Sep

Traveling the World Musically

by Joyce McGreevy on September 3, 2019

The way we experience music can isolate or connect us.
© Joyce McGreevy (Public art in Evanston, IL by Jeff Zimmerman)

Harmonious Ways to Connect Across Cultures

Thanks to streaming technology, it’s easy to take music along when traveling the world. Headphones help shorten long flights, but it’s when we remove the headphones that we discover music’s true power. Mixing music with our itinerary and social interactions elevates travel experiences to whole new levels.

Oh I see: To connect across cultures, use a language we all understand—music. Here are suggestions for traveling the world musically.

Show Up and Sing!

I arrived in Montréal not knowing a soul. The next day, hundreds of my new best friends and I performed live in concert across Canada.

How did this opportunity to meet local music lovers come about? Not by auditions—there weren’t any.

I simply showed up for Choir! Choir! Choir!, a Canadian singing group led by Nobu Adilman and Daveed Goldman. “DaBu,” as they are affectionately known, travel the world hosting community choir performances.

Choir! Choir! Choir! Is a Canadian singing group that travels the world musically, connecting across cultures through community performances. (Image © 2019 Choir! Choir! Choir!)

“DaBu’s” approach is non-traditional. Just show up and they’ll teach you
an original arrangement to a song you love.
@ 2019 Choir! Choir! Choir!

In Montréal, we paid tribute to native son Leonard Cohen, live-streaming our performance of “Hallelujah” with choirs in Toronto, Vancouver, and Kingston.

To sing, sing, sing with Choir! Choir! Choir!, catch their world tour. They’ll be all over the U.S. starting this week. It’s a wonderful way to meet your neighbors, from around the corner or around the world.

See Choir! Choir! Choir! here.

Attend High Caliber Artistic Concerts—Free

From LosAngeles to London, excellent free concert series abound. In Chicago, I found a series so sublime—the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts—that you should probably just book your flight now. Photogenic architecture and free admission make this a travel trifecta.

Mark Riggleman of the International Music Foundation announces the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert, which connect musicians across cultures in Chicago. (Image © Riggleman family)

Mark Riggleman is Executive Director of the International Music Foundation, which
produces a highly popular Chicago concert series.
© Photo courtesy of the Riggleman family

“This an opportunity to hear rising talent from all over the country and around the world,” says Mark. “Our artists are all within five years of getting a degree and all are at the top of their game.”

Vetting is rigorous and performance standards are high. This is no mere recital of well-worn classical hits.

At the concert I attended, the standing ovation was rapturous for saxophonist Hyoung-Ryoul Kim and pianist Shin-Young Park. The South Korean artists had sent a thrill through the packed house with a program of contemporary works.

Musicians Shin-Young Park and Hyoung-Ryoul Kim show inspire the writer to travel the world musically. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Shin-Young Park and Hyoung-Ryoul Kim wowed the audience in Chicago.
© Joyce McGreevy

The venue, Chicago’s Cultural Center, combines incredible acoustics with turn-of-the-century splendor. Mosaic-embellished stairs lead up to Preston Bradley Hall, where the audience convenes under an architectural wonder, the world’s largest Tiffany dome.

The world’s largest Tiffany Dome at Chicago’s Cultural Center is one of the many attractions of traveling the world musically and connecting across cultures. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

At Chicago’s Cultural Center, admission is free, but the music is pure gold.
© Joyce McGreevy

The series runs year-round, Wednesdays from 12:15 to 1:00 pm. Says Mark, “It’s a short format, comfortable for people who work downtown and take a lunch hour. People in town visiting can come to the concert and go to lunch afterward.” (Tip: Meet local concert-goers at Toni Patisserie & Café.)

Reserve ahead, as seats fill quickly. Start here.

Can’t make it? Catch live radio broadcasts, watch the WFMT Facebook livestream, and subscribe to the podcast here.

Uncover Musical Secrets—in 440 Cities

One evening in London, Rafe Offer invited friends round to his flat for a low-key musical gathering. They sat on the floor listening to live music by Rafe’s friend Dave. Over time, such gatherings evolved into Sofar Sounds, a global music community that meets in unique and welcoming spaces.

A diverse audience gathers for a Sofar Sounds concert of international musicians in Montreal, Canada, proof that traveling the world musically connects cultures. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

To keep gigs intimate, tickets operate on a low-price lottery system.
© Joyce McGreevy

An element of surprise adds to the magic. The exact address of the venue is not revealed until the day before the gig. The three musical acts remain a mystery right up until the moment of performance.

Afterwards, it’s all about conversation and community building as artists and audiences mingle.

To get closer to music at home and abroad, visit SofarSounds.

Simon Denizart of Canada and Kid Be Kid of Germany performing at a Sofar Sounds concert in Montreal, Canada reflect how traveling the world musically connects cultures. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Connecting across cultures, Simon Denizart of Montréal and Kid Be Kid
of Berlin duet on keyboard.
© Joyce McGreevy

Ask, Don’t “App”

Many travelers use music-recognition apps to identify world music they overhear in public, such as on café sound systems. Apps like Shazam and SoundHound operate as audio search engines, matching a music sample to its source. It’s one way to collect a playlist for your travel memories.

Better yet, ask the friendly local who’s sitting right next to you, humming along. It’s a natural icebreaker. Keep a pen and notepad handy to circumvent any language barriers.

Be Your Own Roadie!

Do you play an instrument? Consider it your musical passport and carry it everywhere. In many countries, socializing includes sharing music. Having songs at the ready lets you contribute and connect.

Just ask Rick Chelew. “For meeting people and making new friends, my Voyage Air folding guitar is even better than a cute dog. When I’m traveling solo, it’s a great conversation-starter at parks, in pubs and outdoor cafes, even airports and bus stations.”

Rick Chelew, a musician from California in London, with his folding guitar, travels the world musically to connect across cultures. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

The guitar folds & conversations unfold: Californian Rick Chelew travels the world musically.
© Joyce McGreevy

All Together Now!

When you travel the world musically, connecting across cultures becomes likelier, because you’re literally signaling attunement. What better way to make the world a more harmonious place?

Can’t pack it? Find it! Public pianos are turning up in cities worldwide.
© Joyce McGreevy

Comment on the post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Joyce McGreevy 7 Comments

Crossing Cultures/The World's Music/Worldwide Sites

Aug

Watery Wanderlust: The City of Spas

by Meredith Mullins on August 26, 2019

The power of water
© Meredith Mullins

Going with the Flow in the Thermal Baths of Budapest

It’s summer. And in the hot Northern Hemisphere, our thoughts turn to the cooling force of water. Beaches. Rivers. Swimming pools. Waterfalls. Fountains. We travel in search of comfort.

Water wanderlust can lead us to many destinations, but none more water themed than Budapest—the “City of Spas.”

Budapest is famous for its parliament building . . . but also for its thermal baths.
© Meredith Mullins

There is much to see in Budapest, including

the Neo-Gothic Hungarian parliament building,
the elegant State Opera House,
the exotic beauty of the Matthias Church,
the vistas of the Fisherman’s Bastion,
the ornate St Stephen’s Basilica, and
the lively Great Market Hall (a covered market designed by Gustave Eiffel).

If you’re not spending all your time relaxing in a spa, the Great Market Hall offers
characters, chaos, and color.
© Meredith Mulins

However, throughout this city rich in history, it is easy to see that water holds a place of honor. Oh, I see. For Hungarians (and visitors to Hungary), water is a constant presence. It is sport, medicine, exercise, relaxation, transportation, and fun. It is a life force.

Water: summer fun
© Meredith Mullins

The Danube River is a central artery, running through the city and dividing the old city of Buda on the west side from the newer, more modern eastern side, known as Pest.

The city is also home to a variety of thermal baths, many showcasing past eras of history, from Ottoman influence to Art Nouveau.

At any given time, whether a hot summer afternoon or a cold gray winter morning, water-loving Hungarians and Budapest visitors are immersed — either swimming in cool pools, relaxing muscles and bones in warm water, or soaking in the medicinal baths fed by the city’s more than 100 thermal hot springs.

Water immersion
© Meredith Mullins

Time for Research

What better way to conduct water wanderlust research than to swim and soak in Budapest’s offerings. It’s a tough job, but someone has to rise to the challenge. So, I made several trips to Budapest, in all seasons, to see what the attraction was.

At the end of several soaking/swimming/floating experiences, my vote for favorite bathing setting is a tie between the Gellért Baths and the Széchenyi Medicinal Bath.

Floating in another era
© Meredith Mullins

Another Era: Gellért Baths

The Gellert Baths are located in the Art Nouveau Hotel Gellért, built in the early 1900s on the Buda side of the river. As you walk in, you feel you are entering a time warp or a movie set from another era.

Carved columns and colorful tiles make for an elegant pool setting.
© Meredith Mullins

The main pool is palatial, with carved roman columns, marble sculptures, and mosaic tiles. The various thermal baths are fed by the mineral springs of Gellért Hill, said to be helpful for joint problems, disk issues, and circulatory trouble.

The complex offers 10 indoor pools and 3 outdoor pools, including plunge pools, and a pool that generates artificial waves.

An aquarium of human activity
© Meredith Mullins

In one of the underground passageways, the swimmers become entertainment, like aquatic specimens of the deep, through small aquarium-like windows.

When you leave Gellért after a day of water, you will most likely feel like a wet noodle, have super flexible joints, and smell of minerals.

A moment of quiet at the indoor thermal pool
© Meredith Mullins

Checkmate: Széchenyi Bath

The Széchenyi Bath is the largest medicinal bath in Europe, with water supplied by two thermal springs. The 15 indoor pools and 3 outdoor pools are housed in a palace complex in Budapest’s City Park.

The thermal water is said to be high in calcium, magnesium, and hydrogen carbonate, all believed to be good for joint pain and arthritis.

Relaxing with a game of chess
© Meredith Mullins

I love watching people here enjoying all forms of water—from relaxing in warm outdoor pools throughout the year while playing chess to being pounded by spraying jets to get the blood flowing. Although Széchenyi can sometimes feel like the Grand Central Station of pools, the people-watching aspect of a visit is a never-ending source of entertainment.

The Széchenyi Thermal Baths
© Meredith Mullins

And, if you stay into the night, the latest craze is “sparties” (spa parties)— with DJs, films, and laser shows throughout the summer.

The Ottoman Spas

Also in the running for interesting spas were the Rudas, Kiraly, and Veli Bej baths. All of these venues are reminiscent of Ottoman rule, with darkened interiors under domes dotted with tiny holes for streaming light. A wonderful, mysterious ambiance where you can lose yourself in time.

Losing yourself in time and space
© Meredith Mullins

Finding Fürdő

To enjoy this life of water wanderlust in Budapest, all you need is a swimsuit, some flip flops, a towel, and the word fürdő on the tip of your tongue— the Hungarian word for bath or spa.

And no matter what your ultimate goal for your time in the thermal baths, I can almost guarantee that you will feel better for having been a part of the Hungarian water culture. I know I did.

Keeping fürdő at the tip of your tongue
© Meredith Mullins

Gellért Baths at H-1118 Budapest, Kelenhegyi út 4.

Széchenyi Baths at 9-11 Allatkerti korut Street, Budapest, District 14

Rudas Baths at Rudas Gyógyfürdő és Uszoda, H-1013 Budapest, Döbrentei tér 9.

Kiraly Baths at 38 Nepfurdo Street Budapest, H-1138

Veli Bej Baths at 1023 Budapest Frankel Leó u. 35.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Meredith Mullins Comments

Art of Travel/Hungary

Aug

Wanderlust Leads to . . . Libraries?

by Joyce McGreevy on August 20, 2019

Allèe des bouquinistes, an open-air bookshop at the Grande Bibliothèque, Montréal, Canada inspires wanderlust to travel to public libraries, or library tourism, around the world. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

A Catalog of Reasons for Travelers to Check Out the Local Library

When you travel, how often has wanderlust led you to a library?

Once—for free WiFi or a public restroom.
Never. My Kindle is all the “library” I need.
The library? Seriously? I’m on vacation!

Actually, library tourism is trending. There are stacks of reasons to add public libraries to your travel itinerary:

Cultural Experiences

Castles and cathedrals aren’t the only places for cultural discovery. One of the world’s newest libraries, Tūranga Library in Christchurch, New Zealand, is not to be missed. Even its entrance expresses whakamanuhiri, the Maori principle of hosting travelers and other visitors.

A statue of the Maori hero Tāwhaki at the Tauranga Library in Christchurch, New Zealand, inspires wanderlust to travel to public libraries, or library tourism, around the world. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

The design of Tūranga Library is based on the Maori concept of mātauranga mana whenua,
the body of knowledge that originates from the people of this place.
© Joyce McGreevy

Staircases at the Tauranga Library in Christchurch, New Zealand, inspire wanderlust to travel to public libraries, or library tourism, around the world. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

The spectacular staircases allude to Tāwhaki, a mythical being who climbs
to the heavens in a quest for knowledge.
© Joyce McGreevy

Culinary Experiences

Some of the best international dining experiences are available at libraries. The vast majority offer bargain prices and many feature organic local ingredients.

Brunch at Tūranga features chocolate rye porridge, coriander-chili infused dhal, and oat banana pancakes with candied walnuts and mango coconut foam. At libraries around the world, I’ve savored sustainably harvested seafood, vegan and gluten-free entrées, and traditional desserts—four-star feasts at one-star prices.

A collage of library cafes, coffee, café sandwiches, and a woman reading, shows why wanderlust leads travelers to public libraries, or library tourism, around the world. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

The Beer!

In Copenhagen, you could squeeze into pricey places where views of the canals are obscured by selfie-takers. Or, you could stroll to a café in the Black Diamond, the sparkling glass and granite extension of the Royal Danish Library. Take your cold local beer outside, relax in a beach chair, and watch the world go by as sunshine warms the waterfront.

The interior of the Black Diamond, part of Copenhagen’s Royal Danish Library, shows why wanderlust leads travelers to public libraries, or library tourism, around the world. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

The Danish Royal Library offers ancient and contemporary architecture,
a concert hall, restaurants, and art exhibits.
© Joyce McGreevy

Social Experiences—or Solitude

Library architect Carsten Auer notes, “The modern library is . . . a place where you can meet people or be ‘alone together,’ enjoying sharing a social and recreational space with others, even if you are not engaging directly with them.”

Public libraries spark conversations with locals by building in a variety of communal seating areas and by offering free concerts, workshops, craft-making stations, participatory theater, and other opportunities for interaction.

Library patrons playing with board games and puzzles at at the Tauranga Library in Christchurch, New Zealand, reflect the entertaining side of public libraries around the world. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Libraries also make it easy to find peace and quiet by providing private and small-group spaces. One of the busiest libraries in North America, Montréal’s national library, or Grande Bibliothèque, offers 10,000 visitors a day an oasis of calm. When Montréal’s weather extremes drive you indoors, skip the malls and come here instead.

Public libraries’ rich spectrum of options covers everything from blissful inspiration to sheer entertainment. In Montréal, film buffs and language learners will instantly lose themselves in the multimedia treasures on offer. But if you’d rather shop, you’re in luck. The library’s gift store is superb, a mini-museum curating the best of Québecoise design.

Meanwhile, sports fans can see an exhibition on hockey, adolescents can access “teens-only” high-technology workshops, and little ones can explore play areas and storytelling alcoves. There’s something for everyone.

Library patrons at the Grande Bibliothèque, Montréal, Canada, include tourists with wanderlust to travel to public libraries, or library tourism, around the world. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Bonus Travel Discoveries

Many libraries are surrounded by marvelous (and free) attractions that visitors might otherwise miss. Making the quick trip by Metro to the Grande Bibliothèque also led me to the Jardins Gamelin, one of the most unusual parks in the city, and the Galerie de l’UQAM, where the contemporary art changes almost daily.

Even the library’s alley hides wonderful surprises. Glass wall panels open up to transform it into the Allée des bouquinistes, with secondhand books for sale. The alley also marks the start of the Latin Quarter’s 30-mural art trail.

A detail from a rebus mural at the Grande Bibliothèque, Montréal, Canada, shows why wanderlust leads travelers to public libraries around the world. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Can you decode this clue from a rebus mural behind a Montréal library?
(“A library” is une bibliothèque in French, and “water,” or eau in French, supplies the “o.”)
© Joyce McGreevy

Rare Art Treasures—Minus the Long Lines

Italy’s museums at peak season can make you feel like a salmon swimming upstream. But Italian libraries present frescoes, sculpture, paintings, and other feasts for the eye. In Ferrara, minutes from Bologna, the Biblioteca Ariostea is an art lover’s paradise set within a 14th-century palace. Walk right in—there’s no waiting, no need to buy tickets, no jostling crowds.

Frescoes on the walls of the Biblioteca Ariostea in Ferrara, Italy show why wanderlust leads travelers to public libraries, or library tourism, around the world. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Other reasons to “bookmark” the world’s libraries include:

gorgeous travel books, images, maps, and 3-D models
state-of-the-art genealogical resources (one so user-friendly it took me 2 minutes to discover a likely ancestor)
sweeping views and beautiful gardens (many featuring native plants)

A rooftop garden at the Tauranga Library in Christchurch, New Zealand, inspires wanderlust to travel to public libraries, or library tourism, around the world. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Albert Einstein said, “The only thing that you absolutely have to know is the location of the library.” Oh, I see: When wanderlust leads to libraries, travel genius can result. So can fun, friendship, and cultural insights.

No wonder library tourism is trending. Your library experiences might just transform the world into an open book. Now that’s a travel tale worth checking out.