“Travels to a Different Time” : 24July1974: All Over Yugoslavia: Turkish Invasion of Cyprus a Hot Topic: The Ugly American and Smashed Cars Down the Gorge: Yugoslav Army Mobilizes Behind Me!

Up for breakfast at 07:00. I met my German Easy Rider friend for breakfast. The room was buzzing with talk of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. The borders into Greece may be closed because of the Turkish aggression. So there is some confusion. After breakfast I came up and packed with grim determination as I want to get to Dubrovnik and hitchhiking can be brutal in Yugoslavia. Your best bet is to be picked by a tourist as opposed to a Yugoslav. I did think of taking the plane to Dubrovnik so I went into the JAT Airlines office and what a disorganized mess. It took me a half an hour to find someone to speak to and I had to listen to some American whining loudly about the service and making a fool of herself. The “Ugly American” syndrome. Obviously, a person thinking she was back home in Mountain Lake New Jersey as opposed to behind the Iron Curtain! The airfare was $15 but it was departing next morning so forget it. A gruelling walk in the heat to the highway. Sticking your thumb out is the easy part of hitchhiking. Getting to the right road to stick your thumb out can be gruelling. With all the walking I do it is no wonder I am a vacuum cleaner for food! My first lift was with a Yugoslav working in Philadelphia. What impressive scenery up in the mountains. He left me off at Pristina in Kosovo and another gruelling walk to get to the right road. Weary I sat down and shortly I heard a whistle and a soldier motioning to me to get moving. I was right outside a military base. Speaking of military there are rumours the Yugoslav military has mobilized just south of here along the southern border with Greece. Two Austrian guys in a 404 Peugeot picked me up. A great car. In fact the best car I have been in since Fritz’s Alfa Romeo. They took me to Titograd in Montenegro where we stopped at a campground. Overcrowded with inadequate facilities but what an incredible drive here up in the mountains. We stopped a couple of times to soak the beauty in. Treacherous roads with gorges with rushing rivers below and no shortage of smashed up cars below. Yikes! I met a Canadian from Calgary with strange plaid pants. Pooped it was off to bed a 21:00.

Greek civilians imprisoned by Turkish invaders in Cyprus: Tourist in Yugoslavia in a state of confusion

“Travels to a Different Time : 23July1974; Nis, Skopje, Yugoslavia: Am I Jack Nicholson or Peter Fonda? Staying in Earthquake City!

Woke up yet again in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Unfortunately my jeans I washed last night are still damp. These are my last pair of pants. I went down for a great Continental breakfast at 08:30. I ate quickly and hung up my pants to dry further. Not willing to wait I headed out off to Skopje. I found a discarded sign with “Skopje” written on it so I used that and snagged a lift going halfway. Some French kids picked me up and dropped me off at Skopje site of a recent devastating earthquake. I had a choice of taking the bus to Dubrovnik leaving at 22:00 but that would cause some difficulties in finding a room so late at night. So I found the dreaded youth hostel and there were a crowd of poorly dressed Bulgarian youth in the lobby. I met a German guy as I was heading up to my room and we agreed to meet in the lobby in 15 minutes. He had a Yamaha 125 CC motorbike so we had a spin around the town a la Easy Rider. The old town is beautiful and there are some mosques as there is a Muslim population here. We wanted to see some mosques but all were closed. We headed up in the hills for a spectacular view of Skopje. There is so much life in Yugoslavia compared to Romania. We stopped in a cafeteria and as there was food glorious food I ate like a horse. After dinner we sat by the river and had a bottle of wine in a café. We headed back to the youth hostel and had a beer in the lobby. Beer in a youth hostel! Is the world coming to an end?

“Travels to a Different Time ” : 22July1974: All Over the Place in Romania and Yugoslavia: The Squawking Plastic Parrot: Being a Community Project and a Cadillac With New York Plates Parked Outside a Shack

My last day in Romania. I have been here for 29 days and only have scratched the surface. When I return home I will have to read more about Romanian politics and society. I was up at 06:15 for a breakfast of my bartered Romanian honey and some bread. Off on a dilapidated bus courtesy of a crowd of Romanians who made me their community project. I asked one of them how I would get a bus towards the Yugoslavian frontier. It wasn’t long before there were 50 of them eyeballing a “hepee”. I would ask a question and someone would translate it and there would be a discussion. Back and forth it went. The whole crowd took me to the bus stop and waved good-bye!

We passed town after time and there were many peasants in the fields all very poor looking. I saw a Cadillac with New York license plates parked outside a shack. I got off the bus at a small city Turnu Severin which was the frontier town. I asked people where Yugoslavian border was and they pointed me in the right direction but it was 9 kms away. A Romanian student took me to the bus that would take me to the frontier. He was from a university in Bucharest and was sent here to make a map of the city. There are many students that are sent to smaller towns for projects. I arrived at the frontier. I must have gotten too close to something and a Yugoslav soldier got all upset and motioned me back for a search which he abandoned seeing how crammed my knapsack was. He managed to get a ride for me with some Finns that were visiting Yugoslavia for the day. The next lift was with a greaseball Yugoslav driving a Ford he had purchased in the Netherlands. He had 4 plastic animals hanging from his rear-view mirror. When we hit a bump the plastic parrot would squawk. I ended up in Nis paying an outrageous $7 for a room but at least a private bathroom and hot water. I crashed out at 9 without eating any dinner.

RKS Wine: Argentinian Viognier?

We do not see much Argentinian Viognier here in Canada. Most of it comes from California and France. So is this Seral Viognier from Mendoza any good? The grapes are grown at an altitude of 1,300 metres in Tupungato, Mendoza. There is no oak involved just stainless steel.

It has a very light gold colour and is almost platinum coloured. Unmistakable aromas of Viognier being honey, peach apricots and tangerine. On the palate it is a bit vacuous and stops short of delivering a solid Viognier punch. In fact it is watery. Short finish.  A big disappointment. A mediocre Viognier from Argentina should not lead to conclusions Argentina can’t produce great Viogniers. Before we say adios I noted upon opening a yeast smell emanated from the bottle almost as if I was wandering about in a winery at harvest time but no trace of yeast in the glass or on the palate. Strange.

(Atamisque Serbal Viognier 2019, Bodega Atamisque, Tupungato, Mendoza, Argentina, $16.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 21984, 750 mL, 14%, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 85/100).

“Andrij the Orphaned Ukrainian Rescue Dog” : Chapter 15: Some Downtime: I Meet Mr. Gordon Lightfoot and Drake: President Biden Has a Mission for Me and Reggie the Egyptian Rescue Dog

I had a good sleep except for flashbacks about explosions and the deaths of my Ukrainian family. Bob takes me, Reggie and Dylan for a walk in the compound. Poor Bob having to pick up all that poop. We have our breakfast and as usual, according to Reggie, we have a little treat on the side a bit of toasted bagel from Fairmont Bagel Bakery in Montreal.

Bob pulls me aside and we go into his office. Bob explains to me he oversees me here in Canada and that he is going to take care of me and ensure that I don’t work too hard. He says he has my back and the look in his eyes of which we dogs are very good at reading says to me he means it. He says my only task today is to attend a Toronto Maple Leaf’s hockey game at Scotia Centre. He explains the plan. But he asks me if the plan works with me. I bark YES! Bob laughs and says the way to a Canadian’s heart is through hockey. He also has a strange request from President Biden about easing the terrible rise of oil prices in North America and delivering a slap in the Tsar’s face. It is an unofficial mission and we are to say we have no request to do what we are going to do from President Biden. Bob says Reggie has a special place in the heart of the Grand Ayatollah because Reggie is a Muslim and they have prayed together. Reggie hops on his lap to be petted. The children of Iran love Reggie. Our job is to go to Tehran and ask the Ayatollah to increase the supply of oil to North America. Bob tells me Iranians view me as a brave warrior after I tore out the Brute’s neck. So Reggie and I will be a team with Bob doing the talking. We will be travelling right after the hockey game on Bob and Fay’s private jet. On the way back home we will be stopping at the Vatican to meet the Pope and greet the faithful in St. Peters Square.

Bob also mentions that our friend Nicole Kidman has plans for a movie about me but we will discuss that later. Not only that but Disney Studios has floated the idea about an animated film about me.

We have tea with Bob and Fay’s neighbours. Mr. Gordon Lightfoot is an older guy and he is over with another Egyptian Rescue dog Bosco a great friend of Reggie and Dylan. Then a black man called Drake comes. Both guests are famous musicians but I do not know their music! Reggie says just wait until you hear Mr. Gordon Lightfoot sing “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”. Drake and Mr. Gordon Lightfoot start discussing a benefit Ukrainian concert which will be broadcast to the world. We have a wonderful tea and I have a bit of jasmine tea. Dylan and Reggie love it and I think I do too.

Bob suggests we have a nap as it will be a long day. Bob has packed and we shall be heading to Tehran after the hockey game.

We arrive at Scotia Centre and security is very tight. I have my flak jacket and helmet on. We go into the Toronto Maple Leaf’s dressing room and these big strong men act like happy children seeing me. The captain of the team presents me with a dog size Maple Leaf’s jersey and a matching blanket. Dylan and Reggie have Hamilton Tigercat’s blankets and jerseys. Aren’t we sporty dogs!

We have a special box where we will watch the game. Before the game Bob takes me to centre ice where the Ukrainian Ambassador to Canada gives a short speech and introduces me.  Bob turns me around so all the roaring crowd can see me. The Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs comes out gives me a flak jacket with the Toronto Highlander’s insignia on one side and the Ukrainian flag on the other. I get a matching helmet. Then the Ukrainian national anthem follows the Canadian anthem. I see my face on a giant Jumbotron. Is this real?

We watch the game from our box but so many people want to meet me. My attack on the Brute has gone viral in Canada as it has in most of the world. Bob later tells me some sizeable cheques were written for the Ukrainian Relief Fund For Refugees by guests in the box.

After the game we go in a motorcade to the Toronto Airport and board our private jet. We are off to Tehran!

“Travels to a Different Time” : 21July1974: Motru, Romania: Bartering with a Poor Romanian Dude: My Celebrity Status Continues: Police Chief Warns About Associating with Me

Considering the rain leakage into my tent I woke up in a good mood. I was on the road at 06:30. On a ride in the back of a truck one guy my age went berserk when he saw my belt. He really went nuts when he saw I had a pair of jeans in my knapsack. My jeans were in bad shape but better than his tattered jeans. I sold the jeans for about $3 and for my belt I traded him for a big jar of Romanian honey and his leather belt. He must be strutting about in his hometown with his “new jeans” and belt. I really had pity for this guy. Next a ride in a worker’s van. I was let off at a tiny village and some gypsy women wanted to buy my jeans. I get offers to sell everything I own! I stopped in a Buffet and had some tasty meatballs and the worst Romanian beer I have ever had. As I was eating some bonko professor from the USSR kept babbling on about what I have no idea. When I entered the Buffet everyone stopped talking and were staring at me. Ah it feels good to be famous!

A truck diver picked me up next and we passed one small town after the other. It was roasting hot until we headed up the mountains. The driver had to stop his truck to let the radiator cool. A man came running down the hill asking to buy some gas which was siphoned off. We reached his destination Motru. I found a hotel which resembled those ugly socialist high-rise monstrosities. It was super cheap and they don’t seem to have a discriminatory tourist pricing like they have at the Black Sea probably because they have no tourists in this small town. I had a shower in a bathroom that was crumbling apart.

I have some Romanian currency to spend because I am close to the Yugoslav border and plan to enter Yugoslavia where the Romanian lei will be worthless. I had met a student when I arrived in town and he took me to my hotel and said we should meet for dinner which we did despite the fact he was warned by the police chief not to be seen with me. We had a good dinner of cutlets, rice, carrots, two bottles of water and a bottle of wine for $4. He saw a picture of me in my wallet and asked if he could have it. He roared back home and brought me his photograph and we exchanged addresses. On the way back to the hotel I stopped at a pastry shop for a pastry and an ice cream. I decided to stop at the cinema at watch a movie. It was so hot a couple of guys took off their shirts. I returned home at 11 and the lights were not working in my room so I had to lug a lamp outside in the hallway for illumination. I fumbled around and then off to bed.

“Travels to a Different Time” : 20July1974: Simeria, Romania: Ducks and Chickens Running Around the Street

Up early to perform my morning ablutions and readying for my next destination Sebes. I had to take a bus to Sibiu to get to the main road. A toothless peasant in front of me reeked of wine and we were sandwiched in. I had to mash my way out. I got my first ride going to Sebes on a large diesel truck and we were going at a good clip until we got to two railway crossings with a 20-minute wait at each one. We stopped at a restaurant and he bought me a beer. Romanians are generally a friendly lot. Sebes was totally uninteresting so I pushed on to Simeria walking past stunned Romanians staring at me. An Australian couple picked me up next and took me to Simeria. I walked to the campground and pitched my tent next to a Romanian doctor who had recently visited Montreal. I had yet another cold shower and it felt good to get the grime off. Afterwards a whole litre of water and three ice creams. It was a charming small town with ducks and chickens running around the streets. I walked along the river which was muddy yet Romanians were swimming in it. I returned in the campground just in time as rain thunder and lightning struck. Unfortunately a few things got wet in the tent. Damn Romanian rain!

RKS Retro Film: “The Blue Gardenia”

“The Blue Gardenia”, directed by Fritz Lang, was released in 1953 and Anne Baxter plays Norah Larkin, Richard Conte plays Casey Mayo and Raymond Burr as Harry Prebble.

This 60-year-old plus film remains watchable and is not stale. Norah is in love with marine George who is in Korea fighting in the Korean War. Norah decides to celebrate her birthday with table settings for two and a bottle of champagne and George’s picture at the table. Poor Norah opens a letter from George saying so sorry I have fallen in love with a nurse and will marry her. He writes “best wishes for your future”. Distraught she ends up with the lecherous Harry Prebbles at a Chinese restaurant called Blue Gardenia. Prebble sketches models. Prebbles loads up Norah with extra rum laced Polynesian Pearl Divers. Harry had ordered the waiter to make sure there was lots of rum in Norah’s drinks. He keeps on encouraging her to drink and she ends up plastered and had it not been so dastardly she plays a drunk almost comically. Things are sweetened with Nat King Cole performing “Blue Gardenia” in the restaurant. Smooth!

Prebbles takes up Norah to his apartment and attempts to rape her but she takes a poker and swings at Prebbles hitting and shattering a mirror. She stumbles home leaving a few clues one very Cinderellaish. She can’t remember much about the evening but the inference is that she killed Prebbles.  Prebbles is a “lady’s man” and there are no doubt hints of a very angry women yelling with Prebbles over the phone at the beginning of the film.

Norah begins to believe she is the murderer and big shot columnist Casey Mayo persuades her to come out in the open so she can spill the beans on what happened and gain some public sympathy. He may be a newspaper man but he has compassion.

And yes things turn out happily.

The theme of sexual assault carried out by professional predator is topical. The quest for a story is also a phenomenon today although newspapers are largely a thing of the past. Murders are hot news and always have been.

An enjoyable watch and you can catch the movie gratis on Tubi here https://tubitv.com/movies/575312/the-blue-gardenia?start=true

RKS Wine: Argentinian Well Knowns

The Catena family has been making wines in Argentina for over 100 years so you’d assume they know something about wine. Longevity does not equate with quality though.

Let’s check out their Alamos Selección 2018 Malbec from Mendoza in Argentina. On the nose this black cherry purplish colored wine is rich and dense. It is bursting at the seams with blackberry, black currant, cassis and Chambord. On the palate equally dense, prolific and creamy blackberry, fresh baked blueberry pie with tinges of coconut. Although not a complex wine there is some beauty in its direct and forward power. Although you can sip it with pleasure it is one of those wines that teams up better with food such as a grilled Argentinian meat platter. When the label says the wine has a deep-lush finish that is entirely accurate. Matching this with vegetarian dishes is more problematic perhaps portobello burgers or a very rich pasta sauce with San Marzano tomatoes. If you know how to make a good black bean burger, unlike me, there is the texture and taste to pair well with Malbec. You really can’t lose with this wine. It feels like 15% alcohol on this but it is a “mere” 13.5%.

(Alamos Selección 2018 Malbec, Mendoza, Bodega Alamos, Vista Flores, Tunuyán, Argentina, $16.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 32280, 750 mL, 13.5%, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 93/100).

While the Catena family has been in play in Argentina you might want to call Susana Balbo a relative newcomer producing high quality wines. Her Malbecs and Torrontés are winners but this is my first dive in her Signature White Blend a combination of Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Torrontés.

On the nose this platinum-coloured wine has aromas of zingy lime, Sauvignon Blanc on steroids and white grapefruit. Delightfully weird and unique. It is as if there is a fight amongst a Torrontés and Sauvignon Blanc that creates a mushroom cloud of singular uniqueness. On the palate the riot on the palate has domesticated itself and calmed down. Unfortunately, the grapefruit has rather taken over somewhat like a Niagara Riesling stopping short like Frank Constanza on Seinfeld and the thrill of the aromatics dies on the palate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQmtOkO6ajc

(Susana Balbo Signature White Blend 2020, Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina, $21.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 5558734, 750 mL, 12%, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 83/100).

“Andrij the Orphaned Ukrainian Rescue Dog” :Chapter 14:  Bob’s Confidential Memo to Ukraine’s Ambassador to Canada

Dear Ambassador:

We Canadians understand the desperate conflict the Ukrainian people are facing because of Tsar Putin’s blitzkrieg on your country.

We understand the valiant actions of Andrij in Kiev of late setting an example for democratic strength throughout the globe.

President Biden of the United States of America has discussed with your President Zelensky the role that Andrij will play in Canada over the upcoming days. I believe your president has communicated his understanding with President Biden to you.

As Ukrainian Ambassador to Canada you will suggest to me your activities for Andrij. I will have the power to accept or reject them. I will be the legal guardian of Andrij when he is under my care and when unable to do so my wife Fay will have decision making power.

There are the best interests of Andrij and of the Ukraine that will govern my decision making which will be based on the health of Andrij. He will not be under your disposal 24 hours a day. I will ensure he has sufficient rest, exercise and supervision at my home.

While within my compound I will have responsibility for his security but you will have responsibility for his security and that of myself, Fay, Dylan the Westie and any guests we invite to functions outside of my compound. Should Andrij be required to make any international appearances I will have the right to accept or reject them and it will be your responsibility to arrange for security outside of Canada.

No payment for my services are required. All expenses for the care and maintenance of Andrij shall be my responsibility while he is under my care and control.

At the expiry of one month of Andrij being in Canada I will have the right to formally adopt Andrij and you shall expedite that with all necessary Ukrainian approvals. By mutual agreement we can extend his Canadian public appearances on a week-by-week basis.

If you are in agreement with these principles, please contact me and a detailed memorandum of understanding will be prepared for your signature.

While I understand the important role Andrij has to play here in Canada I know Andrij has suffered deep emotional turmoil and possibly post traumatic stress disorder and his health is of paramount concern to me and I trust to the people of Ukraine.

GOD SAVE UKRAINE.