Mandalay Day 2
We awoke to take a boat ride to Mingun, a town up the Irrawaddy River from Mandalay. A previous king had tried to build the largest pagoda in the world, but he never finished. Why? Because the priests warned him that once he was finished, he would die. So he stopped. Over the years, the site has been destroyed somewhat by earthquakes, but it is still bratty impressive. There is a huge bell that was supposed to be part of the complex, but never used. They have it mounted in the little town. It supposedly is the 2nd largest bell in the world. I haven't had a chance to check Wikipedia on that. Of course, there were dozens of teenage girls accosting us to sell something. "Allo! Where you from? What your name? You like my [insert tchotchke here]?" Over and over. When you say no, they say "maybe later", and ask you again in 30 seconds. Earl of our group agreed with the maybe later, and they caught up with him 20 minutes later. He agreed to a Tshirt, but the one he picked was too small. 4 minutes later, she showed up with the right size, and he finally bought it. Ann and Elsa of course bought some pretty skirts and other stuff. We saw cute buffalo taxis. There was also a very large white marble pagoda, but we weren't given much information about it.
After the boat ride back to town, we went to the "Golden Duck" for lunch. Donald out front, where we took the obligatory pictures. Ann actually ate the Chinese food! The picture somehow is too big to upload here, but was able to get to FaceBook. I have been having some problems with the size of pictures and uploading. The iPad doesn't allow me to shrink them from 5-6MB to 50KB or less (at least not that I've figured out), so I am limited in what I can upload. Yes I can change the size in my camera to adjust, but I don't have the time for that. Maybe next time I'll bring the miniPC along and have a real computer.
After rest period, we went to the Gold leaf factory. They take thin slivers of gold, and pound them for hours to make them thinner and thinner, down to 3 microns, or .003 mm. They apply these to little pieces of paper for the gold leaf people apply to the Buddhas. I wondered what would happen if they sneezed!
Then to a Wood carving / sewing / puppets workshop. The very intricate carvings are laid out on a block of wood, and hand chiseled. Impressive. In addition they were sewing the intricate beadwork onto fabric, and making puppets.
Finally to the famous U Bein Teak bridge. This goes completely across a lake, and was VERY rickety. When we got halfway, we descended to a little island and climbed onto little gondola-like boats and watched the sunset from the lake. Down at water's edge, I could see more of how rickety it really was. I could actually see through the pilings from all the rot. I asked how often the bridge collapses, and was told "about every 4 years"! I was glad we weren't walking back.
The sunset was pretty spectacular, though.
We had a hard time getting back to our hotel because of rush hour traffic in Mandalay, made worse by some demonstration and a power outage to the few electric signals in town. Crossing intersections was abominable. When we got back to the hotel, we decided to eat there rather than venture out into town. This was good since I was exhausted, anyway. I was able to get some pizza and slept well for out 5:30 wake up call. But I was up at 4 anyway...
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Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Monday, October 27, 2014
Two Days In Mandalay -AHS
So our two days in Mandalay come to an end early tomorrow morning with our 5:30am wake up call to get up and to the airport for our 40 minute flight north to Heho and Kalaw.
A week into this trip, Myanmar and it's people are really growing on me. Wherever we go, we are greeted with warm sincere smiles. Even the young girls and women trying to sell us their wares on the streets are very gracious and for the most part walk away with a smile when we rebuff their efforts to buy something from them. This was true at the sites we visited in Mandalay as well as the town of Mingun we traveled to this morning, which was an hour's boat ride down the Irawaddy River from Mandalay.
As the once royal city where the king resided surrounded by a very large moat, there are gold domed pagodas throughout, a few of which we visited. We also toured the shops of the trades that once served the king. Yesterday it was the metal smiths and sculptors and today we saw the wood sculpture, tapestry and puppetry and gold leaf workshops. The wood carvings were beautiful and the intricacy of all of the work was impressive. I kept trying to find a reason to buy one of the puppets, but reason finally prevailed since I really could not figure out what I would do with it once we got home.
Both days ended with photo ops of beautiful sunsets. Yesterday we went to the highest point in the city, and since we went by bus rather than climbing, I was able to join in. And today we watched the sunset over the U Bein bridge which is an old teak bridge which traverses the Irawaddy River.
Tonight we turned in early after a light dinner at the hotel--every once in a while you need a break from all of these big meals. Steve is already sound asleep beside me and it is not yet 9:00pm, which probably means he will be up sometime during the night.
>
A week into this trip, Myanmar and it's people are really growing on me. Wherever we go, we are greeted with warm sincere smiles. Even the young girls and women trying to sell us their wares on the streets are very gracious and for the most part walk away with a smile when we rebuff their efforts to buy something from them. This was true at the sites we visited in Mandalay as well as the town of Mingun we traveled to this morning, which was an hour's boat ride down the Irawaddy River from Mandalay.
As the once royal city where the king resided surrounded by a very large moat, there are gold domed pagodas throughout, a few of which we visited. We also toured the shops of the trades that once served the king. Yesterday it was the metal smiths and sculptors and today we saw the wood sculpture, tapestry and puppetry and gold leaf workshops. The wood carvings were beautiful and the intricacy of all of the work was impressive. I kept trying to find a reason to buy one of the puppets, but reason finally prevailed since I really could not figure out what I would do with it once we got home.
Both days ended with photo ops of beautiful sunsets. Yesterday we went to the highest point in the city, and since we went by bus rather than climbing, I was able to join in. And today we watched the sunset over the U Bein bridge which is an old teak bridge which traverses the Irawaddy River.
Tonight we turned in early after a light dinner at the hotel--every once in a while you need a break from all of these big meals. Steve is already sound asleep beside me and it is not yet 9:00pm, which probably means he will be up sometime during the night.
>
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Bagan Encore - Ann's Notes..
Bagan Encore - Ann's Notes..
We arrived in Mandalay at about 8:30 this morning after a very short flight from Bagan where we had spent the last two days.
There are miles and miles of temples remaining in Bagan, estimated to be about 2,000, but only one that we actually went into, the Ananda Temple, which Steve described well in his blog. The temples and pagodas date from the 11th to 13th centuries, and I found it frustrating that our guide shared very little of the history on them. Checking later with the Lonely Planet guide book I had down loaded, I came to find out that very little is known about them. Lots of mythology but little recorded history from that time. So I guess I need to give our guide a pass on the lack of info he provided. He did give us a tour of the Ananda Pagoda, which is one of the ones that is the most well preserved and restored. After a visit to a lacquer factory, in the afternoon, we drove back to one of the temples for sunset. It turned out to involve a very steep climb to the top of the temple so I stayed back. One look at what the climb involved was all it took to convince me. I hung out with another group member from Arizona who had also decided not to do the climb.
Dinner followed at the home of Mrs. G., our home hospitality evening which is a hallmark of the Odysseys tours. Mrs G has a car vehicle rental service, not a hertz type operation, but one in which she rents out cars and busses with drivers who come with. In fact our bus and driver in Bagan was one of Mrs G's. I think our host made a sincere effort to offer us an interesting Burmese dinner. We had a delicious rum drink along with potato puffs and vegetarian spring rolls, followed by a salad we each made ourselves. The greens for the salad were cut up star beans that had been blanched. We added crushed peanuts, powdered dry shrimp and oil and vinegar. Instead of salt, we were offered Knorr bouillon powder. The main course included a chicken dish, a meat dish and large prawns. I skipped the chicken as it did not look very appetizing. The prawns were huge and looked delicious but did not taste very good. There were also two very good veggie dishes. A mixed vegetable curry and a spinach dish. For desert we had dragon fruit, a first for Steve and me, and a sweet tart type desert which was ok. Desert was followed by a tea salad which was beautifully presented in a lazy susan. It consisted of cured green tea in the center surrounded by different nuts and beans which you mixed all together on your plate. It was a delicacy worth trying.
While Mrs. G was more than glad to answer our questions she asked us nothing about ourselves. At one point during dinner I actually asked her if there was anything she would like to ask us and she replied no. As Steve said when I mentioned this to him--this is a business for her and she could care less about us. Probably true, but still a bit disappointing.
Yesterday, our second day in Bagan, was really the best so far on our trip. Before that I was really questioning whether we had made the right decision. But things got much more interesting. We began the day with a walk through a market and I got lots of good pictures. Then we took a horse cart ride through the temples and the horse cart driver was able to answer some of my basic questions about Buddhism, which our guide had not discussed at all. We then walked through a rural village which includes about 100 households of bamboo homes with cows and goats in the yards. We really felt like we had stepped back in time to a much earlier time. Steve described the rest of our day so well - no need to repeat here. Only difference in our day was that Elsa and I worked out at the fitness center while Steve took advantage of the midday rest hour and slept. For quite a lovely hotel, the so called fitness center was quite sad. It was onthe lower level of the complex, and we had to traverse an area that wreaked of sewage to get there. The room itself was hot and the equipment not very good, but we managed to get somewhat of a workout.
Dinner that evening was on our own and we made our way to an Indian restaurant Steve has described in detail. Steve struggled through another sleepless night but I got more than enough.
Sent from my iPad
We arrived in Mandalay at about 8:30 this morning after a very short flight from Bagan where we had spent the last two days.
There are miles and miles of temples remaining in Bagan, estimated to be about 2,000, but only one that we actually went into, the Ananda Temple, which Steve described well in his blog. The temples and pagodas date from the 11th to 13th centuries, and I found it frustrating that our guide shared very little of the history on them. Checking later with the Lonely Planet guide book I had down loaded, I came to find out that very little is known about them. Lots of mythology but little recorded history from that time. So I guess I need to give our guide a pass on the lack of info he provided. He did give us a tour of the Ananda Pagoda, which is one of the ones that is the most well preserved and restored. After a visit to a lacquer factory, in the afternoon, we drove back to one of the temples for sunset. It turned out to involve a very steep climb to the top of the temple so I stayed back. One look at what the climb involved was all it took to convince me. I hung out with another group member from Arizona who had also decided not to do the climb.
Dinner followed at the home of Mrs. G., our home hospitality evening which is a hallmark of the Odysseys tours. Mrs G has a car vehicle rental service, not a hertz type operation, but one in which she rents out cars and busses with drivers who come with. In fact our bus and driver in Bagan was one of Mrs G's. I think our host made a sincere effort to offer us an interesting Burmese dinner. We had a delicious rum drink along with potato puffs and vegetarian spring rolls, followed by a salad we each made ourselves. The greens for the salad were cut up star beans that had been blanched. We added crushed peanuts, powdered dry shrimp and oil and vinegar. Instead of salt, we were offered Knorr bouillon powder. The main course included a chicken dish, a meat dish and large prawns. I skipped the chicken as it did not look very appetizing. The prawns were huge and looked delicious but did not taste very good. There were also two very good veggie dishes. A mixed vegetable curry and a spinach dish. For desert we had dragon fruit, a first for Steve and me, and a sweet tart type desert which was ok. Desert was followed by a tea salad which was beautifully presented in a lazy susan. It consisted of cured green tea in the center surrounded by different nuts and beans which you mixed all together on your plate. It was a delicacy worth trying.
While Mrs. G was more than glad to answer our questions she asked us nothing about ourselves. At one point during dinner I actually asked her if there was anything she would like to ask us and she replied no. As Steve said when I mentioned this to him--this is a business for her and she could care less about us. Probably true, but still a bit disappointing.
Yesterday, our second day in Bagan, was really the best so far on our trip. Before that I was really questioning whether we had made the right decision. But things got much more interesting. We began the day with a walk through a market and I got lots of good pictures. Then we took a horse cart ride through the temples and the horse cart driver was able to answer some of my basic questions about Buddhism, which our guide had not discussed at all. We then walked through a rural village which includes about 100 households of bamboo homes with cows and goats in the yards. We really felt like we had stepped back in time to a much earlier time. Steve described the rest of our day so well - no need to repeat here. Only difference in our day was that Elsa and I worked out at the fitness center while Steve took advantage of the midday rest hour and slept. For quite a lovely hotel, the so called fitness center was quite sad. It was onthe lower level of the complex, and we had to traverse an area that wreaked of sewage to get there. The room itself was hot and the equipment not very good, but we managed to get somewhat of a workout.
Dinner that evening was on our own and we made our way to an Indian restaurant Steve has described in detail. Steve struggled through another sleepless night but I got more than enough.
Sent from my iPad
Mandalay Day 1
A very short airplane ride to Mandalay. We went to some factories to see how the bronze castings of statues are made. Interesting, but OSHA would not be happy here. Reminiscent of my daughter, Ellen's, old job In a metal fabrication factory. Then down the street to the Marble factory. Similar production stuff using hand labor to cut and polish the stones, one at a time. No one using masks and dust flying everywhere. Silicosis, anyone? Similar remembrances for Jill.
We next went to the Mahamuni Temple. This is a sacred temple to Buddha with a large gold Buddha in the center. Only men were allowed to approach closely (😩) and take pictures. The other men were applying gold leaf to the base of the statue in what appeared to be a religious/spiritual gesture. The women stayed behind, and the other women were fervently praying.
Mandalay has different kinds of pagodas. They are more round and almost all of them have a gold top.
After lunch and checking into the Mandalay Hill hotel, we went than orphanage to deliver the crayons and toothbrushes and paper good we had brought. These kids were so cute. We were each escorted from the bus by a kid who held our hand, and we got a short talk about their lives. The orphanage is run by the nuns to keep these kids out of slavery or trafficking, which is so prevalent in this part of the world. I wish we had brought a soccer ball in addition to the other supplies. Chang, our guide, said the boys could play soccer but not the girls, and I of course said why not? But, alas, I didn't have the ball, and the moment passed.
We went to the Golden Palace wooden pagoda. This dates to the 1880's and was built for the king. It is all wood, with intricate carvings inside and out. Much of the inside is gold leaf covered, but it is not being continually recovered as is the Buddha of Mahamuni. Outside, we were asked to be in pictures with some of the teenagers who were also visiting. This was a similar scene to the Baby Taj in Agra. It was if we were the exotic ones and they wanted a picture of us...
Next to the Kuthodaw pagoda, which is famous for its 729 tablets of the laws of Buddhism. Each is enclosed in a small marble pagoda, and they are all lined up in rows around this temple. Huge.
We took the bus and a truck ride to the top of the big Mandalay hill, for which our hotel wan named. This is the only hill in this valley, and there is a large pagoda on top. We were there mostly for the sunset. This was marred by the smoke from the burning trash fires. Since this was also a pagoda, were were again barefoot. It just made it interesting going up the escalators to reach the top without shoes. I could see a toe disappearing into the combs of the escalator.
Finally to Ko's Kitchen for a Thai dinner. Overall, the food is good but not spectacular. Lots of variations on the same theme. The only thing that was different was the home dinner we had in Bagan. That had a number of items we had never seen - star beans and other things I can't remember. The rest of the meals are mostly at tourist-style restaurants which seem to cater to the group tours.
Sent from my iPad
We next went to the Mahamuni Temple. This is a sacred temple to Buddha with a large gold Buddha in the center. Only men were allowed to approach closely (😩) and take pictures. The other men were applying gold leaf to the base of the statue in what appeared to be a religious/spiritual gesture. The women stayed behind, and the other women were fervently praying.
Mandalay has different kinds of pagodas. They are more round and almost all of them have a gold top.
After lunch and checking into the Mandalay Hill hotel, we went than orphanage to deliver the crayons and toothbrushes and paper good we had brought. These kids were so cute. We were each escorted from the bus by a kid who held our hand, and we got a short talk about their lives. The orphanage is run by the nuns to keep these kids out of slavery or trafficking, which is so prevalent in this part of the world. I wish we had brought a soccer ball in addition to the other supplies. Chang, our guide, said the boys could play soccer but not the girls, and I of course said why not? But, alas, I didn't have the ball, and the moment passed.
We went to the Golden Palace wooden pagoda. This dates to the 1880's and was built for the king. It is all wood, with intricate carvings inside and out. Much of the inside is gold leaf covered, but it is not being continually recovered as is the Buddha of Mahamuni. Outside, we were asked to be in pictures with some of the teenagers who were also visiting. This was a similar scene to the Baby Taj in Agra. It was if we were the exotic ones and they wanted a picture of us...
Next to the Kuthodaw pagoda, which is famous for its 729 tablets of the laws of Buddhism. Each is enclosed in a small marble pagoda, and they are all lined up in rows around this temple. Huge.
We took the bus and a truck ride to the top of the big Mandalay hill, for which our hotel wan named. This is the only hill in this valley, and there is a large pagoda on top. We were there mostly for the sunset. This was marred by the smoke from the burning trash fires. Since this was also a pagoda, were were again barefoot. It just made it interesting going up the escalators to reach the top without shoes. I could see a toe disappearing into the combs of the escalator.
Finally to Ko's Kitchen for a Thai dinner. Overall, the food is good but not spectacular. Lots of variations on the same theme. The only thing that was different was the home dinner we had in Bagan. That had a number of items we had never seen - star beans and other things I can't remember. The rest of the meals are mostly at tourist-style restaurants which seem to cater to the group tours.
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Saturday, October 25, 2014
Bagan Day 2
After breakfast, we went into town to see the market. This is the typical mayhem of people selling fruits and vegetables and everything else from stalls. Total craziness. Many things we did not recognize. Soft bamboo (for eating?). Also the lacquer and T-shirt sellers, along with the ubiquitous kids selling postcards and even books about Burma (George Orwell and others). One clever bigger had her baby but also a puppy. Cute will get you something.
We went back to the Ananda temple grounds to pick up horse carriages. We rode among the smaller pagodas and stupas for some close up pictures. We ended up at a small village. This probably had been around in this area for close to 1000 years, as the name was related to a very early king. The houses were mostly made of bamboo. We looked at the goats and the cows. Some of the cows were more scared of Ann than she was of them. We saw the local communal peanut grinding stone. Electricity is a relatively new phenomenon here, but there were a few satellite dishes. I was reminded of the little farming village of Zabava, outside Lviv, when I went on a genealogy trip to Ukraine many years ago.
Lunch then rest period.
We went to the river for a Sunset cruise. We had to brave the usual gauntlet of kids selling T-shirts and got onto a little skiff the motor out onto the Irrawaddy to watch the sunset. More photo opportunities.
Dinner in town on our own. We went to the Aroma (2), a little family restaurant. Not sure where (1) was, but their catch phrase was "No Like - No Pay". The menus had cute stick figures showing "before meal" people on bicycles,etc and "after meal" round figures being carried in a cart! The food was good, but not spectacular. Our waiter was the son of the family, having recently gotten married and he was looking forward to his honeymoon in Thailand. He then became our cab driver to drive us back to the hotel!
I still haven't adjusted to the time difference. I awoke at midnight, and it is now 4:30, and I haven't been able to coax myself back to sleep. My guess is as soon as I get adjusted, it will be time to go home.... :(
Tomorrow to Mandalay.
Sent from my iPad
We went back to the Ananda temple grounds to pick up horse carriages. We rode among the smaller pagodas and stupas for some close up pictures. We ended up at a small village. This probably had been around in this area for close to 1000 years, as the name was related to a very early king. The houses were mostly made of bamboo. We looked at the goats and the cows. Some of the cows were more scared of Ann than she was of them. We saw the local communal peanut grinding stone. Electricity is a relatively new phenomenon here, but there were a few satellite dishes. I was reminded of the little farming village of Zabava, outside Lviv, when I went on a genealogy trip to Ukraine many years ago.
Lunch then rest period.
We went to the river for a Sunset cruise. We had to brave the usual gauntlet of kids selling T-shirts and got onto a little skiff the motor out onto the Irrawaddy to watch the sunset. More photo opportunities.
Dinner in town on our own. We went to the Aroma (2), a little family restaurant. Not sure where (1) was, but their catch phrase was "No Like - No Pay". The menus had cute stick figures showing "before meal" people on bicycles,etc and "after meal" round figures being carried in a cart! The food was good, but not spectacular. Our waiter was the son of the family, having recently gotten married and he was looking forward to his honeymoon in Thailand. He then became our cab driver to drive us back to the hotel!
I still haven't adjusted to the time difference. I awoke at midnight, and it is now 4:30, and I haven't been able to coax myself back to sleep. My guess is as soon as I get adjusted, it will be time to go home.... :(
Tomorrow to Mandalay.
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Friday, October 24, 2014
Bagan Day 1
Into the bus in Bagan, somewhat north of Yangon. This part of the country is mostly flat with scrubby little plants. The claim to fame is the over 2000 temples and pagodas in the Irrawaddy river valley. These were constructed in the 11th to13th centuries by a succession of kings and noblemen. There were once over 20000, but neglect and earthquakes have taken their toll. There use to be a town in the middle of and among all the ruins, but the government forcibly move the town a few miles away in 1975 to try to preserve the site.
The different shapes of the structures reflect the Indian or Burmese or Sri Lankan influences. Some of these are stupas which are solid, and others are temples which one can go into. We went to the top of a new 11story tower to overlook the valley.
After the overview, we went to a few of the select temples. We came to the Ananda Temple, a huge structure with 4 entrances, each leading to a huge statue of Buddha. This was built in 1105, and was damaged by an earthquake in 1975, and has been rebuilt.
Each is covered in gold. We walked around to see all four in our feet, as one has to remove shoes and socks before entering.
Lunch at a Chinese restaurant, and to our hotel for a nap.
After rest hour, we went to a Lacquer factory, where they showed us how the bamboo is made into plates and urns, etc. and covered with lacquer and etched and coated with colors and lacquered again. Interesting, but of course we were then led into the showroom. We have enough tchotchkes, thank you.
Then to the Shwesandaw "Sunset" temple where literally hundreds of tourists climb (shoelessly) the steep steps (of course Ann was having nothing of this-the climbing, not the shoelessness) to watch the sun set over the temples and the valley.
Odysseys Tours is distinctive in its home visits. We went to the home of a local businesswoman for dinner. She told of how she and her family had been forcibly moved in 1975 when the government cleaned out Old Bagan to create New Bagan. They dismantled the old house and used much of it to build a new one 3 miles away. I gently asked her about the recent political changes and how life had changed. She allowed that there is somewhat more freedom, but she wasn't sure whether the upcoming elections would accomplish much without the military's blessing. I will let Ann describe the food, but there were things that we had never eaten or even heard of. Gastrodiplomacy, indeed.
Further Reflections as we're waiting:
So as we wait for our flight to Bagan, I will add in a few things I've forgotten or neglected to mention. On our first day with the group, we also went to see the cement boats that had been built in the 80s as a replica for some royal barges from the 1700s. These obviously don't float, but serve as a nice backdrop. We came upon a bride and groom getting pictures taken. She had a lovely lavender gown that bloomed behind her reminding me of a peacock. Brought back memories of our Indian Wedding.
My thoughts on Myanmar/Burma after 2 days? This is an emerging culture. The people appear well nourished. They are friendly, but not as effusively so as in India. The country appears to run well, and there is minimal trash on the streets. There is no evidence of any military presence at this time. Ann just read to me a passage from "Finding George Orwell in Burma" describing the uprisings of 2004. Hmmm
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My thoughts on Myanmar/Burma after 2 days? This is an emerging culture. The people appear well nourished. They are friendly, but not as effusively so as in India. The country appears to run well, and there is minimal trash on the streets. There is no evidence of any military presence at this time. Ann just read to me a passage from "Finding George Orwell in Burma" describing the uprisings of 2004. Hmmm
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Ann's Notes on first days in Myanmar
It was my carry on bag that we had to check in Chicago and that did not catch up with is in Yangon until our second day here. While I thought I had grabbed everything I needed before we checked the bag, that turned out not to be the case. In the business lounge in Chicago I got one of those headaches that once it takes hold, I can't shake without Relpax (which was now checked on the carry on bag) and it stayed with me for the next 36 hours until the Relpax arrived. Once it did and I was able to take it, I slept for about 14 hours and was fine.
So on to our trip. Having a day to sightsee before the group arrived was great. I had read on Trip Advisor about the only remaining synagogue in Myanmar and we went to visit. Moses Samuels has maintained the synagogue for 35 years for the remaining Jews in Myanmar, who now number about 20, down from a high of a community of about 3000(Steve was way off on the number). Moses's son, Sammy, studied business at Yeshiva University and has started a travel agency offering Jewish Heritage Tours in Myanmar. Moses called Sammy on the phone to talk with me while we were at the synagogue. Sammy splits his time between New York and Myanmar. And the synagogue has gotten broad recognition over the years as indicated by photos in the synagogue with Israeli leaders such as Ben Gurion and Moshe Dayan and more recent photos on the Internet with the Samuels' family and Aung San Suu Kyi.
From there, as Steve has written about we went to Aung San's home where he and his family lived until his assassination in 1947. It was interesting, but I would have liked to have been able to take pictures, which we were not.
When Elsa, Steve and I checked into the hotel in Yangon we were given lovely club rooms. Our view from the balcony was not great but Elsa had a spectacular view of the Shwedagon Temple. The day after we checked in our room keys stopped working. Turned out they were trying to move us to the "excursion" rooms. Elsa and I balked and explained to them that it was Odyssey that had made the reservation. We prevailed and remained in the club rooms for the remainder of our initial stay in Yangon. Elsa and I will spend another night at this hotel at the end of our stay so we will get to experience the "regular" rooms then.
Usually getting up at 4:30 am would be really difficult, but with a 13 1/2 hour time difference from home, my body is still confused. I fell asleep at about 8:00pm last night so I was awake and ready to start the day at 3:30 am, and Steve was awake even earlier. We are now in the Yangon airport awaiting what was supposed to be our 6:30 am flight, that is now one hour delayed.
Sent from my iPad
So on to our trip. Having a day to sightsee before the group arrived was great. I had read on Trip Advisor about the only remaining synagogue in Myanmar and we went to visit. Moses Samuels has maintained the synagogue for 35 years for the remaining Jews in Myanmar, who now number about 20, down from a high of a community of about 3000(Steve was way off on the number). Moses's son, Sammy, studied business at Yeshiva University and has started a travel agency offering Jewish Heritage Tours in Myanmar. Moses called Sammy on the phone to talk with me while we were at the synagogue. Sammy splits his time between New York and Myanmar. And the synagogue has gotten broad recognition over the years as indicated by photos in the synagogue with Israeli leaders such as Ben Gurion and Moshe Dayan and more recent photos on the Internet with the Samuels' family and Aung San Suu Kyi.
From there, as Steve has written about we went to Aung San's home where he and his family lived until his assassination in 1947. It was interesting, but I would have liked to have been able to take pictures, which we were not.
When Elsa, Steve and I checked into the hotel in Yangon we were given lovely club rooms. Our view from the balcony was not great but Elsa had a spectacular view of the Shwedagon Temple. The day after we checked in our room keys stopped working. Turned out they were trying to move us to the "excursion" rooms. Elsa and I balked and explained to them that it was Odyssey that had made the reservation. We prevailed and remained in the club rooms for the remainder of our initial stay in Yangon. Elsa and I will spend another night at this hotel at the end of our stay so we will get to experience the "regular" rooms then.
Usually getting up at 4:30 am would be really difficult, but with a 13 1/2 hour time difference from home, my body is still confused. I fell asleep at about 8:00pm last night so I was awake and ready to start the day at 3:30 am, and Steve was awake even earlier. We are now in the Yangon airport awaiting what was supposed to be our 6:30 am flight, that is now one hour delayed.
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Thursday, October 23, 2014
Yangon Day 2
We met the rest of our trip this morning after breakfast: a retired couple from Sedona, and some engineers from LA with their engineer son. Off we went on our first tour. Eight of us with Chang, our guide, in a bus for 20. We went past our first pagoda, the first of many.
We went to a school and monastery and watched as the boys lined up for lunch. Powhatan, it wasn't. I was amazed at so many boys lining up and eating in silence.
Lunch at a local restaurant for typical Burmese food of a chicken curry, a fish stew, and eggplant and noodles. Burmese refers to only one of the 134 distinct ethnic groups of the country. It is the largest, but that is why the Generals had changed the name to Myanmar, to try to incorporate everyone into the process.
A snooze after lunch(and we were late to the bus), and off to the Shwedagon Pagoda, the largest in Yangon. Shoes and socks off. There were hundreds of little sub-temples to Buddha on the compound. There were shrines for each day of the week that you were born on; two for Wednesday. There were bells from or for famous rulers. The biggest one was for King Tharrawaddy in the 1850s.
Lots of pictures, but at the end the sun peeked from behind the clouds to light up the golden spires very nicely.
Dinner at the hotel was more curries. I think this will be a recurring theme here.
Early to bed as we have a 4AM wake up call for a 4:45 bus to the airport. Blecch
Sent from my iPad
A snooze after lunch(and we were late to the bus), and off to the Shwedagon Pagoda, the largest in Yangon. Shoes and socks off. There were hundreds of little sub-temples to Buddha on the compound. There were shrines for each day of the week that you were born on; two for Wednesday. There were bells from or for famous rulers. The biggest one was for King Tharrawaddy in the 1850s.
Lots of pictures, but at the end the sun peeked from behind the clouds to light up the golden spires very nicely.
Dinner at the hotel was more curries. I think this will be a recurring theme here.
Early to bed as we have a 4AM wake up call for a 4:45 bus to the airport. Blecch
Sent from my iPad
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Yangon Day 1
After arising early since we were still on East Coast time, we had breakfast at the hotel. This consisted of a smorgasbord of ethic foods from American to Indian to Korean to Halal etc. Hard to choose. There is an Ophthalmology convention here with a number of French physicians. I wish I knew anything about Ophthalmology so I could sign in and write this trip off.
We cabbed to the last remaining synagogue in Yangon. There are 20 remaining Jews here, after a high of 20,000 after WW2. This place was like Shanghai, who accepted everyone. The main historical families were Iraqi, as were the Sasoons in Shanghai. The decor was typical of the Sefardic tradition.
Next, to Aung San's house, via a circuitous cab ride past the Aung San Stadium where the cabbie thought we wanted to go. Aung San rose from ranks of a student protest movement to be a leader in the Burmese independence movement. He fought the British, then helped them when Japan took over during WW2, then fought them again after the war. He was in the midst of independence talks in 1947 when he was assassinated along with 6 members of his Shadow Cabinet by a former Prime Minister's henchmen. The independence movement continued until the military coup of 1962.
The house showed pictures of his early life and with his children, including his daughter, Aung San Suu Kyi, as a little girl. There were portions of his famous speeches which rallied the people to independence. What I didn't know was he was the founder of the Communist Party in Burma, but he broke with the Communists later in life.
Across the street was a pagoda that we climbed a bunch of steps to get to. We warily went past a number of mangy dogs to find an entrance. The pagodas all have golden domes with multiple spire. Perhaps when our tour actually begins, we'll find out more of the symbolism surrounding Buddhism.
By this time it was after lunchtime and the temperature was still over 90 and the humidity was similar (Hello, Washington or Miami August). We went back to the hotel for lunch and quickly faded.
Our bag arrived from Hong Kong. We await the fate of Elsa's.
Sent from my iPad
We cabbed to the last remaining synagogue in Yangon. There are 20 remaining Jews here, after a high of 20,000 after WW2. This place was like Shanghai, who accepted everyone. The main historical families were Iraqi, as were the Sasoons in Shanghai. The decor was typical of the Sefardic tradition.
Next, to Aung San's house, via a circuitous cab ride past the Aung San Stadium where the cabbie thought we wanted to go. Aung San rose from ranks of a student protest movement to be a leader in the Burmese independence movement. He fought the British, then helped them when Japan took over during WW2, then fought them again after the war. He was in the midst of independence talks in 1947 when he was assassinated along with 6 members of his Shadow Cabinet by a former Prime Minister's henchmen. The independence movement continued until the military coup of 1962.
The house showed pictures of his early life and with his children, including his daughter, Aung San Suu Kyi, as a little girl. There were portions of his famous speeches which rallied the people to independence. What I didn't know was he was the founder of the Communist Party in Burma, but he broke with the Communists later in life.
Across the street was a pagoda that we climbed a bunch of steps to get to. We warily went past a number of mangy dogs to find an entrance. The pagodas all have golden domes with multiple spire. Perhaps when our tour actually begins, we'll find out more of the symbolism surrounding Buddhism.
By this time it was after lunchtime and the temperature was still over 90 and the humidity was similar (Hello, Washington or Miami August). We went back to the hotel for lunch and quickly faded.
Our bag arrived from Hong Kong. We await the fate of Elsa's.
Sent from my iPad
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Baseball in the Morning
Nothing better than watching the World Series over breakfast. No, one thing would be better: watching the Nats...
Arriving in Yangon
13 1/2 time zones and 19 hours traveling later, we are here. That really is a long flight. It is Wednesday morning as I write, but Tuesday back home. I'm not sure I got any sleep, but we will see how this day goes.
Cathay Pacific is again a wonderful airline, especially for Business Class. I can't imagine such a long flight in coach. As I investigated the TV selections, I found the first season of House of Cards. I figured I'd get no sleep at all, but (luckily) the sound was not good enough for my hearing that I could really understand all the words. That is a show where one really needs to get the words. I watched Game of Thrones which was more acceptable since I already knew the plot. (Don't drink the wine, Joffrey)
Our problems arose when we realized the short connection time in Hong Kong was even shorter by our 1/2 hour delay in leaving Chicago. Ann talked to the flight crew, and they made sure the connecting flight would be held. We weren't the only ones with connection problems. We weren't sure what was going to happen to the bag we had to check in Chicago, or even any of our luggage. In addition, Elsa had checked her bags to Hong Kong, expecting she would have to change them there.
So we arrived in Hong Kong and were met by agents to ferry us and everybody else to their proper gates. The 3 hour flight was better to get the first 2 episodes of House of Cards in with a headphone system that worked better.
Arriving in Yangon at 11:30 pm, we got some of our luggage, but not all. The stuff we checked in DC made it, but not the bag from Chicago. Elsa's didn't make it at all, and she later got a text message from the airline asking her to please pick up her bag in Hong Kong. Another 45 minutes later, we registered all our baggage concerns and were assured the bags might be on the next flight. Unfortunately, that is not today but maybe Thursday or Friday. We will see.
Sent from my iPad
Cathay Pacific is again a wonderful airline, especially for Business Class. I can't imagine such a long flight in coach. As I investigated the TV selections, I found the first season of House of Cards. I figured I'd get no sleep at all, but (luckily) the sound was not good enough for my hearing that I could really understand all the words. That is a show where one really needs to get the words. I watched Game of Thrones which was more acceptable since I already knew the plot. (Don't drink the wine, Joffrey)
Our problems arose when we realized the short connection time in Hong Kong was even shorter by our 1/2 hour delay in leaving Chicago. Ann talked to the flight crew, and they made sure the connecting flight would be held. We weren't the only ones with connection problems. We weren't sure what was going to happen to the bag we had to check in Chicago, or even any of our luggage. In addition, Elsa had checked her bags to Hong Kong, expecting she would have to change them there.
So we arrived in Hong Kong and were met by agents to ferry us and everybody else to their proper gates. The 3 hour flight was better to get the first 2 episodes of House of Cards in with a headphone system that worked better.
Arriving in Yangon at 11:30 pm, we got some of our luggage, but not all. The stuff we checked in DC made it, but not the bag from Chicago. Elsa's didn't make it at all, and she later got a text message from the airline asking her to please pick up her bag in Hong Kong. Another 45 minutes later, we registered all our baggage concerns and were assured the bags might be on the next flight. Unfortunately, that is not today but maybe Thursday or Friday. We will see.
Sent from my iPad
Monday, October 20, 2014
Moussing the TSA
So we got to Chicago and had to get to Terminal 5 for the outbound flight. We had to go out of Security to take the tram and go back through. Much to our chagrin, the TSA people in Chicago are much harder-assed than in DC. Much of the carry on stuff that had been fine on the domestic flight (Mousse, toothpaste, mouthwash, etc) were no longer OK. Ann could either throw it away or go back out to re-check the bag. She was willing to abandon everything BUT the mousse. So the TSA agent escorted us outside of security, not letting us touch the bag for any reason. 15 minutes later we had the bag replaced and checked again.
We met Elsa, my cousin, in the BA lounge and are having some snacks and drink as we wait for the 14 hour flight. Ugh
We met Elsa, my cousin, in the BA lounge and are having some snacks and drink as we wait for the 14 hour flight. Ugh
To Burma and Beyond
So the erstwhile travelers are at it again. We are sitting at National airport waiting for a flight to Chicago and then for the 14 hour flight to Hong Kong. No we are not participating in the riots -yet-, but Ann and our traveling buddy, Elsa, will be stopping for a few days on the return trip. We will follow events there closely to see what happens.
From HK, it is a relatively short flight to Yangon (used to be Rangoon) in Burma. We don't get there until 11pm Tuesday so this becomes a VERY long day.
From HK, it is a relatively short flight to Yangon (used to be Rangoon) in Burma. We don't get there until 11pm Tuesday so this becomes a VERY long day.
Friday, April 25, 2014
Paris Day 3
Paris Day 3
On our final day, we met Annie at the Pompidou for the Cartier-Bresson exhibit. The day was threatening rain, and seemed nasty, so I was happy to be inside. The exhibit itself was over 500 of his photos from throughout his life. He started as an artist, but concentrated on photography in his 20s. At first he was a Surrealist, then was very concerned with framing and the Golden Mean, and later as a photojournalist. He had an uncanny knack to find the correct moment to capture, the "decisive moment". One of his famous pictures of that period was a man jumping over a puddle, caught just at the instant in the air with a perfect reflection. His later works while traveling around the works concentrated on the daily rhythms of the lives of ordinary people. He also became an ardent Communist and photographed rallies and crowds. There was a movie he made with Paul Strand, which was remarkable in its visions of light and shadow. Another movie was made of him in a crowd, snapping pictures as he saw the shifting scene in front of him. Fascinating.
After lunch on the roof with great views of the Eiffel Tower and Sacre Coeur, we went to the permanent exhibit of modern painting. More old friends of Picasso, Leger, and others.
Afterwards, we made our way back to the store now that it was open. This is the new "in" place, and it looked like they were giving things away. Shopped out, we returned to the hotel to nap before dinner.
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
On our final day, we met Annie at the Pompidou for the Cartier-Bresson exhibit. The day was threatening rain, and seemed nasty, so I was happy to be inside. The exhibit itself was over 500 of his photos from throughout his life. He started as an artist, but concentrated on photography in his 20s. At first he was a Surrealist, then was very concerned with framing and the Golden Mean, and later as a photojournalist. He had an uncanny knack to find the correct moment to capture, the "decisive moment". One of his famous pictures of that period was a man jumping over a puddle, caught just at the instant in the air with a perfect reflection. His later works while traveling around the works concentrated on the daily rhythms of the lives of ordinary people. He also became an ardent Communist and photographed rallies and crowds. There was a movie he made with Paul Strand, which was remarkable in its visions of light and shadow. Another movie was made of him in a crowd, snapping pictures as he saw the shifting scene in front of him. Fascinating.
After lunch on the roof with great views of the Eiffel Tower and Sacre Coeur, we went to the permanent exhibit of modern painting. More old friends of Picasso, Leger, and others.
Afterwards, we made our way back to the store now that it was open. This is the new "in" place, and it looked like they were giving things away. Shopped out, we returned to the hotel to nap before dinner.
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
Paris Day 2
Paris Day 2
We went to the Marais, the ancient Jewish neighborhood. Ann picked what seemed like the closest Metro stop, but it was a bit of a hike. Along the way, we met an Australian couple where the wife was wearing a down vest from a trendy new store. Ann had a mission. We got off at Haussmann to walk a bit, but couldn't find the store. Trying to get back on the Metro was a challenge but we finally walked 3 miles or so underground (!) to get back on or correct train. We finally got to the Jewish Museum. The collection hasn't changed much since we were there last with the kids in 2001. Some history of medieval Jewish culture in Europe and France and a few things on the early 20th century. 1 room on the deportations. 1 room on Dreyfuss. Most of it was explanations of festivals and decorations. Interestingly, they used the same picture to illustrate Simchas Torah and Shavuot. The audio guide was incomplete and mostly gave an explanation of what the holidays were, essentially for non-Jews. I was happy to have gone and supported the cause, but it was somewhat disappointing otherwise.
We got lunch at a corner bistro since we could not find falafels in the area. We went in search of the new store in the Marais neighborhood, since we had seen a sign with the address. We found it after a small walk, but, alas, it wasn't opening until Friday.
After coming back to our hotel for a nap, we ventured to Saint Germaine for dinner. We were in the mood for couscous, and we found a Moroccan restaurant. I had a lamb patty with couscous and a tagine of veggies and Ann had more veggies. Luckily there was no eggplant in any of the veggies, so we had no music in our room later.
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
We went to the Marais, the ancient Jewish neighborhood. Ann picked what seemed like the closest Metro stop, but it was a bit of a hike. Along the way, we met an Australian couple where the wife was wearing a down vest from a trendy new store. Ann had a mission. We got off at Haussmann to walk a bit, but couldn't find the store. Trying to get back on the Metro was a challenge but we finally walked 3 miles or so underground (!) to get back on or correct train. We finally got to the Jewish Museum. The collection hasn't changed much since we were there last with the kids in 2001. Some history of medieval Jewish culture in Europe and France and a few things on the early 20th century. 1 room on the deportations. 1 room on Dreyfuss. Most of it was explanations of festivals and decorations. Interestingly, they used the same picture to illustrate Simchas Torah and Shavuot. The audio guide was incomplete and mostly gave an explanation of what the holidays were, essentially for non-Jews. I was happy to have gone and supported the cause, but it was somewhat disappointing otherwise.
We got lunch at a corner bistro since we could not find falafels in the area. We went in search of the new store in the Marais neighborhood, since we had seen a sign with the address. We found it after a small walk, but, alas, it wasn't opening until Friday.
After coming back to our hotel for a nap, we ventured to Saint Germaine for dinner. We were in the mood for couscous, and we found a Moroccan restaurant. I had a lamb patty with couscous and a tagine of veggies and Ann had more veggies. Luckily there was no eggplant in any of the veggies, so we had no music in our room later.
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Paris Day 1
Breakfast here was the same as at the other K&K hotel in London. However, I was surprised to hear, "Rocky, is that you?". It seems Dan Lahr, an orthopaedist from Rockville is here visiting his daughter who is on her Junior year. Nice to chat and catch up.
We met with Annie and proceeded to the Musee D'Orsay for a big exhibit on Van Gogh. This was actually a double exhibit, as it was predicated by a book on Van Gogh by Antonin Artaud "The Man Suicided by Society". Artaud was also mentally ill, and objected to the way Van Gogh was perceived. The most haunting phrase accompanying the art was , "No one has ever written or painted, sculpted, modeled, built or invented, except to get out of hell". I was struck by the multiple self portraits with his increasingly haunted face and wild brush strokes. I was also reminded of my mother in law's comments about going to an art museum, "it's like visiting an old friend". Van Gogh was an old friend with a wonderful eye for color and movement.
We went on to an exhibit by Gustave Dore from the mid 1800s. He was a master illustrator of everything from current events (think the New Yorker cartoons) to Shakespeare, Cervantes, the Bible and more. Unbelievably prolific.
After lunch at the museum, we went to the Impressionists. Again, Mickie's old friends. Lovely.
A nap in the afternoon, and dinner at Le Rotonde, a recently rebuilt restaurant in the neighborhood. Ann was going to order the onion soup, but Annie said, "No! You mustn't have anything so pedestrian!" We explained it was considered more luxurious for us, and Ann finally prevailed. I had the Sea Bass, which was better after it came hot the second time around. Dessert was a wonderful concoction of rhubarb, custard, and raspberry syrup.
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
We met with Annie and proceeded to the Musee D'Orsay for a big exhibit on Van Gogh. This was actually a double exhibit, as it was predicated by a book on Van Gogh by Antonin Artaud "The Man Suicided by Society". Artaud was also mentally ill, and objected to the way Van Gogh was perceived. The most haunting phrase accompanying the art was , "No one has ever written or painted, sculpted, modeled, built or invented, except to get out of hell". I was struck by the multiple self portraits with his increasingly haunted face and wild brush strokes. I was also reminded of my mother in law's comments about going to an art museum, "it's like visiting an old friend". Van Gogh was an old friend with a wonderful eye for color and movement.
We went on to an exhibit by Gustave Dore from the mid 1800s. He was a master illustrator of everything from current events (think the New Yorker cartoons) to Shakespeare, Cervantes, the Bible and more. Unbelievably prolific.
After lunch at the museum, we went to the Impressionists. Again, Mickie's old friends. Lovely.
A nap in the afternoon, and dinner at Le Rotonde, a recently rebuilt restaurant in the neighborhood. Ann was going to order the onion soup, but Annie said, "No! You mustn't have anything so pedestrian!" We explained it was considered more luxurious for us, and Ann finally prevailed. I had the Sea Bass, which was better after it came hot the second time around. Dessert was a wonderful concoction of rhubarb, custard, and raspberry syrup.
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Travel Day- London to Paris
An easy day with a late breakfast and a tube to St. Pancreas (sometimes known to the outside world as Pancras). We spent our Pounds and changed some, and got on the train to Paris. When we got here, there was no passport control or anything entering the EU. Just walk on in. I knew we were in Paris by the cigarette smoke. Much more here than in London. We caught a cab to our hotel.
We arrived to a top floor room with a lovely view of Sacre Coeur. There was also a bottle of champagne and we thought it was a nice touch from the hotel. But then we read the note and it had been ordered by Paul, Ellen and Harry! A very sweet touch. We did a Google Hangout and thanked them and goofed around with the silly icons.
We bussed down the street to meet Annie, Ann's French friend whom she had met in 1972 on her junior year in Paris. They had remained friends over the years, and see each other every few years. We sent to an Italian restaurant and had wonderful pasta, scampi, and asparagus, with a chocolate mousse for desert.
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
We arrived to a top floor room with a lovely view of Sacre Coeur. There was also a bottle of champagne and we thought it was a nice touch from the hotel. But then we read the note and it had been ordered by Paul, Ellen and Harry! A very sweet touch. We did a Google Hangout and thanked them and goofed around with the silly icons.
We bussed down the street to meet Annie, Ann's French friend whom she had met in 1972 on her junior year in Paris. They had remained friends over the years, and see each other every few years. We sent to an Italian restaurant and had wonderful pasta, scampi, and asparagus, with a chocolate mousse for desert.
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
Monday, April 21, 2014
London Day 3
Another full day. After breakfast we headed to the Tate Modern for the Matisse Cut-Outs exhibit. This was a huge retrospective of the last 13 years of his life. He had been sick and had difficulty painting. He played with some shapes of cut out paper, and found he was fascinated by what he could achieve. His critics complained he couldn't paint any more, so he also did some paintings in a "cut out" motif to prove them wrong. He was unable to stand, so he had an assistant move the shapes a little left, a little right, until it was just so. He worked with pre-painted sheets of paper, with an entire palette of different shades. It was really fascinating to see the output of a genius even at age 82. There had been a cut out exhibit in DC years ago(?1983) but this was much more extensive and complete and had a number of movies of him doing the cutting and directing. Really a great exhibit.
After Matisse, we wandered around the museum. The photographs by Harry Callahan were disappointing at best. Neither of us saw much artistry in many of these photos. We were unmoved. Meh.
Outside it was a glorious sunny day on the Riverwalk by the Thames. A "bubble man" was making giant bubbles and all the kiddies were jumping to pop them. Many of the adults, too. The photos are in my camera, so I have no good way from here to transfer them to blogspot until I get home.
We returned to the Victoria & Albert so Ann could resume gift shopping. I spent the time doing some medical research concerning a patient back home, and emailing with his family.
Back to our hotel for a few minutes to freshen up before we went out again for an early dinner at a different Indian/Punjabi restaurant, Masala Zone. This was ok, as it was more of a chain, so it was more "homogenized". Passable for us, but Paul would object.
We wound our way the The National Theater at the Olivier Stage for "King Lear". First of all, there were 3 different stages and other productions, a la Kennedy Center, but this was all plays. The building was 60's cement modern. Very beautiful in its time, but definitely dated. Inside the theater, the seating was good and the acoustics were passable. Now on to the play: Lear is old and getting senile. He tries to divide his kingdom among his 3 daughters, but the infighting among them and their husbands (and lovers) is fierce. As all the fighting is happening, Lear is going mad. It devolves, as Shakespeare often does, into a killing field. The acting was superb and Lear was outstanding. The woman who played the middle daughter, Regan, was wonderfully deceitful, but her accent made her hard to understand. No matter, the tones of voice gave away what she was scheming!
A small medical adventure during the intermission. As we were exiting the theater, a girl was passed out in the hallway. Of course, I tried to help. "Get me a wet paper towel", but all the bathrooms are "green", with electric hand dryers, and there is not a paper towel to be found! We made do with toilet paper. At least they haven't found a way to eliminate that kind of paper! The girl came around quickly and we continued into the second act.
The cab to the tube took us past Big Ben, which I tried with my cell phone to get a decent picture. You be the judge.
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
After Matisse, we wandered around the museum. The photographs by Harry Callahan were disappointing at best. Neither of us saw much artistry in many of these photos. We were unmoved. Meh.
Outside it was a glorious sunny day on the Riverwalk by the Thames. A "bubble man" was making giant bubbles and all the kiddies were jumping to pop them. Many of the adults, too. The photos are in my camera, so I have no good way from here to transfer them to blogspot until I get home.
We returned to the Victoria & Albert so Ann could resume gift shopping. I spent the time doing some medical research concerning a patient back home, and emailing with his family.
Back to our hotel for a few minutes to freshen up before we went out again for an early dinner at a different Indian/Punjabi restaurant, Masala Zone. This was ok, as it was more of a chain, so it was more "homogenized". Passable for us, but Paul would object.
We wound our way the The National Theater at the Olivier Stage for "King Lear". First of all, there were 3 different stages and other productions, a la Kennedy Center, but this was all plays. The building was 60's cement modern. Very beautiful in its time, but definitely dated. Inside the theater, the seating was good and the acoustics were passable. Now on to the play: Lear is old and getting senile. He tries to divide his kingdom among his 3 daughters, but the infighting among them and their husbands (and lovers) is fierce. As all the fighting is happening, Lear is going mad. It devolves, as Shakespeare often does, into a killing field. The acting was superb and Lear was outstanding. The woman who played the middle daughter, Regan, was wonderfully deceitful, but her accent made her hard to understand. No matter, the tones of voice gave away what she was scheming!
A small medical adventure during the intermission. As we were exiting the theater, a girl was passed out in the hallway. Of course, I tried to help. "Get me a wet paper towel", but all the bathrooms are "green", with electric hand dryers, and there is not a paper towel to be found! We made do with toilet paper. At least they haven't found a way to eliminate that kind of paper! The girl came around quickly and we continued into the second act.
The cab to the tube took us past Big Ben, which I tried with my cell phone to get a decent picture. You be the judge.
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
Sunday, April 20, 2014
London Day 2
A full day. We started late, waking up at 10:30. After breakfast, we headed to the National Portrait Gallery. In the rain. Welcome to England.
We started in the World War I exhibit, with portraits of the archduke Franz Ferdinand, and a photo of him moments before he was shot. There was the mug shot of Princip the shooter. It continued with colonels, lieutenants and generals, as well as ordinary pictures of the grunts actually fighting the war. Many of these were done by William Orpen. A portrait of Churchill when he was naval commander. He was in some scandal at the time and was typically scowling for the portrait.
We continued into the history of England with the Tudors Stuarts and others. Various Henrys, Edwards, Anne Bolyn, Elizabeth I, etc. Some even earlier stuff of Richard III. We tried to take a tour but because it was Easter there was none today.
Lunch at our favorite London restaurant, Pret, then on to the British Museum. It is near the West End theater district and we tried to get tickets for something for tonight, but nothing looked half decent.
In the British, the new exhibit was Anglo-Saxon findings. Swords, helms, and other fighting gear, as well as pottery, jewelry, and utensils. There had been a big find of a burial site at Sutton Hoo with many great artifacts. This reminded me of Westeros.
We continued into the 14th to 19th centuries, with ceramics, paintings and other artifacts. The Lewis chess pieces were exhibited on a board. We happened onto an exhibit of part of the Waddeson Bequest of Baron Rothschild in 1898. Dozens of fabulous ceramics, jewelry and other objects. Ann found the Jewish content in many objects- the picture of Moses and the Burning Bush, the Seder plate (described as a plate depicting the plagues). All these were in ONE room (the New Smoking room), and there was a picture. Certainly the .001%.
We didn't see the standard stuff (Elgin Marbles, Rosetta Stone, Egyptian mummies etc). We never saw any of the other temporary Viking exhibits or the Indian Ganesha exhibit.
Exhausted, we tubed back to the hotel, and ate at a local Italian chain, Zizzi. Ann had a hanging skewer of veggies and shrimp; I had pasta.
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
We started in the World War I exhibit, with portraits of the archduke Franz Ferdinand, and a photo of him moments before he was shot. There was the mug shot of Princip the shooter. It continued with colonels, lieutenants and generals, as well as ordinary pictures of the grunts actually fighting the war. Many of these were done by William Orpen. A portrait of Churchill when he was naval commander. He was in some scandal at the time and was typically scowling for the portrait.
We continued into the history of England with the Tudors Stuarts and others. Various Henrys, Edwards, Anne Bolyn, Elizabeth I, etc. Some even earlier stuff of Richard III. We tried to take a tour but because it was Easter there was none today.
Lunch at our favorite London restaurant, Pret, then on to the British Museum. It is near the West End theater district and we tried to get tickets for something for tonight, but nothing looked half decent.
In the British, the new exhibit was Anglo-Saxon findings. Swords, helms, and other fighting gear, as well as pottery, jewelry, and utensils. There had been a big find of a burial site at Sutton Hoo with many great artifacts. This reminded me of Westeros.
We continued into the 14th to 19th centuries, with ceramics, paintings and other artifacts. The Lewis chess pieces were exhibited on a board. We happened onto an exhibit of part of the Waddeson Bequest of Baron Rothschild in 1898. Dozens of fabulous ceramics, jewelry and other objects. Ann found the Jewish content in many objects- the picture of Moses and the Burning Bush, the Seder plate (described as a plate depicting the plagues). All these were in ONE room (the New Smoking room), and there was a picture. Certainly the .001%.
We didn't see the standard stuff (Elgin Marbles, Rosetta Stone, Egyptian mummies etc). We never saw any of the other temporary Viking exhibits or the Indian Ganesha exhibit.
Exhausted, we tubed back to the hotel, and ate at a local Italian chain, Zizzi. Ann had a hanging skewer of veggies and shrimp; I had pasta.
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Welcome to Jolly Old England
So I'll give it a try to blog on this short trip. The flight was uneventful except Ann's leg was killing her and she didn't get much sleep. British Airways seems to have continued to shrink the size of the seats and row space to squeeze just a few more anchovies in, so neither of us had much room. I tried to watch but her elbow kept hitting the TV controller, so it was a challenge.
We got to our hotel, the K&K George where we stayed 12 years ago where we stayed with the kids in 2002. Our room was not yet ready so we went out to breakfast at Pret a Manger near the tube stop. We finally got into our room at 11 or so and promptly fell asleep. When we got up at 3, we went out to the British Science museum to get a picture of Watson & Crick's DNA model. Harry and I swore we had taken this picture 12 years ago, but we couldn't find it anywhere. I took it on 3 devices, so we are sure not to lose it.
Next door was the Victoria and Albert museum of decorative arts. Ceramics, furniture, glass, textiles, etc. it seemed to be the size of the Louvre, but not quite. Interesting, though. The Natural History Museum was next door to that, but we didn't have time or the strength.
Dinner at Masala, a local Halal Indian restaurant (?). It was packed when we got there and we had to wait 20 minutes for a table. The Indian restaurant across the street was empty, so we didn't want to go in there. The place smelled great, and the food matched. But while we ate, the place emptied out and we were essentially the only ones left when we finished at 8. The place across the street was full then. Go figure.
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
We got to our hotel, the K&K George where we stayed 12 years ago where we stayed with the kids in 2002. Our room was not yet ready so we went out to breakfast at Pret a Manger near the tube stop. We finally got into our room at 11 or so and promptly fell asleep. When we got up at 3, we went out to the British Science museum to get a picture of Watson & Crick's DNA model. Harry and I swore we had taken this picture 12 years ago, but we couldn't find it anywhere. I took it on 3 devices, so we are sure not to lose it.
Next door was the Victoria and Albert museum of decorative arts. Ceramics, furniture, glass, textiles, etc. it seemed to be the size of the Louvre, but not quite. Interesting, though. The Natural History Museum was next door to that, but we didn't have time or the strength.
Dinner at Masala, a local Halal Indian restaurant (?). It was packed when we got there and we had to wait 20 minutes for a table. The Indian restaurant across the street was empty, so we didn't want to go in there. The place smelled great, and the food matched. But while we ate, the place emptied out and we were essentially the only ones left when we finished at 8. The place across the street was full then. Go figure.
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Day 12 Peterhof and the Metro
On the bus again for the trip out of town to the Summer Palace built by Peter, called Peterhof. The direct road was blocked due to the preparations for the G20, so we had to take a very circuitous route. we finally got there before too many other tourists from the cruise ships. Lots of Koreans and Japanese. This was another huge palace built to impress other heads of state who were visiting, but it sure impressed us also. From the gold encrusted staircase to the ornate reception hall, it was opulence to the hilt. We weren't supposed to take pictures, but I did anyway surreptitiously. When I get to upload my camera pictures, I'll show them.
Outside was an enormous fountain with gold statues, overlooking the enormous grounds. With the G20 coming, preparations were being made for the event. There were a gazillion lights being placed around the grounds; the kind that move synchronously, as well as sound booths inside for multiple reporters. We saw one of the tables where some of the talks will be held, in the former palace throne room. Again, pictures will be forthcoming.
Coming back to town, we had a "free" afternoon. Silvija suggested a ride on the Metro to see the various stations. Of course, our whole group took her up on it. We were dropped off by one Metro station, and we stopped into a little cafe to grab a bite. Since I didn't have too many Rubles just then, I wanted to pay with my credit card. When she asked for my PIN, I was stuck. It seems every debit card AND credit card in Europe comes with a PIN. Sylvija came to the rescue and advanced me the 200 rubles I needed.
Returning to the Metro, we bought our tokens (28 Rubles each) and boarded. The trains were clean but noisy. Since there is no need for air conditioning, the windows were open which led to a considerable racket. We went to a number of stations which were all decorated differently with murals to the glorious revolution, the glorious defeat of the Nazis in the World War, and the glorious history of Russian literature. Even the air handling vents had different decorations.
We saw 4 or 5 stations and ended up at Nevsky Prospect, the main drag of town. Even for a Sunday, it was crowded, but Sylvija said this was relatively light. We found one of the boats to do a cruise of the canals. There was even a guided tour, which was entirely in Russian. My feeling was the lady didn't tell the jokes right. The light was good, however, and many good pictures presented themselves of the Church of the Spilled Blood, the Hermitage and other sites until it got cloudy and rain threatened. Luckily, it never did rain before we got back.
We got some coffee and sweets at the Singer Cafe, a wonderful Art Deco building that really was built by the Singer Sewing Machine Company. It is now a bookstore with a cafe.
Metro home by ourselves which wasn't much for Ann and me, but was scary for others of the group unused to riding a Metro.
Our final dinner was special. Everyone gave a little talk about what they had learned, and most spoke of the plight of the Baltic States in the past 50-100 years. They never really had an ally, and were pushed around by all sides . They were the pawns of Europe; a trifling to be sacrificed by one side or another for some larger gain. The human toll was devastating. Somehow, they maintained their will to independence and are now thriving.
Sylvija passed out DVDs of the picture she had been taking all along of us. We were thrilled. She has been a very special tour guide: our Mother Hen looking after us and doing lots of work in the background to ensure the quality of our experience. It was very nice to have met her family and see their interactions. I left my Nationals hat with her son, Gustav, hopefully to replace his Yankees hat. The group overall was very copicetic. We made some wonderful friends, especially Art and Laurie from Florida. One of the group asked us how long we had known each other before this trip!
More final thoughts in a while...
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
Outside was an enormous fountain with gold statues, overlooking the enormous grounds. With the G20 coming, preparations were being made for the event. There were a gazillion lights being placed around the grounds; the kind that move synchronously, as well as sound booths inside for multiple reporters. We saw one of the tables where some of the talks will be held, in the former palace throne room. Again, pictures will be forthcoming.
Coming back to town, we had a "free" afternoon. Silvija suggested a ride on the Metro to see the various stations. Of course, our whole group took her up on it. We were dropped off by one Metro station, and we stopped into a little cafe to grab a bite. Since I didn't have too many Rubles just then, I wanted to pay with my credit card. When she asked for my PIN, I was stuck. It seems every debit card AND credit card in Europe comes with a PIN. Sylvija came to the rescue and advanced me the 200 rubles I needed.
Returning to the Metro, we bought our tokens (28 Rubles each) and boarded. The trains were clean but noisy. Since there is no need for air conditioning, the windows were open which led to a considerable racket. We went to a number of stations which were all decorated differently with murals to the glorious revolution, the glorious defeat of the Nazis in the World War, and the glorious history of Russian literature. Even the air handling vents had different decorations.
We saw 4 or 5 stations and ended up at Nevsky Prospect, the main drag of town. Even for a Sunday, it was crowded, but Sylvija said this was relatively light. We found one of the boats to do a cruise of the canals. There was even a guided tour, which was entirely in Russian. My feeling was the lady didn't tell the jokes right. The light was good, however, and many good pictures presented themselves of the Church of the Spilled Blood, the Hermitage and other sites until it got cloudy and rain threatened. Luckily, it never did rain before we got back.
We got some coffee and sweets at the Singer Cafe, a wonderful Art Deco building that really was built by the Singer Sewing Machine Company. It is now a bookstore with a cafe.
Metro home by ourselves which wasn't much for Ann and me, but was scary for others of the group unused to riding a Metro.
Our final dinner was special. Everyone gave a little talk about what they had learned, and most spoke of the plight of the Baltic States in the past 50-100 years. They never really had an ally, and were pushed around by all sides . They were the pawns of Europe; a trifling to be sacrificed by one side or another for some larger gain. The human toll was devastating. Somehow, they maintained their will to independence and are now thriving.
Sylvija passed out DVDs of the picture she had been taking all along of us. We were thrilled. She has been a very special tour guide: our Mother Hen looking after us and doing lots of work in the background to ensure the quality of our experience. It was very nice to have met her family and see their interactions. I left my Nationals hat with her son, Gustav, hopefully to replace his Yankees hat. The group overall was very copicetic. We made some wonderful friends, especially Art and Laurie from Florida. One of the group asked us how long we had known each other before this trip!
More final thoughts in a while...
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
Day 11: Saint Pete Evening
Day 11: Saint Pete Evening
We didn't really stop for dinner as we had a 7:00 show. We walked to the theater, but had an unexpected surprise on the way. One of the customs here and in the Baltics is for newly weds to take a lock and lock it on a bridge railing and throw the keys into the river. Thus the marriage is "locked in place" and you'd have to hire a diver to retrieve the keys to unlock the marriage. Since we were here for our 40th anniversary, Silvija bought a lock for us and we locked it on the bridge over the Narva and we threw the keys in the river. Very cute and romantic.
We proceeded to the theater which was an interesting building dedicated to Lenin. Before the performance there was champagne, and lots of little stalls to buy schlock.... Aah, souvenirs. The performance started ok with a Russian barbershop quartet, but the proceeded to dancing natives in colorful costumes. I had seen this show before, but as I said, I had been outvoted. The 2 shots of vodka at intermission helped.
A little cheese plate later sufficed for dinner.
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
We didn't really stop for dinner as we had a 7:00 show. We walked to the theater, but had an unexpected surprise on the way. One of the customs here and in the Baltics is for newly weds to take a lock and lock it on a bridge railing and throw the keys into the river. Thus the marriage is "locked in place" and you'd have to hire a diver to retrieve the keys to unlock the marriage. Since we were here for our 40th anniversary, Silvija bought a lock for us and we locked it on the bridge over the Narva and we threw the keys in the river. Very cute and romantic.
We proceeded to the theater which was an interesting building dedicated to Lenin. Before the performance there was champagne, and lots of little stalls to buy schlock.... Aah, souvenirs. The performance started ok with a Russian barbershop quartet, but the proceeded to dancing natives in colorful costumes. I had seen this show before, but as I said, I had been outvoted. The 2 shots of vodka at intermission helped.
A little cheese plate later sufficed for dinner.
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
Saturday, August 31, 2013
G20 and Us, Part 2
So I was wrong. Just because I saw Obama and the Lithuanian President, Dalia Grybauskaite, on television together doesn't mean he is here. That meeting happened in DC, as I think he was meeting all the Baltic Presidents there. Why they all went to Washington when everybody is coming here in a day or 2 is anybody's guess. Nobody asked me whether this is an efficient use of resources....
Day 11 Saint Pete Daytime
Early morning to get to the Hermitage before the rest of the crowds. Even still, there were lore of people there. It's hard to describe the place, as it is so vast. The most impressive rooms were the main staircase, all in figurines of marble, plaster and gold leaf, and the throne room with 6 foot tall vases of lapis and malachite. The art collections were stupendous, rivaling the Louvre ( just not as big). There were Rembrandts, Titians, a few DaVincis, and a whole floor of impressionists and beyond. Obviously the collection stops in 1920, as the Romanoffs were no longer able to do any collecting.
The next stop was the Church of the Spilled Blood. It was built at the site where Alexander II was killed. It may be one of the most photogenic churches in this city.
We then went to lunch with two ladies who live here in St. Petersburg. Odysseys Travel always has some type of home visitation with local families. This is a very nice touch to speak with locals and not just see the museums. We went to the home of a 50 something widow, a "pensioner", who used to be an engineer in Soviet times, but now teaches English in schools. She spoke of her life in the old system with 5 families in a flat sharing 1 bathroom and 1 kitchen. Since 1991, she has done somewhat better, and has been able to renovate her apartment somewhat. She had a 50 inch flat screen TV on the wall, but still lived in 3 rooms with no official "bedroom", as she sleeps in what appeared to be a living room. Sitting there at a long table reminded me of a Seder, and the wine was similar! :) the other half of our group was across the hall with a lady who hadn't fared so well and had not renovated her apartment at all. Clean but obviously very old.
The next stop was St. Isaac's church, the largest in the city with a huge golden dome. Saint Isaac the Dalmatian lived in the 4th century and fought the Romans for Christianity. He went on to become Hegemon of Constantinople. His Saint's day is May 30 which was Peter the Great's birthday, so he was adopted by the Romanovs as their patron saint.
We stopped to look at the log cabin where Peter built the first house here on the Neva. That was a ruse, as it was really a chance to stop to buy souvenirs from a huge schlock shop. I walked to the river to get some pictures. There was a tall ship to take picture of.
Last stop for the day was the synagogue. Since it is Shabbat, we were unable to take pictures or really get a tour. It did bring back warm feelings from the last time we were here 10 years ago.
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
The next stop was the Church of the Spilled Blood. It was built at the site where Alexander II was killed. It may be one of the most photogenic churches in this city.
We then went to lunch with two ladies who live here in St. Petersburg. Odysseys Travel always has some type of home visitation with local families. This is a very nice touch to speak with locals and not just see the museums. We went to the home of a 50 something widow, a "pensioner", who used to be an engineer in Soviet times, but now teaches English in schools. She spoke of her life in the old system with 5 families in a flat sharing 1 bathroom and 1 kitchen. Since 1991, she has done somewhat better, and has been able to renovate her apartment somewhat. She had a 50 inch flat screen TV on the wall, but still lived in 3 rooms with no official "bedroom", as she sleeps in what appeared to be a living room. Sitting there at a long table reminded me of a Seder, and the wine was similar! :) the other half of our group was across the hall with a lady who hadn't fared so well and had not renovated her apartment at all. Clean but obviously very old.
The next stop was St. Isaac's church, the largest in the city with a huge golden dome. Saint Isaac the Dalmatian lived in the 4th century and fought the Romans for Christianity. He went on to become Hegemon of Constantinople. His Saint's day is May 30 which was Peter the Great's birthday, so he was adopted by the Romanovs as their patron saint.
We stopped to look at the log cabin where Peter built the first house here on the Neva. That was a ruse, as it was really a chance to stop to buy souvenirs from a huge schlock shop. I walked to the river to get some pictures. There was a tall ship to take picture of.
Last stop for the day was the synagogue. Since it is Shabbat, we were unable to take pictures or really get a tour. It did bring back warm feelings from the last time we were here 10 years ago.
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
Friday, August 30, 2013
G20 and Us
So, it looks like Obama is here now, as we just had a big fireworks show over the Bolshaya River. If We had known earlier, we would have wandered down for pictures. How dare they not inform us? Hopefully the fireworks does not extend to Syria, but that is not for this blog....
Day 10 Push to St. Petersburg
An early morning, as we wanted to get out before the other tour bus to get to the border earlier. As it turned out, it wasn't a problem. We got to the border at Narva and ate a quick lunch. As we got to the border, there were absolutely no busses in front of us. We got through the EU side without a hitch, and, amazingly, did the same on the Russian side. The guards were not smiling, but they were not gruff, either. Just doing a boring job. There were 3 checks of the paperwork before we were through, but it all went smoothly. Sylvija said she had never seen it that easy. There was a form we filled out in duplicate, and they gave us back 1/2 to hand in as we left. That process had left us with a $50 stupidity tax a few years ago when leaving Uruguay, so we are sure to hold on to the little piece of paper.
Our hotel is in the middle of downtown, on the main island. We killed time and went out to dinner(chicken or fish). After dinner Ann and I broke off from the group to get some pictures as the sun was setting. Beautiful light of the setting sun on St. Isaac's and the Hermitage. It is fun trying to read the Cyrillic. Tomorrow we have a full city tour, but who knows if we'll have the time or light for good photos.
Tomorrow evening also is an opportunity for a "theater" production to show off "traditional dance and costumes". I was outvoted, and I'm going. I'll let Ann describe it tomorrow, as I may have already fallen asleep.
On a surprising note, my ATM card worked! It had worked the first day in Vilnius, and then not again. I tried calling the bank and the lady could not find a reason, but my card still would not work in Tallinn or Helsinki. But here it does. Who knows?
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
Our hotel is in the middle of downtown, on the main island. We killed time and went out to dinner(chicken or fish). After dinner Ann and I broke off from the group to get some pictures as the sun was setting. Beautiful light of the setting sun on St. Isaac's and the Hermitage. It is fun trying to read the Cyrillic. Tomorrow we have a full city tour, but who knows if we'll have the time or light for good photos.
Tomorrow evening also is an opportunity for a "theater" production to show off "traditional dance and costumes". I was outvoted, and I'm going. I'll let Ann describe it tomorrow, as I may have already fallen asleep.
On a surprising note, my ATM card worked! It had worked the first day in Vilnius, and then not again. I tried calling the bank and the lady could not find a reason, but my card still would not work in Tallinn or Helsinki. But here it does. Who knows?
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Day 9 Tallinn and Helsinki
So we were up early today to catch the 8:00 boat to Helsinki. Even though it is another EU country, our passports were checked, but not stamped. Noting on the other end, just walk out into town.
We found the City Tour bus where you get some pablum in your earphones, but they drive you around to see the stuff in the city center. There really isn't an "old town" as in the other cities, but this was a City. Lots of cars and hustle bustle. The people were very nice. The most interesting thing we saw was a church. Not just another church, you might say (as did we). This was call the Church of the Rock (not to be confused with the dome of the same name)' and was literally carved into the side of a rock. 3 1/2 walls were solid rock, with a wooden dome over top. OK, there was a dome. Sue me. This was fascinating to see. I'm not sure what they do in the wintertime, since it was already significantly cooler inside than the 58 it was outside.
We hopped on the bus and went to the Contemporary Art museum. This was a total bust. Not only did none of us understand what any of the exhibits were about, we weren't drawn in at all. There was one movie on 3 screens of a girl going schizophrenic which was semi-interesting, but that was all. The building itself was very interesting with all white walls and curving ramps between floors.
Pizza and beer on the street for lunch. Helsinki is much more expensive than any other place we've been.
At this point I was whipped, as my cold is still with me. We made our way to Kokelli's, a swank bistro on the main park, the Esplanade.
5 o'clock boat back to Tallinn, and we made our way back to the old town for dinner. Pasta and salad.
Tomorrow to Russia. We are leaving early, so we can get the jump on another tour group that is here. The border can be anywhere from 1-4 hours, depending on the whims of the guards. Because of the G20 meeting next week just after we leave, security is likely to be tight. If this trip had been a day later, we would have been screwed, since they are closing the airport for 3 days, starting Tuesday.
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
We found the City Tour bus where you get some pablum in your earphones, but they drive you around to see the stuff in the city center. There really isn't an "old town" as in the other cities, but this was a City. Lots of cars and hustle bustle. The people were very nice. The most interesting thing we saw was a church. Not just another church, you might say (as did we). This was call the Church of the Rock (not to be confused with the dome of the same name)' and was literally carved into the side of a rock. 3 1/2 walls were solid rock, with a wooden dome over top. OK, there was a dome. Sue me. This was fascinating to see. I'm not sure what they do in the wintertime, since it was already significantly cooler inside than the 58 it was outside.
We hopped on the bus and went to the Contemporary Art museum. This was a total bust. Not only did none of us understand what any of the exhibits were about, we weren't drawn in at all. There was one movie on 3 screens of a girl going schizophrenic which was semi-interesting, but that was all. The building itself was very interesting with all white walls and curving ramps between floors.
Pizza and beer on the street for lunch. Helsinki is much more expensive than any other place we've been.
At this point I was whipped, as my cold is still with me. We made our way to Kokelli's, a swank bistro on the main park, the Esplanade.
5 o'clock boat back to Tallinn, and we made our way back to the old town for dinner. Pasta and salad.
Tomorrow to Russia. We are leaving early, so we can get the jump on another tour group that is here. The border can be anywhere from 1-4 hours, depending on the whims of the guards. Because of the G20 meeting next week just after we leave, security is likely to be tight. If this trip had been a day later, we would have been screwed, since they are closing the airport for 3 days, starting Tuesday.
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Day 9-Sightseeing in Tallinn
Today was our day to get acquainted with Tallinn, Estonia, and since Steve decided that he was not feeling up to joining us for our city, I agreed to write the blog. We began the morning with a sightseeing bus tour of the city and learned a bit of information about Estonia and Tallinn. Estonia is the smallest of the Baltic countries with a total population of 1.3 million, of which 430,000 people live in Tallinn. The Estonian language is Fino-Hungarian. Estonia was founded in the 10th century and its strategic waterfront location has made it very attractive to other nations over the centuries. It was conquered by the Danes and the Swedes, in the 13th and 15th centuries respectively, and was then ruled by the Russians from the 18th century until 1920 when it became an independent nation for 20 years. At that point it was occupied by the Russians in 1939, then the Germans in 1941 and then the Russians occupied it once more at the end of WWII. Estonia did not achieve its independence again until 1991 when the Soviet Union crumbled. We began the morning with a walking tour of the Medieval town of Tallinn which still has some of the original fortified walls, medieval churches and cobblestone streets. Several of the passengers from the major cruise lines that stop in Tallinn were also touring the city this morning so the narrow cobblestone streets and churches were packed with people. But we were told that by afternoon they would be gone so the old town would be much easier navigate, which it was! From there we went by bus to the Estonian Open Air Museum which is an enormous village made up of historical rural buildings that have been transported to the site from around the country. There are a wide variety of structures depicting rural life in different areas of the country in the 18th to early 20th century. Some of the thatched roofed farmhouses looked like they were right out of Fiddler on the Roof. Steve joined me for lunch with our friends Laurie and Art at a roof top restaurant across the street from our hotel. We all had Caesar salads with either grilled shrimp or smoked salmon, all of which were delicious. Laurie and I then went back to the Old Town to visit the outdoor market crafts market which is there on Wednesdays and spent a girls day out shopping. Tonight we are turning in early because we are taking the hydrofoil tomorrow to Helsinki for the day.
Ann
Sent from my iPad
Ann
Sent from my iPad
Day 8 - Journey to Tallinn
A lazy day with not a whole lot to do except get ourselves north to Tallinn. We made some rest stops, then crossed the border into Estonia. Again, the border was nothing. There was a rest stop at the border, so I walked back and took some pictures from the line. 20 years ago, I may have been shot for doing this, but now, it's "who cares?".
We drove north on the Gulf of Riga coast to Parnu, and had lunch at a cute little restaurant in an old converted post office building. Walking into town, I stopped at the ATM to get some Euros. Oops, my card won't work. Who knows why? I'll try to check later. Further north, we arrive in Tallinn, on the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland. This is a VERY wired city. Actually wireless. There are free connections everywhere.
We take a little walk into the old town for dinner at the Garlic Restaurant. It's actually very good except for the garlic beer. The setting sun made for some great pictures. Perhaps I can even upload some, as I have learned to take a few pictures with the iPad camera as well as the SLR. It seems Google doesn't like 8MB files....
Now it is Wednesday, and I'm still at the hotel as I have caught the bug, and am coughing and hacking. Ann will provide the details later for today's tour...
We drove north on the Gulf of Riga coast to Parnu, and had lunch at a cute little restaurant in an old converted post office building. Walking into town, I stopped at the ATM to get some Euros. Oops, my card won't work. Who knows why? I'll try to check later. Further north, we arrive in Tallinn, on the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland. This is a VERY wired city. Actually wireless. There are free connections everywhere.
We take a little walk into the old town for dinner at the Garlic Restaurant. It's actually very good except for the garlic beer. The setting sun made for some great pictures. Perhaps I can even upload some, as I have learned to take a few pictures with the iPad camera as well as the SLR. It seems Google doesn't like 8MB files....
Now it is Wednesday, and I'm still at the hotel as I have caught the bug, and am coughing and hacking. Ann will provide the details later for today's tour...
Monday, August 26, 2013
Day 7 the Castle and the Picnic
We took a drive to the countryside to Turaida Castle overlooking the Gauja river. Originally built for Bishop Albert, it passed into different hands as the wars occurred over the years: the Poles, the Swedes, the Germans, etc. it was destroyed by fire in 1776, and reconstruction was not started until the 20th century. Now there is a large round tower that I climbed, and some other buildings. Nearby is the grave of "Rose of Turaida", a girl who was killed by a jealous lover in 1620. This legend provides a stopping place for newly weds to lay some flowers.
Returning to Riga, we stopped at Sylvija's house for a picnic from the food we bought yesterday at the market. It was a festive lunch, and included a cooking demonstration by Katrina, Sylvija's daughter. She "cooked" cold Borscht from marinated beets, kefir, dill and cucumbers. It was delicious.
Later in the afternoon, we went to the Museum of the Occupation. Light, it wasn't. As we have been learning, the Baltics have been overrun by multiple conquerors over the centuries, but the 20th was the worst. The Russians took over in 1939 when Hitler made a pact with them, only to be double crossed by the Germans later in 1941. The Germans killed 40,000 Jews in November and December 1941. They remained until 1944 when Churchill and Roosevelt acceded to Stalin's demands at Yalta. Russia considered the Baltics to be Soviet Socialist Republics, and wanted them returned. So much for "all people having free determination of their future". After the return of the Russians, all intelligencia, politicians, and moneyed people, whether bankers or farmers were re populated to Siberia. In the void, they brought in Poles, Ukrainians, and other Russian speakers to replace them. There was significant overcrowding, with each person allotted 9 square meters(about 100 square feet). Thus a typical small apartment of 600 square feet might have 6 people. There was surprisingly little about the resistance and the partisans, other than to say they were wiped out by 1955. There was also not much about Glasnost and the march back to independence in 1991.
We left to the museum for some retail therapy. Ann found some amber at a reasonable price, so she was happy. We got to the restaurant early for some beer before the rest of the crowd arrived. For the foodies, it wasn't much. Fried fish or pork with creme brûlée for desert. Eh.
Riga has been a fun city. It is more cosmopolitan than Vilnius, and seems to have more going on. The people seem busier and more westernized. Not sure that is actually good, but it is what it is.
Tomorrow to Tallinn in Estonia.
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
Returning to Riga, we stopped at Sylvija's house for a picnic from the food we bought yesterday at the market. It was a festive lunch, and included a cooking demonstration by Katrina, Sylvija's daughter. She "cooked" cold Borscht from marinated beets, kefir, dill and cucumbers. It was delicious.
Later in the afternoon, we went to the Museum of the Occupation. Light, it wasn't. As we have been learning, the Baltics have been overrun by multiple conquerors over the centuries, but the 20th was the worst. The Russians took over in 1939 when Hitler made a pact with them, only to be double crossed by the Germans later in 1941. The Germans killed 40,000 Jews in November and December 1941. They remained until 1944 when Churchill and Roosevelt acceded to Stalin's demands at Yalta. Russia considered the Baltics to be Soviet Socialist Republics, and wanted them returned. So much for "all people having free determination of their future". After the return of the Russians, all intelligencia, politicians, and moneyed people, whether bankers or farmers were re populated to Siberia. In the void, they brought in Poles, Ukrainians, and other Russian speakers to replace them. There was significant overcrowding, with each person allotted 9 square meters(about 100 square feet). Thus a typical small apartment of 600 square feet might have 6 people. There was surprisingly little about the resistance and the partisans, other than to say they were wiped out by 1955. There was also not much about Glasnost and the march back to independence in 1991.
We left to the museum for some retail therapy. Ann found some amber at a reasonable price, so she was happy. We got to the restaurant early for some beer before the rest of the crowd arrived. For the foodies, it wasn't much. Fried fish or pork with creme brûlée for desert. Eh.
Riga has been a fun city. It is more cosmopolitan than Vilnius, and seems to have more going on. The people seem busier and more westernized. Not sure that is actually good, but it is what it is.
Tomorrow to Tallinn in Estonia.
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
Sunday, August 25, 2013
MLB.TV
I have to say I really am amazed at the power of the Internet. Here I am in Latvia watching a Nationals game live on my computer. I cheered as Bryce hit a homer to tie it up in the 7th. Too bad they lost...
Picture upload fail
So trying to learn how to do iPad isn't easy. The Blogger rejected some of my picture because they are too big - 6 or 8 MB. Since I don't have a real computer, ie a PC, I am resigned to working with this toy. I will upload what I can when I can. I think the iPad pictures are smaller, but I really don't want to have to use that rather than my Canon. I may have to find an Internet cafe somewhere. Blecch.
Day 5-6 Journey to Riga
So yesterday was a travel day. We got up early to get on the bus to head north. We made one stop at the "Hill of Crosses", where there were a gazillion crosses that people have planted. I'm sorry to say that I wasn't cross-cultural enough to pay attention to why they were there. To paraphrase Caesar, "I came, I saw, I left".
We crossed the border like driving from Maryland into Delaware - there was a sign and we kept going. The European Union is slowly becoming like the United States of Europe as far as border crossings go. The money has not become unified yet, as Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia have not yet been accepted into the Euro Zone so we have to deal with differing currencies: 2.5 Lithuanian Litas to the dollar. 0.5 Latvian Lats to the dollar (yes, 1 Lat = $2). Some places quote prices in Euros, but few merchants take them. Of course, plastic is suitable almost everywhere.
Once we were across the border into Latvia, we stopped at the Rundale Palace . This was designed by Rastelli, who was the same guy who eventually designed the Hermitage, and the similarity showed. More on the Hermitage later when we get to St. Petersburg. The palace was originally designed and built in the 1730s for Ernst Johan, the Duke of Courland. Shortly after being finished, the Duke was arrested and exiled for 22 years. When he returned, styles had changed, and he had to renovate it from Baroque to Rococo. The rooms were all fascinating, reminiscent of Versailles. There was Latvian "Delft" on the heaters in the corners. The inlaid floors were fascinating. The wall coverings were elegant. Of course, it all had been reconstructed, but some of it was actually original. Much was contemporary to the time period, however.
The rest of the day was on the road to Riga, where we arrived just before dinner at the hotel.
The city tour of Riga today showed us around the old city. We crossed the Daugava River to take in the sight of the spires of the multiple churches. Riga was established as a Christian city in 1201 by a Prussian bishop, Albert. It flourished as the bishop got the Pope to decree that all commerce to the Baltic coast had to pass through Riga. The German influence persisted throughout the centuries, with an interval of Swedish rule in the 1600s. After the first World War, Latvia became independent until the Germans and Russians came back in 1939 and 1941. Much of the current population is still of Russian descent.
During the independent period of the early 20th century, the art nouveau style became extremely popular, and many buildings were erected. Hopefully I can upload a few pictures eventually. The Russian architect, Mikhail Eisenstein was instrumental in transforming the city. We went through the Art Nouveau museum, which was a restoration of an apartment of the time.
We went to St. Peter's Church and had a small recital by the children of our guide, Sylvia.
We then went to the big market. Sylvia and the kids passed out slips of paper with our "assignments": items of food we had to search out to buy. Of course, the assignments were in Latvian, and we had no idea what we were supposed to get. With a little sleuthing, we were able to come up with the proper foods. My assignment was Kvass, which turned out to be a type of carbonated drink, similar to root beer. The lady poured it for me out of a tap into a 3 liter bottle and screwed on the top. I asked for a glass, and she said no. The guy behind me realized I wanted an additional glass to drink, not just to pour for myself, and explained it to her. She never cracked a smile.
After lunch (I'll let Ann describe that), we went to the synagogue. It was the only one not destroyed by the Germans, as the Lutheran clergyman of the church next door convinced the it would destroy his church also. It had been in ruins, however, but was recently renovated. They had minimal to go on as there were few surviving descriptions or pictures of the interiors. The result is pretty good, however. They have a Chabad rabbi, and have more than enough for morning and evening services, and are overflowing on the High Holidays.
Dinner later tonight at "The Three Chefs", a fancy new place in town.
So I now get to write about food. On our trip to the market, which did not require sleuthing on my part because each of the words in Latvian kind of sound like their English counterparts, I had to buy tomatoes, cucumbers and dill for our lunch tomorrow. Several of us also bought warm delicious Latvian bread which we also shared with the group. After we finished our City tour, Steve and I had lunch at an outdoor cafe with our friends Laurie and Art. Laurie and I shared a vegetarian antipasto and the guys had the meat antipasto. Ours had marinated peppers crusty bread with mozzarella balls, beets and stuffed pepper, all quite good. The meat version was also delicious.
Tonight we ate at a restaurant called Three Chefs, which was recently opened by three celebrity chefs. The restaurant only had about a dozen or so tables. At one point, our table of six along with the other members of our tour group at the restaurant probably made up more than half of the patrons in the restaurant. One of the highlights was the dips and breads they do at the beginning of the meal. The wait staff squirts directly on to each diner's parchment placemat six different sauces including pesto, chili and chocolate, strawberry and others in a pretty swirling design. You then dip the bread into the sauces, which is a lovely beginning to the meal. We then had imported Italian bufallo mozzarella and tomatoes for appetizers and fresh fish for dinner. I had pike perch and Steve had tuna, all of which were quite good. This was one of the more expensive restaurants in Riga and our bill was considerably less than it would have been for a comparable restaurant at home. -AHS
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
We crossed the border like driving from Maryland into Delaware - there was a sign and we kept going. The European Union is slowly becoming like the United States of Europe as far as border crossings go. The money has not become unified yet, as Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia have not yet been accepted into the Euro Zone so we have to deal with differing currencies: 2.5 Lithuanian Litas to the dollar. 0.5 Latvian Lats to the dollar (yes, 1 Lat = $2). Some places quote prices in Euros, but few merchants take them. Of course, plastic is suitable almost everywhere.
Once we were across the border into Latvia, we stopped at the Rundale Palace . This was designed by Rastelli, who was the same guy who eventually designed the Hermitage, and the similarity showed. More on the Hermitage later when we get to St. Petersburg. The palace was originally designed and built in the 1730s for Ernst Johan, the Duke of Courland. Shortly after being finished, the Duke was arrested and exiled for 22 years. When he returned, styles had changed, and he had to renovate it from Baroque to Rococo. The rooms were all fascinating, reminiscent of Versailles. There was Latvian "Delft" on the heaters in the corners. The inlaid floors were fascinating. The wall coverings were elegant. Of course, it all had been reconstructed, but some of it was actually original. Much was contemporary to the time period, however.
The rest of the day was on the road to Riga, where we arrived just before dinner at the hotel.
The city tour of Riga today showed us around the old city. We crossed the Daugava River to take in the sight of the spires of the multiple churches. Riga was established as a Christian city in 1201 by a Prussian bishop, Albert. It flourished as the bishop got the Pope to decree that all commerce to the Baltic coast had to pass through Riga. The German influence persisted throughout the centuries, with an interval of Swedish rule in the 1600s. After the first World War, Latvia became independent until the Germans and Russians came back in 1939 and 1941. Much of the current population is still of Russian descent.
During the independent period of the early 20th century, the art nouveau style became extremely popular, and many buildings were erected. Hopefully I can upload a few pictures eventually. The Russian architect, Mikhail Eisenstein was instrumental in transforming the city. We went through the Art Nouveau museum, which was a restoration of an apartment of the time.
We went to St. Peter's Church and had a small recital by the children of our guide, Sylvia.
We then went to the big market. Sylvia and the kids passed out slips of paper with our "assignments": items of food we had to search out to buy. Of course, the assignments were in Latvian, and we had no idea what we were supposed to get. With a little sleuthing, we were able to come up with the proper foods. My assignment was Kvass, which turned out to be a type of carbonated drink, similar to root beer. The lady poured it for me out of a tap into a 3 liter bottle and screwed on the top. I asked for a glass, and she said no. The guy behind me realized I wanted an additional glass to drink, not just to pour for myself, and explained it to her. She never cracked a smile.
After lunch (I'll let Ann describe that), we went to the synagogue. It was the only one not destroyed by the Germans, as the Lutheran clergyman of the church next door convinced the it would destroy his church also. It had been in ruins, however, but was recently renovated. They had minimal to go on as there were few surviving descriptions or pictures of the interiors. The result is pretty good, however. They have a Chabad rabbi, and have more than enough for morning and evening services, and are overflowing on the High Holidays.
Dinner later tonight at "The Three Chefs", a fancy new place in town.
So I now get to write about food. On our trip to the market, which did not require sleuthing on my part because each of the words in Latvian kind of sound like their English counterparts, I had to buy tomatoes, cucumbers and dill for our lunch tomorrow. Several of us also bought warm delicious Latvian bread which we also shared with the group. After we finished our City tour, Steve and I had lunch at an outdoor cafe with our friends Laurie and Art. Laurie and I shared a vegetarian antipasto and the guys had the meat antipasto. Ours had marinated peppers crusty bread with mozzarella balls, beets and stuffed pepper, all quite good. The meat version was also delicious.
Tonight we ate at a restaurant called Three Chefs, which was recently opened by three celebrity chefs. The restaurant only had about a dozen or so tables. At one point, our table of six along with the other members of our tour group at the restaurant probably made up more than half of the patrons in the restaurant. One of the highlights was the dips and breads they do at the beginning of the meal. The wait staff squirts directly on to each diner's parchment placemat six different sauces including pesto, chili and chocolate, strawberry and others in a pretty swirling design. You then dip the bread into the sauces, which is a lovely beginning to the meal. We then had imported Italian bufallo mozzarella and tomatoes for appetizers and fresh fish for dinner. I had pike perch and Steve had tuna, all of which were quite good. This was one of the more expensive restaurants in Riga and our bill was considerably less than it would have been for a comparable restaurant at home. -AHS
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
Friday, August 23, 2013
View from top of Tower
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Vilnius day 4 - Trakai, KGB, On Top of the Mountain
We went to the ancient capital of Takai, about 40km away. The castle, built in the 1300s for the Grand Duke Vitautas, sits on an island in the middle of a lake. Crossing the bridge to the outer castle, we went back in time to Medieval times. The canon holes were there, and the inner castle for the Duke was more sumptuous, sort of. There were exhibits of armor, old tapestries, and old coins. The rooms were brick on the floors, walls, and vaulted ceilings. The castle was mostly reconstructed in the 20th century, as people for years had been taking bricks, etc, for their own projects.
The castle had been guarded by the Karaim people, who had been imported from Crimea. I'm not sure why they were such wonderful guards, but Vitautas seemed to think so. Their descendants still live there in a protected status with wooden houses of somewhat different architecture than the rest of Lithuania.
Back to Vilnius to the KGB Museum of Genocide. This was a building that originally housed a court, but was taken over by the Russians, then the Gestapo, then back to the Russians. There was a fierce partisan resistance to the Russians in the 40s and 50s, and many people were held as "enemies of the State". Hundreds were beaten, tortured, and shot there. After the Independence in 1991, the Russians tried to destroy many of the records of that time, but missed many, including a map to the unmarked gravesite of 900 of the victims. With careful cross checking, many of the names of those found were revealed. The names and dates are engraved on the walls of the building.
After lunch of pizza (yesterday French, today pizza - why are we in Lithuania?) we split up. Ann went to nap, and I went to the old castle in the center of town overlooking the Cathedral. This castle was originally built by Gediminas, and later fortified by Vitautas. It has a commanding view of the city and of the Neris River. The site has supposedly (source: Wikipedia) been occupied since Neolithic times, but I couldn't get a guide to confirm that. Also in the castle was an exhibit about Baltic Way, which coincidentally was today, August 23. August 23rd had always been known as Black Ribbon Day, as that was the day in 1939 that the Russians had taken over originally, and Lithuanian independence ceased again. (Like Poland, Lithuania had been overrun over the centuries by Prussia, Russia, and Austria and had been re-created after WW1). Flags had a black ribbon tied to them. On August 23, 1989, 2 million people of the Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia formed a human chain, holding hands in solidarity from Vilnius to Riga to Tallinn. This was one of the events leading to the Baltics becoming the first of the Soviet Republics to gain independence.
On my way back to the hotel, I came across a parade of very elderly people marching behind the flag. I can only surmise that they were the survivors of 1939.
Dinner with the group at a nice restaurant Alude' (that's supposed to be an accented e, but I can't figure out how to do that on the iPad). If I can figure out how to get picture up, I will do that also. Tomorrow to Riga.
A word from AHS:
Since there isn't too much info in Steve's blog about the food, other than the name of the restaurants, I wanted to chime in with a few more details for our foodie friends. I had actually expected the food to be heavier than it has been and I have been pleasantly surprised at how good it has been. The breakfasts in the hotel have included delicious fresh breads, fruit, cheeses, and salmon, herring and sardines. Lunch yesterday was in a French restaurant and featured a delicious puréed vegetable soup and a beautifully presented and delicious cheese plate with warm French bread. Today we had a caprese salad that was worth photographing, which I did and it was as good as it looked. Pizza to follow was also excellent. Our dinners here have also been very good. Since we are right near the Baltic Sea, both the selection and freshness of the fish has been excellent. Not being a meat eater, I have had fish each night and each dinner has been as good as the last. It will be interesting to see how the food compares as we move on to our next stops.
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
The castle had been guarded by the Karaim people, who had been imported from Crimea. I'm not sure why they were such wonderful guards, but Vitautas seemed to think so. Their descendants still live there in a protected status with wooden houses of somewhat different architecture than the rest of Lithuania.
Back to Vilnius to the KGB Museum of Genocide. This was a building that originally housed a court, but was taken over by the Russians, then the Gestapo, then back to the Russians. There was a fierce partisan resistance to the Russians in the 40s and 50s, and many people were held as "enemies of the State". Hundreds were beaten, tortured, and shot there. After the Independence in 1991, the Russians tried to destroy many of the records of that time, but missed many, including a map to the unmarked gravesite of 900 of the victims. With careful cross checking, many of the names of those found were revealed. The names and dates are engraved on the walls of the building.
After lunch of pizza (yesterday French, today pizza - why are we in Lithuania?) we split up. Ann went to nap, and I went to the old castle in the center of town overlooking the Cathedral. This castle was originally built by Gediminas, and later fortified by Vitautas. It has a commanding view of the city and of the Neris River. The site has supposedly (source: Wikipedia) been occupied since Neolithic times, but I couldn't get a guide to confirm that. Also in the castle was an exhibit about Baltic Way, which coincidentally was today, August 23. August 23rd had always been known as Black Ribbon Day, as that was the day in 1939 that the Russians had taken over originally, and Lithuanian independence ceased again. (Like Poland, Lithuania had been overrun over the centuries by Prussia, Russia, and Austria and had been re-created after WW1). Flags had a black ribbon tied to them. On August 23, 1989, 2 million people of the Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia formed a human chain, holding hands in solidarity from Vilnius to Riga to Tallinn. This was one of the events leading to the Baltics becoming the first of the Soviet Republics to gain independence.
On my way back to the hotel, I came across a parade of very elderly people marching behind the flag. I can only surmise that they were the survivors of 1939.
Dinner with the group at a nice restaurant Alude' (that's supposed to be an accented e, but I can't figure out how to do that on the iPad). If I can figure out how to get picture up, I will do that also. Tomorrow to Riga.
A word from AHS:
Since there isn't too much info in Steve's blog about the food, other than the name of the restaurants, I wanted to chime in with a few more details for our foodie friends. I had actually expected the food to be heavier than it has been and I have been pleasantly surprised at how good it has been. The breakfasts in the hotel have included delicious fresh breads, fruit, cheeses, and salmon, herring and sardines. Lunch yesterday was in a French restaurant and featured a delicious puréed vegetable soup and a beautifully presented and delicious cheese plate with warm French bread. Today we had a caprese salad that was worth photographing, which I did and it was as good as it looked. Pizza to follow was also excellent. Our dinners here have also been very good. Since we are right near the Baltic Sea, both the selection and freshness of the fish has been excellent. Not being a meat eater, I have had fish each night and each dinner has been as good as the last. It will be interesting to see how the food compares as we move on to our next stops.
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Vilnius Day 3: Churches, Churches, and a little Jewish Fix
Vilnius Day 3: Churches, Churches, and a little Jewish Fix
A semi-sleepless night trying to get adjusted to the time zone. Hopefully this will get better soon.
We got on the bus for a city tour. Vilnius was first mentioned in history in a letter by the Grand Duke Gediminas in 1353, inviting Jews from Germany to settle in Lithuania. The town probably dates to much earlier. The pagans were supreme until Christianity took hold, but not until the 12th century. The main church we saw today, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Vilnius_(Wilno)_-_cathedral.jpg, sits atop ruins of the old pagan temple. There were multiple churches: catholic, orthodox, and others. The Church of St. Peter and Paul had fascinating frescos and friezes depicting aspects of Lithuanian and Christian history.
After lunch, we walked the the one remaining synagogue in the city. Vilnius was once known as the "Jerusalem of Lithuania" as it had about 40% Jews and was a major learning center. The work of the Gaon of Vilna in the late 1700s made Vilna a major center of Jewish thought. We followed up with the State Museum of Tolerance which had art works of Lithuanian Jewish artists and a holocaust memorial of children. Very moving.
Then the skies, which had been threatening, broke open. We sat around the museum waiting with the museum ladies who never broke a smile. After a while we asked them to call a taxi for us. Grudgingly, one did, but yelled at us every time one or two of the group bailed out to walk home instead. It finally came down to 7 of us in the cab, which sort of worked, as it was more of a van than a car.
Dinner after a nap at Zuvine, a fish restaurant across from our hotel. The perch and dorado were nicely done. Gelato from a shop on the street capped off for desert. Hopefully the quantity of beer I am drinking will help my sleeping, assuming I am not up 6 times to pee....
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
A semi-sleepless night trying to get adjusted to the time zone. Hopefully this will get better soon.
We got on the bus for a city tour. Vilnius was first mentioned in history in a letter by the Grand Duke Gediminas in 1353, inviting Jews from Germany to settle in Lithuania. The town probably dates to much earlier. The pagans were supreme until Christianity took hold, but not until the 12th century. The main church we saw today, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Vilnius_(Wilno)_-_cathedral.jpg, sits atop ruins of the old pagan temple. There were multiple churches: catholic, orthodox, and others. The Church of St. Peter and Paul had fascinating frescos and friezes depicting aspects of Lithuanian and Christian history.
After lunch, we walked the the one remaining synagogue in the city. Vilnius was once known as the "Jerusalem of Lithuania" as it had about 40% Jews and was a major learning center. The work of the Gaon of Vilna in the late 1700s made Vilna a major center of Jewish thought. We followed up with the State Museum of Tolerance which had art works of Lithuanian Jewish artists and a holocaust memorial of children. Very moving.
Then the skies, which had been threatening, broke open. We sat around the museum waiting with the museum ladies who never broke a smile. After a while we asked them to call a taxi for us. Grudgingly, one did, but yelled at us every time one or two of the group bailed out to walk home instead. It finally came down to 7 of us in the cab, which sort of worked, as it was more of a van than a car.
Dinner after a nap at Zuvine, a fish restaurant across from our hotel. The perch and dorado were nicely done. Gelato from a shop on the street capped off for desert. Hopefully the quantity of beer I am drinking will help my sleeping, assuming I am not up 6 times to pee....
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Day 1 - Stop in Frankfurt
Getting out of Dodge is never easy. Mom's apartment in Florida, which has been on the market for a few years and experiencing delay after delay, was finally closing. My signature was needed as one of the trustees. I found out about this on Monday at 4pm, and we were leaving Tuesday. Frantic emails later, I got the paperwork and got it notarized (thanks, Susan) and back out for overnight posting to the attorney in Florida. Now we can be out from under that mess.
Then as I got home to pack up the car, I discovered my credit card was missing. Probably left at a restaurant a few days before, but still had to make the phone call to cancel and get a new card. I'll deal with the auto-charges when I get home.
Next annoyance: the charger for the mini-computer we we supposed to take was gone. This was noted on Saturday, and we duly went to Amazon to have one shipped along with a new battery. Extra charge for overnight delivery for Monday. Monday came and went with no delivery. The tracking software told us it was in Beltsville. An hour before we were supposed to leave, I tried again and it was "on the truck" for delivery. I even tracked down the post office and tried to find the carrier's cell number to meet him somewhere, but no luck. It was nicely at home after Jill got back from driving us to the airport. I'll see how much can be done on the iPad...
So now waiting in Frankfurt for the next plane to Vilna.
Then as I got home to pack up the car, I discovered my credit card was missing. Probably left at a restaurant a few days before, but still had to make the phone call to cancel and get a new card. I'll deal with the auto-charges when I get home.
Next annoyance: the charger for the mini-computer we we supposed to take was gone. This was noted on Saturday, and we duly went to Amazon to have one shipped along with a new battery. Extra charge for overnight delivery for Monday. Monday came and went with no delivery. The tracking software told us it was in Beltsville. An hour before we were supposed to leave, I tried again and it was "on the truck" for delivery. I even tracked down the post office and tried to find the carrier's cell number to meet him somewhere, but no luck. It was nicely at home after Jill got back from driving us to the airport. I'll see how much can be done on the iPad...
So now waiting in Frankfurt for the next plane to Vilna.
Vilnius Day 2
So we finally got here. One couple had their luggage remain back in Chicago en route from San Francisco, but otherwise it was an uneventful transfer for the rest of us. Silvia met us at the airport and hustled us onto the bus. We checked in and took a walk before our meeting. This town is quaint, with an old-world charm reminiscent of Prague. No building in the old section of town where we are is more than 5 stories, except the churches(of which there seem to be many!). The city dates to the 12th century, but we will get more history tomorrow in our city tour.
Our room looks out onto a central square and a church which I have previously uploaded(I think). Small but comfy.
The group seems amiable. We look to be the babies, as almost everyone is already retired. I guess this is what we have to look forward to. We had dinner with Art and Laurie, a dentist and his wife, previously from Fairfax, but now in Florida. More walking after dinner to try to get some good pictures, but the light had faded. Tomorrow is predicted for rain, so I'm not so sure about the quality of the pix. Without the little laptop, I'll have some trouble transferring pictures from the camera to the web. Maybe there will be an Apple store (?) to buy an adapter for the data card to the iPod, as this seems to be my only reliable input device. We'll see.... Jut getting this text in is a bit of a chore, typing in Notes. I think I can email it to the blogger, if I get a wifi connection back.
Obviously, it worked... Now I'm trying to get the order right. Not easy.
Stephen J. Rockower, MD
Sent from my iPad
_-_cathedral.jpg){kind=link}
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Getting Ready to Go...
So we're in packing phase now. Everything into one bag; gotta travel light (or as light as I can)... Looking forward to seeing different cities of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and back to St. Petersburg, where we did our 30th. As my Wandering Jew would say, Journey On...
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