MLK celebration in Birmingham

Being in Birmingham for Martin Luther King, Jr Day is particulary powerful. As you may know, this is the place King once called the "most segregated city in America," where King was jailed, and where police chief "Bull" Connor turned hoses on protesters.

Mom and I attended part of a rally organized by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and held at the historic Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, site of the horrific 1963 bombing that took the lives of four little girls. We arrived late and were lucky to find two seats in the packed church; as we sat down a young boy was passionately delivering King's "I Have a Dream" speech. The audience showed their support and agreement with shouts and "amens," and I had a new understanding of the tradition of church oration from which King had drawn. The audience rose to its feet to applaud this powerful delivery! A young man followed with King's "Mountaintop" speech, and several adult community leaders and City Councilmembers spoke about Birmingham's challenges in reducing youth violence and offering better guidance and education for young people. There were some elders on the stage, and while I am not sure who they were, I had the sense that the memories of the Civil Rights Era struggles live on here, as the community looks to confront current challenges.

Railroad Park, Birmingham Alabama

Mom, Dad, and I visited the recently completed Railroad Park in downtown Birmingham on a sunny weekend day. People were walking, playing frisbee, doing tricks on skateboards and bikes, rolling down slopes, and climbing on playground equipment. I was impressed by the imaginative and playful design elements (like the skate bowls and gabion walls topped with bright yellow seating surfaces), the landscape-based water filtration system, and the captivating views of trains in motion as well as part of Birmingham's industrial skyline. This is an exciting new place for Birmingham: it celebrates the city's heritage while offering a creatively-designed,contemporary public space for daily activities as well as community events. The city and planners are hoping to build on the park's success and to create a stronger surrounding district (including a new baseball park set to break ground in February) and also to reclaim more vacant land along the rail.

winter walk pt. 2

Parts of the old tuliptree that had flanked the entrance at Monticello, now looked like sculptural bones in the landscape


The warm-colored broomsedge


The dried seedheads of goldenrod caught the low winter sun


The beech leaves rustled

winter walk

Eleanor and I had a beautiful walk yesterday afternoon on the Monticello trail. The winter sun was low and the landscape was full of plant textures, warm colors and grays, and the strong vertical forms of the bare trees.


Yellow tinges on the willow branches

tuliptrees





twiggy winter shrubs

eating in Madrid

With Rosana's delicious and healthy cooking, and her great knowledge of the city and its dining options, we ate very well in Madrid. Some of these dining spots were among the most crowded places I experienced in the city-- at one place people stood in line for a much-loved potato and egg dish, at another they took tickets and waited for pastries. At home, Rosana countered this rich food with delicious fresh fruit, vegetables, and fish.

Marseilles skies

Marseilles

I had heard of Marseilles' reputation as a vibrant port city, with a rich mix of cultures from Northern Africa, Asia, and beyond. Visiting at the beginning of winter and in the midst of national recession, I had the impression that I had arrived after the party was over. The streets were often nearly empty as were most tourist destinations (except Notre Dame de la Garde) and life in the city seemed harder and poorer. Perhaps this stood out more starkly after spending three months in Switzerland, with its thriving economy, attention to order and cleanliness, and welcome for tourists.

Luckily, I found a friend at my hostel and we were able to have some good adventures.

We walked up to the Notre Dame de la Garde on a high hill overlooking the city, port, sea, and the mountains to the north. The narrow residential streets that curve up to the church are lined with small Mediterranean-style houses, the facade colors and palm trees also suggested the city's orientation toward the sea and the south.

These small boats hanging in the church reflect the peoples' prayers for safe return of their loved ones from sea.








We then found a small lunch place called the Cafe des Arts on the east side of the Old Port where we found friendly staff and delicious seafood. We felt that we had discovered a little corner of the authentic, old-fashioned city, and that we were able to talk with some longtime Marseilles inhabitants. One patron encouraged us to take the bus along the coast to see the old fishing villages, between the cliffs and the water. At first the sky threatened rain, but then we decided to try it.