Flitting about...

As you must know, we are back home and safe in Danville.  The traveling is done, but the wrapping up and posting still has a ways to go.  If you have been following along, you know I have my '25 requirements' for each of the destinations I chose for my sabbatical.  Along the way, some of those things got set aside as we moved from one place to another.  Sometimes they got done, but I never got around to posting them.  Some of them were just not possible to do on the road.  Now that I am home, I am knocking them down, writing them up and will be posting them over the next couple weeks.  Those posts will have us jumping all over the place, from Russia to China and all points in between.  I still have a back log of Cuba posts that did not get up before we headed to China, so we will start with them.  We are not on the road again, just cleaning up.

Hola de Cuba!

A post from Cuba

I know I said there would not be any - because I had read that the internet is so bad, but then I found a WiFi connection.  The internet is bad.  I am convinced it is intentionally so.  It is ridiculously expensive for the average Cuban.  Thirty minutes of dial-up (yes, dial-up.  Remember that?) would cost a Cuban a days wages.  The other day it took me five minutes just to login into my gmail.  Facebook, because it has graphics, was much slower.  I would log on and let it run in the background while I read and responded to email.  If I was lucky, I could see my page for a minute before my card expired and the computer shut down.  You don't even get to keep the pages you loaded to read off-line.  They just melt away.  Cool graphic, that - your page melting away.  Once you get past the disappointment of seeing it melt away....

Mobile phone communication, even land lines, is equally pricey.  Skype calls cost more than $1. a minute.  Why?  Well, as John Marshall famously said: "the power to tax is the power to destroy."  I bet Hosni Mubarak wishes he had made communication a lot more expensive just about now.

At any rate I am in Cuba, learning a ton.  Some of it good, some of it bad.  But as my father used to say: "it costs money to learn how to play the piano."  Learning how to avoid getting cheated costs some money.  It cost me $12.50.  About the cost of a piano lesson.

The weather has been quite variable.  From sweltering on Wednesday, to downright cool yesterday.  Today is somewhere in the middle.  Tonight is my last night in Havana, then I get out and begin to see parts of the rest of the island.  Havana has been great.  Lots of material for the blog, but be patient.  I have taken advantage of the time here to write up most of the Turkey posts, so there is a backlog that needs to be cleared before the Cuba stuff starts. 

For Americans, I really wish you could come and experience this.  It is unique in many ways and, I expect, very perishable.  It's kind of a Catch-22.  You can't see it until the embargo ends, and when the embargo ends it will disappear.  I am taking pictures for you though.  Sadly you will have to live vicariously.  Until soon - Enjoy the canned posts.

Bonus WiT? Clue:  Am I going to have to bust some heads to get you to guess?  'Cuz I will.  Don't doubt me.  I'll do whatever it takes.  He'd prefer you hate him, well, fear actually...

Arrivederci, Roma - Europa, Au Revoir

It is hard to believe, but in just a couple of days we will be sleeping once again in North America.  The European part of the journey will be done.  Except for a brief stopover in DC (it hardly counts, just at the airport to change planes) we will not yet be back in the good ol' USA - but we will be getting closer.

Right now we are really just hanging out in Rome, waiting for our flight.  We have been here three days, just strolling past the sights on our way to either pizza or gelato (depends on the time of day)  Having no agenda, after weeks of needing to knock down the 'list of 25' over and over, really is a treat.  It gave us time to squeeze in a football match, something that believe it or not, in five months in Europe, I still had not done.

But we are in Rome and that is home to one of our son Christopher's favorite teams (OK, he has at least three 'favorite teams' that I know of - but AS Roma is one of them).  When he was in Glasgow he had tickets with Kate to see one of the others - Rangers - but the cruel winter intervened, flooded the field and forced the cancellation of the match.  Sadly, Christopher went home without seeing a game - so we went for him.  I know it is really not the same (at all) - but what can you do?

These guys taught me some new words...

We went mostly to experience the atmosphere, and we were not disappointed.  One of the reasons I love college sports (so much more than pros) is because the fans have such a passion for their teams.  European football fans are the same way.  They have so much passion that to buy a ticket you have to produce a picture ID for every ticket.  They want to know exactly who is in every seat.  Your name is printed on the ticket and you have to produce the ID at the gate to get in.  Once inside, the stadium is carved up into sections that are hermetically sealed.  You cannot get from one to another.  Even so, that is not enough.  The home fans are separated from the  visitors first by plexiglass and steel, then by a ring of uniformed security.  There must have been 50 positioned every few feet apart, ringing the almost 50 fans who made the trek from Brescia to sit in the 'better' seats.  Brescia had more fans in the 'Ultra' zone, but I doubt even at home their Ultras, match the Romani Ultras.  They had passion.  They stood the whole game, waved their banners, sang, chanted, whistled and cheered.  The game was good.  A 1-1 tie, with both goals in the second half and a spirited finish, but the Romani Ultras were the highlight of the night.  Just a taste, enjoy.

Murat's Turkey

Long time blog followers know the drill.  I visit a country and do my 25 things, then I start writing about it and finally, I start to post the blog entries.  There is sometimes a sizeable lag.  For Russia, I was still cleaning things up weeks after we arrived in Belgium.  For Germany, I will still be cleaning things up long after we have left "the next destination", this time Turkey.  And I am sure Turkey will not be finished until after I get back to North America (Montreal) and finally have some long blocks of time where I can sit and write.  There is a lot to say about Turkey.  It is an extraordinary country, populated by perhaps even more extraordinary people.

Today we leave Ankara, our second Turkish stop, for Izmir - what will be our last stop in Turkey.  Everyday we see or experience one thing more interesting and marvelous than the day before.  It has been a phenomenal experience, made possible by a former student, Murat who has made sure we experience his country fully.  We owe him a great debt of gratitude.

So, coming attractions - the next couple days look for a bunch of posts on the remaining German topics with maybe a post or two from MC on Turkey.  We are headed from Izmir to Greece, then Italy flying from Rome to Montreal.  From there MC goes home and I go to Cuba (she was denied the permission they gave me to visit).  One of us will be in California mid February.  By the end of February, we will both be there with China & Japan hovering on the horizon.

For those playing WiT?  Check the original post for new clues as I get a chance.

Fröhliche Weihnachten!

Merry Christmas from Berlin!  We have arrived safe and sound and are enjoying (?) a chilly White Christmas with Christopher and Kate.  Hope you and yours are safe, warm and happy...

Merry Christmas 2010

Christmas Eve will find me

where the love light gleams 

I'll be home for Christmas, 

if only in my dreams…

Well, this Christmas will find us a long way from home. That explains why most of you will be getting just a virtual Christmas letter this year. No, it's not about being green though we try to be as green as we can. And no, it's not about being cheap though I try hard there too. No, this year we just don't have the logistics to pull it off. We are about 5000 miles from our address book and four days from a stretch where we will be sleeping in five different cities in 10 days. Physical cards and letters will have to wait for 2011.

But Christmas won't wait and so we prepare for one this year that will be unlike any we've had before. Christmas Eve will find us in Berlin, starting the second of the visits that are part of phase II of Scott's sabbatical year. It is not our first Christmas in Berlin. In 1979, during the year we lived in Germany, we spent Christmas in Berlin. They had a wall then. The Soviets were invading Afghanistan and everyone was a little tense. I expect this one will be a little different. If nothing else, it will be different because this time we will not be alone. We will have a little bit of home with us. Christopher and Kate are joining us there, so it won't be the loneliest Christmas ever.

We will miss Alexander and Emily. They just cannot clear the decks and bug out to Europe for a few weeks. Both of them are up to their eyeballs in school commitments and on schedules that don't deliver the coordinated breaks a trip to Europe requires. Emily is in her second year (of two) of a veterinary tech program that's on the quarter system. It has an intense schedule and short breaks. On top of that she has responsibility for the animal care facility. The college keeps animals for the students to train with. There's no break caring for them. Someone has to be there 365.

Alexander is kind of in the same boat. He is in his second year of law school at USF. Second year is supposed be better than the first but it doesn't seem to be a whole lot easier. The rotten economy just adds to the already intense pressure. The last couple of years have been a bad time to be fresh out of college in any field. The law seems to be as bad as any, if not worse. There are a lot of unemployed young lawyers and that has thrown a monkey wrench into the law school pattern. The internships you were supposed to have while in school have become very hard to come by. Still, he keeps plugging along, hoping there's a light at the end of the tunnel and that it's not an oncoming train.

He and Emily are living in our house in Danville with their three cats and our one (yes, that's four – They do like them though so it is not as bad as it sounds to me). Having them to mind the place has turned out to be a godsend. At one point we had thought of renting our place out while we were gone. Good thing we didn't. One night in September the old oak in our neighbor’s yard decided to come crashing down. It put some big holes in the roof and back wall. Some of them just inches from where Alexander and Emily were sleeping at that time. We were very lucky. We are also lucky that there is someone there to manage the repair process. The insurance company (USAA - can't say enough good things about them. Great company) has helped a lot but the damage was significant and has taken months to repair. I don't think that a tenant would have been as patient or as accommodating as A & E. We will miss them.

Christopher and Kate we won't. Seeing Kate is not that big a stretch. We actually spent the weekend with her back in October. She's been in Scotland this semester with Lewis & Clark’s study abroad program at University of Glasgow. She is having a great time - except for the school part. I think she really loves the British lifestyle. She loved London in ‘06 and now Glasgow. I suspect this will not be her last sojourn on that sceptered isle. She is a junior this year, has committed to being a history major and is getting close to having to face the reality of life after college. After Christmas she returns to Portland and I don't think she'll be coming home to Danville this summer. Baby’s all growed up. I don't think I like that.

Christopher is available at Christmas due to a happy coincidence in his work life. Yes, Christopher has a job. In last year's letter it was a little dicey. He was stringing things together one day at a time and living on a shoestring. This year things are much more stable. In March, he got a contract providing video services to the San Jose Earthquakes. Since then, the Earthquakes have had a great season and have generated more and more work for a videographer. They made the playoffs and produced a ton of highlight material extending the team’s need for Christopher (click if you want to see his work)  Though the playoffs ended weeks ago, he just finished this week. Next year the season starts earlier and the team has discovered more things they want him to do. The gig is not yet full-time/permanent but keep your fingers crossed, it may get there. In the meantime, he has four weeks to spend with us.

That will be in Berlin. One of the advantages of what we are doing this year is the flexibility it brings. Only one part of the sabbatical was fixed in time and place. That was the semester at l’Université Libre in Brussels. From September to December we knew where we needed to be. After that it's up in the air. Scott has committed to research visits to 5 countries, but there are 12 on the list to choose from, so really we could go anywhere. By the way, being that footloose and fancy free is not as cool as it may sound. Ask MC. Where will we be in March? Dunno. We’ll let you know in February.

Actually our plans are a bit more defined than that. Back when we were planning Christmas we knew that we needed to visit Germany and Turkey, so we asked the kids to pick a place to spend the holiday, anywhere in, around or between those places. I was a little surprised they chose Berlin. I was thinking Mediterranean and sunny. They wanted a real ‘Christmassy’ place. Berlin fits that bill. They have the famous German Christmas markets and they have snow. It will be fun. It'll also take us back 30 years to when we were their age one Christmas in Berlin. That'll be weird.

After Christmas they will disappear quickly. They have traveling to do before they get back to ‘real’ life. MC and Scott will stay on in Berlin to finish the project in Germany and then it's off to Turkey for the third of the five studies. After that things get murky. Scott has applied for permission to visit Cuba (yes, Americans – the freest people on earth -still need our government’s permission to visit Cuba) By January, we should know whether we are going to get that permission. If we do, we may fly from 

Turkey to China (some very nice airfares from Istanbul for some reason) If we don't, we need to replace Cuba and may go from Turkey to France instead. It's nice to have options but some predictability would be okay. In any event, sometime in February or March we will be home in Danville for a few weeks to recoup before setting out on the final leg (destination TBD). Come summertime, I expect to be sitting at home, petting my cat(s?) resting on a beautiful needlepoint pillow* that says ‘Home, Sweet Home’. 

* Needlepoint is MC’s new ‘traveling’ hobby. A great, portable, time filler. Almost as good as the iPad and doesn’t need a WiFi connection.

Until then, we’ll be home - only in our dreams. Still, Christmas is what you make it – We’ll make it good. I hope you will too. There will be plenty of time to catch up on the other side, another reason to think 2011 can’t help but be a…

Happy New Year!

Best Wishes for a wonderful Christmas…

Fighting our way across Normandy

Well that may be a little over dramatic, but at times it sure has felt that way. Tonight we are in Bayeux, France. The first French city liberated by the Allies in 1944. It's beautiful. The architecture is spectacular. Because the Germans were not seriously defending Bayeux, the Allies decided that they did not need to bomb and the result is a beautiful, old city, made even more beautiful by a Christmas layer of snow.

Yes, I can say that now. The snow is beautiful. Yesterday it did not really feel that way. We left Brussels Friday morning facing my worst fears. On Thursday, I had finished school and that meant we had three days before we meet Christopher and Kate in Paris. We thought it might be nice to rent a car and drive through Normandy - unless it's snowed... It doesn't snow much in Normandy, does it?

Actually it doesn't. We asked. We were told that before last year it hadn't snowed in 10 years. We also heard on TV that this is the coldest December in France since 1910.

Our first stop was Honfleur, a four hour drive from Brussels - unless it snows. Which it did for nearly the first half of the trip. The extra time was not a big deal, it was the condition of the roads and knowing that all the drivers (including me) were not very experienced and probably driving cars not really equipped for snow. Eventually, we made it and it was worth the drive.

Honfleur reminds me a bit of Sausalito. Pretty buildings and lots of art galleries.

If it were not for tourism, you wonder what they would do. I don't think they are worried though. They get lots of tourists. In the summer. Winter not so much. Where we had dinner, a beautiful café on the harbor, we were the only ones.

After dinner we went back to the hotel to watch the weather forecast. If Friday was bad, Saturday was supposed to be worse. Oh boy! Fortunately Bayeux is only about an hour from Honfleur so at a break in the snow we set out. We actually did okay. We got here just as the next storm started, parked the car, and spent the day walking about. Bayeux is small enough that you can do that.

Walking in the snow is a lot more fun than driving. We strolled over to the tapestry and enjoyed what is an excellent presentation of an extraordinary document. Yes, it is more like a document, than a rug on the wall. It is like a storyboard of not just the Battle of Hastings but also the political intrigue that led up to it. The museum provides an audio guide that explains each of the 50+ scenes and includes an extensive exhibit of life in England after the conquest. Much better than I had anticipated.

From there we walked over to the Battle of Normandy Memorial Museum. D-Day is really what brought us to Bayeux. Omaha Beach is a short drive from here and tomorrow we may get there. The roads are not well travelled and uphill from here so the snow may derail those plans. If it does, we still got a good sense of the importance of those days in June 1944 to this part of France. Elsewhere, they may not be so well remembered. Here they put their stamp on everyday life.

Boy are we lucky!

For the last 27 years we have lived under the canopy of a large oak tree.  The tree is in the middle of the neighbor's yard, its trunk probably 50 feet from our house.  We always knew that there was a chance part of it could come down.  About 15 years ago, part of it did - smashing the fence and making a mess, but no real harm.  I always thought if it happened again it would be the same scenario.  A limb would break and it would fold down.  The heavy part being close to the base and just the outer, lighter branches near our house.  I figured they might brush the house on the way down, but since they are not the big branches, how much damage can they do?

Well it turns out they can do a lot of damage.  We were very lucky.  It happened in the middle of the night with Alexander and Emily sleeping with their heads against the wall the branches hit on the way down.  The branches were heavy enough to puncture the roof and then put a hole through the ceiling.  Another branch came down with enough force to put a hole through the back wall.  We are lucky the only damage was to the house.

We are also lucky Alexander and Emily are living there.  Straightening this out and overseeing the repairs is going to be a major pain.  I am sure it is not what they thought they were signing up for.  Thanks guys!  We owe you.

Radio Silence

Ok, so we have been on the road for a week, you would think there might be a blog post.  Well there might be, except that I don't type (willingly).  The way this blog comes into being is in several steps.  Step one, I write it out long hand.  Step two, I read what I have written to my Ipod and it transcribes the text, using Dragon Dictation.  Step three, I edit and post.  All very quick and easy.  Only one problem.  Dragon Dictation requires a good, stable wireless internet connection and I need to have that in a quiet place where I can dictate.  I have not had those conditions since I left London three days ago.  Here in St. Petersburg we have an ethernet connection, but that does me no good for the posts.  I have quite a back log stacking up.  I keep writing them long hand everyday and I keep hoping somehow I will get a chance to dictate.  Today I thought I found a spot.  The program seemed to be working.  I got 2/3 of the way through the post when it crashed and I lost the whole thing.  I will keep at it, though, post some short ‘wazzup’ posts and save the more boring academic stuff for later.  Stay tuned.