History

INFAMOUS ROOM 600

I always wondered why Nuremberg was selected for the infamous war trials. I learned the city center was bombed during WW II, but the court house outside the city was unharmed. Next to the court house was a prison that connected to the courthouse by a tunnel. That was a big security factor. And lastly the city was in the American zone. Also the large courthouse contained 530 offices and 80 courtrooms.

Although it was a Sunday, we were met and allowed into Room 600 in the 1916 sandstone courthouse. Since the elevator was silent on a Sunday we walked up a couple of flights of stairs to reach the famous Room 600.

The docent said, “For the trial, the back wall was moved back and a balcony added to accommodate the press and spectators. Remember this was before instant communication when the press used the wire services. The tables were turned from front to back rather than side to side. All the windows were covered. After the trial was over the room was returned to its former size and configuration as you see it now.

“Those on trial faced four charges: conspiracy, crimes against peace, crimes of war, and crimes against humanity. The defense was that because of the Nazi size, bureaucracy and fragmentation each defendant was aware only of what his section was doing and not the whole plan/operation. Written memos and documents eventually proved otherwise.

“Officially 24 were tried, but only 21 were present. One was old and too feeble to attend, one had committed suicide, and the whereabouts of one was unknown. However, his body was later found and identified. American soldiers guarded the prisons 24 hours a day. There was no jury; instead there were four judges, one from each Allied nation.”

The trial lasted 218 days, had 236 witnesses and over 200,000 affidavits. 1000 people were involved in the trials including translators, recorders, and secretaries. On October 1, 1946 twelve were sentenced to death, three were acquitted, and seven were sentenced to life imprisonment.

Early in the morning on October 16, 1946 eleven of the twelve sentenced to death were hung in the old gym. Herman Goring committed suicide the night before by swallowing a cyanide capsule. The source of the poison or how he obtained it is unknown. The bodies were cremated in Munich and the ashes spread over the Isar River.

The last prisoner committed suicide at age 93 in 1987. The docent was informative making for a memorable visit. It was awesome to visit and stand in this historic room.

Birds Everywhere

GOONIES

When I arrived at Midway Island , 1200 miles across the Pacific Ocean from Hawaii, I knew nothing about a gooney bird other than people thought they were a crazy bird  They got their nickname from the often crazy landings they make, but they are actually the Laysan Albatross. Rather awkward on land, they are beautiful and graceful in flight.

The gooney bird mates for life, and every late October/early November returns to the same spot to wait its mate’s return. With a 6 ½ foot wing span they weigh 7-8 pounds. Unlike other albatross who feed during the day, the Laysan gooney is a night feeder. Albatross are synchronous breeders. As seabirds, they live and feed at sea. A small hole on each side of their beak allows the bird to excrete salt.

Mama lays a single ½ pound egg in early December. Dad immediately begins to incubate the egg while Mama goes to sea to feed for a couple of weeks. When she returns to take over the sitting duties, Dad leaves to feed. This alternating behavior goes on for 60 days, until the chick hatches.

It takes both parents to raise the chick. If one parent dies, the chick dies. Both parents continue to alternate going to sea to feed the chick. A chick taps the beak of the parent to stimulate regurgitation, then places its beak inside that of the parent catching every single drop. The chick is ready to fledge at 5 months and goes to sea for 3-5 years before returning to find a mate of his own.

Twenty percent of the chicks die before fledging and 7-10 % of the fledging chicks are eaten by tiger sharks that come into the lagoon during fledging season just for that reason. The oldest known tagged bird is 43 years old. It is unusual for birds to mate in winter, but the Midway summer is very hot and it is difficult for the birds to stay cool. Their webbed feet are very vascular and the birds thermo-regulate through them by sitting on the backs of their feet with the webbed toes off the ground.

The mating ritual is fascinating to watch. The gooney makes many different noises. The most common are the clacking of their beaks and sky pointing called sky mooing--- and they really do sound like a cow.

MIDWAY’S GOONEY BIRDS

A CRAZY BIRD
When Kelly called me about doing a couple of research projects on Midway Island, I figured why not. It turned out to be a fantastic three weeks.We went to help with both spinner dolphin and Hawaiian monk seal research projects, but the big bonus was the gooney birds.

Our first day we were surprised at how excited the residents were   when the first gooney flew in. The second day there were about 5 birds, then 15, and after that they were too numerous to count. We spent a lot of time on the beach watching them come in---it was busier than the busiest airport.

Every morning when we got up the first thing I did was look out the window to see how many birds were out on the lawn. After ten days the ground everywhere was covered not only with Laysan Albatross but also Black Footed Albatross. Eventually a half million mating pairs had returned home. The inn was full, and we no longer could walk a straight line anywhere!

Midway has the largest colony of Laysan Albatross in the world . Seventy percent of the world’s population of this beautiful, sometimes comical,  bird lives here. I did not know the gooney goes to sea in July for four months returning in mid-late October. We couldn’t have timed our visit any better. I really would have been disappointed if we were there while the birds were all at sea

They are absolutely beautiful gliding in the air. The underside of their wings is a beautiful white with black accents and trims. In the air they are most graceful. When landing into the wind, the landing is graceful and upright, but when they misjudge and land with the wind they often make a nosedive landing and the antics are funny beyond description. They were a lot of fun to watch and we spent many an hour observing not only the above but also their intricate mating rituals.

Details about the gooney will follow another day.

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING NEW

SOMETHING NEW

Everywhere I travel I try to find and learn something new. In Slovenia I was rather fascinated with the roofed hay-drying racks. They are unique to the area and  very different from how  hay is dried in Texas. The racks are spotted all along the fields. Under the roof are three or four boards of perhaps 2 X 6 or 8 inch and the length of the roof. Hay is simply strung or hung over the boards like a grass skirt to dry. I never could determine what happens to the hay when it is dry, so your guess is as good as mine.

It seems all Adriatic cities have promenades and the one in Zadar, Croatia is tree lined. It was a beastly hot day, but a sea breeze made the walk to the wave organ bearable. The original purpose was to extend the sea wall to accommodate cruise ships. The wave organ was a wonderful and creative bonus. Thirty-five horizontal pipes of various lengths and widths lie in the Zadar channel. Holes in the concrete pier whistle as the waves hit the pipes below. It creates a sound similar to that of blowing across a cola bottle. It was delightful to listen to the unusual concert created by the waves. It is the first wave organ in the world and I’d guess as the news about it spreads it will not be the last. Several rows of steps/seats to the water's edge are available so one can enjoy the tranquility and concert. Many sit here to watch the sun set.

It’s kind of fun to be able to see and learn about the first of something. I saw one of the first water ballets at the Orchid Gardens in Rotarura, New Zealand. Built in 1985 at a cost of 1.3 million dollars, the water organ contains 700 pipes and has 14 pumps. The pipes,  made in Germany,  cost of $250,000. Water shoots dramatically from the pipes simulating a ballet while the whole performance is set to computerized music. I was so fascinated that I had to sit through the performance a second time.
Today many people call such performances dancing waters and they are pretty common, seen in many places.

HIGH TEA

A FUN HIGH TEA
Since I’d had an exquisite high tea fifteen years before  in the crystal ballroom of the  Empress Hotel in Victoria, British Columbia, I was not too excited to have high tea in the hotel’s lobby, the new venue. After considerable inquiry we elected to have our tea at the Point Ellice House.

Tea was served in the old carriage house. We sat at our table with linen tablecloth for nearly two hours enjoying finger sandwiches, sweets, scones and all the tea we wanted.

Our server told us, “During the 19th century this area was full of lovely Victorian homes where the gentry and well-to-do people lived. This Italianate cottage,  built in 1861,  was enlarged and landscaped between 1875-89. Peter O’Reilly was Irish and a government official. He and his family, including four children, moved into the house in 1867.

“The O’Reilly family occupied the home for 106 years. The family kept extensive records and never threw anything away. There are over 10,000 Victorian objects in the home.”

Mrs. O’Reilly apparently wrote a cookbook. Except for hot cocoa and candy or bon bons, chocolate did not exist in Victorian cooking. There was no such thing as brownies, chocolate chip cookies, or chocolate cake.

One daughter, Kathleen, was an accomplished artist and several of her paintings hung in the home. In 1975 the Provincial Government bought the property.

After tea before  touring  the house we were given ear phones and battery pac. A Chinese houseboy told the family’s story.  Periodically he was interrupted by the English parlor maid with some tid bit of family information. What a creative and imaginative way to tell the story! It was dilightful.

The Victorian grounds were lovely but different than many we’d seen. It was a fun, interesting, and informative  way to spend our last afternoon in Victoria, British Columbia.

AN UNUSUAL AQUARIUM

WHAT A SURPRISE
In Auckland, New Zealand we took a city bus to Kelly Tarlton’s unusual aquarium.
The whole aquarium is underground housed in old sewage tanks, the same ones that used to collect and dump affluent in the harbor! Kelly was an imaginative thinker. He wanted to buy the storage tanks from the city, but the city would not sell them. Everyone thought Kelly was loco. Finally, after a time and negotiation, the city agreed to lease the tanks to Kelly for $1 a year. Kelly agreed but wanted a thousand year lease for his $1000.

Kelly designed, planned, and supervised all the building. Tons of junk had to be removed, carted off and extensive cleaning done before construction could even begin. The aquarium opened in 1985. We walked through the new Antarctica exhibit admiring the world's largest emperor penguins. They really are big. I just wanted to reach out and hug the adorable animals.

From that exhibit one can walk through the rest of the aquarium or step on a moving walkway. It was like being in a tunnel with fish all around and on top of you, really incredible! it was easy to imagine yourself in the water surrounded by fish and sea creatures--but no snorkel needed and you remained dry!

I had never seen the underside of a ray before. There were several species swimming over head. Big fish, small fish, all colors and shapes, swam up, over, and down. It was the most amazing thing and the first such exhibit I’d seen. Since that visit I have been in other ‘fish tunnels’ and it is always an exciting experience.

At the end of the moving walkway I told my friend, “I’m sorry, I’ve got to go again. I just haven’t seen enough.” Three times around  later we reluctantly exited. It’s a wonderful memory.

Kelly died at age 48 just a few weeks after the aquarium opened. He was New Zealand’s Jacques Cousteau and it is said that diving contributed to his premature death.

A ROMANTIC PICTURESQUE HOTEL

A Dream Fulfilled
I guess everyone dreams of staying in a picturesque romantic hotel sometime during their lifetime. My dream came true in Tahiti. Who would ever guess that we’d be arriving at a hotel at 4:45 AM! We were given a room and encouraged to take a short nap before a scheduled brunch at 10:30 in the Tiare (flower) room, just off the lobby.

My weary body found the weather hot, steamy, and humid and the fresh fruit drinks served on arrival did little to revive me. I managed to find my room by following the signs to out, over, up, and around. While I waited for my luggage to arrive I did lie down on the bed for an hour. I was sure sleep was elusive, but I opened the drapes just in case I dozed off. I wanted to wake with the daylight. I couldn’t wait to see what was outside.

At 7AM I was standing at the sliding glass door looking out over my little deck absorbing the incredible beauty outside. Beyond the yard was a walkway inside the seawall. Looking across, what I would learn later was Moon Bay, I could see the outline of Moorea, another of the three major Tahitian islands. The bay was but 100 yards away. About a mile out between the seawall and Moorea I could see the breakwater.

Full coconut palms and all kinds of tropical flowers and flowering bushes and trees awaited my investigation. The people, mostly hotel workers, walking about were speaking French. The little wooden deck outside my room was the perfect place to have coffee. But first on the agenda—after nearly 30 hours of traveling—was a hot shower and fresh clothes.

Thatched roof guest cabanas, perched on pilings over the bay, were only yards away. By brunch time I had walked the incredibly beautiful tropical grounds even stopping to sniff the wonderful aromas of familiar flowers. Unfortunately the stay in Tahiti was brief and by 5:00 PM we were aboard our small ship headed for Bora Bora.

A SCARY ARRIVAL

Arrival in Lima, Peru

It seems flights to South America always arrive in the evening. We followed the cautions in all the literature and secured a cab inside the airport. Taxis were readily available outside the fence but supposedly not reliable. Our driver was dressed in a suit and his cab was clear of dings, dents etc.

That fact was some comfort as we played chicken driving through the streets of Lima. It seemed no one paid heed to lights or stop signs. Just honk, step on the gas, brake, and repeat. I prayed for no fender bender, flat tire or any other mishap as we drove through areas where men collected under streetlights drinking and smoking.

I had money spread all over my body, but it was most disconcerting when we left town and hit a totally dark, two lane, paved,  deserted road that appeared to follow a body of water. I was one happy camper when the lights of Miraflores,a Lima suberb and  the location of our hotel, appeared.

The bars on the pharmacy across the street and the armed guards outside banks, which seemed to be on every corner, were less frightening in daylight. One could not enter the pharmacy. One stood outside and told the girl what you wanted. She brought it to you and you paid through the bars.

The next day after lunch, as my son and I were walking along the street, a young man with a backpack stopped us and asked if we were from Texas. He had good eyesight as he’d picked that up from the camera strap around my neck. He gave us some corking bull story and wanted money for bus fare. My son offered to let him use his calling card to make a phone call to his girl, but he refused that, wanting only money. In all my travels that is the only time I’ve ever been approached on the street for money. We walked on and left him to try to try to scam someone else.

MOZART BALLS

The BEST candy
I first heard about Mozart balls from a fellow biker when peddling from Munich to Vienna. Her mantra was “I need to find Mozart balls for my daughter.” Little did I know then that I would search and buy those delectable little chocolate balls everywhere I went after that.

 Any time I’ve heard of friends going to Vienna I've asked them to buy me Mozart balls ending the request with, “You can not buy too many!” On my last trip to Europe when I knew I’d be in Vienna I packed a self-addressed broken down carton in the bottom of my suitcase. I peeled off packing tape attaching it onto the slick side of all the address stickers I receive in the mail.

After my purchase of the goodies I opened several of the packages in order to get as many as possible into my box. I taped the package shut and when we arrived in Ljubljana, Slovenia I walked across the street from the hotel and mailed the package home. I still had nearly as many balls packed in my suitcase.

I was surprised when a local guide informed me that Mozart balls were available everywhere. Wrong! Knock-offs are readily available in many places, but the real Mirabel is made in Salzburg, Austria and is not found everywhere. I know the picture, but I always read the label anyway. I admit it is easy to be fooled. Both are good but nothing surpasses the real four layer chocolate ball!

The real thing is not exported far from its home. It’s rare to run on to them in a foreign airport, but I always enjoy the hunt and once in awhile am rewarded..

DIFFICULT TIME

A REALLY HARD JUMP
I took my son on my first trip to Costa Rica. One of the highlights of that trip was rafting down the Sarapiqui River. After navigating several class II and III rapids, we stopped at a shallow pull out point where we all climbed a small cliff. The point of this was to jump off the cliff into the river, then float while the current carried us back to the rafts.

Most any kid would relish this fun exercise, and before you could blink your eye he’d be gone and in the water. I was 65 at the time and am an old WSI who taught swimming and lifesaving for many years. The whole idea went against my whole being, of what I believed, and what I’d taught my children and many others over a lot of years.

I really had a hard time jumping off. I hesitated for some time while my son jumped twice and kept encouraging me to do the same. I had my glasses on under my helmet, and eventually I held my glasses and jumped. The water was rather cool, and once in the water it was easy to float in the gentle current.

My camera captured my son in mid air during one of his half-dozen jumps, but I called it good after my first and last jump. Something about old habits dying hard I guess!

UPSIDE DOWN FLOWERING TREES

UNIQUE AND UNUSUAL
Generally I don’t plan to blog about U S sites unless I come across something really unusual like I did on a recent trip to Juneau, Alaska. The Glacier Gardens did not exist when I made my first trip to Alaska twenty years before.

In 1985 a huge landslide in the Mendenhall Valley destroyed much of the Smith dairy farm. Ten years later nurseryman, Steve Bowhay, bought six and a half acres that bordered on the Tongass National Forest. While working to redirect a river stream to its original path, because of its diversion by the landslide years before, he caused some damage to the expensive piece of rental equipment he was using. Frustrated with the rock he was trying to move and at the expensive machine repair bill, he picked up a log with the machine and slammed it six or seven feet into the soft soil ---upside down.

Frustration subsiding a bit and being the creative man he is, Steve started to survey his newly planted 'tree'. By trimming the roots he formed a bowl which he lined with a very fine mesh. Then he filled his pot with peat moss, topping it off with some soil. Before long the plants he planted were flowering and cascading down the edge forming a gorgeous flowering upside down tree. Now many such trees are scattered in the gardens. The area gets plenty of rain so watering is not a problem.

In the late 1990s Steve negotiated with the National Forest Service and the City of Juneau for access to an additional 44 acres. A narrow winding road, wide enough to accommodate a golf cart, takes visitors up 600-feet to a wooden platform for a fantastic view of the valley and city. Colorful blooming areas are along the way on the forest floor. A guide/driver points out various plants in this temperate rain forest.

The Glacier Gardens were so much more than I expected and one of the highlights of the trip.

MORE FRIENDLY PEOPLE

In Glasgow we were looking for a post office that seemed to elude us.
We asked a fellow on the street where it was, but he was a stranger in town and was just doing some shopping while his wife had her hair done. He was sorry he couldn’t help us. We thanked him and continued on. A couple of minutes later we heard, “Ladies.”
When we turned around we faced the same fellow we had asked directions of. He explained while he was walking in the opposite direction that he remembered where the post office was and proceeded to give us directions. He had turned around and found us to relay that information. How nice was that! As it turned out we were only a block or so away. We entered, made our money exchange and then visited a large department store for a look-see.

Riding the escalator down an hour or so later, the young man standing behind us overheard us discussing finding a restaurant. As we stepped off, he called to us and proceeded to tell us where we could find an arcade of restaurants and recommended a couple he particularly liked. We took his advice and enjoyed a wonderful meal.

When biking in Germany, I was standing outside a bakery waiting for a companion to complete her purchase when an elderly man approached me asking, " Are you American."
 After I said yes, he went on to tell me how during WW II he had been in a concentration camp in the United States. I can’t recall the state, but it was a surprise to me, as I was unaware we had a camp there. He apologized for his English. He told me he had been well treated. What a small world.

In Moscow we were looking for a grocery store to buy a gallon of bottled water. We would be in the city long enough to empty it by refilling our small drinking bottles. Unknowingly we turned back when only two blocks away from our destination. Back on the main street we asked directions of a fellow walking with his wife and small child. The wife ducked into a store with the child, but the fellow tried to tell us, but he spoke only Russian. Finally he decided to show us where to turn, so as he hustled down the street he kept up a constant stream of Russian chatter. Jan kept smiling and shaking her head like she knew what he was talking about. I followed smiling. It was a kind gesture on his part and we did find the store and made our purchase.       His wife obviously was more skepital of strangers.

In Beijing we were returning to the hotel through a lovely little park. About half way, a young man stopped us and asked if we were American. He was a part time guide and was looking to improve his English speaking skills. We had a delightful conversation with him for 15 min or so.

In Melbourne there is a free tram around the center city during certain hours. We knew we were a few minutes late for the free ride, but we hopped on anyway expecting to pay the fare. The lady driver got to talking to us and asked where we were staying, where we were from etc.
She then said, “You’re just a couple of minutes late for the free tram, but just take a seat and make believe you didn’t know there was a time limit.”
We did and she alerted us when our stop arrived. We thanked her.

If you’re ever in a place where English is scarce look for a young person, preferably a male. The young people know English and the boys have a bit of an edge on the girls. At the Budapest zoo everything was written in Hungarian. A couple times we were a bit puzzled by the foreign map. I looked around for a young man and sure enough both times he spoke English and was able to show us where we were. Both times we were close to where we wanted to be, but the reassurance was nice to have!

We have run into so many friendly and helpful people around the world, and because of that we have had some delightful surprises.