FRENCH WINE STORIES

                    Just a Couple of Such Stories of my Travels 

            Years ago on my very first trip to Europe I made a deal with my traveling friend. If she would go with me on a gondola ride in Venice, Italy, I would go to the Moulin Rouge with her in Paris. We each kept our word and were happy campers.

            At the Moulin Rouge dinner and wine was included in our ticket. Dinner was quite good and better than expected from most mass crowded meals. I am one crazy American who likes her wine really cold, so I spooned in a couple of ice cubes from my water glass into my wine. Since I wasn’t driving and the wine was to my liking and I was 20 years younger than I am now, I signaled the waiter for a refill. When he collected my glass there were two tiny specks of the melted ice in the bottom of the glass.

            Suddenly I was the topic of conversation at the wine table as the other waiters looked in my glass and then looked up to watch me. There was no mistaking what they were talking about. I did not care, and when my glass was returned I couldn’t resist saying, “Thank you, and yes I enjoy my wine really cold.”  Actually we were as amused at their actions as they were about my wine preference!

                                                                        **********

            There was a time when I would never think about putting an ice cube in my wine. And again we go back several years when we were being entertained at one of the two Honolulu restaurants that required coat and tie. I think those days are totally gone now. I mentioned to the tux-clad waiter with a white napkin over his arm that I liked my wine cold. Unceremoniously he grabbed the soup spoon from my place setting, dipped it in my water glass, retrieved two ice cubes and plunked them into my wine glass. At the time I was stunned, but I look my lesson from that incident and have done the same ever since, but usually quietly and unnoticed.

                                                                        ***********

            When I biked Bordeaux, our guide turned out to be the owner of the company as his scheduled guide had met with an accident and was delayed and later cancelled. Our evening meals were taken at the small boutique hotels where we stayed along the way. Typically French, dinnertime was slow and lengthy---never less than two hours. Our small group was compatible and personable so it was a pleasant time of day after a long one in the saddle. The wine flowed every evening. Bottles were put on the tables and the fellows in the group, never hesitated to call for another one when it was empty. There is nothing typical about this. I assume the hotel owners were saying thank you to our guide for sending them his business. We were the beneficiaries of their kindness and none of us complained!

RUSSIAN MEMORIES

                             Memories from a Great Trip

From Theater Square, near a large granite monument of Karl Marx looking at the Bolshoi, we had a wonderful view of the theater across the street. Built in 1825, the Bolshoi is Moscow’s oldest and best-known theater. Its splendid external architecture sports a splendid façade with columns and large bronze horses at its peak. The theater that seats 2000 is known for its world-famous opera and ballet companies. It is second in size only La Scala in Italy. Unfortunately I can tell you nothing about the inside as the theater was covered with scaffolding undergoing a massive renovation.

The hour and a half flight from Kiev, Ukraine to Moscow actually took us ALL day. We left our Kiev hotel at 9:30 AM and entered out Moscow hotel at 5:00 PM. At the hotel we walked through a scanner every time we entered the hotel and all bags and purses were also scanned every time.

Shortly after leaving the pier in Moscow we encountered nude bathers in the river. Although lathering up with soap when they saw us a couple of the guys couldn’t resist flashing the boat as we sailed by.

FOOD

Meals are always set with bread, salt, pepper, and mustard. Cold appetizers are served first and are usually washed down with vodka, the national drink which generally is 40% alcohol. A soup or broth follows the appetizers, then the entrée.

Rye bread is a favorite of all Slavs, extremely popular and is the bread most often served. The bread is soft, spongy and has a pleasant flavor. Bliny are pancakes. Kasha is a gruel and may be thin or thick.

Vegetables especially cabbage, carrots, potatoes, onions, turnips, peas, plus mushrooms, nuts and berries are the most common elements of a meal. Shchi (shee) is a vegetable soup with cabbage, potatoes, onion, garlic, carrots, roots and spices. It is baked and served with sour cream or milk and of course rye bread. Ukha (oo kah) is a hot fish soup with 3-4 kinds of fish, potatoes, onion and spices.

 Jam is often added to tea instead of sugar.  Pies are popular menu items.

            Kvass is similar to beer without the alcohol content. It is made from fruit and berries.  Mors is made from berry juice, which has been diluted and fermented.

MORE PANAMA CITY SITES

                      Lots to see in Panama City
 

Cathedral

            The Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion Cathedral was built between 1519 and 1626 and the bell tower has been restored in recent years. The mother of pearl bell tower peaks sparkled in the sunlight.

Balboa Statue

            Situated along Balboa Avenue, in Vasco Núñez de Balboa Park stands a historical monument paying tribute to the Spanish adventurer and first European who in 1513 crossed the isthmus to glimpse the Pacific Ocean.

            Holding the Spanish flag in his left hand and a sword in his right, the larger than life statue overlooks Panama Bay. A variety of well manicured plants and flowers surround the larger than life statue.

            Sculpted by Miguel Blan and Mariano Benlliure the statue was later donated by King Alfonso XIII of Spain. With representatives of some 15 Latin American countries present, President Belisario Porras inaugurated the monument on September 29, 1924.

           

Bridge of the Americas

             Near Panama City the Bridge of the Americas, approximately 354 feet high and 5,400 feet long, crosses the Pacific approach to the Panama Canal at Balboa connecting the land that was divided during the construction of the Panama Canal.

            When the Panama Canal was completed in 1914, it divided the country as well as North and South America. A small service bridge at the Gatun Locks was the only crossing. In 1942, a small service swing bridge was built at the Miraflores Locks. Both of these small bridges could only be used when the lock gates were closed. Therefore, as traffic increased the small service bridges and ferries could not handle the volume of traffic. Finally in 1959, the United States started construction on the Bridge of the Americas completing it in 1962 at a cost of about $20 million dollars. The bridge was part of the Pan-American Highway until the Centennial Bridge was constructed in 2004, and the Pan-American Highway redirected.

Amador Causeway

            It was on our way back to Panama City on the last day that we drove over the palm-lined 4-mile Amador Causeway.  It is famed for the fantastic views of Panama's downtown skyline, a yacht harbor panorama across Panama Bay to the graceful steel span of the Bridge of the Americas at the entrance of the canal. Scenic brick-lined running/biking paths follow the water along the causeway that stretches almost two-miles into the Pacific. The causeway connects the city to four small islands: Noas, Perico, Culebra and Flamenco.

            The causeway, built in 1913, used 1,250 million cubic yards of rocks excavated from construction of the Panama Canal. It was also part of a U.S. military complex known as Fort Amador, established to protect the entrance to the canal. In 1999 after the area reverted to Panama under the Torrijos-Carter Treaty, the causeway was transformed into a thriving tourist attraction.

            The original purpose of the causeway was to prevent sedimentation in the Port of Balboa which, if left untouched, eventually would clog the southern or Pacific entrance into the Panama Canal. The causeway was also designed as a breakwater to protect the entrance.

            Today the Smithsonian has an aquarium and research laboratory on the causeway. There is a new designed Gehey-designed museum about ready to open, and many restaurants are stretched out along the causeway. It is a great place to walk/bike or to just sit and watch the activity of the harbor and view the city skyway.

SOME PANAMA CITY SITES

                                      Beginning Sites of the City

Panama Viejo (Old Panama).          

            The first city, settled in 1519 by the Spanish, was on Panama’s Pacific coast. In 1671, British pirate, Henry Morgan, destroyed the city. Ruins can be seen today along the eastern fringes of the current Panama City.           The ruins of the city was a gateway for gold from the Inca Empire.

            The ruins are quite extensive. At the old tower one can walk upstairs inside for great views. However, the walls are about five feet thick so it is hard to get close to the window openings.

Casco Viejo

            After Panama Viejo was destroyed the city was rebuilt in 1673 in the area now referred to as El Casco Viejo (The Old Helmet), also known as Casco Antiguo or the San Felipe district. A massive wall surrounded El Casco Viejo to protect it from invaders. In 1997 the area was designated a UNESCO site.

            The Old area has newly cobbled brick streets. A colonial influence as well as a Spanish one is evidenced by the plentiful iron grillwork on building balconies. The wrought iron work was created and done from ballast of old sailing ships.

Plaza de la Independencia

            Panama declared its independence from Colombia in 1903 at the plaza in the center of Casco Viejo. The plaza showcased new brick work, and a gazebo. A short brick wall on one side of the plaza provides seating for the weary or for one to sit and just enjoy the lovely old architecture and scenery.  The far side of the plaza was lined with souvenir kiosks selling local crafts and on the far corner across from the plaza was a small souvenir shop.

            In addition, The National Cathedral, the San Francisco de Asis Cathedral and the Presidential Palace are all located in El Casco Viejo.

San Jose Church

            San Jose Church was built soon after the first Spanish settlement in the 16th century. This small church, an almost nondescript building, is located on Avenida A near the corner of Calle 8. The church features the famous Golden Altar (Altar de Oro) that was designed in Baroque style in the 17^th century. The Golden Altar actually carved of wood is covered with gold flake. Originally in a church in Old Panama, Jesuits painted the altar black to hide the gold when Henry Morgan attacked the city. Thinking it was worthless, the pirates left it alone. After Morgan sacked and burned Old Panama the Jesuit monks of the Order of St. Augustine moved the altar to the new church and its present location. The altar was renovated in 1915.   The inside of the church is welcoming with lovely stain glass windows on each side wall. The wall running the length of the church on the right side of the altar contains several large altar pieces with intricately carved designs. Otherwise there are no statues or icons.

More sites next time