“As we cultivate mindfulness in our own hearts, we can direct similar compassion towards ourselves. Sometimes we need to care for ourselves as if that suffering is our own child. Why not show compassion, Kindness, and sympathy toward our own being, even as we openly fully to our pain? To treat ourselves with as much kindness as we would another person in pain is a wonderfully healing meditation in its own right. It cultivates lovingkindness and compassion, which know no boundaries “
” Morning’s pale light had offered an end to such fears for centuries, millennia, whatever dangers may come with the day. Shutters were banged open, curtains drawn, shop doors and windows were unlocked, city gates unbarred, swung wide, as women and men made their way out into the offered day.
On the other hand (in life there was almost always anther hand), daylight meant that intimacy, privacy, escape from the unwanted gaze, silence for meditation, the solace of unseen tears on a pillow-or of secret love on that same pillow before or after-were so much harder to claim. Rarer coinage in the clear light.
It is more difficult-much more difficult-to hide and not be found. “
European communism has been a failure: East Germany is in shambles and has fallen so low and barbaric that it has built the Berlin Wall to imprison its citizens. Yugoslavia may have fared better but there is widespread poverty, a poor infrastructure and a shortage of food and consumer goods. Political freedom of expression does not exist in communist countries.
There is no real difference between citizens of a communist countries and Canadians. Both want peace, food on the table and freedom. It is the politicians that divide people.
Travelling widens the mind and gets you out of a mental ghetto.
Travel makes your life a series of compromises especially if you have a restricted budget that makes you live close to the ordinary citizens.
Travel brings you closer to the people in the country you are visiting.
For children and teens travel is an essential way towards understanding history, economics and politics.
Travelling causes you making sacrifices. Forget your daily routine you may have had. You have to be flexible. How important is that big Canadian breakfast. You can do without bacon and eggs and that glass of milk.
Travelling may change how people think about you back home. How can they relate to being surrounded by soldiers with machine guns with dogs? You may be wiser and more mature and view those who have not traveled and are ignorant.
You may start to understand what it is like to live in a democratic country and appreciate what democracy means.
You will appreciate different foods and ways of life.
Tuscany is a beautiful part of the world and some years ago a friend and I rented a villa in the countryside so both our families had a base. Of course, we visited Montalcino and Montepulciano and admired their quaint beauty however tainted as it was by too many tourists. Yet look elsewhere to the smaller towns and you might find a quieter less tourist ravaged town. And the Pecorino cheese with so many varieties and at such reasonable prices! And fill er up water bottles so you could buy 1.5 litres of local wine for 2 Euros. We did have a great meal cooked by some local ladies outdoors and it was memorable but most of our meals were very simple with easy pasta sauces, bread, pecorino cheese, juicy sweet tomatoes and lots of cured ham. The easy life. Time to return.
Tuscan Countryside:: Photo Fotini Stephen
And of course, Chianti! A smooth oft cherry infused wine great with our food. Dragging back these pleasant memories we try a Le Cavane Quercione 2019 Chianti. A solid nose of black cherry with a touch of barnyard and only a touch. On the palate a slight bit of tannin which for me is one the building blocks for ageing a wine. Again that black cherry with cola, raspberry and Florida strawberries which are not as sweet as our local berries in season but far better than the wooden California strawberries I have given up on.
I think that the tannins rather require some food be it some Pecorino cheese, olives and cured meats. Or for more than some nibbles a Steak Florentine or Tuscan wild boar stew over pasta would do quite nicely. The wine might smooth out over the next few years but the question is will the barnyard notes amp up. Brett is spoilage yeast and there is always the risk that as the wine matures and loses some of its fruit the Brett intensifies. But for now it is “charming”. Next year?
(Le Calvane Quercione DOCG Chianti 2019, Fattoria di Vicchio, Montespertoli, Italy, $17.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 454934, 750 mL, 13%, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 89/100).
The next wine is a Guinzano San Gimignano Rosso DOC. It requires a minimum of 70% Sangiovese. San Gimignano is just north of Siena. A very solid aroma of red cherry dominates as is the case of most wines made with a high percentage of Sangiovese. There are also minor notes of raspberry and blackberry. On the palate the tannins are light and sweet red cherry dominates. A pleasant lightweight wine most cheerful and affable. You can drink now or hold until the end of 2025. A good wine for sipping or with some seared tuna.
(Guinzano San Gimignano Rosso DOC, Fattoria LaTorre, San Gimignano, Italy, $16.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 480665,750mL, 14%, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 90/100).
“The exhilaration of that night! At first, I thought that it was my strange uniform and deep sunburn that marked me out for curiosity. But soon I realized that it was something more. I was the deliverer in the land that he has saved. The smiles and winks of the Melbourne crowds assured me of that: the street hawkers too, with their pennants- : “Good on you Yank. You saved Australia”-told me it was so. It was adulation and it was like a strong drink. I took it for a triumph and soon regarded every smile as a salute and every Melbourne girl as the fair reward for a sunburned deliverer. “
Robert Leckie “Helmet Under My Pillow” Bantam Books
We woke up to a phone call from Fritz and like Heidi getting a phone call from her boyfriend and crying after that call Mom started blubbering. I am confused as what to do. Of course, I wish her the greatest happiness but she can’t seem to move beyond my dead Dad. She loved him so much. She must be confused too. So I take back my notation about her “blubbering” as that is cruel word to use. Strangely I could use some advice from Dad but due to his death I find myself having to face the world without him. On the other hand has life dealt me a rotten card? I would have never had this opportunity to travel if he had been alive. Again I feel guilty about these thoughts but reality is reality and I can’t ignore how I feel. On the plane at noon heading to Bangor, Maine for a crew change and refuelling. It will head back to Oakland to pick up a load then back to Europe. I ended up sitting in the middle of two Texan brothers. They gave me most of their lunches and snacks. We landed in Bangor Maine and sister Barbara was there ready to head back to Europe tomorrow, I went for a swim and after we went to Stinky Davis’ room where I had some snacks and the adults drinks. Davis is a captain for Overseas National Airways and his nickname “Stinky” is rumoured to be because of alcohol on his breath. We went out with Barb and a few of the crew for dinner in this bleak town. After experiencing such great architecture in Europe, it is strange returning to North America which appears ugly and barren. It takes at least 1 week to get used to. Next day we take Greyhound back to Montreal. Strange for me to say I am beginning to feel like Europe is becoming my second home. Returning to it is not strange but rather a sense of relief about being back where I feel comfortable. 6 months in Europe living much like a local does that to you. How many 16-year old’s have traveled like me?
We were up at 8 rather groggy and feeling greasy and disgusting in our revolting middle of the morning Frankfurt hotel room. We are feeling filthy and just want to get out of here. We phoned Overseas National Airways in Frankfurt and snagged a flight to Bangor, Maine. A refuelling stop for a flight that was heading on to LAX. Crappy seats and I was in the middle of two Texans. I was lucky to get most of the Texan’s meal and his brother’s. We arrived in Bangor, Maine at 2 p.m. and took the bus from the plane into the crew hotel in Bangor and my sister Barb (the stew) was to arrive shortly! She arrived and it was great to see her. There was a perfecto swimming pool and I had a few laps to do and we had a party in Captain “Stinky Davis’s” room. Lots of booze and food. I ate like a king. “Stinky Davis” has a Stinky in his name as rumour has it he likes to drink and the alcohol fumes lead to the name. Confidence for your pilot! “Stinky”. Before we left our grungepit room in Frankfurt Fritz called Mom and she started sobbing. After our party we took a bus from Bangor, Maine back to Montreal. After being away for 3 months living like impoverished hippies my standard breakfast of bacon and eggs with milk means very little to me. I think I would be happy with bread and jam and a beach or menacing East German border guards. I am caught between two worlds. As we arrive in Montreal to our home I wonder if there is something like “home”? In the last two years of travelling I have spent 6 months away from what I thought was home. Is my home now a home amongst Europe? I am getting mixed up about what is home and what is humanity. Mom is mentioning Spain next year and I am stating my case for liberation!
I will soon return to school which is a private school in Montreal with the elite of families sending their children there but these boys are ignorant about life and the world beyond their mansions. Do I have an advantage of understanding life and culture? These boys are so ignorant beyond words. They will remain so for the rest of their life. And me some eccentric having spent 6 months in a world these brats have absolutely no idea about? Corrupted by a sacred bond with humanity?
What does 1972 hold? What does life hold for me? My journey is just beginning. And although it has been blighted by a few tantrums by Mom I must say she is completely adventuresome and my Auntie Maime!
When you have your mind set on coming home you are like a bird dog on a scent. After showing our tickets for our trip to Oakland we were directed to get on a bus on the tarmac to take us to the airplane at 1 a.m. We see our Overseas National Airways airplane. But wait we are driving past it! We get on the plane but something is wrong. We have been put on an Atlantis Airways flight! As the Germans say Shaisa! We were escorted off the plane in a big kafuffle causing a 45-minute delay. The Overseas National Airways people got an earful from us! We ended up taking a taxi back to Frankfurt and had trouble finding a room which we did but it was gross. Exhausted we collapsed in our beds at 4 a.m. Up at 10 where I went out to get some food for breakfast. After breakfast Mom went out to buy a new suitcase and me a Munich Olympics bag and some Adidas running shoes. We went out for dinner to a cafeteria in the train station for a lousy meal. Off to bed for hopefully the last sleep in Europe for 1971.
We travelled from Basel, Switzerland to West Berlin. Just before we entered East Germany soldiers came aboard to process visas. Then a few miles later another group of soldiers looked at our visas and passports. Clearly one group does not trust the other. I was asked to remove my glasses so they could get a better look at my face. They saw Robert’s middle name was Kennedy and snarled in contempt “Robert Kennedy Schwein”. They threw his passport at him and walked out. Welcome to East Germany. They had locked the doors to the train and searched every dark corner with flashlights. The border guards were heavily armed and behind them more soldiers with machine guns. We saw very few people in East Germany and the houses were very drab and looking as if they all needed repairs. A final search by soldiers heavily armed at a deserted train station in East Berlin. At night we went to see the Wall and there was a big wreath noting 10 years since it was constructed. It was terrible to see the East Germans patrolling the Wall with police dogs in a bright spotlight. I hate police dogs more than ever now. We were advised it was best to fly into West Berlin but we wanted the experience of traveling by train and seeing a bit of East Germany. Freedom is the most precious thing we have and if anything Robert realizes how fortunate we are to live in a free country where you may go where you please. I wanted him to see the concentration camps where Jews were slaughtered in World War 2 but staying with Germans made that a bit awkward. Robert said when he returns to Europe he will visit a camp. You can’t travel without learning.
Summing up today it was a bit of excitement and disappointment. Heidi, Mom and I had an early breakfast then Heidi’s boyfriend called and for some reason Heidi broke out in sobs. Such a nice person must endure tears and sadness. What did Michael do wrong? With dry eyes we were out the door and in Heidi’s Beetle to Frankfurt to catch a flight back to the United States. It was a pain to get into East Germany which calls itself the German Democratic Republic (DDR). What a joke that name is. A country that imprisons its own citizens with a wall is not democratic. Finally we got our visa to enter the DDR to get to Frankfurt. The roads in the DDR were atrocious. Heidi pointed out a few cars with their hoods open on the road. Often it is the only way East Germans and West Germans can meet with fake car breakdowns. Again I say the DDR is far from democratic. Finally at the West German border more DDR bureaucracy to deal with. I am sure there is much to see in the DDR but travel for tourists is rigidly controlled like it is in the USSR. It was good to be back in West Germany and the autobahn is a beautiful, well constructed and maintained road. We stopped for petrol and phoned the Overseas National Airways (ONA) office in Frankfurt and found out there was a flight to Oakland leaving early next morning. New York would be better but why not California? Another destination to explore for a few days. We had a picnic at 6 p.m. and then the long drive to Frankfurt. I had to speak to Heidi who was driving so she didn’t doze off. We arrived at the airport at 10 p.m. and said sad farewells to our good friend Heidi. The ONA counter said there were seats to Oakland leaving at 1 a.m. Hello California! Good-bye Europe!
A Bird's Eye View of Fashion, Food, Travel, Culture, Beverage and Curiosity 