CHURCHILL WAR ROOMS

                                          Underground Visit

            On one trip to London a visit to the Churchill War Rooms was a total surprise and again one of those wonderful unexpected experiences.

            Located beneath the Treasury building the Cabinet War Rooms were constructed in 1938 and were operational by 1939. In 1940, shortly after becoming Prime Minister, Churchill stood in the War Cabinet Room and declared, “This is the room from which I will direct the war”.

            It was amazing to stand in that room and listen to Churchill’s recordings. Talk about stepping back into history---and to my childhood. The day my dad sat my sister and me down and told us about Pearl Harbor is as clear today as it was 70 years ago!

            Operational all during W W II, the rooms were abandoned in 1945 after the surrender of Japan. Shelter from Britain’s wartime blitz was no longer needed and fortunately someone with foresight realized the rooms had historical value.

            It was pretty awesome to wander the maze of hallways as air raid sirens sounded and recordings of bombs exploding over head painted images in our minds. In the Map Room books and charts remain exactly as they where were left in 1945.

            Today the War Rooms are part of the Imperial War Museum  that also includes the Churchill Museum, a biographical museum exploring his life.         

            These preservations became the responsibility of the Ministry of Works and later the Department for the Environment. In the early 1980s the Imperial War Museum took over the administration and the Cabinet War Rooms were opened to the public in April 1984. 

            Not as well known as other landmarks in London, these rooms and exhibit are certainly well worth a visit.

WAR MEMORIAL

                       SHRINE OF REMEMBRANCE

In Melbourne, Australia one of the must-see attractions is the Shrine of Remembrance.

During World War  I (1914 –18) 114,000 young people from Victoria enlisted, and of the 89,000 who served abroad 19,000 were killed. In those days people didn’t travel like we do today and with so many loved ones buried overseas, the people wanted to build a memorial. The original idea was to build a Victorian memorial, but after committees were formed the end result is what we see today. During WW II thousands more Australians lost their lives so the Shrine of Remembrance is a memorial to all who served in all wars.

This memorial cost $470,000 and required a great deal of effort. Our guide told us, “There is an extensive war museum inside which you’ll have plenty of time to see, but first follow me to the center of the memorial.

“This part of the memorial is built so that on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month (the exact time of the end of WW I) a shaft of light shines through the ceiling to illuminate and move across the heart in the center of the floor.

“So many people wanted to see this that it is now mechanically reproduced each day." 

We arrived just moments before 11 AM. A hush fell over the crowd as we watched this most spectacular sight! It was a very moving experience.

The sanctuary contains the   marble  Stone of Remembrance, upon which is engraved the words "Greater love hath no man." The name of every serviceman who died defending his country is engraved on the  walls. The names are alphabetical and grouped by  conflict.

 The portico on each East and West side is approached by wide flights of steps which rise in stages to the podium on which the Shrines sits. The east and west facing fronts are marked at the corners by four groups of statuary  representing Peace, Justice, Patriotism and Sacrifice. The museum covered two floors and was most interesting.   The Eternal Flame burns outside in front of the memorial.

On my second visit Down Under the shrine was not on our itinerary. I wanted my traveling buddy to see it and made such a request to our guide. She was willing but she had quite a conversation with the driver before he finally relented. I was chomping at the bit because of the time restraints. But we did make it in time to see the light pass across the heart, and I had just as many chills the second time as I did the first, five years earlier. We had to skip the museum that time but we at least saw the most moving part. I made sure to thank all who made it possible.

MELK'S MONESTARY

                                          An Imposing Monestary

In Melk, Austria I’ve visited the 400-year-old Benedictine monastery twice.  It is an impressive building and an interesting visit. Situated high on a hill between Salzburg and Vienna, it provides a superb view of the Danube river. Melk has played an important role in the Danube region since Roman times, when a fortress was built on the promontory overlooking the river. Today thirty-five monks live along with 750 male and female students who attend the private school which was added in the 12^th century. Melk has been a spiritual, intellectual  and cultural center of the country for more than 1000 years. During the monastery’s history, members of the Melk monastic community have achieved significant success in the fields of natural science and the arts.

Melk Abbey, German: Stift Melk, was originally a palace for the Babenbergs, then became a Benedictine monastery in 1089. The magnificent baroque building was built between 1702 and 1736. An extensive restoration was undertaken in 1978. The 600-foot long imperial wing, the longest in the monastery, is open to the public. The Emperors' Gallery is decorated with portraits of Austrian royalty.

            The Marble Hall contains pilasters coated in red marble and an allegorical painted ceiling by Paul Troger.

The two-story library has an absolutely beautiful fresco ceiling painted in 1732. Although the ceiling is flat the painting makes it look rounded. The fresco is the original and has never been restored. It looked like it had been done yesterday. No smoke or steam has ever entered the room so the colors have remained vivid. It is an absolutely amazing masterpiece.

The library also contains 80,000 volumes of priceless works. The shelf supports, covered to look like book bindings, are even trimmed in gold!

The highlight of the abbey, though, is certainly the Stiftskirche, Abbey Church. The church has an astonishing number of windows and is richly embellished with marble and frescoes. Especially noteworthy in the church are the magnificent frescoes.

The abbey restaurant located near the entrance serves hot meals and monastery wine in beautiful Baroque and outdoor surroundings. I enjoyed a delicious lunch in the basement restaurant on each visit. The area is large and they are obviously used to feeding large crowds. It was an interesting visit ending on the patio with its magnificent views.

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA

                                               Winnipeg Info and History

            Our historic hotel, built on part of the site of Fort Garry, was an easy walk to an area called The Forks. Forks National Historic Site and the Forks Complex is a 56 acre site, built in 1988, at the junction of the Red and Assiniboini rivers. The Forks is a crossroads, meeting of the old and the new, meeting of diverse peoples, and a place for people to meet, work, and play.   The complex contains markets of all kinds, a public market, shops, eateries and restaurants.

The adjoining park contains many bike and walking trails with numerous interpretive displays, a children’s museum, and an aboriginal ceremonial pit, with some interesting art surrounding it. An old four story warehouse has been converted to a shopping plaza, housing unique shops and restaurants. We climbed the observation tower for a look over the complex. We wandered through the park, took some pictures, and read some of the interesting interpretive markers, and suddenly the day was gone.          

We walked the few blocks to downtown. We observed many pedestrian overpasses which I’m sure must be nice during the cold winter. Such overpasses are probably common in many cold places, but coming from a warm climate they were new to me.

Winnipeg is Canada’s seventh largest city as well as the Provincial capital of Manitoba.  In spite of being geographically isolated, Winnipeg is a center of commerce and culture including a symphony, opera, ballet, theater, and local native artists. Buffalo hunting plains Indians as well as French and English settlers were the first inhabitants. Today, distinct ethnic areas are found in the city that include: Ukrainian, Jewish, Italian, Polish, Chinese, Mennonite, Hungarian, Portuguese, French, and English.

            In 1738 the fur trading company, NorthWest Company, established a trading post at the juncture of the Red and Assiniboini Rivers. In 1812, Lord Selkirle, a Scot, brought an agricultural settlement to the area. The city incorporated in 1873, and in 1886 the Canadian Pacific Railroad followed the European immigrants.  Winnipeg, the principal city in western Canada, is a railroad hub for livestock and grain

            A city tour highlighted many buildings, but the one that got my attention was The Provincial Legislative building, built in 1920. It is made of Tyndall stone, a type of limestone quarried nearby. A statue of Queen Victoria stands proudly in front the  building. A huge bronze buffalo stands on each side of the grand staircase in the foyer of the building. Golden Boy sits on top of the building’s dome. A French sculptor put a sheaf of wheat, representing agriculture, in one hand of Golden Boy, and a light, representing economic development of the future, in the hand raised above his head. Golden Boy is sheathed in gold, weighs 5 ton, and is 13 ½ feet tall.

On the day of our excursion to Oak Hammock we had a late lunch at Lower Fort Garry, where we were served a delicious Irish stew and bannock, an Indian bread. Lunch ended with apple crumble topped with ice cream. It was a delicious lunch prepared and served by the Ladies’ Auxiliary of Fort Garry.

Lower Fort Garry Historical Site was closed for the season, but they opened the site specially for us, and it was wonderful to have the place all to ourselves with our own docent and no crowds.

Lower Fort Garry, now a historic site, is the oldest stone fort in the province. The Big House was built in 1832 for Governor George Simpson, then president of the Hudson Bay Company. The entire fort is built of limestone. In 1670 King Charles signed a proclamation giving exclusive trading rights of a huge territory to the Hudson Bay Company.  The North West Trading Company gave the Hudson Bay Trading Company competition, and in 1821, they joined forces. In 1826, a flood destroyed Fort Garry. Lower Fort Garry was built twenty miles south of Winnipeg on the Red River in 1830. It was the headquarters for the Hudson Bay Company from 1831-37. Hunters complained about the location, so later on, Fort Garry was rebuilt in Winnipeg.

Fort Garry was the home of the York boat, the boat that won the West. It was a heavier and larger boat than the canoe requiring 6-9 rowers. The boat was too heavy to be ported across land, so it was dragged. The river system opened up the Prairie Provinces to settlement.

I’m not a big fan of cold weather, but we were lucky to have sunny days with minimal winds during our stay in Winnipeg.

HAWAIIAN MONK SEALS

                                                      Endangered Species

The Hawaiian monk seal is the most Hawaiian of Hawaii’s marine animals. They are seldom seen around the inhabited Hawaiian Islands, but are found in the northwest part of the archipelago from Nihoa to Kure islands. Maybe they are shy of people because they have been hunted so much. They are so named because they are solitary animals, similar to monks. They also have very little fur on the top of their head and the skin folds around the neck resemble a monk’s cowl collar.

There are three species of monk seals. The Caribbean monk has been extinct since 1952, the Mediterranean monk is endangered with fewer than 500 animals remaining. The outlook is dim for them as the countries surrounding their habitat have political priorities over saving the seals. The Hawaiian monk has been endangered since 1976 with a total population of only 1200 animals.

The monk seals have remained in tropical and temperate waters while relatives have moved to colder polar climates. Tropical habitats have fewer resources and fewer haul-out areas. Such areas also are favorite human habitats and often humans rearrange the monk habitats.

It was explained, “The objective of this research is to monitor the population including the age, sex, and numbers of seals and identify the beaches used to determine if there is a seasonal pattern. Data will also show the composition of the population, reproductive and survival rates, and movement to other atolls. It will also identify birth sites and nursery beaches as well as the diet by analyzing collected scats. Documentation of scars, injuries, entanglements, and other threats will be made. Potential entangling debris will be collected and disposed of and any seal found entangled will be freed. And finally we’ll determine  how disturbances, including aircraft traffic, affect the seals.”

The Hawaiian monk seal history is rather a sad one. As human activity increased many seals were clubbed to death for meat, oil, and skins. With the disturbance of hauling-out areas mothers and babies were forced out to sea where sharks further reduced the population. Others drowned accidentally when entangled in lost fishing nets that drift from the North Pacific.

Seals feed on eels, small reef fish, octopus, and lobster. They have been known to dive 500 feet and remain under water for as long as 20 minutes when feeding. They can eat as much as 10% of their body weight each day providing a thick layer of blubber as an energy reserve. Although the monks live in warm waters their blubber layer is equal to that of seals in colder climates. Their life span  may reach 30 years. Generally seals remain close to the island of their birth. Adult females often have a pup each year. Monk seals are normally polygamous. In some areas this has become a problem when males out-number females. Aggressive courtship, known as mobbing, has resulted in injury and even death of some females and juveniles. In recent years wildlife managers have identified the aggressive males and moved them to other islands.

A newborn pup weighs 35-40 pounds and will quadruple  his weight during the 40 day nursing period. A pregnant 7-foot female can weigh 600 pounds and will lose half of that during the nursing period as she does not leave her pup during that time, even to feed. The weaned pup will slowly lose weight as he learns to feed by trial and error on his own. He will feed around his birthplace.

A weaned pup has been described as looking like a silver football with big black eyes and whiskers at one end and floppy flippers at the other end. At one year the pup is generally 4 ½ feet long and weighs about 100 pounds.

Breeding season is generally spring and summer. Gestation is about 10 ½ months with most births occurring in March to May, although births have been recorded in every month. New born pups have black fuzzy short hair which falls out during nursing and is replaced with silver-gray fur on the back and creamy white fur on the underside. Subsequent molts occur annually. Only elephant and monk seals molt each year. Each animal has his own molting schedule, they do not all molt at the same time of year. The fur is attached to the epidermis and comes off in strips. The process takes about two weeks. The seal remains on the beach during molting and does not feed during that period. The new fur comes in on the dermis layer.”

 The monk seal bone structure is quite different from that of other seal species. Its limbs and flippers are very short. On land they are very awkward, unable to haul out on rocks like other species. They kind of wiggle and inch their way along. But in the water they are sleek and graceful.

The Midway seal population is the most depleted population in the northwest Hawaiian Islands.  The high Midway human population, without a doubt, was a big contributing factor as the residents made ample use of the beaches.

During this ten day research project we spent some time washing and examining seal scat the biologist had collected. It was amazing the things we found. It was a fascinating activity.

There were times when I was pretty bored on this project, but it certainly was interesting and educational!

SWIMMING WITH THE ANIMALS

                                  Animals Always Give  Swimmers a Thrill

If you’ve been reading this blog long you’ve no doubt concluded I’m a nature lover. In the Galapagos we went swimming in the warm waters many times. It was not the first time I’d swum with seals and penguins, but every time it is a thrill.

We were ashore on Santiago Island early in the morning. We hiked from the sandy beach across the island to the lava coast. Here the boys went swimming with the sea lions in the lava holes.

My son said, “They are so friendly. They come right up to you and nuzzle. “

            We slowly walked around the point of the island back to the sandy beach where we all indulged in a warm water swim.

            After lunch, the boat moved across Sullivan Bay to Bartholomew Island. Here everyone went swimming with the sea lions and penguins. The sea lions were completely unafraid and loved to play. I received several nudges from these creatures who are so graceful  in the water, yet  cumbersome on land.

A face mask revealed all kinds of colorful tropical fish and coral. The water was warm and crystal clear.

            Late in the afternoon we walked up the 300 steps to the summit of this small island. Again, we enjoyed a magnificent view. We lingered a long time before  the pangas returned for us for the short shuttle to the yacht.

            It had been a splendid day!

HELSINKI, FINLAND

                                                    A Bit of History

One of the main attractions in Helsinki, Finland is the mammoth fortress, built in 1748, by the Swedes. It is only a short boat ride to the island  where the fort, Suomenlinna, with its eight kilometer defensive wall  is located.  In 1747, when Finland was part of the Swedish realm, the Diet in Stockholm decided to build a fortress to serve as the main base for the armed forces stationed in Finland. A group of islands close to Helsinki were chosen to be the site of the fortress, which was to be called Sveaborg, the 'Fortress of Sweden. The purpose was to link and fortify several islands so that entry into the city's harbor could be controlled. Built to protect the eastern part of the empire from attack it would  help Sweden counter the ambitions of Russia, who had a principal military base in the Gulf of Finland. Suomenlinna has played a key role in many turning points in Finland’s history. It has been the property of three sovereign states. The majority of its buildings date from the late 18th century, the end of the Swedish era.

After a long attack in 1808, that put much of the city in ruins, the Swedes surrendered to Russia and became a seat of the Russian Grand Duchy.  In 1855, during the Crimean War, Franco-British soldiers bombarded the fortress to no avail.

Reconstruction work and new construction were undertaken. Following Finland's independence in 1918 the name was changed a final time to Suomenlinna, Fortress of Finland. Six kilometers of walls and 190 buildings have been preserved.

Today the island is a favorite excursion destination of Finns. Seven museums are within the complex. There are old bunkers, crumbling fortress walls, and on the south end of the island there are some ancient cannons. The UNESCO site, 1991, is home to the largest maritime museum in the world as well as the Finnish Naval Academy. A scale model of what the area looked like in 1808 is on display. The fort stretches over six islands.

            Some 900 people live in renovated ramparts and barracks that date back to the 18^th century. 17,000 men worked constructing the fort which was estimated to take four years to build, but actually took 44 years to complete! France gave a subsidy of 18 barrels of gold, then the rest of the cost was up to the Swedish government. Finns worked 12-hour days with no pay.

            The fort was manned by educated Swedish soldiers who brought culture and social development to the area. Russians planted trees during their rule. Windmills originally powered the pumps of the dry-dock. A light at the top of the church tower serves as a lighthouse. Originally the church was Russian Orthodox, but after the Russians left it was converted to a Lutheran church. The last executions were in   1918 when there were 68. However, an additional thousand died from starvation and disease.

            All military function of the fort ceased in 1973. A small sandy beach offers swimming and sunning for those so inclined. These types of visits are really not my cup of tea but with its complicated history I found this visit quite interesting. We had plenty of time to see all that we wanted and to visit the museums. It’s pretty much an all day excursion---right in the center of the city. 

CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO

A Short but Fun Visit

Reboarding the train in Copper Canyon's  Barrancas the conductor spoke very little English. The train was crowded, but not quite full. There was some problem with the train manifest, but we boarded the train anyway as I had the paid tickets in my pocket and figured we’d straighten it out once on board. As it turned out all went well.

The train descended through a pine forest. The steepest grade of track is from Bocoyna to Sanchez. It is a 2.5% grade. Bocoyna at 7585’ was founded in 1702 by missionaries. It means pine forest in Tarahumara. The twin tower church in town is well known. East of the train the mesas rise to 8250-8910’. We also learned San Juancito at 8000’ was established in 1906 with the coming of the railroad. We could see a large sawmill. It is a main lumber center and is one of the coldest parts of the state of Chihuahua.

We rolled by Terrero, a village of white plaster adobe buildings, that is a ranching and horse breeding area.  Slowly the pine trees gave way to cottonwoods, then juniper and oaks. The final loud speaker message informed us that Franciscan missionaries established Santa Isabela in 1668. The village of Palomas has rock quarries. The tuff-like rock is called cantera and many of the buildings in Chihuahua are made of this stone. The rest of the way to Chihuahua we rolled through a fertile agricultural valley. Mennonites from Canada cultivated the area over 60 years ago. We saw many apple and peach orchards.

When we finally reached Chihuahua at 9:30 PM we both were ready to disembark! At the hotel we heard a little more about our well-known travel agent. We were tired and hungry so we headed to the restaurant off the lobby for a late dinner. The fellow at reception was most pleasant and arranged for us to have a private tour of the city the next day.

The city was very clean and had a lot of parks and statues. We visited a gorgeous museum, Pancho Villa’s home and mausoleum, a couple of churches and rode through several lovely residential areas  returning to the hotel early evening.

We boarded a bus early the next morning for a four and half hour ride to El Paso. My travel buddy had an afternoon flight back to New Jersey and I was spending the weekend with an old friend in El Paso.

It was the end to a fun couple of weeks with all sorts of adventures, some even unexpected ones!

IMPRESSIONS OF CUBA

                                 Havana and Beyond

There are many modes of transportation in Havana. Besides traditional yellow cabs, there are bike-taxis, horse drawn taxis, bicycles, and the adorable coco-cabs. People hitchhike all the time, especially out of the city. Obviously it is safe to do so and most vehicles stop to pick up someone if they have the room. The old cars are easy to maintain. Even though parts may not be available they are easy to reproduce. The Russian cars are often cut up to make trucks or vans.

Traffic never slows. Pedestrians obviously do not have the right of way. However, we never saw an accident. Of course speed limits are low, probably averaging about 40 miles an hour. There are very few traffic lights in Havana.

Walking can be hazardous because of the conditions of the sidewalks. Havana has little pollution, which was a total surprise.

Panhandlers are nearly non-existent. 

The city is full of parks of all sizes and there are many many statues. Plazas abound. The island is lush and green, and extremely clean. Litter does not exist

Outside of hotels, for some reason the toilet seat seemed to be missing much of the time. It was smart to carry tissues or T P when away from the hotel.

Riding through decaying parts of town I noticed wires strung like spider webs, out of windows, exposed to the outside, running loop after loop to somewhere else. It made me wonder who paid the electric bill, if in fact such a bill exists.

In the countryside I noted horses, goats, and cows grazing with no restrains and many times no fences. If there was a fence it was a flimsy line or two of wire.

 My trip to Cuba was made just days before the US shut travel down. Now that Cuba has opened up, it will be interesting to see what, if any, travel changes occur. Cuba has had many visitors, just not US citizens, for years.

SPINNER DOLPHINS

Dolphin Research Project

The first day on Midway Island the researcher explained the goals of the spinner dolphin research project was to determine habitat use, the abundance and distribution of dolphins,  group size and composition, social structure of the dolphin schools, social affiliation patterns between individual dolphins, to develop a photo-identification file for the dolphin population and develop year-round baseline activity patterns.

Such information will impact the development of boat usage in the atoll. The aim is to disturb the dolphins as little as possible in order to keep them in the area and not to disturb them enough to leave. Is the population  transient or residential? Do sub-groups exist and if so how stable they are.

No research/documentation had been done yet on dolphins in an atoll habitat. Midway is a perfect place for such a study as the shallow clear waters of the lagoon allow for detailed observation below the water as well as above it.

Spinner dolphins, Stenella longirostris, receive their name from the frequent activity of leaping from the water and spinning in the air. Apparently spinning is done solely for fun but, it may also serve as a signal that feeding is about to begin. It is significant that spinning activity peaks in mid-afternoon before the group spreads out at dusk to forage for dinner. Aerial activity is used in socialization and is believed also to be used in communication. Some scientists speculate that aerial activity also serves to remove ectoparasites from the dolphin bodies.   Spinners can reach a height of about 3 meters when they spin and can make a maximum of four revolutions. Spinner dolphins swim mostly in deep waters, but occur in regions where there are shallow platforms or islands.

The schools of dolphins on Midway are larger than those around the other Hawaiian Islands, very likely because there are fewer sheltered land and resting areas. There is a large shark population in the area so the lagoon provides a safe and quiet place to rest. They typically live in tropical waters, but may range into temperate water with a worldwide distribution.

The average spinner is 5 ½ -6 ½ feet long. Calves at birth are generally 30 inches long weighing 33 pounds. Gestation is 10 ½ months and females will lactate for a period of 1-2 years. Typically, males are bigger than females. Female spinners sexually mature between 4-7 years and tend to have one ovulation  period each year. Males mature later, usually between 7-10 years. Mating is promiscuous with peak activity during summer and fall. Lifespan for spinners is about 20 years. Only 1% of females have been documented to reach post-productive status. Although spinner dolphin society is highly promiscuous, family units are apparent.

Contact is an essential ingredient in spinner dolphin society where touching, nuzzling, and stroking occur frequently among the animals in the group even though the composition of the group changes. Many dolphins are day feeders, but spinners feed at night in deep waters on fish, squid, and shrimp. They have been documented to dive to depths of 200-300 meters while feeding.

For most dolphin species the dorsal fin is used for identification because it can be photographed from the surface of the water. Nicks and marks in the trailing edge of the fin are most often used for identification because they are relatively permanent and change little over time. 

We used a 23 foot pontoon boat for water surveys which were conducted at random in five transects of the lagoon. It was great fun to watch the dolphins bow surfing with us. The schools sometimes contained some small animals.

This was a fun 10 days to say nothing of being educational and interesting.