TRAVEL, PEOPLE AND PLACES

"Though We Travel the World Over to Find the Beautiful, We Must Carry It With Us or We Find Not" 

                            Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)


Having lived in Europe for eight years whetted our appetites for travel; Not travel for travel's sake but to learn of other cultures and ways of life.  A photo album of sights in foreign lands often doesn't capture this and I found it much richer to build friendships along the way.  While we've certainly not been adventurers, I like to think of ourselves more as explorers, delving into food, music, and, essentially, people.  We're all one big family as I'm finding out, having little regard for borders and separation. I'd not be one to swim with the sharks but the thought of going off the beaten path appeals to me.  No matter who or where we are, we all go through our day, for better or for worse.

Most of us have so-called "bucket lists"; that is, places and things we'd like to do before we "kick the bucket", "buy the farm", or one of any other euphemisms for our ultimate end.  Each year, Suzanne and I tick off one or two items on our bucket list, planning to travel while we still have our health and mobility.  Obviously, resources to do all this do have a limit but we are careful planners in making our choices.

I'm not one of those travelers who wants to see every corner of the world.  In the words of the great Conrad Birdie from "Bye Bye Birdie", "Got to move, 'cause time is a wastin', there's such a lot of living' to do...There's music to play, places to go, people to see..." and so on.  I've not been to Africa, Asia, or South America (although Suzanne once had a business trip to Rio de Janeiro).  Many of my better-traveled friends would say "then, you really haven't been anywhere", but, South America, Scandinavia, and New Zealand remain on the list.

During our years in Belgium, it was but a short hop over to the British Isles (whether by boat or train) and France, Netherlands, and Germany were but a few hours by train.  We took full advantage of that strategic location.  Suzanne had the pleasure of taking her students all over Europe including going through "Check Point Charlie", into East Berlin during the Cold War, sailing a barge in the Zuider Zee, and spending a lovely afternoon on an island off the coast of Tito's Yugoslavia sipping local wine.  And then, there was a lovely week that she and I spent in Palma de Majorca which, at the time, was under the rule of the dictator, Francisco Franco.  I remember one evening, from my balcony, looking down onto the street and seeing two Guardia Civilia with their famous triangular helmets, pummeling a man into submission and dragging him away, to where, I can only guess.

I enjoyed the Netherlands quite a bit, not realizing at the time that my father's family had been there for 300 years in Amsterdam, The Hague, and numerous other towns.  I remember going through Anne Frank's house, through the infamous bookcase/door that the Gestapo broke through to take Anne and her family away to their unfortunate fates.  On a brighter note, to see the Tulip Festival in Keukenhof is unforgettable as well as the beautiful North Sea resort of Scheveningen (unpronounceable!).

The Keukenhof Tulip Gardens

When the kids were growing up, we'd take trips with them to Florida, Savannah and California.  We decided to do Rte1 by car, traveling south from San Francisco to San Diego and see the coastal part of the state.  There were the sea lions lining the piers in San Francisco, the wonderful aquarium in Santa Cruz, the Hearst mansion in San Simeon, and the death-defying curves of the road around Big Sur.  We spent a night in Morro Bay where we saw a young whale trapped in the bay swimming the wrong way.  We called the coastal rescue service who responded and got the whale turned around!

Suzanne and teenage Brooke on a visit to Belgium in front of our house in Lasne-Chapelle-St.Lambert

We did get the kids over to Europe individually before they were old enough to travel on their own.  Most of the memorable voyages we've done since have been just the two of us or with friends.  Besides a few trips back to Belgium and many to the UK (London and Oxford to visit our old friends the Shaws and the Steinbergs, Cotswolds, Lake District, Brighton, and Edinburgh) and biking on Lopez Island in the San Juans off the coast of Washington, some of the most memorable visits have been to Portugal, France, Sicily, Costa Rica, Cuba, Puerto Rico and Iceland.  They all had a very different flavor and, in looking back, evoke none of the same emotions.  The cuisines were varied as were the languages.

Costa Rica: visiting the little village of Islita on the Pacific coast to meet local artists and students, zip-lining on nine different zip-lines above the jungle, each one steeper and faster, tasting coffees,  kayaking up the river along the mangrove trees to the ocean, and observing the very beautiful macaws with their characteristic colors and sounds.

The beautiful macaws in their natural habitat

Suzanne zip-lining over the jungle (Wait for it!)

France: Besides the beauty of Paris and a night-time cruise along the Seine, there was a memorable bicycle trip with Suzanne and me, alone on our own, pedaling along the Loire for four days, stopping at little cafe's, majestic chateaux, and vineyards and trying to get back on our bikes after lunch with wine; Another trip staying in an 11th century village in the Aveyron, atop a mountain with a single lane up and down, playing boules with the locals, and going to the open air evening market in Millau for a dinner in the town square, chatting with the townspeople...and, of course, the speed of the Trans-European Express, leaving and arriving exactly at the correct time!  And spending some time in Provence with friends, visiting the lovely village markets and hiking in the hills of Provence.

The view from Saint-Veran (it's best one doesn't walk in their sleep!)

A typical red clay building in Provence

Sicily: The warmth of the climate and the people, staying on farms with local produce, wines and olive oil to embellish our meals, seeing all that remains of Roman, Greek, Corinthian, and so many other cultures; climbing Mt. Etna and hiking along the rocky pathways over the Mediterranean; Working up a sweat and jumping into the sea, only to be greeted by an enormous seafood buffet after drying off; learning the intricacies of the Mafia from an Addio-pizzo advocate, and, of course, the people.

A view of Mt. Etna from Catania at dusk

Suzanne atop Mt. Etna (50 degrees colder from the base of the mountain!)

A chat with a proud Sicilian fisherman showing me his catch.

Lunch at a farmhouse that purveyed local olive oil

The steps to the famed Palermo Opera House (Remember "Godfather Part 3"??!!!)

Cuba: Very different than any place I've been to. The one thing I noted that stuck with me was their poverty mixed with pride and innovation, efficiency over all.  I got to visit a health clinic which, although very fundamental and basic, delivered good care.  The people either got their foodstuffs with rationing from a state-run store, the black market, or they grew it themselves.  We saw all the beautiful architecture that had fallen into disrepair but noted grassroots efforts to rehabilitate and preserve these structures.  Seeing a farmer in his field with a horse-drawn plough. Riding in an old Russian Lady without shock absorbers on a rough pot-hold street driven by a teenage taxi driver. We went to a state-run cigar factory where the workers tried to sell you cigars literally under the table before you got to the official factory store.  Stayed for a few nights in the mob-built Hotel Nacionale de Cuba ( yes, from the 1930's with the help of Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky!)in rooms named for the famous people who stayed in them.  We were in the Gary Cooper and Winston Churchill rooms.  Spent a wonderful evening in a basement jazz club listening to an all-woman 8 piece jazz combo belting out beautiful Cuban rhythms.

Havana Street Scene

The grand old Hotel Nacionale

A common sight in the streets of Havana

Che seemed to be omnipresent!

Suzanne's distant cousin, Ernest Hemingway!

Havana harbor from the Malecon

Iceland: This island nation is almost like being on another planet if you consider its topography.  Huge waterfalls, monstrous glaciers (albeit melting as we speak), geysers, warm hot springs lagoons, and more lambs than people.  Went cave exploring into a melting glacier that was changing with each passing day.  It was cold and rainy but the people were warm and welcoming despite the hordes of invading tourists (70% of their economy) I was most impressed by how everything centered around sustainability, particularly when their citizens didn't know when the next big volcano would erupt, living day to day.

A bay of broken off pieces of glaciers in southern Iceland

View from inside a glacial cave

No, I'm not a pot of gold!

Portugal: Having been there twice, this had to be one of my favorites.  Food, Music, Wine!  Despite a rough patch financially, the country has come back with a gang-busters recovery despite persistent unemployment of their youth.  The first trip was down to the Algarve with its beautiful beaches, some  dedicated to surfing.  The second trip took us around Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra (famous for its ancient university and its amazing library),  Mafra (site of the old royal palace where we attended an organ recital with six organists playing all at one time!), and the Douro Valley with its famed tiered slopes of vineyards.  We cruised for a day up the river and made a stop where an open truck drove us over the rough roads up to an idyllic vineyard where we spent an afternoon tasting wine.  On a musical note, besides the organ concert, the Fado singers in the little cafes in the Alfama were unforgettable, as were the students of Coimbra singing their serenades in the streets.  But you haven't lived until you go down to the wharf in Belem and eat the wonderful custard-filled Pasteis de Nata washed down with a glass of champagne!

A "boardwalk" in Luz in the Algarve

A view from the ramparts far above Sintra

The unique Douro Valley...Wines and Port!

Pasteis de Nata...my favorite!

Puerto Rico: While not a foreign country, this island seen pre-Hurricane Maria is characterized by vastly different areas... the bustle of old San Juan with its lovely harbor and its old fort.  We witnessed a special day where storms in the Caribbean and Atlantic came together there where the two bodies of water meet and saw 45 foot high waves, an apparent rarity.  We then drove southwesterly through the mountains with their villages, dodging chickens and dogs who thought they owned the roads, arriving at the lovely old city of Ponce where Suzanne lost her cell phone, never to be seen again!  A few hours further to the west took us to Rincon on the coast, a surfer's paradise.  We rented a beach front house for two weeks which had its ups and downs as the surf was so noisy, it kept us up at night.  We took a trip inland for a day, through the jungles up to the observatory at Araceibo, featured in the Jodie Foster film, "Contact".  At the time, it was run by Cornell University, now by the University of Central Florida.  We bought ice cream cones from a young vendor there who proudly informed us that he was an employee of Cornell University! One night, back in Rincon, I asked a local artist if there was a local restaurant they recommended.  Besides the expensive Horned Dorset (yes, the same people from Leonardsville, NY, not far from Cherry Valley!), there was a small cantina they recommended, located further north on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Caribbean.  It was a dark night and we drove some ways but finally came upon this little restaurant in the middle of nowhere.  We took a table (maybe only two other tables were occupied) and ordered our dinner.  Suddenly, several cars pulled up and a group of around 12 folks came in, all a bit inebriated from an ongoing celebration they were having to say good bye to a friend returning stateside.  A man came over to our table and sat down and engaged Suzanne by asking her where she was from, inferring her birthplace.  When Suzanne said Cooperstown, he almost fell off his chair...most of the 12 were expats from Cooperstown!  The world is a small place.

The Areceibo Observatory...unfortunately wrecked by Hurricane Maria.

In closing, you can see how much travel and discovery is a large part of Suzanne's and my lives, coming to the realization that people are people, that we all share so much as members of the human family.  I find it a cautionary tale to what we see today with large masses of people leaving their homelands out of fear, always seeking a better way of life.

Our next big trip will be to the island nation of Cyprus where I will rediscover all my Greek Cypriot relatives who tracked me down a few years ago through DNA.  My mother's cousin, Cleo, still lives there and I'm looking forward to meeting her and her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, as well as learning much about their culture and history.

Looking forward to seeing my long-lost Cypriot cousins again and meeting the whole family!