Our second day in Alsace Daniel took us up in the mountains to walk from one frozen lake to another. The air was cold next to the frozen lakes but it was the first of many sunny days and it was a magical walk. Alice and Lily, after lagging on our walk the day before decided that they were a yellow submarine connected together by a stick. Fortunately the yellow submarine did not mind walking. Eric, do you remember the names of the lakes?
Our first day in Metzeral - where Daniel's grandparent's house is, we went for a very nice walk up the hill behind his house. The girls were building feiry houses as usual. The mossy rocks between which Alice is running is a cow trail. This is the path that the cows follow between their winter stables in the valley and their summer pasture in the hills. These rocks have been piled here over many of years to keep the cows from wandering as they are herded up and down.
Our friend Daniel Haeberlé was at the train to meet us in Colmar and so was the sun. We immediately felt the relief of being out of the big city. Daniel not only lent us his house but was also a superbe host, preparing us delicious food and showing us around and lending us his car. He even had a pair of hiking boots for me!
I will have to let Eric fill you in on this day because I was not there.... After one short evening together when I arrived in Paris I had to leave again to spend the day in the theatre preparing my show in Vanves on friday night. Eric and the girls were, once again, left to their own devices. They spent the day with the architectural wonders of France and Eric's friend Denis and Denis' dog (who I think the girls appreciated at least as much as any stone monument).
I found this little neighbourhood during my wanders on my last day off. There is an island here between us and the down town and in the middle of the island there are all these little garden houses. People don't live here - I think that they are only allowed on week-ends and holidays but they must sleep over and certainly have meals and friends here and especially work in their gardens. I was there on a Saturday and there was the lovely smell of spring earth in the air with people here and there raking up the winters leaves.
These two men at the flea market by the river on Saturday seem to have as much patience as Lily and Alice for setting up innumerable playmobile figures.
When I see these plane trees I half expect then to start moving their big branches and speaking to me with their gnarled trunks.
The first day that I arrived I walked the half block to the river and there were hundreds of people skating here in either direction as far as I could see!! Now, 14 mild days later the only ones on the ice are a few ducks. Today was the first sunny day since I have been here. It is about 3 degrees with chilly wind and warm sun. The air smells like wet earth. It reminds me of Vancouver.
I have had the guest apartment to myself for the last three days while Peter is off in Berlin, I-Fen is dancing in another project at her home in Essen and Nardi is in Greece sorting out visas. It is very quiet! I am enjoying a bit of solitude though I begin to look forward to having a bit of life around me.
I thought that it might be time for a glimpse of the protagonist in this story! Here she is with the very cheery wall-paper in our entrance hall.
Bremen is a very smart town arranged along the Weser river. So different form Spain, the germans obviously love to feel that nature is close at hand. There are bicycles everywhere and bike paths on all sidewalks. Pedestrians and bicycles seem to get along not too badly. We could use some lessons in Montreal on bike/pedestrian/car co-existance. Generally I find the Germans exceedingly polite and patient, not what I was expecting.
This may not seem wonderous for those of you in Vancouver but .... spring in coming to northern germany and here is some proof!
Here is the group that I will be working with over the next months. Here they are from Left to right: 
I-Fen and I shared this very compact european size room in Ludwigshafen... and the view from our window.
After 5 days rehearsing in Bremen we already had a venture off to Ludwigshafen to work in the theatre where we will be doing the première of our show. The theatre there is very big and nice. The pressure is on for Helge (the choreographer) to come up with a show that can handle such a stage! Here is the motley gang from the artists residence waiting for the tram at quarter to 6 in the morning. It takes 5 hours and one tram, two trains, and one metro to get there from here. We will be making the trip again in a few weeks time with a finished piece (we hope)! The second picture is Peter a few hours later in a somewhat more awake state.
This is the theatre where we are working called the "schwankehalle". From what I understand it was a brewery or at lest the place where they used to wash the barrels that the beer was fermented in. You see here a view from the front, the back and from across the river. There are two theatres - the "nuer halle" which is the grey building and the "olden halle" which is the one with the bricks. There is an art gallery in the towers as well as music space and a small rehearsal studio. We are supposed to be rehearsing in a studio which is up in that tower but on of the walls is apparently about to tumble down and so we are not allowed in until they can find a solution. For the meantime we are in other spaces. The artists residence where we are staying is right across the street.
Well, here I am in Bremen and this will be "home" for the next two-and-a-bit months. Not the most picturesque but after 11 days here it does already have a certain feeling of home. 
