Berlin and Rennes

Berlin

I arrived in Berlin first thing on Friday and checked into my flat in The Adina - a very centrally located apartment hotel not far from Check Point Charlie. It is part of the Australian hotel/apartment chain Toga P/L which operates Medina serviced apartments. For anyone visiting Berlin it is difficult to imagine better located accommodation at a very reasonable price.

Berlin is close to the eastern border of Germany and after WWII was divided up between the allies: -France, USA, England and Russia. Relations with Russia soured as the cold war took effect in the late 1940’s and, like Berlin, Germany itself had also been split between the Russian controlled east and the UK/USA/France controlled west. Over the initial fifteen post war years nearly 2 million East Germans relocated to the West Germany (usually via Berlin) and the Russians found the presence of Berlin so deep in East Germany territory a major irritant. But the allies were determined to maintain hold of West Berlin.

 

In 1961 Russia erected a wall along its border with West Germany (and in Berlin) and then denied the allies from access to Berlin via road/rail across its territory. The allies consequently operated an airlift for 14 months to supply West Berlin and to keep it independent. In the end the rail/road access was again permitted but the wall remained.

East Germany was a puppet of the soviet bloc and was known as the GDR (German Democratic Republic) and West Germany was known as the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). In the 1970s they both gained a separate seat at the UN and after the soviet bloc disintegrated in 1989 reunification occurred during the early 1990s.

 

This rather tortuous history is symptomatic of Germany’s history over the centuries. There were Germanic tribes in Roman times and various alliances, wars and treaties between sectors of what is now mainland Europe. Its industrial revolution and growth of cities occurred later than in Britain. Issues of nationalism and rights of the workers/masses figured starkly in the last century as borders shifted and power bases changed and the loss of two catastrophic wars played out.

The City

Berlin has elegant boulevards and tree lined streets and there is no obvious evidence of the incredible effects from the allied bombing in WWII which devastated the city. The layout is orderly and is dominated by beautiful parkland, the Tiergarten, and the Spree River and its tributary the Spandau.

Checkpoint Charlie

This was a famous landmark during the time of the Berlin Wall. It was the gate between East Berlin and the US sector of West Berlin. It was the scene of various escapes by vehicle from East Berlin and a symbol of the tension that continued during the cold war period.

                                                                                Checkpoint Charlie

I took a tourist Berlin Bus Tour from here which gave an excellent orientation to the city which is very easy to navigate and museums and galleries of various purpose and history abound. There is a public, eclectic modern art scene in Berlin. The city is a very cosmopolitan destination for people from all parts of Europe and beyond.

The bus tour included well known landmarks such as the Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate, the Humboldt University, the shopping precinct of Potsdam Place and the busy hub of Alexanderstrasse.

                                                                               Brandenberg Gate

 

Eich bein en Berliner

In a speech to the people of West Berlin in 1962 US President Kennedy famously uttered these words (or something like them) meaning “I am a Berliner!” This was very well received at the time and I thought of this proclamation on my first day in Berlin when in the space of two hours three separate strangers approached me to ask for directions! Two were Germans from out of town. This happens a lot to me no matter what city I visit and I have no idea why. It was not as if I was wearing a Tyrolean hat or lederhosen! As it happened, I did know the answer for two of my questioners and I gave a very confident answer to the third!

Berlin Subway

The subway was very clean and efficient and appeared new (perhaps it was a new line as the original lines date back to the 1920’s). On a visit to Munich some years ago Sharon and I had noticed that there were no ticket barriers on entrance or exit from the subway station and the same applies in Berlin. In almost every other major city I can think of you have to use a ticket or card to activate an entrance or exit gate in the subway.

This must reflect something about the German character or willingness to conform-or perhaps there are dire fines for fare evasion!

I took a trip out to the eastern suburbs and alighted at various suburbs for a look around. Some were dormitory suburbs with tall residential blocks; others were commercial hubs or villages.

Museum of German History

I came upon the entrance to this museum by chance on a main thoroughfare. I left nearly four hours later – and was thoroughly impressed with how the museum presented its story. Basically it traced German history from Roman times. For each century there were easy to comprehend narratives explaining what happened along with the implications. With this there were artefacts, household furnishings, clothing, medallions, artworks or other items representative of that period.

 

In the last few centuries there were obviously more items to exhibit – but the curators did a wonderful job keeping the displays relevant and interesting. I had not formally studied modern history but with the ravages of WWI, and the clash of nationalism and socialism in Germany in the subsequent decade, the rise of Hitler and his party appears to be understandable. However, it would have been difficult for the average voter to have anticipated the extremities and depravities his ultimate behaviour and policies as leader-even though there was little to misinterpret about the direction he would probably take.

Christmas Markets

Christmas markets are a European tradition which Sharon and I have enjoyed previously. In Berlin there were several elaborate markets either operating or being set up. They are clusters of beautifully lit solid wooden stalls selling food, mulled wine, craft products, Christmas decorations and souvenirs. They usually operate in the evening and are popular places to congregate.

                                                                         Christmas Decorations

Other Museums

There is an island which is home to several museums but as this trip was more of a reconnaissance mission I will visit that next time. But I did also visit other museums including one focusing on the German/European statesman Willy Brandt who had been a mayor of Berlin in the early 1960s; and an interesting museum focusing on communication – commencing with how we communicate as humans through to all the technologies we have adopted to assist from - steam engines to mail, phones, TV, the Internet etc. It was a very interactive venue and utterly absorbing.

                                                                      Abandoned Building

Overnight Train

I left Berlin on Sunday evening en route for my brother’s house near Rennes in Brittany. After weighing up various transport options, I elected to take an overnight sleeper train from Berlin to Paris and then to change to Montparnasse station for the TGV to Rennes. My companion for the night in the sleeper compartment was a young German executive who works for Wikipedia and he takes this travel option pretty frequently.

Although it was a 13 hour journey the rattle of the train and the sound of the wheels clacking over the tracks is somehow soothing and I had an excellent night’s sleep.

Berlin rail station has been rebuilt and is an engineering marvel. Many other cities have several stations on the perimeter of the city with tracks heading off in various directions. Berlin was reopened in 2007 and has a set of east west lines and two storeys below a set of north south tracks and can therefore service travel in any direction from the city. It is close to the city centre and connected to the subway system.

Rennes

I arrived in Rennes mid afternoon on Monday and enjoyed meeting up with my brother, Gar, and his two sons, Paul and Gregoire. The boys are doing well at school and next year Paul will be going to the senior high school. I had previously visited in March this year and am increasingly familiar with Rennes which is the capital of the province of Brittany. This area has an interesting history and was settled by Celtic tribes originating from Wales and Ireland centuries ago. There is a current emphasis on the special history of the region and many signs are presented in French and Breton and the Breton language is being taught in many schools. It was amusing to learn that the song for the Rennes FC is sung to the tune of the famous Welsh anthem, Land of Our Fathers!

                                                              Gregoire, Paul & Gar

Over the years it has not been a strong region economically and in the 1950’s de Gaulle made an edict that there would never be any tolls on highways in the region as a means of making the area more economically attractive. There was nevertheless a recent attempt to introduce limited tolling for large lorries in Brittany which stoked outrage including burning down the newly built sensor structures and other related disturbances and demonstrations! The government has decided to defer the plan until a date to be determined. This is code for backing down altogether! The French have always been disposed to direct action on matters that concern or upset them and this was a very stark reminder to the lawmakers as to what will and will not be tolerated.

On the following day Gar and I drove around the area and did some short trail walks within an hour of his home. There are so many small villages or communes in the area and the highly regulated building codes ensure that the villages are restored very attractively and have excellent services.

Discount flights out of the nearby airport at Dinard are infrequent at this time of year and I left this afternoon and arrived in London ahead of my flight to Dubai on Friday evening.

North Michigan

North Michigan

Michigan has the states of Ohio and Indiana on its southern border and to the west has the huge freshwater expanse – Lake Michigan. Its eastern border is a narrow section of Lake Huron separating it from Ontario Canada which protrudes nearly the entire length of Michigan, and to the north its border is with mainland Canada. Michigan comprises a peninsular pushing north from the US mainland and another peninsular on the Canadian mainland pushing south and they join at the straits between Lakes Michigan and Lake Huron.

It became a state in 1837 and had been a federal territory before then. It was home to tribes of Indians and there are many reservations usually with casinos which are a primary and often exclusive sources of income for the Indians.

 

It has abundant wildlife and water and it is easy to see why it was home to native people. It is a farming state and logging has historically been a major part of its economy.

My interest in visiting was this natural beauty and I based myself in the north at Traverse City which is close to the 45^th parallel.

A major crop is cherries and the airport at Traverse is called Cherry Capital Airport! But citrus orchards and, in recent decades, wineries have also sprung up along with staple crops such as corn.

While in a similar weather zone to New England, it is the Midwest region of the US and people are different-a harsher accent and more direct and droll in their manner than their more genteel New England based cousins.

Storms

I was planning to drive up from Chicago on the Sunday morning having flown in late on Saturday night. On the TV news there were quite forceful warnings about a weather and storm front that was bearing down on Chicago and its environs around noon. So I set off earlier than originally planned on the five hour drive along the coast of Lake Michigan to Traverse City.

 

The weather started to become very windy and rainy about 1:00pm and I was surprised to hear a loud blasting alarm in the car-and even more surprised to see it was my mobile phone. I had never heard this strident alarm before and it included an SMS saying that a serious storm and possible tornado was approaching a county I had passed 30 minutes previously. It seems they have an alert system that obviously can access any mobile (even non US mobiles) in a given area. The radio also had warning transmissions overriding normal programs.

The message was to seek cover from the storms and to be aware of flying debris. I was well clear of the worst of it but subsequently learned that eight people had died in the storms in the Chicago area and officials credited the low toll to the effectiveness of the warning system.

 

Lake Michigan was whipped up by the storms and for following days I saw breakers like a coastal break in Australia rolling into its beaches. These are usually placid lapping ripples so the storms had obviously raged for some time across the Lake.

Navigation

Along the coast I found many disused lighthouses and also ports which had been very busy with passenger traffic to places like Chicago and with produce including timber for faraway markets. The ships were quite large and would have plied the Lakes long before the highway system was developed.

 

Much of the USA comprises treeless plains and it was therefore necessary for housing and related development to log these massive forests in the north and to shepherd the logs via lakes and waterways to the ports. Then they were shipped to railheads on the coast of Illinois and Wisconsin for transport by rail to the settlers. The railways themselves consumed enormous amounts of trees for rail sleepers.

Such was the demand that by the early 1900’s much of the northern forests were left a wasteland and there had been no planning for replenishment. The issue was finally addressed during the Great Depression when one of the major federal work programs was to replant these natural forests. With modern forest management techniques the situation has been recovered and forestry is now a very vibrant industry.

The whole northern area is dotted with freshwater lakes of various shapes and size. Nearly all of these will be frozen by December and the arctic winds have begun and the area will be snow covered until March/April. I was surprised to see how many businesses were already “closed for the season” and I learned that many employees work in ski resorts during these off months. However, in the summer there is great scope for water sports and many non-resident homeowners descend upon the area for the summer holidays.

Excursions

Each day I would head out for a drive with a specific destination in mind. On Tuesday I travelled north to the straits between the two Great lakes. There is a massive suspension bridge at Mackinac which joins the two land masses - the structure is 8km long and, before its construction in 1957, ferries were the only form of transport linking the two halves of Michigan. The bridge is very high and subject to very strong winds which cause it to be closed for safety reasons on about ten days each year.

On other high wind occasions vehicles with high loads are prevented from using it – even though it remains open for other traffic. Hunters are significant users of the bridge during the hunting season that runs between November and January. It is customary to strap the deer or other kill to the roof of your truck or car. However on these very windy days there are often situations where the hunters try and stuff the dead deer into the vehicle cabin so as to qualify to use the bridge!!

 

After crossing this magnificent bridge I called into the Visitor Centre. I had noticed a walking trail leaving the car park and thought it might be interesting. I inquired with the ranger and he asked how far I planned on walking. I had in mind about 3km and asked him how long the trail was. He replied it was over 1,400km! (Apparently it was a section of a walking trail that commences on the east coast of the US and continues across the northern states). I indicated I would probably only do a part of this that day and then he asked if I had anything orange to wear. He explained that the hunting season was now on and it would be very dangerous to be walking without the customary iridescent vest!

We agreed that my best option instead was a two mile coastal boardwalk in the next town St Ignace which was a sleepy fishing village a few miles further on where I would be out of harm’s way!

On another drive I noticed in the middle of nowhere a small shop and shed which advertised stationery. I went in and saw several printing presses in operation producing stationery using wood cuts that had been made by the now deceased founder, Gwen Frostic. She was a keen botanist who spent her life in the region and developed the woodcut business to the point that there is an international market for her products. See: http://www.gwenfrostic.com/

Potesky

About 80 km north of Traverse City was a very attractive little town of Potesky on the coast of Lake Michigan. It had a port and was prosperous, tidy, historic, and well-endowed with churches (I counted seven in three blocks!) and had beautiful decorations set up for Christmas. The light poles were like old fashioned gas lights and around each post they had woven fairy lights and at the top of each pole near the main light they put either red wreaths or red bunting. The effect was so pretty and when the streets are snow covered it will be spectacular.

 

Apparently Ernest Hemingway lived here for some years and in a saloon his usual place at the bar is highlighted.

Wineries

On another excursion I visited a winery district on a peninsular out from Traverse City. There were about a dozen wineries each with their own specialisation. One I visited was using Malbech grapes from Argentina in some of its blends.

Great Bear National Park and Sand Dunes were well worth a visit although I was constrained from trail walking due to the presence of hunters. While driving along the forest roads cars or utilities are randomly parked and these are apparently the hunters’ vehicles.

 

There are many streams on which canoes were being used although there would be more in summer. The current will take you from A to B and the paddle is used to steer. The canoe rental company then drives you back to your starting point after your three hour journey down stream.

Tomorrow I fly to Berlin and on to Rennes in Brittany.

 

 

New England

Celebrations

Bryant Park is a city block surrounded by 42^nd and 40th Streets and 5^th and 6^th avenues and is an oasis in the busy midtown environment. For the upcoming holiday season (Thanksgiving and then Christmas) a skating rink has been installed. I called in on my last evening in New York and found that the park was set out with stalls in the European tradition of Christmas Markets. There were lots of handicrafts and fresh produce for sale giving the atmosphere a community feel in this major metropolis.

Driving

On Sunday morning I set off for New England which is the cluster of states in the NE corner of the USA between NYC and the Canadian border. It is also the area where the British first settled the country. Along with the satnav the rental company also offers a toll pass which is linked to your credit card for the duration of your rental. This is an excellent idea as tolls are very common on major bridges and sections of highway. The Interstate system of dual carriageway freeways criss crosses the entire country is toll free and was a major infrastructure project from Eisenhower’s administration.

The weather was fine and the highways are designed for easy exit and entry and I took several by ways and side tracks through little hamlets. I pulled up at a few points where there were marked walking trails but I noticed warning signs about ticks. I could not tell if this was just the usual liability warning in case of litigation or whether I should take it seriously. The sign went on to describe the four varieties and sources of ticks that were likely to be encountered in all seasons – including ticks from deer which usually result in Lyme’s disease. In any event I decided not to chance it.

This litigation liability issue appears everywhere. On radio advertisements for pharmaceuticals-there is usually a brief very positive narrative about the benefits of the product followed by a further narrative of the dire consequences of possible side effects. Often the latter litany is longer than the description of virtues!

New London

My first stop was New London in the state of Rhode Island. This very orderly town was established in 1646 nearly 30 years after the first settlers arrived at Plymouth. It has a safe harbour and over the years has become a regional port for the district. It was already decorated for Christmas and bunting was set up for Veterans Day – a national holiday that was celebrated the following day. Many of the villages and townships I drove through seemed to have a similar selection of street names: Main, Elm, First, Second, Walnut, State etc

The early settlers were motivated by many things - but among them was religious freedom and most centres had several churches of many denominations.

Newport Rhode Island

This town had obvious interest as it was the place at which Australia first won the America’s Cup yachting regatta in 1984. It is a maritime village with a distinctly British feel to it. It would be chaotic in summer but I found it a very peaceful sleepy seaside resort and enjoyed wandering around the seafront and seeing the marinas of opulent yachts.

Plymouth

Later in the day I visited Plymouth on the coast of Massachusetts. This was the point at which the Mayflower landed in 1620 and a replica of the Mayflower is tied at port. The town itself is very picturesque and small despite being the start of something very big.

There were various village celebrations of Veterans Day – much as happens in Australia with Anzac Day. Americans appear much more overtly or fervently nationalistic than Australians. Perhaps this is just a personality difference – but listening to talk back radio the dialogue was quite emotive and realistic. As in Australia veterans from Vietnam were not warmly welcomed home. This has compounded much of the trauma experienced by many who took part in that war whether volunteer or conscript. There are figures about suggesting that there have been more suicides by Vietnam veterans in the US than there were casualties in the war – although I am unsure how that could be properly calculated.

Harvard University

I arrived in Boston late on the Monday evening and the following day visited my alma mater – Harvard University. It is not well know that I undertook studies there in 2001 - in the Harvard Business Graduate School. (It was a sample 3 day Executive program!).

Harvard does have a mystique and its charming campus dating back to the 1600’s has been host to generations of scholars, presidents and rogues who have gone on in many cases to deliver fundamental changes to our society.

New Hampshire

From Boston I headed up through New Hampshire, a small but independent state, and arrived at Littleton in the NW corner not far from the Canadian border. I spent two nights in the area exploring the White Mountain Range and National Park. Although the weather was fine and there was no wind it was -7C at the middle of the day and it was not prudent to take any trail walks in those conditions. I had a nearly empty bottle of water in my car and was about to finish it off around midday but the contents had frozen!

I came across the Mount Washington Hotel at Bretton Woods a resort built pre WWII. There was a famous conference in 1944 with representatives from 44 allied countries present which met for three weeks with the purpose of sorting out the post war monetary system for the world economy. It was the point at which the IMF was founded and a number of other important banking and trade protocols were agreed. These decisions are all referred to as the Bretton Woods Agreement.  

Hunting

Outdoor pursuits continue year round and in a few weeks much of this area will be snow covered. There were occasional snow flurries in the evening and the locals seemed to take this in their stride. In a local paper there was a picture of a smiling twelve year old girl cradling a rifle with a dead deer at her feet – the article was celebrating her first kill of the hunting season. Cross country skiing replaces trail walking once the snow cover is established.

I was surprised to see a sign referring to a Dog Chapel and I took the turn off and after a mile there was indeed a chapel on Dog Mountain! The sign said: All Creeds; All Breeds; No Dogmas! I was intending to investigate the chapel further but there was a large menacing dog barking at the car.

Perhaps he was the Pastor- who knows?

Vermont

Vermont is very picturesque with valleys slicing through the Appalachian Mountains and lots of rivers, streams and lakes-many of which were already frozen. Montpelier is its capital and is the smallest capital city in the US.

I drove south to Manchester which was the holiday destination of choice for the well to do in the 1800’s and early 1900’s for the summer. Graceful large homes on large blocks line elegant avenues and these have been beautifully preserved.

Abraham Lincoln had three sons but two died in their childhood. The sole surviving son went on to become a successful lawyer and industrialist in Chicago and he built a magnificent home he named Hildene just outside Manchester on a 500 acre property. It was completed in 1905 – the same year as the Neville residence at Petersham! His granddaughter lived there until her death in 1975 and there were no other offspring.

The displays inside are very well done – and include the grand daughter’s journal. It showed an entry when the grand daughter was apparently called upon to officiate at the launching of the new US Navy aircraft carrier, Abraham Lincoln, in May 1960.

She was pretty down to earth and not given to ceremony and the entry reads something like: “. . . smashed a bottle over a boat and got home about 7:00pm”!

Federation

The US is a federation of states and they like to maintain a degree of independence and can levy all sorts of taxes including income taxes.

I was reading an article about the demise of NorthWest Airlines that went under in the 1990’s and in its hey-day it was very progressive airline in introducing customer service initiatives. One of these was serving liquor on flights- but even for that they had to seek permission from the licencing authorities in each state over which they were flying!

London and New York

London Culture

In Pimlico there is a well-established restaurant, Hunan, (http://www.hunanlondon.com ) to which I was introduced several years ago. It is basically a tapas style Chinese restaurant of exceptional and consistent quality. There is no menu as such, on arrival you simply advise any particular aversions or allergies and leave it to them. The portions are quite small and it is not uncommon to have 18-20 portions over a meal. Usually it is necessary to book a few weeks ahead but I rang on Saturday (after watching the Wallabies get beaten by England!) on the off chance and was pleased to be accepted for a 6:00pm dinner.

The adjacent table had four people I think of Iranian or maybe Pakistani descent but who spoke impeccable English. But as I listened to them tell the waiter what they would not eat for cultural/religious reasons I wondered why they had chosen this venue! Meat, chicken, fish, seafood, an extensive list of root vegetables and I think tofu were not acceptable. None of this appeared to bother the management and the patrons enjoyed a varied and creative meal based upon a very limited set of permitted ingredients!

Hyde Park Corner

On Sunday I visited Speaker’s Corner at Hyde Park – up near Marble Arch. When Sharon and I were dating we went a few times on Sundays to the Domain in Sydney (it was free and I was hoping  to give Sharon the impression that I was worldly, broad minded and interesting for suggesting such a venue). In those days there were a few thousand people gathered around various speakers on all sorts of topics and it was modelled on Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park. At the Domain in the 1970’s, John Webster was a well-known and highly entertaining Brit with a booming voice who each week would comment humorously on current affairs and literally any topic-and dealt with interjections with sublime wit (or abuse).

 

These days in both locations attendance has dwindled and the speakers are usually religious zealots who tend to get involved in hopeless debates with irascible interrogators. Nevertheless, it was interesting to see that The Catholic Truth Society had a speaker operating in Hyde Park! I guess blogs and other forms of media have made much of this public speaking redundant –but free speech really is a cornerstone of our society and it occurred to me there are still many cities in the world where a Speaker’s Corner would not be permitted.

Tourist

One aspect of this truncated ‘Gap Year’ that I had not properly anticipated is that each day probably the only decision of any significance that I make is what to do that day! Sometimes I have objectives in mind but often I don’t. After a rainy and grey weekend, Monday dawned bright and clear in London so I set off from my flat in the West End and crossed Piccadilly into Green Park and on to The Mall at Buckingham Palace where the Changing of the Guard was about to commence.

A number of other tourists had gathered and I had excellent vantage points for all the colour and ceremony.

St James Park was a mass of autumn colour and it was invigorating to be able to stroll through all this natural beauty crunching fallen leaves under foot and watching squirrels frantically scavenging ahead of the winter.

I continued my walk up out of the Park into Regent Street after crossing Pall Mall (I am starting to sound like Monopoly!) into Piccadilly Circus and Coventry Street and on into Trafalgar Square for a visit to the National Gallery. It was an unplanned but thoroughly enjoyable way to spend a perfect autumn day.

West End

The West End in London and Broadway in NY are the home of theatre musicals and the two hottest tickets are The Book of Mormon and Matilda (Roald Dahl’s story with music by Australia’s Tim Minchin). I was able to get a ticket for that night’s performance of The Book of Mormon. It will play in Australia in about two years and was written by writers of South Park with music by the lyricist behind Avenue Q. It was high energy, utterly camp, incredibly politically incorrect – all the things I like in a musical! Some, (particularly devout Mormons), might find aspects of the show offensive but you know that before attending.

The music and dancing were great and the singing and acting were superb. The story line is basically about pairs of white, 19 year old American Mormon boys going to Uganda to ‘convert’ villagers who are in grinding poverty, a war zone, a famine, living through warlord attacks and a range of other threats. It was a surprisingly ideal setting for the writers to develop some ridiculously funny scenarios and I am not surprised that the show is a hit both in London and NY.

Tuesday

Tuesday was a travel day and over six months ago I had found and booked a very cheap fare to the US – on Iceland Air. Departure was from Gatwick with a 90 minute layover in Reykjavik to change planes for NY. I arrived in Reykjavik at 3:30pm local time and saw that there were six separate departures at or about 5:00pm to the US including Boston, New York (JFK), New York (Newark), Seattle and  Washington.

For such a small country I was surprised that they were in this market and at such good prices with such an extensive fleet of modern aircraft. This mystery was partially solved a few days later when I had lunch with the Gandolfis, the very erudite couple we met on the cruise. Arthur explained that for several decades trans-Atlantic flight fares had been highly regulated but Iceland Air offered flights which included a stopover (brief) in Iceland thus falling out of the definition of being a trans Atlantic flight.

Their unregulated, cheaper fares became very popular with young Americans and that attachment has continued into the era of deregulation –which started with Laker Airlines in the 1970’s. Iceland was using its location as a point of difference and exploiting it commercially. Their advertising is very prominent in NY.

New York, New York!

The sight of the brilliant night cityscape of Manhattan from the air never fails to move me –and I suspect-many people. It reflects the buzz, excitement and vibrancy of this iconic city with its culture and brashness; its diversity and rhythms of the communities that inhabit it.

On arrival the cooking smells of roasted chestnuts and crisp bagels from the corner vendors capture your attention.

Maybe it’s the familiarity through films and music over the years but despite its huge population and the visitor’s anonymity, you really do feel welcome and entitled to share and enjoy this fabulous city.

My previous visits since 1989 have generally been for business and inevitably brief – this time the pace will be different.

On my first morning I took the subway from my Midtown flat to the Financial District. The replacement building for the destroyed World Trade centre is nearly complete and is very evocative. The building again demonstrates that architecture is unquestionably art and with this building they have certainly captured the resilience and defiance of the community. It arises like a modern obelisk with silver glass cladding capped by a communications tower forming a point like a spear.

 

It is apparently the tallest building in America - although I saw in the press today there might be some debate about that. It doesn’t really matter-there are other subtle allusions and features that underpin the design and construction of this magnificent building.

I was impressed by all the renovation and works being undertaken on roads and scaffolding on many buildings in the wider Downtown district and wondered why so much was happening all at once. I subsequently learned that much of this was rectification work after the effects of Hurricane Sandy a year or so ago.

The weather is milder than the UK except when the winds start – and the evenings are very cold.

Unions

New Yorkers do not lack the ability to express opinions – stridently. In one or two downtown locations I saw huge inflatable rubber rats. These were associated with union pickets or demonstrators with grievances at particular worksites. One demonstration of about a dozen men was in front of a statue of George Washington which was being renovated in Wall Street. I asked one of the protestors what the issue was about – and he didn’t know!! He suggested I speak to the guy in the hat. He was the leader and very genial and delighted at my interest. He pointed out that the guys doing the statue renovation were being paid less that they should be in accordance with union agreements in the area.

The guys working on the statue seemed oblivious to all the fuss and I don’t think the job would be taking more than a week or two anyway.

The irony of a debate occurring about a pay dispute over probably $2 an hour across the road from the NYSE where$ billions if not $trillions were being traded that day seemed lost on everyone.

Precincts

New York was settled in the 1600’s and, as with all older cities, different precincts developed as various trades, commercial activity or immigration occurred-hence the Garment District, the Legal District (court houses), the Theatre District, the Diamond District near midtown where even today orthodox Jewish traders ply their trade-and you just know as they hurry past you in their traditional garb, that in their traditional way over 100's of years, at least some probably have a cachet of diamonds in the pockets of their long overcoats en route to a buyer.

The Subway is the optimal way for getting around Manhattan and beyond to the Boroughs. I had never been to The Bronx before so I took the Subway and got off at a random station in the Bronx and became immediately aware that Hispanics and African Americans were the dominant population. Many seemed idle and were just hanging around in mid-afternoon sun so I didn’t stay long and caught a train back. I was sitting next to two young Hispanic men who were in animated conversation and the younger of the two was matter of factly showing the scar from a recent bullet wound to his hand.

Meetings

On Wednesday I caught up with Arthur and Anna Gandalfi whom Sharon and I had met and become friendly with on the cruise. A social occasion with Arthur is like a gymnasium workout for the mind! We spent a pleasant few hours together and I am sure that we will keep in touch one way or another.

I had meetings on Thursday with executives with two of PHR’s New York based clients (sounds quite grand – but it is true!). Lazard is based in the famous Rockefeller Center and McGraw Hill is in an adjacent building. The Rockefeller Center has set up its Ice Rink for winter and the massive spruce Christmas tree was delivered on a semi-trailer today and will take a week to decorate.

PHR is registered with the US Consul in Sydney so that any US firm wishing to start operations in Australia who contacts the Consulate might get to know about PHR’s services. To date this connection has not sourced any business for PHR. However, on Friday out of the blue we received an email approach via this channel from a large corporation in Virginia that is commencing operations in Australia soon – I was able to immediately reply and let them know I was in the US visiting other clients of PHR. No doubt we will speak with them next week.

Broadway Theatre

On Wednesday night I saw Matilda. It is a great production which is aimed at a young audience probably early teens and up. The Roald Dahl story revolves around a Miss Hannigan type school principal and an incredibly bright student Matilda who has parents who are ignorant spivs. Great singing and dancing – and Tim Minchin’s music and songs are terrific.

Central Park

Central Park is a wonderful part of New York. It comprises sporting venues, cycling and jogging tracks, riding trails, lakes, streams and waterfalls. It is huge and also includes a zoo and any number of playgrounds and venues for families. On my first visit to NYC in 1989 I went cycling in Central Park but on this occasion took my time walking through its entire length from 59^th Street to 110^th Street.

My timing was great in that the autumn leaves had not yet fallen and I saw the park in a magnificent state. It is very well used by the local residents who mainly live in apartments. I saw professional dog walkers (ten dogs at a time) and also several Hispanic maids walking the household pooch!

Apart from the variety of activities, the seasons change quite dramatically and the pool for example is being replaced with the skating rink. Soon it will be snow covered and apart from the spruce trees the other trees will be bare.

In various parks around the world I have noticed the custom of people installing plaques with inscriptions on park benches. Often the actual park bench has been donated by the inscriber.

In the UK these tend to be staid and predictable – In memory of Tom and Mary who loved this Park etc etc.

In Central Park the plaques tend to be more eclectic – it seems for a lot of people Central Park was their backyard for a generation. There were inscriptions from children to their parents thanking them for the memories of growing up there; presents between grandparents on auspicious birthdays; some are dedicated to particular named dogs; some were in memory of children or at least young adults – with the common date of death of September 2001.

Exhibitions/Galleries

There are literally hundreds of museums and galleries in New York. This is probably a function of population, immigration and also a highly developed interest and tradition in the pursuit and benefaction of creative art forms.  Every gallery lists donors and there is a well-developed culture of philanthropy towards the arts.

Yesterday I visited New York Public Library in Fifth Avenue which had an excellent exhibition about children’s books.

In the early 1900’s most NY libraries had signs saying children and dogs were not allowed! There was some campaigning and attitudes gradually changed towards literacy for children and by the 1930’s there were school text books for reading. The exhibition included some books from the Fun with Dick & Jane series. I had used these same books at school in the 1950’s.

This was standard fare in US schools until the 1960’s when the relevance of a white household in a very benign and predictable domestic environment started to lose traction-reading scores were also declining. One can only imagine how Dick and Jane would fare with the more sophisticated children of today!

This provided an opportunity for Dr Suess to emerge with The Cat in the Hat and subsequent books which did much to re stimulate the interest of children in reading.

Other interesting pieces of data from the exhibition:

·         Mary Poppins was written by an Australian woman, PL Travers, who was initially cautious about Walt Disney making a film from her book. But she relented and became fabulously wealthy as a result. Part of her reluctance was the worry that, as an author, her reputation might be diminished if she was seen to be writing children’s books!

·         A book which is very familiar to Matthew and Lucas, A Very Hungry Caterpillar, started life in 1969 as  A Week With Willie the Worm. But when the publisher figured out a way of punching holes into individual pages in mass production, this allowed the caterpillar to ‘eat’ various items – so holes appeared in the pages where the eating had occurred and the book became an outstanding success!

·         The Golden Books series was established in 1942. It was an overnight success because each book sold for 25 cents (about 15% of the price of the next cheapest children’s book); and because they were sold at convenience stores and all manner of outlets as well as in bookshops-thus becoming very accessible to a huge market.

Today I visited the house of John Pierpont Morgan in Madison Avenue at 36^th Street. He was one of the most successful stockbrokers, bankers and deal doers in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. The value of some of the deals he brokered would be larger in real terms than what occurs these days. He was revered for a number of reasons and while he was alive he had a personal art gallery built adjacent to his home! The land for his home would be incredibly valuable to a developer wishing to build yet another sky scraper but the family does not need to sell! He was the founder of the JP Morgan bank.

The house and gallery are now open to the public and JP was an avid collector of manuscripts and artefacts and personally attended archaeological digs right up to his death in 1913. His son continued in the business and set about finding a way to organise and make available to the public his father’s astonishing collection. Much has been dispersed to various galleries and museums around the world and Renzo Piano (architect of Aurora Place Sydney fame) was engaged to design an annexe to link the buildings and create the museum.

Man Booker Prize

In the JP Morgan museum there was an exhibition about the Booker Prize which has been awarded annually since 1969. It was established to give a spur to the book industry and has been very successful in that task. Each year the nominated shortlisted books sell very well as does the eventual winner.

 

There is always inevitable controversy about judging etc which adds to the interest. Bookmakers field on the results and the awards are televised live! Every winning book was on display and some correspondence by judges showed the extent of all sorts of intrigue. One amusing story surrounded the 1988 award to the Australian author, Peter Carey, for Oscar and Lucinda. It turns out that a disgruntled employee of the publisher reacted badly to his firm being purchased by News Corporation so the UK and Australian edition (which the judges had used and assessed) was missing a chapter and there were further glitches in the US edition prompting a recall of all editions! The exhibition even had the menu for the awards night in 1971 at a pleasant restaurant in Regent Street.

 

Spain, France, Italy, Croatia, UK, Scotland, Iceland and Ireland

San Sebastian 

We arrived late on Saturday night after 35 elapsed hours in travel but the upside was that we were able to watch the entire 8 episodes of Broadchurch that had been on the ABC recently! Emirates is a great airline. We had a refuelling stop in Bangkok and continued to Dubai where we changed planes for Madrid. We had a long wait there for our connection on a local airline to San Sebastian. Our hotel was about 10 minutes walk from the town centre and our visit coincided with the annual San Sebastian film festival. There were plenty of red carpet events all around. Some movie celebrities including Hugh Jackman were also in town. 

The northern coast of Spain is roughly parallel to the equator and faces the North Atlantic. The coast is made up of bays and beaches of which San Sebastian is a very picturesque one close to the French border. It has an old town centre from medieval times and is nevertheless orderly and dotted with hundreds of little bars where tapas are served with drinks for pretty much most of the day and night. 

San Sebastian is a key town in what is called the Basque region which takes in this corner of Spain and much of the Pyrenees in the south of France. It has a distinctive culture and language where it is quite obvious from the frequent use of X, Z, K, and other formations in its signage giving it an almost Greek or Baltic nuance. As in some other countries, all signage is in both languages-Spanish and Basque. Thus, San Sebastian is also Donostia and Tapas is pinxtos. 

It all appears very peaceful these days but about 20 years ago a very active Basque separatist movement, ETA, was causing havoc in Spain with one of its most spectacular terrorist attacks being made on the Madrid commuter train network.  

It is pedestrian friendly and the town had much to offer including two good surfing beaches that were well patronised when we were there. The weather ranged from mid 20’s to low 30’s during our stay. 

We noticed lots of (ahem!) older folk among the locals and there seemed to be more wheel chairs and carers than we had seen in one place previously. Not many motorised chairs were about.  

There was a pleasant ‘buzz’ about the place and lots of socialising. The food was plentiful and enjoyable. The tapas is laid out on large plates and there can be around 30 varieties of these all on a bar and you just take your selection to a shelf and stand and eat standing up while enjoying a sangria. Sharon (normally a teetotaller) developed a liking for sangria and will seek out supplies in Sydney upon her return! usually, you stay in one bar for around half an hour and then move to the next. The evenings were still quite long and we were delighted to come across a full symphony orchestra performing one evening mid week in one of the many little piazzas in the old town.

Sharon discovered the patisseries quickly and managed to source éclairs on a daily basis. 

We had a car and were able to explore nearby areas including Hondarribia and Jean St-Luc which were attractive little coastal settlements. Basque traditional dwellings are whitewashed and then have red/brown shutters and terra cotta tiled roofs. 

Saint-Emilion 

One of the other advantages of San Sebastian is its proximity to France. On Wednesday we set off for the town of Saint-Emilion which is a UNESCO protected township at the centre of the Bordeaux wine growing region of France. After a three hour drive we arrived at this hill top settlement with vistas of grape vines in all directions. The conditions for winegrowing are ideal and the soil is apparently optimal for this industry. It has been a centre of wine growing since Roman times and we were amazed to hear there are over 100km of underground tunnels used now for storage of the product. The grapes were abundant and will be picked any time soon. 

Again, a really picturesque part of the world and the restoration of the area is impressive. There are all sorts of controls over how buildings and services are delivered to maintain the town for centuries to come. 

Fine Dining 

We made reservations several months ago for two famous restaurants-one in San Sebastian and the other in Saint-Emilion (this is a requirement as reservations at these places are impossible closer to the date). 

Maugaritz in Spain was based in the countryside and was purpose built. It had over 35 employees in the kitchen and we were told about its philosophy which is basically to research the use of alternative ingredients in recipes. So, as an example, we were given a macaroon which we would expect to be sweet-but it was savoury and this was achieved by replacing sugar with blood product (I know, I know) but we were not told about this until after we had tasted it. They have a research kitchen to develop these dishes and, of course, the table service and style of delivery was designed to be innovative and an experience. For our taste it was over the top-probably best demonstrated by the presence of black toilet paper in the restrooms! The innovation and creativity was sensational but the food itself was not that appealing to us. 

However, the Hostellerie De Plaisance in Saint-Emilion managed to deliver the wow factor at every turn and the food was stunning. Set in the highest part of Saint-Emilion this restaurant had an incredible tasting/degustation menu and the presentation of each dish, the creativity and quality was simply superb. When Sharon selected herbal tea it was hardly a surprise to have a large trolley wheeled out containing pots of herbs which were harvested in front of us and infused in a pot of boiling water! 

It was somewhat surprising to subsequently learn from one of the locals that the top flight chef operating this restaurant had previously been a professional boxer!

Sarlat 

Travelling further east we stayed at another medieval French town called Sarlat. It was at the centre of a region known for its caves (remains of cro magnon man were found nearby) but also the chateaux alongside the mighty Dordogne River. It really is a beautiful time of year and in nearby villages around Sarlat it was incredible to see palaces and towns clinging to the sides of cliffs and to realise they had been built in the 1300’s and 1400’s. One particular castle had changed hands seven times during the 100 Years War. We visited nearby townships of Castelnaud, Beyrac and Domme and each had spectacular views of the valley and was dominated by Chateaux from the thirteenth century. We were able to visit these buildings and the restoration effort on each has been well worthwhile.  

 

On our drive back to San Sebastian we called in to see my sister, Mary’s, house in Montflanquin. It is in a great location near the town square and they have also renovated it.

 

 

Italy 

On Saturday we flew from San Sebastian to Venice and took a train to Verona. We will be here for four nights. 

We are having fun and enjoying walking around, the galleries, trattoria and watching the locals. The Italians are right into style and glitz. 

We were horrified and appalled to find that ‘Hogan’ has become a brand!! In a very upmarket street of fashion stores we saw bags with Hogan emblazoned on them – and sure enough we discovered the store nearby!

Verona 

Verona has a walled town centre and the city extends beyond the old town. We stayed a hotel in the old town and about 40m from a coliseum built in Roman times and used today for major events including outdoor opera. One day I would love to experience such an event. On the night we arrived there was (wait for it) opera on ice! We did hear some of the music and singing that night in our hotel but the very idea of ice skating opera singers does not appeal. 

Verona figured in a few of the works by Shakespeare-notably Romeo and Juliet, and while it is an attractive tourist destination it was not too busy and easy to negotiate. It had several gorgeous cathedrals from the 1500s, notably that of St Anastasia, which were simply stunning. Some of these have been restored to their former glory and what is also amazing is how they are often no more than half a kilometre from the next one! Nobles would often pay for indulgences (time off from purgatory) and these funds were used along with tithes (10% of any income) from commoners to fund these remarkable edifices. 

The Veronese were very fond of putting stripes in buildings – so in bell towers for example at various stages there is a course of light tiles/bricks or a zig zag pattern. Within these cathedrals there are smaller side chapels which often had a large painting from the times-often by recognised artists – so probably worth several million. The opulence is dazzling and must have been even more so back 500 years ago upon completion. 

We spent most of our time in the old town exploring museums and sampling the gelataria! Sharon discovered green tea gelato at this stage and we have been on a constant look out ever since! The amount of smokers was a bit of a problem for her – we had to be vigilant and while dining outside in piazzas had to try for tables with the right wind currents to avoid being downstream if any diners lit up – as they inevitably did. 

I needed a haircut and noticed a barber shop adjacent to the hotel. On the Monday I went – he was closed. On Tuesday I called in at 11:25 am to be told that he was closing at 11:30 and to come back after 3:00pm when he would be back after lunch. I got back at 3:30 and we managed to communicate my expectations by me pointing out someone in a photo in a sports magazine and the hair style was what I sought. I suspect he thought I was trying to say I was some sort of football celebrity but we got a reasonable outcome. Despite serious unemployment in Italy, people keep to their routines and comfort zones-I think it is called work life balance. 

Venice 

On Wednesday we took the train from Verona to Venice and checked into our little hotel not far from the station and the Grand Canal. Neither of us had been to Venice previously and it really is unique. The main canals are very busy waterways and you can’t walk too far in the back lanes before having to negotiate a bridge. It is a beautiful city and amazing that it was physically possible to build in this marshland so long ago. The Venetians were a country in their own right centuries ago and had influence well beyond its current borders across and including some of what is now Croatia.

Although it was quite late in the tourist season Venice was very congested with tourists and merchants and it must be very difficult in the high season. The iconic destination of St Marco’s with the colonnades and ubiquitous tower was really busy-but we could hear the accordions and musical trios at various eateries surrounding the piazza. The basilica and many of the other churches we visited were remarkable in so many ways. Every two years Venice has a biennale and this year being biennale year there many exhibitions available. We saw one dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci who was a remarkable individual. Life size models of his helicopter and military tank prototypes, samples of his anatomical atlases, pictures of his many paintings (including the Mona Lisa) and models of his astronomy calculations were all on display. 

 

We got around easily using a two day pass on public transport –being the ferries along the Grand Canal. There is so much to see and do in Venice it is nearly overwhelming. The artwork in the churches we inspected alone is worth more time. On our last day the tide seemed high and the canals were overflowing on to common areas. The city has raised walkways for these occasions and they were set up where needed.

 

 

Cruising

Sharon had done the research for our 9 day cruise and chose a very upmarket option in Silverseas Cruises. They specialise in smaller craft that can access more ports around the world; they offer a five star service and the staff to passenger ratio is pretty much one to one. Everything is taken care of, for example, all drinks are in the fare so there is no need to record numbers or pay as you go for anything on board. When we were shown to our suite the staff member asked what drinks we liked as she would stock our mini bar. Sharon mentioned mineral water and I mentioned tonic water. She said would you like gin with that? She shortly arrived back with the drinks and a full bottle of Tanqueray Gin which would take me a month or two to get through at home! 

The entertainment troupe is very talented and the food really is special. Having smaller numbers allows the team to really cater for specialist menus. About two thirds of the passengers seem to have travelled with this line previously-and I am certain we would travel with this company again if circumstances are right. It is more expensive than usual cruises but very much worth it. They choose fascinating ports and one other aspect is the interesting passengers we have met. 

Mostly over 50’s-a mix of nationalities and everyone is engaging. We have met some real characters including a couple from NYC where she is a retired economics professor and he is a recently retired Economist from Citibank. Fascinating views on US and the world, pro guns and willing to debate the issue. We met them at a trivia competition and we were on their team. They are so direct and absolutely charming. Because of their work they know how to debate and have a very broad perspective on the world – much wider than many Americans. 

Service is also exceptional which is not surprising with this staff ratio. There is a sommelier on board and we have learned lot more about wines as she determines the choice each day. Sharon used to often have a sip of my wine when we are dining at restaurants in Sydney. But she likes these wines so much she now has her own glass and even passes judgment – ‘very velvety, a bit sharp’ etc. I think she may become a convert - but hopefully not with the zeal of a convert. 

Zadar and Pula 

The cruise travels along the Adriatic coast down into the Mediterranean and we are on the Croatian side. So far we have visited Pula and yesterday Zadar which was a former capital of what was Dalmatia. This part of the world has had many colonisers including the Romans, Austrian Hungarian empire, the Venetians (Italian is still spoken among older people), the French (Bonaparte) and, during WWII, the Germans.

The five Slavic republics had a serious war from 1991-1995 and we saw an exhibition of the damage that caused although the town seems clear of that wreckage now. Croatia has a beautiful coastline not unlike the Hawkesbury in some cases. Old towns have been well maintained and we inspected a church built in 700AD where the bishop was Donatus (an Irishman!). 

 

We visited a Benedictine convent and usually Benedictines, like the Carmelites, are a contemplative order who do not interact with the world but choose a life of prayer, silence, isolation etc. This particular community has a museum of religious objects and have a dispensation from the Holy See to operate the museum (and gift shop!).  The museum was fascinating and had reliquaries containing so many relics of saints. Apparently these have been retrieved from various churches in the area over the centuries. The sisters hid them from the Germans when they occupied the area in WWII. The nuns still wear that very traditional garb we knew from the 50s and 60s and as we were leaving we had a chat with a sister who was serving us. She joined at age 14 and has been in this community and this building since then. She is now 60! She has attended some courses elsewhere and had three months in Italy and a month in Germany. But that’s it. Her English was good and she seem to enjoy the chat (I guess she would not have many in the convent!). 

There are 17 sisters in her community and they vote in the Abbess every 6 years. She said they have two new entrants just enrolled and from time to time they merge communities.  

The port area of Zadar has been restored recently and the architect for the restoration has done some creative things. He has set in some tubing under the promenade so that the wave movement of the water creates a harmonic sound wave so there is a constant sound of pipe melodies at any time of the day-very melodic. He also had solar panels inset into the promenade and at the end of each day the generated power creates a spectacular lighting effect in the evening. 

We arrived at Dubrovnik on Monday and the overcast, rainy weather continued from our time in Venice. 

Dubrovnik 

Dubrovnik is a very heavily walled city on the southern coast of Croatia. It was settled in the first millennium and the walls have been added progressively during the 11th and 12th centuries. They served to keep the city relatively independent although it did pass into control of various colonists over the centuries. 

 

Its Roman street layout is orderly and its setting on the seaside makes it very picturesque and attractive – and modern day tourists oblige. The inhabitants developed a system of law in the 1100s and order and control was generally in the hands of various combinations of noble families. 

When Islam was being evangelised in the Balkans via the Ottoman Empire in the 1500’s the city managed to keep its separateness and brokered a deal whereby they paid taxes to the Ottomans but did not cede control to them.  

Unlike the Christian states, who ardently tried to convert the people they colonised, the Ottomans who sponsored Islam did not seek to convert occupied peoples. Instead they taxed them - whereas Muslims did not have to pay tax. It was therefore not in the interests of the Ottomans to convert the population as they would have foregone tax. The Ottomans are sometimes portrayed as being tolerant in matters of religion but there was actually a commercial reason for that!! 

We spent an interesting morning wandering through the old town and a museum depicting some of the historical figures who came from Dubrovnik. They are not household names to us in the west but it does seem that over the centuries the leadership forged important alliances with the Papacy, and several European courts. This became important in the mid 1600s when an earthquake pretty much destroyed the city – (but not the walls).  

Through these connections the city quickly sourced funding and workers to rebuild the city into what we see today. There was a further earthquake in 1979 and the war in the 1990’s but the scars from that have been repaired - in the buildings at least.

Kotor

We usually set off late at night and cruise overnight and tie up in port by 8:00am next day. Our next destination was Kotor which is in the Balkan country of Montenegro. It is adjacent to Croatia but has its independence following the Balkan war of the 1990’s. They use the Euro whereas Croatia has its own currency.

Kotor is set in a fiord and our ship moved in through towering cliffs and hillsides wending its way past little islands to reach the port. Kotor would not be accessible to large cruise ships.

 

Again, the old town is walled and the streets are narrow. The wall surrounds the town and climbs a long way up the nearby cliffs and reminded me of sections of the Great Wall of China. It was probably built in sections around at the same time as the Great Wall. In this relatively small area there were 27 churches! Usually they were either Catholic or Orthodox and all were smaller than we had seen previously. The Byzantine influence was obvious in the iconography in the churches and in remaining frescoes.

Montenegro is probably too small to be a country and its only industry appears to be tourism and associated building/development. Apparently there are a number of very good beach side resorts which are relatively cheap by European standards and many are being developed by Russians. It is a pretty destination that would be accessible to many Europeans and it was an excellent destination for our ship and its occupants.   

Cruising 

Our ship is the Silver Wind and each day there are a series of activities in which we can participate. There is a historian from Macquarie University on board who delivers a lecture every second day and these are highly relevant to the areas we are visiting.  

We also have a daily quiz (optional) which is collected at breakfast and handed in by 3:00pm. Obviously you don’t use Google for research purposes and usually the winners are the Gandalfis (the couple I previously referred to from NYC) but we were chuffed to win on Tuesday morning – and again yesterday morning! The quizzes cover a wide range of topics and need to be non-local to keep the competition even.

 

                                                        Chocolate Eagle Overlooking Desert

 

The cruise line anticipates requirements and delivers excellent service. On the day of arrival in port they have a local specialist board the ship and provide tips, maps and suggestions on where to go and what to see. There are optional tours but we generally prefer to do some reading about the destination the day before and then make our own way through the town. 

On Wednesday we had a sea day as we sailed from Kotor to Messina. The early part of the journey was in the open sea – the Adriatic becomes the Ionic sea near here and by midday the heel of Italy came into view on the starboard.

The weather has changed and we had a sunny day about 23C with southerly breezes.

Messina

Messina is a port in Sicily right at the closest point to the Italian mainland. It is a very strategic location and the scene of many naval gatherings where fleets set sail to do battle. We arrived on Thursday morning and decided to walk the through the town rather than take any of the tours on offer. It is a hilly town and we climbed up to some vantage points behind the town and had a terrific view of the straits and the maritime outlook. The town looked pretty dilapidated which is probably related to the economy. 

In 1908 or thereabouts there was a massive earthquake that demolished much of the town and killed over half of the inhabitants. So most of the buildings we saw were reconstructions of ruined buildings.  

Messina was quite compact so we were back on board in the afternoon and attended the next lecture which was regarding the Gallipoli campaign.  

It included information of which we were both previously unaware like- the initial landing troops quickly crossed the beaches and claimed their objective –being the first ridge – and within 24 hours the second ridge. There were only 200 defending Turks in place at the time and the landing force was over 20,000 ANZACS. So the Turks retreated until reinforcements arrived. We had always believed that the troops left the ships under dreadful bombardments and, while that might have happened later in the campaign, the initial actions on 25 and 26 April involved only light casualties.  

We had always thought that Anzac Cove was in the Dardanelles-it was actually on the other side of the Peninsular and the objective was to draw the Turks away from their positions overlooking the Dardanelles where they could prevent allied shipping getting through to Istanbul. 

The rest of the lecture was very illuminating and next year many countries will be marking the 100 years since WWI commenced. 

Sorrento 

Sorrento clings to the edge of a cliff coast line and it is a beautiful town which is vibrant and busy – and in stark contrast to Messina. From Sorrento there is a frequent ferry service to the Isle of Capri and to Naples. But we chose to wander through the town and enjoyed the markets which were not too hectic at this time of the year.  

At about 11:30 we heard church bells and noticed shopkeepers closing their shops which seemed a bit early for lunch. But then we saw a funeral procession moving slowly along the main street. It comprised a special vehicle with absolutely massive floral arrangements followed by a hearse and then the mourners on foot. Once the cortege had passed the shutters opened and trade resumed. It was a very dignified mark of respect. 

There were churches everywhere and the views across the bay were spectacular.

It seems that citrus is a key local industry and there were lots of limes and lemons in the stalls. Then there were all the derivative products like lemon soap and a liqueur made from lemon –Limoncello. There were lots of outdoor eateries taking advantage of the views and the benign climate. 

At about 6:00pm the ship weighed anchor and headed for Rome our point of disembarkation.

We arrived in the port of Rome around 7:00am today and after breakfast joined our transfer to the airport.

The cruise line did a fabulous job and literally every detail was taken care of at every phase. As passengers we did not have to wait for any transport –it was waiting for us. If we entered a port by a tender boat, there were always two tenders doing a shuttle. When we arrived at Rome airport trolleys had been arranged and luggage was sorted and loaded.

We both were thoroughly impressed with Silverseas lines and they have set a very high benchmark.

Sharon’s flight left about 15 minutes before mine-she was off to Sydney via Dubai and I am heading to London. We were surprised that Emirates operated an A380 for the relatively short leg between Rome and Dubai. Sharon will arrive in SYD at around 10:30pm local time on Sunday.

 

 

London 

London is a great city. I enjoyed walking around on Sunday looking at old haunts in the West End – it was showery and a lot cooler than where we had been in the previous week so it was pointless visiting outdoor areas like Regents Park or Hyde Park.  

There is a great book shop on Piccadilly called Waterstones. It is a large UK chain similar to Dymocks in scale and it was an ideal destination on a wet Sunday afternoon. Less than a block before it I called in to another large book shop which I could not recall seeing previously. I should have – it has been there on its present site since 1803! It is called Hatchards and I spent nearly two hours browsing on its several floors. Lots of new releases and they seem to be coping very well with competition from Amazon et al. 

Although it is dark until after 7:30 am, the evenings are still quite light until nearly 7:30pm. I was surprised to find that the main shops on Oxford Street are open (at least on weekends) until 10:00pm. There seemed to be an increasing proportion of middle eastern people in the eateries and general environs of Mayfair. 

My train was booked from Euston Station on Monday so I got there early and watched the ‘rush hour’ of commuters pouring off arriving trains and feeding into the Underground. There was also the usual throng of departees anxiously scanning the departure boards awaiting allocation of a platform for their soon to leave train. I have no idea why this is necessary – and often the time between allocation/announcement of a platform and departure is very brief – which adds to the anxiety and stress!  

The Lake District 

People of my vintage would remember colour pencils used in infants and primary school. We usually were required to have our own set and felt tip pens had not yet been invented! The most popular brand, Derwent, had about 18 full length colour pencils following the colour spectrum and sold in a slim metal case. On the lid was a beautiful landscape picture of towering hills and lakes (no doubt to inspire the recipients) and this was Lakeland.  

 

If a child was particularly gifted (or fortunate) they could also purchase a set of about 40 different colours in a much larger case. 

This area where I spent Monday to Thursday is also known as Lakeland and I now realise where the pencils and the image on the lid originated. The district has lived up to all I had heard about it previously and while it is a large National Park distances in the UK are short and the roads are well sealed – if only one lane. The scenery is spectacular and affected dramatically by changes in the weather and the time of day. Sunny clear days initially were followed by windy and then rainy conditions. I stayed in an old but renovated farmhouse about 5 minutes’ drive from the nearest village. This is preferable to staying in a guest house or pub. I imagine this district would be overrun with tourists in summer and a few shop owners have commented that October/November is the ideal time for visiting – primarily as there are no crowds and everything is accessible. 

The obvious outdoor pursuits here are fishing, sailing and hiking and while not known for my interest or prowess in bushwalking – the latter option is very appealing in this very picturesque area. Many of the trails are over 600 years old – and possibly older. The Romans built many roads around here that are still in use. I came upon the remains of a Roman fort just below the peak of an imposing pass with deep valleys in either direction. It had been built about 200AD. 

 

On Tuesday I did two circuit walks (start and end in the same spot) one of 2 hours duration – the next of 3 hours. The first one was east of Coniston and took in the former residence of John Ruskin who was a famous literary figure of the 1800’s.  

The second walk was in the Wallowbarrow Gorge to the west of Coniston. This involved a drive over the rugged hills along a single lane road with high hedges on both sides to the starting point at a village called Seathwaite. This walk was rated moderate yet took me quite high in the ranges. It was nevertheless within my capacity and I saw a few other walkers along the way who were of similar age. There is a sense of achievement in completing these walks - you see fabulous scenery at every point and there is a lot of exertion which makes it worthwhile.  Usually there is a pub nearby where a celebratory cleansing ale is also available!  

The tracks often cut across farms and are not always well marked. Often you have to climb over a stile which is designed to prevent stock wandering. Instead of fences or hedges there are mile after mile of solid rock fences built hundreds of years ago to delineate paddocks. It is often a bit of a relief after walking for 10 mins in what you think is the right direction to see a little 3cm x 3cm yellow marker on a fence post confirming you are on the track!  

 

The roads are also very isolated and also traverse farms so you frequently have to stop and open a gate and drive through then close it afterwards. It is autumn now and when the wind builds up in the valleys leaves are being shaken from their trees. I walked through a stand of oaks on one walk – it was quite dark under the foliage but underfoot it felts like the fallen leaves were a metre deep as it was very spongy to walk along.

On Wednesday I was less ambitious and drove through a magnificent pass to reach a walk about 10km south west of Penrith. The walk followed a track up to the imposing Aira Force waterfalls. Apparently Wordsworth used to wander around this area (I didn’t see any daffodils) and it was part of the estate of the Duke of Norfolk from several hundred years ago. I set off under threatening skies and sure enough half way into the climb the rain came. People don’t seem to bother about rain around here. Most walkers are dressed for this eventuality. 

BBC Radio 

BBC Radio 4 is a great channel when driving about. It is not so much current affairs (although there are some political interviews) but instalments of radio dramas, travel documentaries and history pieces. Hester Blumenthal (well-known chef) was speaking about a recipe for turtle soup. But he also gave the context being that from 1800 to 1850 there was a massive population explosion in England-something like a three-fold increase. 

This arose due to the mass migration to the cities and to the rising affluence of the new middle class. As the new wealthy set up their homes they sought to display their wealth. When entertaining it was important to set a high standard and in this regard turtles had become available from the West Indies and was a much prized delicacy. The number of people ‘in service’ (domestic servants) had grown from 300,000 to 1,500,000 also during this period. Blumenthal read from recipes produced at the time and spoke about the supply issues in bringing the turtles in tanks on the long journey from the Carribbean. 

Perhaps a quirky story but presumably historically factual and an example of the wide range of unpredictable topics that can arise. The ABC probably has similar programming but the difference here is that I am in a car for periods to listen to it.

Settlements 

One of the reasons the English countryside is so attractive is that it all looks so unspoiled. Instead of fences there are hedges or stone fences which appear natural; similarly, farm houses and settlements are nestled in the lee of hills and cannot be readily seen from many vantage points. Because the landscape is usually undulating even motor ways are obscured and it can be quite surprising when driving along a quiet country lane to suddenly come upon a feeder lane on to a nearby highway. The satnav is compulsory for a visitor and makes every destination so much easier to find. 

Scotland 

After a final walk in the Esk Pass on Thursday, on Friday I drove four hours to south west Scotland to my accommodation at a farm near the little village of Bargrennan. Although I had very clear written directions I had a hell of a job finding the place. Turns out the directions were actually vague! The place was supposed to be six miles past a particular village-in fact it is four miles; it was called X when it was supposed to be called Y (turns out the sign on the fence was written in Scottish!). But it is a comfortable little granny flat on a geese farm. Nearby is the Galloway National Forest which is the largest in Scotland.  

On the Saturday I drove to Girvan and Ayr on the west coast as it was too wet for the forest.  

There is a referendum next year for Scotland to become independent. Not sure why this is a good idea but there are advertisements on TV in support of both sides. I saw a lot of empty shops and in both England and in Scotland the news is covering strikes by teachers, prison officers, energy companies etc. So there are stresses and strains affecting everyday life.  

I also saw a newspaper banner yesterday for a paper in Girvan: DOG FOUND AFTER BEING LOST THREE DAYS! I thought this might have been a joke-but it wasn’t! 

Clearly priorities vary around the country.

 

 Scotland

By Sunday the weather was more showery but I was determined to attempt a decent walk in the Galloway National Forest.  I chose a 6km route around Loch Trool and it was not too difficult as it was basically following the edge of the water. Unseasonably warm days of 15C but the showers made it seem cooler and autumn was more advanced than in the Lakes District of the UK. On the walk, despite this being a national park, I came across private residences that were in fabulous settings with rock walls encircling planned gardens with vistas over the Loch. The Loch is fed by countless fast flowing streams and the only noise I could hear apart from the crunch of my steps was the constant gushing of waterfalls and streams. The foliage was dense and changing colour and during the showers, leaves were brushed off by the rain.  

 

Royal Mail

The UK equivalent of Australia Post has just been sold off and is now a public company with all employees receiving a parcel of free shares. The share price has done well in the initial week or so prompting suggestions it was sold too cheaply. It will be interesting to see whether some of the current services continue. In many cities there are still two mail deliveries a day and one on Saturday – and in rural areas where I was staying the postman actually comes to the house (not a post box at the gate) –and will pick up any mail that is ready for despatch.

Energy

Like most western societies the demand for energy in the UK is increasing and this week the government announced a new nuclear power station will be built – the first for over thirty years. The UK no longer has the capability to design and build these, so a French firm will construct it and much of the funding and subsequent ownership will be Chinese. The decision triggered a lot of predictable objections but no one offered a viable alternative to a project that will supply 7% of UK’s energy needs when it comes on stream in ten years. Wind farms were very much in evidence in SW Scotland and it seems that they are well located but, even with strong prevailing winds, this form of energy is still no match for nuclear. Some proponents were saying that wind technology will improve and they should be used in lieu of nuclear but as the interviewer drily observed: “what if it doesn’t improve enough in time? ”.

SW Scotland

I spent the next few days driving around SW Scotland as it was too showery for much more walking. Saw a number of border collies around farms and some sheepdog trials on TV. It is incredible how smart these dogs seem to be – subtle whistles from their handler have them mustering sheep so effectively. Apparently they were bred for purpose in this area with the border in their name referring to the England/Scotland border.

 

A nearby coastal town was Stranhaer which is a small port and it has a fascinating museum. I had been curious as to why so many little airfields had been built here in the war. It seemed so far away from the action on the east coast of England and over Europe. But it was explained that the convoys coming from the USA travelled up around Ireland and sea planes were used to hunt down German U Boats which caused enormous losses from those convoys.

I visited several stately homes whose gardens were open for inspection – there are still counts and countesses in possession of these estates.

The one lane country roads run in all directions and it is fun to just follow along and taking turn offs or pulling over for a walk or look around always knowing that when you have finished exploring the satnav will get you home. It is rarely necessary to double back on your tracks. The villages are usually quite small and appear dormant during the day. I was on a very secondary road and came across a turn off to Kircudbright and followed it and soon arrived at a town with a port! I was surprised as I thought I was well inland but I checked the map and the River Dee enters the sea here. It was also the point where the English arrived with a fleet on one of the occasions over the centuries when Scotland and England were at war.

Another little seaside location was Portpatrick which had a similar feel to Port Wenn in the Doc Martin series.

Along the way there were many caravan parks – or Holiday Parks as they are known. Usually sturdy cabins (not many caravans around as they would be had to use on the lanes-especially if you had to back up for oncoming traffic) and very well located near rivers and countryside walks. The local Forestry Commission plays an important role in maintaining these trails.

BBC 4

Just a post script to a previous reference to excellent programs on BBC 4- I heard an interview with an author who had just written a book on grammar. I have always been interested in grammar - (perhaps my children would associate this with my penchant for rules governing almost everything!) and he was very entertaining and more interested in how grammar develops rather than the rules themselves.

He made the point that we native English speakers don’t consciously think of grammar – it is just there operating to ensure we express ourselves in a comprehensible fashion. This was not news – we all know for example that we need to put words in a particular sequence in a sentence to make sense. But he made the further point that we also use descriptive words (adjectives) in a particular sequence also to make sense. He used the example that no one would say: a black little dress . . . it would always be: a little black dress. He went on to say that the reason for this is that we have a programmed sequence for using adjectives - size is followed by colour etc

Anyway – I thought that was interesting – even if some of my readers don’t!

Iceland

On Tuesday I drove to Manchester to return the car and take the train to London for my flight to Reykjavik. In Manchester there were a lot of people in blue and white football colours in the bars and pubs-they seemed to be from out of town. I asked and they had travelled from San Sebastian where our trip had commenced in Spain four weeks ago. Their team, Real Sociedad, was playing Manchester United that evening in the UEFA cup rounds (they lost).

OK, some quick facts on Iceland. .  . . . .  

·         Population is 320,000 although they have over a million visitors a year (think about the logistics of that).

·         FIFA soccer ranking is between Australia and Armenia (which is a comment on the relative ability of their footballers – or on Australia’s –with a population 66 times that of Iceland).

·         Iceland has Nordic origins and for many centuries was administered jointly by Norway and Denmark. During WWII it declared itself neutral as did Denmark. However the Germans invaded Denmark anyway and the Allies did likewise in Iceland. This was probably a good thing as Iceland benefited from some of the post war infrastructure programs under the Marshall Plan that reinvigorated occupied territories.

·         It became independent in 1944 and in the 1980’s Reagan and Gorbachov met in Reykjavik as neutral territory as part of the talks on ending the cold war.

·         It is not a part of the EU and they seem a very independent type of people. Like Switzerland and Norway they have a treaty with the EU which allows for free flow of labour etc. They live very close to the Arctic and Reykjavik is the northernmost capital city in the world. Iceland is roughly circular in shape and by my calculations approximately the same land size as the British Isles. It has the highest number of cars per inhabitant of any country (I wonder if that is because of the high number of rental cars for tourists and the relatively low population denominator).

Iceland and the GFC

Iceland gained some notoriety in the GFC. It had three banks which formed roughly 70% of the Iceland stock market and they had garnered deposits from UK and German citizens and municipalities through branches in those countries as well as deposits from local Iceland citizens. They had way too many merchant bankers (usually imported) in the country and they were horribly exposed to the risky financial debt instruments that blew up around the world in 2007/2008.

The three banks failed and their debts were collectively six times the GDP of Iceland. Unlike other countries, the central bank did not step in to take over-it was too small even if it wanted to. Thus the depositors in UK and Germany were going to lose all their deposits – and, to the irritation of the foreigners, the local Icelandic depositors had their deposits guaranteed in Iceland!

Long story short, the stock market lost 70% of its value in a day (banks were worthless), inflation was at 15%, and the currency collapsed. UK and Germany basically had to underwrite the deposits of their citizens in these failed banks to avoid them losing what they had deposited.

Probably Iceland’s relatively small size was a benefit as offshore entities including the IMF stepped in and with relatively modest loans from other countries they have worked through the issues and claim to be back in business now.

The exchange rate is 115 Krona to 1 AUD – in other words the Krona is worth less than a cent! Less than ten years ago it was very different.

 

The community appears prosperous mainly through agriculture and fishing. In the restaurant below my apartment building Whale steak or Puffin dishes are specialties!

Its other big benefit is relatively cheap energy through geothermal activity. All domestic hot water is piped direct to residences via an (insulated) pipeline network. It comes direct from hot springs. They also use geothermal power to generate electricity relatively cheaply.

There is talk of somehow harnessing this natural energy source to build large power stations to generate DC power for export to England. That might suit some of the environmentalists in the UK who don’t like the new nuclear power station.

Exploring

It is an easy place to get around except that no signage is in English. The weather has been superb with clear days and a max of 3C and a lot of sun on my first day. The car has metal studs in the tyres to reduce the risk of loss of control when driving on icy roads. Another very welcome feature is that the seat is heated. It seems to cut in every now and again and is incredibly effective-the first time it cut in I momentarily wondered what was happening!

 

About an hour south of Reykjavik I took a hike up into some elevated countryside and was soon walking in snow. I got along OK – there are painted track marker stakes every 100m and little vegetation but I had in the back of my mind the admonition about how quickly the weather can change! After 3km I came across a beautiful small lake or part of a river which was actually hot.  So a dip was in order and it really is an amazing experience to be sitting in a hot river surrounded by snowy environs in the sun.

The tour information centre had also recommended a drive through the national park and further up the mountains-and a particular destination for lunch. So at lunch I was pretty much the last customer and was sitting out on a balcony looking at the sea to the south, across farmland interspersed with blue (hot) lakes with magnificent conical alps on the horizon. The sky was cloudless and the sun keeps a very low arc at this latitude.

In short, it was a fantastic outlook on a beautiful day- topped off with a glass of wine and (in the absence of any other sound) music played from my iPod! I asked the waitress about some of the landmarks and she told me that one of the two alps I could see was Eyjafjallajökull which had erupted in 2010. It was not a big eruption but it had shutdown European airspace for a week at the time! She also said that the other alp usually erupts every ten years  . . . and the last eruption was 13 years ago!

Further along the drive I came to Geysir which, as the name suggests, has a substantial geyser. Apparently this place name is the origin for the term used in other parts of the world (USA, NZ) to describe these phenomena.

Blue Lagoon

Yesterday I took a different driving direction and visited a major tourist attraction being the Blue Lagoon. It is in an almost moonscape/volcanic rock environment with the only vegetation being lichen. You drive through this off the highway for about 25km and then the steam appears and this well designed visitor centre opening on to a huge shallow lake which I think is all natural. Lots of people were lolling about in 30-40C water. The ambient temperature was 3C so water vapour rises from the surface giving an eerie feel to the setting. The water is opaque and through the mist you can only see people who are no more than 5m away.

Sunday Excursion

The sun rises here around 8:45am and no one appears much before then on the streets. There is a huge cathedral dominating the skyline which is unusual in that it is only 50 years old and quite grand. It is built in the classic tradition but is finished in a form of sprayed concrete rather than in stone and with clear glass rather than stained glass windows-(I think that is the austerity of Lutherans). I wanted a photo of it so I called up there this morning before setting out on a planned drive.

While taking photos I saw a couple doing likewise and had a bit of a chat. They were from Indonesia and he is a professional musician who was in Iceland for the annual music festival which commences on Tuesday. He has attended previously but it was his wife’s first visit to Iceland. I explained my plans for the day and invited them to accompany me on a car journey north of the capital. It remained fine but incredibly cold due to the wind chill and the sun was in and out creating fantastic variation in light and landscape.

I enjoyed the company of my captive passengers but they also seemed to enjoy the opportunity to see a beautiful district taking the often unsealed back roads. He seems to be quite successful with his music and travels internationally a lot. He is a composer and writes commercials along with more mainstream composition.

He mentioned that since the 1960’s the Icelandic government has been funding free one to one music tuition to any child who seeks it – including the provision of instruments as necessary. An interesting priority and apparently there have been some internationally prominent Icelandic musicians and bands.

On Monday I leave Reykjavik for Dublin via London where I will be staying with Chris and Jo Ferris.

 

Flying 

There are three busy international airports around London – Luton, Gatwick and Stansted. These are additional to London Heathrow and service the low cost airlines like Easy Jet, Ryanair, Monarch etc. These airlines usually fly full flights and offer very attractive fares but part of keeping their costs low includes flying at often unruly hours. My flights to Reykjavik and Dublin took off at 6:15 am and under their protocols I had to be at the airport at 4:15am. So after an early start on Tuesday I arrived at Dublin to be met by Chris Ferris (now of course O’Ferris)  – whom I have known since third class at SPC in 1961. 

There were long queues at passport control and when my turn came the customs officer engaged in a very animated discussion about economics, taxation in Ireland, asset prices in Australia and sought my counsel on likely future economic trends. He had astutely selected the correct person to address these concerns.  

But I was a little bit anxious for those weary travellers waiting in the line behind me whose progress was delayed while we sorted out these concerns to the officer’s satisfaction. I am sure if his shift was close to ending he would have invited me to a nearby pub to continue the discourse!

Dalkey 

Chris and Jo have rented a home which is directly across from the water (Irish Sea or St George’s Channel depending upon whether you are Irish or British!) and it is a bit of a mecca for artistic types. (Perhaps mecca is an inappropriate term for use in Ireland?). Dalkey is a very pleasant neighbourhood to the south of Dublin and about six stops on the railway past Blackrock where the Keanes live.  

Chris pointed out the very elaborate chateau inhabited by Enya, the mansion where Van Morrison lives and he also told me that Bono lives nearby, is a keen cyclist and drinks in Chris’ local pub! I noticed a plaque referencing Maeve Binchy the acclaimed author who had also lived there until her death in 2012. 

Wicklow Mountains 

Tuesday was a sunny day and we drove to the Wicklow mountains and saw sweeping landscapes that were not dissimilar to much of what I had seen in the Lakes District. Chris and Jo have two little boys, one aged five and the other three. The little fellow, Patrick, was at his preschool but, as it was school holidays, we had Johnny in the car with us and Jo was at work at Allied Irish Bank where she is a senior HR executive. Chris is a keen student of history and spoke about much of the background to present day Ireland. His enthusiastic interest is matched by a very conversational way of discussing it. We travelled along country roads and through Avoca where Sharon and I had purchased a mohair rug some 15 years previously.

 

The Guinness family have a magnificent estate in a valley of this range and it can be seen from one of the lookouts. 

Politics 

In the early 1800’s after a long period as pretty much a colony controlled by England (and deprived of the opportunities of the industrial revolution by England – except for the mass production of Irish linen), Ireland was absorbed on a more equal footing into England and elected members of parliament to Westminster. A statesman of the time, Daniel O’Connell, was a gifted orator and barrister who was elected and served with distinction in Westminster achieving gains for Ireland and slowly unravelling some of the sectarian restrictions on Catholics. His initial election was a problem as Westminster at the time did not allow Catholic MP’s! But laws were passed to address this but he was never able to unwind the prohibition on Catholics being made QCs. Despite being the most successful barrister in Ireland and possibly England at the time, his Catholic faith prevented him from being appointed a QC. There are several statues of him in Dublin. 

But Ireland is not simply about Catholic versus Protestant sectarianism. 

By the early 1900s a strong push for an independent republic was afoot and two leaders emerged who in different ways shaped the struggle. Michael Collins led the military activities including the 1916 uprising and also, at the direction of party leader, Eamon De Valera, the terms of truce which were negotiated with the English in the years following WWI. There was a mixed reception for what had been negotiated and De Valera basically denounced the agreement. This period was nevertheless the effective commencement of the republic. 

There was a struggle between these two which split the party and resulted in a very vicious civil war in the early 1920s. Today the two main parties in Ireland are Fianna Fail and Fine Gael and they can trace their roots respectively to these two men. Despite their policies and disposition being almost identical these parties would never serve in coalition because of this deep rift. 

Voters tend not to vote along sectarian lines but more along the liberal and labour lines followed in Australia. Many of the great Irish patriots were actually protestant. 

The republic was ruled for a long time by De Valera who had a Cuban father and Irish mother. He had been born in the US and remained a US citizen for his entire life. He was elected to the largely ceremonial role of President in 1959 and again in 1966 when he was 84! He retired in 1973 aged 90. 

He was a divisive character but his reputation was always burnished due to his ownership of the major newspaper in Ireland for several decades. In more recent times, a better realisation of Michael Collins’ role (until he was shot) is reshaping the legacy of de Valera. 

Economy 

The country is recovering from the GFC although the government still owns the banks. They are trading well and are now becoming profitable. It will be interesting to watch when the government sells all or part of its interest and whether they seek a single buyer or sell shares on a retail basis. 

Traditional industries around agriculture and fishing are doing very well and the IT sector has export values well in excess of what was achieved during the boom years. Asset prices are well below the giddy heights of the boom and are probably realistic but not falling. 

The construction sector is back in business but is unlikely to grow quickly. Unemployment is improving and there are skill shortages in some sectors. The population has paid a heavy price for the losses incurred in the banking system and heavy taxation is impeding the pace of recovery. 

Halloween

Halloween is a very big deal in Ireland and the practice apparently started there. All Saints Day (or All Hallows Day) is 1 November and 31 October is the Eve of All Hallows – hence Hallow Eve then Halloween.  

On Thursday nearly every kid I saw was in some form of dress up. The shops had the orange pumpkins, spider webs and witches and all the props normally associated with Halloween 

Dublin 

Chris took me around a few landmarks in Dublin and we spent some time at a lookout and in Phoenix Park which is a bit like Centennial Park in Sydney. Again I was fortunate with timing as the trees were changing colour and we had clear skies.  

Irish Football and Hurling are amateur sports but the Gaelic Athletic Association running them is very wealthy as they have excellent gate takings and no player or administrator wages to pay! We visited the recently refurnished Croke Park which holds over 80,000 patrons. Despite the magnificent stands they kept an area at one end in its original form as a mark of respect for what happened on Bloody Sunday in 1920.  

On that morning Michael Collins decided to kill off the British intelligence network that had been effectively impeding the IRA’s guerrilla tactics. He had excellent info on 30 targets and a synchronised attack was made at many locations. Less than half the British agents were found and eliminated but it was nevertheless a massive blow against the English. That afternoon the British arrived at a game at Croke Park and there was a military action which saw about 20 innocent patrons in the terraces at one end killed. 

About seven years ago the Rugby stadium at Lansdowne Road was being refurbished so international rugby matches were instead assigned to Croke Park. On the first occasion of a test match between England and Ireland at this interim venue – the Irish crowd was very moved when the British appeared with black armbands as an acknowledgement of what had happened so many years before. It was another important step in the reconciliation between Ireland and England. 

London 

Yesterday I was back in London and decided to visit the British Library near Kings Cross. Nearly every visitor to London manages to get to the iconic British Museum but I had never been to the British Library and thought I might have an hour or two there. 

In the end I spent the whole day there! Libraries are changing and are no longer simply a repository of books and I was interested to see how this library operated. They had typical reading rooms with a major difference being the prevalence of laptops of visitors and the installed screens for on line access to the collections. 

But what I found really impressive were the permanent and temporary displays. 

Some of these included: 

-          Initial copies of the Magna Carta. We all learnt at school about King John signing this in 1215 at Runnymede. It arose from a form of rebellion by the feudal lords about the capricious way King John had been dealing with matters of justice and property-particularly among their number. At the time England included a good deal of what is now France. So after some negotiation with these barons he agreed to sign it and it enshrined a few legal concepts which survive today. But what we had not learned is that it was rescinded about three weeks later with the connivance of Pope (not so) Innocent III who was also exercising some papal clout. At some stage he excommunicated King John – but then later rescinded that move! 

-          Hand written manuscripts by Jane Austen were on display – as were those of many other famous authors (there have been many).

-          Apparently no hand written notes by Shakespeare exist. However he was a very successful dramatist during his life and on display were large books of his works published during his lifetime which the great author would also have seen. Christopher Marlow was a highly regarded contemporary of Shakespeare but I had not realised previously that his output was curtailed by his untimely death by stabbing.

-          Several original music scores were on display with commentary about them. A well know composer of the 1500’s, William Byrd, had a few pieces on display and I was delighted to find that one had been written specifically for Lady Nevill! Dad had always claimed some lineage to Neville, Earl of Warwick, and perhaps this Lady Nevill might have been a forebear of him! 

-          There was a section on the Beatles. When the idea of the first Beatles film was discussed with the producer, it was suggested that a new cover song would be necessary. That night John Lennon went home and composed a Hard Day’s Night on the back of a large birthday card that had been sent to his son, Julian, for his first birthday that week. The card and composition is on display!

-          Similarly, Paul McArtney woke up one day with the tune of Yesterday running around in his head and he assumed that it was a pre-existing tune that he had somehow picked up. In any event, he composed the words and his original text is on display along with scratchings out and inserts. He realised after a while that it was a novel tune-it has since been recorded by 3,000 artists and musical ensembles.

-          Prior to printing presses books were prepared by hand and there was a fascinating presentation of the holy books of Buddhism, Islam, Christianity and the Jewish faith. Many of these dated from as far back as 400AD and were in excellent condition.