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Posts from the road

Small Town Ontario

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

Last weekend, we decided to take a short drive to some nearby small communities.   We were only gone for a couple of hours but it was time well spent:  we ended up making some important decisions about our summer holidays.  More on that later.

We started out in Inverary, a village about 15 minutes north of Kingston.  The photo at the top of the post shows the main intersection:  of course, it has long been home to a general store.  Not long ago, almost every village had one of these.  However, this store, like many others, has now closed.

Inverary United Church...and our car
Inverary United Church…and our car

Our next stop was in the larger village of Sydenham.  It’s just a bit farther from Kingston and is able to sustain more local businesses.  In the warmer months, it probably also helps that a lot of cottages and outdoor attractions (Frontenac Provincial Park, Gould Lake Conservation Area) are nearby.

Saturday afternoon football on the shores of Sydenham Lake
Saturday afternoon football on the shores of Sydenham Lake

When we arrived, we stopped by the local soccer/football field.  It’s got a great location right on the shores of Sydenham Lake.  I used to play minor soccer and high school soccer games here from time to time and always enjoyed the setting.   It was good to see the field in use:  on this weekend afternoon, a minor football game was in progress.  It seemed like everyone in the village had come out to watch.

Local store in Sydenham, Ontario
Local store in Sydenham, Ontario

As it was unseasonably warm, we decided to visit Ronnie’s restaurant for some ice cream.   We had never eaten here before; in fact, we didn’t even know about it before arriving.  However, we thought it would be nice to patronize a truly local business and the ice cream was just what I needed.

As we left, we made an important decision about our summer travels:  as much as possible, we are going to try to avoid chains and eat at/patronize locally-owned businesses.  Visiting the “Milky Way” and the other local businesses in Regina was fun…who knows what other local treasures we will find this summer?

Location of the (former) mill in Sydenham, Ontario
Location of the (former) mill in Sydenham, Ontario

I suppose this flows from my recent experience with Record Store Day and its emphasis on independent record shops.  It’s not always easy to take this approach in our busy day-to-day lives but it is something we can definitely do while on vacation.  If we stumble across local events (fairs, pancake breakfasts, spaghetti dinners, etc.) held  in community halls, we’ll wander in and see what happens!

This is what post offices should look like! The post office in Sydenham, Ontario
This is what post offices should look like! The post office in Sydenham, Ontario

A stroll down Sydenham’s main street also revealed some interesting buildings and photos.  It’s difficult to identify potential pictures when you are in a car…but opportunities abound when you are walking around.  In fact, we sometimes get out and go for a walk in a small town even if nothing looks interesting.   It almost always works for us.  I say “almost” because my wife was stung by a bee (and promptly discovered her previously unknown bee allergy) while we were walking down the main street of Claremont, New Hampshire, a few years ago.  We now have a new appreciation for those blue “Hospital” signs:  when you are someplace unfamiliar and are having a medical emergency, it really helps to be able to locate a hospital quickly.

 

 

 

 

Posts from the road

Saskatchewan Surprises

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(Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada)

I don’t visit too many museums when I travel.   Spending the better part of a year on the road has made me highly selective about the types of museums I’ll visit.  When I was researching Regina, I more or less ignored the museums as places to spend my limited time.

On paper, the Royal Saskatchewan Museum didn’t sound terribly appealing.  However, it was only 3 blocks away from my B&B and I found out that it opened relatively early in the morning.  As I had some free time before the RCMP Heritage Centre opened, and the Royal Saskatchewan Museum only “recommended” a donation, I thought I would give it a quick look.

Another realistic display at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum: you can see the barrier in front of this one.
Another realistic display at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum: you can see the barrier in front of this one.

I was pleasantly surprised:  it had a number of extremely realistic 3D wildlife recreations (see the golden eagle at the top of this post) and exhibits on the theme of extinction, as well as extensive exhibits on the First Nations in what is now Saskatchewan.  It also had a number of powerful displays at the very end that really made you think about the impact of humans (and their modern lifestyles) on the environment.  I won’t spoil the surprise but I can almost guarantee that you will look at urban living much differently after you leave.

Inside the RCMP Heritage Centre
Inside the RCMP Heritage Centre

After making my donation, I walked downtown and caught a city bus out to the RCMP Heritage Centre.  It is a very interesting museum that itself would have been worth the price of admission…but I timed my visit so that I could take the free “Sergeant-Major’s Tour” at 12:30 p.m.  This tour was led by a retired RCMP officer and focused on the adjacent RCMP Training Centre where all Canadian RCMP cadets must spend 24 weeks learning their trade.   Those who complete the course are then posted to their first assignments.

The RCMP Cadet Band arrives
The RCMP Cadet Band arrives

The RCMP’s “paramilitary” history means that the cadet training program is similar to military basic training in a number of ways.  One of the main components is the drill parade.  While it may seem outdated for modern-day RCMP officers, it is maintained because it encourages attention to detail and helps immensely with team-building.  The cadet band was (perhaps inadvertently) entertaining too: some of the members have no musical training and really only mime their parts.  This was the first time I have heard the “reveille” played on saxophone:  the cornet players were clearly there just for show!

RCMP Cadets doing their marching drill
RCMP Cadets doing their marching drill

However, I think the best part of the tour was learning about the course of study and the graduation requirements.  Many of us in the legal profession wonder if we could succeed at policing, as we are trained in the principles of criminal law while at law school.  Hearing about the graduation requirements (the two most common reasons for failure are the firearms and high-speed driving components) made me realize that police work is probably not for me!  It also made me better appreciate the diverse skill set of police officers.

The oldest building in Regina: the Chapel at the RCMP Training Centre
The oldest building in Regina: the Chapel at the RCMP Training Centre

For dinner, I once again chose a local restaurant in Cathedral Village.  The Viet Thai restaurant has a very utilitarian name and a no-nonsense environment.  However, my sizable masaman curry was enhanced with a lot of fresh vegetables (only some of which are visible in the photograph) so I can’t complain at all.

Dish No. 145 at the Viet Thai restaurant in Regina, Saskatchewan
Dish No. 145 at the Viet Thai restaurant in Regina, Saskatchewan

I’ve been back in Kingston for a few days now but that doesn’t mean that things have been quiet on the travel front.  We’re in the process of finalizing our summer plans and we’re both very excited about what’s going to happen.  I won’t disclose the location yet but there will be a focus on unique, spontaneous and/or off-the-beaten-path destinations.

Posts from the road

So, this is Saskatchewan…

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(Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada)

At the beginning of my travel year in 2014, I mentioned in this post that I had been to every Canadian province and territory…except Saskatchewan. I obviously hoped to see Saskatchewan at some point but it didn’t quite fit in with the theme of my travel year.

Well, after the craziness of 2014 subsided, I was left with a whole lot of Air Miles and frequent flier points. I noticed that I had a little bit of free time at the end of April and started looking into redeeming some of those points for a quick trip.  Alas, it is getting more and more difficult to take advantage of those reward programs and the only candidates ended up being Indianapolis, Minneapolis…and Regina! While I’m sure that the “-polis” places would be interesting, the increasing value of the U.S. dollar made me think that this was finally the time to see Saskatchewan.   And now, finally, here I am!

I'm staying at the Dragon's Nest B&B in the Cathedral Village part of Regina
I’m staying at the Dragon’s Nest B&B in the Cathedral Village part of Regina

Of course, as with my trips to the northern territories, it is impossible to say that I have experienced Saskatchewan just because I have been to Regina.  With that in mind, here’s what happened on my first day here…

Entrance to the Saskatchewan Legislative Building
Entrance to the Saskatchewan Legislative Building

I started by exploring Cathedral Village, the neighbourhood where my B&B is located.  From there, it was an easy walk to the Saskatchewan Legislature.  It’s located on the shores of Wascana Lake (part of which is shown in the photo at the top of this post) and is part of the largest urban park in North America….bigger even than New Yor City’s Central Park, apparently.  I went on a rather brief tour of the Legislature building and was able to sit in on Question Period.

Stairway to the legislature chamber
Stairway to the legislature chamber

Unlike the rather subdued House of Commons I saw in London, England last autumn, Saskatchewan’s provincial parliament was a madhouse.   It was clear that the government and the opposition are not terribly fond of each other right now…it looked  (and sounded) like a classroom of unruly students.  If I have spare time later in the trip, I might return to the Legislature to see some more of the spectacle.

The legendary Milky Way on Victoria Avenue in Regina
The legendary Milky Way on Victoria Avenue in Regina

Next up was some exploration of downtown – despite a significant number of federal and provincial government offices, it wasn’t quite as busy as I had expected.  I did some restaurant scoping and, given the surprisingly warm weather, I decided to make the pilgrimage to the “Milky Way”, a legendary ice cream  vendor with a long and illustrious history in Regina.  I opted to go local and have a “Saskatoon Sundae”:  logically enough, it features saskatoon berries (also known as juneberries).   I’ve never had them before but they were quite good with the vanilla soft-serve ice cream.   There’s nothing wrong with having dessert before dinner!

The first time I have eaten at a place called "La Cucaracha" (13th Avenue, Cathedral Village, Regina)
The first time I have eaten at a place called “La Cucaracha” (13th Avenue, Cathedral Village, Regina)

Speaking of dinner, I kept the “go local” theme and went to a newly-established Mexican take-out place in Cathedral Village called “La Cucaracha”.  It’s not a name I like to associate with food but the ingredients were top quality and they even had imported Mexican soft drinks.   It’s been a very long time since I had strawberry soda…it might even have been back in the days of the Pop Shoppe!

For my second day in Regina, I’m hoping to make it out to the RCMP Visitor Centre and (of course) explore the vinyl record offerings in Saskatchewan’s capital city.

Posts from the road

Skiing at Whistler-Blackcomb: Part 3

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(Whistler, British Columbia, Canada)

Skiing on the Blackcomb Glacier, as detailed in my previous post, was a special highlight of my ski week here. We enjoyed it so much that we went back to the glacier twice on our final day of skiing (see photo at top of this post, which looks back on what we just skied).  Another highlight was hiking into the backcountry to ski the off-piste “Flute Bowl” on Whistler Mountain.

I never venture into “true” backcountry without a knowledgeable guide.  However, at Whistler, there is a backcountry area within the resort boundaries. By skiing to the edge of the “Symphony Amphitheatre” and then carrying your skis up a steep mountain, you can then truly ski off-piste and unconfined by the on-piste crowds.

Partway up the mountain, I pause to consider what lies ahead. We more or less followed that guy to the two rocks.
Partway up the mountain, I pause to consider what lies ahead. We more or less followed that guy to the two rocks.

After traversing most of the access trail on skis, we took off our skis and walked straight up for about 20 minutes. It’s hard to say how long or far it was: all I know is that walking in ski boots up a snow-covered mountain is extremely tiring. Once we reached the agreed-upon lookout point, I had to sit down in the snow to cool off.

Chilling out between the "two rocks" seen in the previous photo...in the unearthly light of Whistler Mountain
Chilling out between the “two rocks” seen in the previous photo…in the unearthly light of the Coast Mountains

Groomed pistes sometimes feel like Autobahns…but hiking and skiing in the backcountry is a completely different sensation. Everything is silent. You feel much more responsible for yourself: you can’t just follow the 100 skiers in front of you. You have to use all of your senses and think several moves ahead.

In better snow conditions, off-piste skiing is mostly about the exhilaration of skiing through lush stashes of untouched powder. With poor snow conditions, it is more about being (relatively) alone in a vast wintry wilderness and finding one’s way back. It felt great to climb to a commanding look-out point…but it also felt great to get back to the marked trails.

Looking back at the mountain we climbed (and skied)
Looking back at the mountain we climbed (and skied)

My posts on skiing at Whistler-Blackcomb have contained a number of comments about the poor ski conditions.  Indeed, that is all the locals seemed to talk about:  I can’t tell you how many times a Whistlerite apologized this week for the state of the snow.  Even though I wish all of my ski holidays would involve conditions like the “blizzard day in Val Gardena” (click for a video), a ski holiday is essentially about being in the mountains.  Whether the snow is soft or hard, the mountains are still incredibly beautiful.

View from the top of the Symphony Lift, access point to the Flute Bowl. The portion we climbed is just about in the middle.
View from the top of the Symphony Lift, access point to the Flute Bowl. The portion we climbed is just slightly to the right of the middle.

Besides apologizing for the snow, the locals were all very interested in hearing about how Whistler-Blackcomb compares to skiing in Europe.  There is a feeling that Whistler-Blackcomb is world-class…and there also seems to be a need to have that feeling confirmed!

Unfortunately, I don’t think I can answer that question.  The conditions here were too unusual to make any meaningful comparisons with European skiing.  I also think the answer would be different for different types of skiers:  a skier with cultural interests would probably respond differently than somebody who cares solely about the skiing.  Perhaps this non-committal answer means that Whistler-Blackcomb is indeed comparable with European skiing?  In any case, I’d love to come back again when the mountains have better snow conditions.

View of the famed "Lower Dave Murray Downhill" piste leading to Whistler Creekside Village. Thanks to frequent snowmaking, the conditions on this piste were actually quite good for most of the week.
View of the famed “Lower Dave Murray Downhill” piste leading to Whistler Creekside Village, taken from the Creekside Gondola lift.  Thanks to frequent snowmaking, the conditions on this piste were actually quite good for most of the week.

This is the last “post from the road” for my trip to Whistler-Blackcomb.  I’ll be in Kingston for a while but will continue with more travel flashbacks and other travel-related posts.  I also have a quick but somewhat odd trip coming up at the end of April.  Stay tuned!

Posts from the road

Skiing at Whistler-Blackcomb: Part 2

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(Whistler, British Columbia, Canada)

Whistler and Blackcomb used to be two different ski areas but came under the same ownership more than 30 years ago.  While they have been connected at Whistler Village for a while, they have recently been joined at mid-mountain by the innovative “Peak 2 Peak” gondola.

Our first impressions of Blackcomb were not too favourable.  As always, we were already in line for the gondola when it opened at 8:15 a.m.  Alas, virtually all of the pistes open first thing in the morning  were also in the shade.  This made it very cold and often very icy.  Much of the day was spent searching out that elusive softer snow.

A mountain lake, as seen from the "Symphony" area of Whistler Mountain
A mountain lake, as seen from the “Symphony” area of Whistler Mountain

There were two highlights on that first Blackcomb day, however.   The first highlight was once again finding a piste (“Zig Zag”) at the lower elevations that was being subjected to a lot of snowmaking.  Most people stayed away, so we had the piste and its soft snow almost to ourselves.   While it was a little more inconsistent, we also found the piste leading to the village’s Blackcomb gondola station to have softer snow and relatively few skiers.

Rugged rock overlooking the entrance to the Blackcomb Glacier
Rugged rock overlooking the entrance to the Blackcomb Glacier

The second highlight was skiing on the Blackcomb Glacier.  Although it is at the very highest part of the Blackcomb ski area, we still needed to take off our skis and hike uphill to the “other side of the mountain”.  It was well worth the effort, however, as we were able to pick our own route across a vast glacial slope.  It is rare to have such complete freedom to ski and still be within the boundaries of a ski area.

Looking across the Blackcomb Glacier before beginning our descent
Looking across the Blackcomb Glacier before beginning our descent

As the snow was relatively crusty and demanded our full attention, I didn’t have a chance to take any pictures “mid-glacier”.  However, I was able to take some pre- and post-glacier photos that hopefully hint at the majesty of this part of Blackcomb.   Not even a wretchedly icy “escape route” from the glacier back to the regular part of Blackcomb could tarnish the experience.

Looking back at the spectacular Blackcomb Glacier, after skiing down it. The flat trail at the bottom soon became a narrow, icy demon!
Looking back at the spectacular Blackcomb Glacier, after skiing down it. The flat trail at the bottom soon became a narrow, icy demon!  [Just for fun: spot the differences between this photo and the photo at the top of this post.]
Nonetheless, icy pistes continue to plague us.  While the mountains are spectacular, this has probably been the worst winter ever for snow conditions in Whistler.   It has been an intellectual challenge:  while we found the conditions in the “Seventh Heaven” area quite treacherous on our first morning at Blackcomb, this same area yielded relatively great conditions only two days later…but in the afternoon and only on certain pistes.  We are doing our best to meet the challenge:  the snow conditions are yet another reminder that nature is very powerful and its secrets are not easily discovered.

We also continue to enjoy the food here, much to my surprise…I had heard that food here was expensive and uninspiring.  It can definitely be on the expensive side if you’re not careful but we’ve done OK so far.

African Peanut Soup with Quinoa/Vegetable and Pemberton Beet salads, at the "Raven's Nest"
African Peanut Soup with Quinoa/Vegetable and Pemberton Beet salads, at the “Raven’s Nest”

We’ve had lunch mid-mountain at the no-frills “Raven’s Nest” vegan/vegetarian restaurant 3 times now and have been happy every time.  We also have eaten dinner twice at Pasta Lupino in the village:  it’s a small Italian restaurant featuring some of the best pasta sauces I’ve ever had.  Yes, it is possible to create a legendary pasta sauce (even a spicy arrabbiata sauce!) without garlic.  We hope to have one final meal at Pasta Lupino before our week here is over.

Coming up:  more on Whistler-Blackcomb… and comparing it to ski resorts in the Alps.

Posts from the road

Skiing at Whistler-Blackcomb: Part 1

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(Whister, British Columbia, Canada)

How did I find myself spending a week skiing at Whistler-Blackcomb?  It’s a long and complicated story.  It’s even more difficult to explain how I have never been skiing west of Kingston, despite skiing for more than 30 years in eastern Canada, Europe and even (on one bizarre occasion) Africa!  Anyway, I’m here now and some would say that it’s about time.

Whistler-Blackcomb is frequently named as the top ski resort in North America.  It has hosted World Cup downhill races and also hosted the alpine skiing events during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.  This last part was sufficient for me:  I have a special connection to the 2010 Olympics and skiing on the downhill course was another bucket list item that I hoped to achieve some day.  Even so, I didn’t do a lot of research on this trip:  I didn’t even have a chance to look into which pistes were used for the 2010 Olympic alpine skiing events.

More Olympic rings, this time at the Olympic Plaza in Whistler Village
More Olympic rings, this time at the Olympic Plaza in Whistler Village

We decided to spend the first day on Whistler Mountain.  Conventional wisdom here says that you immediately move to the highest elevations and only return to the village at the end of the day.  However, we found that the very high winds, resulting icy surfaces and cold temperatures made the high-altitude conditions rather less than ideal.  We moved lower, where there was some shelter from the wind, the temperatures were a little warmer, and the snow was staying on the pistes.

We found a black-diamond-rated piste called “Lower Dave Murray Downhill” that led to Whistler Creekside Village.   The entrance to the piste was almost completely blocked and there were all kinds of warnings about “difficult snow conditions” and the fact that snowmaking was also in progress.  We decided to try it anyway.

Some of the warning signs at the top of the "Lower Dave Murray Downhill" (Whistler Mountain), which turned out to be quite a special piste
Some of the warning signs and barriers  at the top of the “Lower Dave Murray Downhill” (Whistler Mountain), which turned out to be quite a special piste

It was a splendid decision.  The “difficult snow conditions” consisted of snowmaking (how can fresh snow be considered a difficulty?) and a nearly-abandoned piste with some significant snow accumulation.   It was -1’C and the sun was shining brightly on us.  We skied this piste over and over again, barely stopping and barely believing that nobody else was taking advantage of the great conditions.  After completing each run, we climbed into the next gondola without waiting and repeated the process all over again.

In such icy conditions, trail ratings are of little guidance.  While the Dave Murray Downhill was a little steep in one or two places, it certainly wasn’t as difficult as some of the mogulled-up and icy “intermediate-rated” pistes we have encountered thus far.

View of Whistler Mountain from the bottom of the "Seventh Heaven" area at Blackcomb
View of Whistler Mountain from the bottom of the “Seventh Heaven” area at Blackcomb

We eventually skied on the “Upper Dave Murray Downhill” (which wasn’t directly connected to “Lower Dave Murray Downhill” today because of poor conditions near the junction) as well and ticked that one off the list too.  We later found out that not only is the Dave Murray Downhill piste used for World Cup ski races, it also hosted the alpine skiing events at the 2010 Olympics.  It was great to discover that our favourite piste of the day turned out to be Olympian!

View of Whistler Village from about halfway up Blackcomb Mountain. Not much (natural) snow at the lower elevations!
View of Whistler Village from about halfway up Blackcomb Mountain. Not much (natural) snow at the lower elevations!

It was a great way to start the week of skiing and it more than made up for the fact that the lifts to the very peak of Whistler and to the “Symphony” area were closed due to the high winds.  There was also a great vegan restaurant right at the start of the Lower Dave Murray Downhill where I enjoyed a very good (and, by Whistler standards, very affordable) African Peanut Soup and a Quinoa-Vegetable Salad.  We’re definitely going to return there on our next day of skiing at Whistler Mountain.

Before returning to Whistler Mountain, however, we decided to spend our second day of skiing at Blackcomb Mountain.  Stay tuned for more details on that!

Posts from the road

Quick Visit to Toronto

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(Toronto, Ontario, Canada)

We are on the way back from a quick trip to Toronto: before I go any further, I apologize for not meeting up with more of you while there. However, we have quite a “social backlog” with our Toronto friends and we didn’t have time to see everybody this time around!

Atrium of the CBC Broadcast Centre (Toronto, Ontario)
Atrium of the CBC Broadcast Centre (Toronto, Ontario)

Of course, there is always time to eat…and so I brought my wife to the legendary Jumbo Empanadas restaurant on Augusta Avenue in the Kensington Market district.  It doesn’t look like much from the outside (it is on the left side of the picture at the top of this blog) and it is very spartan inside.  However, their empanadas are  very good and very large, while their corn pie is magnificent.

In Chile, corn pie is served in a pie plate and consists of a top layer of shredded and cooked sweet corn over a bottom layer of ground meat, olives, raisins, onions and even a hard-boiled egg.  Words can’t do it justice…and I don’t have a picture either because I ate mine so quickly!  All I can say is that I eat a corn pie at Jumbo Empanadas every time I am in the Kensington Market area.   When I think about how much I enjoyed the Argentinean empanadas in Costa Rica last year, a trip to Chile and Argentina may well be in the cards someday!

Priceless Artifact from the CBC Museum (Toronto, Ontario)
Priceless Artifact from the CBC Museum (Toronto, Ontario)

In between meet-ups with friends, we managed to squeeze in a visit to the CBC Museum on Front Street.  While it is by no means comprehensive, it is also free and you can visit between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on weekdays.  Check out the incredible 1970s windbreaker in the photo above…I can still remember the orange suits (!) that also featured this “exploding C” logo.

Sound Effects Central at the CBC Museum (Toronto, Ontario)
The old way of generating sound effects (complete with cigarette burns on the console) at the CBC Museum (Toronto, Ontario)

We also enjoyed looking at their sounds effects displays, although it was also sobering to realize that Scully and Cartridge machines are now considered museum pieces.  We both used to work on those machines during our days at CFRC-FM and I guess they now qualify as ancient technology.

The Straight Eights live at Castro's Lounge (Toronto, Ontario)
The Straight Eights live at Castro’s Lounge (Toronto, Ontario)

That evening, we went to see a 1950s-style rockabilly band called “The Straight Eights” at a bar in the Beaches district of Toronto.  I’m not a huge rockabilly fan but I recognized almost all of these songs as ones that were played by the Beatles (“Twenty Flight Rock”, “Blue Moon of Kentucky”, etc.) during their formative years.  If you’re familiar with the Toronto music scene, you will recognize their lead singer as “Big Rude Jake”  of Toronto blues fame.

The Flatiron Building, at the corner of Front and Wellington Streets in downtown Toronto
The Flatiron Building, at the corner of Front and Wellington Streets in downtown Toronto

We also took advantage of the trip to see a very special movie.  “Red Army” has only a limited engagement in Toronto and I doubt that it will appear in any of Kingston’s theatres.   It is an excellent film about the hugely successful national ice hockey teams of the former Soviet Union…told by the players from those teams.  I won’t give away too much, as this documentary contains an awful lot of surprises that I don’t want to ruin.   However, you don’t need to be a hockey expert to appreciate it:  it is just as fascinating from the Cold War and human interest perspectives.   See it if you can.

Coming up in the next few weeks:  more travel flashbacks and then a week-long trip to a completely new destination for me.  Stay tuned!

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The Lost Blog Entry from Bosnia & Herzegovina

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

In reviewing my photographs of the past year, I realized that there was still at least one untold story from my visit to Bosnia & Herzegovina. Here is a “previously unpublished” blog entry dating back to April of 2014.

The city of Mostar suffered terribly during the 1990s. I’ve shared some stories and pictures about the destroyed bridge and some of the damage that was done to the people and buildings. But I didn’t say anything about one of the monuments…

View of the "east bank" of Mostar, from the top of the famous Old Bridge
View of the “east bank” of Mostar, from the top of the famous Old Bridge

Yugoslavia was a communist country but it wasn’t really behind the Iron Curtain.  Marshal Tito followed a relatively independent course and, as a result, Yugoslavia was the most accessible of the communist states in Eastern Europe. However, as in most of the communist countries, there were many monuments built in Yugoslavia to commemorate the struggle against fascism during World War II.

Second World War Monument (Trebinje, Bosnia & Herzegovina)
Second World War Anti-Fascist Monument (Trebinje, Bosnia & Herzegovina)

Last year, I published a photograph (see above) of a Yugoslavian era anti-fascist monument in Trebinje. This monument is well maintained and is right in the middle of Trebinje’s main downtown park, suggesting that it is considered to be very important.  However, another (much, much larger) Yugoslavian era anti-fascist monument is located in Mostar.  Unlike Trebinje’s monument, however, the one in Mostar is crumbling, waterlogged, and completely overgrown with weeds. There are no signs showing the way to Mostar’s monument and some maps don’t even include it…despite it being close to downtown and sprawling over the equivalent of several city blocks. How could this happen, when the two cities are in the same country and barely 100 km apart?

Anti-Fascist Monument in Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina
Anti-Fascist Monument in Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina

The answer is complicated and obscured by past conflicts. In a nutshell, however, one ethnic group is seen as having been sympathetic to the communist cause…while another is seen as having been sympathetic to the fascist cause. As a result, the interest in maintaining anti-fascist monuments varies according to which ethnic group dominates in a particular place. The interest in developing “Yugoslavian Civil War” tourism varies in a similar way, as one ethnic group is not as keen on having its role being placed under scrutiny.   You can imagine how complicated this gets, as there are actually three ethnic groups in Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Overgrown monument in Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina
Near the top of the overgrown anti-fascist monument in Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina

I was tempted to use quotation marks with put the word “ethnic” in the above paragraph:  you may remember from my earlier posts that these “ethnic” groups historically were essentially the same in appearance and language:  it was mainly religion that divided them.

Looking from the monument itself to the formerly grand entrance (Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina)
Looking from the monument itself down the formerly grand entrance boulevard (Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina)

Anyway, I spent a fair bit of time exploring and climbing on the Mostar monument.  It is huge and built in an over-the-top style that is typical of communist-era monuments.  I was the only person there:  I saw somebody walking a mean-looking dog there when I first passed by the entrance, but he was gone by the time I visited the park.  It felt really creepy,  as if nobody was really welcome at the monument.  I kept looking around to see if somebody was going to tell me to leave…or even to escort me away from the monument.  That never happened but I would not have been surprised if it did.

A smaller arched bridge in Mostar
Another arched bridge in Mostar

This massive monument would have been a major attraction in other Eastern European countries, as they certainly don’t make monuments like that anymore.  However, the rawness of Bosnia & Herzegovina’s recent past means that it will probably continue to crumble for quite some time.     In the meantime, if you want to see the monument in Mostar, try not to rely too heavily on locally-produced maps:  it is possible that something will be missing.  You may also want to visit with a group and during daylight hours, as I didn’t feel completely safe visiting the site and I think there is only one way to get in and out.

Posts from the road

English Food

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(London, England, U.K.)

After being so excited about the food possibilities at the beginning of this trip, I didn’t really write much about food on this blog.  I was a little distracted by all of the music and sights, especially in London.

Despite my initial musings about a “dhansak tour of England”, I did not have any more dhansak on the trip.  In fact, I didn’t make it into another East Indian restaurant after my first night in Cambridge. However, I still enjoyed a lot of interesting food in London.  Any lingering misconceptions about the sorry state of English dining ought to be permanently “consigned to the dustbin”, as they say.

Oddly-named establishment on Charlotte Street in Fitzrovia
Oddly-named establishment on Charlotte Street in Fitzrovia

Friday’s lunch was a delicious (and vibrant) chicken paella at a small place called Café Deco just two blocks from my hotel.   I had big plans for a Lebanese dinner that night in Putney before the Los Pacaminos concert…but the restaurant was fully booked.  With time running out, I had to settle for a take-out place called “Flavas Peri Peri” for dinner.  It was extremely cheap (and plastic) by London standards and I didn’t have a great feeling about it.  Luckily, the chicken sandwich was OK and the peri-peri sauce was better than expected.

On Saturday evening, I went to upscale Kensington for the concert at the Royal Albert Hall.  I thought that there would be a lot of restaurants between the Kensington High Street tube station and the concert hall…but I didn’t see very many at all.

Christmas shopping chaos on London's famed Carnaby Street
Christmas shopping chaos on London’s famed Carnaby Street

Once again running a little late, I decided to try a humble Chinese restaurant humbly called “Stick & Bowl”, vaguely remembering the name from an on-line review.    The restaurant thrived on low comfort and high turnover but I still enjoyed my dinner of  BBQ Pork with crispy noodles.  In fact, the turnover was so fast that I was able to explore the neighbourhood a little before the concert.

After the concert, I was feeling very nibbly and was surprised to find relatively few late-night dining options near my hotel.  Settling for a Tesco supermarket, I found a prepackaged but satisfying feta and butternut squash salad with lemon & mint dressing.  If I had been in London longer, I definitely would have tried it again.

Christmas Bazaar on the High Street in St. John's Wood
Christmas Bazaar on the High Street in St. John’s Wood

After visiting Abbey Road on Sunday, I decided to stay in the St. John’s Wood area for lunch, where I found a Japanese restaurant called “Mori” on the High Street.  I opted for the culturally-confused and visually unappealing but actually quite good “Chicken Katsu Curry”.   If Germany can come up with “Currywurst”, why not?

Chicken Katsu Curry over rice at Mori in St. John's Wood
Chicken Katsu Curry over rice at Mori in St. John’s Wood

This left me with only one more meal in England.  I had already tried fish & chips in Southend-on-Sea but it wasn’t in a traditional English pub.  I decided that I wanted a nice pint of English cider and something tasty but filling in a warm atmosphere.  It didn’t take long to make a decision:  after walking by the neighbourhood-oriented Fitzrovia Tavern (see photo at top of this post) several times during my London stay, I finally went inside.

I grabbed a table in front of a fireplace and enjoyed an excellent “Hunter’s Chicken” and draught English cider.  It was all very cozy and a great way to end my dining adventures in England…even if the pub turned out to be part of a chain and “Hunter’s Chicken” is probably not traditional pub fare.

The Fitzroy Tavern at night, just after I ate there
The Fitzrovia Tavern at night, just after I ate there

As you have no doubt noticed, I wasn’t always able to take pictures of my food in London.    Sometimes, the circumstances made it awkward to get out the camera…and sometimes I just forgot.  It was also nice to leave the camera behind once in a while and just enjoy the moment.

This is my last post from England.  I’ll be doing some year-end wrap-up posts next:  stay tuned to find out the “best” parts of my travel year!

Posts from the road

Random Walk in London

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(London, England, U.K.)

In between my tour of Parliament and the Jools Holland concert at the Royal Albert Hall, I had an entire afternoon free in London.  As I had stumbled upon so many interesting things on a random walk two days earlier, I decided to do the same thing after leaving the Houses of Parliament.

Heading westward, I passed Westminster Abbey and found myself in the sprawling St. James Park.  The crowds were immense, as the park was right between Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace.  There was a lot of almost-domesticated wildlife:  these ducks, swans and squirrels had long ago figured out that they could live well by getting relatively close to humans.

One of my new friends poses for a picture in St. James Park, London.
One of my new friends poses for a picture in St. James Park, London.

I arrived at Buckingham Palace (see photo at top of this post) just after 12:00 noon.  It is certainly a large building but I found the setting to be more impressive than the palace itself. This did not seem to deter many tourists:  the roads were kept clear by police but it was otherwise extremely crowded in front of the palace.

Another Beatles site: the Bag o' Nails (where Paul met Linda), just west of Buckingham Palace on Lower Grosvenor Square
Another Beatles site: the Bag o’ Nails (where Paul first met Linda), just west of Buckingham Palace on Lower Grosvenor Place

Craving some space, I decided to continue west and soon found myself  in Belgravia.  Along the way, I came across the “Bag o’ Nails” pub.  I knew it was famous for something but couldn’t remember what.  It turns out that this was a famous music venue in the 1960s and was also the pub where Paul McCartney first met his wife Linda in 1967.   [As much of “A Hard Day’s Night” was filmed at the Scala Theatre on Tottenham Court Road in Fitzrovia, I probably also saw the place where George Harrison met his first wife in 1964!].

Typical streetscape in Belgravia, London
Typical streetscape in Belgravia, London

Belgravia is posh, with immaculate and imposing white buildings everywhere.  I wasn’t surprised to see many embassies here.  While it was nice to look at and there were certainly no crowds, I was beginning to get hungry and Belgravia didn’t seem to have any restaurants.  I began walking northeast and, after passing the edge of Hyde Park, found myself in Mayfair.

Typical streetscape in Mayfair, London
Typical streetscape in Mayfair, London

Mayfair is another one of those names that I had heard before but didn’t have any real meaning to me.  Now it does: Mayfair is the shopping district for those who are unconcerned about price.  It’s beautiful, with ornate buildings and an unhurried air suggesting that everything is lovingly scrubbed down and polished on a daily basis.

Typical shopfront in Mayfair, London
Typical shopfront in Mayfair, London

I was getting quite hungry but I was wearing blue jeans and a scruffy sweater.  Even if the Mayfair restaurants had appealed to me, I doubt that I would have been welcome in them.  I reluctantly looked at the map and decided to head towards Oxford Street…it would be crowded, but it would be much easier to find an appropriate place for lunch.

I must not have been too discreet when I took this picture of the Mustard Café: the server is waving!
I must not have been too discreet when I took this picture of the Mustard Café: the server is waving!

Oxford Street was impossibly busy but I found an unassuming café on a street running parallel to and north of Oxford.  I paused to look at the menu and I was reassured by a patron that the food was good.  For just under 5 pounds, I had a surprisingly good lasagna and a fruit juice at the Mustard Café.

As I had walked about 5 miles since leaving Parliament, I didn’t push myself too hard for the rest of the afternoon. I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t completely exhausted by the time I made it to the Royal Albert Hall!