IPRESSIONS OF CROATIA AND THE BALKANS

                                      Croatia Observations

            At the end of a trip I often make a journal entry of my impressions of the country I’ve visited. Today I decided to just include that page and I believe you need no further explanations.  This particular trip was chosen as Plitvice Lakes and National Park were a priority for me. This trip held some wonderful surprises and it was a most interesting and informative travel experience.

If you are interested in reading more about Plitvice N P, see post of September 19.

            * Marked difference in attitude in Croatia from that in Slovenia and Slovakia.

            * Pay to pee in Croatia or buy a drink in a bar or café to use the facilities.

            * Croatia coastal towns typical beach towns.

            * Seaside promenades popular everywhere along the coast.

            * Much more limited use of credit cards in Croatia.

            * Slovenia and Slovakia vibrant young populations.

            * Strong Turkish coffee café/bars culture everywhere.

            * Sidewalk cafés the norm.

            * Croatian towns look ‘worn’, but much construction in outskirts and on roads.

            * Typical European toilet paper, stiff and narrow.

            * Bathtubs very deep—thigh high from the floor---except in an American chain hotel.

            * No commercial salad dressings. Vinegar & oil. Light w/ no swimming salads. Very nice.

            * Marble paving stones common.

            * Cobbled streets and narrow alleys.

            * Small cars everywhere or large buses, no large cars.

            * Walled cities with gates and remnants of.

            * Red tile roofs.

            * Big meat eaters.

            * Wonderful fresh vegetables and salads.

            * No wooden structures.

            * Stone walls divide fields.

            * Tips not expected. Happy when receive one. No hands out though.

            * Salt & Peper seldom on table.

            * Bread eaten dry, generally no butter on table.

            * Little litter, but lots of graffiti.

            * Pedestrians beware!

            * Good local beer and wines everywhere.

            * Lots of stairs everywhere.

            * Hotel elevators very small—hold four people at best.

            * Almost impossible to be anywhere where you can NOT see mountains!

            * Lots of English everywhere, less in parts of Croatia and in small rural areas.

CONTADORA, PANAMA

Contadora's Famous Visitors

From previous posts you know I did Panama and the canal on a small 100-passenger ship. On the Pacific side of the canal we played around in the Pearl Islands for a few days before transit.

The 22-foot tide on the Pacific side of the canal made berthing  very difficult, but each day the captain managed to find a lovely deserted sandy beach for us to enjoy a swim in the warm waters. One day after lunch we dropped anchor off a gorgeous sandy beach at Contadora Island  and were ferried ashore by skiff. After thoroughly enjoying a swim in the warm, calm, clear water, we did a little beach combing along the beautiful white-sand beach. When we had had enough several of us donned tee shirts over our suits and wandered up into ‘town’. I was sure glad I had packed my Tevas!

During World War II the military built an air strip on Contadora that is still used today by small planes. We walked up to it while we were ashore. In 1955 the bases were closed and the military turned everything over to Panama who eventually sold the island to private investment. In recent years Contadora has become a resort area and a get-away from the bustle of the city, but you won’t find any big resort hotels. It has also become a popular retreat with Spanish and Canadian visitors. Since several desalination plants were not working fresh water on the island was a scarce commodity.

The Shah of Iran stayed on the island during his exile. Jimmy Carter has been seen walking the deserted beaches.  Because of city distractions, Costa Rica’s President Arias and the negotiators of the Panama Canal Treaty retreated here in 1977. During the trying times in 1983 between Nicaragua, Guatemala, and El Salvador the Contadora Group  also retreated here. The group met to deal with the military conflicts which were threatening to destabilize the entire Central  American region. The initiative drew international attention to Central America's conflicts and pressure for a softening of the militarist stance of the  United States in the region. The peace plan was supported by the General Assembly, the United Nations Security Council  and many regional and international bodies.

 Contadora was fun to wander around and certainly would offer a nice respite from a busy big city life.

THE KIKUYU

One Tribe of Native Kenyans

            Our Kenya guide was a Kikuyu and an absolute sweetheart who I think about often whenever there are disturbances in Kenya. He was fluent in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Swahili and nine dialects. He was extremely interesting and a world of information, always willing to share much of it with us and was able to answer anything we asked him.

            He told us, “I live between two cultures. I am Kikuyu, but no longer live in my village but with my wife in Nairobi. I return to my village for ceremonies etc. My dad lives in the village where life is very traditional. Sometimes he has problems with my non-traditional ways. I have and only want one wife. I play with my children which is very non-traditional. Men normally leave all the childcare to the mother.”

He insisted that the many tribes in Kenya get along with each other and respect each other’s differences. Except in the large cities crime is very low. You will not find any day care centers or nursing homes in Kenya as the people take care of their own. All  the children belong to the whole village.

In spite of popular belief the Mau Mau were not a tribe. They were people who believed in independence. Actually the first Mau is Swahili meaning white man go home and the second Mau means independence for Kenya. Of course the Mau Mau no longer exist because Kenya became independent in 1963 when Kenyatta became the first president.

Kenyatta kept many respected Englishmen as advisers until the country  could function well on its own. He ruled until his death. Moi succeeded him as president and has been ruling ever since. After independence all the streets in Nairobi were renamed and one of the main streets is Kenyatta Avenue.

Kikuyu are farmers and since women do nearly all of the farming some villages are becoming farming communities which is a drastic change from the nomadic Masai way of life. Some Kikuyu women are marrying Masai men. I have to wonder how that will turn out as the two lifestyles are so different.

            I was amazed to see how quietly people in Nairobi waited in long lines for buses at the end of a long work day. We found the Kenyans very warm, cheerful, friendly, and helpful. We had a wonderful time and I’ll relate all about safari another day. 

QUEBEC CITY'S OBELISK

Quebec City Obelisk Meaning

We took the train from Montreal to Quebec City and spent the first day wandering around on our own seeking out the sights on or to see list. The next day we took a walking tour of the city secured through the tourist office.

 Governors’ Park is small and just south of Chateau Frontenac. With a knowledgeable docent we headed for the 50-foot obelisk which we had seen the day before but didn’t know much about. Standing in front of the obelisk she told us, “This is unique as it pays tribute to a winning British general and a losing French general from the 1759 battle on the Plaines of Abraham.

 “General Wolfe, the British general, is honored on the south side, and General Montcalm is honored on the right side because that is the direction each approached the battlefield. General Montcalm was awaiting a supply shipment from Montréal. General Wolfe also knew this. There were several Scot soldiers in the British army who spoke French. General Wolfe stationed warships at both the north and south ends of the area. Thinking no one could scale the cliff in between, the French anticipated attack from either the north or south.

“BUT, the Scots did scale the cliff and when asked, who goes there, they answered in French. Thinking the supplies had arrived, the French let the Scots into the fort. British soldiers were professional, well trained and disciplined. Many of the French soldiers were farmers, inexperienced and ill equipped and many simply ran off.

“The battle was over in 15-20 minutes but both generals died, Wolfe on the field and Montcalm the next day. Three days later Claude Ramezay signed the treaty and the English ruled for the next hundred years.”

            The previous day we’d seen and walked by the house where the treaty had been signed. Good docents can add a lot to a trip and often can relate information not found in general tour guides/books.

A BIT OF RUSSIAN INFO

Russian Primer

In Moscow a local guide told us, “You may have noticed that the old red flag of the USSR with the sickle and hammer is gone. Our flag now goes back to the days of Peter the Great. He was quite taken with the Netherlands and this flag reflects the colors and style of their flag. The flag of the Russian Federation has three equal stripes, one each of white, blue and red in that order from top to bottom.”

Russia, the largest state of the former Soviet Union, spans two continents, Europe and Asia, and is the largest country in the world. On the west it is bordered by Norway, Finland, Estonia, Belarus, Ukraine, and the Black Sea. On the south lies Georgia, Azerbaijan, the Caspian Sea, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and China. The Northern Pacific Ocean is on the east, and the Arctic Ocean borders the north

Our 30-story Moscow hotel was the second tallest building in the city. Stalin built the seven large buildings to show the mighty power of the USSR. The locals dislike these Gothic buildings, which they call wedding cakes or seven sisters.

 The Moscow River runs nearly 50 miles through the city. The city has five airports and nine railway stations to accommodate Russia’s 93,000 miles of railroad. That might give you a bit of an idea how large Moscow is. Two and a half million people arrive or depart the city every day. The city runs 25 miles north to south and 19 miles east to west.  Like Rome, Moscow is built on seven hills.

After a few days in the dynamic capital city of Moscow we boarded a river boat for the rest of our Russian stay. Cruising between the inland waterways we had a chance to discover the unknown Russia where daily life has remained virtually unchanged for centuries. Along the canals, waterways, and lakes we glimpsed and often visited ancient monasteries, shimmering forests of silver birch, thriving street markets, and churches filled with the sound of chanting voices. And all too soon we arrived in St. Petersburg where we experienced the opulent splendor of the once imperial capital city.

The difference between the two large cities was also a marked contrast to the lovely countryside and its friendly people. It was a remarkable trip full of surprises, wonders, and lots and lots of education and information.

Everywhere we went we noted that WW II was always referred to as the Great Patriotic War.

GORGEOUS SWISS ALPS

Murren and Schilthorn

Another day in Switzerland we took a train to Lauterbrenner to pick up a delightful hiking trail to Murren. It was a cool cloudy day so about half way we stopped at a new restaurant for a famous hot Swiss chocolate.

Murren is a quaint little village at an altitude of 5390-feet and situated at the edge of a cliff with a sheer 600-meter drop-off. Monks founded Murren in 1133. Between 1849-1914 the Grand Hotel operated a horse-drawn railway transport system and it was the only way in or out of town.  The village remains car-free today. Murren means many fountains. We passed many of the 72 waterfalls in the area including one that was 1170-feet high.

We were dubious about the weather as we approached the cable car station. Would it be misty and fogged in at 10,000 feet?  The station had a TV monitor which relayed pictures from cameras at the top of Schilthorn. The TV indicated it was clear, so we hurried to get our tickets for the cable ride up. At 8783-feet we  changed cars at a platform station for the rest of the upward ride.

When we broke through the clouds we feasted on breathtaking views of the Alps. At the top we could see 200 peaks!. It was so clear! We walked around the 360-degree viewing platform, took pictures and couldn't stop exclaiming about the amazing beauty that lay before our eyes. My windbreaker jacket was all I needed as it really was not very cold on top.

Eventually we found our way to Piz Gloria, the revolving restaurant, for lunch. The James Bond movie In her Secret Service was filmed here in the late 1960s. The restaurant was built in in 1967.

We had a good meal at a surprisingly reasonable price. We by-passed the gift shop and simply absorbed the incredible beauty before us. Just as we were ready to catch the cable car down to Murren clouds started to roll in and when we reached the bottom the TV showed the entire area completely fogged in. How lucky could we be!

A LESS POPULAR PART OF COPENHAGEN

Copenhagen's University District and Latin Quarter

          At the end of my Danish biking trip we spent a couple of delightful days in its capital, Copenhagen. As we headed toward  the university during a walking tour of the city  the guide told us, “In 1801 Denmark had the second largest navy in the world and Lord Nelson wanted it. Denmark said, ‘No’, so in 1807 he returned to bomb the church and much of the city including the university and library. The old university buildings that survived date back to the 1400s.”

            The Latin Quarter, an area near the university is where priests and professors once lived. It is so named for the Latin scholars, not the Latin people. Today many of these 1600s buildings are used as college dorms . Most are built as a square with a small driveway on one side leading into a center courtyard.

King Christian IV built a large round tower in the Latin Quarter. One can walk to the observatory at the top for a magnificent view of the city. Gold letters on the side in Latin, Hebrew, and Danish translate to: ‘lead the crown into wisdom and justice’.

Our walking tour ended at the Amelienborg Palace where there is a large bronze equestrian statue of King Fredrik in the center of the courtyard. The statue took 22 years to make and a year and a half to put in place. It also cost three times that of the palace and took 23 days to bronze!

The guide continued, “This palace was built in 1748 by order of the king, originally for four wealthy and influential businessmen. The architect made the exterior of all four buildings the same; however, the interior of each has been individualized. After the previous palace burned, a little arm twisting took place, and the whole compound was given to the royal family.

"The royal family has occupied the palace since the 1700s.      Queen Margrethe lives in the mansion on the right and the prince occupies the adjoining one. The Queen Mother lives in the next one and the fourth is used for important official occasions.”

The palace square is large enough to hold 35-40,000 people. We were fortunate enough to be winding down our city tour at the palace just minutes before the changing of the guard. It was a pretty impressive ceremony. I was lucky enough to watch the changing of the guard a second time on another trip to Denmark.