Sweden, Part 2

by Henberta, posted in Emerald Isle to the Norse Lands

A journey by rail is not always smooth sailing. The train from Oslo to Stockholm was delayed once while local police conducted a search for a fugitive (maybe the train was sealing off an escape route!) and again when a bridge was damaged. But eventually we arrive in….

Stockholm

Okay – I promised a salute to ABBA. (In case you don’t know, ABBA is a pop music group that burst onto the international stage when they won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1972 with their song “Waterloo”. They are one of the most renowned and successful musical groups in history.) Their music is joyous and energetic; the museum rather pedestrian. Stood in line a while, stood in line again, learned a few things, but would rather have spent the money downloading and listening to their greatest hits while eating a nice dinner.

This guard at Sweden’s Royal Palace looks similarly inspired…..

A bit slumpy and bored, but one may suppose the risk of a riot at the Swedish king’s palace is fairly remote.

Nearby on the lawn of the Swedish state house, a tribute to the first five female members of the Swedish Parliament who have served since ladies were allowed to vote and run for office beginning in 1921…..

Their busts are carried on a tray by young people who represent the spirit of the future of women in government service…. Although it looks like they will be the entrees at lunch, it is still gratifying to see their contribution celebrated at the seat of power.

Kulturfestivalen is a huge street party thrown by the City of Stockholm in the Old Town and surrounding areas. There are live music performances, dancing, mini-parades, eating and drinking. The entire venue is free to all comers – young and old people from many different cultures…. even senior visitors from “away”. And the weather was just perfect after days of drizzle.

This sculpture – the Sun Singer – appears to be leading the celebrations. (Appropriately enough, as it represents Apollo, the Greek god of sun, music and poetry!)
A silent disco!
These balloon floats were enchanting.
Street art encountered along the way reinforced the feeling of oneness with humanity. We helped decipher the caption on this piece for a family from Iraq, afterwards shaking hands all around.

A couple of cultural notes….. Confined to a limited wardrobe, many articles of clothing were in desperate need of refreshing. We were lucky enough to track down the ONLY laundromat in Sweden!

People who don’t have access to a washer/dryer at home or in their apartment building send out their laundry… many grocery stores have drop boxes for this purpose. The entrepreneur of this laundromat caters to lots of travelers like us… to the tune of $30 per load washed and dried. (You do your own separating and folding.)

Nicotine and tobacco pouches are amazingly popular, especially among young people who are drawn to the many strengths, flavors and bright packaging in stores like this one.

This store is “all pouches… all the time”. There are a very few that are nicotine-free. The salesman admitted it is quite an addictive habit, but claimed there was no real down side to it. Hmmm.

Sweden By Rail

A central feature of our planned train itinerary was the Inlandsbanan, a one-car train that traverses much of the length of Sweden over the course of two very long days on board. Unfortunately, our first day was cancelled due to downed trees on the tracks; instead they put us on a bus. Not quite what we had hoped for. The second day, however, we spent a full day on board with a couple dozen other passengers, stopping for brief lunch and coffee breaks.

Östersund

Particularly enjoyable was stopping in small towns along the way, such as Östersund, a city of about 50,000 people located on a large lake in the central part of Sweden.

Quiet but with pleasant parks and public areas, access to lots of outdoor sports…. It would be a great place to raise a family. Several colorful highlights…..

…and a good Italian restaurant where you can get an excellent Negroni!

The Inlandsbanan took us north of the Arctic Circle….

Gällivare

And on to the town of Gällivare, which is undergoing a fascinating transition…

This region of Sweden is devoted to mining iron ore… and has been since the 17th century. The state mining company controls production, and over the last 15 years has embarked on a huge project….. shifting most of the population of 15,000 to a refurbished urban center so that production can be expanded into new areas. This process entails buying people out of their property and constructing new public buildings, housing, churches, schools, medical centers, roads, entertainment venues, and all the other infrastructure that makes up a town. Hundreds of meetings were held with community representatives to ensure that they had a voice in their new world.

A brilliant new civic center

Change, as you know, is hard. Many of the residents have adapted to the changes; some have left; but lots of other people, including immigrants, are happy to earn the more-than-competitive wages of the mining industry…. And to enjoy the spanking new town facilities. Sæko at the Visitors Center spent lots of time explaining the history and the transition…. She was excited and proud to share their story.

We plan to check back to see how the progress continues in the future!

Abisko

Leaving Inlandsbanan behind, the traditional railway carried us even further north, to the outdoor sports center of Abisko. Jillions of people come from all over for hiking and camping in pristine Arctic settings.

Lots of rainbows here, as sunlight comes and goes over the drizzle…. We still interpret each one as a harbinger of good things!
Incredibly fresh and clear water surges down from the mountains and into the fjords and lakes.
The chairlift provided breath-taking views over the lake and surroundings.

We continued on to Norway for a while, but that is a subject for the next posting. Our return on the Swedish train from the north to Stockholm was on a sleeper train – not exactly high-end but it got the job done.

One note about train travel with people who have been camping and hiking……

God love them, after being out in the wilds for a week or two….. the BO is eye-watering – especially as they get comfortable on the train by divesting themselves of their outer coats and footwear. Just a cautionary word.

Some pretty pictures from our final few days in Sweden…..

Amazing grapes! Thought they were sausages when I first saw them….
Roman snail….commonly eaten as escargot.
Mama cow and baby in a communal pasture.
A precious sitting nook in an old bank vault in our room at a bed and breakfast….

Finally, one doesn’t usually think about an Arctic landscape being colorful, but please look at these close-ups of lichen, moss, plants and berries…. The textures and contrasts are marvelous.

Coming up next will be an entry from the far north of Norway.

Norway, Part 2

by Henberta, posted in Emerald Isle to the Norse Lands

The train from Sweden ends in Narvik, a Norwegian town far north of the Arctic Circle. Its harbor nonetheless is favored as it does not freeze in winter, owing to the influence of the Gulf Stream…..

This ice-free port is critical to the export of Swedish iron ore…. A strength that was not overlooked by the German forces during World War II. Norway declared itself a neutral state initially, but was drawn into the conflict and forced to capitulate in 1940. (Interesting side note: the Norwegian who headed Nazi Norway during the occupation was named Quisling; his name is now synonymous in English and Scandinavian languages with “traitor” or “collaborator”.)

But this post is really about the majesty of the archipelago of Lofoten…. Indicated on the map below for those of you who may need a little geographic orientation.

This is another of those places that, when mentioned, everybody says, “Oh, it’s beautiful there.” They are correct.

The approach to Narvik by train had everybody straining toward the windows in anticipation…..

Driving there is also quite dramatic, as roads clearly had to blast through or be carved into the rock that plunges down to the valleys and waterways created by glaciers over the millennia.

There is no culture or history that is apparent to the common visitor…. Just the magnificent fjords and the fishing villages nestled alongside.

Drying racks for fish extend along the roadsides, often with interesting scarecrows (recalling Calvary) to divert the birds….

Weather was drizzly and overcast at first….enlivened by gray landscapes, minor monuments, dramatic rock faces and sea birds.

The primary activity here is hiking. Views are dazzling when the weather clears a bit….

The walks we took were advertised as easy…. However, they looked a whole lot like climbing as we ascended 300 to 400 meters.

This young Finnish woman and her dogs were visiting from their home in Portugal.

Other animal friends joined us along the way.

Another ascent provided views of a fjord-side golf course….

And this is a micro-view of crowberry, a low-growing evergreen commonly found in tundra and boreal forest environments. Such varied colors from a single teeny plant!

These ascending and descending videos are obviously in time-lapse…. To save us all some agony!

Fireweed – also common in Alaska and the Yukon – is a colorful part of the landscape, but considered by many to be invasive.

The flowers are brilliant purple….
When the flowers drop, purple seed pods… that look like little twigs… remain.
When the time is ripe, the seed pods burst open and release jillions of tiny fluff-borne seeds. It’s a visually fascinating life cycle!

Some more pretty pictures…

A typical fishing village along the fjord, similar to where we stayed….

Sea urchins beneath the deck…. Who knew they were pink?

And a final sunrise as we prepare to leave Lofoten and Norway behind.

Finland

by Henberta, posted in Emerald Isle to the Norse Lands

Åland Islands

Between southern Sweden and Helsinki lies the unique geo-political archipelago called the Åland Islands, a fairly short ride on one of the many ferries that serve the Baltic. (Again, a helpful map for the geographically-challenged.)

The Åland Islands have a unique relationship with the world and the nation of Finland, of which they are formally a part.

As noted proudly on the sign, the islands are self-governing for the most part and demilitarized. Through a complex history involving exchanges between Finland, Sweden and Russia over the last couple of centuries, this region, while part of Finland:

  • enacts its own domestic legislation (excluding foreign affairs, the court system and state taxation), and
  • is neutral in times of war, does not support any military activity and its citizens are exempt from Finnish military service.

The sole official language is Swedish, not Finnish; its currency is the Euro (same as Finland)….. but it has its own postal service. Here is a beautiful Åland stamp.

Note the Chinese letters – this one celebrates the Chinese year of the pig. These pigs are depicted feasting on the islands’ major agricultural product – apples.

SIDE NOTE: If anyone enjoys stamp collecting or knows someone who does, please let me know, as we have a collection of interesting pieces from both Åland and other countries that we would love to share.

Apples and other local crops are primarily for domestic consumption.

The biggest sector of the economy is shipping and trade…. Which makes sense considering its key location on the Baltic Sea.

The total population of the islands is about 30,000 souls; Mariehamn is the largest town and capitol city with almost 12,000 people.

It’s a charming place with its own atmosphere of contentment, tolerance and pride….

An illuminated mailbox kiosk sports original paintings and carefully-cared-for potted plants.
Whimsical street art
Midsummer maypoles bring prosperity and successful crops. They go up in July but stay in place year-round.
Pride Week was observed indoors and outdoors in virtually every business and public venue.
Second-hand stores – here and through-out the Scandinavian countries – are quite mainstream as part of a popular trend toward eliminating waste and using resources efficiently… something Henry whole-heartedly endorses!

The traditional dish is the Åland pancake

Cake made with semolina or rice porridge flavored with cardamom and served with prune compote and whipped cream….. and a jaunty little flag if you’re lucky!

Turku

From Mariehamn, it’s a 5-hour ferry to the first major city on the Finnish mainland – Turku, or Åbo in Finnish.

We stayed in a cool hotel that used to be a prison….

Some of the rooms have that prison vibe…. Except for the plush bathrobes hanging from the bars….

With only one full day in Turku, we visited one “sight” – the Luostarinmäki outdoor museum. It’s a 200-year-old district of wooden houses and craftsmen’s workshops… a realistic simulation of how people lived in the pre-industrial 1800s.

Cabinet-maker/carpenter’s workshop

The “play area” provided an opportunity to revisit an old skill….

So impressed with Henry’s feat that I failed to record the spectacular fall that followed. He is also quite good at landing.

More fun street (and waterway) art…

The Finns do like their canine companions – and often take them along on trips.

May as well admit that people leave their dogs alone in hotel rooms… with proper warning to housekeeping!
“Dog parking” for the companions of humans visiting the outdoor museum!

A common display in Finland relates to the war in Ukraine….. certainly an issue of concern in a country that shares a border (and a history as a victim of aggression) with Russia.

Yes, please – peace, mutual respect and civility.

Side Notes on Travel

The ferries that service the cities and towns that circle the Baltic Sea are really impressive – whether you are bringing along a car or not.

Panoramic windows, lounges, clean and comfortable overnight cabins, children’s activities, dining alternatives, bingo and bars and live music!

It would be very cool to take an unstructured trip using the ferry system to go from one city to another, circling around or criss-crossing the Baltic from Copenhagen to Oslo to Stockholm to Helsinki to Tallinn to Hamburg (even to Turku and Åland!) You could spend as much or as little time in each location as whim and time constraints dictate. You would not need a car…. Most of the docks are in walking distance from the city centers. And getting there would be a big part of the fun, with a front-row seat to port activity and shoreline. Very cool.

Speaking of cool, maybe you remember Henry’s acquisition of a walking stick way back in June in Ireland…. It has accompanied us all along the way, proving quite useful as we were often waved to the front of security and passport control lines.

(Important to fake a limp if you plan to take advantage of the shortcuts!)

Final Note from Finland

The Moomins are cartoon characters dreamed up by a Finnish author who first published their story in a children’s book in the mid-1940s. They are large soft trolls that resemble hippos who have adventures together with their friends. Extremely popular in Finland, as well as the rest of Scandinavia (and Japan!)…. In books, comic strips, theme parks, television and of course, merchandising.

Finnair, the national airline of Finland, incorporated Moomin art on a couple of its aircraft…..

We were not so lucky to fly on one of these planes upon our return from Helsinki to the US…. Surely that would have been icing on the cake! Sufficient that our Finnair flight was pleasant, the crew friendly and efficient, and our arrival early!

Back now in the US, we look forward to enjoying the fall and winter weather (which we hope will come soon). Until next time, we wish you peace, civility and kindness – please take some and pass it around.

Mexico City

by Henberta, posted in In Pursuit of Monarchs

The chance to see the magnificent Monarch butterfly en masse and to learn about its migratory practices drew us to México.  These delicate but clearly hardy creatures move each year across practically the length of North America – from Canada to the mountains of central Mexico – to spend the winter.

But first – we must get there ourselves.   Our flight to Mexico City on a relatively small Aeromexico flight had the most traffic of physically-challenged people we have ever seen on a single plane.  Out of approximately 100 passengers, at least 15 of them gained priority boarding in wheelchairs.

Not quite sure what this means – but it made us happy to still be ambulatory, and conscious of the fact that we don’t have all the time in the world left…… perhaps like the Monarch butterflies, whose numbers are dwindling for reasons we will explore over the next week.

First stop in Mexico City – the Medellin market with earthy beans, lentils, peppers and spices….

Also pork skin or chicharrons, of which I am clearly not a fan…

Henry interviews a local purveyor of chicken to find out once and for all why the chickens here are yellower than those available commercially in the US….

The answer has to do with the corn-based cuisine and free-range lifestyle these birds enjoy in Mexico, versus the cramped cages and grain-based feed they get in the US. The Mexican poultry supposedly tastes richer…..

Love of dogs is a characteristic that many share across cultural and language divides…..Wouldn’t it be great if we could all bond together with our dogs and forget about political and religious differences?

Murals became a premiere art form in Mexico in the early 20th century, most notably by Diego Rivera, whose works reflected his communist convictions….. through glorification of the working class…..

Mine workers

And scorn for the capitalist society…… here watching their wealth grow on ticker tape in 1928 (before the stock market collapse that gave rise to the Great Depression).

Other works at the mural museum celebrate aspects of the Mexican economy and culture….

And the common history of Latin America as a whole….

From the mural museum, we hiked through the area surrounding the big cathedral in moderate rain…. Which did not dissuade this hurdy-gurdy player.

Henry hoped for divine intervention to bring out the sun…..

While a holy man of the Aztec community performed a cleansing ritual involving crushed herbs and smoke….

Speaking of Aztecs….. long before they emerged as a significant power in this part of the world, there was……. Teotihuacan. Near Mexico City is the site of an ancient metropolis that in its heyday (about 100 BC to 650 AD) had a population of as many as 100,000 people and a sophisticated economic and political structure. Aside from archeological remains, little is known of these people and why their culture crumbled in about 750 AD.

It’s now a major tourist site with lots of vendors, guides and other people hoping to make a bit of money off the many sightseers who come through. The enormous pyramids and broad sweeping thoroughfares are nonetheless breath-taking.

Fun with photos
An artisan sold us a “one of a kind” memento….

We easily traveled to the site with Uber, but unfortunately could not get a signal to summon a return to the city. A local “tour guide” offered to have a friend drive us back…. Who coincidentally had a credit card swiping machine

After several unsuccessful swipes, we became suspicious and opted to take the city bus back to town. All of which demonstrates that it’s all well and good to know where you’re going, but it’s also helpful to know how you’re going to get back again!

Next we will be joining our group to travel into the mountains west of Mexico City on our butterfly adventure.

On a personal and sad note – we had to say farewell to our beloved canine friend Raider a few weeks ago. He had a great run – taking care of us during the pandemic and joining us for several road trips. We will miss him greatly.

Well done, good and faithful companion. You’ll be with us always.

 

Monarch Country

by Henberta, posted in In Pursuit of Monarchs

(There are many videos in this posting….. if you get email notification, please click on the words “Read on blog” or “Reader” in the upper right-hand corner so that you can see the dazzling moving pictures……)

The butterfly sanctuaries are in the mountains about 100 miles west and a little north of Mexico City. The small former mining town of Angangueo is the prime jumping-off point for treks to see the pretty pollinators and reminders are all over town:

Adorning a catholic shrine….
Even on the sidewalks!

Our group of 15 completely took over this charming hotel, with its equally colorful resident parakeet…..

Getting to the monarch nesting sites is not a quick trip. First you take an open 4-wheel-drive truck from the town to the entrance to the sanctuary, at about 10,000 feet in elevation.

From there, you cover the next 1,000 feet of elevation, first on horseback…

And then on foot (which can be a little challenging for those of us who live at sea level!)

Conditions were less than spectacular on our first foray….. it was cold and cloudy, followed later by sleet!

We were not quite prepared for our first sightings of butterflies to be of those who hadn’t survived…..

In these weather conditions, the Monarch roosts just look like clusters of leaves…..

A few broke loose and came to rest on human passers-by.

Unfortunately, adverse conditions brought an early end to Days 1 and 2.

The morning of Day 3, however, was a revelation….sunny and dry and thrilling for all of us, watching as the Monarchs emerged to enjoy the warmth and to get a drink of water.

Friends, we have literally hours of this material if you need more……

Just a few fun facts about the Monarch butterflies…..

— Although mankind has been aware for years of the annual migration from Canada to the southern part of North America, it was only in 1975 that intrepid wildlife scientists found the Monarch winter nesting sites near Angangueo….since then, ecotourism has grown, and local communities are actively involved in caring for and sustaining the environment that is so critical to their continued existence.

— The life span of a Monarch butterfly is typically 2 to 6 weeks; however, the generation that is born in Canada in August each year will live for 7 to 9 months in order to make the migration south to Mexico and reproduce for the good of the species.

— Collective nouns for a group of butterflies can include “flutter” and “kaleidoscope”. How apt!

A couple of closing photos just for fun…. A beautiful view of the mountains, and an irresistibly-gorgeous young rooster with attitude.

After several days following the butterflies, we return to Mexico City for a few more days via the town of Toluca. Thanks to the World Wildlife Fund and its travel partner, Natural Habitat, for a spectacular experience. More later!

Mexico City, Part Two

by Henberta, posted in In Pursuit of Monarchs

Toluca, the capital of the State of Mexico, is the site of a botanical garden with a magnificent stained glass installation – the Cosmovitral, designed and built to express the relationship between humankind and the universe. And the flowers and plants were nice too..

These are the guides Hugo and Eric who took us to see the Monarch butterflies; we’re also glad they brought us to see another colorful phenomenon…. man-made this time….. the Cosmovitral.

Definitely worth a side-trip!

Some friends and acquaintances expressed concern about our trip to Mexico – the thugs, the cartels, the victimization of innocent tourists! Even the US State Department issues dire warnings about travel there. We honestly felt quite comfortable, even with our unescorted wanderings in Mexico City; that said, it is always wise to be aware of your surroundings, keep a low-key profile, and respect the integrity of the people and places you encounter. And Mexico has such beautiful places, sweet people and gorgeous scenery…. A shame to pass it up.

We stayed in three distinctive but centrally-located neighborhoods in the City….

  • In Roma Norte, a lovely quiet neighborhood… mostly residential but with diverse intimate eateries and shops – many catering to dog-lovers. The bed and breakfast was small, in a turn-of-the-century townhouse on a pedestrian alleyway – with a pretty breakfast table.
  • Near Chapultepec Park – which contains lots of attractions, including the anthropological and other museums, a huge castle, fountains and monuments – and dog walkers! Also the Voladores de Papantla, acrobats who perform an ancient Mesoamerican ceremony by climbing and then descending from a 100-foot pole while sacred music is played on flute and drum. (It is thought the ritual is meant to bring rain from the gods. Sometimes they comply.)
  • The Zona Rosa… a popular neighborhood with a vibrant street scene and some historical and cultural points of interest
The Hotel Geneve, dating to 1907, was a gathering place for political and entertainment figures and other VIPS – including Mexican president/dictator (are they the same?) Porfirio Diaz, aviator Charles Lindbergh, actress Sophia Loren, inventor Thomas Edison, and all-around good person and now official saint, Mother Teresa.
A wonderful bookstore from the golden age of bookstores…. Including coffee shop.
Zona Rosa is a center for the LBGTQ community….. but also welcoming for people from all walks of life…. Including seniors like us!
Flamboyant attire is readily available (ignore the woman on the right in the Hokas and travel vest!)
Prostitution is legal in many parts of Mexico….. interesting to watch this young woman and four of her colleagues crowd into a VW beetle driven by a buff young man in a t-shirt…..on their way apparently to a party….. at 9 am! “On a weekday!” she huffed, clutching her pearls.

A thrill of going to a big city for those of us from the sticks is the availability of different kinds of food. One cuisine that is abundantly available in East Texas is Mexican and Tex-Mex (in addition to hamburgers and BBQ). One thing we don’t often find at home is inventive vegetarian fare!

And so, spirits renewed and enlightened, we head home, where a couple of faithful canines wait for us…..

Missing Raider, of course, but holding down the fort…..

We are grateful to have found a fabulous home/dog sitting couple who kept everything together beautifully in our absence. Our next foray will be to Western Europe this summer…to be joined part of the time by Henry’s daughter Holly and her family.

Thanks for reading, and hasta luego!

Rabbit Holes and Earworms

by Henberta, posted in Down Under

(If you get email notification of the posting, please don’t forget to click on the title of the post so that you can hear and/or see video and audio clips.)

Once upon a time (five years ago), Australia and New Zealand were to have been our destination, but alas, Covid came and the world changed.

Now the world has more or less reverted and we are finally preparing to visit the land down under. I started humming and singing Australia’s unofficial national anthem, Waltzing Matilda, a few weeks back. It’s a folk tune that was written at the turn of the twentieth century about a hobo who gets caught poaching a sheep. The term “waltzing Matilda” is not about dancing, but refers to traveling on foot (waltzing) with a bag of your belongings (Matilda) slung over your shoulder. You know how this sprightly tune goes (as demonstrated by Australian performer Rolf Harris… more about him later).

The tale turns dark at the end, as the hobo chooses to drown himself in a lake rather than be arrested for his crime…. perhaps more of a tribute to the independent spirit of the Aussies than just a light-hearted ditty.

Rolf’s story also becomes clouded…..an Australian who emigrated to the UK, he had a musical career, several shows on British television and recorded “Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport”, which was a big hit in the US and other anglophone countries in 1963. Not only was he a successful entertainer, he was also quite a gifted painter. In 2006, the BBC commissioned him to do a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II for her 80th birthday……

Sadly for poor old Rolf, he was snared in the “Me Too” movement – convicted in 2014 of multiple counts of sexual misconduct by British courts. He spent three years in prison and died last year at age 93. Following his conviction, he was stripped of many honors accrued in his lifetime, including Commander of the British Empire, Officer of the Order of Australia and as an “Australian National Living Treasure”, among other awards. No one seems to know where the queen’s painting is any more either.

Sad for Rolf, sad for the victims of unwanted attention….. which brings us to this also-sad song written by Tom Waits (as recorded in 1992 by Rod Stewart) that takes the Waltzing Matilda refrain in a whole different direction. From the viewpoint of an alcoholic stranded in a foreign country….. in pain, isolated and hopeless.

I’ve included a clip of this recording; but I encourage you to seek out the full version. It’s a haunting piece that is embedded in my brain. Never can I hear the zippy “Waltzing Matilda” again without hearing Rod’s voice croaking out a refrain of misery.

Uplifting, yeah? It’s amazing where you can go when following simple threads of inquiry….. like the origins of a perky folk song. I had to share this particular journey.

Speaking of journeys…..

We depart in a couple of days for the north island of New Zealand and then Australia. Once again, it will be trains, planes, automobiles and boats as we explore some distant reaches of that part of the world. A bonus – it’s winter there, so we will escape the treacherous heat and humidity of our East Texas home. And another bonus – we will be absent for most of the hoo-rah that will no doubt surround the build-up to the US general election in November! Yay.

It is particularly exciting that two trusted traveling companions from South Africa – Tertius and Ty – will be joining us for a few weeks flying over Australia’s middle, from Melbourne to Darwin. Here we are in 2022 celebrating our climb up the Sani Pass from South Africa to Lesotho.

Ty on the left; Tertius on the right

More hilarity will doubtless ensue on this trip!

Little of great moment has happened to us since the circumnavigation with National Geographic last year…. If you don’t count the addition of a couple of new souls to our household.

Boudreaux and Sally O’Malley showed up on our porch in the middle of an electrical storm a month or two ago, and quickly established that they were never going to leave. They are truly lovely dogs…. But will not supplant in our affections Raider, shown here dreaming under multiple images of a solar eclipse.

Raider will spend this summer with his “first” family in Tyler, while Boudreaux and Sally O will stay with a lovely woman who boards pets in her home.

With the critters taken care of, we’re off to the other side of the world. First posting from the road will probably come out at the end of June.

Stay cool and stay safe….. but not too safe!

Aotearoa

by Henberta, posted in Down Under

Aotearoa is the Māori name for the country of New Zealand. According to legend, it means “land of the long white cloud”. Presumably this is what its first human discoverers saw as they navigated their way from eastern Polynesia west across the Pacific Ocean seven or eight hundred years ago, around 1250. Europeans didn’t show up until 400 years later in 1642, when a Dutchman named Abel Tasman made his way from what is now Indonesia to southern Australia, and then to these lush islands…..

A first and enduring national symbol for Aotearoa/New Zealand is the silver fern, a plant that I originally mistook for a palm tree, growing in profusion seemingly everywhere.

The silver fern is the emblem of New Zealand’s national rugby team, the All Blacks, and is also featured on souvenir items……

People from New Zealand call themselves kiwis, after a nocturnal flightless bird endemic to the country.

Very cute…. And unfortunately endangered – falling victim to predators introduced by humans over the years, such as stoats (a kind of small weasel), dogs and cats. Wildlife conservation efforts are under way and working in some areas.

Another kind of kiwi – the fruit!

First introduced to New Zealand from China shortly after 1900, they were called Chinese gooseberries. Once commercial cultivation became successful, however, the name was officially changed in 1959 to kiwifruit.

Kiwis – people, birds and fruit…….. we look forward to getting to know more about them all!

An historic note – New Zealand became a colony of the British Empire in 1840 pursuant to a treaty with the Māori leadership. In 1907 it became a self-governing dominion of the United Kingdom and now remains a part of the Commonwealth. The flag includes the Union Jack and a depiction of the Southern Cross constellation, a brilliant feature of the night sky in this hemisphere.

Introduction over….. will post again shortly with reports from Auckland and the Northland region.

Auckland

by Henberta, posted in Down Under

Auckland was a logical place to spend a couple of days getting over jet lag….

Our base was a Victorian-era B&B and on-going labor of love for our host John. It was quite comfortable with a nice shabby/genteel vibe….. and a fabulous location.

Our room. Toilet is in the corner behind the screen – how cool is that?

John was an extraordinarily generous host who bestowed parting gifts, as well as a lift to the car rental office.

But most importantly, we shared a glass of wine and some energetic conversation with John and his friend Rosemary (and his dog Little Tina) about the state of the universe.

Earlier in the day, this tree on the University of Auckland campus caught our attention.

And while admiring its spread and will to survive, we ended up in deep discussion with arborists Lance and Vinny….. also about the state of the universe (and, of course but only briefly, the state of the tree).

The War Memorial Museum in Auckland had a special exhibit….. a series of Lego panoramas set in a post-apocalyptic world where humans have died out and Lego mini figures have taken over the remaining relics of our civilization…..

Australian “Lego Masters” created about 12 major Lego displays in the exhibition with mini figures inhabiting bookshelves, a refrigerator, a jukebox, a piano. Here, a newsroom and a cryogenic chamber, both tiny parts of larger dioramas

Clever, but more than a little sobering and eerie as the visitor contemplates a world without real humans, destroyed by our own greed and negligence.

Speaking of whimsy, color and environmental conscience, Hundtervasser was an Austrian architect and artist who moved to New Zealand in the 1970s. He was a passionate defender of the natural world – promoting trees, whales and clean water among other things – and designing incredible buildings all over the world. Here is a model of the museum bearing his name in Whangarei, NZ.

He hated straight lines, evident from this staircase…

He also painted…..

If you will pardon a slight digression, he had strong feelings about poop, and how our modern obsession with flushing it into clean water sources is a really bad idea. If you have time, read his diatribe (from half a century ago).

It makes perfect sense. The composting toilet Henry brings on our camping trips works this way.

In the same vein, Hundtervasser’s creation of most renown in New Zealand are the public toilets he designed for the town of Kawakawa.

To be fair, this is another mock-up; we did not see the original version…..

And a big shout-out to the New Zealanders… not sure if it’s because of Hundterwasser’s example or if it is just an acknowledgement of the need we all share, but public toilets in New Zealand are plentiful, easy to find and spotless…. And often quite beautiful, such as these we stopped at on our way north from Auckland.

Next report – visiting Northland and the Bay of Islands!

Bay of Islands

by Henberta, posted in Down Under

(If you get the email version of these posts, please remember to click on the title of the post above so you can view the online version and see the videos!)

Kiwis are very proud of their boating prowess, being the current holders of the America’s Cup… so we couldn’t visit (even in winter!) without taking a sailing trip.

Side note about the sailing contest, America’s Cup – it is the oldest international sporting competition in the world, the first having been conducted in 1851. (The first international Olympics competition didn’t occur until 1932.). The New York Yacht Club (obviously American) won the competition continuously from its start until 1983, the world’s longest sports winning streak at 132 years! New Zealand was awarded the cup in 2021 and will be facing a challenge in October of this year.

Back to our little adventure under sail – we joined Russell and Karen (and their dog Woody) on their yacht, the SunKiss, for two days exploring the Bay of Islands along the coast north of Auckland. It IS winter here – not freezing but nights getting down into the 40s (Fahrenheit – 10s Celsius) and days nice and cool. And a bit of rain. But we were lucky in many respects….

A break in the weather allowed Russell to put up the sails and Henry to take the helm.

Felt like I was with the Gorton’s fisherman!

Another very lucky happenstance (for us!) is that Russell is an accomplished professional chef… the meals he prepared (with such incredible ease) were simple and delicious. Great food and great company, as the state of the universe was once again carefully examined.

Breakfast on the bow…..

And Woody the dog had a job, too – helping return undersized fish to their watery home…..

And still another bonus – sleeping onboard a ship in peaceful waters is about as good as sleeping gets. What a beautiful part of the world! Thank you to Karen and Russell for sharing a little piece of this paradise with us.

The nearby town, Kororareka (called Russell in English), has a rich history as the first permanent European settlement in New Zealand…. But I like best the story of how it was named. A Māori chief was wounded nearby, and given a broth made from the carcass of a blue penguin. Upon tasting the brew, he commented, “Blue penguin….. sweet!” Presumably he was also healed. Here is the town coat of arms (with the penguin in orange for unknown reasons).

Beautiful succulent wall.

Also sweet!