07/27/2017
Bill came to the house and we visited while watching the clock hands slowly wind towards 12:30pm. Everything is unplugged and locked up. Bill took us to the airport for the start of Rob and Anne's 50th Anniversary Great Adventure. United flight 5504 departs Medford for San Francisco at 2:20pm. It is a short flight to SFO. We will arrive around 4pm. That will leave us just short of eight hours to find our next departure gate. The delayed departure from Medford today isn't a problem. The public address system just told us we would be a half hour late in leaving. Sit here, or sit there.
I have known Bern Case for over thirty years. Bern was a new airport manager in Medford when I began flying in the early 80's. We visited often and saw each other at the Friday Rotary lunch meetings. I looked up from the book I was reading and see Bern strolling through the waiting passenger lounge. He stopped to greet me and asked of our trip.
It was recently published in the Mail Tribune that Bern was retiring. His work at the airport has transformed the site into a very modern, international facility. Bern has earned a quality retirement.
The approach to landing at SFO is from the east, over the bay. As we get closer Alcatraz Island and the Golden Gate Bridge are sighted out the starboard windows. Soon the water approaches quickly below us. You recall that the plane had no floats when it left Medford. Now, a few feet above the bay, the water disappears and the tarmac runway glides beneath. The landing is smooth.
We have lots of time until our 11:45pm Qantas 74 flight leaves for Sydney, Australia. The terminal corridors end at hubs, much like traffic circles. We follow the signs above the corridors which say, "International." We are not concerned that the departure boards do not yet display our flight. We are still very early. We settled at a comfortable place near the food court. Both of us had goods to read.
In about half an hour nature called me to the restroom. While walking back to my chair I passed a departure board. This one didn't have our flight on it either. I noticed, in fact, that it listed no Qantas flights at all. This didn't seem right. I stopped a passing airport employee and asked him where the Qantas planes were located. He told me they came and went from the other International terminal. He pointed a finger in the direction we were to go.
There are three main terminals at SFO. We wanted Terminal 1. The easiest way to get there was to board the red Air Train. This high railed train quickly crossed the vast distance we would have had to cover by foot. The Qantas check-in counter didn't open until 7:45pm. Now was a good time to grab some dinner. We chose Asian food over Wendy's. We ate, and then we waited.
Fourteen hours, five minutes and 12,195km later we touched down at Sydney International Airport. The massive Boeing 747 had made the trip at an average speed of 541mph. Not too shabby for an old lady.
How many movies can you watch? How many chapters can you read? And, how many times can you doze off during a 14 hour flight? No. It wasn't pleasant. Yes. We would have loved business class seating, but we couldn't rationalize the enormous cost difference over economy flying. We will treat ourselves with the difference while in Australia.
We cleared customs and we drug our suitcases to the Sydney domestic transfer terminal. At this terminal we checked in our bags for the flight from Sydney to Cairns. Sydney is in New South Wales, while Cairns is a 1,000 miles north, in the state of Queensland. Cairns is in the Australian tropics and it is located on the coast off the Great Barrier Reef. Sydney was having a winter day with temperatures in the 60s. Cairns' day was balmy with the temperature in the high 70s. This I could get used to.
Tim was waiting for us at the Cairns baggage claim area. Tim, Anne's older brother, has made the Northern Territories and Queensland his home for several decades. He has retired as a school teacher and administrator. Tim's postings had been at Aboriginal schools in the Northern Territories. It is always a tremendous welcome to link up with Tim. He quickly embroils you in conversation, and he is delightfully entertaining with his observations on world events and on things observed while on the highway to his home.
To recap our trip so far; we were loaded into Tim's car and leaving the Cairns airport at 11:30am, Saturday, July 29th. We had left Medford at 2:40pm on Thursday, July 27th. It is fun to think that July 28th never existed for Rob and Anne. We had passed throughout the Twilight Zone.
Tim lives in a single story home in White Rock, in the southern suburbs of Cairns. He has contributed great pride and resources into creating a wonderfully comfortable dwelling. Tim is a lover of tropical fruits. He has a lush, and private back yard which is outlined with an Eden harvest of ripening delights. This afternoon and evening were filled with catching up and with discussing plans for the next several days. Anne and I made it until about 8:30pm and then we crashed for the night.
The sky began to brighten at 6am, Sunday the 30th. I had been up at 4:30am. It will take at least one more day for me to lock into a down under sleep schedule. I sat in one of Tim's plush leather recliners and made notes in my travel journal. The ceiling fan moved the humid air in the living room and it spoke out in a low back ground hum. With the coming of dawn came a cacophony of songs from awakening birds. High pitched alto chirps and basso caws seemed to fill spaces beyond the walls. I may be sensing some of the reasons Tim loves where he lives.
We drove to the suburb of Freshwater. Here we are going to have breakfast
Tim has arranged with one of his best friends, Tim, to meet with him and his wife, Natalie, at their home in Mareeba. Mareeba is on the tablelands, inland from Cairns. To reach the tablelands we first drove north of Cairns. The Cook highway fed us through miles of sugar cane fields. Inset in the cane fields is a town called Smithfield. Now, Smithfield is not special except that it has a warehouse sitting in
A few kilometers past Kuranda we came to a village called Speewah. As with all respectable villages this one, too, has a pub. No surprise here, it is called the Speewah Pub. The Speewah Pub is where Tim has arranged to meet with Tim and Natalie. We had just sat down when Tim and Natalie came in. Anne and I had met the couple last time we visited Tim. We ordered pints all around and quickly caught up on the few years in between visits. On the way to Tim and Natalie's home is the Mareeba Golf Club. The Mareeba golf course is probably designed
A few minutes’ drive from the Mareeba Golf Club and we arrived at Tim and Natalie's home. Our overnight bags were put in the guest rooms and we all met at the rear patio table. Tim #2 likes porter ale. We had filled two flagons with the ale when we stopped at McAlester's Brewing Company. The afternoon quickly became evening as we talked and consumed ales, and some wine. Tim #2 manned the Weber barbecue, where he cooked lamb chops and snags. In the
Tim and Natalie are both primary school teachers. They arose at 6:30am to prepare for the Monday school day. We saw them off and and soon left ourselves to head back home. The goal this morning is to drive to Port Douglas, 48km north of Cairns. There we will have breakfast. Starting from Mareeba we would drive about 75km before reconnecting with the Captain Cook Highway at the base of the tablelands.
While crossing the Atherton Tablelands we came to a turn off which led to the Golden Drop Winery. Golden Drop wines are made from the Kensington Red Mango. The mangos used in Golden Drop wines produce a versatile range of white with extremely delicate, fruity flavors. The winery is family owned and it is situated on one of the largest commercial mango plantations in Australia.
I found my way to the tasting room and was greeted by the elder Mrs. Nastasi, the family owners. I sampled the medium semi-sweet wine. This was a very bright wine with a long and smooth after taste. I also tasted the Mango Cello. The cello is fortified liquor and a very smooth sipping drink. The cello can also be used as an addition to punches, yogurt and ice cream.
Mrs. Nastasi also asked me to try the Sparkling Mango Wine. This wine would make a tasty celebratory drink. Upon leaving, I settled for two bottles of the medium wine and one bottle of the cello. The Golden Drop wines are of a limited production and their distribution range is limited to a small portion of Australia.
As we approached the curvy decent from the tableland we were greeted with a light mist. Tim introduced us to the history of Port Douglas as we drove past the many palatial vacation retreats. The center of the city is dedicated completely to the tourist trade. We dashed between store front canopies to avoid the increasing degree of mist. After a couple of dead-end stops we found a shop serving breakfast. We welcomed the breakfast sandwiches. I sat with my back to the open shop front. I felt shivers from the misty dampness we had just walked through.
Back in the car we drove for a while with the heater on. It was an hour's drive along the Coral Sea beach front before we reached the outskirts of Cairns. Tim's home, in White Rock, is a couple of kilometers south of the city center. It was comfortable to be back at the house. There were no extra social or physical demands on us. We all rested a while before we left for late afternoon shopping for tonight’s dinner meal ingredients.
One of Tim's loves about the Australian tropics is the abundance of fruit. His back yard is testimony to this. When he moved to his White Rock home, he rebuilt the yard. His before photos show a fenced ell-shaped, gumbo based area which was ripe for forming small pools of water during the seasonal rains. After a laborious investment in the future, Tim's yard is a small garden of Eden. He built trellises inside, and along the fences. Earthen pots sit on tile pads. The pots contain a specie of fruit-bearing vine; many types of papaya. The eight foot high lattice panels create a green barrier, which shields him from his neighbor's homes. The ground has been planted with conch grass. Tim has installed a French drain system which carries off the surface water from the lawn. Interrupting the conch is a hot tub which has been securely fenced-in. The gate to the hot tub is convenient to the edge of the covered patio. A finger banana plant grows from a spot in the lush green lawn.
Each morning Tim walks the wall to pick up fruit that has fallen from the vines during the night. He has a constant battle with fruit bats. The bats nightly attack the ready-to-pick fruit. The fruit, which otherwise could have been quickly counter
ripened, is badly mauled and no longer of value. The damaged fruit is tossed onto the ground to be rotted back into the soil. Tim has comfortable wicker chairs around the table on his patio. This is a year-around place to enjoy the early morning chorus of birds, or for an afternoon spell with a good novel. Congratulations, Tim, on your small patch of paradise. 
If it's Tuesday, it must mean there is to be a night on the town. Cairns is a city on the water front. In fact, all of the major cities in Australia were built on the coastline. Some of Cairns' original wharfs have been re-occupied with shops to serve for entertainment or dining. Dundee's restaurant is on a strip of wharf which has become home to water edged eateries. This is a popular diner, and Tim has called ahead to reserve a 7pm table.
I nearly always fall into the same trap at fine restaurants. I order a meat dish. I am seeking medium rare, tender and juicy. Often a couple of the qualities happen, but rarely all three. Tonight was no exception.
From the Dundee's Outback Bush menu section, I ordered a kangaroo loin steak. This cut took a saw blade to sever bites, and each bite was so arid and rough that it left my mouth dry and my jaws exhausted. The waiter was very nice, but he may have erred when he asked me how everything was. In the morning I would be making a commitment to Anne that I would no longer order steaks at restaurants.
The Dundee was walking distance from the Reef Hotel Casino. The Reef is not a large casino, but it contained a sufficient variety of pokies (Aussie for slot machines) to keep Anne in gaming bliss for a good period. Tonight's gambling rewards were transient and we left with less than we had come with.
Wednesday morning was for loafing. Anne and I were both up at 6:30am.
Tim has arranged for us to have lunch with a former school administrator, Anne, and her husband, Ian. We are meeting them at noon at the Cairns Botanic Garden's Visitor's Center cafe. We met, visited and enjoyed salads. After lunch, Anne and I began a tour of a close by region of the very expansive gardens. Tim, Anne and Ian stayed behind and visited.
The gardens feature plants, both monstrous and petite, from all over tropical regions on the globe. A special stop on the brick paths was at the Conservatory. The Conservatory is a climate controlled building containing samples of some of nature's most sensitive and exotic species of plants. It was fun to see the butterflies flitting over the many blooms. Special care has been taken to
From the Conservatory, we wound our way to the Aboriginal Plant use Garden. In this garden each plant was labeled with a description of how the Aboriginal people made use of it. These plants met Aboriginal needs for food, warfare, weaving and shelter. Nothing in nature went to waste for the original Australian native peoples. We had planned to meet Tim near an exit from the gardens at 3pm. We found him sitting on the curb, between two tourist buses. He was exactly where we had planned. We made our way back to the car. On our way home, we found ourselves slowing occasionally for school zones. The primary grade children were heading home at this hour.
Tonight was a second evening out for dinner in Cairns. The hotels along the wharf all have restaurants and shops which open to the foot traffic on the boardwalk. This hotel has a restaurant called Mondo's. Mondo's has tables available on the wharf. This allows us to eat at the railing edge. Large commercial tourist craft float tied to a pier. They are a short distance from us on an adjoining wharf. The boats are all alight in their canons and on their decks.
Each of the Mondo's tables has a handled tray containing forks, knives and napkins. The end of the wooden tray has a large number. Our table is number 49. After selecting a table and reading the menu, one then walks to the counter, at the rear of the open front, to order and pay for the meal. You give the clerk your table number. When prepared, the food is brought to your table.
Our table was next to an outdoor gas heater. The warmth from the propane flame took the chill away from the soft evening coastal breeze. The wait for our food was short and we all enjoyed our meals. This had been our second night time visit to Cairn's wharfs. I wondered what the wharfs might look like when viewed in daylight.
We were home at White Rock by 8:30pm. Tim invited me to join him with a gin and tonic as the three of us sat for a game of pinochle. Anne took the match. We were all in bed by 9:30pm.
It is Thursday, August the 3rd. The 6:30 morning sky is crystal clear and bright blue. I sat with my tea at the patio table. My iPhone has a recorder App.
Our Jetstar flight was delayed for 11:45 to a 12:20pm boarding. I was in seat 15A, near the window. Anne was in seat 15B. The flight was comfortable. I looked down through the broken clouds and saw patches of the vast, barren wasteland. My eyes searched for roads, or other evidence of organized life. I quickly found dozing t be a more rewarding pursuit of my time.
The cloud cover had become complete as we began our decent towards Adelaide. As we flew through the clouds, I wondered if we would come out of them before we crossed the Adelaide hills. We did. The hills were to our left. My first impression was of the very high density of homes. They formed an undulating blanket over the once baron stretches below the hills. This ground cover was of single story homes and it went for miles uninterrupted, except for the occasional four lane highway.
Lonely, open, green sports parks began to appear. Soon we were passing over the vast parklands of the more central Adelaide. The city's business district rose with its structures and gave me the impression of looking at a distribution bell curve. From my viewpoint the buildings rose gently from single story up to high-rise, and then back down again on the other side.
The touchdown was smooth on the currently dry tarmac. We taxied to the Jetstar terminals. The plane found slot #26., the last one on the terminal. The airport is very modern in its multi-branched terminal format. Our flights of years ago had brought us to a single ground level, open hallway building. From a service retrospect view, it had been a really backwoods terminal. Much like what we had been used to at Medford. Today's Adelaide terminal could be on the cover of Architectural Digest. It has been gorgeously constructed.
Roger and Cherri met us in the terminal as we were walking towards the baggage claim. In Australia, one doesn't need a boarding pass to go through security. Their security check is the same as for those who are boarding a flight, but this allows non-fliers to see family or guests to their gate. This is a customer friendly idea.
Roger and Cherri have been dear friends since our days of teaching in Adelaide. We have shared several visits and a couple of trips together. Roger's vocation was banking, and Cherri's was in nursing. Our two children at the time, Elise and Chris, shared primary school together. Through them, friendships were made.
While we lived in Adelaide, a handful of close friends wanted to get together weekly to play cards. The evening of the weekly games had been a matter of some consideration. I was decided that Thursday evening would be the night for
The Thursday night home of the week was on a rotation. Snacks and drinks were brought to each game, along with a mason jar holding progressive winnings. Spouses often shared in the games. The choice of the game to play was dealer's choice. We came up with some real wildcard wonders.
I digress about the poker nights because after we had been reintroduced to Roger and Cherri's home, and we had our luggage put away, Roger reminded me that we had arrived on a Thursday. And you know what that means. For four decades now, the Thursday night poker games have been carrying on. A couple of the players are newbies, being only a couple of dozen years old at the table. However, the mainstay is from the original core of players.
Tonight the games were at Chris and Rosie Bassett's home in Kensington. Pat van der Sommen was there, too. Dave and Brian have been players for many years. The games were all familiar, in the back of my mind. The guys knew I wasn't in favor of wildcard games, so the exposure to them was minimal. Roger loaned me a portion of his jam jar of change to play with. I only had paper bills. Chris kept our supply of munchies alive with a variety of chips, crackers and cheeses. After a couple of hours the clock was moving towards late. Roger and I had both done well. This had been a very fun return to the days of yore.
Friday morning we all got a lazy start on the day. We ate, and we looked out at the gloomy, chilly day. This would definitely be an inside day. Anne dug out the
Beer and wines are not sold in grocery stores. To buy ale, you need to drive to a bottle shop. Roger said we need to go to Uncle Dan's. This store must have a quantity of every beer made in the world. The selection of wines and spirits was extensive, also. A six-pack of respected, quality crafted ale may cost $11 on the market shelf in Oregon. A six-pack of that same ale in Australia may cost over $30. Everything in the bottle shop was very dearly priced. Roger found a nice beer on special for $12 for a six-pack. We bought some, and left for home.
Saturday morning Anne and Cherri wanted a ride uptown so they could do some shopping. Anne wants to find a pair of Ugg boots for our great granddaughter, Zola. This winter she will be one and a half years old. After lunch, Roger and I are invited to visit with John Mignone, in Plympton. We drove the ladies into town and returned home to set up the Webber for Cherri to barbecue a roast leg-of-lamb for dinner. With that done, we grabbed lunch and then we drove to John's house.
John is a geologist. We met as teachers at Para Hills High School. We became fast friends. John continued as an educator, but he moved from schools to the State Lands Department of South Australia. He has much enjoyed his work, and he is very near retirement. A few years ago, John looked for an away-from-work adventure he could get involved with.
John was introduced to replica car construction. As kids, we have all built plastic model cars. Well, John's new venture takes kit building to a grand new
John had spent a month's service leave in Queensland when he assembled the SLC. Technicians at the import center had the tools, and they assisted John when needed. Thirty, twelve hour days later John was ready to trailer the car to Adelaide. Craftsmanship in construction and the finish detail of the SLC is superb.
John demonstrated for me how to climb into the SLC's confined cockpit. Once inside, he took me for a drive. John first warmed the engine while still in his garage. He then made a casual lap around a couple of neighborhood block before we headed for downtown Adelaide. At idle in the garage the powerful engine's exhaust spoke to the walls of how it might feel were it to be released. The engine’s high performance cam caused it to shake the car, and its exhaust rumble deafened the ear.
The twin seated cockpit sits you close to the floor, with your legs out straight. The seat is not uncomfortable but there is minimal headroom. The car has a wide stance. The streamlined roofline closes in snuggly. The seat back presses against the aluminum wall of the engine compartment. The torque of the V8 is huge. The time in the low gears is short. The cockpit noise is loud. The car is designed and
John is not finished. He is currently building his second high performance car. This one is a replica of the Ford GT40. The GT40 is also a rear engine car. It is powered by a Coyote SL V8. John has been asked, “Why are you building another car?” He said his response has been, "Because I can." The Ford GT40 is produced by Absolute Pace. John's home in Plympton presents a street presence which is very much like that of his neighbors. It is exciting to think that after walking through the home's attached carport, that the garage at the back of his property houses two of auto racing's icons.
Sunday in Adelaide was a wet and chilly day. The adult Lange children were going to come for a barbecue lunch. Elise would come with her and Andy's son, Jayden. Andy works weekends, so we won't visit with him today. Michael will arrive with his wife, Stephanie, and their son, Nate.
Roger, Cherri and Anne prepared a three meat lunch, with lamb chops, hamburger patties, and sausages. Broiled potatoes and green beans capped off our plates. Michael, like his father, is a collector of fine Australian wines. Roger's temperature controlled cellar holds 50-60 dozen bottles. Michael's wine cellar is around three times that size. From this collection, Michael brought a couple of bottles to share with lunch. We all enjoyed a great visit and a superb lunch.
After a bit of an early evening rest, followed by a soup supper, Roger and I took on the ladies at pinochle. A couple of "shoot-the-moons" later, Roger and i were able to retire with grins. “Maybe tomorrow, ladies.”
Wine, wine and more wine. The Barossa Valley, north of Adelaide, was the first to put South Australia on the world's map for fine wines. Rolling hills that used to be dotted with sheep are now gracefully lined with vineyards. Today, Roger took us for an afternoon drive on the back roads to the south of Adelaide. We
One of the oldest establishments in Mclaren Vale is Oxenberry Farm. The farm was established by a couple of Devonshire farmers in 1840. Today, the farm caters to the whole family needs with food, B & B, and wine. Roger favors a sparkling red which Oxenberry produces. He is out of this wine, so we stopped to re-stock his cellar.
The Oxenberry tasting room hostess came from Italy. A lady in her mid-thirties, she was very knowledgeable of the grape varieties and of the wines they produced. We tasted half a dozen wines. All of them were very full flavored, and distinctive. This had been a fun stop.
Roger drove further into the hills. He enjoyed driving his Audi RS3 through the hill’s many curves. We pulled into an outlook on a bluff. From this park, we
Down from the hills we drove alongside the Adelaide parklands. Roger pulled to the side and offered us a photo op of what used to be the Queen Victoria Hospital. Much has changed. The five story hospital building has been converted into a high rise apartment complex. The building is significant because the Queen Victoria is where Matt was born. It seems that royalty is in our family, as I was born at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, in San Diego.
The parkland forms a wide, green rectangle around the original city of Adelaide. The manicured and lightly timbered grassland is home for much of South Australia's sports. A large rally course has been built in the park. Each year the city trucks-in and rebuilds the audience seating for some 120,000 race fans. When the races are over, the stands come down, and they are put back into storage. Many citizens contend that the stands should be left up to serve the various other field sports. A squabble continues.
Chris and Rosie Bassett invited us for supper. We loaded into the Audi at 6pm and we drove to the Bassett home in Kensington. It was a wonderful evening. We three couples shared stories of our travels. Hors d'oeuvres and champagne opened the evening with a standing visit in the kitchen. Chef Chris was aproned and he was monitoring the preparation of his meal. Rosie gathered us to the dining room. It was around 7:30pm. French onion soup was the first dish. That was accompanied with French bread. Chicken cacciatori was served as the main course. Chris had prepared several side dishes. Banana cake was brought in at the end. White and red wines kept stories going during the meal. Decaf coffee capped the sitting. Napkins were re-tabled, and good nights were said at 10:30pm. We were well set for bed upon arriving home.
It only just occurred to me that the days seemed odd since we had arrived down-under. Sunny, early morning brightness through the bedroom curtains was absent, so was the 9pm dusk. We are stuck in the middle of winter. This condition will change back to summer in a week's time.
For years, Roger's hobby has been sports car racing. He has built a few racing cars, mostly Triumphs, and he has won many track trophies. The racing spirit is entrenched. Roger has many friends he has made over the years who keep him engaged in racing affairs. Thursday morning he took me to meet Kevin.
A couple of years ago, Kevin, and three of his collaborators, decided they were going to jointly build street ready sports cars. Each would construct the
In each of their garages, they began creating. The four men had different skills which assisted in the building in different ways. Initially, Kevin constructed a scale model of the chassis out of baling wire. That sounds silly, but you would need to see the 1/4 scale model to believe what it showed. The structure needed to be strong enough to pass the stress testing it would need to pass to be licensed in the country. The model was a success. The chassis followed the wire frame design. The chassis’ were built using precision cut and welded tubes. Each chassis is a maze of triangular shapes. Torsion tests were conducted by the inspectors, and the chassis' didn't flex a bit.
Kevin and his mates have built every piece of their vehicles, from the ground up. Each step needed to pass a state transportation department inspection. They built molds which they then used to make the fiberglass body sections. To meet strict emission tests, Kevin has his 5L Ford V8 fitted to run on propane gas. The motors were tested, and they produce 430 horsepower, with 370 foot pounds of torque. They hope to have the cars on the streets by December. This Elfin is going to be a collector's item. The car will weigh-in at 670kg, or 1,477 lbs.
On the return from Kevin's home, Roger drove us out Main North Street to Enfield. I looked up and discovered we were parked in front of 10 Sattler Terrace.
I got out of the car and I walked the street in front of the home. I used my IPhone to get a couple of shots of the house. The tenant of the home saw our activity and he came to the porch. I introduced myself and I asked about changes that had been made to the home. All of the remodeling Anne and I had done remained in place. Nothing had been done to further improve the home during the last 40 years. This visit had been a nice surprise. We found out when we got home that Anne and Cherri had also stopped at 10 Sattler Terrace. Great minds.
Tonight is poker night. Cherri is making fish & chips for dinner. The table is set for five. John Mignone will be joining us for dinner.
John and Anne got reacquainted. We had a busy time visiting as we ate. John recalled times we had shared in the past. A favorite was the couple of weeks that he and I had enjoyed when we drove to Cobber Pedy. We had spent a couple of days noodling in the refuse piles that were created by the opal mining digs which surrounded the community. Cobber Pedy is also where he and I got to spend some time camping in the Tunnel Motel. This was a series of small rooms which had been bored alongside a 12 foot tunnel. The tunnel had been carved into a sandstone cliff. We had all have had some great times with John.
Roger is the host for cards tonight. He had planned to have only members
The five guys spread their coins among each other at the table. We each took turns winning and losing a variety of poker games. The ladies visited cheerfully in the living room. The evening wrapped up around 10:30pm. There had been no clear winner, or looser in tonight's battle. Cherri and Roger served decaf coffee and tea. We sipped, while we ate delicious walnut Kahlua cream cake, topped with kiwi fruit.
This was the last time we would see our friends while on this trip. We all found it difficult, and a bit awkward to say our good nights. We did a quick clean-up and then we went to bed.
Roger and Cherri began getting ready for their trip today. Roger's brother, Graham, and his wife also live in Adelaide. They had offered to dog-sit the pet schnauzer for the duration of the trip. The doghouse, pads and blankets were packed into the trunk of the Triumph. I rode with Roger to deliver Fanta to her temporary home.
Eric and Carmel Bogle are Roger and Cherri's neighbors. The Bogle's have landscaped and decorated their home in a Japanese motif. We were invited for afternoon tea on Friday. Eric was born in Scotland and moved to Australia at 25. He is one of Australia’s most popular singer-song writers. He writes folk songs. His most famous is, "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda". This is a song about the Australian's fighting in WWI.
The Bogle home is beautifully laid out, and they have collected a museum of Japanese art, including: paintings, pottery, brass works, and wood pieces. Carmel prepared snacks and she served us wine. Our visit extended from 3 to 8pm. Carmel will look after her neighbor's home while they travel.
Saturday broke clear and warm. Nothing special was planned until the evening. Roger and Cherri each have a senior bus pass. The pass lets them ride the city transit for free. I borrowed Roger's card and I walked to the #13 stop, on
The Rundle Mall begins at Pultney Street and goes for many blocks. The mall is created by stopping Rundle street traffic, and creating a walking-only avenue. The foot traffic was heavy. The most active shops and malls in Adelaide are on the Rundle Mall. Within every block there was a musician playing guitar, woodwind, or some exotic instrument. The mall had protesters with poster boards. Some of the shops had store front barkers cheering the passing public into their stores.
I had a BLT Subway sandwich at a food mart. I then walked back to the bus stop on Pultney Street. I waited only a few minutes before a W91 bus pulled up. The bus would return to 6th Street. I just had to watch my street signs. Once on 6th Street, I asked the driver to stop at #13. When he did, I thanked him and left. In a short two blocks walk on Battam Street, I was once again home at #84.
Stephanie, Michael and Nate live in a two story home in Atholstone. We had a 6pm date with them for dinner. Cherri drove us in her VW Golf. Roger and I sat
Stephanie and Michael prepared a scrumptious steak, with a leak and carrot sauce for the dinner. A fine red wine graced the meal. A lemon popover, with a side of ice-cream, capped off the dinner. After dinner, we sipped a bit of Mango Liquor. We had enjoyed a warm and pleasant evening.
Monday morning rang early. Our plane to Singapore leaves at 9:10am. We were ready to leave the house at 6am. We didn't have space in the car to carry luggage. Roger had arranged with Eric and Carmel, next door, to shuttle us to the airport in their two cars. We checked in, and got through security with plenty of time for breakfast.
When Anne and Roger were booking flights for our travel, they found a significant cost difference between American prices for tickets on flights leaving from Adelaide, and those purchased in Australia for the same flight. Roger was able to book business class seats for a small amount more than we had paid for cattle car seats. Our price for business class
seats would have been a couple of times more that the coach tickets. What this means
is, Roger and Cherri flew the several hours to Singapore in Singapore Air business class seats. Anne and I enjoyed the pleasantries of cattle class. It should be noted, however, that economy class seating, and its service, on Singapore Air is worth writing home about. The seats had plenty of knee and leg room. We were served a breakfast sandwich, and later a choice of beef or chicken luncheon. Wine, coffee, tea, or soda was complimentary. Damp, hot, face cloths were supplied to freshen up before each meal. Yes. We were happy with cattle class on this airline.
The plane landed in Singapore at 2:30pm. We had filled out declaration forms while still on the plane. The wait in line for the passport check took about half an hour. At the agent's counter, you put your thumbs on a screen. This took those prints, as well as a face photo. The data is now on file in Singapore.
Our bags by now had been removed from the belt. They were waiting for us when we got to baggage claim. Service is a prideful thing in Singapore. We wished to take a taxi to our Holiday Express Hotel. There were taxi guides at the airport exit door to lead you to the cab. It took two cabs to get us to the hotel. The fare was under $25 for over 20 kilometers of distance. We were checked into our rooms by 4 o'clock.
Our hotel is in the center of the Singapore shopping district. So, after making some plans for what we would do tomorrow, we set out for a walk of the shops. Actually, Roger and I found an ale house that provided pints at sidewalk tables. We sat for an IPA, while Anne and Cherri scouted the stores.
It was dark outside for our short walk back to our hotel. The sidewalks were still very full. Vendors had set up sidewalk shops. A bird uses the sidewalk trees to roost. The chirping noise they make is like that of a gully-full of crickets. The sound was intense. We learned later that they had been Myna birds.
Singapore has over 6 million people. It is a triangle shaped island off the tip of Malaysia. The developed land is built vertical. Virtually everything is high-rise. The Singaporeans are very efficient. Much of the outer walls of the street-side buildings featured enormous, live, full color video display ads. It was an entertaining evening’s walk back to the Holiday Inn.
London has the Eye. Singapore has the Singapore Flyer. The Flyer is Asia's largest observation wheel. When seen from a distance, the Flyer looks like a Ferris wheel. Up close, it is 541 feet to the top. Each carrier can hold 28 riders. We snagged a container having just six other riders.
The Flyer is in the heart of the bustling Marine Bay tourist area. The ride lasts half an hour, as it slowly climbs, peaks and descends. Views of the city-scape are unobstructed.
The experience offers breath taking sights of Singapore.
From the Flyer, we could see the expansive green of the Gardens by the Bay. This was to be our next sightseeing stop. The Garden's is a collection of trees, shrubs, and flowers from around the world. There are two main structure attractions. They are the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest. Both buildings are built of seven-story high glass, with white steel ribs. Maximum light is offered to their residences.
The Flower Dome is a world of perpetual spring. It has the cool conditions of sub-tropical Mediterranean regions. The dome hoses 30,000 plants, of over 150 species, across nine gardens. It includes a South African garden, an Australian garden, and a Californian garden. There were African Baobabs, thousand-year-old olive trees, and many more. The flower field contained the orchid extravaganza. There were hundreds of orchids, from all over the world.
The forest also has many gardens. The Secret Garden features moisture-loving plants. Pre-historic fern species live in a misty ravine. There is a treetop walk, and there is a zone featuring an Earth Check. This is a floor area which highlights man's impact on the earth's environments. The Cloud Forest holds many amazing plant secrets.
After visiting the two feature buildings, we stopped for a late-lunch break. Hot dogs and ice tea was on the menu. We then walked to the Garden Station, where we could board the mobile-audio tour of the entire Gardens by the Bay. The open sided car-train wove around, and through gardens and forests from around the world. We saw the Chinese Garden, the Indian Garden, the Secret Life of Trees, The World of Palms, and the Malay Garden. Each garden was huge, and densely planted.
One significant and unique feature of the Garden's by the Bay is the Supertree Forest. The super trees are artificial, palm-like forms with vine growth covering their surfaces. The
super trees have a useful function for the gardens. They are built to vent air from the two domes, and they also serve to collect water. On the top of the super trees are solar panels. The panels provide energy for garden services, and power for the nightly light show. The trees are of various heights. The tallest tree is 215 feet tall.
The Marina Bay Sands is a giant hotel complex. It takes up both sides of the highway, for several blocks. There is a boardwalk along the edge of the bay. Shops and restaurants share the boardwalk. On the inland side of the highway is the most unusual building structure in Singapore. The Marina Bay is a hotel with three side-by-side, high rise buildings. Each of the buildings is 55 stories high, and the Marina Baby hosts 2561 rooms, and suites.
The enormous size of the Marina Bay Hotel is not its main architectural feature. On top
of the three buildings is a very large ship. The ship spans the three towers, and it hangs beyond each end. We didn't pay the $20 plus dollars to gain access to the top deck of the ship, but it is there for the pleasure of Singapore's most elite guests.
The Dallas Cafe is a bar on the boardwalk. It has a dozen or more tables on its open walk front. Fish & Chips, fish tacos and calamari were dishes quickly served at our table. The food was well presented, and very good.
The cost of goods is very high in Singapore. For example, the fish & Chips was $24. On top of that, there is a gratuity and a tax. To go with my meal, I ordered a glass of wine. The wine had a base cost of $12. Vehicle prices are through the roof in Singapore. There are a lot of cars on the streets, but most of them are cabs. Buses mob the lanes. Car ownership is not too common.
I needed a place to mention the high costs of Singapore, and I figured that dinner would serve as an example. I digressed, but it is an important note. None the less, the sights are worth the price of admission.
It was dark by the time we left the Dallas. At 8pm, there is a light and water show in the
bay. We found boardwalk rail space. We counted down the few minutes of wait. The near-bay lit up. Water began dancing to amplified music. Streams, bursts and sprays were lighted by bright reds, whites and blues. The program lasted 10 minutes. We had a fortunate viewing spot, and we enjoyed the artistry that went into the show.
We found our way to the Marina Bay, via a four story, high walkway that crosses over the highway from the boardwalk mall. At 8:45pm each evening, there is a light show featuring the Garden by the Bay's Supertrees. We entered the Marina Bay and passed through to the garden side. The high walkway continued for another block's distance beyond the building's exit. We waited at the walkway's end for the show to begin.
The Supertrees store energy from their solar cells. This provides enough energy to fully conduct the evening's light show. Thousands of colored lights are woven into the trunk surfaces and on the canopies of the Supertrees. As was the water show on the bay, these lights are computer controlled, and they are modulated with music that is played in the garden. There are 17 Supertrees in the gardens. Three trees stand near the park entrance. The 14 other trees are nested deep in the garden. They are the main attraction for the light
show. At 8:45pm the softly glowing Supertrees flashed to life. There were solid colors on every tree, and then some of them blinked multicolor, all over.
From our distance at Marina Bay, it was difficult to hear the music, which dictated light changes on the trees. The trees flashed for approximately 10 minutes. Three or four airplanes flew high over the garden on their way to the Singapore airport. The light show must have served as an easy landmark for the pilots.
This had been an active day. I had logged over six miles on my Fitbit. We were all exhausted by the time we arrived back at our Holiday Inn.
Tomorrow's flight was to leave at around 11:30pm. This is to be an 11 hour, red-eye to Istanbul, Turkey. We would have a one-hour layover at Istanbul, and then a two hour flight to Prague. We were flying on Turkish Air. Roger and Cherri were leaving the same time, but they are flying on Lufthansa, and they are going through Frankfurt. The dilemma today is what to do until we need to take a taxi to Changi Airport? We received a late checkout at the Holiday Inn, 2pm. The hotel stored our bags, and gave us a claim ticket. The decision was
made to visit the Singapore National Museum. We were all interested in learning more about the origination of Singapore, as a country.
The written history of Singapore may date back to the third century. Evidence suggests that a significant trading settlement existed during the 14th century. Modern Singapore was founded in 1819, when a treaty was negotiated with the British to found a trading port on the island. During World War II, Singapore was conquered and occupied by the Japanese. This was from 1942 to 1945. When the war ended, Singapore reverted to British Control. Increasing levels of self-government was being granted. This culminated in Singapore's merger with the Federation of Malaya to form Malaysia in 1963. Social unrest and disputes between Singapore's ruling party and Malaysia's controlling party resulted in Singapore's expulsion from Malaysia. Singapore became an independent republic on August 9, 1965.
The red-eye flight on Turkish Air left Gangi Airport a little late. We picked up a tailwind and landed early at Istanbul. This had been an 11 hour flight. We had over an hour to get to the gate for Prague. We followed the signs which read, “International Departure.” That’s
where our worries began.
Apparently, the Istanbul airport is open to non-travelers at the arrival gates. There was
a massive line waiting to go through the bag and metal detector check point. Boarding for Turkish Air 1767 began at 0600. There was no way we would make it through this check point in time.
At 0600, I stepped out of the line to ask an agent what we could do. He said to go to the gate, #202, upstairs. We headed that way. We immediately came to a second security check point. This one blocked our access to gate 202. We showed a crowd control agent our boarding pass. He let us through the business class security check point. We rushed to gate 202 after clearing security. The gate attendant told us we still had 10 minutes until boarding. Whew!
We then waited, and waited. English is the international language of travel. A couple of announcements were made in Turk, followed by one in English. Between the uncomfortable English translation, and the airport’s over amplified PA system, nothing in the announcements was comprehensible. Roger and I have been taking note of airport PA systems. We have concluded they are all designed and adjusted by the same incompetent firm.
I went to the gate counter and I asked the reason for the delay. I was told that the captain who was scheduled for our flight had suffered a heart attack. A substitute captain was on the way. The delay would be one more hour.
The plane eventually loaded. We were on our way to Prague, in the Czech Republic. This flight took just under three hours. We arrived in Prague at near 9am, Thursday, August
17th. The passport clearance was a short line, and we beat our bag arrival at the claim section. We then walked through the non-declaration customs and into the airport arrival hall. A woman holding a card which read, “Scenic” was waiting for us.
Scenic is the Australian based river cruise line that we have booked with for our 14 day cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam. Scenic offered a pre-cruise, three day stay in Prague. The four of us had opted for this visit. The Scenic driver would take us to our hotel in Prague. After our stay, we would be bused to Budapest, Hungary, where we would then board our cruise ship.
The woman driver said she spoke no English. She did, however, know how to move her Mercedes van through the morning traffic. We were unloaded at the Art Deco Imperial Hotel at 10am.
A doorman showed us to the check-in desk. Roger and Cherri had just finished checking in themselves. We were supposed to have beaten them to the hotel by an hour. All went smoothly. We were then introduced to Petr, pronounced like Peter, with a rolling r. Petr is our Prague based Scenic host. He will assist us with our Prague visit.
Anne and I were checked into room 314. Roger and Cherri are next door. The rooms are beautifully finished. They have rich, dark wood furniture and accents. The bathrooms are equally stately and they are fully marble tiled. We will be enjoying our few days in Prague.
Ahh, the space on a king-size bed is nice. We enjoyed a wonderful meal at the hotel’s restaurant, located next door. I retrieved the pinochle decks and we played in the lounge. While there, we enjoyed digestive after-dinner drinks. “Good night, Prague”, was said at 10 o’clock.
Anne and I were both up by 5:30 the next morning. We read for a while, and then joined Roger and Cherri for breakfast at 7:30am. The breakfast meals were included in our room fees. We had a buffet meal. The hotel spared no food options.
Petr briefed us on what we might like to see today. He suggested we buy a 24hr transit pass. The pass would be good for buses, trams, and subways. The cost was ~$6 per person. We used the yellow-lined subway to get close to the bridge over the Vltava River. This was near Narodni Divaldlo, the National Theater. From the bridge, one can look east towards the Charles Bridge. That bridge leads to the Prague Castle. This was a great viewing spot.
From the theater we then walked towards the Charles Bridge. On the way, we came upon many fantastic old buildings, and many monuments. We also came to the Beer Museum. Now, this Roger and I needed to see. It turned out to be a well featured pub. None the less, it had some photo ops, and it served some excellent draft IPA.
We were told by Petr that visiting the Charles Bridge was on a par to seeing the Statue of Liberty, when seeing New York. The bridge was constructed by King Charles IV. Construction began in 1357. The bridge was completed in 1402. This bridge was the most important connection between Prague Castle and the cities of Old Town. The solid land connection made Prague important as a trade route between western and Eastern Europe. Today, the bridge is pedestrian only. The views from the bridge are captive. Today the traffic on the bridge was shoulder-to-shoulder. Many sketch artists set up stalls to market their art. Jewelry stalls were also popular. The Old Town Bridge Tower greets visitors as they come from Old Town towards the castle. The sides of the 10m wide, arched stone bridge have 30 statues. Most of the sculptures were erected in the 15th and 16th centuries. They depict various saints venerated at that time.
From the Charles Bridge we followed the crowd to Old Town Square. At one o’clock we will be able to see the hourly performance of the Astronomical clock. The clock was first installed in 1410. This is the oldest clock of its kind still working. The astronomical dial represents the position of the sun and of the moon in the sky. Each hour two doors open and you see “The walk of the Apostles.” These are
sculptured figures of the Apostles and other noted figures. The square was packed solid for this performance.
Anne and I wanted to return to the hotel for a rest. Roger and Cherri continued on to Jewish Town to see the once very wealthy section of Prague. On the way, we spotted the Powder Tower. We knew we weren’t lost. At the Palladium we stopped to by some trdelnik, a sugar coated cylindrical pastry. This was Anne’s treat. My treat, upon reaching our home street, was a stop at La Republica, the nearby brewery. I had a dark beer, and Anne enjoyed a diet coke.
At 6pm we all met in the hotel meeting room for a briefing of the Scenic Tour portion of our Prague stay. Petr showed slides of the schedule of events. The first being an 8am bus ride to the Prague Castle. I had reserved an 8:30 dinner at the hotel restaurant. We passed some time before dinner with a game of pinochle.
We were up early Saturday, and we all met for breakfast. The bus ride would take us to the Prague Castle, which is on top of the tallest hill, across the river. From the drop off point we would be walking. The castle is where the President of the Czech Republic stays when he is in town. To enter the palace grounds we all had to be cleared at a police metal detector station.
The entire castle complex consists of several palaces, and building add-ons which have taken place over the centuries. We toured much of the complex which is now occupied by the current administration. Adjoining the castle is St. Vidus Church. We spent a few minutes inside the church, and we also got a good look at many of its outside features. The tour included a stop at a café for coffee and apple strudel. This gave us a rest before we began our climb down the cobblestone paths leading towards the Charles Bridge.
The views from the tables of the café looked down over the tiled red tops of the apartment complexes below the castle grounds. The path to the bottom took us through the St. Vidus vineyard, Prague’s oldest. The vines were individually grown on stakes. This was not a large vineyard, but it grew both red and white varieties.
When we reached the bottom of the hill, Petr announced that he had a special treat for us at the corner park. We all gathered near him and he brought a supply of one-ounce cups from his backpack. After some ceremony, he produced a bottle of plum brandy. Petr poured each of us a shot. He had us all wait to toss it down together. This we did, and we all swallowed, and then we gasped. Brandy is the traditional Czech toasting drink. Petr had showed us how the toast was performed.
With our sinus’ cleared, and our stomachs warmed, we proceeded our walk to the bridge. As it had been for us yesterday, the bridge was packed. Today, however, as we slowly crossed the bridge, we were given a briefing by Petr on the history and on the cultural impact that the bridge had made.
After the bridge, we were introduced to several curiosities of the Old Prague. We were shown a café with the skinniest door in the city. We sat a display of two statue men standing in a shallow pond. The outline of the pond had the shape of the Czech Republic. The two figures are urinating in the pond. This piece of art apparently has more than one social commentary being made by its creator.
Our walk ended at the Old Town Square. We arrived just before 12 o’clock, so we were again able to witness the ringing of the Astronomical clock. Petr explained how the creator of the clockwork had been blinded after the clock’s completion. This was done to him so that he could not duplicate the special mechanism for any other monarch. We were also told of the meaning of the many figures attached to the clock’s edges.
Bus, tram and subway routes have been constructed to cover all parts of the city. There are still lots of cars, but fees for parking, even on your own street, will minimize their ownership. The streets in Old Town Prague are all cobble stone. The stones are granite. The sidewalks are stone piece work, also. Two inch square stones, white or gray, are set in sand in mosaic and block patterns.
Or guide, Petr, briefed us a bit on the communist rule of Czechoslovakia. He was in his teens near the end, and he spoke of how students rallied against the domination. He became very emotional when talking about how, under communism, one had no decisions to make about their responsibilities. You knew exactly what was expected in your conduct. He feared that much of the Czech society lacks a desire to be self-responsible, today.
There are churches everywhere in Prague. But the citizens of the city are not very religious. The cathedrals of old are magnificent buildings; standing out above the constant four to five story height of the red tiled roofs of the rest of the city. The drab, communist era complexes line the outer, newer streets of the city. I noticed as we were being shuttled from the airport to our hotel something very nice. The streets were lined with the drab, communist era apartment buildings. They were all gray cement, and they lacked any architectural niceties. With rare exception, however, the windows were all draped with lace curtains. I saw only a couple of windows covered with blinds. I guess that this said to me that the occupants had pride in how their home was presented.
Today, August 21, 2017, there is a total solar eclipse occurring over the mid latitudes of Oregon. Today we are aboard a luxury bus on our way to Budapest. Including rest stops, the trip will take us about eight hours. We will lunch in Bratislava, the capital of Slovenia, and we will dine in Budapest, the capital of Hungary. In one day we will have had three meals, one each in the capitals of three countries.
Four lane, divided highways wound over and around low forested hills. We glided past the occasional open field. We will see 550 kilometers on today’s trip. The bus cruised at a near constant 100kph. Its air suspension floated us over the road’s dips and swells.
Bratislava is the newest capital city in Europe. We stopped to eat lunch at a restaurant above the Danube River. We were served noodle soup, salad, chicken breast
and wine. The restaurant is next door to the Bratislava Castle. Lunch was pre-arranged for us to eat between one and two o’clock. Budapest was a short drive from Bratislava.
Budapest is actually two cities. The Danube River divides Buda from Pest. In many years past, the royalty occupied the hillsides neighboring the Danube. The Castle is built on the tallest neighboring hill which affords it a view of the lands below. The Pest side of the river is flat and it was used for agriculture.
We boarded our cruise ship, the Scenic Pearl, at 2:20pm. Our cabin assignment is 204. Roger and Cherri are across the hall in cabin 203. Each cabin has a computer/TV wall monitor. On the monitor were welcoming words for the Duncan's. Included with the welcome were some specs on the Pearl. The ship is 135m long x 11.4m wide. It has 2.5
decks, plus a sun deck. There are 10 suites, 74 cabins and 28 crew cabins. The ship can carry 167 guest and 47 hotel crew. The Pearl can travel at 22 km/h maximum speed. It is very modern in its amenities, as it was built in 2011. The cabins have a king sized bed, wall closets and a comfortable bathroom, with shower. Each cabin has its own private outside patio.
The computer publishes each evening the schedule of events for the next day. These include meal times, and their locations, scheduled tours, and free-time hours. Today, Tuesday, is the first full day on the ship. Of the three Scenic tour choices for today, we chose to go on the Hospital in the Rock tour.
It was discovered many years ago that the Buda hillside had been vastly tunneled by
seeping water. Early on, these tunnels were kept secret and they were used to store food surpluses and other items of value. During the years of WWII, the tunnels were cleaned out and fitted as a hospital. The hospital served up to 200 patients. Soldiers wounded in ground
battle, as well as civilians wounded during air raids on the city, were transported to the tunnel hospital. The hospital was equipped with state-of-the-art medical hardware. Generators provided electrical power, and there were three different sources of water, so necessary for sanitary needs. Many thousands of lives were saved as a result of the underground hospital.
During the height of the cold-war era the communists controlled Budapest, and all of Hungary. The underground hospital was fitted to be able to survive the nuclear threat at the time, a 15 - 20 kiloton atomic blast. Multi-level carbon filters were installed to clean incoming air of its radiation contamination. Doctors were issued radiation suits and breathing masks. It has been recognized that the tunnel network does not run deep enough to be able to provide any semblance of protection against the use of any of today's atomic threats. For that reason, the Hospital in the rocks has been permanently converted to a history museum.
If it were not for the European Union, Hungary would be bankrupt. Budapest is a
major manufacturer of automobiles. The most significant vehicle is the Skoda, by
Volkswagen. Agricultural products are a large part of the economy, as well.
We returned from the morning tour at 12:30pm. Each guest is issued a 2"x2" name tag which can be scanned whenever you leave the ship. You scan again when you return. A computer then keeps track of who may not be on board when the ship again sails. Even
with the tag recording system, there is no guarantee each guest will actually use it. Passengers have been left behind in the past.
Everyone must be aboard by 4:30 this afternoon. We will begin our cruise. The first city we will stop at will be Vienna, Austria. Of the European capitals, Budapest and Vienna are the two which are closest together. We pulled away from the moorings at four forty. Slowly we made our way up stream and out of the urban Budapest shoreline. Soon, only trees and the occasional private boat ramp were seen along the shore.
Last evening the Captain announced that he was going to pilot the ship upriver, circle the island, and then return. He was going to do this after dark so we could experience Budapest on the Danube at night. The lighted shoreline was beautiful. Ornately designed and ancient buildings, which looked weather
beaten and in need of a power-wash in the daylight, cast away their pallor and shone brightly aside their darkened neighbors. The castle on the tall hillside presented a bold and powerful presence. The cathedral spires reached into the heavens, and the building of the Parliament would make the tax payer's feel proud of their contributions.
The cruise to Vienna will take us overnight. I awakened Wednesday morning with an unusual sensation. We had stopped moving. The time was 5:15am. I got up, put my jeans on and went upstairs. We were waiting to enter the first lock we were to go through on the Danube. On the Danube we will go through 16 locks. This first one is the tallest. We will be lifted over 62 feet. All of the locks on the Danube are lifting locks. That is because we are traveling up stream, against the current. Once we entered the lock, it took one hour for the end gate to be flooded and for the lock master to lower the top section. With the top lowered, the ships
can pass. The traffic signal at the end of the dock turned from red to green. We were on our way once more. We would go through one more lock prior to reaching Vienna, Austria.
This was our first full cruise day. We docked in Vienna at 3:50pm. We dressed for going out this evening and we ate an early dinner. J.J. is our cruise director. He is from Bulgaria and his name isn’t really J.J., but he long ago picked up those initials because no one in the Scenic Company could pronounce his real name. J.J. gave us a one hour slide show and talk of all of the tours we could choose from during the next two weeks. At the end of his talk he passed out form sheets for us to make our tour selections. Thankfully, he also advised us that these selections may be changed by us later.
After dinner we were bussed to Palais Liechtenstein, the Liechtenstein Palace. The palace has a concert hall and we were being treated to a classical music concert. This was an event exclusively for the Scenic Tour group. We entered the palace after crossing 100 yards of open, graveled space, which followed the gated entrance at the street. Inside, we climbed 54 steps on a two-leveled stairwell. Twelve feet wide, the 18 inch deep steps
were richly colored marble. At the top we entered a large room filled with chairs and a stage. The ceiling had a large, domed fresco painting. The fresco was too high above us to be able to tell whether it was painted trompe l’oeil on a flat ceiling, or whether the ceiling was actually domed.
The orchestra had ten members. They were all in their thirties and forties. The concert master was the number one violinist. The performance was introduced by a hostess. She presented a preview of each of the songs, and a little history of the piece's composer. There were pieces written by Mozart, Strauss and Beethoven. My favorite was the Blue Danube, by Strauss. Two of the songs were operatic. The orchestra was outdone by the woman's voice. Boy was she strong!
The next day's tour was of the Schonbrunn Palace. This was the summer residence of the Habsburg dynasty. The house of Habsburg was one of the most influential and outstanding royal houses of Europe. The throne of the Holy Roman Empire was continuously occupied by the Habsburg's between 1438 and 1740. At its height, the dynasty
ruled Austria, Germany, the Holy Roman Empire, Sicily, Naples, Spain, Hungary-Croatia, Bohemia and Portugal. The House of Habsburg became extinct in the 18th century.
Anne and I took the bus for the tour of the Schonbrunn Palace. It was about a 20 minute trip from the dock, where the Scenic Pearl was tied, to the Palace bus stop. A tour guide was on the bus for the ride to the palace. She spoke of the many landmark buildings we were seeing as we coursed our way to the drop off point. The palace was extremely elegant in its architecture. The front is covered by a tall, rod fence with swinging gates. Inside the boundary is the court yard. The court yard is flanked on both sides by long, single story buildings. The buildings connect to the enormous, four story palace by means of arched passages. The passages lead, on one side to the service staff's quarters. That building housed approximately 1000 staff. The same passage leads to a carriage path which ran through and around the 400 plus acre rear garden. The carriage path links around to the arches on the other side of the court yard.
The inside of the palace speaks volumes of the enormous wealth of the Habsburg
family. Gold trimmings shine everywhere. It is said that the gold was rolled so thin that only 2 kilograms were actually used to cover the trim. The ground level hallways are laid with 8 inch diameter, octagonal end cuts of oak wood. The octagonal pieces are placed side by side so they tessellate to create a mosaic. The reason for the wood tiles is that the carriage wheels created just too much noise on cobblestone when they were driven through the palace.
Cameras were not permitted to be used inside the palace. It is possibly because visitors would become frustrated trying to capture the wonder of the ceiling art, the wall art and paintings. There was just no end to the richness of the rooms. One room was constructed of Brazilian Rosewood. The delicate piecework of the walls, and the artistry which merged with the wood is estimated to cost well over one million dollars if replicated today.
The palace is Vienna's most popular tourist attraction. After the guided tour through the palace, Anne and I took the 40 minute "train" ride on the carriage path around the rear garden. We discovered that the carriage path served to provide access points from the forest to feature spots of the vast garden. Statutes, fountains, ponds, lawns, maize and
the Emperor's breakfast room at the far rear of the garden needed to be serviced daily. Wild boar was hunted in the adjoining forests. Nothing was spared to the Habsburg's when this was constructed.
Following lunch on the Pearl, the four of us played pinochle at a table in the ship's River Cafe. We have attracted several passengers who are curious about the game. The majority of the Pearl's guests are Australian, and apparently pinochle is not a common card game. Prior to dinner we were treated to entertainment. This evening in the Pearl lounge we watched Rendezvous Viennese - Vienna waltz dance course. This presentation was well choreographed and it was a beautifully costumed dance performance. The pair of dancers demonstrated several different waltz movements. Naturally, the dance form was exaggerated for show, and not movements which would be seen on your typical dance floor.
After tonight's dinner we were treated to live music in the lounge. We shared the dance floor with a couple of movements of our own. This had been a busy and fun day.
During the night we sailed. In the morning found ourselves docked at Durnstein. There was opportunity after breakfast to do a walking tour of the small village. This is a one main street town with lots of shops selling Austrian clothing. I have been recovering from a stomach bug and I stayed on the ship. Anne took a short walk down the Durnstein main street. At 11am the Pearl departs Durnstein for Melk. On the way we will enjoy views of the Wachau valley.
Melk, Austria is a village of around 5,000 inhabitants. It is a very old town, going back
to Roman times. Melk received its name from the Slavic word for slow running stream. Melk is home to a Benedictine abbey. The abbey is part of a castle. Both the abbey and the castle sit on a rock ledge which overlooks the village below. Tall stone walls enclose the castle's complex of buildings.
For art experts, and for anyone with a sense of beauty, the monastery in Melk is a must see. Melk is a masterpiece of the typical Austrian period of art: the Baroque. The great strength of the architect was in his ability to so suit a work of art to its natural surroundings; that the creation blends with its environment. Art and nature convey an impression of unity to the observer. Contrary to other Baroque monasteries, the Melk church clearly dominates the entire complex.
The monastery is primarily a museum. Monks at St Benedict have lived and worked here for over 900 years. The monastery has two duties: on the one hand education and on the other hand are parish duties. In the monastery the monks run a public secondary
school. The school offers classic and new language diplomas. As well there is a branch of the school that concentrates on studies other than languages. The school currently has 33 classes with a total of 860 students. Tuition is paid to attend the school. It differs from open public schools in its requirement that religious studies are included as an obligation.
school. The school offers classic and new language diplomas. As well there is a branch of the school that concentrates on studies other than languages. The school currently has 33 classes with a total of 860 students. Tuition is paid to attend the school. It differs from open public schools in its requirement that religious studies are included as an obligation.
From the Melk Abbey we bused to the approach to Castle Aggstein. At the castle we walked into the main court yard. Here, we were seated at picnic tables beneath cover. This was a beer stop. We were shown some entertainment by an accordion player. There were good views of the river valley from the outer castle walls. After the short respite we were driven back to the ship. At 6:30pm we departed for Brandstaff.
We cruised all night and docked at Brandstaff at 7:30am, on Saturday morning. Today is going to be a very long tour day. Following an early breakfast, we climbed aboard one of the four Scenic Tour buses and began the two hour ride to Salzburg, Austria. Salzburg, like many of the cities on the Danube, is divided by the river. There is an old Salzburg, and there is a new Salzburg. The buses dropped us off in the new Salzburg. We were committed to walking.
Salzburg's number one son is Mozart. We were led by a tour guide who pointed out the many featured and historic buildings in the city. Mozart was born in the old city side of Salzburg, but he chose to live as an adult as a new city residence. We walked across the pedestrian bridge to the Old Town. The first thing we faced in the old city is a very busy street. Once across the street, however, we would no longer need to worry about traffic. Old Salzburg is the home of the oldest pedestrian-only street in Europe. The pedestrian path opens, by means of many vaulted passages, to adjoining streets and shops. The single highway is on the perimeter of Old Town. It runs along the river. Access to the inner passages by vehicles is done by the keyed lowering of road barriers.
During the early years of Salzburg, very few people knew how to read. Shop owners hung metal signs which had the name of the shop, for those who could read, and the signs displayed artful designs which depicted the kind of product they sold. With this method, shoppers could see a sign over a shop that contained an image of a pretzel. Those who were more literate would read the name of the bakery. Many shops today still wave the metal signs over their entrances. It is forbidden for the shop to remove these historic marquees.
It would be expected that Salzburg would host a famous classical music festival, given it is the birthplace of one of times greatest composers. The heritage of the city around Mozart is tourist worthy. However, an American creation is the reason for perhaps a greater number of Western tourists. This creation is a Hollywood movie depicting the Trapp family. This portrayal was done in the movie, The Sound of Music.
Rudy, the tour guide from our Scenic bus, walked us through the gardens featured in the movie. He pointed out the many buildings which were backdrops during the filming. The
Sound of Music is very much a highlight of Salzburg’s recent history. After the walking tour of the Old Town, we were bused to a restaurant which sat high on the side of a hill in the neighboring Austrian Alps.
This restaurant had been reserved exclusively for the lunch of the Scenic Tour group. The vista from the balcony of the restaurant commanded a complete view of Salzburg. When we entered the restaurant we were greeted by hosts wearing lederhosen. They held trays with mugs filled with Austrian ale. We were each given a mug of ale and we were welcomed to find a seat at one of the long communal tables. We were served a chicken lunch, with as much ale as we wished. Or, if you preferred wine, there were bottles of that on the tables. The lunch was wonderful, but we were still in for some entertainment.
Near the end of our table there is a stage set up with chairs for an orchestra. After we had eaten our apple strudel, we were given a musical treat. For our exclusive enjoyment, a ten piece orchestra, together with singers, put on Sound of Music. The songs were beautifully done. The introductory song was, The Sound of Music. A six member youth choir participated with the lead female singer on a couple of songs. A musician came into the room carrying a long Alp Horn. He accompanied the orchestra on a piece. Another solo musician came to the stage and played a song on a Jew's harp. The female lead singer, together with the youth choir, gave us a three minute yodel accompaniment. The program included dancers. A favorite of all of ours was the male, female duet of the song, Edelweiss. In the spirit of World peace, the orchestra finished the program with a rendition of Holy Night.
While we were touring Salzburg, and enjoying our special lunch, the good ship Pearl sailed from Brandstatt to Vilshofen. We were bused on different roads for the couple of
hours it took us to reach our temporary dock. The ride gave us a chance to witness the beautiful, stunningly green rolling hills of this part of Austria. We passed through small villages. We rode alongside acres of corn fields. There was not a single farm site that was cluttered by hardware or old discards. These hillsides could indeed have been the inspiration for the Trapp family's music and for the creation of The Sound of Music.
At 4:15pm the Pearl departs for Regensburg. This would be an all night cruise. We were given our daily port talk with J.J. He outlined the schedule of events aboard the ship, and of our activity options for tomorrow. This had been a very long day of activity. We enjoyed a late dinner and we retired early.
There were two options for tours today. One was a tour of Weltenburg Abbey. This would involve a bus ride to and from the abbey. The second tour was presented to us as a casual walking tour of Regensburg. Anne, Roger and Cherri chose the coach trip to the
abbey. I chose the casual walking tour of our host city.
abbey. I chose the casual walking tour of our host city.
Regensburg, Germany was originally established by the Romans during the 1st century AD. The Roman Legions set up its northern most outposts on the Danube River in 179. This important camp corresponds to what is today the core of Regensburg's Old City. In 800 AD the city had 23,000 inhabitants and by 1000 AD Regensburg had almost doubled to 40,000 people. In 1096, on the way to the First Crusade, Peter the Hermit led a mob of Crusaders that attempted to force the mass conversion of the Jews of Regensburg. They killed all who resisted.
Between 1135 and 1146 the stone bridge across the Danube was built at Regensburg. The arched stone bridge was designed by Roman engineers. This bridge opened major international trade routes between northern Europe and Venice. This began Regensburg's golden age as a residence of wealthy trading families. Regensburg became the cultural center of southern Germany. It was celebrated for its gold work and its fabrics.
Regensburg was home to both a Messerschmitt aircraft factory and an oil refinery. These both were bombed by the Allies in August of 1943. Both targets were badly damaged, but Regensburg itself suffered little ruin. Regensburg's slow economic recovery after the war ensured that historic buildings were not torn down, to be replaced by newer
ones. When the upswing in restoration reached Regensburg in the late 1960s, the prevailing mindset had turned in favor of preserving the city's heritage.
The walking tour was completed by 2:30pm. We were left on our own by the tour guide when she completed her talk at St. Peter's Cathedral. This is Sunday, August 27th. The only shops open today are souvenir stores. I had half an hour to retrace the walk back to the ship. At 3:15pm the Pearl was sailing to Oberwasser. We would join up with the abbey bus tour at the new dock site. I had timed my walk back to the ship just right. I was about 50 yards from the ramp when an enormous thunder boom violated the dock. Large drops of rain immediately began to come down. I jogged the final 25 yards to cover.
The Weltenburg Abbey, founded by monks in about 620, is held to be the oldest monastery in Bavaria. During the first half of the 8th century, the abbey took on the rules of the Benedictine order. By 932 at the latest, the abbey was under control of the Bishop of Regensburg. It was not until the 18th century, that Weltenburg Abbey rose to prominence.
The current monastery courtyard with its Baroque buildings, the highlight of which is the abbey church, dedicated to Saint George, was built between 1716 and 1739.
The Pearl sailed through the night. At some point we transferred to the Main-Danube Canal. The canal is man-made and contains several locks. Mid-morning we came to the tallest lock on the trip. This was a downstream lock, so we were going to be lowering the ship to match with the water on the other side. The drop was 30m, or ~98ft. When the levels were the same, the lock's gate rose up. As we passed beneath the gate we were greeted with a significant amount of water which was dropping from the gate.
At one point on the canal the ship passed over a four lane highway. The cars passing beneath the ship looked completely normal. I wonder what thoughts a driver may have had as he glanced up and saw a ship floating overhead. The port of call this afternoon is Nuremberg. We had played some pinochle, and we had eaten our lunch by the time the ship floated to its dock.
There are three choices for tours today: A Nuremberg WW2 tour, which will cover some of the social and political reasons for the war; Tastes of Nuremberg, is a bus and
walking tour which will capture some of the key sites of the city; and the Gingerbread cooking class, which will combine some walking, together with a kitchen experience making and baking some gingerbread treats. Anne, Cherri and Roger selected the Gingerbread cooking class. I am suffering with a bit of a stomach bout, so I chose to stay aboard the ship and rest and read.
The origins of Nuremberg go back about 1000 years, to when a fortress was first built by the then emperor, Henry III. The location of the fortress was at the intersection of several important trade routes. This led to the rapid growth of the town, which sat below the castle walls. Nuremberg became an Imperial Free City in 1219. From 1424 until 1996 the German crown jewels were kept in the city. Hitler's Nazi party considered Nuremberg to be the ideal venue for its annual rallies. This partly explains the merciless Allied bombing of Bavaria's second largest city after 1942. The result was that 75% of the
Old City was reduced to rubble. After the Nuremberg Trials of the main Nazi war criminals ended in October 1946, the city began a major reconstruction program.
Enjoy an evening to remember at Portobellos. We were invited by the Pearl’s restaurant manager to join a few other couples for a dinner at Portobellos. Portobellos is the front most section of the lounge. Each seat has full frontal and side views of the passing countryside. The meal is a specially optioned six course event. The dinner offered a choice of wines with each course and there was full attention given to every detail. Each course was presented as a work of culinary art. I was presented a special Happy Birthday cake. The staff surrounded our table and sang the song. They then all shook hands with me. When asked if I would like the cake cut into quarters, I asked them to cut it into enough pieces so that all could share. I don't think the staff really appreciated that request, but I received several “Thank you” visits when the party was over.
At around 9am the Pearl arrived at Bamberg. Bamberg is a city of 80,000. In 1007, the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry II, made Bamberg a family inheritance. Henry II ordered the
building of a new cathedral, which was consecrated in 1012. For a short time Bamberg was the center of the Holy Roman Empire. From the middle of the 13th century onward, the bishops were princes of the Empire and ruled Bamberg. They oversaw the construction of monumental buildings. In the 17th century there were about 1,000 victims that were claimed during witch trials in Bamberg. Under the rule of Prince-Bishop von Dornheim the trials reached their climax in 1628. The old town of Bamberg is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, primarily because of its authentic medieval appearance. Any new construction, or remodeling, needs to comply with strict adherence to the medieval architectural style.
We were guided on a walking tour of Old Bamberg, where we visited; the Bamberg Cathedral, the Prince-Bishop's old residence, and the Prince-Bishop’s rose garden. Bamberg is home to the Smokey Beer brewery. That's not its actual name, but that is how its ale is described. The guide, a student at the university in Bamberg, claimed that one
either loved the taste, or they hated it. The story goes that the brewery caught fire, in its early days, and the barley was badly damaged by the smoke. The brewery was repaired and, because the barley was such an expensive commodity, the brewer used the damaged goods. Apparently he received enough raves that he was encouraged to replicate the smoke damage and to produce more of the ale. It probably doesn't need to be noted that I was going to have to taste some of this Bamberg ale.
The guide took us to a few more scenic spots. He then left us with instructions on how to find our way back to the buses. We were shown where we could stop for refreshments. Roger and I chose an outside seating spot and ordered some ale. Roger chose a half pint of golden ale and I selected a quarter pint of Schlenkerla Rauchbier, the Smokey Beer. The ales were received well, and we ordered a second round. By this time the ladies had returned from a short shopping tour. We had the rest of the afternoon as leisure time on the ship. We lunched and played some vigorous pinochle.
The ship sailed all of Tuesday night. On this section of the river, we will pass through over 30 locks. On a couple of occasions we have had to pull over and wait for a barge to pass the lock coming toward us. This has meant that we have traveled fewer miles, over a longer period of time. The Pearl is scheduled to stop at Wurzburg at around 11am this morning, Wednesday, August 30th. Here we have the option of either a guided tour of Rothenburg, or of a tour of the Bishop's Residence, followed by wine tasting. One of the
tours will return to the ship at 4 o'clock. It will then sail on to Flusshaffen. There the ship will stop long enough to pick up the members of the other tour. We just finished breakfast. Anne may take a break for a rest day. I haven't decided which tour I would like to attend, if either.
We arrived at the docks at Wurzburg at 11 o'clock. Our morning aboard the Pearl was for our leisure. At 10am, Chef Budi conducted a cooking class in the lounge. The Chef made bread pudding. His class was well attended. Roger and I sat to the rear of the lounge and did the daily crossword puzzle.
Our tour choice today has been decided. We are going to visit the Wurzburg residence of the former Prince-Bishop. This palace is one of the most important baroque palaces in Europe. It is on the UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage list. The palace took sixty years to complete; the shell of the palace was built from 1720 to 1744, and the interior was finished in 1780. From an entry hall, into which carriages were drawn, there is a 75 step world-famous staircase. The staircase is roofed by an unsupported vaulted ceiling. The ceiling fresco measures 18x30m and it represents the earth's four continents (Australia was not
known to exist at the time). This fresco is one of the largest ever created. The rooms on the second floor were for the comfort of visiting dignitaries. Each of the rooms had been decorated, by design, to convey powerful, controlling thoughts to the minds of its visitor. The rooms had full-wall tapestries of scenes of battles being won by the Prince-Bishop's forces. These tapestries are of priceless value, and they were beautiful, rich displays.
There is a total of over 40 rooms in the palace. They contain a rich array of furniture, tapestries, paintings and other 18th century treasures. As it has been with all of the palaces we have visited, we were not allowed to take photographs. Even if we could have taken pictures, there is no way the total grandness of the rooms could have been captured.
Below the front courtyard of the Wurzburg Palace is the palace wine cellar. The entrance is through a side door. You carefully step down a steep staircase into a tunnel labyrinth that has been finished with stone on the walls and ceiling. There are no lights in the tunnels. The halls are lined with very large, oval shaped oak barrels. Placed on alternate barrels are lighted candles. The candles serve two main purposes. The first being a source of light, and the second being a source of life. The candles are placed on the barrels at a height which is at the wine makers shoulders. If the candles have been extinguished, it is not safe to be in the tunnels. A natural by-product of fermentation is the creation of carbon dioxide. This gas is heavier than air so it settles atop the floor. If the candles are not lighted, this means the gas has risen to a dangerous depth. Vaulted window can be opened from the outer courtyard to create a draft to purge the cellars.
The wines produced in the palace were one of the Prince-Bishop's most valuable commodities. Each season, the surrounding hillside vineyards produced several varieties of white wines, as well as a few reds. White wines are more tolerant of the climate of this latitude. The cellar has a formal tasting room which was used to host guests to samples of the stored treasures. The main tasting room is now a roped off museum. We were shown to a second tasting room. This one which is meant to provide taste samples to visitors from Scenic Tours.
The vintner, a white haired middle aged man, has been our tour host in the cellars. He seated us in the tasting room. While his two maids served us wine, he talked about how one goes about measuring the quality of the varietal. Basically, what it came down to was, if you liked the wine you were drinking then it is a good wine. This man didn't believe in all of
the foo-foo descriptions which were spieled by most wine experts. We were poured three different white varieties. They were all dry, and they were all 2016 wines. The bottles of wine could be purchased at the tasting room. The white, Silvaner 2016 varietal was available for 11 Euro. This was a very nice wine.
Following the wine tasting part of the tour, Anne and Cherri stayed in Wurzburg to shop. Roger and I caught the 4 o'clock bus back to the ship. The ladies would be bused to Flusshafen, where the ship would pick them up at 5:30pm. We were stuck in a queue of barges at one of the locks. As a result, the ship was late to arrive at Flusshafen. We greeted the exhausted women when they finally boarded. Each was toting a shopping bag. Cherri had found a teddy bear for a soon-to-arrive new grandchild. Anne had found a bottle of 2015 Silvaner wine from Becksteiner Winzer. She paid 4,95 Euro for this bottle.
Our next stop is going to be Freudenberg. On the way, however, we stopped at Collenberg. This was not a planned visit, but the ship had an emergency. One of the passengers required transport to the hospital. There were two barges tied up at the pier at Collenberg. The Pearl had to dock on the river side of one of the barges. The ambulances
arrived, as did a fire engine. There was lots of walking about on top of the covered barge. In a few minutes a second fire truck drove to the dock side. This truck was a ladder truck. The ladder truck planted its feet onto the ground, and it swung its long, extendable ladder across the barge. The basket at the top of the ladder had a stretcher mounted to it. The basket was lowered to within just a couple of feet above the deck of the barge. A precession of helmeted firemen came from the lobby door of the Pearl. They walked across the top of the barge towards the ladder basket carrying a stretcher. The precession had the identical appearance of six men carrying a coffin. The ill passenger was wrapped with a blanket. The firemen carefully lifted the stretcher onto the basket. The basket, with the attached stretcher, was then raised and swung around to behind the ladder truck. Lowered, and removed from the basket, the sick man was transferred to a gurney. He was then carted to the waiting ambulance. The sick passenger may be able to rejoin our voyage. The Captain of the Pearl had to make a decision regarding when to remove the man from the ship. We all hope he
comes through in fine condition. The Collenberg fire department's service had been an important and real rescue exercise.
It was noon on Thursday, August 31st, and we had arrived at Freudenberg. We had had a free morning aboard the ship. The excitement of the hospital transport, which happened in Collenberg, was talked about as we played pinochle in the rear lounge. Yes. The girls won, again.
Today we were being hosted to an Octoberfest luncheon in Freudenberg. We walked the short distance from the dock to the restaurant. Lederhosen, Alpine hats, a guitar and an accordion greeted us at the front door. The hall was lined with long tables and benches. We had no sooner sat, than a woman, dressed in Bavarian costume, brought steins of beer to our table. We toasted one another, and we drank. We were enjoying pale ale. The servers anticipated our need for refills and brought us fresh steins. Sausage, kraut, sliced potatoes and chicken breast was
on the plates brought to us for lunch. It seemed we had just finished our breakfast, and I wasn't too hungry.
While we ate, and drank, songs were sung and instruments played. The troupe marched up and down the aisles. When the meal was finished, we were served apple strudel. A couple of guests were selected from the audience to participate in entertaining contests. This was an enjoyable way to spend a few hours for lunch.
At 2:15pm the Pearl untied and set out for Rudesheim. Freudenberg was to be the last Bavarian city we would visit. We are currently on the Mein River. The shores are mostly completely lined with low bush and small trees. The water's edge is covered with stones. The stones often are standing pads for water birds. We are passing through a lot of locks on the Mein. These locks are all quite shallow, from 3 to 4.5m of height change.
We must have been thinking on the same wavelength. One evening I had asked Chef
Budi if it would be possible to tour the galley. At the time, Budi told me to just stop by after a meal, he needed more dishwashers. We were invited to stop by the reception desk today if we would like to tour the galley. I collected four tickets for a 3:30pm visit.
Chef Budi is of Southeast Asian descent. He has an excellent command of the English language; however, his speech is much accented. For this reason, Budi is a bit hard to understand as he quickly, and proudly tells us about the workings of his domain. He has a staff of ten, cooks and assistants, with him for each meal. Each team member has a specific assignment in the preparation and plating of the dishes. The wait-staff needs only to pass by the preparation tables to pick up their meals. The waiters are in one door, and out another.
The entire food service team is trained at the beginning of each cruise. Budi demonstrates how each menu selection is to be presented on the plate. He is able to create
rapid and artfully prepared dishes for each meal. The galley is top to bottom stainless steel. Budi and his core staff work over 12 hours per day. As soon as the tables are cleared from the breakfast meal, lunch preparation begins. And then it is on to the dinner prep. The chef's day begins at around 3 o'clock in the morning.
Every evening there is entertainment in the lounge. Usually it is some music. Tonight, at 5 o'clock, we were treated to Germany's most famous Zither player, Tomy Temmersen. There are said to be five top, professional Zither players in the world, and we shared one of them. Tomy's grandfather and his father also played the Zither. This is how he began. Tomy was gifted his first Zither when he was 6 years old. He studied at music school and received top marks.
Tomy described playing the Zither as being the same as playing three guitars at the same time. It is a very difficult instrument to play. The left hand fingers the fret board, as it
does with a normal guitar. The right thumb strums the five melody strings. The first two fingers of the right hand play the high note cord strings, while the last two fingers strum the base strings. There are 42 strings on a Zither, 5 melody and 37 accompany strings. Constructed of wood in 1928, Tomy's Zither must be tuned prior to playing. The wood is very sensitive to temperature and humidity changes. Tomy played 16 songs during his visit. His genre included traditional polkas, folk songs and favorites. If it can be played on a string instrument, Tomy can play it on the Zither. My favorite songs were Lara's Theme and Edelweiss.
Sometime during the night we transferred from the Mein River to the Rhine River. So far, from Budapest, we have gone through 68 river locks. Now that we are on the Rhine, we will pass through no more locks on our trip to Amsterdam. The Captain advised us that, if we were to notice daylight conditions in the middle of the night, it was because we were sailing past Frankfurt. The metropolitan's city lights will turn the night into day.
Rudesheim am Rhein is a wine making town in the Rhine gorge. The town belongs to
the Frankfurt Rhine Main Region and is one of Germany's biggest tourist attractions. Only the Cologne Cathedral draws more tourists from other countries. The area was first settled by the Celts, then after the turn of the Christian era it was occupied by Ubil and later by Mattiaci. In the first century, the Romans came along. Rudesheim had its first documentary mention in 1074. Its livelihood came mainly from wine growing and shipping. Shipping was particularly timber rafting on the Rhine. Rudesheim lies in the north-west corner of the German wine producing region Reingau. Riesling grapes are the main type grown in this area. Very high quality white wines are produced in the Reingau region.
This morning we boarded a road train and we rode to the Siegfried's Musikkabinett Museum. This is the first German museum for data-storage musical instruments. We were shown some of the history of self-playing music and its instruments. We saw gentle musical clocks and instruments like the orchestrion, which weighs tons. The instruments in the museum cover four centuries of invention. There was even an instrument that played a collection of eight violins. The strings were bowed, and the frets were automatically touched.
All of these instruments used some form of rolled, punched paper scrolls.
Following the museum visit, Anne and I rode the cable car to the top of the adjoining hills. The two passenger buckets carry you high over the hundreds of acres of vineyard. We were able to capture awe-inspiring panoramic views over Rudesheim's Oldtown and the shimmering waters of the Rhine. Tour boats and barges appeared as toys floating on the massive river. At the top of the lift, we took a short walk to look at the Niederwald Monument.
The Niederwald Monument is located in the Niederwald landscape park. It overlooks the valley of the Rhine and it was built in the 1870/80s to commemorate the unification of Germany. This celebrated the foundation of the German empire after the end of the Franco-Prussian war. The first stone was laid in September of 1871 by Kaiser Wilhelm I. The total cost of the work is estimated at one million gold marks. The monument is 125 feet tall.
The afternoon sky is bright and blue. If you sit out of the breeze, then the air is warm. Earlier this morning the river surface was lightly covered with a layer of steam caused by the chilly air over the warm water. We arrived back from the museum and the cable car trips to a barbecue lunch on the sun deck of the Pearl. The staff went all out to set up this luncheon.
Chicken, snags, salads and ice cream were available. Wine, ale or water could be used to compliment the meal.
The Rhine Valley has steep hills on both sides. The tops of the hills may be no more than 600 feet high. The faces of most of the hillsides have been cleared long ago of any shrubs and timber, and they have been re-planted with grapes. Some of the vines are on slopes so steep one might require training in mountaineering to harvest them. Every few kilometers along the river there is a walled castle complex built atop an isolated hilltop. Many of the castles are still in classic form on the outside. Some, have been adapted to a B & B format. It is thought that the castles had been built at such a spot whereby they can view the adjoining castle to either side. This meant that there are a lot of castles on the Rhine.
As a transport route, the Rhine has served as a link between the southern and northern halves of the continent since prehistoric times. This has enabled trade and cultural exchange, which in turn led to the establishment of settlements. Condensed into a very small area, these subsequently joined up to form chains of villages and small towns. For over 1,000 years the steep valley sides have been terraced for vineyards. The landscape is punctuated by some 40 hill top castles and fortresses. These have been erected over a period of around 1,000 years. Abandonment, and later the
As a transport route, the Rhine has served as a link between the southern and northern halves of the continent since prehistoric times. This has enabled trade and cultural exchange, which in turn led to the establishment of settlements. Condensed into a very small area, these subsequently joined up to form chains of villages and small towns. For over 1,000 years the steep valley sides have been terraced for vineyards. The landscape is punctuated by some 40 hill top castles and fortresses. These have been erected over a period of around 1,000 years. Abandonment, and later the
Did I mention that there are castles everywhere? The Pearl docked at Braubach pier long enough for the guests to leave the ship. We were taken by coach to the Marksburg castle for a mid-evil dinner, with entertainment. I'm amazed at how the coaches can make it around some of the very tight curves on some of the mountain roads. We dashed through the town of Braubach and climbed to the foot of the castle. We needed to walk, read here climb, up a double, saw-tooth road to the entrance hall of the castle. Inside the outer wall, we continued to climb. The path was over very irregular stone. Finally, we had arrived at the inner courtyard. Here, we split into two groups; one group continued on with a walking tour of the castle, and the second group, of which I was a member, retreated to an upper courtyard for the wait.
We were afforded a very broad view of the valley and of the city below. Maidens mingled among us. They either offered refreshments, or they strolled while playing ancient musical instruments. The wait went by fast, and the touring group returned. We all gathered in a great-room for the dinner. We were seated at long tables that had raised center pieces. The bulk food dishes would be placed on the centers.
Entertainment continued in the dining hall. A musician with an instrument, like an early
guitar, strolled and sang. A maid with a harp sat at the front and strummed a couple of tunes. There was great fanfare as two men came into the hall carrying a roasted pig, on a plank. They set the plank on a table and one of the men carved a piece of meat. A guest was chosen to come to the front by the carver and to taste a piece of the meat. The chosen one deemed the meat ready to be served.
Platers of meat, vegetables and bowls of greens were brought to the centers of each table. Maids served us wine, ale or mead. And we ate. Music was played during the entire time of the meal. After dinner, there were a couple of interactive vocal pieces with some of the guests. One man was chosen to assist a maiden who was going to perform some athletic moves, while atop a table. While the man lay on the table, and supported the maid’s shoulders, she did some
inverted, vertical shoulder stands. The dining hall was full, and the noise levels were high. The entertainment was enjoyable, and the food was sufficient. We had experienced a full evening of ye olde times.
Humans have pondered the inception of the world and of their own origins since time immemorial. The various interpretations have been set down in the sacred narratives forming part of every culture. In these versions of Creation, deities, or superhuman beings form the world out of chaos, creating the sea, mountains, plants animals - and, finally humankind.
Mere 16 bones made up the mysterious finding discovered by workmen clearing Feldhof Cave, in August, 1856.The bones were immediately identified as human remains. Little is known about the circumstances surrounding the finding. The skeleton is said to have been lying on its back and buried 60 cm deep in the cave's clay. The head was pointing
towards the cave entrance. We know, today, that bones of the same species found in the Neander Valley, near Dusseldorf, Germany, had already been discovered before 1865, in Belgium and Gibraltar. These fossils, however, were largely ignored. The Neander Valley bones, however, known as Neanderthal, became famous because their find coincided with Charles Darwin's pioneering work "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection". Following Darwin's theory, the Neander Valley find was soon cited as crucial evidence that humans, too, had evolved from primitive ancestors.
Overnight, the Pearl had sailed to Cologne. We had traveled 180 kilometers on the Rhine since yesterday morning. Following breakfast, we climbed aboard a coach and drove a half hour to Mettmann, Germany. In Mettmann is the Neanderthal Museum. The museum is in the Neander Valley, and it is located near the site of the actual discovery of the cave bones.
We had a guide for our tour of the museum. The museum gives a background of the migration of people, from the savannas to the modern cities, with emphasis on
Neanderthals. Exhibits in the museum cover four floors. Following ramps, we were taken through five histories of the evolution of man. The first theme was "Life and Survival", followed by "Tools and Knowledge", "Myth and Religion", "Environment and Nourishment", and finally, "Communications and Society". Each theme was supported by life-size models, bones and artifacts. Scenes depicting the themes were wonderfully done.
Neanderthal man has been dated to have existed some 40,000 years ago. He is known, technically, as Homo sapiens neanderthalensis. Other fossils have been found, in other places. Some have been carbon dated to have lived as long ago as 1.7 million years. At some time in the past, primates began to walk upright. The search for that first specie's fossil is being conducted. If, and when it is found, we will have the Darwinian
transitional link between primates and mankind.
The ship cruised through Saturday and docked in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, at 7am on Sunday. Amsterdam is our final cruise destination. We will conduct a 4 hour tour this morning and we will have a good-bye dinner tonight. J.J., the cruise director, has prepared color coded luggage tags for everyone’s suitcases. A time sheet tells us what colors are to be set in the hallway, and at what time. The sheet tells each cabin number what their transfer arrangements are, and when that will happen. Cabin #204, Rob and Anne’s, is a gray tag. We set out bags at 0800, and we meet our taxi at 9:45am. I'm telling you. The Scenic cruise staff has been on top of everything, and they have made the cruise stress free for us newbies.
We boarded our tour bus at 9 o'clock. The first stop was at the town of Edam. On the way, the tour guide told us about the construction of the dykes, which hold back the sea
water. She explained how the salt water lakes, which resulted, were drained. Canals were dug and they were eventually filled with salt-free water which had seeped through the soil beneath the lakes. There is something like 250 kilometers of dike protecting the drylands.
Behind the dikes there are two types of land; the highland, and the lowland. The highland is protected by the dyke, and the lowland is a region which is four meters lower, still. Farming is a primary industry. The Netherlands, aka Holland, is known for its cheeses. Dairy farms have many acres of fields, each separated by a canal. The fields have herds of cattle, mostly Holstein.
We’ve all heard of, and eaten Edam cheese. We were taken on a walking tour of the city of Edam. This was our introduction to the Netherlands. The streets are narrow, and they are cobblestone. Homes are mostly two stories high, and the majority of homes have brick fronts. The brick fronts are secured to the timber behind with ornamental lag anchors. Each
home will have several lags of a given style on its front surface.
In Edam, each street runs parallel to a canal section. The ground between the canal and the street is nicely landscaped and it presents a tree-lined avenue. We didn’t enter any stores, but we passed a couple of stores that had a few dozen bricks of cheese stacked behind the front windows. They made an impressive display.
We were told of a plight the dairy farmers once had. It seems that the government passed a law that set quotas on the volume of milk each dairy could produce. The farmers were in an uproar. They had to throw away gallons of quality milk, because production was exceeding their quotas. No one at the State House was listening. So, the farmers collected their forbidden excess gallons and they carried it to the government square. At the square, they dumped their milk. The government soon reversed the law, and once again the Netherland dairymen could use all of their milk to either sell, or produce cheese.
The Netherlands is infamous for its windmills. Our bus tour left Edam and we traveled further into the rural country. We stopped near a village that was home to a few of the remaining, and functional windmills. There are only 13 windmills still functioning in the Netherlands. The country originally had 1,000 windmills. From 1850 onward, steam engines
took over the work of the mills. We visited one windmill in particular. This mill has been used since its beginning, as far back as 1600, as a grist mill to produce paint pigments. It used the wind to turn the many thousand pound grinding wheel. Wood, which had colors which could be soaked out were dried and ground to pulp under the wheel. Many ores create unique and consistent colors. They were ground with the wheel and the resulting powder was mixed with linseed oil. This colored mixture was then marketed as paint.
The sails on the windmills are made of a timber frame and they are covered with fabric. The fabric can be skirted off of the frame when the mill is at rest. A lever inside the windmill is used to engage, and disengage the sails. The sails often have special colors. They can be seen from miles away,
Dikes, canals and windmills aren’t the only things the Netherlands is known for. On our way back from the windmill visit, we stopped at a clog museum. Wooden clogs, emulating a Dutchman’s common footwear, have been worn at least once by many people around the world. The museum displayed many hundreds of clogs; colored and plain, new and worn, and sizes to fit all that were for sale. A young craftsman displayed how the modern clog is made. He started with a soaked 4x4 piece of lumber. He mounted the wood on a lathe. The lathe used
a pantograph arm to trace over a finished clog. The pantograph hardware then controlled the lathe, and how it cut the outer shape of the clog. A second pantograph piece of hardware was use to bore out the inside of the clog. Once the clog had been shaped and sized, the end of the clog, which had been connected to the lathe, was trimmed with a blade. There. The left hand clog is finished. Now, load the right had templet and repeat the machining. It is interesting to note that if the worker had no need to stop and explain what he was doing at each step, he could, in a few minutes, produce a pair of clogs.
We were told that the new clog quickly became comfortable to wear. Because the clog is not held on the foot at the heel, there is little opportunity to walk with them and not be dragging the clog. This places a timeline on the life of a given pair. Active wearers can see a couple of months before they need to be use for kindling on the next fire. No one has come up with a successful way to re-tread a wooden clog.
Our tour guide pointed out that Amsterdam and Venice, Italy were cities alike. She noted that Venice may have as many as twice the number of bridges as Amsterdam. But Amsterdam had a big lead in the number of canals. This Scenic tour of Amsterdam, and its surrounds, has been enjoyable and very enlightening.
Our Scenic Tour officially ended on Monday, September 4th. We had had a farewell dinner on Sunday, and at 8am on Monday we were to be clear of our cabins. Our gray tags pegged us for a 9:45am taxi to take us to our Amsterdam hotel. We will be staying a couple of extra days to see more of this city. We booked rooms in the Altana, Room Mate Hotel. We had rooms 912 and 914. However, the rooms wouldn’t be available to us until 3 o’clock this afternoon. So, what shall we do to pass some time?
After receiving instructions from the hotel’s front desk, we left on foot to find a canal cruise boat. We needed to walk from the hotel to the Central Station. This is the hub center for buses, rail and trams. We could see on our map exactly how we were going to cover the several blocks to our end. What every visitor to this fine city needs to know is, “Look out for the bicycles.” Some years ago, Amsterdam dedicated marked paths beside each road for two-way bike use. The city has built multi-story parking garages for the bike riders. The city has very stringent rules about using bicycle parking spaces. You must use a padlock, and you can’t leave your bike longer than 14 days. What happens with a violator? The bike gets hauled away and it becomes scrap metal. All of this is to say, everyone rides bikes.
The bikers rule the bike lane. If you are crossing the lane when a bike is near, you are
putting your bipedal mode of transportation in severe jeopardy. Some bikers show the courtesy to ring a bell to warn you. Most don’t. The walk to the central station was precarious at each intersection.
We made it unscathed to the dock where we would board a city canal cruise boat. The name of the cruise line is Lovers Canal Cruise. The cruise this afternoon was popular. We sailed with all of the seats taken. The boat moved slowly up and down the city canals. The boat captain kept us apprised of the histories and features of passing structures. I think we got a better handle on the spirit of Amsterdam as a result of the Lovers cruise. This had been a fun way to spend a few hours. Well, dodging the bike riders wasn’t that much fun.
We were veterans by the time we had returned to the Altana Hotel. Our rooms were ready, and we moved in. On our walk, we had located a couple of options to the hotel for our dinner. We had our meal and then we looked for a table in the hotel where we could play some pinochle. We ended up using a table at the far end of the dining room. We played a couple of games. The guys went to bed disappointed with their performances.
Amsterdam, like all world centers, has many museums. Vincent Willem van Gogh (30 March 1853 – 29 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-
Van
Gogh sought to record the common man and the common scenes. The most comprehensive primary source on Van Gogh is
the correspondence between him and his younger brother, Theo. Their lifelong friendship, and most of
what is known of Vincent's thoughts and theories of art, are recorded in the
hundreds of letters they exchanged from 1872 until 1890. Theo van Gogh
was an art dealer. He provided his brother with financial and emotional
support, and access to influential people on the contemporary art scene.
Van Gogh was unsuccessful during his lifetime, and he was
considered a madman and a failure. He became famous after his suicide, and he exists
in the public imagination as the quintessential misunderstood genius. He is the
artist
"where discourses on madness and creativity
converge". His reputation began to grow in the early 20th century as
elements of his painting style came to be incorporated by the Fauvist and German Expressionists. He attained widespread critical, commercial and popular
success over the ensuing decades, and is remembered as an important but tragic
painter, whose troubled personality typifies the romantic ideal of the tortured artist.
Van Gogh painted a lot of self-portraits. He also practiced
hard on still life. A few of his nicer pieces were of landscape, in bloom. The
method of short strokes, using contrasting colors was a new form which
unfortunately wasn’t appreciated during his lifetime. We all gained a good
insight into the life of this prolific artist.
On Wednesday, we used our purchased tickets to visit the
Rijks Museum. The ij in Dutch is pronounced like a, in day. So Rijks is
pronounced like rakes. The Rijks Museum contains art work from 1100 through the
20th century. Paintings,
sculptures, delicate wood carvings and
Rembrandt are all represented in this museum. We were able to compare the
defined, yet non-specific artistry of van Gogh with artists of the renaissance.
Many of the more conventional painters produced images which were so brightly
colored, and so finely resolved that they gave you the impression you were
looking at a large color photograph. This art work was stunning. A few of the
wood carvings were so intricate they left me wondering how the artist’s blades
could have possibly reached those hidden places. The use of cameras was not as
restricted as it had been in other museums. I managed to capture a few shots of
pieces I thought were special.
Let’s see. I’ve talked about dikes, canals, windmills,
clogs and artists. I have almost left out our visit to the home town brewery.
Roger and I separated from the ladies and joined a small crowd who wanted to
take part in the Heineken
Experience. Heineken is sold worldwide. They make one
beer, and they make it well. The Heineken Experience walks one through the
history of Heineken. The trip also schools the visitor on how beer is made. The
tour is in the old, original Heineken brewery. We saw the original copper vats
the brew master had used. The stables which housed the horse teams were still
occupied. Horses pulled wagons which were laden with kegs of the draft beer. At
the end of the walk through Holland’s beer history, we were treated to two
glasses of Heineken ale.
After these couple of days in Amsterdam, we had become
comfortable with the bus schedule which took us from our hotel to the central
station, and back. We had also become acquainted with the A tram’s, line 2 and
line 5, which carried us from the central station to the museum district, and
back. On our first ride on the line 5 tram, we had an incident.
The
tram was full to the time. It was standing room only. Anne had a seat which was
just in front of the swivel connection point of the front and rear cars.
She
was carrying her purse on her shoulders, like a backpack. We later
discovered
that her wallet was missing. She had been pick-pocketed. I had noticed a
younger man sitting on the swivel, accordion module directly behind Anne. Not
unusual, I had sat there once. She said she had felt a bump on her back at one
time. That was it.
Anne
had been carrying some cash, her driver’s license and a single credit card. We
found a place to sit down and consider what to do about the theft. It was a
long hike to the closest police station. We doubted they would be able to do
anything about it, other than keep an eye out for its discovery. Anne called
the credit card company and reported her card as lost. That would put a flag on
its use. The money is gone, and her license can be replaced. The experience had
dampened our adventure. It showed, however, that one always needed to be
cautious with their possessions.
Roger
and Cherri had visited Amsterdam a few years back. This is a very liberal and
open society, the Dutch people. Marijuana is legal to consume. Prostitution is
also a legal vocation. When they were here last Roger had walked
the Red Light
district of Amsterdam. I was surprised, but not really, to notice that the Red
Light district was actually a section of the city that was noted on the city
map.
Being
the friend that he is, Roger wanted to take me on a window shopping stroll
through the Red Light district. We got off the bus at the Dam transfer station.
This was a spot on the main route which entered the Old Town of Amsterdam. Foot
and bike traffic was heavy. Many on the sidewalks were shoppers. Some, like us,
were visitors. Roger was, pardon the pun, following his nose. He thought he
remembered we should just walk down this way. Maybe it had been that way. The
streets had been built for carriage use. They were all cobblestone, and they
were all narrow.
Roger
had recalled that the brothels were identifiable by the window front displays.
He described the windows as being a looking glass into one’s future. Fully
naked or partially clad women would stand behind the glass and present their
wares to the passing public. He said, it was just like the finer museums.
Taking pictures was strictly not allowed. Well, we walked down this street, and
that street. We never came upon any special window displays. We did, however,
walk past a wine store, and I had noticed a butcher store. That had been the
closest we had come, today, to a meat market. This, “while in Amsterdam”,
experience had failed.
We
had walked from the Dam bus stop back to the central station. We picked up a
ride on bus #48 and rode it the several blocks back to the stop near our hotel.
The
law says that if your vehicle has a top speed of 35mph, or less, then you don’t
need to wear a helmet. Some scooters fall into that category. The bike lanes
are busy with scooters. I asked a taxi driver why the more powerful scooters
couldn’t just get on the paths, and not be wearing a helmet. The helmet wear
required scooters had a police observable sticker on them. Roger pointed out to
me that the very small electric cars can also use the bike paths. In fact,
there was
a red car, parked outside the apartment building next door, which I
had seen using the path. Speaking of special vehicles, there is one type that I
have not seen on the streets. I have not eyed a single pickup truck. Pickups
were quite rare in Australia’s cities as well. I suspect that pickup trucks are
pretty much a vehicle of the America’s.
Thursday
afternoon, at five o’clock, we were leaving the Netherlands for Washington D.C.
Anne and I would have a transfer at Reykjavik, Iceland. We were flying
Icelandair. Roger and Cherri left Amsterdam at near the same time, but they
would fly through Frankfurt, Germany, on their way to Washington. They had
booked on Lufthansa. We flew through many time zones that evening. Our
deplaning at Dulles International happened sometime near 10 o’clock.
Anne
had booked a Super Shuttle taxi to take us to our hotel, the Renaissance on
DuPont Circle. We drug our luggage to the outside taxi stand. There a Super
Shuttle helper told us which van was going to be ours. Our van arrived, and we
were loaded aboard. The driver then returned to the exit door and began
chatting with the doorman who had helped us. We waited. We waited some more.
Another passenger in our van became upset about our delayed exit. I
beeped the
horn on the van. The driver came to tell us he was waiting for another booked
passenger. That was ok, then. And we waited some more. I finally got out of the
van and asked the driver to forget the tardy passenger and get us to our hotel.
He conceded to my request. While on the way into Washington, Roger called me.
They were already at the hotel.
Roger
and Cherri had waited for us to arrive at the Renaissance before they booked
in. The reservations at the hotel had been made in Anne’s name. Midnight came,
and we were finally in our rooms. We were in 946, and they were in room 245.
Oh, well.
We
met in the lounge at 9am on Friday, the 9th. Over breakfast we
decided that today we would walk to the Washington Mall. The first thing we
would visit would be the Lincoln Memorial. We each had a city map. Looking over
the map, we worked out a route to the memorial.
When
Anne and I were stationed here, in the late 60s and early 70s, we both worked
in downtown Washington. I had an office in the old WWII building,
called Tempo
E. The building was located on the mall, opposite the Smithsonian Museums. In a
couple of years, my office was moved to the new Forrestal Building. This is
where the Department of Energy is now housed. Anne originally worked in the
Russell Senate Office Building, on the Hill. She later took a job at an office
which was located near DuPont Circle. She had been hired as Office Manager for
Ralph Nader.
Both
of us remembered the Mall as being an open, grassed stretch of urban green.
Department buildings, museums and memorials were visible from the Lincoln
Memorial, at one end, over the Reflection Pool, to the Capital steps at the
other end of the Mall. That is a distance of 1.9 miles. Today, the structures
to the sides of the Mall are unseen. There is a small forest blocking views on
each side. Between the Lincoln Memorial and the Capital, there is now the large
WWII War Memorial. The Vietnam Memorial and the African American History
Museums have also been added.
As
we strolled from New Hampshire Boulevard to 23rd Street, towards the
Mall, we were lost. This entire area had once been filled with one and two
story,
brownstone buildings. They all had walkup steps fronting the sidewalks. The
streets had been busy, yet one had the feeling there was an openness. Today,
all of that is gone. The entire area is packed with eight to ten story office
and apartment buildings. The streets are busier, and there is a closed,
claustrophobic feeling when walking the busy sidewalks.
Nearing
the Lincoln Memorial we passed the Kennedy Center, and some building where I
had once attended a two week class, which had been titled, Flaps and Seals. The
entrance to that structure is now guarded by armed police. I wonder if the
building is still being used by the CIA.
The
siren blare of ambulances seems constant. As they speed past, their loudness,
which is now contained by the high walled buildings, becomes almost painful. In
a hurry, black SUVs, with flashing red lights, seem to always have some place
they need to be.
The
Lincoln Memorial is the same, however, as it always was. Climb the wide marble
steps to their top, and stand before the columns. The building is in the form
of a Greek Doric temple
and contains a large seated sculpture of
Abraham Lincoln. Inscriptions of two
well-known speeches by Lincoln, "The Gettysburg Address" and his Second Inaugural Address are etched on the
side walls. The memorial has been the site of
many famous speeches, including Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream"
speech, delivered on August 28, 1963. Abe is looking through his columns
towards the Washington Monument, on the far side of the Reflection Pond. This
statute of our 16th President has always been a personal favorite of
mine. I look at the magnificence of the building, and of the sculpture, and I
am in awe.
We
walked from Abe’s home to the Vietnam Memorial wall. I know of no one from my
Lowell days whose name should be on the wall. The polished black stone wall
grows from a narrow 8” height, containing a single name, to a height of over 10
feet. The columns of names grow in length to fill the space. The Memorial Wall
is made up of two 246-foot-9-inch long gabbro walls.
The walls are etched with the names of the servicemen being honored in panels
of horizontal rows with regular typeface and
spacing. The walls are sunken into the ground, with the earth behind them. Symbolically,
this is described as a "wound that is closed and
healing". There are
58,318 names, including eight women. Approximately 1,200 of these solders are
listed as missing (MIAs, POWs, and others). This is a lot of sacrifice. It is a
small percentage, however, when compared to American losses during our Civil
War. Those losses totaled between 600 and 700 thousand. I had served in the Air
Force during this era, and it is humbling, and sad, to see all of those names.
It
was a short distance from the Vietnam Memorial to the World War II Memorial. This is a memorial dedicated to Americans who served in
the Armed Forces, and
as civilians during World War II. The memorial
consists of 56 pillars and a pair of small triumphal arches. The
arches surround a plaza and a fountain. It sits on the Mall, on the former site
of the Rainbow Pool. This is at the
eastern end of the Reflecting Pool, between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. The memorial was opened
in 2004; it was dedicated by President George W. Bush. There was a special event at the memorial today. A
few surviving
solders from WWII were being honored. They sat old, and solemn, yet very proud.
The Washington
Monument is the tallest structure in Washington D.C. It is an obelisk built to commemorate George Washington,
once commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and
the first President of the United States.
Located almost due east of the Reflecting Pool, and
the Lincoln Memorial, the monument is made of marble, granite,
and blue-stone gneiss. It is both the world's tallest stone structure and
the world's tallest obelisk. It stands 554 feet 7 11⁄32 inches
tall, according to the National Geodetic Survey. It
is the tallest monumental column in the world if all are measured above their
pedestrian entrances. The monument was closed for elevator service work so we
couldn’t walk inside. We sat on one of the many surrounding benches and
marveled at its massive size. We enjoyed sitting for a few minutes. We have
already walked several miles, today.
Not
too far from the Washington Monument is the new National Museum of
African American History and Culture. This is
a Smithsonian Institute Museum, established in December 2003. It has close to 37,000 objects in its
collection related to such subjects as community, family, the visual and
performing arts, religion, civil rights, slavery, and segregation. Early
efforts to establish a federally owned museum featuring African-American history and
culture can be traced to 1915. The museum opened September 24, 2016, in a
ceremony led by U.S. President Barack Obama.
The museum was a very
positive presentation of the wonderful achievements that have been made by our
African Americans. This Smithsonian museum is not one which you can just walk
into. Entry was granted only to those who had obtained tickets in advance. When
we were confronted with this dilemma, the guard asked if any of us was a
veteran. My name was volunteered. Veterans were welcomed any time. I, and my
guests were permitted immediate entry. New to us is the fact that at all of the
museums one must pass through a metal detector, located inside the entry doors.
Security at all of the Capital’s buildings is very tight. At least we didn’t
have to remove our shoes.
We decided to start
at the top floor of the museum and work our way down. Each floor dedicated its
displays to one or two subjects. The presentations were
excellent, and often
very moving. Black Americans had an uphill struggle, all the way. We were all
proud to be able to see how so many had triumphed over the reception they had
been given.
This has been a long
morning’s bit of sightseeing. We began our walk back towards the DuPont Circle
hotel. On the way, we wanted to see if we could get tickets to tour the White
House. We walked past the Department of Commerce and past the Treasury
Department on our way to Pennsylvania Avenue. As we neared the Mall side of the
White House, there were Secret Service Policemen everywhere. They were in cars.
They were on bikes, and they were on foot. Concrete and fence barricades
isolated the pedestrian traffic from the south lawns of the White House.
Between the barricades and the fences Secret Service agents patrolled. There is
no question that since the White House outer fences have been breached by fence
jumpers, the Secret Service is taking no more chances.
We were out of luck
for our visit to the Don’s home. It turns out that one must secure a pass
through his or her congress person, many days in advance. We continued our walk
back to the Renaissance Hotel. We had put on a few miles, and we were all glad
to be able to rest for a while.
By the second day in
Washington, we had scouted out cafes and diners which offered more comfortable
fares than did our hotel. The hotel, although very
nice, is set up to service
the transient business person, or perhaps lobbyist. At any rate, the prices for
refreshments and meals have been adjusted for the fact that the visitor is on a
corporate expense account; cost is no problem. Nearby, on 23rd there
are some wonderful digs.
A taxi for four is a
very comfortable way to get from the hotel to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural
History. This is where we decided to visit on Saturday. Again it was through
metal detectors, and then it was to the top floor. In this case, the top floor
was the second floor. The third was being modified. Natural History begins with
the Big Bang, and that is where our walk started. From weeks of experience,
now, we knew that each would view at a different pace. It was set up that we
would all meet at the lower information desk in two hours.
Cosmology is one of
my favorite subjects: when and where did it all begin, and how did it progress
to what it is today. It is the universe. And what is it today is about Earth.
How the earth was formed. How the moon became an orbiting orb. Rocks, crystals
and minerals are all created over time. Everything has different composition
and structure. Display, after wonderful display presented Earth’s history. When
I had finished touring the maze of rooms on the second floor, I had lost track
of all of the magical specimens I had seen. The quantity of precious and
beautiful creations of Nature was staggering. The blue, Hope Diamond was
included among the displays of precious stones. To do a museum of this caliber
its due, one needs to spend several days absorbing its contents, I believe, if
one studied seriously all there was to see on this one floor, he could earn a
degree in Geology. Now, I need to go down to floor one.
Today is Sunday,
September 10th. We met in the lounge at 9 o’clock and then we walked
the two blocks to our favorite breakfast café. We had been totally spoiled at
meal times on the Scenic cruise. We had all eaten what we wanted, and we
usually had eaten too much. We had hoped that once off the ship, we would be
able to exercise more culinary self-control. That hasn’t happened, yet. We all
were moaning a bit as we walked back to the hotel to get ready for the day’s
sightseeing. The only museum we have left that we all are interested in is the
Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.
The morning traffic
was light and our taxi fare was a few cents over $10. The Air and Space museum
is a fun one to visit, but it is a hard one to see. The displays are
wonderfully presented, but they are enormous. Airplanes are hanging from the
ceilings, and NASA rockets are standing on the floor. It is difficult to get
enough distance from some of the displays to be able to take them all in. The National Air and
Space Museum is a center for research into the history and science of aviation and spaceflight, as well as
planetary science and terrestrial geology and geophysics. Almost all space
and aircraft on display are originals or the original backup craft.
One of the favorite
displays was the Hughes H-1. The Hughes
H-1 is a racing-aircraft built by Hughes Aircraft in 1935. It
set a world airspeed record and a transcontinental speed record across the
United States. The H-1 Racer was the last aircraft built by a private
individual to set the world speed record; most aircraft to hold the honor since
have been military designs. The H-1 is a very sleek airplane.
Our visits to the National museums have been a
valued experience. For Anne and me, it has been 45 years since our last visit.
We remembered our first impressions, at that time. We had been overwhelmed.
This week’s re-visit, with Roger and Cherri, left us with the same impression.
Every nation has museums to display their contributions to science and culture.
During our travel, we have had the opportunity to visit many museums. I am
convinced that no country has the capacity to display these prideful triumphs
in a finer manner than does the United States. If one gets to the East coast, then a stop in
Washington to see the museums would turn a most horrible trip into a grand one.
Tuesday
afternoon was set aside for our trips to the airports. We are headed to
Medford. Roger and Cherri have booked a United Airline flight which leaves
Dulles, and goes through San Francisco. They will arrive in Medford around
midnight. Anne and I are scheduled to fly Delta from Regan National. Our flight
will go through Salt Lake City. We will be in Medford at 11 o’clock.
The
flight seemed longer than it was. We were all anxious to get settled in one
place. Chris met Anne and me at the airport. The flight was on time. We drove
to the house. Chris and Anne visited while I returned to the airport to wait for
a call from Roger to tell me they had arrived. The call came in on schedule. We
loaded the car and headed home. Greetings were made with Chris, and then we all
went to bed. Tomorrow will be a bright new day.
I
write this travel log so that in a few tomorrows from now, I can browse over it,
and I can relive the magic that we had seen and done. This has been a wonderful
way to celebrate my 50 years of marriage to Anne. One can’t imagine, at the
onset of a relationship, what comfort and sharing satisfaction can be obtained
over the long term. I certainly can’t imagine being able to have a more
wonderful life, without my beautiful bride beside me all the way.
I
love you, Anne. Happy Anniversary.
