BROTHEL AND SUCH

My Stay in a  Brothel

When I went to Churchill, Manitoba I chose a particular trip because it included a couple of days at the White Whale Lodge, where mothers and cubs are most often seen.

A helicopter transported us, a few at a time, across the Churchill River to the lodge, built in the early 1900s. The rustic bunkhouse contained a large main room, several small rooms, each with two bunk beds (slept 4), a dining room, and a kitchen. At the time the lodge was built, Churchill was on the east side of the river. The town moved across the river  in the early 1930s after the completion of the grain facility.

            Although the bears are wonderful and beautiful animals, everyone is very conscious that they are wild animals. Flares moved the bears away from the immediate helicopter landing area. To be on the safe side, a fellow stood by with a loaded rifle. Transfers from the helicopter to the lodge were quick. When all were inside, the barred gate was replaced. In 1960 Hollywood filmed Savage Image with Anthony Quinn and (I think) Peter O’Toole at the lodge.

            When my daughter picked me up at the airport on my return she said, “You look like you had a good trip, Mom.”

             “I did! You know I slept in a brothel two nights.”

Her eyes got big and she abruptly stopped walking saying, “You did WHAT?”     

Then, of course, I had to explain that during the time 3000 men were building the grain facility, the lodge was used as a brothel. Most everything at the lodge was run on butane. A generator was turned on, for a few hours in the evening, so we could watch slides and videos about the bears.  Hudson Bay and the Churchill River, surround the cabin on three sides. A rocky cliff, borders the north side. One reaches the area by small boat or helicopter.  Looking out the window at the bay, with its rough water and white caps, one could be anywhere.

            It seemed a bit strange to have the humans behind bars and the animals loose. All the windows and the two small porches were covered with bear proof steel bars.

This afforded us a good and safe viewing area to watch and photograph the bears. A mother and her two cubs kept us entertained, off and on, for two solid days. We were in and out of warm jackets and gear several times a day, and it was always so nice to return to the warm interior of the cabin.

The cubs teethed on the bars, and stuck their paws through the spaces. They played like playful kittens. It was great fun to watch them spar, and to stand on their hind legs and box with each other. They are very curious animals and easily entertain themselves.

            The food at the lodge was outstanding. The chef out did himself with delicious hot meals, no simple sandwiches here! The chef’s regular job was cooking for inmates at a jail. He has taken his vacation at this time for several years to spend at the lodge cooking for inmates of a different kind. He loves being with the bears and meeting visitors to Churchill.

            The lodge is open only four weeks a year, and is available only to small groups. It was a wonderful experience that has given me some fun stories! It has been amusing to watch people’s reaction to the tales of my stay in a brothel.

HELSINKI, FINLAND HIKE

Lost, not Really

The gal I went to Scandinavia with was a novice traveler, but she knew it all. We were delayed a couple hours getting out of JFK airport so arrived in Helsinki mid-morning.

After freshening up, our guide took us on the local tram which stopped right in front of our hotel, down town for a bit of orientation. I paid close attention to the route and turns the tram made as we planned to walk back to the hotel later in the day.

We had lunch and did some sightseeing before we decided to head back to the hotel in mid afternoon. The hotel wasn’t far, Helsinki is very easy to walk and it was a beautiful warm sunny day.

When we approached an intersection I knew we should take a right turn and follow the tram tracks. But there was no arguing with my companion---she knew we should go straight. To this day four years later I don’t know why I didn’t put my foot down and insist.

We walked on through a lovely neighborhood, and we walked and walked.  It was approaching the end of a long day after an all night flight as we trudged on and on. I kept saying, “We should have turned back at that intersection. None of this looks familiar. ”

            My sense of direction is not the best, and I can get turned around pretty easily unless I pay very close attention, so she was the designated map reader.

“No, no we’re going right.” She had the map and could prove it.

            We saw no cabs, tram, bus or pedestrians to ask directions, so we just continued to put one foot in front of the other.

            Eventually we hit the coastline. We hung a right as I knew the hotel faced the harbor.  We made it back in time for dinner, but walked over three miles over a couple of leisurely hours.

            The next day we walked to town in 15 minutes---easy when you go more or less in a straight line. My companion spent the rest of the trip proving she could be a better map reader, but I always double checked her and we did not get lost again.

A FABULOUS CASTLE

WARWICK CASTLE 

Warwick Castle, dominates the city of Warwick, England giving one a unique window into the past. It is generally believed to be the finest medieval castle in England. Built on a cliff, its 60 acres of meticulously manicured grounds contain several lovely gardens.

            Built in the 12^th century by William the Conqueror, this castle has two uneven towers. The Caesar Tower, built in 1356, is 147-feet tall, while Guy’s tower, 1380, is only 128-feet tall. The intentional irregular design allowed defenders numerous points of defense. There are 537 steps to the top of the Caesar Tower, and once you start up there is no turning back.

     Proud, colorful peacocks are permanent residents on the grounds. Huge various colored rhododendrons were in full bloom forming a lovely backdrop to the gray stone of the castle. The roses in the rose garden were covered with buds about ready to burst open.

In the great hall of the castle is a fine collection of medieval armor and weaponry. Historic furniture and old master paintings are housed throughout. The living quarters were occupied as late as the 1970s. A few years ago Madam Tussuad purchased the castle. Her magnificent life-size wax figures in twelve of the rooms in the living quarters are exquisite, and add personality to the rooms and a great deal of reality to the exhibit. My favorite was the maid in the bathroom drawing water for her lady. She was bending over the tub of running water, so life-like that nearly everyone did a double take, even though we knew the figures were not real.

Many of the woodcarvings left me gasping at the fine workmanship and intricacy. There were many medieval demonstrations taking place on the grounds.

Children delighted in the ghost tower where the queues (lines) were long.

     There was the most magnificent bald eagle I’ve ever seen just inside the grounds. I just stood and watched  him a long time. He was gorgeous!

            Of all the castles I’ve visited Warwick is one of my top three. It is superb!

UNWANTED STUFF

Plants and Trash

In the early 1900s when the cable was being laid workmen and their families made Midway Island home by planting familiar plants and some even brought parakeet pets with them.

Eventually as people moved the parakeets were let loose and now there is quite a population of wild song birds on the island. A sun-flower type plant called verbacina was also planted and like many invasive plants had taken over the island making it almost impossible for native plants to flourish. The native vegetation is best for nesting birds. Small Spit Island had been cleared of invasives and the planted natives were doing well. At the time of my visit to the Island they were trying to rid Sand Island of all invasive plants, especially the verbacina.

During parts of the seal research program when we situated ourselves in inconspicuous areas to watch the seals sleep on the beach I easily got bored. Every day after awhile I’d leave Kelly to watch the seals while I went down a small hill to pull verbacina. It came out of the sandy soil easily and I created mounds and mounds of the small yellow sunflower stalks and roots.

On Eastern Island we saw several dead birds, many with insides exposed. Sea birds have learned that anything floating on the water is edible and until a few years ago it always was sea life.

 Now people carelessly throw junk in the water. Plastic is light and floats and comes in all kinds of pretty colors. The birds eat it, then because they can’t digest it they feel full and after awhile don’t eat and die of starvation and dehydration. Cigarette lighters deliver a double whammy as they are not only plastic but also contain toxic fluid.

During my three week stay on Midway we cleaned the beaches each week. I was appalled at the tons of trash we collected and piled up. We found everything imaginable but one big hazard to birds are the often large fishing nets that break loose. None of the trash is from the island but from heavens know where from afar.  It floats on the currents and lands on the island beaches. It is an ongoing and time consuming problem to keep the beaches clean.It is also a good demonstration that everyone worldwide needs to be conscious of what and where they throw their trash.

KIEV,UKRAINE

An Old City Full of Gold Domes

The hotel, located in the heart of Kiev, was an excellent location, only a few steps away from the city’s famous Kreschatyk Street. The hotel had recently refurbished its 416 rooms. Our room was small, basic, but adequate. The centerpiece of the hotel was a gorgeous, gray granite, curving staircase topped with a shiny brass handrail from the second floor foyer to the lobby. It was fun to walk down it as it reminded us of the wonderful one we climbed in Wurzburg, Germany.

It was a short walk from the hotel to Independence Square where the infamous Orange Revolution took place.  It was a beautiful day. Young people were everywhere, many with a bottle of beer in hand. Food kiosks were being set up to accommodate the anticipated crowd later in the evening. The evenings were long with darkness not falling ‘til nearly midnight. We stopped in a large department store that was supposed to have a good souvenir section, but we found mostly junk.

At the square we descended into the underground mall where we found expensive boutiques and upscale western shops. We couldn’t help but wonder who the clientele might be.

We chose the cafeteria that had been recommended for dinner the first day. Little English was spoken, but we could see all the food and had no problem. The borscht that evening was wonderful and the best of any we had on the whole trip. I added a good cucumber salad and meat-stuffed roll, ending the meal with a cheese filled pastry. Not only was the food excellent but it was extremely reasonable, bordering on cheap. Unfortunately we did not have a chance to return.

Kiev is a city of young people.   Gold domes are everywhere you look.  The small big city is a nice blend of the old and the new. We saw no decaying old buildings. The city is generally very clean.  There is a resurgence of religion.  Girls are pretty, have model figures, no thighs and long skinny legs covered with tight jeans. Long pointed-toe shoes with 4” nail-thin spike heels were the fashion of the day.

Everything, the streets, landmarks, and maps have three spellings. I’m sure one is Ukrainian, one Russian and one a European spelling, but it does make it confusing and difficult for the visitor

We learned about salo—a pig fat product that is served many ways. White in color it reminded me of Crisco. Apparently it is popular in that part of the world although it did not appeal to any of us.

We had a delightful time in Kiev, saw a lot , and wished for a couple more days.

CAPE SPEAR

North America's Eastern Point

Cape Spear, Newfoundland is the most easterly point in North America, and I had thought I’d like to get over there to see a sunrise one morning since it is the first place to see the sun. However, the sun was up a bit before 5 AM and it would mean trying to get a cab very early in the morning for the 15-20 minute ride from St. Johns to the area, so I gave up on a sunrise.

  However, we did visit Cape Spear and a friend and I did walk to the point for a photo op. The rugged coastline is spectacular. It was clear and sunny by the time we arrived late in the afternoon.

I walked the 156 steps up to the 1836 lighthouse . It is the oldest surviving lighthouse in Canada’s Eastern Provinces. A modern concrete lighthouse was built in the 1950s just a few meters from the original one.

            The old lighthouse has been restored to its 1840s décor and shows how the light keeper and his family lived.  Because the lighthouse was built while the province was still a British protectorate it is six sided and has the required 23 windows. However, half of the windows are false and painted black behind them. Sitting high on the very windy hill if all the windows were real it would be impossible to keep the house warm with the one fireplace in the kitchen, which also was used for cooking.

            During WW II a gun battery was built into the stone cliff. Barracks housed 300 men, 50 of whom were Americans. There were underground passages from the gun battery. Viewing it I thought That must have been a challenge to build. All evidence of the barracks was gone.

            Several whales were playing just off the coast. They were blowing every few minutes compared to the 30 minute spans at Witless Bay. We stood and watched them for some time and what a fitting way to end out visit in Newfoundland! 

WONDERFUL SURPRISES

                                Expect the Unexpected

            On a beautiful sunny Sunday morning In Lucerne, Switzerland we took a ferry across Lake Lucerne to Hertinstein, our hike starting point. We enjoyed the scenery of the mountain peaks which surround the lake. The water was calm and mirror clear. After a nice hike we eventually arrived in Weggis, a picturesque little town with a population of 2500. Nestled between the lakeshore and the mountain peaks, flowers were plentiful and gorgeous everywhere, on porches, on windowsills, and in small pocket gardens and parks.

            In all my logic I planned on taking pictures as we’d be walking back to our ferry stop.  It never occurred to me that we were going one way and that we would pick up the ferry at another stop! With this dawning, I told our hiking guide that I was going to forgo lunch and hike back up to the town to take pictures. He gave me the ferry boarding time and I was off double timing it. I got my photos and made the ferry for a leisurely boat ride back to Lucerne.  I enjoyed the picturesque village twice, albeit once hurriedly.

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One evening in Warsaw, Poland when it wasn’t raining we decided to go for a walk. The huge city park was only a block from the hotel. It was a lovely evening and we enjoyed our stroll as well as the quiet.

          Heading back to the hotel, I suddenly said, “Jan, wait a minute. What’s going on?”

          Surprised, she said, “It looks like guards marching. There are three of them.”

          We stopped to watch. Unknown to us we had stumbled upon the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

As we continued back to the hotel I said, “How lucky can we get! To watch the changing of the guard.”

What a wonderful surprise.

INTERESTING FOOD and DRINK

                                              New Discoveries

I ate a lot of goulash in Hungary. I like it but the best I had was outside Budapest in Kalocsa. The beef chunks were 'gray meat' that comes from special gray cows. We were told gray cows are a cross between wild and domesticated ones. The meat is tender and very expensive. The goulash was not too different from what my mother called fricasseed beef. The interesting part of this meal was that the goulash was served over cooked barley. It was different but very good.

Heidelberg’s Student Kiss

The University was for boys only. However, they soon discovered that the girls from finishing schools congregated at what now is Heidelberg’s oldest café in the center of the old city. Everyone liked Fridolin Knosel, the good natured pastry cook, who owned the café. The girls accompanied by watchful governesses frequently encountered merry students. Under such conditions innocent flirtations were kept under wraps.

But the young ladies’ secret longings did not escape Mr. Knosel who decided to help them. One day with a big grin, he surprised the girls with a chocolate pastry he called a ‘student kiss’. The governesses did not object to the girls accepting the pastry.

Much time has passed and much has changed. But the ‘student kiss’ is still available from the same café and serves as a reminder of the romantic past and has become part of Heidelberg’s history and image.

An Interesting Iced Coffee

            During the city walking tour of Regensburg, Germany I kept my eye peeled

for Café Prinzess, the oldest coffeehouse in Germany, dating back to 1686. It was a very hot day and we were delighted to find it. We ordered iced coffee. It was a surprise to find chocolate chip ice cream floating in the top of cold coffee.. It resembled a float, was different, but good.

             We struck up a conversation with a pair of older traveling German women seated near us. They were drinking blond angels which was orange juice with ice cream floating in it. They looked good. In fact the ladies ordered a second one before continuing on their journey. It’s always fun to go back a bit in time.

MUST SEE SITES

DON'T MISS THESE SITES

Ha’Penny Bridge

Dublin’s oldest pedestrian bridge crossing the River Liffey falls in the must see category.  A symbol of the city, it was built in 1816 as the Wellington Bridge, but acquired its nickname because of the halfpenny levied on all who crossed the bridge until 1919. It is one of the earliest cast iron bridges of its kind.  A 2001 restoration returned the Victorian Bridge to its original sparkling white. Several bridges cross the river that handle vehicular traffic, but the ha’penny was the only pedestrian bridge across the Liffey until 2000 when the new Millennium Bridge opened. The historic bridge is very pretty and to me much more attractive than the modern Millennium Bridge.

Hungarian Puszta

            At the Puszta horse show outside Budapest Magyar cowboys demonstrated their equestrian skills. The entertainment started with a horse parade, followed by all sorts of exercises that were once practiced for wartime. For example, riders taught their horses to sit or lie down providing a smaller target or protection for the rider during battle. A boy on a small burro provided comical contrast to the magnificent steeds. The highlight of the show was when a cowboy completed a complicated twist to the Hungarian five-horse racing, more commonly known as the "Puszta-fiver". Standing on the rear ends of the back two horses the cowboy controlled eight horses with his reins!  It was amazing.

Munich’s Glockenspiel

We hurried to Maria Square where in the tower of the new City Hall, which looked like a big Gothic church, the glockenspiel plays at 11:00 AM and at noon. We’d missed the 11 AM showing and did not want to miss it again. We joined a large crowd gathered to watch the 10-minute performance.

The figures in the 1908 clock are about six feet tall. The bells ring first, then the figures move around in a circle. It is over when the rooster at the top crows three times. I expected the rooster to come forward when it crowed, but instead it flapped its wings. The bells needed a little tuning, but it was fun to watch anyway.

            I’ve seen and watched several of these old clocks and always admire the workmanship involved and the ‘performance’.

HUNGARIAN PAPRIKA

 PAPRIKA

One cannot visit Hungary without thinking of paprika, the red gold. Paprika is the traditional image of Hungary. There is a small Paprika Museum in historic downtown Kalocsa that is quite interesting.
A museum docent told us, “Incas and Indians (from India) were the first to use paprika. Ground paprika went from South America to Spain in the 15th century. In colonial times, the pepper was introduced to Africa, China,  Japan and Thailand. The Ottomans took it to Turkey. Pepper oil was used to treat arthritis and rheumatism. The first mention of paprika in Germany is found in 1542, where it was used as a container plant.  In 1932 a Hungarian devised a way to de-vein the peppers and extracted vitamin C. He won a Nobel Prize for this feat in 1937. Actually the vitamin C in peppers far exceeds that in citrus fruits!”

The plants grow well in the hot, dry plains of Hungary, and the cities of Szeged and Kalosca are famous for their paprika. One needs a special license to grow the paprika peppers commercially.

            Sometimes, very hot paprika is called Cayenne pepper, but Cayenne pepper is ground from a slightly different pepper plant. Paprika does not develop any flavor until heated.

Many recipes start by heating the spice in a little oil, then adding the rest of the ingredients. The bright red color adds an attractive garnish but no flavor to many dishes, such as deviled eggs. Paprika is found on all Hungarian restaurant tables beside the salt and pepper.

Paprika farming is very labor intensive. The plants need sun and water, sun and water and more sun and water. Paprika farmers grow seedlings, plant, hoe, plow, manually harvest and process the paprika pods the same way their ancestors did centuries ago, thus preserving not only the traditions of their forefathers, but also the quality of the paprika powder.

            Pepper garlands hung everywhere. Paprika mixed with butter or other spreads (maybe cream cheese would be good)  is also used as a bread spread or meat accompaniment.  

            Paprika is available for sale everywhere in all kinds of packaging, and of course a good amount of it came home with me to share with friends..                         

HELSINKI, FINLAND

        HELSINKI CHURCHES

After a walking tour and a general overview of the Helsinki's city center, we walked up to see the Russian Orthodox Church, Uspenski Ccathedral. Sitting on a hill, it dominates the skyline and is easily seen from the waterfront.  Built in 1868, it is the largest Russian Orthodox Church in Western Europe. The dark red brick exterior supports thirteen gilded cupolas (onion domes). The church is huge and the inside is gorgeous and much less cluttered than the Russian orthodox churches I saw a couple of years before in Russia. Fine icons decorate the inside. Although it hovers over Market Square it also faces the Lutheran Church---just as Russian culture faces Europe.

            From there we headed for the Lutheran Church.  With its prominent green dome and twelve apostles overlooking the harbor, the church is hard to miss. The master-piece of Carl Ludwig Engel was finished in 1854 after 20 years of construction.   The huge staircase leading up to the cathedral is a favorite meeting place for locals. The interior is considered to be plain, but to me it seemed understated elegance with its graceful curved archways decorated with intricate geometric designs.          

This church is the centerpiece of Senate Square. Once a town square with a church and city hall, its buildings were burned in 1808 during the Swedish-Russian war. Senate Square surrounded by pale yellow buildings form a unique and cohesive example of Neo-Classical architecture.  The church was rebuilt using St. Petersburg as a model.  A statue of Czar Alexander II is in the center of the square. Many university buildings are in the immediate area. The University accommodates 36,000 students, 60 percent of whom are female.  Diagonally across the square, the small blue stone building, 1757, with the slanted roof is one of only two pre-Russian-conquest buildings remaining in Helsinki.

SOME FUN FACTS

A LITTLE TRIVIA

When traveling I like to find the little bits of trivia that make life interesting. Often times it just means listening to people. 

Big Bertha

            What kind of a vision did you conjure up? In Glasgow, Scotland Big Bertha, the huge crane, is now a monument to the vast and prosperous ship-building industry that made the city famous.

The last ship built on the Clyde was the QE2 in 1962. During W W II a warship a day rolled off the rails into the River Clyde. The 24-hour a day operation was incredible when 2000 ships hit the seas in a six year period! Before the war most of the ships built were passenger ships including all of the Cunard line ships. At one point the shipbuilding industry employed over 200,000 people. The ships were not only built here, but fully outfitted  as well. To say something was Clyde built meant that it was quality and built to last. Big Bertha is huge and rightfully named and honored.

One potato, two potato

With a 110,000 acres planted in potatoes, it is  PEI’s largest agricultural crop.  Prince Edward Island grows 30 varieties of potatoes in its rich  red soil, supplying spuds to most of Canada. The potatoes are grown for food, seed, and the huge french fry industry. Canadian Farms, a french fry processing plant, is the largest industry employer on the island. It takes 27 tractor loads of potatoes a day to run the plant at full capacity! By the way french fries were introduced to the world at the 1939 World’s Fair.

The tart with the cart

This is one of the affectionate nicknames for the Molly Malone statue, located at the end of Grafton Street opposite Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. The semi-historical-legendary figure, commemorated in the song Cockles and Mussels, always drew a crowd and often a fellow playing the bodhran drum sat near by. The fishmonger-working girl died in one of the cholera epidemics which regularly sweep through Dublin. Locals lovingly call the statue ‘Trollop with the scallops’ or the ‘Dish with the fish’. Of course a must see when in Dublin.