The characteristic of a well-bred man is, to converse with his inferiors
without insolence, and with his superiors with respect and with ease.
-Lord Chesterfield, statesman and writer (22 Sep 1694-1773)
Dear Corinne and Pat, I hope you enjoy your journey in Europe. Unfortunately I have to inform you that we are unable to be your hosts in Ittigen this time. As you know Eveline’s health was an issue last year and still is with a relapse recently. Therefore she has sought a health recovery stay at a facility in Ticino that we expect to be approved shortly for the both of us. We feel very sorry about the circumstances and to let you know only on such short notice. We hope a solution in finding another accommodation for your stay in Switzerland can be found. If it is possible I would like to meet you in Zurich before I follow Eveline to the south. Please let me know how I can reach you by phone.
Herzliche Grüsse, Eveline und Heinz
Dearest Heinz and Eveline! Please do not worry about our stay in Bern. We will manage but are far more concerned about Eveline's health and are most distressed that she is not well. Do hope that the stay in Ticino will be the start of her full recovery. Our fondest regards and love to her in this obviously difficult time.
We arrive in Zurich on Saturday, September 28th and will be staying with former boarder, Stefan Bolliger, until Monday, September 30th. Of course we'd most certainly wish to see you in Zurich, if at all possible. At the moment I do not have Stefan's phone number but I will be contacting him shortly and will ask for his number. We are not travelling with a phone so we depend on the kindness of strangers! This morning, in fact, when we left Prague this morning, we asked the concierge at the hotel just around the corner from where we were staying and he very kindly made the arrangements for us. He was a lovely chap, originally from Angola so we had a most pleasant chat while we were waiting for the cab to arrive.
Hi Michele and Wayne Arrived in Cesky Krumlov this afternoon. Took the bus. Ride was 3 hours. Have settled into our pensione Merlin. Took a walk around town and bought the card for reduced price for museums. Will do the free walking tour tomorrow am. And then go up to the castle. Did the hop on hop off bus in Prague. It wasn’t as good as in other places. The audio didn’t work on one bus and on another the air conditioner was broken and it was very hot.
Plus the drivers would stop for hour lunch break and we would all have to change buses.
I must say when we were away I was amazed when the news broke out about Justin Trudeau and black face. It is a national and international embarassment and to have it broadcast worldwide--yikes!!. Definitely does show poor judgement and given that one of the photos was from when he worked as a teacher at West Point Grey Academy it truly is disappointing. It is evident he really didn't think dressing up like that was offensive. I sincerely hope that this will not result in his being ousted as Prime Minister but there are so many people quite upset with his government that it could cause many to rethink placing their vote with him. In many ways he is lucky as the NDP, (Labour Party), leader Jagmeet Singh and the Conservatives with Andrew Scheer offer no really strong alternatives and are not strong leaders. The Green Party under the leadership of Elizabeth May may take votes away from the Liberals and the NDP, and then there is a new party called the Peoples Party of Canada under the leadership of Maxime Bernier, who is a disenchanted Conservative. Perhaps they will take votes away from the Conservatives. So right now it is hard to know how things will turn out. It definitely will be a tight election on Oct. 21.
Our travels were very educational, however, I must admit Colin and I found the traveling tiring and rather overwhelming. Not only the long flights and long airport waits but just the congested cities, traffic and living. The Library Professionals Association Conference, the I-KOAL Conference (International Conference on Knowledge Organization in Academic Libraries) in the state of Gujurat was attended by 260 librarians--public, school, and academic librarians from India primarily. The theme of the conference was Building Smart Libraries: Challenges and Discovery Tools. I presented a session on Problem Based Learning and the Role of the Library in Creating Smart Cities. I met an exceptional children's librarian who headed up programs at the public library in Chandigra T.S. State Library. She was also awarded an LPA Awards a Best Public Librarian. Please look at this short news article about her--she is dynamic, energetic, fun and beautiful. I valued meeting her immensely. https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/we-must-promote-library-culture-among-children-5700085/
I also met an engineering librarian Shilini Wassan who was given an LPA award as Best College Librarian also from Chandigra and I found her to be extremely interesting as well. We all shared the two hour drive from the Ahmedabad Airport to Anand where Sardar Patel University was located--that was where the conference was held. Ahmedabad is renowned as the home of Mahatma Ghandi and his family. He and his wife lived in an ashram built in 1917 near the Sabarmati River and it was his home for 12 years. This year on October 2 they will celebrate the 150th celebration of his birth and of course he is credited as the activist who led India's movement for independence against British Colonial rule. I was reading in the papers that Mumbai University and some universities in New Delhi are voting to change the regalia worn for convocation. They want to move away from the black robes and mortar boards and go to traditional and more meaningful regional dress. This way they are hoping to shed the colonial ties entirely especially those that influence education.
Anyways the conference was okay. The public university http://www.spuvvn.edu/ offers 40 graduate and post grad courses, 20 diploma courses, 8 certificate courses in Arts, Science Business Studies, Education, Home Science, Law, Medicine, Pharmacy, Engineering, Technology and Homeopathy and was named after Sardar Patel who was a famous Indian politician who was the First Deputy Prime Minister of India and played a leading role in Gujurat and as part of the independence movement with Gandhi. He is highly regarded in India. The university however was run down and the buildings simply have not been maintained. What was disappointing about the conference was the quality of the papers and the fact that there were too many of them. There was a large playing field on campus which was most attractive, much vegetation, wandering brahma cows, dogs and the occasional cat. Most of the university students road motorbikes and we stayed in a very decent hotel within walking distance of the campus. The food at the conference was quite good. While we were there it was the end of the monsoon season and for the most part we enjoyed fairly good weather--it would rain and then there would be sunny and cloudy breaks. I did feel badly though for conference participants in their saris as they had to navigate the large puddles and muddy walkways.
After the conference we then flew to Mumbai. While there though attention returned to Gujurat, as Prime Minister Modi celebrated his 69th birthday and of course Gujurat is his home state. So there was lots of news about him, he gave a big speech and then visited his mother to receive her blessing. The big news in India was also Modi's trip to the US where he was to hold the "Howdy Modi" rally in Houston Texas on Sept. 22 and where Donald Trump joined him. There wasn't coverage in Canada or at least I missed it. So I watched it on CNN and the welcome from Modi to Trump was really a bit sickening https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0tSE5wPPM8
We had never been to Mumbai before and we had wanted to see some of the coastal scenery, the "Bollywood City" and Gateway to India. It was something I had really looked forward to. Our hotel along Juhu Beach did not disappoint but the city was overwhelming and for me was way more chaotic than Delhi. Of course there were tuktuks, motorcycles, buses, trucks, cars and people everywhere. Such a frenetic environment--hot humid and so many slums. The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport is amazing! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chhatrapati_Shivaji_Maharaj_International_Airport#/media/File:Mumbai_metro_Logo.png
Please look at the pictures as it is truly beautiful with so many unique historical artefacts on display. But the drive in from the airport was distressing. Once in the city, it was not easy to walk about at all as there were few city sidewalks. The beach was lovely and I must say each morning city crews would take to the beach to do cleanup of all the items that would be washed ashore from the Arabian Sea. It was very humid so when we went for a walk it didn't take long to work up a good sweat. I always retreated back to the airconditioned hotel.
It does amaze me that such wealth and poverty co-exists within such close proximity. The need for infrastructure--good sidewalks, public transport, parks, gardens, community centers and libraries -- all are extremely important and in Mumbai they seem to be in chaos. Efforts to build the subway and expand it are underway but in so doing the chaos and displaced people are huge. Really is difficult when your city has 23-24 million people. I am not sure travel in India is something I enjoy immensely but I did find it interesting going to museums such as the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum where there was art work, arts and crafts from Victorian times--it had been called the Victoria and Albert Museum and was renamed. Some exquisite pieces and certainly indicative of what England imported from India. It was also useful to see some of the Victorian architecture Mumbai University, the train station, high courts building, etc. The Taj Mahal Palace https://www.tajhotels.com/en-in/taj/taj-mahal-palace-mumbai/ an old hotel was impressive and we did go there for tea. It has been the hotel for royals and visiting dignitaries and it was one of the grandest hotels I have ever seen.
And of course cricket was in the news. I also learned about another sport which was broadcast in our hotel lounge which was fascinating and I was intrigued because they not only showed professional games but also competing schools from around India--I asked about it and found it was a sport called Kabaddi. It is a contact team sport played between teams of seven players. It looks like the objective is to tagout players on the opposite team in their court as quickly as possible and then run out without being tackled. Colin and I laughed at the serious calls made by the burly and very ferocious looking female referee. The sport seems to only be played by males but it looked like fun and the young players seemed to enjoy it.
Anyways we are now back in Vancouver. Saturday was an okay day but today it poured with rain. I am not sure what time zone I am in and alas I am having trouble sleeping at ordinary times. I am supposed to go for volunteer training for the Vancouver International Film Festival tomorrow but I am not sure if I really care at this point. But maybe I will feel differently in the morning. Tuesday there will be a celebratory launch of My Heart Fills with Happiness by Monique Gray Smith and illustrated by Julie Flett which is the TD Grade One Book Giveaway this year and the celebration will be held at the Vancouver Public Library as the authors are from British Columbia. I will attend the celebration and I love this program which means that this book will be given to every Grade One child in Canada. https://bookcentre.ca/news/get-know-julie-flett-illustrator-heart-fills-happiness
I will also be going to see a play at UBC on Friday--the UBC theatre students are doing Beckett. Then Colin's sister Val and her husband will be visiting Sept. 29-October 1, 2019 and we are looking forward to seeing them--they live in Calgary and two years ago Val suffered some very serious health issues that left her severely compromised. We never ever expected to see her visit Vancouver again but miraculously she is making the effort to do so. October 4-8th my friend Marilyn from Edmonton will be visiting and we are going to see Rock the Rink -- a figure skating event as this is the last skate by the ice dancing pair Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir (Olympic Gold and World Champions in Ice Dance). This event will be held at the Doug Mitchell Arena at UBC so I am really looking forward to it.
I sincerely appreciate your taking the time on your trip to email us. I think of you often and know that you will be enjoying life to the full. Take care and many hugs are sent your way. Lots of love Jo-Anne
Just back from a delicious dinner in Český Krumlov. Arrived, here, by bus, from Prague, this afternoon. Took a stroll through this lovely town after we checked into our pension. Walking tour tomorrow so looking forward to learning more about the place. Cheers!
We
arrive in Zurich on Saturday, September 28th and will be staying,
unless he cancels, with former boarder, Stefan Bolliger, until Monday,
September 30th. [Heinz mentioned that he would
like to see us in Zurich, if possible, before he joins Eveline in
Ticino.] Since we are not travelling with F/S anymore we are phoneless
so we depend on the kindness of strangers! This morning, in fact, when
we left Prague we asked the concierge at the hotel
just around the corner from where we were staying to call a cab and he
very kindly made the arrangements for us. He was a lovely chap,
originally from Angola so we had a most pleasant chat while we were
waiting for the cab to arrive. He and his wife and three-year
old girl will be staying in your place when you are in Hawaii!
Dear Corinne and Pat, I hope you enjoy your journey in Europe. Unfortunately I have to inform you that we are unable to be your hosts in Ittigen this time. As you know Eveline’s health was an issue last year and still is with a relapse recently. Therefore she has sought a health recovery stay at a facility in Ticino that we expect to be approved shortly for the both of us. We feel very sorry about the circumstances and to let you know only on such short notice. We hope a solution in finding another accommodation for your stay in Switzerland can be found. If it is possible I would like to meet you in Zurich before I follow Eveline to the south. Please let me know how I can reach you by phone.
Herzliche Grüsse, Eveline und Heinz
Dearest Heinz and Eveline! Please do not worry about our stay in Bern. We will manage but are far more concerned about Eveline's health and are most distressed that she is not well. Do hope that the stay in Ticino will be the start of her full recovery. Our fondest regards and love to her in this obviously difficult time.
We arrive in Zurich on Saturday, September 28th and will be staying with former boarder, Stefan Bolliger, until Monday, September 30th. Of course we'd most certainly wish to see you in Zurich, if at all possible. At the moment I do not have Stefan's phone number but I will be contacting him shortly and will ask for his number. We are not travelling with a phone so we depend on the kindness of strangers! This morning, in fact, when we left Prague this morning, we asked the concierge at the hotel just around the corner from where we were staying and he very kindly made the arrangements for us. He was a lovely chap, originally from Angola so we had a most pleasant chat while we were waiting for the cab to arrive.
We took the bus, at 11:00 am to arrive in Český Krumlov at about 1:40 pm. There was WiFi on the bus so I read your message just as we were leaving Prague. I planned to answer you, en route, but the person in front of me reclined their seat back and it was virtually impossible to use my laptop, given the fairly tight quarters. Anyway, I watched The Shawshank Redemption and enjoyed it immensely although we'd seen it around the time it was first released, in 1994.
Anyway, it was a very pleasant trip and we were able to take another taxi, from the bus station, to our lovely home for the next three nights: Pension Merlin. We have a very comfortable set of rooms, quite spacious compared to the apartment in Prague. It was more than comfortable but we had to laugh as the round shower enclosure was in the kitchen and you had to be careful when using the sink or stove as you could easily bump your head, so low was that part of the ceiling. We managed just fine, [bed was very comfortable, water hot and plenty of it], in spite of the fact that our private toilet was across the hall and one needed to use a key the size of a horseshoe, almost, to open the squeaky door from the Middle Ages!
We found Prague to be an exciting city and aside from all the historical buildings, castles, churches, bridges, monuments, fountains, street sculpture, charming streets, often sporting Art Deco apartments, and the like,we took in two simply fabulous exhibitions at the end of our long day of travels, by Hop On/Hop Off bus and foot explorations, in the GOAP Gallery off one corner of the Old Town Square: Andy Warhol and Alfons Mucha. Each had over 200 works about or by each artist. While we were reasonably familiar with both artists, I knew next to nothing about Andrew Warhola's family background and early career as a commercial illustrator. With respect to Mucha, we were introduced to many, many more of his works beyond the well know posters for Sarah Bernhardt or Moët & Chandon Champagne, so delighted we were able to take this opportunity.
Shortly after we checked in to our pension we took a stroll into the centre of this charming town. Wanted to buy a few groceries for breakfast as well as some wine for drinks before dinner. Also wanted to get a feel for the place itself and ended up buying two Český Krumlov Cards, (Only 150 Kč as half the price since over 65 we are "Reduced"!), which allows us access to the castle, the monastery, two museums and an art gallery so we'll be busy over next two days.
Must away as I'd like to take a quick shower before we head out for dinner. As mentioned, I'll be in touch again as soon as I have Stefan's phone number. In closing, more best wishes to our darling Eveline, and to you too, Heinz, it goes without saying. Fondestos from Lady Dar to you both. Cheers, Patrizzio! Pics: Pension Merlin and some of Český Krumlov. Back at the pension and exhausted!
Dearest Host Daughter Fiona! Trust
you are well. How go your studies? Have you decided whether you will be
taking holidays yet? One of the reasons I ask is that we just had news,
today, from Heinz and unfortunately, due to Eveline's health we will not be able to stay with them. However,
speaking selfishly, this means that we are desperately seeking other
accommodation in Bern and am wondering about the possibility of staying
at your place. If I remember correctly, I believe you mentioned
something to this effect in an earlier message. However, if this does
not work, don't worry, we'll manage, but if it does that would be simply
wonderful. In closing,
more best wishes to our darling Fiona. Fondestos from Lady Dar to our wonderful Host
Daughter. Cheers, Patrizzio!
Hi Michele and Wayne Arrived in Cesky Krumlov this afternoon. Took the bus. Ride was 3 hours. Have settled into our pensione Merlin. Took a walk around town and bought the card for reduced price for museums. Will do the free walking tour tomorrow am. And then go up to the castle. Did the hop on hop off bus in Prague. It wasn’t as good as in other places. The audio didn’t work on one bus and on another the air conditioner was broken and it was very hot.
Plus the drivers would stop for hour lunch break and we would all have to change buses.
We went to see exhibition of Andy Warhol and Alfonso Mucha. Which were really well presented. Only Us and one other guest in our pensione. There were tourists walking around so still lots of people but not crowded like Prague. Having a glass of wine and then off for dinner. Hope your meditation retreat goes well. We miss you guys lots. Hugs Corinne
Dear Patrick and Corinne Thank you for your travel email. I am sending one that I shared with others--so excuse the content that may be repeated for you. I have been very remiss in not contacting you before this and in sharing any bits of our trip to Ahmedabad and the Library Professional Association Conference there and then on to Mumbai for 6 days. I must say when we were away I was amazed when the news broke out about Justin Trudeau and black face. It is a national and international embarassment and to have it broadcast worldwide--yikes!!. Definitely does show poor judgement and given that one of the photos was from when he worked as a teacher at West Point Grey Academy it truly is disappointing. It is evident he really didn't think dressing up like that was offensive. I sincerely hope that this will not result in his being ousted as Prime Minister but there are so many people quite upset with his government that it could cause many to rethink placing their vote with him. In many ways he is lucky as the NDP, (Labour Party), leader Jagmeet Singh and the Conservatives with Andrew Scheer offer no really strong alternatives and are not strong leaders. The Green Party under the leadership of Elizabeth May may take votes away from the Liberals and the NDP, and then there is a new party called the Peoples Party of Canada under the leadership of Maxime Bernier, who is a disenchanted Conservative. Perhaps they will take votes away from the Conservatives. So right now it is hard to know how things will turn out. It definitely will be a tight election on Oct. 21.
Our travels were very educational, however, I must admit Colin and I found the traveling tiring and rather overwhelming. Not only the long flights and long airport waits but just the congested cities, traffic and living. The Library Professionals Association Conference, the I-KOAL Conference (International Conference on Knowledge Organization in Academic Libraries) in the state of Gujurat was attended by 260 librarians--public, school, and academic librarians from India primarily. The theme of the conference was Building Smart Libraries: Challenges and Discovery Tools. I presented a session on Problem Based Learning and the Role of the Library in Creating Smart Cities. I met an exceptional children's librarian who headed up programs at the public library in Chandigra T.S. State Library. She was also awarded an LPA Awards a Best Public Librarian. Please look at this short news article about her--she is dynamic, energetic, fun and beautiful. I valued meeting her immensely. https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/we-must-promote-library-culture-among-children-5700085/
I also met an engineering librarian Shilini Wassan who was given an LPA award as Best College Librarian also from Chandigra and I found her to be extremely interesting as well. We all shared the two hour drive from the Ahmedabad Airport to Anand where Sardar Patel University was located--that was where the conference was held. Ahmedabad is renowned as the home of Mahatma Ghandi and his family. He and his wife lived in an ashram built in 1917 near the Sabarmati River and it was his home for 12 years. This year on October 2 they will celebrate the 150th celebration of his birth and of course he is credited as the activist who led India's movement for independence against British Colonial rule. I was reading in the papers that Mumbai University and some universities in New Delhi are voting to change the regalia worn for convocation. They want to move away from the black robes and mortar boards and go to traditional and more meaningful regional dress. This way they are hoping to shed the colonial ties entirely especially those that influence education.
Anyways the conference was okay. The public university http://www.spuvvn.edu/ offers 40 graduate and post grad courses, 20 diploma courses, 8 certificate courses in Arts, Science Business Studies, Education, Home Science, Law, Medicine, Pharmacy, Engineering, Technology and Homeopathy and was named after Sardar Patel who was a famous Indian politician who was the First Deputy Prime Minister of India and played a leading role in Gujurat and as part of the independence movement with Gandhi. He is highly regarded in India. The university however was run down and the buildings simply have not been maintained. What was disappointing about the conference was the quality of the papers and the fact that there were too many of them. There was a large playing field on campus which was most attractive, much vegetation, wandering brahma cows, dogs and the occasional cat. Most of the university students road motorbikes and we stayed in a very decent hotel within walking distance of the campus. The food at the conference was quite good. While we were there it was the end of the monsoon season and for the most part we enjoyed fairly good weather--it would rain and then there would be sunny and cloudy breaks. I did feel badly though for conference participants in their saris as they had to navigate the large puddles and muddy walkways.
After the conference we then flew to Mumbai. While there though attention returned to Gujurat, as Prime Minister Modi celebrated his 69th birthday and of course Gujurat is his home state. So there was lots of news about him, he gave a big speech and then visited his mother to receive her blessing. The big news in India was also Modi's trip to the US where he was to hold the "Howdy Modi" rally in Houston Texas on Sept. 22 and where Donald Trump joined him. There wasn't coverage in Canada or at least I missed it. So I watched it on CNN and the welcome from Modi to Trump was really a bit sickening https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0tSE5wPPM8
We had never been to Mumbai before and we had wanted to see some of the coastal scenery, the "Bollywood City" and Gateway to India. It was something I had really looked forward to. Our hotel along Juhu Beach did not disappoint but the city was overwhelming and for me was way more chaotic than Delhi. Of course there were tuktuks, motorcycles, buses, trucks, cars and people everywhere. Such a frenetic environment--hot humid and so many slums. The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport is amazing! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chhatrapati_Shivaji_Maharaj_International_Airport#/media/File:Mumbai_metro_Logo.png
Please look at the pictures as it is truly beautiful with so many unique historical artefacts on display. But the drive in from the airport was distressing. Once in the city, it was not easy to walk about at all as there were few city sidewalks. The beach was lovely and I must say each morning city crews would take to the beach to do cleanup of all the items that would be washed ashore from the Arabian Sea. It was very humid so when we went for a walk it didn't take long to work up a good sweat. I always retreated back to the airconditioned hotel.
It does amaze me that such wealth and poverty co-exists within such close proximity. The need for infrastructure--good sidewalks, public transport, parks, gardens, community centers and libraries -- all are extremely important and in Mumbai they seem to be in chaos. Efforts to build the subway and expand it are underway but in so doing the chaos and displaced people are huge. Really is difficult when your city has 23-24 million people. I am not sure travel in India is something I enjoy immensely but I did find it interesting going to museums such as the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum where there was art work, arts and crafts from Victorian times--it had been called the Victoria and Albert Museum and was renamed. Some exquisite pieces and certainly indicative of what England imported from India. It was also useful to see some of the Victorian architecture Mumbai University, the train station, high courts building, etc. The Taj Mahal Palace https://www.tajhotels.com/en-in/taj/taj-mahal-palace-mumbai/ an old hotel was impressive and we did go there for tea. It has been the hotel for royals and visiting dignitaries and it was one of the grandest hotels I have ever seen.
And of course cricket was in the news. I also learned about another sport which was broadcast in our hotel lounge which was fascinating and I was intrigued because they not only showed professional games but also competing schools from around India--I asked about it and found it was a sport called Kabaddi. It is a contact team sport played between teams of seven players. It looks like the objective is to tagout players on the opposite team in their court as quickly as possible and then run out without being tackled. Colin and I laughed at the serious calls made by the burly and very ferocious looking female referee. The sport seems to only be played by males but it looked like fun and the young players seemed to enjoy it.
Anyways we are now back in Vancouver. Saturday was an okay day but today it poured with rain. I am not sure what time zone I am in and alas I am having trouble sleeping at ordinary times. I am supposed to go for volunteer training for the Vancouver International Film Festival tomorrow but I am not sure if I really care at this point. But maybe I will feel differently in the morning. Tuesday there will be a celebratory launch of My Heart Fills with Happiness by Monique Gray Smith and illustrated by Julie Flett which is the TD Grade One Book Giveaway this year and the celebration will be held at the Vancouver Public Library as the authors are from British Columbia. I will attend the celebration and I love this program which means that this book will be given to every Grade One child in Canada. https://bookcentre.ca/news/get-know-julie-flett-illustrator-heart-fills-happiness
I will also be going to see a play at UBC on Friday--the UBC theatre students are doing Beckett. Then Colin's sister Val and her husband will be visiting Sept. 29-October 1, 2019 and we are looking forward to seeing them--they live in Calgary and two years ago Val suffered some very serious health issues that left her severely compromised. We never ever expected to see her visit Vancouver again but miraculously she is making the effort to do so. October 4-8th my friend Marilyn from Edmonton will be visiting and we are going to see Rock the Rink -- a figure skating event as this is the last skate by the ice dancing pair Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir (Olympic Gold and World Champions in Ice Dance). This event will be held at the Doug Mitchell Arena at UBC so I am really looking forward to it.
I sincerely appreciate your taking the time on your trip to email us. I think of you often and know that you will be enjoying life to the full. Take care and many hugs are sent your way. Lots of love Jo-Anne
Dearest VIFF Volunteer! Do
volunteer, Marps! VIFF is really only thing I miss about Vancouver!
Thanks as well, for the wonderfully newsy message. Enjoyed all the links
except for Modi, [Kashmir], and Trump, [Mexico], as but two reasons the
malignant bullies are to be despised and removed from power.
Fondestos
from Lady Dar to you and Colin. Cheers, Patrizzio!
Just back from a delicious dinner in Český Krumlov. Arrived, here, by bus, from Prague, this afternoon. Took a stroll through this lovely town after we checked into our pension. Walking tour tomorrow so looking forward to learning more about the place. Cheers!
Dear Bail Bond People! We
have been languishing in the dungeons of Dubrovnik for three days now!
Jorge's friends took care of him shortly after we were all arrested!
When will you post bond? Other than that
all goes extremely well, here in Český Krumlov, although scrambling for
a place to stay in Bern, now as
we just had news, today, from Heinz and unfortunately, due to Eveline's health we will not be able to stay with them:
Unfortunately
I have to inform you that we are unable to be your hosts
in Ittigen this time. As you know Eveline’s health was an issue last
year and still is with a relapse recently. Therefore she has sought a
health recovery stay at a facility in Ticino that we expect to be
approved shortly for the both of us. We feel very sorry
about the circumstances and to let you know only on such short notice.
We hope a solution in finding another accommodation for your stay in
Switzerland can be found.
Of
course, we are both distressed that she is not well and do hope
that the stay in Ticino will be the start of her full recovery.
However, speaking selfishly, this means that we are desperately seeking
other accommodation in Bern and am wondering about the possibility of
staying at Fiona's place. She mentioned something
to this effect in an earlier message, before we had been invited to
stay with E/H. However, if this does not work, don't worry, we'll
manage, especially after our stint in stir. we dream about sleeping in a
large cardboard box, in a ditch, next to a cow pasture!
We
took the bus, at 11:00 am to arrive in Český Krumlov at about 1:40 pm.
There was WiFi on the bus so I read Heinz's message just as we were
leaving Prague. I planned to answer him, en route, but the person in
front
of me reclined his seat back and it was virtually impossible to use my
laptop, given the fairly tight quarters. Anyway, I watched
The Shawshank Redemption and enjoyed it immensely although we'd seen it around the time it was first released, in 1994.
Anyway,
it was a very pleasant trip and we were able to take another taxi, from
the bus station, to our lovely home for the next three nights: Pension
Merlin. We have a very comfortable set of rooms, quite spacious
compared to the apartment in Prague. It was more than comfortable but
we had to laugh as the round shower enclosure was in the teeny, tiny
kitchen and you had to be careful when using the sink or stove as you
could easily bump your head, so low was that part
of the ceiling. We managed just fine, [bed was very comfortable, water
hot and plenty of it], in spite of the fact that our private toilet was
across the hall and one needed to use a key the size of a horseshoe,
almost, to open the squeaky door from the Middle
Ages!
We
found Prague to be an exciting city and aside from all the historical
buildings, castles, churches, bridges, monuments, fountains, street
sculpture, charming streets, often sporting Art Deco apartments, and the
like, we took in two simply fabulous exhibitions at the end of our last
long day of travels, by Hop On/Hop Off bus and foot explorations, in
the GOAP Gallery off one corner of the Old Town Square:
Andy Warhol and Alfons Mucha.
Each
had over 200 works about or by each artist. While we were reasonably
familiar with both artists, I knew next to nothing about Andrew
Warhola's family background and early career as a commercial
illustrator.
With respect to Mucha, we were introduced to many, many more of his
works beyond the well know posters for Sarah Bernhardt or Moët &
Chandon Champagne, so delighted we were able to take this opportunity.
There was also an exhibition, in the same gallery, featuring
works of Salvadore Dali but we knew we'd not enjoy doing all three,
given busy day we'd had.
Back
home, to stop for dinner fixings, [bean pasta and fresh mushrooms], to
prepare a delicious dinner. Didn't have any butter but fried up the
unopened bacon I'd bought a day or so ago and when it was done there
was enough fat to fry up the shrooms. Really tasty so with last bottle
of red we celebrated our last night in Prague and did most of packing
afterwards.
Shortly
after we checked into our pension, this afternoon, we took a stroll
into the centre of this charming town. Wanted to buy a few groceries for
breakfast as well as some wine for drinks before dinner. Also wanted to
get a feel
for the place itself and ended up buying two Český Krumlov Cards, (Only
150
Kč as half the price since over 65 we
are "Reduced"!), which allows us access to the castle, the monastery,
two museums and an art gallery so we'll be busy over next two days.
Back
at the pension Lady Dar ordered our bus tickets for Salzburg while I
corresponded with both Heinz and Fiona. [Just heard from Fiona: Pat!
I'm
off to brush and floss and then to read as it has been another long,
full, interesting and rewarding day. Fondestos from Lady Dar, to one and
all, in bed already and reading Patricia Highsmith's The Two Faces Of January, a paperback she nicked from our apartamenti in Prague, now a movie with Viggo and Kirsten! [I'm with it Babycakes!] Cheers, Patrizzio! Pics: Pension Merlin and some of
Český Krumlov. Back at the pension, this afternoon, and exhausted!
I just answer you very shortly..Of course you can stay with me. We are leaving for holidays on tuesday 1th october.
But you can stay and just leave the keys afterwards. My roommate will
be on holiday as well, therefore you are alone in the flat. More from me tomorrow. Much love, Fiona Dearest Fiona! Thank you for your timely
response and generous hospitality! Very much appreciated, of course.
I'll be in touch about arranging to meet when we arrive, by train, in
Bern, on Monday, September 30th. [Not yet sure of the time.] I know you
live quite close to the train station but if you could send your address
I'd appreciate it as I don't have it and we'll probably need a cab from
station, unless you think we could walk. I know your building is up
above the station so stairs involved, although we don't have all that
much baggage. Anyway, let me know what you think and we'll plan
accordingly. Thanks again. Fondestos and best wishes. Cheers, Patrizzio!]
Opened a decent red, Znovín Znojmo, Merlot, 13.5% for Lady Dar while I knocked back a large can of Pilsner Urqhell, [Purloined from the fridge in Prague. Once a Freeloader, Always a Freeloader!] Around 6:00 pm we both took quick showers in our "regular bathroom", before heading out for dinner. Place Lady Dar wanted to try, as menu listed Schnitzel "breaded" with cornflakes, was closed as apparently a large group booking cleaned out the kitchen. However, we found a very cosy place, [bit of drizzle this afternoon but none this evening, although coolish still], all to ourselves beside the fireplace, more of an indoor grill but still radiated toasty warmth so Dar was in ecstasy.
Opened a decent red, Znovín Znojmo, Merlot, 13.5% for Lady Dar while I knocked back a large can of Pilsner Urqhell, [Purloined from the fridge in Prague. Once a Freeloader, Always a Freeloader!] Around 6:00 pm we both took quick showers in our "regular bathroom", before heading out for dinner. Place Lady Dar wanted to try, as menu listed Schnitzel "breaded" with cornflakes, was closed as apparently a large group booking cleaned out the kitchen. However, we found a very cosy place, [bit of drizzle this afternoon but none this evening, although coolish still], all to ourselves beside the fireplace, more of an indoor grill but still radiated toasty warmth so Dar was in ecstasy.
Simple
fare but very well prepared: Started with an appetizer of baked
Camembert on a bed of lettuce, with sliced tomatoes. Lady Darjeeling
ordered pork medallions with mushroom sauce and I had the pork schnitzel
and we shared a side order of roasted potatoe wedges, topped with diced
garlic! Wowsa!!! Glass of house red for Darjeeling while I opted for a
pint of local beer from brewery here in town. Will try to pop in there over next day or so. Both were quite palatable so pleased with both the
food and drink we paid our friendly waiter and toddled home along the
quiet streets.
OCTOBER WILL SOON BE HERE - I HAVE 14 NIGHTS TO FILL. THANKS ALL! Hi Carole! Trust you are well. Will be
here, in the Czech Republic, for next few days and then on to Salzburg. I
could do October 25th and 26th as we'll be back in Penticton by then.
Hello to Hazel. Cheers, Patrizzio!
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