Respite on the Rhine
One Day, Eating in Europe, Chris Trapper, Jannik Sinner, Sloshed Sailor
Welcome to my weekly newsletter. This week’s issue includes photos from the five countries we visited during our recent European vacation, a book that takes place on the same date over 20 years, the top ten dishes on our trip, the singer/songwriter I saw on Saturday, the US Open men’s tennis champ, and Jacques Brel’s Amsterdam sailor. Each selection has some connection to our trip. I hope you like the picks and pics.
Barb and I enjoyed two weeks in Europe based on Viking’s Rhine Getaway. We flew to Milan, stayed on Lake Maggiore, boated on Lake Como, drove through the Swiss Alps to Lucerne, and boarded our boat in Basel. We stopped in Breisach, Germany; Strasbourg, France; Speyer, Germany; Rüdesheim, Germany; Koblenz, Germany; Cologne, Germany; Kinderdijk, The Netherlands; and finished in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, where we spent two nights before flying home.
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Fave Five 101: Respite on the Rhine
Twenty Years/Two People (One Day), Top Ten Tastes (Eating in Europe), Buffalo to Boston (Chris Trapper), Italian from Innichen (Jannik Sinner), and a Sloshed Sailor.
Fave Five List: Photos from Five Countries
Here are photos from each of the five countries we visited.
Italy: On Lake Maggiore, the view from Palazzo Borromeo on Isola Bella looking out to Isola dei Pescatori
Switzerland: Gotthard Pass
France: Cathédrale Notre Dame de Strasbourg
Germany: Castle on the Middle Rhine
The Netherlands: Kinderdijk Windmill
Book Best Bet
Trip Connection: I finished reading this book on the flight home.
One Day by David Nicholls
I bought this based on a recommendation from Nick Hornby, who described it as “Big, absorbing, smart, fantastically readable.” The writing reminded me of Nick’s, and I liked it a lot. But I have one major complaint. Of the two primary characters, Emma is wonderful, but Dexter is a self-centered, unlikable cad. Why would Emma continue to stay devoted to him for so long? I am interested to watch the movie version and the Netflix series now to see how they portray Em and Dex.
From Amazon: Now a Netflix series. Two people. One day. Twenty Years. What starts as a fleeting connection between two strangers soon becomes a deep bond that spans decades.
Emma and Dexter meet for the first time on the night of their graduation. Tomorrow they must go their separate ways. So where will they be on this one day next year? And the year after that? And every year that follows?
It’s 1988 and Dexter Mayhew and Emma Morley have only just met. But after only one day together, they cannot stop thinking about one another. Over twenty years, snapshots of that relationship are revealed on the same day—July 15th—of each year. They face squabbles and fights, hopes and missed opportunities, laughter and tears. Dex and Em must come to grips with the nature of love and life itself. As the years go by, the true meaning of this one crucial day is revealed.
Restaurant Recommendations
Trip Connection: Memorable meals during our trip.
Eating in Europe: The Top Ten Tastes
L’Osteria: Baveno, Italy
Lasagna
Trattoria Imbarcadero: Isola dei Pescatori, Italy
Risotto di Pesce
Caffè Torino: Stresa, Italy
Risotto with saffron, marrow, veal and parsley
La Trappola Ristorante Pizzeria: Baveno, Italy
Pizza Biancaneve: Mozzarella cheese, small tomatoes parmesan, oregano
Hotel Restaurant Rebstock: Lucerne, Switzerland
Specialty of Lucerne: Chügelipastetli - Puff pastry filled with veal in a cream sauce, mushrooms, apple, marinated grapes in Cognac, served with seasonal vegetables
Brasserie Floderer: Strasbourg, France
Charcuterie with sauerkraut, potato, and mustard
Löwenbräu Köln Hotel & Restaurant: Cologne, Germany
Altstädter Schnitzel (Old Town Schnitzel): escalope of pork au gratin, fried egg with hot sambal oelek, French fries
Indrapura Indonesian Restaurant: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Nasi Rames Special: Nasi putih, Sate Ayam, Ayam Rujak, Rendang, Sayur loden, Sambal goreng buncis, Sambal goreng telor, Sambal goreng tempé, Acar ketimun en krupuk (White rice, Chicken Satay, Rujak Chicken, Rendang, Loden Vegetables, Bean Fried Sambal, Egg Fried Sambal, Tempeh Fried Sambal, Pickled Cucumber and Crackers)
Venus & Adonis: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Steak sandwich: sourdough, rib eye, parmesan, chimichurri
Café Luxembourg: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Grilled Lady Steak: Hollands Premium Select (140 grams) with pepper sauce, fries, and haricots verts wrapped in prosciutto
Marvelous Musician
Trip Connection: I went to see Chris on the day we returned, and he told me that his son is attending college in Italy.
I wrote about seeing Chris in concert on Saturday. I first heard him on Ellis Paul’s live recording of Look at the Wind Blow, on which Chris sings harmony and Ellis says, “Chris Trapper of the Push Stars” at the end.
Chris is one of my favorite singer/songwriters. He writes great songs, sings and plays beautifully, and is very funny. He performed in our home on October 21, 2012.
Other Chris Trapper concerts I have seen:
January 7, 2011 at Trinity House Theatre in Livonia
April 13, 2012 at Trinity House Theatre
June 12, 2012 at a private show in Lansing
December 7, 2012 at Trinity House Theatre
October 10, 2014 at Trinity House Theatre
June 30, 2018 at 20 Front Street in Lake Orion
December 1, 2018 at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Dearborn
April 27, 2022 at The Ark in Ann Arbor (opening for Alan Doyle)
September 7, 2024 at 20 Front Street
From Wikipedia: Chris Trapper (born March 31, 1971 in Buffalo, New York) is an American songwriter & musician, best known as the singer and guitarist of the band The Push Stars and for his song “This Time” from the film August Rush. The Push Stars are best known for their song "Everything Shines" from the film There's Something About Mary.
Avalanche
Keg On My Coffin
Black Hearted Bride
My Playlist
Sports Star
Trip Connection: Jannik is from northern Italy.
From Wikipedia: Jannik Sinner (born August 16, 2001 in Innichen, South Tyrol, Italy) is an Italian professional tennis player. He is ranked the world No. 1 in singles by the ATP, the first Italian player in history to reach the top ranking.
Sinner has won 16 singles titles on the ATP Tour, including two majors at the 2024 Australian Open and the 2024 US Open, where he became the first Italian man to win the Open. He has also won three Masters 1000 titles. Sinner was a runner-up at the ATP Finals and led Italy to the 2023 Davis Cup crown, its first since 1976. He has a career-high ranking of world No. 124 in doubles, achieved in September 2021, and has one ATP Tour title in doubles.
Sinner grew up in northern Italy in the predominantly German-speaking region of South Tyrol. After being a competitive skier between the ages of 7–12, Sinner began to focus exclusively on tennis at 13, and moved to Bordighera on the Italian Riviera to train with veteran coach Riccardo Piatti. Despite limited success as a junior, Sinner began playing in professional men's events aged 16, and became one of the few players to win multiple ATP Challenger Tour titles at age 17. In 2019, he broke into the top 100, winning the Next Generation ATP Finals and the ATP Newcomer of the Year award.
In 2021, he became the youngest ATP 500 champion at the 2021 Citi Open, and the first player born in the 2000s to enter the top 10 in rankings. Sinner won his first Masters 1000 title at the 2023 Canadian Open and finished the season by reaching the final of the ATP Finals and contributed to Italy lifting the Davis Cup. At the 2024 Australian Open, Sinner defeated world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the semifinals to reach his first major final. He then defeated Daniil Medvedev in a five-set final, coming back from two sets down to win his first Major title] By reaching the 2024 US Open final he became the first man born in the 2000s (and first man born after 1988) to reach all four major semifinals, as well as being the first Italian man to do so and also the first to reach multiple singles Major finals in the Open Era.
Big Three era is over, but can anyone step up to challenge Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz? - Jannik Sinner’s victory in the US Open made it the first year since 2002 without any of the ‘Big Three’ winning a grand slam title.
Jannik Sinner beats Taylor Fritz to win second Grand Slam title
10 sin-sational things Jannik Sinner achieved with his triumph at the US Open
Picture Pun
Trip Connection: This was taken in our final stop, the port of Amsterdam.
In the port of Amsterdam there’s a sailor who drinks
And she drinks and she drinks and drinks once again
Amsterdam