Part 2 of the Adventures in Germany

Hello Everyone, and Happy Sunday!

I apologize for the delay in posts…  just got a little behind.
Anyway, here we go:

When we last left off, I was in Munich, Germany for Schmuck – Jewellery Week.  Wearing the wrong shoes for walking but hanging out with some amazingly awesome friends from the states and seeing some inspiring jewelry work.  The trip so far has been pretty intense, one thing after another, after another, etc.  My last 2 days however, are a little more relaxed and full of exploration mixed with a little surprise.  Let’s find out what happens shall we:

Day 4: March 15th, 2015 – CASTLE TOUR!!!
That’s right ladies and gentlemen, venturing out of the city center to see Neuschwanstein Castle.  Perched atop the hillside above the village of Hohenschwangau, just outside Füssen, Neuschwanstein Castle was the inspiration for Disney’s Sleeping Beauty’s Castle.  Slightly ironic, but Sleeping Beauty was one of my favorite Disney movies as a kid… – let’s do a side by side comparison)

Yeah, I think Neuschwanstein might have had something to do with the castle… Anyway, this nineteenth-century Romanesque Revival palace was never finished.  Commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria to be used as his private hideaway, however building stopped abruptly after his sudden death in 1886 (found dead in a nearby lake with his doctor – if I’m not mistaken).  A lover or art, architecture and music, Ludwig II was a colossal fan and patron of the composer Robert Wagner – the interior architecture of Neuschwanstein depicts scenes from many of Wagner’s operas.  I go on about Ludwig II (“the Swan King”), but how about we see some pictures from the castle:

After the castle tour, Jim, Yoko and I made our way back to Munich (via train).  Taking a leisurely stole through the park, we landed at Park Cafe for dinner…  and left with a hefty mug (shh). After dinner, Yoko and Jim walked me to my new hotel around the corner from theirs.  They were heading home in the morning, and I get to explore a bit of Munich tomorrow on my own!

Day 5: Monday March 16th, 2015 – Another Ludwig II creation (well, adaptation)! – with a surprise on the side…
Munich Residenz Palace – the former royal palace of the Bavarian monarchs.  And this place is huge, a complex of buildings containing ten courtyards and displays 130 rooms, it’s the largest city palace in Germany according to Wikipedia.  The palace even has a theater (Cuvilliés Theatre), and a concert hall.  A large portion of the Munich Residenz was built by Ludwig I, including his state apartments, and extend the palace.  The winter gardens designed and constructed on the rood of one of the palace buildings, was commissioned by his son, Ludwig II (same guy from Neuschwanstein Castle).  It sadly was dismantled due to a leaky lake…  on the roof… but supposedly included “a grotto, a Moorish kiosk, an Indian royal tent, an artificially illuminated rainbow and intermittent moonlight.” What a wonder it would have been to see that.
The palace complex itself was pretty impressive though. A weird mix of styles, and kind of bare in “stuff” however that is most likely due to the heavy bombing it faced during World War II when it was almost completely destroyed.  Here are some of my photos from Munich Residenz Palace, enjoy:

I wandered about within the Munich Residenz for hours… it was lovely, and for most of the time, I wandered alone through the giant halls and rooms. Before my stop at the  Cuvilliés Theatre, I left the Residenz for lunch, stopping nearby in the is odd little chic/eclectic cafe – beautifully decorated with miss matched kind of bohemian meets Moulin Rouge-ish feel furniture and decor.  However, the most odd thing was I think it was an Italian cafe? and the waitress spoke this miss matched Italian/German… and I semi understood some of the Italian… but was just thoroughly confused and hungry.  In the end, I just had 2 large coffee’s and some kind of a panini sandwich – mediocre. Anyway, then made my way back to the Theatre before heading on back to my hotel.

For dinner on my last night in Munich, I had a special treat.  Do you remember the sweet little older Welsh woman I shared the plane trip here with in my last post??  Well, they (her daughter and her) invited me over to the daughter’s house for dinner!  Soo nice.  Nicola, the daughter, lives in Munich with her family, and met me at my hotel so we could venture together to her house.  There we ate, and chatted up the evening, before they dropped me off at the train station and I made my way back to my hotel for the night.

All together I had a wonderful time in Munich.  I learned some new things, was inspired by some great art, met new friends while reconnecting with some old ones and just had fun.  It would have been nice to stay a few more days in Germany, travel about a bit, but that will be an adventure for another day and time.  Back to the U.K. for a few days, and then off again; this time going north in England to Sheffield to visit Grace Horne in the knife maker hub of the UK.  Too excited.

So that’s all for this post… stay tuned for Sheffield!

Also make sure to check out my fundraiser here – to support my learning adventure in the University for the Creative Arts, Farnham, UK (and other learning trips around Europe).  Each donation comes with a hand made reward from yours truly. Keep an eye out for some amazing new rewards coming soon at www.gofundme.com/MeredithTibjash!
And if you haven’t already, check out the daily photos on my Instagram page: @mstibj

Until next time, take care – and see you soon
-Meredith S. Tibjash

Schmuck-Germany Adventure-Part 1!

Hello everyone,

Let’s see, in the last post I traveled to Iceland.  The whole experience was incredible and I would love to go back and explore the country more.  My trip to Iceland seemed to only touch the surface of what Iceland has to offer and I would wholeheartedly encourage anyone to visit this beautiful place.  If you missed out on my Iceland post, please click here to read more.

This post is a bit long… so I have decided to split it up into 2 posts… so here goes. Enjoy.

Upon arriving back in the UK (March 7th), I had just enough time to unpack, do laundry, clean up, print out my flight and hotel details before repacking and leaving for Munich, Germany.  I could not have left on a more perfect day, March 11th. Happy Birthday Cuz!  My family were definitely present on this trip via signs and tons of little things constantly occurring and reminding me that you can carry people with you.

On my flight from London, Gatwick to Munich, I met a wonderful older woman from Wales.  We chat for the entire flight, and once at the airport I met her daughter and son-in-law who currently live in Munich.  They were so kind and even gave me a ride to my hotel, where I met up with Sharon MasseyJim Bove and Yoko Sekino-Bove.

This trip was… odd, wonderfully odd and exciting.  I felt like a new kid at my first SNAG (Society of North American Goldsmiths) conference; mainly because I was hanging out with 2 friends I normally see at the annual SNAG conferences, and partly because I had no idea how to navigate Schmuck (Munich Jewellery Week) or even what to expect.

Day 1 (Thursday March 12th, 2015), first full day in Munich was spent on the move, walking from gallery to gallery, exhibition to exhibition, and I quickly realized that I completely brought the wrong shoes.  Not going to lie, it is all a bit of a blur since there was a lot of walking, but soo many churches to see and Tons of beautiful work. Lunch at Weisses Bräuhaus, where I acquired my first souvenir – a stein!  More walking around “old town,” a stop over to Messe Munchen International to see the Schmuck show, vendors, and more exhibitions. For dinner, we took a trip to the historic, the original, and semi over touristy yet wonderful Hofbräuhaus am Platzl – which, build by Bavarian Duke Maximilian I, was originally built in 1589.  You can see the liter beer we all decided to drink below, and I learned that I love a good Dunkel beer, a German dark lager.  We ended the evening by heading to Schmuck party for a little dancing (hanging out on the side) and mingling before walking back to the hotel to crash.

Below is a photo journey of the first day’s evens. Make sure to note the Neues Rathaus – which is a super ornate neo-gothic styled building serving as the new town hall. This building also has moving wooden figurines – called coopers dancers – on 2 stories that depict Munich’s history.  The moving show takes place daily at 11am and Noon and 5pm.  The facade of this epic-ly ornate building portrays almost the entire line of the house of Wittlesbach of Bavaria.

Day 2! Friday March 13th, 2015.  More walking, more exhibitions, more galleries, more shows. Today’s Schmuck tour demonstrated some pretty cool exhibition spaces and creative display ideas.  During our walking around Munich, we also found our way to the space where Oktoberfest is held, empty now of course, but I can only imagine the crazy excitement and entertainment being held there during the giant funfair. Later, we ventured to the Pinakothek der Moderne for the opening of Anton Cepka’s – Kenetic Jewellery show (after waiting for over an hour in the lobby, listening to someone speak in German before being allowed upstairs to view the work).  A small tangent within the museum, looking at some motorcycles and cars, and finally of to dinner at Cafe Puck with some new friends. Here is a photo run through from the day.  Enjoy:

Day 3! Saturday March 14th, 2015. Even more walking… yay.
Back to the Pinakothek der Moderne to see the rest of the museum.  Then off to the Messe for awards and official opening for the Schmuck exhibition.  Signed up for a Neuschwanstein castle tour for tomorrow – too stoked about this!!!  Giant dinner at another Brauhaus with the masses of Schmuck, and then “out on the town: with Jim Bove, Yoko Sekino-Bove, Sharon Massey, Jim Cotter, Jamie BennettMyra Mimlitsch Gray and Katie Rearick.
Check out this days’ photos below:

This has been a jam packed adventure already, and the trip isn’t even over!  This part of the post is over however.  Stay tuned for Part 2 of the Schmuck-Germany Adventure which includes Castles and Palaces and Jewels, Oh My!

Also make sure to check out my fundraiser here – to support my learning adventure in the University for the Creative Arts, Farnham, UK (and other learning trips around Europe).  Each donation comes with a hand made reward from yours truly. Keep an eye out for some amazing new rewards coming soon at www.gofundme.com/MeredithTibjash!
And if you haven’t already, check out the daily photos on my Instagram page: @mstibj

Until next time, take care – and see you soon
-Meredith S. Tibjash

This is my kind of March Madness!

Hello Everyone.

I am kicking off March as my unofficial extra travel month.  I have been traveling like crazy and this post will actually be split into 3 or 4.
Here’s the rundown:
-March 3rd I head to Windsor Castle – home to Her Majesty The Queen.  Iceland 3rd-7th, meeting up with my friend Maya and her mom Nanc.  To be honest, I had no idea what to expect, or what I wanted to do, no expectations, only that I wanted to come home with a wool sweater… and if possible, see the Northern Lights.  Next up was Munich Jewellery Week, Schuck (which is the German word for Jewelry – it’s also spelled “Jewellery” in Europe) March 11th-17th.  Heading out on a lucky number and meeting up with a few SNAG friends!  Finally (the only bit that hasn’t happened yet), I head to Sheffield this week from March 20th-26th.  Get to hang out in knife maker central for UK! With a wrap up night in London checking out a Jack the Ripper Tour and possibly the Tower of London on the 27th. Very excited!  🙂

Soo much inspiration, passion, cool sights and sounds.  Some amazing jewelry, great company, new friends and some unexpected surprises.  This month has been unbelievable and it isn’t even over yet!  I wont leave you in suspense any longer.

So let’s begin.

This trip caught me off guard.  I felt unprepared and didn’t know what I wanted to do/see while I was in Iceland, but excited for it non the less.  I also decided to kick off this trip with a day visit to Windsor Castle before taking off to Iceland.  I left Farnham in the morning, hopped on the train and headed to Windsor Castle.  A beautiful castle, home to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II herself, and yes, she was home (and sadly no, I did not see her).  While standing within the courtyard, I lucked out in seeing a changing of the guard.

Once inside the main gate, you essentially have to walk around the entire castle to get inside giving you a 360 view of the grand structure before entering, and a view of city of Windsor itself, as the castle is set atop a hill.  The Castle consists of one main round tower and rectangular buildings surrounding almost acting as a wall.  Then the whole castle itself is surrounded by a wall and it is atop a hill. Sadly, are no pictures allowed within the state apartments of Windsor Castle, so I went cheese-tastic on the photos outside… and managed 1 or 2 pictures of the inside.

 

I was most impressed with the arms and armory display inside.  A multitude of styles and fashions of knives, daggers, swords, shields, belt buckles, locks, keys, staffs, etc. I think I spent a good hour or 2 just walking from case to case in this one room.  I tried to see if the Armourer was in, he wasn’t, however I did send out an email; keep your fingers crossed on a response.

After wondering around Windsor all day, I hopped in a cab to the airport and set off for Iceland!  Arriving in Iceland at around 11:30pm and bussing it into Reykjavik which was another 45 minutes away, I was soo pumped!!!  I really wish I had brought my DSLR for this trip, the GoPro was just not cutting it, so I apologize in advance for the poor quality photos.  On the plus side, Maya had her DSLR and took some Amazing photo’s so I shall intermix her photo’s with mine to give you a better perspective.

Get ready… Iceland is up next.
Until next time, take care.
-Meredith S. Tibjash

 

 

University for the Creative Arts

Hello Everyone,

I have a bit of catching up to do since my birthday in mid February so I will split things up in a few posts over the next few days.  Alright, so this is what has been going on:

Happy Super Late Valentines Day!
Valentines weekend also took me into Guildford for an Art Exhibition featuring fellow UCA (University for the Creative Arts) Artist in Residence Naomi Symmons, popular graffiti artist Banksy, and many others.  The exhibition: Caught in the Crossfire; which depicts, as stated by the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Coventry “Artistic responses to conflict, peace and reconciliation.”  The show was a little on the heavy side for my particular interest, but very well curated and the work shown was very well done.

On Sunday, Hannah and I went to visit a friend of hers, Royston Upson, a very talented Mokume Gane artist.  We hung out for a while at his home, and he gave us a verbal run through on how to make Mokume; we even got to see his shop (which is currently in transition – the family is moving to another country soon). All in all, a very good weekend.

Next up on the list for February was an artist visit by David Clarke.  Mister Clarke’s hand-made/readymade mashups consist of traditional silversmithing using found silver items; reconstructing and reforming them into new pieces.  Beautiful work, and makes you question. David and I spoke one on one for a bit and gave me some things to think about while doing this residency, he also assigned homework.  –  Talk to you soon David (great to see you at Schmuck). His advice… just go into the forge and make… doesnt even have to Be anything, just go play.

And play I did.  The last week of February brought in blacksmith Julian Coode.  Julian was at the University for the whole week to work with the first year students during a forging intensive.  I was able to help out with the students, and their projects, and even helped one student make some Damascus (for the first time on my own!)  It was great, and reminded me how much I like teaching.  Hopefully I’ll be able to visit with Julian again soon.

Here are some photos from the forge:

While in the forge, I managed to get a little hammering in myself and made 3 projects.  Please excuse the photos, I managed to just get some phone pics taken before sending them off to their new owners.  if you’re interested in having me make something for you, please do not hesitate to email me at Meredith.susan.t@gmail.com or use my contact page at the top of the screen.  Here are the photos:

Well, that’s it for February…  Sooo much to talk about in March, but more to come on that soon.
Make sure to check out my Instagram page (@mstibj) and
Please check out my fundraiser at www.gofundme.com/MeredithTibjash

Until next time, take care.
-Meredith S. Tibjash

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