Sunday 4th October 2015, 2:30pm
Getaway #6: Caro Cerbaro
Caro Cerbaro chose this Sunday’s getaway destination. *)
– I don’t really know Caro. But I know her moon cake. Moon cake is the very sweet but spoiled translation of Mohnkuchen, which correctly would be poppy seed cake. The story goes like this: The very first Outside Sunday was dedicated to finding a nice (or the best) poppy seed cake in Zurich. It was by chance that Romy’s friend Caro planned to bake one that very Sunday.
The cake was of a dark colour, rich, and sumptous. We each had a beautiful slice. We liked the poppy seed cake and Caro liked the Outside Sundays concept. So here we are: A perfect match. Meant to meet again. –
[Report]
The Birchtree. There was the picture. Of this birchtree. Still a young birchtree. Tall, flexible. Caro’s birchtree.
Before we got to know about the story of Caro’s birchtree, we walked through the city, along the Limmat, across the Viadukt, a short piece Langstrasse, passed the Pflegezentrum Erlenhof, at some point turning right and then straight and waited in a courtyard while Caro disappeared for a moment inside the building. When she came back her backpack was heavy. A couple of meters from there we reached the final destination. This was inside Kasernenhof. Grouping on the ground we got to know what happened up until now.
Friends of Caro once gave her a small birchtree for a present. She kept it on her balcony. All of a sudden, after some years, the birchtree was like 3m high. Time to move. Caro decided she wanted the birchtree to be planted in the city. She started talking to all officials of the city she met. They all laughed and handed her phonenumbers of other officials. She called. More people laughed and handed her other phonenumbers.
At this point you need to imagine a break in the storytelling to highlight the effect of the coming.
One day someone called her back. They needed a birchtree. In the Kasernenareal. Things then happened very fast and some gardeners came and picked up the tree and put it next to the stump of an old birchtree that was no more.
At this point we opened the bottles the backpack containing alcoholic and non-alcoholic sparkling beverages and each of us shared her and his drink with the birchtree. Pouring or splattering half of the tiny plastic cup’s content on the tree’s still flexible stem or on its leaves high about our heads.
There is something about time passing and the growing of trees and this ever so juvenile birch looking like a young girl that grows taller but not older that I don’t really fit into this report. And maybe about the life task of planting a tree. It’s a classical male task I guess. Next to the birch there’s a labyrinth garden made to hoste magical womens’ group activities, including welcoming the newborn.
*) Mirjam Bayerdörfer invited Caro Cerbaro for the sixth Outside Sunday.