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13 May 2010
Queen's Day and Bruxelles Update
We had a lovely visit from Wendy and Helen, but unfortunately they were leaving on the Queen's Day itself. Trams for the occasion are suspended, and all street traffic stops as the crowds take over. I did learn after inquiry at the tourist office that the metro still operates, so we calculated that the gals would be able to get to the train station with their luggage and from there catch a train to the airport.
The evening before had been warm and heavenly – as well as festive. Momentum was building. We had got Isobel to the station and then walked back. But then we were stuck in the British elections debate, and only after these concluded did we set out for another evening round – just as it had started to rain.
Our neighbour informed us in the morning that the basement door was open. Through the all-night raucousness, someone had decided to use the sousterain toilet. Nothing else appeared to be touched. But the rains of the previous evening had cooled everything down. We still, despite the morning drizzle, managed to do our annual flea market shopping. This is the day that everyone sells everything they no longer wish to hold on to. It becomes a time of bargain hunting, and basically everything is offered for one or two euros and not more.
We walked Wendy and Helen to Warren's shop and from where they could access the metro station. The weather for the rest of the day remained dry, occasionally sunny though always cool. All in all, it was as cooperative as it could be. Richard and I proceeded to the Jordaan which is the oldest neighbourhood of Amsterdam with its distinctive local way of life and colour. While the main streets of the city are packed with day trippers and visitors, the Jordaan retains a welcome air of authenticity. It has always been a favourite for us – particularly on the Queen's Birthday celebrations.
All in all, this was a more subdued festivity than on previous years. There is not quite as much to celebrate worldwide. And while the weather was tolerable, it was not particularly supportive. It seemed less crowded, and most surprisingly of all, those crowds that were littered much less than usual. In sum, it was an interesting and still incredibly beautiful day.
Four days later, we took the train to Brussels for the "Tools of the Sacred, Techniques of the Secular: Awakening, Epiphany, Apocalypse and Doubt in Contemporary English-Language Verse" conference at the Université Libre de Bruxelles. Beforehand I had wondered what I had gotten myself into. These were mostly English Studies teachers, and the focus was poetry. How would a sociologist fit? But during an early plenary, the name of the literary critic Hugh Kenner was mentioned, and it was under him that I had read for my BA degree in English at the University of California, Santa Barbara. It was Hugh, in fact, who had launched my interest in the etymologies of words, and I have used this tool as a golden key ever since.
In all, the spirituality that got the most mention at the venue was Buddhism. Occasionally an esoteric Christianity as well as Sufi were mentioned. Almost nothing was said about paganism, and I rectified that in my talk and, as a result, have been invited back as a plenary speaker for the next conference in 2013. What was of great interest, however, was the devotion to the 'Beat poets' including Gary Snyder. I was able to recognize a veritable 'industry' concerning Kerouac and Ginsberg in American universities if not elsewhere as well.
What the Brussels experience proved to be for me was a completing of the circle. I was re-drawn to my young student days in Santa Barbara and my English major. My trek has diverged widely from that blissful indulgence over the intervening years, but the "Tools of the Sacred" with its focus on poetry and spirituality amounted to a coming home of sorts. And though we saw little of the city itself, what we did see was perhaps Europe at its best – its wonderful best.
We have had several days post-Brussels back in Amsterdam with Bron and his son Anders staying with us. It has been relaxed and fun, though the weather has been wintery, and yesterday has been the coldest May 11th in history. When we arrived at the Centraal Station in Amsterdam, there were virtually no trams – thanks to the Giro d'Italia, a cycle race through the city. When we got to the Vijzelstraat, we could not cross to reach the house before we descended into a ferry boat with our luggage and were transported under the street to the other side. A bit later, we tried to do our marketing, but when we realized that it would have taken us an hour just to get up and over the pedestrian overpass that had been built over the Amstel, we abandoned the idea. With the cessation of traffic, the town was virtually empty and quiet. Also there is now a prolonged garbage strike, and even much of the trash from Queen's Day has not yet been collected and removed. After a few days, we did managed at least to fit in a visit to the Hermitage here and view the lovely Matisse works that normally reside in St. Petersburg. Roughly a little more than two weeks remaining for our stay in Amsterdam, and then we are back on the road and probably not back here until January of 2012.