Our week in Tasmania was a delight. We were expecting a more rough-and-tumble, remote place, but instead found sophisticated tourist infrastructure, beautiful nature, and gourmet delights. On a map, relative to the Australian continent, Tasmania looks like a small island, say Nantucket. In fact, it is closer to the size of the State of Maine. In late March, the weather in Tasmania–late summer in Australia–was quite comfortable; Tasmania is regarded as the coldest place in Australia. We flew from Melbourne on an easy flight.

It’s Happening in Hobart

Hobart is a hotbed of activity for tourists–mostly from other coastal cities in Australia. Many follow the foodie trail and seek locally grown organic produce and wines, which are delicious. We were lucky to sample four of the restaurants on this list, and they did not disappoint. One evening, we dined at the 8:30 seating for the prix-fix menu at Templo (#3 on the list). We sat at a communal table, which was very jolly and friendly; lots of laughter. The next day, we had lunch at the Agrarian Kitchen (#2 on the list), and had the same waitress! She said, “Oh, didn’t I wait on you last night? You were at the Party Table!” We were glad that we had changed our clothes overnight! Both meals were terrific.

The Museum of Old and New Art–MONA 

As one of the best privately-owned museums in the world, MONA amazed us at every turn. The artwork and the building–which is mostly underground–are totally interdependent. None of the works in the museum would thrive in a conventional art museum gallery. The founder and benefactor–David Walsh–earned his money gambling. (No, that is not a typo. He does not own a casino, he gambles. Who said you cannot consistently beat the house!) We were enthralled with this waterfall that spells words based on the frequency of their use on the Internet:

Up Close and Personal

We had signed up in advance for a two-person James Turrell “Unseen Seen and Weight of Darkness” show in this sphere.

Inside the sphere, we lay on a bed and were bombarded by lights from every direction. As the website states:

These James Turrell artworks will push your perceptual limits. Climb in and hang on for your proverbial.

You experience the art in all different ways.  There are no signs or captions — but you hear from the artists on the audio guide.

Neither photos nor descriptions do MONA justice, so you’ll have to put it on your Bucket List!

National Parks of Tasmania

We were impressed by the beauty of two of the “Tasi” national parks

Freycinet encompasses miles of wild coastline, including scenic bays, beaches, and rock outcroppings. We hiked to the lookout for Wineglass Bay (with many other tourists).

And, we found a more remote spot, where we were only accompanied by one other couple (who gladly snapped our photo as we precariously balanced on the rocks).

The vistas were lovely.

In Cradle Mountain, we stayed in a mountain cottage and enjoyed hiking around Dove Lake.

After the hike, we “assumed the position”, and inspired this group of gals to do the same.

We loved both parks. Minimal traffic. Smooth road infrastructure. We rarely passed or encountered another car driving in either direction.

Boutique Gin in Tasmania

A recent New York Times article described burgeoning Tasmanian gin distilleries. We went to a gin tasting at Salamanca Society in Hobart and decided that Poltergeist Gin was our favorite of the four we tried.

Each taste was presented with recommended mixers–red pepper berries, grapefruit, orange–as well as a high-end tonic. Most certainly, the range of gin flavors goes well beyond Bombay Sapphire and Hendricks. The native botanicals of Tasmania give its spirits their distinctive tastes.

A Visit to A Distillery

On our last day, we visited the Shene Estate and Distillery to see how Poltergeist Gin is made and to purchase some to impress friends with our cocktails back home. What an amazing location and enterprise! Unlike on weekends when they sell from their “cellar door” along the highway, we got a special tour of the homestead which was built 200 years ago as a cattle station. The Kernke family has transformed it into a distillery, supporting a traditional distillation process with all the latest monitoring and control equipment.

Poltergeist has won a double gold medal in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition–who knew there is such a thing–for the last two years.

They had their fingers crossed for 2019, which is happening soon and inquired, when they learned we lived in San Francisco, whether we had influence over the judges. The hosts were very gracious; although we did note that the tour ended shortly after we gave our response.

And, Don’t Forget the Wineries

We also visited the gorgeous “cellar door” of Gala Estate, a fifth-generation family winery. The striking color combinations and textures of the walls in their small tasting room were determined based on what left-overs were available from the local paint merchant. Their wines weren’t bad either!

Meeting the Locals

No visit to Tasmania is complete without saying hello to the Tasmanian Devil of Bugs Bunny fame.  This species only lives on Tasmania and is endangered because many have contracted a rare cancer.  The ones we saw were cancer-free as they live on an isolated peninsula.

We also said “G’day” to a wombat.

And Jan couldn’t resist feeding a few ‘roos’.

What a Fun Week

We were sad when our Tasmanian week came to an end. We could definitely spend more time here — hiking in other parks, tasting more gin and seeking out other distilleries and wineries… and there is a burgeoning business of Tasmanian artisanal whiskey for those who prefer harder spirits.

For the last 10 days, Ed and I have explored the state of Victoria, Australia. Based in Melbourne, we have encountered an enormous variety of weather, topography, wildlife, and beverage!

First, the Weather

We left Ketchum, Idaho in the middle of a blizzard. Luckily we left town before the roads were closed — and we traveled smoothly on recently plowed roads. We also missed a major storm coming over the Sierras and decided to drive the 800-mile journey to SF in one day. SF was a bit chilly as well, but made it to SFO without any problems, except for a bit of rain and lots of Tahoe traffic. It was quite the shock to our systems to encounter a Melbourne Heat Wave!  The locals said it had been the hottest summer/early fall on record. The temperature easily reached 100 degrees F. This was a 100-degree difference from Ketchum!

Dealing with the Heat Wave

The goal was to wear the least amount of clothes possible while remaining respectable, since Melbourne is a major City. Our Airbnb was lovely but did not have A/C. So, we turned on the supplied fans and slept under only a sheet. The apartment was in a charmingly restored old municipal building which was not designed for heat. The City was broiling. On our Free City Tour (tips only), the cheerful guides supplied bulk sunscreen and pointed out the free spots where everyone could refill their water bottles. We all obliged. The city was beautiful — very hip and urban, and we loved it when we tucked into the hidden lanes or historic arcades. We donned our Aussie hats and tried to keep cool.  Jan even forgot to remove her hat while she was finishing up the Stanford projects that we didn’t get to before leaving SF.

We were happy to learn that the recently restored Princess Theater now includes A/C! We were lucky to score tickets to the new Harry Potter two-part play and enjoyed every minute. This is the third venue, outside of London and New York where the play is being staged.

We left Melbourne to find ourselves in a cold rainstorm — with lots of wind. 

Luckily we were able to keep dry by dashing to and from our rental car. Our recently purchased “puffer” down parkas came in handy on Phillip Island. (These coats felt ridiculous only a few days back.)

We’ll see what the weather holds over the next two weeks. 

Topography

The scenery — both man-made and natural — is breathtaking. We loved the Victorian “beach boxes” at Brighton Beach near Melbourne. These cute “changing stations” have not changed very much in the last 150 years. But, the people who lease them keep them brightly colored and well painted. 

Since it was so scenic, we had to “assume the position”.

We loved the setting of this industrial smoke stack in the middle of the “Melbourne Central” mall in the the Central Business District (CBD). This mall is over the central train station and was bustling with shoppers.

All the trams in the CBD are free, which truly encourages the use of public transportation — even when the trams advertise Vegemite!

The sun came out as we explored the Great Ocean Road, with the monumental “Twelve Apostles”. 

This is a major tourist attraction — especially among Chinese tourists, who were there in droves.

With the onslaught of Chinese tourists, the Great Ocean Road parks have to deal with the cultural differences. We were surprised to note these tips in the local bathroom stall:

Everywhere we looked we saw beautiful vistas and seascapes. Even though this is a popular attraction, it’s possible to avoid the throngs of tourists and enjoy the setting.

Birds and Animals — Both Tame and Wild

On Phillip Island, we visited the “world famous” Penguin Parade. Yes, you read it right. Every night at dusk, members of this colony of 32,000 little penguins–the smallest penguins in the world–leave the ocean and head up to their beach dwellings–little holes in the sand. As a way to raise funds to preserve their habitat, this National Park charges admission to watch them walk by. We purchased the “Penguin Plus” package … which allowed for more up close and personal viewing. It was quite the scene. The Penguins march by in groups to protect themselves from predators. While we were there, it was “molting season”, so many penguins were quite fat with extra feathers to get ready for the upcoming winter. (Cameras are not allowed–which challenged many of the enthusiastic tourists; the photos below are captured from a postcard.)

On Phillip Island, we stayed at a cool farm. To increase their income, the Bimbadeen family built three pre-fab units on their property to rent to overnight guests. Our unit was well designed and very comfortable.

Outside our kitchen window, lived this darling llama couple.

The farm hosts 300 cattle. At 9:30 am one morning, Jan was tapped to bottle-feed Wellington–a calf who was born a twin; the mum could only cope with one calf. At 9:20 am Wellington was definitely ready for breakfast and made quite a racket until the bottle appeared, and Jan held it in position.

Since we’re in Australia, we also saw kangaroos, wallabies, and koalas. The wallabies are well camouflaged.

And, the koalas, who usually sleep 20 hours per day–as their diet does not provide much fuel for energy–were quite active during our visit to their reserve.

The joke is that the “city bird” of Melbourne is actually the crane, since one visitor who we met recently counted 40 or more cranes lording over the skyline.

Beverages

Wineries abound in Victoria. Many specialize in chardonnay and pinot noir — our favorites!  But, since it has been so hot, many vistas are dry. We’re glad to report that the wine is delicious.

One aspect of Australian life that is more constant than ever-changing is the coffee. The Aussies love their “flat white,” so this is what we ordered on a daily basis. No matter which roadside stop or cafe we patronized, the flat whites were the same–and always delicious.

So, here’s to a “cuppa”. The Aussies are incredibly friendly and generous while the scenery is vibrant and varied. This makes traveling in Victoria a treat. Our next destination is Tasmania.

After our tour of Colombia, Ed and I enjoyed four nights at Casa Cayuco, an eco-adventure resort on the Bocas del Toro archipelago in Panama. It was a delightful chance to snorkel, enjoy nature, and relax.

As an all-inclusive resort, we simply had to wait for the call of a conch shell which indicated it was time to proceed to delicious locally-sourced breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Nice! The resort is right on the water, and our “Tortuga” cabin had easy access to the beach.

Even more important than the luxury of the resort, was the impact that this lodge has on the local community.10% of the current profits at Casa Cayuco go directly to Salt Creek, a local Ngöbe Bugle village with around 1,000 residents. The proceeds go directly to the directors of the school, who manage the funds. On our final day at the resort, we took a short boat ride to visit the village, which was nestled in a deep patch of mangroves.

A Visit to the Local School

The village school, the heart of the community, is supported by donations from Casa Cayuco–in addition to minimal government funding. All lodge guests are encouraged to visit the village and bring school supplies for the classrooms. We were happy to contribute to this effort.

Not all the students were in class during our visit; some just peered through the windows. (Apparently, there had been some problems with the water supply during the last few days.)

Two new high school classrooms are being built with the funds from Casa Cayuco. The number of high school graduates has soared from 0 in the past, to 5 in 2017 to 25 in 2018 and will continue to grow. (The government supplies the teachers now that classrooms will be available.)

Tourist dollars spent at Casa Cayuco have a big impact on a local community. Many volunteers also support the village though community service projects.

Not only does the resort provide employment for locals, but the school leaders are also able to direct how the resources from the resort are used to benefit the community. Everyone benefits from this approach — especially the next generation!

Snorkeling in the Clear Waters

As visitors to this remote area, we also enjoyed the incredible snorkeling. We set off in a private pontoon boat, expertly commanded by José, a skilled free-diver and boat handler who lives in the nearby Salt Creek village with his large contingent of children and grandchildren.

 

The first day we jumped off the boat and explored the Zapatillas islands, a national marine park where all the underwater life is protected. The fish were colorful and plentiful.

José joined us in the water and was able to catch and release octopus, lobster, starfish, and many other sea organisms. José can free dive for over a minute and a half (!); we think he might be half dolphin!

 

Another day we snorkeled around mangrove islands and were astonished at the rainbow of colored coral and sponges growing on the mangrove roots.

 

Since José is an expert boat handler, he was able to maneuver the boat into Dolphin Bay and create some waves that encouraged the local dolphin population to come out and play in the waves. (Note: we were not quick enough on the trigger to catch any photos of dolphins leaping, but are including this one from the Casa Cayuco website since this is what it looked like!)

José is also an expert fisherman. He used a hand line to catch this huge barracuda, right from the dock.

 

The Casa Cayuco resort can host up to 24 guests. Joining us at the resort were a delightful couple from Denver celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary and a group of 12 students from Pitzer College on a study-abroad trip.

Marine Biology at the Resort

The accompanying biology professor, Cheryl Baduini, took the underwater pictures shown above and shared them with us. She has been studying the marine life in Bocas del Torro for 15 years and is an expert in identifying the creatures and the coral.

The students worked on independent projects during their stay, and we observed their final presentations. Who knew we could partake in a college level marine biology course in Paradise?

Casa Cayuco has been owned by an American couple (Dave and Suzanne) for the last five years.  Recently, they added Mina, their 3-year-old daughter (who was born in Panama) to their board of directors … so the hotel can be considered to be run by  local!  Below, she is concentrating on hotel strategy and marketing, by critically observing the marine location:

So, this combination of beauty, learning, and giving back to the local village was a winner!  We loved our stay at Casa Cayuco and were delighted to be a part of a community that cares about giving back to the local area,  supporting the local culture, and preserving the beautiful natural environment.  2021 Update:  Dave and Suzanne have sold the resort but it looks like the new owners are keeping the traditions alive! 

The Panama Canal

And, no trip to Panama would be complete without a trip through the Panama Canal.  We enjoyed our small boat tour through the canal and marveled at the engineering foresight from 1914!

On our trip, a group of local indigenous people joined us … complete with their cell phones.

The original gates in the locks operate 24/7.  The journey is quite spectacular.

It was very windy during our transit through the canal and we had to either remove or hold on to our Panama Hats! It was quite the ride.

For those who follow this blog, you’ll remember that my 95-year-old mum and I have visited quite a few of Hemingway’s haunts over the past few years, including his homes in Cuba and Key West.  When we planned our current trip to Northern Michigan and Southern Canada, little did we know that once again, we would be following in Ernest’s footsteps!

Petoskey, Michigan

A young Ernest Hemingway spent his summers near the quaint town of Petoskey, Michigan. Many landmarks of his life in town are memorialized by plaques. We saw where he lived, where he fished, and where he recuperated after World War I.  He frequented the local saloon (of course) and chose the third spot at the bar for his hangout.

History at the Bar

In the past, this bar was a “men only club”, and instead of sitting at stools at the bar, the men stood and leaned against the bar.  There used to be a spittoon every three feet on the ground. The 32-foot-long mahogany bar was built in 1894 by the Brunswick Billiards Company; it’s now worth more than the building.  The mirrors are original; only the gas lights have been changed out for electric ones (leaving the ceiling charred from the gas lamps).  Billiard tables used to grace the area now populated by tables for dining. 

Our Guided Tour

One of the bartenders has become a local historian and was delighted to give us a complete tour of this restaurant, which was once a speakeasy supplied by Al Capone.  

Mary Ellen, the bartender in a Roaring 20’s dress with pearls, guided us through the bar and told about it’s history, including stories about Hemingway and his pals.  Our tour also included a view of the basement, where there were three hidden tunnels for bootlegging liquor to adjacent properties. (My mother was not too excited when the lights in the basement went out because they were on a timer.  Our guide had to ascend the stairs to turn them on, while I held on to my mother’s hand and we both stood still.)  When we ascended the stairs and came back to the restaurant, we learned that this establishment was never busted during Prohibition, because the owner had friends in the right places.

Petoskey Was Not Proud of This History

In fact, the town of Petoskey had swept this history under the rug, because it was not entirely complementary.  Little has changed to the facade of the restaurant, which was built in 1875, even though the buildings on both sides have burned down. Apparently, during Prohibition, the windows on the ground floor were blacked out, but the top windows were clear, allowing for the bar’s employees to keep a lookout for the police.  Hemingway immortalized this saloon in his short story, “A Man of the World”.  (It’s on our reading list!)

Thanks to a 2015 NY Times Article, we learned about Hemingway in Northern Michigan:

By all accounts, northern Michigan had a seismic effect on Ernest Hemingway and his  future work. He spent his first 21 summers there, fishing, hunting, drinking and chasing girls. It was a place where men lived hard and lean, ran trotlines and considered bilge water a beverage. “Good stuff for essays,” he wrote in a 1916 journal entry, recording fishing trip details he would later channel into Nick Adams stories.

Apparently, Ernest returned to Petoskey after his stint in World War I and worked on his novels at this rooming house:

The story in the New York Times stated that Hemingway was late for his first wedding, in nearby Horton Bay, because the fishing on the Sturgeon River was so good.  (This was his marriage to Hadley, his first wife, who was reportedly a Methodist teetotaler from Michigan. The bartender told us that the locals knew it would never work out!)

Across the Border

Not to be outdone by Michigan, when Mama and I arrived in Sault Saint Marie, Canada, we found that Canada also takes credit for entertaining Hemingway!

This was printed in the free tourist magazine for the area. (Sault St Marie is nicknamed “the Soo”, because “sault” is pronounced “soo”.)

Canada was fun — we met the locals:

And learned a lot from the historical characters in the museum.  Who knew that both Canada and the US claim to have won the War of 1812!

We took a train ride deep into a canyon and admired the engineering that built the tracks through the rocks.

Later on our trip, we returned to the US and will soon visit Mackinac Island.  We don’t think we’ll find more Hemingway sights on the island, but who knows? Stay tuned!

Wonderful Waterfalls. Majestic mountains. Beautiful rivers and lakes. Slovenia in early June was a scenic delight.

Spontaneous Itinerary

When we arrived from Croatia,  the office manager of the Sixt car rental agency in Portoroz Slovenia was somewhat surprised to be renting to tourists from the US. He inquired about our planned itinerary, and since we could barely pronounce most of our tentative destinations, he jotted down his favorite “off the beaten track” waterfalls and list of “must-eat” treats. We gratefully took the list, put his ideas into our google maps, and off we went.

Walking to Waterfalls

Our first stop was the Tolminska Korita area, where we hiked to a dramatic gorge. This steep canyon trail led to a deep fissure among giant rocks.

The trail was a bit slippery due to some morning rain, so we were very thankful that we’d brought out our handy walking sticks for extra traction. (Ed noticed that his physical therapist would be happy with two more points of contact while hiking.)

During our visit, we saw many other waterfalls, including the Boka Waterfall, the “highest waterfall”  in the country (dropping from 136 meters, directly from an underground karst.)

And the Rinka Waterfall, a skinnier one in the Logar Valley. The force of this fall could drench an unsuspecting visitor. While we were there, a group of school kids was also visiting. The teacher had a loud whistle, which he blew when a kid got too near. All the kids understood this not-too-subtle command, and they stepped back immediately.

A Roaring River in Southern Slovenia

The Soca River carves its way through the Soca Valley in Southern Slovenia. It was the site of the Italian Front during World War I, which is immortalized by Hemingway in A Farewell to Arms.

Water danced on the rocks and the sun shimmered on the leaves. The rivers (and rainfall) keep the scenery verdant and lush.

A Luxurious Lake

Lake Bled boasts that it is the top tourist attraction in the country (after the capital, Ljubljana). Since no motorized boats are allowed on the lake, the charming island in the middle can only be accessed by rowboat. We joined a jolly group from Austria for this journey on a traditional pletna boat, a man-powered craft, similar to a gondola.

Other folks opted to row their personal boat to practice sculling in their Olympic-sized course on the lake. We learned that several Olympic medal winners train on this course.

Lake Bled, with its picturesque island, was beautiful — and looked right out of a fairy tale.

Majestic Mountains of Slovenia

The Virsc mountain pass passes through the border with Austria, where we dipped in for a few kilometers. This pass included 50 switchbacks (each with its own number). We were surprised to note quite a few bicyclists pedaling up and down this incredible climb. We “assumed the position” at the summit.

And felt like we were literally among the clouds.

A charming Russian church blessed one of the switchbacks.

The Logarska Dolina Did Not Disappoint

We ended up in Logarska Dolina (the Logar Valley). The view from our room in a farmhouse in the Logar Valley was breathtaking. From our porch, we watched a rainstorm dance around the valley and were thankful to be under the awning.

The Julian Alps beckon hikers from all nations. We only took a day trip but saw other hikers embarking on a hut-to-hut journey. Perhaps next time.

Fabulous Food in Slovenia

Our splurge stop in Slovenia was at Hisa Franko near Kobarid. Here we had booked an 11-course extravaganza dinner. Not only did we have 11 courses; we opted for the wine pairing of 7 Slovenian wines plus champagne to start and an extra red with the optional cheese course.

The flavors were delicious, and the presentation of each morsel was exquisite. Each course–made from local ingredients–was presented with a sense of place and a sense of humor–especially this shrimp course.

Luckily we had also booked a room in the Inn upstairs, so we were able to climb upstairs and fall into bed after this incredible dinner. When we arrived home, we learned that Hisa Franko was just rated #48 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Quite memorable!

More Food To Try

To continue our food odyssey through Solvenia, we tried the  “kremma rezina” at Villa Bled, overlooking the lake–another recommendation by our Sixt Car rental agent. Delicious, but not low cal.

On the island in the middle of Lake Bled, we tried “potica”, our second dessert of the day. Potica is the traditional Slovenian dessert that the Pope asked Melania Trump if she served it to POTUS during their Vatican visit. The Pope is reported to have asked, “What do you feed him…Potica?” when he noticed Donald’s imposing bulk.

Not to be outdone, local food entrepreneurs honor Melania with some treats named after her:

And New Beverages as Well

In the new food and drink category, we also tried Orange Wine (like rose, but orange) which has become quite popular in Slovenia. According to All About Orange Wine Slovenia has a long history of orange wine making. It was delicious!

In Bled, we dined at a small restaurant that had an interesting claim to fame — Sir Paul McCartney also loves it! 

We found Slovenia to be an unexpected pleasure. No traffic or crowds. We highly recommend it to fellow adventurers.

We’d never heard of Istria — the triangular shaped portion of Croatia that’s closest to Italy.

Then, we’d never heard of the villages — Motovun, Vodnjan, and Rovinj.

Making these acquaintances was a delicious delight.

Konoba Mondo in Motovun

Our first destination in Istria was in Motovun. The map said that all roads lead to Motovun, a lovely walled village on top of a mountain.

Jan made a 1:00 reservation for lunch at this konoba (tavern) in Motovun. According to Google Maps, we had plenty of time to get there before they closed mid-afternoon. We were surprised to see a DETOUR sign in Croatian when we tried to turn into the road to Motovun.

We went ahead anyway but were stopped by a huge pile of gravel completely covering the road. So we reluctantly turned around, and instead of taking the direct route, we took a 45-minute detour that allowed us to access the walled city from a completely different direction.

The hassle was worth it. This first (and best) meal on this foodie quest was at this charming, unassuming restaurant nestled in a quaint corner of this hilltop town. Sadly, our friend had learned about this restaurant from an Anthony Bourdain (RIP) TV episode. Also, the NY Times called Konoba Mondo “what eating in the Old World should feel like”.

The fresh tagliatelle with black truffles was amazing  Never before had we seen such huge truffle shavings. We learned that many “Italian” truffles originate in this area of Istria.

Not to be outdone, the homemade ravioli with black truffles was also delicious. Who knew that you could make celery ravioli?

After lunch we learned that Mario Andretti is from this town; Italy claims him as well, as the town used to be called Montona, Italy.

Truffles are a big deal in this area. On our next trip, we want to join some truffle-sniffing dogs and see how they find the truffles buried deep in the forest. Now, we’ll just have to be content with enjoying the fruits of their labor. We didn’t buy this t-shirt but thought it was cute.

Vodnjanka in Vodnjan

If you blinked, you would miss Vodnjanka, a gourmet paradise on the side of the road in the tiny town of Vodnjan. 

Here, they raise their own pigs for prosciutto. As they lovingly raise only two or three pigs per year, the prosciutto was excellent–very lean and tasty, and unlike any other prosciutto we had on the trip.

We also enjoyed the black truffle ravioli and gnocchi at this restaurant and were delighted with the just-out-of-the-oven chocolate cake which was the best ever.

Rovinj

We enjoyed our three nights in Rovinj, a delightful coastal town in Istria. It was once an island.

The octopus salad was tasty.

At Baldi trattoria, we said our farewell to Istrian cuisine by savoring this incredibly fresh calamari.

The delicious Croatian wines complemented the wonderful food.

We Highly Recommend Istria!

Now that you’ve heard of these areas, we recommend them for your bucket list. Your taste buds and stomach will thank you!  Next stop:  Slovenia

Croatia offers the sports enthusiast an endless variety of outdoor activities and adventures.  Over the last few weeks we’ve enjoyed the beautiful scenery and created our own triathlon, featuring stair climbing, biking, and kayaking.

Stair Climbing in Croatia

The walls of Dubrovnik, fortified in the 15th century, offer a mile and a quarter scenic stroll around the old city.

Stairs abound  — first we had to climb up to the wall, then up and down along the wall.

Luckily there were no cruise ships in town when we took our stroll on a late afternoon. So, we enjoyed relative peace and quiet as we peered down at the red tiled roofs of the old city.

Of course, we had a change to practice our favorite position.

The scenery along the walls was breathtaking, and we were also reminded that many people and animals live within the walls.

We also climbed through the wall to the Buza bar, where we enjoyed an overpriced beer and watched the sun set.

The “street” listed for our AirBnb, was actually a steep stairway.  Houses and apartments cover the hill above Dubrovnik, and all the up and down streets are not streets at all — just pedestrian stairs. We trekked up and down these stairs every time we wanted to get back to our apartment.

But, the trek was worth it!  Our apartment had a lovely deck for watching the sunset and enjoying calm morning coffee.

Ed found even the shorter Dubrovnik stairways to be visually compelling … he had to wait a bit for tourists (and locals) to get out of the way of his shot.

The stairways beckon — by day or night!

On the island of Hvar, our AirBnB was also located up some steep stairs above a beach. it offered a spectacular view from the deck.

On Hvar, we hiked to an abandoned village and saw this interesting  800 year old shelter for farmers. It has survived all these years, with no cement or grout. It’s able to move a bit during earthquakes and the central key stone holds the building intact.

We hiked a bit more and had amazing views of Croatia.

Stairs in Montenegro As Well

Our stair climbing continued into Kotor, Montenegro, where we encountered another walled city, with lots of opportunities to climb stairs.  

This “Great Wall of Kotor”, built between the 9th and 19th centuries, reminded us of the Great Wall of China.

Kayaking

In Dubrovnik, we joined a group led by Adriatic Kayak Adventures and kayaked between Lopud Island and Sipan Island (both are just a ferry ride away from Dubrovnik.) Before getting into the kayak, we learned a few tips on stroke techniques, donned our life jackets and kayak “skirts”, and headed into the water. We are glad to report that we did not capsize and held our own among the other kayakers (who were all in the 20’s or 30’s.) We learned that a 81-year-old couple from California had recently completed a 7 day kayak trip with our guide. Now that’s aspirational!

Biking

On Sipan Island, we traded the kayaks in for Trek Bikes.  

The bikes had a very familiar feel, and we enjoyed the scenic ride among the olive trees and vineyards. The 250 residents of Sipan Island are proud to be in the Guinness Book of Records for having the most olive oil production per capita than any place in the world.  We sampled the local production and it was delicious. We ended up on the other side of Sipan Island and admired the view.

On Our Next Visit to Croatia

We will expand our Croatian “Triathlon” to many move adventure sports that we witnessed, including:

Paddle boarding with white lab.

Sun bathing with a white lab.

Walking with golden retriever (don’t tell Sydney!)

But, alas we had no pets along for the ride.

We could have played water polo directly off the shore in the charming town of Cavtat (apparently many members of the Croatian National team have trained here.)

But alas, we had no water polo ball and no “speedos” (which was definitely a good thing…)

To round out our fitness program in Croatia, we  exercised our upper bodies by lifting steins of the local beers and glasses of delicious wine that perfectly matched the grilled local fish. 

After all of the exercise on this trip, our next destination will be more foodie experiences in Istria. As they say in Croatian: živjeli! 

During our three-week journey through Morocco, we embraced a wide variety of landscapes, peoples and cultures.

Meet the Berbers

80% of Moroccans are of Berber heritage. The Berbers developed a rich culture that thrives in the high mountains and desert. In the past, they lived side by side with a large Jewish population, and both cultures were influential to one another. The Berbers have a unique vocabulary and a wonderful, self-deprecating sense of humor:

A “Berber 4×4” is a mule that carries our luggage up a mountain to a Kasbah. This was a new mode of transport for our well-traveled bags.

Mules, which can climb stairs and hills are much more expensive than donkeys which only operate on level ground.

A “Berber gas mask” is a handful of crushed mint held up to the nose to combat the noxious odors in the tanneries where cow, sheep, goat, and camel hide are turned into leather goods using traditional methods and ingredients which include pigeon poop and organic dyes. These traditional tanneries operate as they have for hundreds of years large courtyards in urban medinas.

“Berber Pizza” is stuffed bread cooked in hot sand.

“Berber Whiskey” is mint tea poured from on high to aerate the flavors of the tea.

A “Berber salt mine” is a well operated by two guys with a rope and a basket. They scoop up the water in baskets and send the salty water to evaporation pools below.

Berber became an official Moroccan language only six years ago, and now it’s on many of the highway signs.

Many people speak Berber, Arabic and French, with a smattering of English in tourist-facing activities and commerce.

We spent a night in the desert, traveling on camels and sleeping in Berber tents.

We donned the traditional Berber headdress to protect our faces from sun and sand.

Berber people are friendly and hospitable; Omar, our guide, took us to his village and introduced us to his father.

He even tried our favorite pose!

Influence of Islam

Islam is the official state religion of Morocco. We learned that the “Minister of Islam” is a high government position, and the current Minister is a dear friend of the King. All communities have a mosque and the salaries for most Imams are paid by the government.

Most women wear modest dress with headscarves in public. Only men are seen in most cafés and if there is a woman in a café, people think, “she must be waiting for transport.” Beer and wine are only served in selected hotels (and some restaurants) that cater to tourists.

The call to prayer is heard five times a day. Jan previously thought that this was a pre-recorded tape, but she was corrected…. “No, the ‘muezzin’, a respected member of the mosque community,  chants the call to prayer in the minaret”. In cities, we could hear the call in “surround sound”, as multiple mosques were calling the faithful at the same time.

Jewish Heritage

Historically, Morocco had a large Jewish community that lived alongside and in peace with the Muslim community; as of 1980, most Jews had emigrated to Israel or elsewhere. Many Moroccan cities have a “Mellah” as the Jewish quarter is known. Mellah homes are different from traditional Moroccan riads. Unlike riads, which are focused on an inner courtyard or garden, homes in the Mellah have street-facing windows and balconies so Jewish residents could chat with neighbors without leaving their homes.

In Marrakech, we visited an active synagogue, which is a pilgrimage sites for many Israelis. We met a local man who had just returned from his mother’s funeral in Israel. She was 94 years old, and had left Marrakech in 1950.

And we learned that Chefchaouen, one of our favorite cities, was painted blue by original Jewish residents to differentiate it from green—the color of Islam!  This city offers picturesque vistas from every turn and is an absolute delight.

French City Planning in Morocco

French is the second language of Morocco (after Arabic). Wide boulevards, reminiscent of the Champs Elysees radiate from the King’s palace in Fes. These were designed by a French architect. Even Essaouira, a sleepy beach town with incredible kite-surfing and windsurfing, somewhat incongruously practiced alongside camel rides along the beach, was laid out by a Frenchman who wanted the “Medina” (old city) to have an organized feel and not be a labyrinth.

Gnawa Music (from Sub Saharan Africa)

The only “profession” in the village of Khamlia is making music. Whenever a tourist shows up, this talented bunch of musicians brings their traditional drums, string instruments, and castanets to perform mesmerizing music, as well as their attractively packaged CD’s for sale. This music originated with animism religions of West Africa and can often put the musicians in a trance.

Uniquely Moroccan

Riads are traditional Moroccan houses which focus inward, allowing family members to communicate easily across the inner courtyard. Traditional riads also have specialized doors with one knocker sound and smaller entry for family members and a different knocker sound and larger entry for visitors. If the family knocker sounds, the women inside know that they do not need to put on their robes and veils.

Not all doors have this feature.

In Morocco, the North African culture lives side by side with Islam, even though many aspects of the culture are “forbidden” by Islam; for example, trance-inducing music, tattoos (often worn by countryside brides), and “liberated” women.

Couscous is the go-to Friday meal (because it takes four hours to cook!) We were lucky to visit a friend’s home on a Friday, where we enjoyed this home-cooked beauty.

Jan  went to cooking school, where she chopped and diced her way to create delicious Eggplant Zaalouk and Seafood Pastila. She even got to eat it for lunch– and bring leftovers home to Ed.

The shopkeepers in Marrakech are friendly and the leather goods are lovely.

Weavers are everywhere, producing traditional woven goods from agave, wool, and cotton.

Blue Chefchaouen has become the new “Santorini” as a destination for Chinese brides and their photographers.

The Marrakech Medina is lively with girls in school uniforms. The future is bright, if these girls have anything to do with it!

Oil from the abundant olive trees is pressed and bottled using traditional methods.

Traditional fishing boats set sail every morning from Essouaira, on the coast.

The gigantic mosque of Casablanca — the largest one outside of Saudi Arabia —  can hold 25,000 worshipers inside and 80,000 outside! During Ramadan, we learned that both locations are filled to capacity on a daily basis.

“Au revoir”, “Salam Alikome”, and “B slema” Morocco! It was amazing. We are fortunate and ever grateful for your hospitality.

As they say, “inshallah”  (if God willing), we hope to return.

A few years ago, Ed’s second cousin, Shep Forman, suggested, “Let’s go to Eastern Europe to try to find the Forman roots.”  We thought, “that sounds fun … let’s plan it!”  As a result, we spent ten days with Shep and Leona Forman exploring Latvia and Lithuania–searching for Forman roots. Shep is the cousin of Ed’s father, and is the youngest member of that generation.

Tracking Down Family Genealogy

Specifically, we were looking for the birthplaces of Simon Forman (Shep’s father) and Samuel Forman (Ed’s grandfather) and their parents — Michael Forman and Maria Zimina. Shep’s father had told him that he was from Riga and records showed that Maria was from Kanaus, Lithuania. Shep’s father also said, “I’m Litvak”… which Shep assumed meant that he was from Latvia.

The Forman family emigrated to the US in the early 1900’s. Ed and Shep had researched their relatives on Ancestry.com before our trip, and they came equipped with some online records and documents. US Census data listed Simon and Sam as being born in “Russia”. (In the early 1900’s, Russia controlled all of Eastern Europe including the Baltic countries which are now Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.)

Riga, Latvia

Ed and I met Shep and Leona in Riga, a very cosmopolitan city, with many green parks and open spaces. At the Jewish museum of Riga, we met with a historian, who referred us to an expert a the Latvian archives. We made an appointment with her to meet the next day. This historian also commented, “I’m 100% sure that Maria Zimina is a Russian Orthodox name. This means that she was not Jewish. Instead, she was probably Russian Orthodox.”  This news was disconcerting to both Shep and Ed, as they had never imagined that there were Christian roots in their backgrounds.

At the Latvian archives our historian Rita could find no record of the Formans in Latvia. But she said, “often, people said they were from Riga, if they left Eastern Europe from Riga … even when they didn’t live here.”  (It was a major seaport and a gateway to the west.)

We were a bit discouraged by this data, but we enjoyed our stay in Riga anyway. We loved touring the old town and sampled “Black Balsam” … the native liqueur of Latvia. (If you ever need a really effective cough syrup, try Black Balsam–highly recommended!)

We attended the World Premier of the opera, “Rose of Turaidas” performed by the Latvian State Opera. Since we bought tickets in advance (for the sold out performance), we’d learned that it was a black tie event and packed appropriate attire. Ed and I bought our jackets and my scarf at the “Gold Mine” thrift store in Ketchum, Idaho since we received the news about “black tie” after leaving SF for Ketchum. This was the first time Ed ever put on a size “44 long”. But for $5, who can complain that the length goes below his second knuckle (!).

Little did we know that our seats for the opera would be five rows behind the President of Latvia and his wife. We learned this because the President’s beefy bodyguards (with earpieces) sat in our row! The lighting and staging of the opera was very innovative, and even though we couldn’t understand the nuances of what was going on in the opera, we enjoyed the performance.

Kanaus, Lithuania

After four days in Riga, we drove our rental car to Kanaus, the town where we hoped to find records for Mary Zimina who at this point could be characterized as our Russian Orthodox great grandmother. As we entered the town, we were not impressed. We saw rows and rows of Soviet-style dreary apartments and confusing traffic patterns. We checked into our hotel and after a lovely dinner at the Dia Restaurant, attended Yom Kippur services at the Kanaus Choral Synagogue, the only surviving synagogue in the city. It was a traditional Orthodox service, with melodies unfamiliar to Ed and Shep.

The next day we drove to the Museum of the Ninth Fort, on the outskirts of town. We were sobered to learn that this location was a killing field for 3,000 Jewish people from Kanaus who were marched here and shot in 1941. This picture in the museum illustrated the horrors of the period.

This monument was placed in front of the mass grave to honor the legacy of those who perished.

Vilnius, Lithuania

We traveled to Vilnius, a bustling, charming city with a vibrant spirit and lively Old Town. On our second day, we met with Regina Jopilevich, a local expert on Jewish genealogy and Lithuanian history. We took her to the hotel’s computer and she instantly started researching in online databases.

After about an hour of work, she had an ‘aha’ moment …. and found the birth records of both Sam and Simon Forman!

We learned that Sam, Simon, and their sisters were all born in Kanaus, Lithuania. And, Maria Zimina, was not really “Maria”, but Mariausha, daughter of Moshe …. These are all Jewish names, so the idea of some non-Jewish relatives was put to rest. Shep and Ed breathed a sigh of relief!  Jan just smiled with acceptance.

It was quite an exciting moment to see the records of all the Forman Family members. Regina was an expert at looking for different spellings of names (Fuhrman vs Forman, etc.). Also many of the children had Hebrew names, which were changed to American names when they moved to the US. The key to her genealogical research was finding the same names in previous generations, but because of the differences in the records between Hebrew, Russian and Lithuanian names, it truly took an expert to figure it out.

While researching, she found that Sam’s wife, Rose Fanger, was born in Moletai, a nearby village. (This town is also called  Malat and Malata… which adds to the confusion to the genealogy for the uninitiated.) So, we got in the car and drove to her village. We had a lovely lunch in a local cafe … complete with dumplings and herring.

After lunch, we met this 85 year old resident of the village who described her life in Moletai.

She invited us into her home (which had no running water). We imagined that Rose (Ed’s grandma) and her family could have lived in a similar home prior to emigrating to the US in the early 1900’s.

We met her husband, and were impressed with his US Air Force hat!

In this painting of Moletai’s past, we imagined Ed’s relatives strolling the streets.

In his role as “paparazzi”, Ed took photos of other houses in the village.

In Moletai we also visited an old Jewish cemetery by entering  through a hole in the fence.

On the outskirts of Moletai, we visited a somber sight where 2,000 Jews perished in the Holocaust. Recently, over 2,000 people were present for a commemoration and a screening of a  documentary  for the 75th anniversary of this atrocity. The memorial was in a relatively small space and we are told it was incredibly impactful when 2000 people surrounded the memorial in 2016. To provide perspective, the Jewish population in the region of Vilnius was in the hundreds of thousand before WWII and is less than 2000 today.

On our second day of research in Vilnius, we visited the Lithuanian Archives, where we searched for records on microfilm and ordered paper copies of documents. Leona was impressed by the  original birth records for the Fanger family.

And Ed and Shep found records from the SS Emory, the ship that carried the Forman family to the US in 1905.

During this research, Ed discovered that the aunt he was named for, Aunt Henrietta, was born in Kedainiai in 1874. We were also able to flesh out more of the details of Ed’s family. This was the Block family — Ed’s great grandma and great aunt on his mother’s side. So, we were off to Kedainiai where the Block family lived.

Kedainiai, Lithuania

We visited Kedainiai on our way back to Riga. This village can trace its heritage back to 1372. At one time in the past, Kedainiai hosted a large Scottish community. (Who knows, perhaps Jan’s ancestors crossed paths with Ed’s family in this village.) We saw many wooden homes. Maybe Henrietta lived in a house like one of these:

Our trip wrapped up back in Riga. Both Ed and Shep were very satisfied with our research results. It’s wonderful to know the connection with Lithuania. We celebrated our good fortune  during our farewell dinner. We were able to trace the Forman, Fanger and Block branches of Ed’s family back many generations and to gain perspective on their lives in Europe. We felt very lucky that most members of our families were able to leave early in the 20th Century, well before the Holocaust.

So, here’s a toast to Ed and Shep for a wonderful trip to Latvia and Lithuania! All four of us hope to return to these beautiful countries in the near future.