December 26th in Pátzcuaro

We just arrived in Patzcuaro. The noche buena flowers (poinsettias) are in full bloom. See http://mypatzcuaro.blogspot.com/

Texas Book Festival 2007 - Austin

Books, authors, speakers, booksigning--adjacent to and in the beautiful facilities of the Capitol of Texas. Add to this interesting people, music and food. The festival catered to both the intellect and the senses. I was conscious today that not even a scrap of discarded paper struck a discordant note on the grounds. What a civilized gathering.

Mansion Cupatitzio & Tzararacua Waterfalls

See http://mypatzcuaro.blogspot.com/

Heading for Patzcuaro

We head for our home in Patzcuaro tomorrow.
Watch http://mypatzcuaro.blogspot.com/

Conflagration near Dubrovnik

BBC Online: 06 August, 2007
"Dubrovnik threatened by forest fire. A state of emergency has been declared in Croatia, after a forest fire reached the suburbs of the medieval coastal city of Dubrovnik. The walled city is a major tourist attraction, and is classed as a UNESCO world heritage site."

When we drove by taxi south of Dubrovnik to the airport, we remarked on the vast areas of charred countryside along the coast. The taxi driver recounted that the fire was fierce and widespread, fanned by high winds.

Adding to the conflagration, the fire randomly exploded land mines still buried in the area. To further aggravate the situation, there are lost caches of arms from the 1991-95 war in the woods. When the fire hit these, in culmination they spewed bullets like machine guns.

Not a place for firefighters.

Television Croatia

We read more than we watched television on Korcula. One evening, though, we found a Mexican movie with subtitles in Croatian--more understandable than a movie in Croatian, or a German movie with Croatian subtitles. Viva!

CUT to commercial. Babe on bus holding onto overhead bar. Zoom into pig head in armpit. Wriggles snout to indicate malodor. Hunk next to babe shies away.

CUT to bathroom. Babe sprays armpit with large can of aerosol deodorant. Spray effaces pig.

CUT back to bus. Babe with big smile and armpit with no pig. Smiling hunk moves in. Happy ending.

On to Frankfurt

A cold front moved into Dubrovnik yesterday. We go on to Frankfurt and its lower temperatures in a few hours.

On Figs in Montenegro

The figs we ate in Montenegro are lime green, with the plump tender skin of a young girl. You press them to your lips and tongue and gently push through the skin with your teeth to the surprise of bright pink and delicately sweet pulp within. To the texture of the skin and the sweetness of the pulp add the crunch of tiny, tender seeds for an extravagant gustatory experience. Never have I tasted figs so sweet or partaken of them in such abundance. They were offered in large bowls and we plucked them off roadside trees. The Adriatic figs of Montenegro.

Korcula to Dubrovnik Today

Today we travel back to the former city-state of Dubrovnik, on Thursday to Frankfurt, and we arrive in Austin Friday evening, Sept. 7.

Hanging Out in Korcula

Dusk in Dubrovnik

Describing Dubrovnik (Ragusa), Rebecca West wrote of the Corso, the heart of social life in towns and villages in the Balkans. For an hour or so a stream of humanity flows through the main street to see and to be seen, and to enjoy the sunset hour. And so it was for us when we visited today's Dubrovnik walking, talking, seeing.

At dusk the Alpine Swifts return to the city to roost. They darted around above us in great numbers, their white breasts reflecting the bright light from lamp posts as if illumined from within. They showered us with their unmistakable silvery trill. Swifts are the essence of birdness. They spend their day in flight, they love in flight, and they can sleep in flight.

We enjoyed our dusk promenade through history in Dubrovnik.

Lumbarda, Korcula, Croatia

We spent a few days at the Bon Repos, a European vacation destination about 10 minutes walk to walled, old Korcula town. The families there were primarily German and Croatian, with a sprinkling of English, Italian and other Eastern Europeans. For so many people, children and teenagers, the ambience was very pleasant and the noise that of people chatting and having a good time--not at all rowdy. Our apartment was very pleasant and we enjoyed seeing the families.

There was a violin camp at Bon Repos with students from all over Europe practicing, performing and attending master classes. Bars of classical violin music floated through the air through the day and evening.

We moved yesterday to Apartments Lina in Lumbarda, at the end of one of Korcula's roads. Our apartment is even nicer, some 50 yards from the Adriatic. We have a terrace with a veiw of a tiny marina and the sea. To our great disappointment the sail boards and boats we planned to sail out over the next few dazs are not for rent unless one has a package vacation with Nielsen's out of England. :-(. I have their website address, but not with me at the moment. We need to regroup for our activities over the next few days.

http://www.korculainfo.com/lumbarda.html

Dubrovnik to Korcula

Yesterday Glen and I traveled back to the island of Korcula (Kor-choo-la) where we will spend a week in an apartment at the Bon Repos. We came by large ferry, which even had a duty free shop for those going to Italy, a 200 km trip from the Dalmatian coast. We rode the boat taxi to town last night for dinner, about a five minute trip across the inlet and around a point. We can also travel by ferry to other islands for day trips. Korcula, one of Croatia's more than 1,000 islands along the Dalmatian coast, is one of the greenest islands in the Adriatic sea and has wonderful sea views. It is 279 km2 in size. This island also has numerous little beaches and bays. The town of Korcula is a medieval walled Dalmatian city, with round defensive towers and picturesque red-roofed houses. Marco Polo (1254 - 1324), the intrepid traveller and Venetian merchant, is reputed to have been born here. Every other ferry and boat seems to be named Marko Polo or Marco Polo.

This is August, the month when Europe shuts down and the whole population must be on vacation. The people are demented about sun and beaches. Any tiny level spot on the sea, even covered in rocks or pebbles qualifies as a 'beach' and people in every imaginable state of undress tightly pack in bodies of myriad sizes and shapes, haunch to haunch, to toast and fry in very hot weather and bright sun. People watching in towns and on beaches is as interesting as bird watching--almost. And yesterday we certainly saw some bronzed god and goddess physiques displaying as they ambled through town.

I may have now have the opportunity to post more than just itinerary information, and perhaps include some interesting photographs.

Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik is set on a rocky peninsula jutting into the Adriatic Sea. We toured the Old Medieval City and attended a folkloric performance at the Sponza Palace. All commerce between infidels and the Ottoman Empire had to be conducted through Dubrovnik for centuries so it became a rich and important center of commerce.

Bar to Skadarsko Lake National Park

We will drive from the port of Bar, Montenegro, to Skadarsko Lake National Park, where the largest lake in the Balkans is the greatest bird refuge in Europe. We will explore open marshes, reed beds and willow forests. We will look for the rare Dalmatian Pelican, and may also see such birds as the Pygmy Cormorant; Bitterns; Gray, Purple and Squacco Herons; the Ferruginous Pochard and the Eurasian Hobby. We will sail to Sveti Stefan for an afternoon swim stop, and arrive in Dubrovnik late in the evening.

Kotor, Montenegro - Cruising to Herceg-Novi & Bar

We walked through medieval Kotor, car-free UNESCO World Heritage Site that is situated in an inlet cradled by soaring mountains, like fjords. Then we will view art works in the Savina Monastery in the town of Herceg-Novi. We will arrive in Bar this evening.

Korcula City & Mljet National Park

We will walk the medieval walled city of Korcula, which was controlled by the Venetians for 800 years. Then we will explore Mljet National Park where untouched Mediterranean forests and placid saltwater lakes surround two quiet villages. We can expect a fine array of waterbirds.

Ancient Split and Korcula Island

Cruising toward Split we will look for a variety of seabirds. We will tour this ancient city, home to the Diocletian Palace completed in 305 A.D. Tonight we will arrive in Korcula.

Cres Island

Cres and nearby Kruna Reserve are premier birding sites in Eastern Europe. We hope to find the highly endangered Eurasian Griffon, see other sought-after bird species, and enjoy the island's dramatic scenery.

Cruising on the Yacht Callisto

Today we travel to the small town of Senj, where we embark Callisto for our natural history/birding/cultural cruise. We will travel south along the coast to Kres Island, Split, Korcula (kore-choo-la) Island, Kotor in Montenegro, Herceg-Novi, Bar, and disembark at Dubrovnik on 26 August. We will visit a number of national parks along the way.

Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia

Today we travel from Zagreb to spend two nights at Plitvice (Pleet-vee-tsay) Lakes National Park. The Park has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is described as Niagara Falls sprinkled over the Grand Canyon. As hard as it will be, Glen and I will walk the straight and narrow path--no land mines for us, thank you.

Zagreb, Croatia

Today we arrived in Zagreb from Frankfurt via Air Croatia, a flight which I appreciate being uneventful. Initiating this post was interesting since in Croatia the blogspot site comes up in--what else--Hrvatska (which as anyone can tell means Croatian in Croatian).

We are staying in the Hotel Esplanade (far left) in Zagreb. We join up with the Victor Emanuel group in the hotel tomorrow.

This afternoon we had lunch in a restaurant about 6 blocks away where locals go to eat Croatian food. First we had a delicious salad with finely grated and seasoned fresh cabbage, carrots, some radicchio and more. Then we had a veal dish cooked in traditional style: it is placed a very large and shallow cast iron pan, covered with a cast-iron bell top, and then red coals are heaped on top. The veal is cooked slowly for a long time. It is tasty, moist, fork tender and served with potatoes. Grilled vegetables that included wonderful eggplant made a perfect side dish. For dessert--I thank Glen for weighing in pro dessert--we had fresh plum strudel with an espresso. See http://vinodol.inet.hr/chooser.html

Frankfurt, Germany

The center of Frankfurt is lovely! Tall modernistic sky scrapers pierce the skyline behind historic old buildings. We strolled along the Main river, walked miles on pedestrian streets with cafes, shops and restaurants and even had our taste of Little Turkey in a neighborhood of Turkish shops, people, apartments, restaurants, newstands, and language.

Lift Off

Today we fly to Frankfurt, where we will arrive tomorrow morning. We spend the night in Frankfurt and then fly to Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, on 15 August. We meet up with the Victor Emanuel group the evening of 16 August.

The Adriatic Sea

The Adriatic Sea lies between Italy and Croatia. Along the Dalmatian Coast on its east side, there are thousands of islands. This coast is renowned for its beauty.

Croatia and the Dalmatian Coast

Tomorrow, 13Aug07, we leave for Croatia and a trip by boat along the Dalmatian Coast. We will combine birding, history and culture from 16-26 August with Victor Emanuel Nature Tours. Then we will island hop and return to Austin on 7 Sept.

Croatia - Statistics:
Capital City: Zagreb;
Population: 4,493,312;
GDP: $60,260,000,000 (USD);
Total Area: 56,542 (sq km) 21,831 (sq mi);
Currency: kuna (HRK);
Controls 1,185 islands in the Adriatic Sea, 67 of which are inhabited; Government: Presidential/parliamentary democracy.

Geography

Croatia is a former Yugoslav republic on the Adriatic Sea. It is about the size of West Virginia. Part of Croatia is a barren, rocky region lying in the Dinaric Alps. The Zagorje region north of the capital, Zagreb, is a land of rolling hills, and the fertile agricultural region of the Pannonian Plain is bordered by the Drava, Danube, and Sava Rivers in the east. Over one-third of Croatia is forested.

Recent History

Croatians declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. Conflict between Serbs and Croats in Croatia escalated, and one month after Croatia declared independence, civil war erupted. After wars over territory with regional factions and three broken cease-fire agreements, in December 1995, Croatia signed the Dayton peace agreement, committing itself to a permanent cease-fire and the return of all refugees. Current President Mesic was inaugurated for a second term on February 18, 2005. Presidential elections will next be held in January 2010.

www.infoplease.com/country/profiles/croatia.html

Safety & Security

Although hostilities in all parts of the country ended in 1995, de-mining of areas along former confrontation lines is not complete. It is estimated that de-mining operations will continue at least until 2010. Mine-affected areas are well-marked with the Croatian-language warning signs using the international symbol for mines. Travelers in former conflict areas... [such as the] more remote areas of the Plitvice Lakes National Park should exercise caution and not stray from known safe roads and areas.

http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1095.html

The French and the English in the Perigord

When we went to the Perigord (some refer to the Dordogne) in France to spend the month of June '07, we knew that there are many English who live there permanently, as well as many who spend the summers in this area of France. I recall reading that there are some 70,000 English in the region. Because of the history of wars and confrontation between England and France, and the two countries' national pastime of recounting mordant jokes at the expense of each other, I expected to encounter animosity between the two nationalities--not usually comfortable for the bystander. We were pleasantly surprised. The resident French had a very benevolent attitude and made kind remarks about the English of the Perigord, and the English we observed there were quiet and obviously made it a point to adopt the norms of French courtesy, including the rituals of greeting and leavetaking. Contrary to what is seen in the Caribbean and in South America as English arrogance and "colonial" style condescension, the English of the Perigord make a great effort to speak the language and respect local custom. Many assimilate well into French life and simply disappear into the social landscape.We saw English with booths at the Friday fair in Riberac selling various and sundry items and integrated into French life. This amiable relationship was just one more welcome and pleasant aspect of our Perigordian experience!

Austin

IN AUSTIN.

Patzcuaro, Mexico

WE ARE IN PATZCUARO: http://mypatzcuaro.blogspot.com/

Ahhh, Austin

Special Austin benefits!

Back in Austin

We have left the Old World. We arrived in Austin last night, 27 June 2007. ****The most useless article I took with me? My bathing suit. It was never warm enough to use it.

Language Feast

We have been staying in the very comfortable Hotel Real d´Obidos, just outside the walled village. We have walked a lot in the area. Today we turn in the car and will spend the night in Lisbon. These past weeks have been a language feast: Portuguese, Gallego, Spanish, Basque (I speak none) and French, most of which have been overlaid with a variety of accents. I love the sound and the familiar kinaesthesia in the mouth and throat when speaking. Hopefully the stimulation of switching back and forth helps keep cerebral synapses snappy. Through exposure, Glen finds he even understands languages he doesn´t speak. Every place we have visited has been more beautiful and enjoyable than our expectations. Ate logo / Until soon. Home tomorrow 27Jun07.

A Weighty Question

LBS?? KILOS?? After eating our way through Portugal, Spain and France and back through Portugal and Spain, what on earth do we weigh? I think I am the same as when I left-- maybe a pound or two less--but I am afraid the latter may be wishful thinking. Scales in Austin will bring the moment of rude reckoning. --PS 30Jun07 -- Not down, but up, 2 pounds, but 3 days back took care of it.

Musings from Portugal

The lingua franca in the countries we have visited in Europe seems to be English. Germans, Slovenians and Dutch, for example, communicate with the Portuguese, French and Spanish in English. *****Because of temperature, wind and rain in some combination, the most useful item on this trip has been my goretex jacket. We have had perhaps 6 or 7 days that were sunny all day. *****Americans would do well to borrow some energy conservation tips from the European Union. Lights in public places such as halls and bathrooms, usually turn on with motion sensors and turn off with timers. How simple. *****Our sojourn amidst chateaux in France, castle in Spain and paços in Portugal is about to end...

In Obidos, Portugal

After two nights in Lariño, we drove today from Costa da Morte (in Galicia, Spain) named the Coast of Death because of all the ship wrecks. The coast itself is beautiful despite its name, although I am sure that the area and ocean are grim in storms, especially in the winter. We are staying in Obidos (Portugal) tonight, and will spend the last night or two nights in Lisbon. We fly to Austin Wednesday 27Jun07 and arrive at night. This has been a wonderful trip but now we can´t wait to get home. We miss you all.

The Road Less Traveled

In Spain: We traveled yesterday on the centuries old pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. The cathedral was most imposing and inspires great reverence. Then we drove to the north shore of the northernmost ria (estuary) above Pontevedra in Galicia. Pushing on beyond Muros towards Finisterre (land´s end), we found an apartment to rent just outside Lariño and will stay a few nights. There are few places in the world, I think, where one can stay on a clean beach with few people. Last night it did not get dark until 11 pm. Follow the latitude from this area to North America and see where it takes you. This morning we walked on the beach at 10 am and we were the only people on the beach. It is also safe to walk here, whereas in many remote areas it is not. The sun is out! We have not had many sunny days on this trip, but have enjoyed ourselves very much nonetheless. We were told that there was no internet access in Muros by several people this morning but, being persistent with our inquiries, we found a place on a little side street.

On the Road

We cannot always get into our email on these public computers, as is the case today and which is annoying. Our circuitous, spontaneous route in Spain has been: overnight in Vitoria > medieval Frias on the Ebro River (we went on a wild search for a covered bridge) and also found a medieval town and a nuclear plant > overnight in Astorga with Gaudi palace > Ponferrada with Templar Fort > through Galicia mountains with lunch in Sarria (if you can find it on a map) > Portomarin on the Miño River where we are spending the night in a Posada for Santiago de Compostelas pilgrims. The scenery is beautiful and we have stopped in interesting small towns and hamlets. We see many hikers and cyclists. All is well until I can post more detail.

Vitoria / Gasteiz, Spain

We spent last night in the capital of Basque Country. There is a medieval walled city in its center that is interesting. Peaches are in season--fresh, perfectly ripe, and dripping with juice. We bought some last night and have eaten them all. This morning we head west...