IS AMERICA TRYING TO KILL US?

 As we entered PDX, the Portland airport,  we immediately knew things were different, and it made us nervous. A lot of people were not masked. A federal judge had issued an opinion that the government masking mandate for travelers (airports, airplanes, public transit, &c) exceeded the authority of the CDC, and was, therefore, void. 

Many people celebrated as they tore off their masks. We cringed, because we were embarking on a 2-month trip in Europe, but we were traveling to Los Angeles first. What if we contracted COVID on the first leg of this extended trip? 

Why is it that our system allows a judge to make a ruling based on legal procedure that affects the health of millions? Her decision was not based on public health. Her decision ignored the fact that an Omicron variant of COVID-19 is spreading rapidly through the population, infecting even those of us who have had the booster vaccine shot. 

On the airplane, many (maybe most) people and flight attendants were unmasked. Great. We tried to ignore the peril. 

We left Los Angeles for Spain on an Iberian Airlines flight, and the airline required masks. Spain also still requires people to be masked on public transit, including airplanes and in airports. We immediately felt safer on that flight and in the Madrid airport. 

From being in Europe (Spain and Portugal, so far) we sense that people are more willing to do what is required to keep everyone safe during the pandemic. The mask mandates have been lifted for being outdoors, in stores and restaurants, and other public places; however, masks are still required for transit, including taxi drivers. People we know who have recently traveled in Europe, and our grandkids who are living in Spain, have told us that, in general, people are more accepting of the public health requirements, and have complied with government guidelines and mandates.

So we have to ask, is America trying to kill us? It seems that way.

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posted by paul

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TRAVEL IN THE TIME OF COVID-19

[April 16, 2022]  Three days until we leave home for L.A. to visit family and friends, then four days later we fly from L.A. to Madrid, Spain. Over the course of nearly two months, we will be in at least 8 cities in 5 countries. We will visit with our granddaughter in Granada, Spain, and a grandson and his partner in Bilbao, Spain. We'll end the trip in a beach villa on the Greek Island of Rhodes with family and friends. 

We cancelled fully booked trips to Europe in 2020 and 2021, so we are ready. COVID is still a thing here and in Europe, so yes, there is a risk factor. We've had four vaccine shots, and we are people who wear masks and try not to get into very crowded indoor spaces. Everyone we know who has traveled in Europe recently says that the Europeans are mostly conforming to the COVID safety protocols, and they felt very safe. 

So watch this space for our travel stories and links to photo albums. We're excited to be traveling! 

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posted by paul

Europe 2018 - Faro, Portugal (in the Algarve)

(21-26 JULY) We flew from Frankfurt, Germany to the airport in Faro, Portugal, on the south coast not far from Spain. Unlike most of the coastal Algarve, the city of Faro is not a beach city, but lies inside a large coastal salt marsh with outer barrier islands, the Ria Formosa. 

The barrier islands have beautiful beaches, one of which can be accessed by bus or ferry, and others by ferries, speedboats, and water taxis. The Ria Formosa is a Natural Park that is home to numerous types of fish and wildlife, including some of the largest populations of seahorses (now protected species) in the world. Tourism is a big industry in Faro and the Algarve region, so as you can imagine, there are many types of boat trips offered (hawked) by private companies.

Here is a link to a  photo album of Faro. 

Not counting travel days to and from Faro. We spent 4 days there in a small city house [ADD VRBO LINK] just a couple pf blocks outside the Old City wall. Our travel style is usually to not speed around from attraction to attraction but to relax, enjoy the place and people, and choose things to do that give us a good sense of place. We took a ferry to Ilha Farol (Farol Island), where there is a large lighthouse (farol in Portugese). We had a wonderful lunch, including a nice discussion with a couple our age from Belgium at the next table, walked and sat on the beach, collected a sand sample for the Museum of Sand in Portland Oregon, and took the return ferry to Faro. Another day we took a ferry to Ilha Deserta, sat on the beach, I snorkeled for about 10 minutes in the chilly Atlantic, ate a delicious lunch at the only development on-the island, NAME Restaurant, and returned to Faro on a speedboat (15-minute ride instead of 45-minutre ferry ride). We also went to a performance of fado music, including a short documentary about the history of fado, at the municiple museum in Faro, and then toured the museum exhibits. The museum is in an old convent built during the early 16th century in the former Jewish Quarter of Faro after the Jews had been expelled (or killed). The building is beautiful, built as a square around a large courtyard. We learned a lot about the history of Faro, including the periods of Roman and Moorish rule. They also had an exhibit of surrealist art. It is a small museum, well worth a visit if you happen to be in the area. We walked around the Old City and the pedestrian streets of the Faro shopping district. A lot of the streets in the shoppoing district are pedestrian only, with many restaurant outdoor tables and a diversity of shops, not just touristic, but for locals. 

One of our favorite parts of travel is meeting people, including local residents as well as fellow travelers. The hosts of our rental house, Veronica and Bruno, are a wonderful young couple who have created a cozy and well-equipped home away from home for travelers in their vacation rental. From the moment she greeted us with a big smile we felt welcomed and at home. Veronica and Bruno, and their 1-year old adorable daughter, came by with a bottle of sparkling wine as a gift for our anniversary (53 years), and we got to know them a bit more. 

We did not meet any Portugese people who didn’t speak English, and many who spoke other languages, as well. We learned that English is taught in grade schools, and of course, in tourist areas English is somewhat a universal language. I always feel very fortunate to be an English speaker, and always very envious of people who are multi-lingual. As a result, we had no trouble communicating in Faro (and everywhere we were in Portugal), and learned a lot about Portugese life and culture from taxi drivers to barkeeps to locals we met. Portugal seems to be a fairly easy-going place where the people are warm and friendly, the food and wine are good, the lanscape and cities are interesting and beautiful, and, for tourists at least, the cost of living is less than many other parts of Europe. 

On the speedboat back to Faro from Ilha Deserta we sat with two couples from Ontario, Canada. I broke the ice by apologizing for the way our Dear Leader had insulted their Prime Minister, and they assured us that they like Americans in spite of our bizarre leader. we laughed a lot, and I suggested that we all go for a drink when we got back to Faro. We walked from the dock into the Old City where I led the group to the Old Tavern (established in 2018!). We had been there the day before for a coupkle of drinks, and got to know the young bartender, who has a moustacher like Salvador Dali. When Sherry told him that we liked his Dali moustache, he said, “Of course, Salvador Dali; my name is Salvsador!” We truly hit it off with Salvador, and told him he would fit in perfectly with the hipster scene in Portland. Needless to say, we and our new Canadian friends had a fun time sitting outside at the Old Tavern with cocktails and beers. 

We enjoyed Faro. Next stop, Lisboa! 

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EUROPE 2018 - HEIDELBERG, GERMANY

Three hours into a one month trip in Europe, sitting in a German-Greek restaurant in the same building as our hotel, my cell phone died. I don’t mean died as in the battery was drained; I mean died as in brick. One minute it was working, the next it was not. So here I am, no cell phone always in my pocket, buzzing, chirping, calling to me with it’s silent siren song of “take me out, use me, look up some trivial fact, take a photo, check the latest crazy Trump move....” To be honest, it is very liberating. To be more honest, Sherry has her cell phone. (To be even more honest, I ordered a new one that was delivered to our kids before they left for Europe and we will see them in a few days.) 

So, Heidelberg, Germany. We decided to take a few days in Germany to start the trip, after flying direct from Portland to Frankfurt on Condor Airline. I read somewhere that Heidelberg is more charming than Frankfurt because it was not bombed during WWII (there is a legend, likely untrue, that the British and Nazis agreed not to bomb Oxford and Heidelberg for some reason). In any event, the old part of Heidelberg is charming and fun, and filled with tourists like us. 

Our Heidelberg photo album is here. 

We stayed at the Hotel Hollander Hof, a centuries-old building facing the Neckar River near the old bridge (Alte Brucker). Our room was small but comfortable, with a magnificent view of the river and bridge (see photo, above). The staff was marvelous and very helpful. We planned the stay in Heidelberg as a jet-lag recovery, and it was perfect for that. We walked the old town cobble streets, looking at people and shops and the architecture. We took the funicular up to the castle that dominates the view above the old city. We didn’t do the tour inside the castle (a family we met from Mexico-Columbia said it wasn’t worth it), but strolled the beautiful grounds and enjoyed the views of the city below, as well as the remains of the incredible castle and gardens. 

We took a one-hour ride on the Neckar River aboard the Sonneschiff, one of the largest boats powered by electricity generated by the solar panels that line the top of the boat. Not quite as silent as a sailboat, but very quiet and no emissions. 

We went to an art museum and enjoyed the exhibits; however, it is not air conditioned and I do not really enjoy saunas. (A note that a lot of buildings we were in, including our hotel, do not have AC. One local person explained that electricity is very expensive, and people do without air conditioning. In fact, she said, newer buildings, including houses, are designed to stay cool. 

We found a cozy coffee bar around the corner from the hotel, which became our morning habit before breakfast. One of the employees is a young woman who was very excited to learn that we are from Portland; she was there for the wedding of her best friend a couple of years ago. There it is, that small world phenomenon. 

It was not until the second day that we were asked The Question: “What do you think of your President?” This was from a Dutch man who was dining with his wife at the table next to ours at an Italian restaurant. We expect to hear this question often, and, in fact, it has come up a few times since. What can we say, without getting into a lengthy rant about our Dear Leader? Sigh.

For our purposes, three nights in Heidelberg was perfect, mostly relaxing, and a great way to get into a month-long trip. Next stop, Faro, Portugal, in the Algarve. 

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EUROPE 2016, PLAN B: LONDON

The settlement of Londinium was established in the mid-first century; today the city of London has a population of about 8.7 million people. It is a big city, and I'm trying to wrap my brain around what to say about it.

Well, first I should say that I/we really enjoy being in London. Other than the fact that they drive on the wrong side of the road and there are no drivers on the upper level of the buses, it is a very likable place, the native language is usually easy to understand, and there are many, many things to see and do. 

We were in London twice on this trip; before and after visiting St. Ives, Cornwall. Our kids (the FriedFish) stayed at CitizenM Hotel, so we decided to give it a try. (I'm going to post a review of the CitizenM because it is an interesting concept and a fun place to stay.) The hotel is in Bankside, on the south side of the River Thames (see map, below); a terrific location for us. The neighborhood is business, residential and commercial, including many hotels and restaurants. The attraction for us was the proximity to the Tate Modern Museum, the Shakespeare Globe Theatre, and the River Thames. We spent a lot of time walking along the river and simply enjoying the views of the city skyline (see previous post), the very busy river traffic, the crowds of people, and the overall big-city urbaness (not really a word) of it. 

London can be expensive. We used the black London taxis when something was too far to walk, and I didn't want to navigate the tube because of my back pain. We thoroughly enjoyed the taxi drivers, all of whom were great conversationalists and interesting people. (We decided not to use Uber in London because we wanted to support the professional career taxi drivers.) Keep in mind that in the UK you use British funny-money, not Euros, and this can be somewhat maddening and confusing until you get used to it. (As of this writing, 1 GBP = 1.3 USD; whereas 1 EUR = 1.12 USD). Because of traffic, a taxi ride could easily cost $20-$25; but hey, it's vacation. 

Because we have been in London several times, we did not feel a need to see all the important sites - been there done that - and so we settled into being in London, rather than always doing.  We typically did one major thing each day; a museum, theatre, exhibit, etc. The rest of the time, we enjoyed being in the city, meeting people, finding good restaurants, and hanging out in the "living room" of our hotel. 

Below are some of the highlights of our London stay. And I am including a map, for those who are cartographically oriented as I am. The map has symbols for places we were.

And, of course, a photo album is at this link: https://flickr.com/photos/95157126@N03/sets/72157672871643161

MUSEUMS - London is filled with museums; we enjoyed two of them. The Tate Modern Is big and bold, filled with exhibits. We went through a special exhibit of the works of Bhupen Khakhar, a "key figure in modern Indian art." His painting style was both simple and complex, and the exhibit dealt with themes of daily life in India, politics, homosexuality, illness and the cancer that eventually killed him. We also went through an exhibit of Materials and Objects. We certainly could have spent days in the Tate Modern, but chose to limit our time. We did have lunch in the 9th floor restaurant, with spectacular views of the city, in addition to excellent food and perfectly paired wine. 

We took a taxi from the hotel to the British Library, specifically to see historic items in the permanent collection, including the Magna Carta, works by Shakespeare and other great writers in their own handwriting, as well as early print editions, religious items (bibles, etc.), letters and other documents of historic significance. One display case contained an annotated timeline of political essays and novels that included:  Sir Thomas More's Utopia, 1516; New Atlantis, 1627 by Sir Francis Bacon; The Neessity of Atheism, 1811, and The Mask of Anarchy, 1819 by Percy Bysche Shelley; H. G. Wells' 1905 A Modern Utopia; Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, 1932; and, of course, Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell, 1949 (see Theatre, below). I just might have to read all of these items in chronological order! 

THEATRE - Oh yes, London has it's share of theatres. We saw two productions while we were there.

946 The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips at the Shakeseare's Globe. This was an experience! The play is a musical drama, set in the small community of Slapton, in Devon, England during WWII. A little girl, her cat, her mother and grandfather, her father off to the war, the Black American soldiers who become part of their lives. This is a compelling story of wartime, friendship, pain, and feelings of abandonment. It tells a small piece of history with music, dance and puppetry. It touches on racism, as the Black G.I.s experience for the first time in their lives what it feels like to be accepted as regular people by a white British farm family. It tells the true story of how the American military evacuated everyone from the area so they could use the Slapton Sands beach and surrounding countryside to practice landings for the D-Day invasion. A miscommunication betwen the British and American navies left the landing fleet unprotected and vulnerable, resulting in the loss of 946 American lives when German naval patrols discovered the fleet and bombed it. The US and British governments covered-up this tragic event for 40 years! 

(A side note: towards the end of our time in London, we walked to a classic boat exhibit that was part of the Totally Thames celebration. One of the boats is the Portwey, the last coal-fired, twin-screw tug in the UK (click the link for the photo album). Reading the placard for the exhibit, I discovered that the Portwey had been used by the American navy during WWII, and during the Slapton Sands exercise, had rescued numerous Americans when the Germans bombed the unprotected fleet. This was an exciting moment for us, as we understood the relationship between the play and the ship.)

1984 at the Playhouse Theatre. We went into this new theatrical adaptation of the classic book knowing full well that it would not be a comedy. It wasn't! The adaptation focused on the Appendix to the novel for inspiration, and the action goes back and forth between a book group reading and discussing the novel, and the in-the-moment life of Winston Smith, the main character. The bottom line is words, language, text - what is it, and who defines it? The torture scene near the end is chilling and very graphic - we wanted to close our eyes and cover our ears, but could not because the production was so compelling. We walked out needing a drink (is that wrong?). 

The play is so very timely. Big Brother (big government) is watching everyone all the time (sound familiar?). Language is being retooled so that it becomes Newspeak. War/Is/Peace. Ignorance/Is/Strength. 2/+/2/=/5. Freedom/Is/Slavery. We have always been at war with Eurasia/We have never been at war with Eurasia. Lies and truth are indistinguishable; we have to believe whatever we are told in the moment. Our ensuing discussion included the terms NSA, Trump, media, data mining, internet....you understand. 

WALKING IN THE CITY -  We walked a lot, mostly along the Thames, but also through neighborhoods.  We crossed 5 bridges, some more than once (see the turquiose hikers symbol on the map, above). The Thames is a major walking corridor, with wide walkways along both sides, except in some places where buildings come down to the seawall and the walkway goes inland around them. The streets in the central part of the city are crowded with people and lined with an amazing architectural variety of buildings, old and new. It is a very lively city by day and at night; the pub/club scene in the evening is amazing. London is crowded with people, and the diversity is amazing. In our hotel and every restaurant, the staff is young people from many different countries in Europe, Africa, South America and elsewhere. We had a lot of fun learning about people and why they moved to London.  

London has an extensive public transit system of buses and underground and above-ground trains. Add the huge fleet of taxis, and now Uber and other similar services, and I would be reluctant to use an automobile if I lived there. The use of bicycles in London is growing rapidly, and being encouraged by city leaders; however, from what we saw, it is a scary scene. There are some, but not many bike lanes, and most cyclists we saw were mixed in with the dense traffic on the busy, narrow and winding London streets. Our taxi drivers confirmed that it is a problem, there are many injuries (most cyclists we saw were not wearing helmets), and that a lot of cyclists ignore the rules of the road (sounds familiar). We did see a lot of public bicycles and stations were they can be rented. Integrating bicycle traffic into a developed city like London seems like a difficult challenge.

 We left London with a twinge of sadness (and big hugs from some of the staff at the CitizenM Hotel). It is a big, noisy, busy and wonderful city that everyone should visit. 

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ST. IVES, CORNWALL, UK 2016

     screenshot of Google Maps, 11SEP2016, notations using Paper by 53

At the seaside in St. Ives, Cornwall. This is the land of Poldark, Doc Martin and so many English novels. It is a picturebook beautiful landscape of rolling green hills, rocky cliffs, coves with perfect beaches and crystal clear water, all dotted with those inviting English villages (photo album link at the end). And crowds of tourists. 

Our goal in St. Ives, before The Injury, was to use it as a base to explore Cornwall. Maybe hire a guide for a day, take buses and trains - never drive - and perhaps some walks along the coastal path. Well, during Europe 2016, Plan B, my back went out in Bilbao, and my activity was greatly limited by the time we arrived in St. Ives. 

But we settled into a state of "being" on vacation, and managed to do enough in St. Ives to get familiar with the town and have a very, very enjoyable time. Our hotel, the Pedn-Olva, is an older (50+ years) beach resort-type hotel with several outdoor terraces, a swimming pool, restaurant and bar. The inside is a warren of halls, stairs and small, odd-shaped rooms (at least ours was). Our room, at the very lowest level of the building, looked out on the Celtic Sea (the Atlantic Ocean between England and Ireland) and the St. Ives harbour (I'm using the British spelling). A few feet below our window was the black rock outcrop into which the hotel is built, and during high tide, the waves crashed just below us. We didn't need any background noise app at night; the ocean waves breaking on the rocks, or the sand at low tide, did a great job lulling us to sleep. 

The hotel is a very short distance from the St. Ives train station, where an old train makes the short trip between St. Ives and St. Erth probably every hour or more often. At St.Erth, connections can be made for trains to other parts of England (London, for example). So, being tired of the airport scene, and concluding that the closest we could fly to St. Ives would be Newquay, up the coast, then a ~$100 taxi ride to St. Ives, we decided to take the train from London. The 5.5 hour train ride was comfortable, and passed through the lovely British countryside. And, taking into account getting to and arriving early at the airport in London, waiting for luggage, taking a taxi, etc., it was really not that much more time. 

Here are a few of the things we did in St. Ives:

We walked along the wharf road that borders the harbour. It is lined with tourist shops, restaurants and bars, and crowded with people. Interestingly, we heard very few American accents; mostly British. We scoped out some promising places to eat, which turned out to be very good. 

Special mention of The Tearoom, a small restaurant that has it's own bakery which, to Sherry's great delight, also makes almost everything available gluten free - they bake many of their pastries, tarts, scones, etc., gluten free as well as with wheat. Thanks The Tearoom folks! 

We browsed various art galleries. St. Ives was a very active artist's colony from the 1940's into the 1980's, with a number of well-known artists in residence. It is still an art town, with numerous galleries and local artists and arts organisations. If you like seascapes, this is the palce to be - and there are many other themes, also. 

Barbara Hepworth was a resident artist of St. Ives during WWII and later. She is one of few women artists to gain international fame. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Hepworth. After her death in 1975, her home and studio became the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden. This small museum and wonderful garden are a must-see for art lovers while in St. Ives. 

We walked along the Wharf Road and beyond to what is called The Island, a high peninsula above town (see map, above). We had great views for 360 degrees of the ocean and the land, quite spectacular. Although walking for me was difficult and painful because of my back, it was worth the effort. 

A cocktail with a local. We had booked an airbnb for our original trip, the one we had to cancel, and it was not available for the Plan B trip. However, we had so enjoyed communicating with Joan, the owner, and she with us, that she encouraged us to contact her while in town. And so we met Joan for a drink late one day, and she brought with her the couple staying in her airbnb - from Happy Valley, Oregon (next to Portland)! Mark and Rhonda are community college teachers, and, of course, we played Oregon people geography and found a few people in common. We had a terrific time together, sharing stories, laughing, learning about each other. Joan is a lovely woman and, even though we didn't stay with her, we know she is the perfect airbnb hostess. And this is one of the reasons we travel, to meet wonderful people. 

Laundry - we dropped our dirty clothes at the laundromat, and Simon had it washed and dried 1.5 hours later. Thanks Simon! 

The small theatre company in St. Ives was doing a production of "Avenue Q" for which we bought tickets. We kind-of rushed through dinner at the Indian restaurant Rajpoot and hurried to the theatre, only to discover that it was cancelled because one of the actors was ill. Dang. 

Beach time. We walked on the beach, in the warmish water and sun. We sat on the soft sand. I collected samples for the Mueum of Sand, of course. One day, after lunch at The Tearoom, Sherry walked back to the hotel along the Wharf Road, I walked back on the sand at low tide. During high tides, the coast of St. Ives is a series of coves separated by rocky headlands. During low tide, however, all the coves are connected and one can walk on the sand the entire way. The boats anchored in the harbour are all lying on the sand during low tide, an interesting thing to walk through! 

One of my favorite aspects of being in a seaside town, especially staying next to the water, is falling into the tidal rhythm of the place. In our room, we could tell the tidal period by the sound; crashing waves on rock during the high, softer swooshing waves on sand during the low. And having views of the harbour gave us a sense of the rhythms of the commercial maritime activities. I like this kind of life. 

All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed being in St. Ives, and recommend it highly. 

The photo album:  https://www.flickr.com/gp/95157126@N03/1oMu2V

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SKYLINE, LONDON

My photographic theme for London was Skyline. All of these shots are from the area around the Tate Modern Museum in Bankside, along the River Thames. What a fascinating skyline in this city! 

https://www.flickr.com/gp/95157126@N03/RT11C8