THE U S PALACE

IOLANI PALACE

This is one exception to my posting of US sites. I have always loved the Iolani which was just about to undergo restoration when we moved back to the mainland. I was delighted to see the wonderful results a few years later on a stopover visit enroute to Midway.

One might think that Iolani Palace is located in some exotic location, but being  the only palace in the United Stated, it sits in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii. It was the official residence of King Kalakaua from 1882 until his death in 1891. Kalakaua played an active role in the construction of the palace making sure innovations of the time like toilets, sinks, running water, electric lights and telephones were installed. His sister, Queen Liliuokalani lived in the palace until the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893. The coronation of the king and his consort, Queen Kapiolani took place in 1883.

The present structure stands close to the old palace which termites destroyed. King Kalakaua took up residence as soon as the palace, which cost $360,000 to build, was completed. The basement housed kitchens, storerooms, and household staff offices. The main floor was used for formal functions, while the second floor was devoted to family living quarters. The large attic merely provided air space to keep the floors below cool.

A wide curved staircase, carved of Hawaiian woods, dominates the wide hall that runs the length of the palace. Portraits of Hawaiian royalty line the walls above niches displaying valuable vases and statuary.

Crimson and gold dominate the Throne Room, the scene of royal audiences, balls and receptions. Small receptions and informal audiences took place across the hall in the Blue Room. The huge painting of a French King  was presented to King Kamehameha III in 1848. Beautiful carved sliding doors separate the Blue Room from the State Dining Room. The massive sideboards in this room were specially made in Boston, Massachusetts. The King and Queen suites are on opposite sides of the hall.

From 1893 to 1968 the palace served as the capitol of the Republic, the Territory and finally of the state. During that time the Throne Room was used by the House of Representatives and the State Dining Room was the Senate Chamber. In 1969 when the new capitol was completed the palace was vacated so restoration could begin.

When you visit, be sure to take a guided tour to learn many more details of America’s only Royal Palace.

In Hawaii don’t expect to hear north, south east and west when given directions. Instead you’ll hear makai (toward the water), Waikiki, Ewa and mauka (toward mountains)

June 11 is Kamehameha Day and since it is also my birthday I always celebrated with a festive parade!

HISTORIC RESTAURANT

        AN OLDIE

In Passau, Austria our city guide told us, “The restaurant across the street from your hotel was established by monks in 1358, and has been in continuous operation in the same location ever since.”

How about that for longevity!

We were told that the rule in Passau was that a glass of wine cannot cost more than twelve times the cost of a breakfast roll. The wine was a white one and was called Stift. It came from Krems.

            Of course over the years the price of the breakfast roll has increased and the serving size of the wine has decreased. Never the less, several of us had to have lunch in that restaurant. We paid dearly for a very mediocre lunch and the ambiance, but the wine was wonderful. In fact we continued to buy Stift wine all across Austria.

            Sometimes there are just things one must do when traveling to new and different places and having lunch in a 600 + year old restaurant fell into that category.

           

A FRIENDSHIP BRIDGE

A BEAUTIFUL BRIDGE

The Old Bridge at Mostar, Bosnia was conceived during the Ottoman Empire in 1566. The graceful 65-foot long, stone, arched bridge spanning the Neretva River replaced a narrow wooden foot bridge. The original stone bridge survived until the war of 1991 when it was totally destroyed. A temporary wooden bridge spanned the river from 1993 to 2004. The present bridge, an exact replica of the original, used stone from the same quarry,

Our guide said, “It is estimated that the original stone bridge would have cost 50,000 Euro to build, the replacement bridge cost 50 million Euro in 2004. The stone  is spongy and if it gets too wet it crumbles, but it can be molded when damp. The stone that fell into the river was not reusable as it had been too wet for too long. It took five years of preparation to replace the bridge but only a year to actually build it.”

 Croats live on the west side of the bridge and Muslims on the east side. The city is internationally known for its Old Town Bridge that now is a symbol of reconciliation, cooperation, and coexistence of diverse cultural, religious, and ethnic communities. There are many mixed marriages, and during the war many children had to choose between Mom or Dad.

Our guide explained, “The semi-circular Tara building on the west side of the bridge was used to store ammo and gun powder during Ottoman rule. Now it houses the divers’ co-op. The Helebija on the east bank once held dungeons on the bottom and guards on the top.

“Divers used to dive off the bridge for cigarettes. Then they dove for money. They would work in pairs, one poised to dive while the other clapped his hands to gather a crowd and collect donations. The diver would not dive until enough money had been collected.”

 Today diving is done during competitions in July, otherwise diving from the bridge is forbidden. The waters 65 feet below flow swiftly making   diving  dangerous. Today a kayak floats  under the bridge and an ambulance is on the shore to cope with mishaps and emergencies during the competition.

The bridge, now a UNESCO site is picturesque with an interesting history.