A trip for inspiration

A few weeks back my dear friend Kim offered me a wonderful opportunity to travel throughout Germany and Austria to go to the Christmas Markets. If you are unfamiliar with the idea of Christmas Markets, they are basically huge, outdoor art and craft fairs with food and drink. Each booth is decorated more beautifully than the last. Talk about inspiration. My booth game (as it is) leaves little to be desired. I’ve only done a few shows so I am still very much in the planning stage.

This is a typical outdoor booth.

Here we are enjoying some of the mulled wine.

In Munich we visited several markets. The last one we went to was in the evening. Every thing was lit up. There were a few large tents with booths as well as food and drink. This is where the famous “Oktoberfest” is held. Here are a few shots of the booths we saw.

There was entertainment everywhere. The selection of food could only be described as global, many corners of the world were represented.

Today we move on to Vienna Austria. As with any new country I visit, I read up on some of the history of the City/Country. Of course the decimation of the Jewish community and culture gives one a reality slap across the face. How does one decipher the juxtaposition of this friendly,loving, warm, society, with the horror of knowing the Jewish population went from 192,000 in Austria before the war to 7,000 after? I know how, I’ve read books regarding the “final solution”. What worries me is the parallels I see between 1938 and 2018 in both Europe as well as the US. When good people stand by and do nothing….we become implicit. If you relate to Christian teachings, please remember “whatever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me.”

Teri