In Company with Goethe

Today we went to the Staedel Museum in Frankfurt (pronounced Shtaydel, with a slight emphasis on the first syllable). It's in fact one of my favorite museums altogether--relatively small, but it has a broad collection of art, from around 1300 to the late 20th century.

Here is Marylee (on the right), with our friends Heidi and Günter, whom I have known since 1969 and 1960 (respectively). We're staying with Günter, and will have dinner all together tonight at Heidi's (including relatives of hers). In the background is "Goethe in the Roman Countryside"--a familiar image of the great German poet and one of the museum's prize holdings. Another major work is Rembrandt's incredibly dramatic "Blinding of Samson"--one of his very few large early history paintings

We were eleven for a marvelous dinner at Heidi's, with goose, two sorts of dumplings, sauerkraut, red cabbage, cranberry sauce, applesauce, etc.