The history of Heidelberg, a charming city on the Necker River in Southwest Germany, may date back as far is the 5th century BCE. But its reputation today rests in part on Heidelberg University founded in 1386. The university is the oldest university in Germany, and romanticized stories of student life are better known than its academic reputation. In the 19th century, the non-academic activities of drinking, academic fencing duels, and flirtations with young ladies kept young students at least as busy as any coursework.

The Student Kiss

In 1863 chocolatier and confectioner Fridolin Knösel had a cafe that was popular with university students as well as young ladies attending the local finishing school. Governesses kept a sharp eye on the young ladies and discouraged any interactions between between their charges and the eager young men who came to the cafe.

Knösel saw the longing glances between the young people and created the Student Kiss, a special chocolate with a nougat cream filling, a waffle floor, and a dark chocolate glaze. The “Kiss” could be given as a token of affection that did not alarm the ladies’ chaperones. If a young lady accepted a Student Kiss from the university student, she accepted his approach. If she returned it, alas, his interest was not returned.

Today the Knösel family still owns Heidelberger Studentenkuss in Old Town, now presided over by Lisette Knösel. The shop sells a variety of Student Kiss confectionary for friends and lovers.

Academic Fencing

Students became members of clubs known as corporations that met in formal fencing matches known as Mensur. In Mensur, there was no winner or loser. Participants stood their ground and fenced at an arm’s length, attempting to strike their opponent’s face or head. The recipient could not flinch or duck in an effort to avoid the blow. The goal was to endure the strike without expression. The strike usually left a scar called a schmiss. The schmiss was a mark of honor proving a young man’s strength of character. To insure this unique badge of courage could not be missed, students often pulled the wound apart or poured red wine into it to prevent healing.

Two days a week were devoted to student duels with three duels on each day. Each duel lasted fifteen minutes, but there were breaks. For example, after being wounded the dueler sat down while a doctor applied bandages. The entire duel lasted about half an hour.

Mark Twain visited Heidelberg in 1878. Observing the duels from the Hotel Die Hirschgasse, Twain commented:

“I had seen the heads and faces of ten youths gashed in every direction by the keen two-edged blades, and yet had not seen a victim wince, nor heard a moan. Such endurance is to be expected in savages and prize-fighters, for they are born and educated to it; but to find it in these gentlemanly bred and kindly natured young fellows is matter for surprise.”

The Student Prince

The romance of Kisses and Dueling is on full view in Sigmund Romberg’s operetta The Student Prince. The tale of happy student days in Heidelberg tells the story of a fatherless prince in a mythical kingdom who goes to Heidelberg University and finds unexpected love.

The play opened on Broadway in 1924 and was the longest running show during the 1920s. During the time of American Prohibition, audiences especially enjoyed the song Drink, Drink, Drink.

In 1927, The Student Prince became the Student Prince of Old Heidelberg in a silent movie. The story took on yet another life in a 1954 movie, featuring Mario Lanza as the male lead’s singing voice.

The flavor of the popular 1954 movie is captured in the movie trailer.

? ? ?

View of Heidelberg & River Necker. Photo by Author.

A Small Student Kiss. Photo by Author.

Front Window of Heidelberger Studentenkuss . Photo by Author.

Auf die Mensur by Georg Mühlberg. 1900.

Adolf Hoffman-Heyden with fresh dueling wound. 1896.

1927 Lobby Card for Student Prince.

Mario Lanza in Toast of New Orleans Trailer. 1950

Mark Twain. Chapter 6. A Tramp Aboard. American Literature.

The post Tales from Heidelberg first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

It’s entirely possible one might decide to combine a visit to the cultural icons of New York City with a little beach time at Sea Cliff. Flights and accommodation are easily booked. Then comes the silliness. Whatever possessed you to think you could pack everything you need for a two-week vacation of city sophistication and idyllic ease in hand carry luggage?

There are many reasons to try. For one thing, you don’t have to wave good-bye to your suitcase as it’s swallowed by the invisible conveyor belt taking it through security checks and who knows where after that? Best scenario: The bag is waiting to greet you at your destination. Less attractive: You open the bag to find a note from your friends at TSA letting you know the reason your undies aren’t exactly where you left them.

First the encouraging news: As exemplified by this You Tube video “How to Pack Like a Pro,” it is possible to get everything you need into a carry-on bag.

Oops. That’s a guy packing. What about gals? Well, some can get away with essentially the same items. But I find I have to sacrifice clothing items to configure other necessities. Let’s assume you’re taking a cabin size case and a backpack or other small item. Here are some things to think about.

1. Be sure you have all travel documents as required – put them in a safe place. Forget where you put them ten minutes before you depart, so you can experience pre-travel panic guaranteed to start the journey on a note of excitement.
2. Count out all medications and toiletry items. There’s no room for extras. And be sure anything liquid is in a TSA approved plastic bag so you can place it in the bin with your laptop and then be pulled aside because you aren’t allowed to do that, except when you are.
3. Lay out all electronic and photographic equipment. Try not to duplicate wires. Take a portable power source if you must. Decide if convenience is worth weight. Take the laptop anyway.
4. If you against all practical advice decide to check your bag, be sure to pack clean underwear and a toothbrush in your carry-on, because you never know when you’ll have to go to the emergency room. This makes no sense, but my mother tattooed it in my memory bank.
5. Pack sunscreen, even if they do have stores at your destination. You know how expensive things are in tourist areas.
6. Check the weather at your destination. It’ll be different when you arrive, but at least you tried.
7. Take a first aid kit, even if it’s only antiseptic and band-aids. See rule four.
8. I’m told that you should take a bag for your dirty clothes because you wouldn’t want them to touch anything else. Or not.
9. You’ll want to take your own airplane balnket and pillow because even if the airline provides these items you don’t know here they’ve  been. See rule four.
10. Now we can think about clothing. Where are you going and what will you be doing? No matter how hard I try I’ve never been able to be in one climate zone requiring only one type of apparel. My new motto is glitter and sequins match most occasions.

 Don’t forget the cat. You can stash her in the laundry bag.

 One more thing – unless you’re going backpacking in the Himalayas, there will be stores at your destination. As long as you have your medication and glasses, you can acquire items as needed – the sillier the better.

Acknowledgements:

Featured Image: Travel poster c. 1939 for Sea Cliff, New York. U.S. Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons.

Sea Cliff NY, A Victorian Village by the Sea

Healthy Family Getaways.

21 things not to forget when packing for your vacation.momondo.com

The post Packing for the Summer Silly Season first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

I am endlessly fascinated by the traffic — an experience of obscurely controlled chaos, the pattern of which can be discerned but not observed. Our host has a small car easily maneuverable in city traffic. It’s a Honda, bright and shiny red when we leave the house; dimmed by dust when return. I think looking out the car windows is possibly the best way to people watch — the entire world passes by. Scooters, bicycles, buses, trucks, piles of people everywhere doing everything.

Shops open by the road. It is a regular sensory explosion. Plus the heat, which even though the car has air conditioning, is pretty intense. Then there are the traffic cops who don’t appear to do anything, the traffic lights that everyone ignores, the crosswalks that people don’t use because they randomly cross wherever, the piles of rubbish, the people and animals who pick through the rubbish. And no sense of personal or vehicular space.

Our first piece of business is to cash some travelers checks (American Express, of course). We have done this basic transaction on previous visits — but we had also been staying at hotels. So, off we go to our host’s business bank. Even though he has an account, we could not cash our travel checks. We went to two more banks – same story. Finally we learn that there has to be a special license to cash travel checks, but the last bank suggests Cox & Kings, so off we go to find the office Yes, they will cash our checks. The process must have taken half an hour on top of the hour we spent going to banks. But OK, we have it.

Next, the Handsome Bloke and I want to purchase a few bottles of Sula Sauvignon Blanc. Many Indians don’t drink, but many do. And Sula is an Indian wine with vineyards and processing in southern India. So, we did not think it would be a difficult to find it. Also, there are numerous liquor stores all over Agra – most often called “English Wine Shop.” Well, yes, but of course not the variety of wine we were seeking. We eventually found what we wanted in the tourist section of town near the Taj Mahal, and had the opportunity to see lots of sights along the way. The unexpected joy of travel.

From there, we went to a store called “Easy Day” to buy soy milk. It is part of Walmart’s global presents in everything but name. Who would expect to go half way around the world to shop at Walmart. There is just no escaping those “roll back prices.”

Just one more task for the day — activate our SIM cards for our mobile phones. From the time of purchase, it takes up to 3 days for the cards to be active, because they must first go through an extensive security check as part of the war against terrorism. Inconvenient but necessary.

Photos by Author. All Rights Reserved.

The post GETTING SETTLED IN AGRA first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

I did find this picture taken in an English garden a couple years ago. Here you see me at work guiding the Handsome Bloke around the garden feature. Without my constant attention, he would have stubbed his toe at the very least. You also get to see my harness and how well we work together. What a team we are!!!

I promised a story about my first train ride. Let’s begin with a picture of the Rocky Mountaineer Train that runs from Banff to Vancouver. Last week I told you about the plane that took us to Toronto. Then we took a regular train to Jasper National Park, drove by car down to Banff, and finally boarded the train to Vancouver: the VIA Rocky Mountaineer.

I draw your attention to the distance from the rail to the actual level of the car. You may never have thought of this before. I certainly hadn’t. And this was my first train. Since then I’ve ridden on BritRail a lot, and it’s much easier, because we always use the station platform. That means I just have to get up and down the steps.

The problem was that between Banff and Vancouver the train only makes one official stop – at Kamloops. That’s a long time for me to keep my puppy legs crossed. The Handsome Bloke had a long conversation with the conductor. The train does make other stops during the night to take on fresh food and stuff. So, the conductor said he would knock on the door when we were coming to a stop area, and Sandra could take me out.

Okey-Dokey. So, it’s zero-dark-thirty and Sandra puts my lead on, takes me to the exit, and believe me, I never did anything like this at training school. It was a long way down. The first two steps were connected to the car, and then they put down this plastic step stool that looked pretty dicey. I wasn’t too happy, and there’s Sandra in back of me like she thinks I’m going down. ‘Cuz there wasn’t space to turn around.

Well, it looked easier than getting on and off that plane. And, I was still young and spry then – not even two years old. Plus, I needed to find some grass, pronto. I took a deep breath, took the first steps and jumped the plastic one. Whew! And Sandra said I was a good boy. Duh!

So then, she walked me back and forth until I found the perfect spot. I had more of an audience than I prefer. I was their first distinctive canine passenger. And then we got back on the train. That was much easier than getting off, because I could get a running start.

The Handsome Bloke was so proud of me. After demonstrating my heroic traveling abilities, he knew we were the best team ever.

So, next time you see an official Seeing Eye Guide Dog, remember how very special we are, guiding our handler through every obstacle and making super canine efforts to go wherever our person leads.

WOOF!

For information on Canada Rail Vacations, check out http://canadarail.ca/packages/rockies-escapade

The post PUPPY BLOGGER RIDES HIS FIRST TRAIN first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

First list: Activities. I need business attire, casual clothes for doing research and normal life, dressy items for formal dining. And, of course, work out gear.

Second list: Weather. Summer is easier than Fall, Winter, or Spring. Except when it isn’t. I once was in York, England for June and July. I anticipated some inclement weather – the occasional light rain. Wrong. I wore layers every day. First, the tank top, followed by the shell, the shirt, the pull over sweater, the raincoat, and gloves. And then there was the formal dinner. I am not kidding. Good thing there was time to shop.

Let’s leave the clothes for now. What next?
Third list: Electronics. There was a time when I occasionally packed a hair dryer. Paper sufficed for everything else. Of course, that was when my cabin baggage consisted entirely of printed notes from a yearlong research trip. Now, I have a jump drive . . . somewhere. PLUS . . . on my last trip: MacBook Air, iPad, iPhone, portable hard drive, digital camera, cords and other paraphernalia. [Sidebar: I think paraphernalia is a very cool word. It means ‘stuff’ but it sounds so exotic. Can I use it in a sentence? Hmmm . . . “Let me gather my photographic paraphernalia before we get into the Jeep.”]

OK, that’s sorted. Let’s move on to “personal items/toiletries. If you have the fantasy of traveling with just a carry-on bag, everything better be in 3-ounce containers that can fit into a 1-quart plastic bag.

Back to clothing. Yes, I know. Layers. Coordinated colors – which usually translates into black, grey, white, brown, navy and beige + scarves and/or cheap clunky jewelry. Professional “packers” recommend thin fabrics. They pack smaller than wool, linen, or cotton, and you won’t have to iron them later. [Iron? Moi?] Don’t fold your clothes, roll them, and save space by stuffing your shoes.

At this point, hysteria creeps up. How many days am I gone? Would anyone notice if I wore the Tre Elegant Knit Tank Travel Dress from TravelSmithcom (http://www.travelsmith.com/tres-elegant-knit-tank-travel-dress/women/dresses/21559?defattrib=&defattribvalue=&listIndex=10 ) to the formal dinner with six forks? Would their eyes be dazzled if I paired it with my imitation Hermes scarf, or would they fixate on my all-occasion slightly scuffed gold flats? Never mind, I’ll put in the light blue sparkly cocktail dress and kitten heels.

There are lots of websites with packing tips. Two of them, complete with suggested packing lists, are “How to Pack Light” by Josie at Travelista.com http://travelista.com/packing/how-to-pack-light/ and “How to Pack Light” by Dana Sullivan Kilroy at Away.com http://away.com/travel-advice/travel-ta-how-to-pack-light-sidwcmdev_155212.html

Single most important things to pack: a genuine smile and a sense of humor – the rest does not really matter . . . much.

The post How I Attempt to Pack Light first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

Some gardens have official gardeners. Lucky plants. These professionals know their herbaceous clients and give them just what they need when they need it. They keep the lawns mowed, the underbrush cleared, the trees in good health. I think they have something magic in their green fingers. Many of these gardeners work in large public and private gardens. They keep the flowers blooming at Oxford University. They keep Mrs. Jennie Butchart’s dream alive at Butchart Gardens in Victoria, British Columbia. Butchart Gardens has a lovely image gallery at http://www.butchartgardens.com/the-gardens/image-gallery/image-gallery.html Just looking at the images is relaxing.

Happily, there are beautiful gardens in Hawai`i – one of these is part of the Honolulu Museum of Art.   Spalding House sits in a quiet neighborhood on Makiki Heights. Anna Rice Cooke, founder of the museum, built the house and began the gardens in 1924. The structure is a delightful example of the simple, but elegant, lifestyle of territorial Hawai`i. The gardens are a sanctuary above the city with a view of Diamond Head. The Museum has added outdoor art — a woven horse here, a sculpture there. Peaceful serenity – a place for creative play. More information on Spalding House at the Honolulu Museum of Art website http://honolulumuseum.org/11981-contemporary_museum_spalding_house I took a few pictures – hope they bring a bright note to your day.

The post On Gardens first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

As some of you know, I was recently in UK. My last blog featured the fabulous afternoon tea at the Milestone Hotel, but if you follow me on Facebook, you know I began the journey home last Saturday. First stop, Seattle, where I have been experiencing really bad jet lag. Which is why I have not posted a blog in so long.

Between sipping tea and departing for home, I traveled up to the City of York. Above is a map of England from lonelyplanet.com. London is marked in pink. If you follow the east coast to the north, you can see York, just above Leeds. [Sidebar: Most maps don’t show York, but they do show Leeds. Leeds is possibly a more significant city for business, but York is far more worthy from a historian’s perspective.]

York’s written history begins with the Romans who established Eboracum in 71 A.D., but this site where the Ouse and Foss rivers converge shows signs of habitation as early as the Neolithic period. There’s a great timeline at http://www.historyofyork.org.uk/timeline However, a picture can be worth many words, not to mention a Google search. This picture of the walls near Nunnery Lane is from Wikipedia Commons. The City of York is one of very few cities with a complete set of medieval walls. Actually, I think it is the only city in UK that still has its walls. You can imagine that as cities grew, walls were a bit inconvenient. The Victorians knocked city walls down with great enthusiasm, but York was a poor city and could not afford the demolition. This turned out well in the end since it makes the city a great tourist attraction. You can walk on the walls when you visit.

At various points along the walls, there are gates called barbicans. During the Middle Ages, someone entering the city could be stopped within the barbican to be inspected. Hence, the saying above. In the City of York, the “gates are bars.” Below is a picture of Michelgate Bar (also from Wikipedia Commons). Michelgate Bar one of four medieval entrances into the city. The Bars were also good places to display the heads of men executed for treason and various other crimes.

So, we have now explained why in York gates are bars, which leave the question of why the bars are pubs. In the U.S. certain drinking establishments are referred to as bars. Therefore, people looking for alcoholic liquid refreshments often seek out a bar. The English look for a pub, short for “public house” where they like to order a “pint” of beer, among other beverages, and settle in for good conversation.

The Punchbowl pub in Stonegate begins its history with ties to the seventeenth century Whig Party. At that time, the Whigs drank punch and the Tories drank claret, so the name Punchbowl meant something then. “You namby pamby claret drinkers, keep out. We manly men are drinking punch here.” [Sidebar: Punch was the first popular mixed drink to include distilled spirits. More entertaining information can be found at www.saveur.com/article/Wine-and-Drink/With-Glasses-Raised ] Today the Punchbowl is noted for its fine selection of ales and a food menu that features traditional classic pub meals like Sausage and Mash or Shepherd’s Pie, as well as more modern selections such as the Wild Boar & Chorizo Burger. I went for the Fish & Chips, which I truly enjoyed. You can check out the Punchbowl at www.nicholsonspubs.co.uk/thepunchbowlstonegateyork/

I’ll tell you a bit more about York in another blog. In the meantime, “cheers.”

The post YORK – where “the gates are bars & the bars are pubs” first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.

The Milestone is the flagship 5-star hotel within the Red Carnation Hotel group (http://www.redcarnationhotels.com). Red Carnation Hotels are a privately owned collection of small hotels, primarily in London, but with properties in South Africa, Switzerland, and the U.S. Their motto: No request is too large; no detail too small.

The Milestone Hotel has a great location close to Kensington High Street with its high-end shops and the first Whole Foods in London. It is directly across from Kensington Park, a swath of joyous greenery. Kensington Palace is located on the grounds. It seems likely that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will shortly take up residence on the site, giving added allure to the area.

Yesterday, I with a few friends and family enjoyed Afternoon Tea at the Milestone – the first time I have indulged. The staff creates a wonderful ambience for this most British cultural tradition. Most recently the Tea Guild awarded its 2012 Award of Excellence to the Milestone for the quality and preparation of the extensive tea selection.

Afternoon tea is far more than murky liquid with steeped leaves in the bottom of the pot. Our occasion began with several glasses of champagne. And the servers brought in the refreshments. Finger sandwiches of cucumber, egg salad & water cress, smoked salmon, ham & English mustard followed by freshly baked buttery scones still warm from the oven served with lovely Devonshire cream. And, finally, the most incredible tarts and pastry delights. Everything prepared from scratch on the premises. We even ordered tea. My daughter and I stuck to ever-reliable Early Grey, but bolder members of our party requested Lapsang Souchong with its pleasant smoky aroma.

This is not the first time I have indulged in afternoon tea, but it is certainly my most elegant experience. Good company and a small feast of goodies is a truly special way to while away the late afternoon hours. As Henry James said, “There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.”

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Two days ago I visited one of the most famous palaces in the world. If you guessed Buckingham Palace, home of Queen Elizabeth II, you are absolutely correct. This was my second visit to Buckingham Palace. Last year I took the standard day tour with audio guide. This year, I took the Guided Exclusive Evening Tour – I and 29 other people viewed the State Rooms without being jostled. The queen, alas, was not in residence. The public rooms and office quarters are most impressive – well worth a look.

Queen Elizabeth II opened Buckingham Palace State Rooms to visitors [otherwise known as the public] in 1993 to defray the costs of restoring Windsor Castle after a very destructive fire. Until then taxpayer money supported the queen’s various households. The restoration of Windsor Castle was a different story, with a total cost of £37 million (US $59.2 million). Visitors to Buckingham Palace paid 70 per cent of the cost, with the remaining funds coming from Grant-in-Aid funding from Parliament. Interested? More information on Windsor Castle is at http://www.royal.gov.uk/TheRoyalResidences/WindsorCastle/History.aspx

To continue — The first tickets to tour Buckingham Palace State Rooms cost £8. Today, the same basic tour costs £18 ($29.00). In 2011 over 600,000 people visited the palace – though it is difficult to be sure which was the greater draw, the State Rooms or the display of the Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding gown. Either way, it was a very successful year. Here’s the math: 18 x 600,000 = £10,800,000 ($17,437,621.81). Income is used to pay expenses for Buckingham Palace and other palace properties owned by the Royal Family.

This year’s special exhibition is the Queen’s private diamond collection. These stones are not part of the Crown Jewels on permanent display at the Tower of London http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/ The diamonds belong to the queen and have never been displayed before. Many are set in tiaras and crowns, with a few brooches and necklaces to add variety. The most notable stones are cut from the Cullinan Diamond, also known as the Great Star of Africa. The original stone of over 3,000 carats, and was cut into nine significant stones. [For pictures of the jewels, see http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2144720/All-ONE-stone-Jewellery-worlds-largest-diamond-goes-display-Buckingham-palace.html ]

Buckingham Palace closes its summer season on Friday. If you like history, opulence, and palaces, plan on visiting the site next season. Schedules, prices, and other information is on the official website at http://www.royalcollection.org.uk

The post Buckingham Palace – A Splendid Residence first appeared on Sandra Wagner-Wright.