micetrail

It’s been some time since I’ve been in touch but I just got the writing “jones” to update any of you interested peeps.  If you’ve kept up you might know I’ve been traveling in Europe and North Africa for a little over 9 months…a welcome relief.  But it is wonderful to be home…  Today I went out to the Bay in the sun/rain and managed my mocha and donut at the Little Marina Green kiosk. It was a spectacular day with high tides, sailboat races, and lordy, lordy…a double rainbow.   OK, the second rainbow is pretty faint but, nevertheless…

I recently returned from Ethiopia where I traveled with a tiny group of four, including my neighbors Janet & Julian and a doctor from Australia who had been volunteering near Addis Ababa for a few months and was on her way home. She wanted to get a flavor for Ethiopia before returning to Oz. Our guide was terrific, knowledgeable, and charming.

Eyob Awraris

Our party which consisted of our guide, two SUV’s (with drivers) and four travelers initially traveled from Addis Ababa to the north arid area by plane.

Here is the ancient and sacred city of Axum (Aksum) where we were fortunate to arrive for the annual Hidar-Tsion celebration…festival of St. Mary who is the most revered religious figure for the Ethiopian Orthodox.  Ten’s of thousands come from all over Ethiopia to join in the celebration.  The Ark of the Covenant is said to be housed here…as the Smithsonian says:  “Queen Sheba visited King Solomon in Jerusalem three thousand years ago, and the son she bore him, Menelik, at age 20 visited Jerusalem, from where he brought the ark of the covenant back to Aksum.” It’s been in Ethiopia ever since, according to legend.  No one has seen the ark and there is only one keeper where it is housed.

It reminded me of the “tomb of Daniel ” in Samarkand where periodically they extend the sarcophagus as he evidently grows in length only.  They will soon have to expand the actual walls of the building where he resides.  Again, no one ever opens the sarcophagus.

Other amazing sites we saw were the 11 carved churches in Lalibela:   Much of Ethiopia is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  At the end of the 12th and beginning of the 13th centuries, King Lalibela of the Zaghwe dynasty built (with the help of angels) a series of rockhewn churches, considered as one of the wonders of the world. 

The headwaters of the Blue Nile,

The Simien Mountains National Park where we saw the endemic Gelada (bleeding heart) baboons,

and the Omo Valley tribes (my favorites, except for the whipping of the groom-to-be’s female relatives),

The wedding “festival”,

and Lucy!  She’s housed in Addis Ababa in the Natural History Museum…definitely worth a visit.

Say hi!

OK…use your imagination.

Not really Lucy…a beautiful baby

Some of my favorite ladies below:

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Just returned from Morocco on a small group tour (8 peeps and my favored way to travel if not alone). I met my travel buddy Andrew in Tangier for a couple of days, prior to joining the group. We stayed in a 3-story airbnb in the Médina with steep stairs between floor and a wonderful balcony and viewand hired a young man with a very modern doo and wonderful English to show us around

to show us around the souk. I have to insert some souk pictures here and indulge my passion for original doors…and awful (offal) animal pics.

I had flown into Tangier from Lisbon and Andrew met me at the airport having arrived from Casablanca and driven north to Tangier. We found a great little breakfast place suggested by our guide and a couple of good restaurants…one serving Italian food and the other Moroccan fare.

View from the Italian restaurant

Doubtful movies are still being shown

There’s also a cool museum in the Médina that our guide directed us to.

Heading off to Casablanca to join our group. Tangier was definitely worth the detour.

Heading off to Geneva to visit CERN and the LHC…something I’ve been wanting to experience since the Higgs Boson discovery.  I guess most people go for the scenery, skiing, and banking secrecy but I just wanted to stand above the protons smashing together 100 feet below and scattering whatever smaller particles the impact revealed.  I probably picked up a few rems as well.  I know it’s pretty nerdy to get excited about some unseen and unseeable particles but it was like standing at the center of the universe for me.

I did also manage to venture to my other great interest near Geneva…Gruyere with fabulous fondue.  The town was a train ride and short transfer away and well worth the trip.  A castle to visit, chocolate to eat and, of course, yummy fondue overlooking the oh-so-green valley.

Thailand?  China?  Burma?  Nope!  I’m back in Portugal and north of Lisbon near Obidos which is pretty much in the center of the country.  This is a crazy “sculpture park” in the middle of nowhere called Buda Heden (Buddha Eden).  It was sponsored by a Portuguese investor and art aficionado after the Buddhas of Banyon were destroyed by the Taliban.  It has since expanded and includes an African sculpture section dedicated to the Shona people of Zimbabwe, modern art (including the Calder below), lovely gardens, and tree-lined walks where a sculpture pops up at every turn.  Oh yes, and blue terracotta warriors!  It’s definitely kitschy but so interesting and well-maintained.  86 acres with pools, hundreds of sculptures of which most are Asian.  And yes, there’s a huge wine shop.

From Lisbon I’ve made my way north to Obidos with its de rigueur castle and wonderful enclosed village, Nazare (one of the world’s great surfing venues), and then over to Batalha on my quest of the Avis dynasty which reigned from 1385-1551 and includes good ol’ Henry the Navigator.  I had finished a book about Phillipa, the first English Queen of Portugal who was the daughter that was married off to Joao I by John of Gaunt to seal the relationship between England and Portugal and to help in Joao’s fight with Castile.  They had 6 children who were the Illustrious Generation…one of which was Henry.  He and three of his brothers are buried here at Batalha Monastery along with their parents Phillipa and Joao, pictured below.  The sculpture on the sepulcher has them holding hands…so sweet!!

Henry

Now over at Tomar…I’m on a crusade (oh my, I mean a quest) to the home of the Templar Knights of Portugal.  Even the cobblestone streets have the Templar Cross embedded. There’s not much to see except the castle and convent and a small church where many of them are buried.

Maybe a bit too much traveling? After my stay in the Basque Country (read previous issue) my next stop was the Azores. I miscalculated a bit, however, by flying to Lisbon to unpack and repack and fly out within 7 hours. Definitely no sleep this time. Anyway, that done, I headed to Terceira Island in the middle of the Atlantic. Again, not sure what to expect but maybe something interesting. If you are a hiker or swimmer or philosopher then this is a lovely place full of beautiful lava formations and swimming holes and plenty of time to ponder your belly-button. But if you’re looking for any culture, conversation or good food, maybe not. It’s very quiet and very empty and on the down-low.

Corvo caldera – take the minibus up and walk down (1 hour)

Graciosa Island

Swimming Hole on Terceira Island

Terceira Island – an inland man-made lake with cute duckies

Looking up from the volcanic tube in Terceira

After Terceira Island I headed to Graciosa and now in Flores where I made a RIB (rigid-hulled inflatable boat) trip to the island of Corvo where there is even less to do. But, again, if you are looking for scenery and sun and water, it is a beautiful place. I do recommend the trip on the “Zodiac”. Even with it being a cloudy day it was fun bouncing over the waves with 16 other people in very happy states of being. It really is the ONLY thing to do in Flores.

Anyway, rather than going on about how boring this place is I thought it would be nice to meet my four or two footed friends I’ve come across in the Azores on my various nature walks. A little limited in conversation but so darn cute!

I’m not sure what I expected but guess I’m guilty of nostalgia or just plain ignorant. (Yes, I know.). I’m picturing peasants and dirndls and folk dancing and rolling hills and well, “Country”. Who knows? Who knew? It’s a happening place with many, many tourists and a party atmosphere. Beachgoers, surfers, boaters.

San Sebastián/Donostia

Wow! Pow! Wham! Fireworks to close the Summer Festival. Thousands of people, hundreds of boats of every size in the Bay. Fireworks at 11:45pm. Then to the bars. Moms and Dads rocking the strollers back and forth, a drink on the table and a cigarette in hand. Still going on at 3am.

Next Morning – noon arisal. At the Patisserie: cortada and jamon and quiejo croissant. Hilarious, a guy picking out chocolates. He wanted an exact piece even though they were all the same type and batch. He picked out a dozen. Cute. And made the clerk organize them in an specific order in the box.

There is a crazy beach scene. Amazing weather. My stay in the old town, mindful of Lisbon. They have an excellent eclectic museum Telmo. I went on a lovely eco farm tour…solo with a sweet guide. She met me at a botanical restaurant where she treated me to a yummy smoothy. Then on a short train ride to the farm.

Now on to dinner at a Basque restaurant. Non pintxo. Rice with clams, ribs, red wine. They brought me a bottle. Hope I didn’t buy the whole thing. Oh well. One can’t complain about the food here.

Several people suggested I take a little stroll via the St. James Way…part of the Compostela de Santiago pilgrims journey. Well, forget the “walk” to Praia. Thinking a nice stroll along the shore with maybe a few steps. Yikes. I’m only half way there on a 6km walk and it’s been one and one half hours. I’ve got to start mentioning my age when someone suggests a scenic walk. Ha!

Meeting up with lots of French people coming my way. We’re pretty close to the border. Someone carrying an infant in his back. Others with major backpacks. Kids just hopping from one rock to another. People zooming past me. Oh, look! There’s someone actually resting.

Finally here in Praia (3 1/2 hours)…took a tiny passenger ferry across to a little village. Precious. Still could have gotten here by bus which is certainly how I’m getting home. I did learn one thing…I’m never taking the Camino de Santiago. This walk I took is just 6km of that trail. Good sampling.

Lunching at the only restaurant that wasn’t full and a little concerned. Not to worry. Quite delicious. Ordered the 20E menu with a Capricious Salad and Duck Magret and Cider. Wow, sour. Evidently a big deal here. Made my mouth pucker. 6% alcohol. Good olives. Starting to feel human.

Evidently Victor Hugo stayed here as there is a museum dedicated to him. Well, back to San Sebastián via the bus. Won’t do that again.

Thoughts from Rome:

How can people talk soooo much. Sitting here outdoor at a restaurant in Trastevera after a delicious saltimboca romana. The woman next to me from England has not stopped talking. Amazing. Of course, I guess I talk a lot too but I only have myself to bore. She’s with her husband who seems about 90…he picks up a cigarette ignoring her blabbing. There’s a young woman with them..don’t know her role but she was kind enough to get up and smoke in the street. She seems a bit tired of them but maybe she’s a tour guide they hired and has to put on a good face.

You meet people in the strangest places. Ha ha, I met someone in the toilet of the Vatican museum who was from Oklahoma City. A fellow Okey. I restrained myself from asking if she voted for Trump. People seem to take the 5th when you bring it up.

Visited the Botanical Gardens today. A nice break but I am sweating and hot. Should have just had a drink…oh, wait a minute, I am having a drink. My extremities are killing me after yesterday’s walking but with a little wine it’s helping. Off to the forum, I think.

Had to make a stop at Tre Scalini and have a Tartuffo and Brandy. Lots of peeps. I come here every time in Rome. The first time I was 20, so that’s almost a half-century ago. The restaurant is still there. Prices and portions are a bit different now. Grazie mille Europe on $10 day.

Go at your own pace. Any time I overextend I’m regretful. There are so many cafes and bars and restaurants, one doesn’t have to travel very far to sit down again. It’s important to take advantage of that especially when you’re approaching 70. I wish that I would listen to myself more. Take a pedicab or Uber or a taxi. Don’t tax yourself (let the government do that) and enjoy. Lucky lucky lucky. Count your lucky stars.

Oh dear, getting maudlin with a guitarist strumming Let it Be. That Remy did me in.

From Lisbon to Bilbao it’s only a 2 hour flight. Landing in Bilbao to visit the Basque Country seems to be the easiest way to start your journey. The flight was about an hour late due to propeller problems. They took us to the gate on a bus (always the bus to the plane at Lisbon airport) where we saw the workmen messing around with the propeller. They immediately took us back to the gate where we waited a bit before reloading…on the same plane. Pray.

Bilbao is “The Guggenheim.” There’s a few other things to see such as the old town and, of course, pintxo introduction. You can put anything on a slice of thick French bread and call it a pintxo: cod and padron pepper, duck and sautéed onions, weird little spaghetti fish and sweet onion. Also a ravioli on bread. Not sure about the ravioli but it was recommended. I think it was blended squid smooshed into a ravioli and put on top of bread. Tasted OK until I bit into a little eyeball…evidently not smooshed enough.

The Guggenheim is well worth seeing from the outside and the inside. An amazing fabric/balloon/mobile structure filled the inside space. It’s arms covered the entire inside space and was pretty incredible.

There was also a great Chagall exhibit focused on the war years (WWI). Very well done but NO PICTURES! I managed to get a few….just forgot you know.There was also a Serra monster work

And Ah Wei Wei had several works on display including Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn. In fact I thought their modern art and electronic exhibits, even though minimal, were one of the more interesting aspects.

Though the outside is otherworldly, the inside is a strong complement.