sky was grey again the following morning. In the afternoon, the rain showers returned.

view of the Santa Maria della Salute from the water bus

Spring Travel Journal Part 2 - Three Countries in One Day

Mountain Sunset, Schenna, watercolour, 5.5" x 8.5"

Blog 24

After a family reunion with my maternal family, we left my small hometown early on Sunday, June 7, for our trip to Schenna. Even though Nauheim has only about 11,000 citizens, it has a train station. We took the train to Munich, where we stopped for the family reunion of my husband’s paternal family, including my father-in-law, who had already arrived a couple of days earlier. We started with a traditional coffee klatsch (Kaffeeklatsch) with various cakes, coffee and tea.

 

If you haven’t noticed by now, most of the visits are as much about reconnecting and exploring the area as about food and local beverages – at least for the others because I don’t drink alcohol. The afternoon coffee time went smoothly into an evening at the Gasthof zum Wildpark, a traditional Bavarian restaurant, where our son, Dominic, also joined us after a trip to Iceland.

I always have a sketchbook with me. While we waited for our meal, I started drawing the centrepiece, which I finished after my return home. I was not the only one drawing. Ingo's cousin had brought his young daughter, who also started drawing and received suggestions from an extended relative. When she moved closer to our side of the table, I learned that she was also an artist. Thera von Huene specializes in dogs (and the occasional cat). We immediately had a strong connection through our love for animals.

The next day, we drove the scenic route through the Vinschgau region to Schenna. For Canadians and Americans, it must sound unbelievable that we started in Germany, crossed Austria, and finally entered Italy within a couple of hours. The first stop was the parking spot in Austria with a fantastic view of the German Zugspitze, Germany’s highest mountain.

The next stop was Curon Venosta or Graun im Vinschgau at Lake Reschen. Almost everyone speaks German and Italian in South Tyrol in Northern Italy. Therefore, most towns have an Italian and a German name.

Alt Graun refers to the old village of Graun im Vinschgau, known for the picturesque Reschensee (Lake Reschen). During the 1950s, the original town was submerged due to the construction of a dam for hydroelectric power generation. All residents had to leave their homes behind when the water rose. A reminder is the bell tower from the Alt Graun church that still stands - now in the lake. Most original citizens moved to the new village of Graun built nearby.

Then, we stopped at the St. Benediktkirche (St. Benedikt Church) in Mals. The church shows architectural Romanesque elements and features beautiful interior frescoes. They are among the earliest murals in central Europe and depict various religious scenes. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos of the frescos.

We could also see a rock in the churchyard that had carved indentations left by the many wagons that crossed it.

 

Because we were running late, we only drove through Glurns (also known as Glorenza), a small town renowned for its well-preserved medieval city walls and historic charm. Inside the walls, Glurns features narrow, winding streets lined with colourful historical buildings.

We also made a quick detour through Laas (Lasa), the marble city of Italy. The high-quality marble from Laas is used in architecture, sculpture, and design worldwide. In the picturesque town, you see marble everywhere - even the sidewalks and pedestrian crossings are out of marble.

sketch of a gerbra from the garden, watercolour pencils

When we finally arrived in the late afternoon at Haus Peters in Schenna (Scena), the mountains were breathtaking despite the rain. We enjoyed the next family reunion with South Tirol specialties, laughter and many trips down memory lane for Ingo and his family.

 

 

Next week, I will tell you about our adventures in Schenna and Meran (Merano).