Day 49_Reflections on Lessons Learned

The trip has had so many memorable events and we've seen and done so many interesting things.  However, I would be remiss without some sort of personal reflection on lessons learned (in no particular order).

1.  So many places revealed good examples of how to incorporate modernity amidst old design.  Bike lane adaptations, the addition of new housing and other infill in old neighborhoods, reuse of things like industrial plants, churches and streets that maintain history and culture, but adapt to modern civilization.

2.  Look to the Moors for how to carefully design with water.  They were experts in physically and psychologically cooling people in hot places, using natural systems in their design, and minimizing waste.

3.  Always look to the river as a design amenity rather than a sewage outlet.  San Luis Obispo wisely discovered this when it re-oriented to the creek.  The Los Angeles River will also eventually use their amenity, but only after 100 years of building and incredible financial cost.

4.  Formal design structures the space, with soft planting softening it.

5.  Always create places for people to sit--because they will--despite the weather.

6.  Design can be all hardscape if you mix the patterns for visual interest.  Trees can be your only plant with this type of design.

6.  Though Europeans have historically been homogeneous by region, immigration is changing the face of Europe.  Like the U.S. where "American" is a mix of ethnicities, religions and ideas, individual physical characteristics within each country are changing.  Americans don't have a single look (though I could usually identify them by their clothes).  For Europeans, the same change is occurring.  It will be interesting to see what historic cultural elements are kept and what types of new places are incorporated by this blend.

7.  Pack very light so you can carry on all your luggage.

Day 48_Amsterdam

Amsterdam is a three hour train ride from Maastricht.  One thing you can't help but notice is the enormous amount of water everywhere.  And the water level is often higher than the road or nearby neighborhoods.  Dikes hold back the flooding, but it is amazing opposite to the Mediterranean which fights the other problem most of the time--lack of water.  Another obvious cultural standout is the number of people who ride bikes in the Netherlands.  They don't have snappy, bright colored ones with banana seats or any other suped-up versions.  Instead, most are black, single speed, that creak when they pass you (like the bike is trying to change gears).  I saw one that had the chain area duct taped to the bike, ghetto-style.  With this large number of bikers, design is responsive.  One of the newest bridges has a bike tire detail so that people can push their bike relatively easily up and down a steep slope.

In Amsterdam, I wanted a hotel near the airport to minimize my short night sleep.  I found one called Yotel Schiphol, which is actually IN the airport.  The size of the room is approximately 10' wide x 7' deep and feels like a boat cabin.  The bed is a bunkbed with a step to climb up; TV imbedded in the wall in case you are in the mood.  The bathroom is one long thin space with a shower, sink and toilet.  The curtain keeps the water from going into your suitcase, approximately 6" away. It is hard to photograph as you simply can't "get back" far enough and still be in the room.   I have to say I had a great night sleep there.  It was quieter than Nice, had softer bedding than Barcelona, and was just funny small.  Truly worth the 60 EUR fee.

Day 47_Maastricht

The Netherlands, Holland, Dutch...why does the country have so many different names?  Apparently, I stand corrected that the Netherlands is not The Netherlands in the same way that the United States is not The United States.  The names historically are derived from politics, linguistics and geography.  all are correct.  Anyway, that's where I am these days.

Conference went well on Wednesday followed by a lovely dinner with 15 various faculty from University of Washington, North Carolina, Penn State and Cal Poly.  Fun to compare how low their course loads are compared to ours--yet we have the same publication requirements.  Thursday we took a walking tour of Maastricht.  What is interesting is that we took almost the exact same route I took myself on Tuesday, knowing nothing about the city, its history or important buildings and neighborhoods.  I guess I am getting good at being a "local."  (I do have to say, however, that I usually had more historical and trivial information for my students when I took them on walking tours than the local landscape architect for our journey...).   On my first individual venture I came across a church which was colored deeply red on top.  On my guided tour I found out it was originally painted in ox blood, left uncolored on the bottom because "they liked it that way."  (Hmm...I usually do not allow my students to offer that sort of design justification.)  According to the story, this Protestant church would ring its bells when the Catholic church next door held its services and vice-versa.  Good Christian ethics at work in the 17th century.  Another unused church has become the city's most expensive hotel, like the bookstore in layout with freestanding stairs and rooms which do not effect the architecture.  Europeans are good at realizing these places have value, regardless of use change and should be preserved.

We took a bus out to the countryside to see an 18th century estate, which has the oldest Baroque garden in the Netherlands.  In the process of on-going restoration, it is a formal, clipped evergreen garden with modern overtones.  Apparently the last time Belgium and the Netherlands were at war, the nobleman who lived at the estate requested to be a part of the Netherlands rather than Belgium.  Consequently, his stone wall is the Belgium border.  I touched the wall so I could say I'd been to Belgium that day.

Day 45 and 46_Maastricht, The Netherlands

With the exception of perhaps Hawaiian, Dutch must be the language with the longest words.  My hotel is on Endepolsdomein (street) next to Heerderdwarsstrasse (street).  I asked at my hotel front desk clerk  if they have to use a lot of hyphens here.  Maastricht is an effiicient couple of train hours southwest of Duisburg and the location of my conference.  My trip is definitely slowing down from the frenetic pace of last month with me lazily doubling blog days into one.  Monday and Tuesday I was alone to explore this very ancient (first city in the Netherlands) and cultural city.   I had one place in mind that I wanted to see:  the bookstore Selexyz Dominicanen.  An abandoned Dominican church since 1794, it had previously been used for housing the city archives to storage for motorcycles and bikes.  In an inventive re-use of the building, it is now a bookstore where the freestanding, two story shelves do not negatively effect the 15th century architecture.  Grave stones in the floor of the church can be clearly seen, and the former apse if now a cafe.  While it may seen sacrilegious to create an altar-shaped table here, somehow it seems appropriate and reminds us of the building's former sacred use.  The height of the bookshelves brings you closer to the ceiling to examine the paintings and details that usually require a telephoto lens.

The city of Maastricht lines the Maas River with old bridges connecting both sides, some adapted to large barges which could otherwise not fit under the ancient stone arches.  The buildings are butted tightly together, San Francisco style, with each having its own architecture, but all having steeply pitched roofs.  (Usually the roof is the give away for weather in a place, as snow needs to quickly get off these roofs to minimize water and weight damage.)  The weather the past couple of days has been 6 C with light rain and wind--not great walking weather.  I popped into a cafe for an all you could eat soup bar which I was going to put on my ears to warm them.

Like many places in Europe, Maastricht is rather newly affiliated with The Netherlands, joining in the mid-1800s.  It has gone back and forth between being part of France and Belgium and the language shows it.  I was listening to several people, thinking it sounded French, then German words would be inserted.  The language seems to combine many of the past conquerors.

The Netherlands is known for its liberal drug laws and I saw a funny sign for a shop in town.  (And it was not in the shady section of town either.)

Day 44_Duisburg, Germany

I am slowly making my way to the conference in Maastrict, The Netherlands.   There were no direct flights from Gothenburg so I flew to Dusseldorf and took the train to Duisberg, Germany.  What a difference an hour flight makes.  The landscape in Germany is lush, green with lots of trees.  Passing small villages, a tall steeple highlighted the church in each town.  Modern wind turbines mix with ancient wind mills in this landscape of old and new.   (With Ryan Air, you never know where you are going to land.  I thought I was flying to Dusseldorf, but was actually an hour away in Weeze.  Be forewarned with Ryan Air that you will eventually get to the advertised city, but you will need to train or bus there after your flight.)

I came to Duisburg to see the most innovative park designed in the last 15 years.   Landscaftspark Duisburg Nord is a re-imagined park on a former 200 hectare industrial site.  Landscape architect Peter Latz built off Rich Haag's ideas at Gas Works Park in Seattle, re-using the industrial buildings and remnants in new ways.  This brilliant park combines industrial history, nature, recreation, leisure and culture into one place.  Latz's concept here was to heal and understand the industrial past, rather than try to reject it (as most designers would have sent everything on site to the landfill).  He allowed the polluted soil from this very large gas plant to remain on site and remediated it through phytoremediation (which is when plants pull the pollutants out of the soil).  Some of the park is intentionally planted while other parts are allowed to keep the weeds/seeds that were brought in over time by ship and train to the site.  Both are lovely.  The Old Emscher river, which was formerly a disposal outlet for wastewater, has been redesigned to now hold only rainwater  (wastewater is carefully separated and taken to the sewer).

Using the old equipment, you can climb high onto the plant pieces to see over the park.  Other elements from the factory include the gas holder used as a scuba diving tank and former ore bunkers are rock climbing walls.  Children's playgrounds have been woven into the site, cutting the concrete into doorways or steps.  Trails follow the former train tracks and sewer system.  Concert venues, amphitheater, restaurants are also on site using old buildings. With so much steel in the factory, new elements use more steel to tie the new design together with the old.   A sustainable farm highlights the past use of the site before the Industrial Revolution.  The park design is incredibly beautiful and you can see the way the natural world is being allowed to take over the industrial one. 

Day 42 and 43_Gothenburg and Mariestad

On Friday I had intentions of going to the Botanical Gardens, but the infamous Gothenburg wind and rain was the morning greeting.  The day was cold and dark and looked like January in California rather than late spring.  I decided to stay inside, tweak my lecture for next week, and work on a simple design for Michael and Andrea's garden.  Though I was content with the birthday celebration from my actual birthday, Michael and Andrea wanted a proper dinner that evening.  Nordgarden is a Michelin-rated restaurant in their town with fabulous food.  Lamb on a bed of risotto with kalamata olives and green beans was a memorable meal.  The Edstrom family has definitely wined and dined me for the week.  They have great South African wines in Sweden (which I have never seen in California) and I appreciate Michael and Andrea sharing them with me. 


We traveled to Mariestad on Saturday, having breakfast with Andrea's parents at their summer house.  Nestled on former agriculture land, the 1893 house is a welcome retreat for Andrea's family.  Last year, Andrea's father shot a moose on the property--and that was our dinner on Saturday night (with Vina Robles' Petite Syrah ((they have Paso Robles wines at their liquor store!))).  We spent most of the day at Sara's gymnastics meet for which she got a medal.  While the meet was interesting to watch, I couldn't understand a word from the announcer.  The numerous language changes during the past few weeks have become almost white noise since I rarely understand any of it.  I can't imagine how frustrating it must be for people to get around in the U.S. without English.

Day 41_Gothenburg museums

Museums are usually closed on Mondays.  When I worked at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Mondays were always interesting.  That was the day when patrons, or Hollywood royalty (entertainers), or the artists themselves, would come to the closed museum for a private visit.  My Monday visit to Gothenburg required a Thursday return in order to see two museums.  The Art Museum mainly includes Scandanavian artists, many of whom I had never heard of because they are only regionally known.  It was interesting to see how many had moved to France and Germany and were exposed to art movements like Impressionism and German Expressionism, then returned  home to put their own spin on the representation.  One of my favorite rooms was from a self-portrait collection.  In the 1920s, a young postal worker who appreciated modern art met many of 20th century's greatest painters when they were still unknown.  He collected their self-portraits, some 50 odd number, and donated them to the museum after his death.  I find it fascinating to see how people portray themselves.   I don't know that many of us really know what we look like or are honest in our assessment.  For me, caricatures often don't look like the person I think I am.

The City Museum was also very good.  It showed the history of Gothenburg from the Viking era to their vision of the city in 2050.  A Viking ship (found in the 1930s in layers of mud) is amazingly still in tact for being over 1500 years old.  The change from Viking to Christian rule around 1050 completely changed the culture, its religion and society seen through its architecture and artifacts.  Models of the city with its ramparts and fortifications during the on-going wars with the Danes (for nearly 1000 years!) revealed their jogging footprint in the canals today.  Nineteenth century emigration was highlighted, with lists of families leaving Sweden for the U.S.  I didn't see any Edstroms, but our name is rare.  The city of the future in 2050 highlighted the existing landscape with the anticipated new sustainable city.  Pulling the city across the bay and linking it to the island where businesses like Volvo are located, showed mixed use housing, green roofs and a clean bay, anticipating that the industrial role of the city will diminish.  Photoshop images showed how the city will keep its historic buildings and ancient city walls and weave the new design into the old infrastucture.

Having been in Sweden nearly a week, I have had the chance to really notice things, like looking at people.  My father is 100% Swedish and I never really knew what "Swedish" people looked like.  I see my father's face on so many men here, faces I did not see in the other countries.