When I was a younger man the threat to democracy was not the North American political autocracy but the Reds Churchill wanted them after the war to be dead But cooler heads prevailed to create the communist threat
McCarthy in the US House Committee on Un American activities went on a commie clean up and rant your democratic rights were trampled in the name of democracy yet is it happening again with the primitive beating of the political drum the unvaccinated being the new Red Scum the politicos quiver and call unvaccinated truckers a threat to all democracy loving Canadians it’s always easy to crush the minority as the politicians flip flop and foam at the mouth heaping venom on the “lunatic fringe” that don’t represent apple pie and poutine sound routine? and who represents the minority? Why don’t you politicians have the guts to listen and engage but instead you go for the sound bite rage
Woken up at 5 in the morning with Russian radio over the speakers! We had breakfast chugging along a canal and at 9 a.m. we docked in Venice. We grabbed a water taxi on the shore to take us to a bank where Fritz could change some money. After that we took a number 1 boat. No cars here! Boats! We went to the railway station so Fritz could buy his ticket for Basel and he checked his suitcase in at the train station. We then hired a taxi for a canal tour of Venice at a hair-raising price of 5,500 lira. So much interesting architecture and we even went under the most famous bridge in the Grand Canal. We had a long and interesting walk around Venice. How cool sitting down in Italy to a lunch of spaghetti! I have really lived now having Italian spaghetti which was not as good as Mom’s but how many people have spaghetti in Venice! Fritz was leaving the next day so he had checked into a hotel to stay the night. We went up with him to look at the room and the manager had a fit for what reason I do not know. Mom had a teary good-bye with Fritz. Mom used to say to me if your head wasn’t screwed on to your body it would fall off. I am thinking there is a bit of romance in the air. Why did it take me so long to catch on? Dummy! We arrived back at the ship for dinner and met the weirdest British couple. We went to the nightclub after without Fritz.
Margaret Mary Stephen entry in diary: I am sorry the shipboard romance was over. It was fun but we will see Fritz in Germany.
June 17, 1971, Letter From Margaret Mary Stephen to Diane and Gerald Frank: We left Athens yesterday on a beautiful Russian luxury ship. We will be onboard 4 days and our first stop is Corfu right near Jackie O’s Island. Then to Venice and Dubrovnik in Yugoslavia where we will get off and stay for 2-3 weeks. They say it is something. I met a handsome German six foot two on the ship. He is fun and we have been swimming and dancing every night. He has two sons but I have not heard about a wife. That will come later. He leaves the ship at Venice. I assure you I am getting more than my fair share of attention from the best-looking man on the ship.
The Greek food is as grim as ever. They still poach eggs in oil. I don’t think I have put on weight but that will come later. The Russian food is good. They don’t use much seasoning. The meals have lots of courses with several things I have not eaten before.
Robert has a bit of sunstroke as he stayed out too long in the sun. June 18, 1971: After dinner Fritz and I took a carriage ride in Corfu. The Russians would not give us our passports. Robert was still feverish when we returned. He is not drinking enough fluids. We met a couple from Moscow and have become friends with them. They are charming people but I will say they look different than us. Their clothes and shoes are so poorly made of cheap materials but their smiles and laughter make up for anything lacking in the clothes they wear. I would like to go to Russia one day.
When I do things like this it makes me realize how lonely my life is. If it wasn’t for you and my children I would wish to die.
I woke up today like a new person with no temperature and my skin is no longer on fire. I went to the upper deck to get some fresh air and luckily no sun at least for today so far! I saw Fritz having a swim in the pool so I joined him after getting my swimsuit. Mom calls me a water rat as I was sitting in water at our Lake Champlain cottage as soon as I was old enough to walk. In fact, I obtained my Royal Life Saving Society certification this year at 15 years of age and that was not easy especially having to write a two-hour exam and a rigorous half day pool evaluation. Can you imagine having to swim two lengths of a pool underwater on one breath. I have already saved an old lady who was panicking in our apartment pool in Montreal. I love water and I love the ocean and if I am a water rat I am proud of that.
After our swim Fritz and I went for breakfast. I felt a bit queasy smelling the food and I have lost my appetite so a light breakfast of three boiled eggs and some toast. I like the Russian food but recovering from sun stroke the heavy Russian cuisine is a bit much for me at least for now. We ate with Fritz and a French lady. I just felt like going back to the cabin and sleeping.
Margaret Mary Stephen diary entry: A happy day for me as Robert is much better. I had a dreadful experience in the shower putting the hot water on full and I had to run for help. Each shower in Europe is different and it is so confusing. There was so much steam in the hallway it looked like the ship was on fire but a steward rushed in and with a big but polite laugh showed me how to regulate the flow of hot water and work the shower. He was so kind and understanding and the whole crew knows about Robert being sick and many ask me with concern in their eyes if he is doing better. I am thinking now the Russian people are good souls no matter how bad their government is. Robert has seen so much of different people and I think this is good for him. How many boys his age have seen what he has! And we purposely travel as much as possible as the local people do. This is why we take the bus with the local people as much as we can. We can afford a taxi but as this a luxury for the common people it will a luxury for us.
Robert had a light dinner. He is bothered by the heavy food at dinner some chicken and potatoes in cream sauce. He just had a bite and could eat no more. The serving staff are concerned about him and asked if they could deliver some light chicken broth and sparkling mineral water to our cabin. Robert said no and wanted a good sleep as he has a bit of the shivers. God bless these Russians!
I checked on Robert who was sleeping and his forehead was just a bit warm instead of raging hot. I danced with Fritz and had vodka and caviar with the band. They down a big glass of vodka and then have spoons of caviar like it is candy. In bed at 2. When has that happened since 1964 when my dear husband Jack died of bladder cancer. Tomorrow, VENICE! Tonight, I say a prayer of thanks to God for taking care of Robert and for these kindhearted and fun loving Russians. If I could only tell the world how wonderful these Russians are. No it is not the vodka talking. Why can’t we live with the Russians like sisters and brothers? Politics? Politicians?
Was it the view of the Bay of Naples? Was it the sights of Capri and Sorrento? Or was it actually the wine? Four years ago when air travel was simply a pain as opposed to today’s huge pain and hassle I was in Naples for 5 days courtesy of the EU to do some wine tasting and as I write about travel to see Vesuvius and some of the main sights of Naples and of course eat at some of Naples traditional and well established restaurants. After the tour was over I met up with the better half and we visited Sorrento, Capri, Positano, the Amalfi Coast and a few villages.
During my media tour I discovered an incredibly smooth and elegant wine called Lacryma Christi which one can translate into the “Tears of Christ”. Upon returning to Canada, I believe I have seen it brought into the Liquor Control Board of Ontario twice and now on January 22 a third time. The previous two were fine but a far cry from that Lacryma Christi I had in the Greater Naples area. Was it the wine or was it the happy headspace and surroundings that influenced sensory perceptions?
A legendary Lacryma Christi on my Sorrento Balcony; Photo Robert K. Stephen
There are legends about how the wine acquired its name. One is that when Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, he looked down and saw the Bay of Naples and it was so beautiful he cried with his tears landing on the volcanic soils of Mount Vesuvius where grape vines miraculously sprung up!
So we try a Mastroberardino Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Rosso. Mastroberardino is one of the premier winemakers in Campania and I had the privilege of meeting one of its winemakers who took me on a tour of a few small plantings they have in the Vesuvius archaeological site.
How is their Lacryma Christi? Has my Holy Grail been obtained? Deep aroma of black cherry predominates. But there also are bits of sweet cranberry, milk chocolate on the bouquet. On the palate the tannins are mild and oblique. There is black cherry but I find it far more austere that the Lacryma Christi of my Naples memory. Some wines grown on Vesuviusian volcanic soils have a bit of coal on the palate but not this one. It is hard to live up to a legend. Am I a dog chasing my tail?
The wine is from 100% Piedirosso (red chicken feet) grapes grown on the slopes of Vesuvius.
I would be more than happy to have this with the great pizza that Naples can produce. Drink now. Tried over three days.
(Mastroberardino Lacryma Christi Del Vesuvio Rosso 2020 DOC, Mastroberardino, Artipalda, Italy $22.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 340588, 750 mL, 12.5%, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 86/100).
Great to sip watching the HBO Europe series “30 Coins”.
Diary Entry Margaret Mary Stephen: We boarded the Russian cruise ship Adsharia at Piraeus disembarking at Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia. We were delightfully surprised by the large cabin, air conditioning and a porthole. As soon as we boarded we were requested to go for lunch in the dining room which was painted a cool green with women in white blouses and black mini skirts serving the meals. All the girls were Russian and the food was good. After lunch we went to examine the ship. It has the capacity for 750 people but there are only 37 passengers aboard as this is the first cruise of the season. The ship is gleaming white with a blue trim. There are plenty of comfortable deck chairs, a swimming pool and plenty of stewards about with most of them being women. Robert spent most of the afternoon in the pool. While having afternoon tea at the pool we met a man my age called Fritz Fritzel from Germany. As he was travelling alone he asked if he could take his meals with us. We played cards after dinner until the band started playing. At intermission the band members would drink vodka and eat caviar out of tins with a spoon.
June 17: Up at seven and was very hot outside. Robert has not been well and I think he spent too much time in the sun. The ship doctor examined him. Poor kid. We were supposed to spend the day in Corfu so instead I washed my hair and half an hour of sun after. Robert is asleep and I am sorry for he was living every minute. Breakfast was good with berries and an omelette. Each meal ends with a fruit and cheese plate. The ship has a big library with most books in Russian but there are English books with writings of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin. The newspapers are all in Russian except the Moscow News is in English. Most of the staff speak decent English but the ship doctor speaks little. After dinner Fritz asked me to go into Corfu for a couple of hours. Robert was a bit queasy and shivery so he decided to stay in bed. He hasn’t eaten all day and how thoughtful a steward brought him some soup and mineral water saying it would be good for his stomach. All without being asked. We have been taught for so long communism is so bad but like us they can be just as caring. We took a carriage ride in Corfu as we had only two hours. We came home and danced until the band finished. Fritz is a good dancer. We had so much fun. I kept checking on Robert and he is burning at both ends. But his fever is lessening. I think he’s OK now.
I am not well today. I threw up in a bathroom deck all over my legs and it went into my shoes. I am burning up and shivering and thirsty. I try to get warm under the covers and that works then I start shivering. The doctor and Mom think it was sunstroke. Last time I was in Greece I was spending many hours outdoors but that was the ending of my trip. I started off this trip pasty white and ignored my Mom’s warning last year of being very cautious in the sun. You think we have learnt our sunburn lessons!
When is the last time you had a puzzle to solve? Would some hints have been helpful? In the film “The Other Me” you end up thinking what is the scene all about? Why was this and that said? There are numerous clues thrown at you in “The Other Person” and for me it was a big one and I took a guess of what I thought the conclusion would be and I think I was right on but it is not the type of film that gives you enough meat to tell you if you are right.
I’d love to tell you my brilliant conclusion but that is not advisable as why should I spoil the film for you or make a fool of myself with such a silly (or even obvious) interpretation.
What I think is that there are a few clues here. Why does the girl in the woods (Andreja Pejic) not have a name? What is the significance of her painting showing two people in the distance sitting in a park bench? What does she mean when she says that soon all will be revealed? Why is the mother meeting the wrong child? Why is the lady in the woods transformed into a little boy at the door in the last seconds of the movie?
For me I latched on to the lady in the woods being visited by the wrong parent!
Irakli (Jim Sturgess) is a thirty something bartender and frustrated artist married to very frail Nutsa (Antonia Campbell-Hughes). Poor Irakli is diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease that will quickly lead to blindness. He quickly adapts to his blindless claiming he can see but what he sees are images we can’t see. Is blindness just another way of experiencing the world that should not be treated with self despair and anguish. Jim understands Nutsa is having a go with his best friend and combined with this falling in love with the lady in the woods liberates him into a new world free from a deceptive wife and relationship. Kind of a standard film line?
Where “The Other Me” veers off the track into delightful skid from a standard “blindness film” is what I believe to be a discrete play on sexual orientation. Again a great film gives you many credible detours and fire escapes and it is fun to explore them with a possibility of being correct. I am uncertain if there is any a correct interpretation but the biggest clue is the lady in the woods visiting Irakli’s mother. That is not her mother and why would she pay a visit the wrong mother? The give away is the lady in the woods visiting Irakli’s father and she transforms into child Irkali. Could this be your great AHA moment?
WHO IS THE LADY IN THE WOODS AND WHAT DOES SHE REPRESENT? Blindness can create “another person” but so can sexual orientation. Enjoy this fun movie… all will soon be revealed.
June 12: We arrived in Athens from JFK at 4 a.m.and after phoning the Milagressi’s at 7 a.m. we took a taxi to their place. We went shopping with Niovi buying lots of fruits and vegetables. We enjoyed a big bowl of cherries and at noon it was 93 degrees and 87 in the house. My little afternoon nap turned into a 7-hour sleep. We had a dinner at 7 and headed out to Constitution Square for a walk. We had a snack upon our return and off to bed at 11. Jet lag is so hard to shake with a 9-hour time difference. Margaret Mary Stephen Diary Entry: Our friends were glad to see us I am sure. They remembered the many things we did with them last year at the monastery in Panaormitis. Their little Andreas has grown in both ways. Life here is different as they are up at 5:30 and leave around 6:30 for work until 2 and return home and make a big lunch and then they sleep until 6. White clothes here look so white. I guess it is the blazing sun that they are dried in. Niovi has a clothesline at the back of her balcony and the clothes drip down to the awnings below. Each time I have to hang something out and look down far below I feel sick. I don’t like heights.
June 14: Mom wanted to cook the MIlagressi’s some boeuf bourguignon so it was out to the butcher and grocery store. For the dinner I had to buy some red wine which cost 60 cents a bottle. We had a big lunch and the beef bourguignon was good but not as good as home. We watched Peyton Place on television and after had a siesta. Margaret Mary Stephen Diary Entry: The taxis in Athens are plentiful and they are mostly Mercedes Benz and very cheap although each time I get into one I feel like I will end up in the hospital. The traffic is not as bad as it is in Rome or New York but there are no stop signs. I just pray! No wonder the Greeks are so religious. Robert is having his fill of cucumbers and they are the long English kind. The cherries are the same as home and the oranges smell different but they are sweeter.
June 15, 1971: We left for downtown on the number 12 bus trying to find the Yugoslavian tourist office and found it getting some information about a possible trip there. It wasn’t long before we decided Yugoslavia would be our next destination. We bought passage on a Russian ship called Adsharia.
Up at 8:30, had a shower and fully packed at 9:30. At ten we were out the door in a cab to pick up a stew Brigitte who would be working our flight to Athens from JFK. To our surprise at the ONA terminal office we ran into Barb and her friend Marx who had just worked the flight back from Athens. The plane was not full so Mom and I had three sets to stretch out on and sleep. I ended up eating three chicken dinners and two lunches. Diary entry of Margaret Mary Stephen: The flight was not full so Robert and I had three seats. The flight was smooth with no turbulence and we slept most of the way. The crew absolutely spoilt us! The passengers seemed nicer that on our flight to Athens last year so it wasn’t so hard on the girls. Brilliant blue skies when we arrived. It was 5 am. When we had cleared customs and a bit early to phone our friends the Milagressis who we had met last year in Panormitis and stayed with last year on our way home from Athens. Our journey has started!
June 9, 1971: I woke up at 9 a.m. and refused a ham sandwich for breakfast. I went to Sloan’s Supermarket and bought some groceries. But then Mom told me to go out again and get some more groceries. For lunch mom made some hamburgers and not having eaten breakfast I had three of them. Mom made a big batch of spaghetti and I had two big plates. Why I am always hungry? Barb’s roommate Nancy was back in the late afternoon and had a big plate of spaghetti. Nancy and Mom sat around drinking wine and I read and we were in bed at 11. New York City is dirty but not as bad as Istanbul. There is garbage everywhere and it smells. The city seems like it is crumbling and reminds me of Istanbul.
Diary entry Margaret Mary Stephen: Brigette the Overseas National Airway stewardess sounded pleasant and we agreed to share a cab to JFK for our flight to Athens. I find it very confusing and hectic to get a cab in New York. The drivers are al so rude and grasping. We know where we are going and it is deep in Europe again.. Athens! Our main goal was to land in Europe and Athens is better than Frankfurt! Robert remains very calm and I think our trip last year really matured him. He reminds me of my late husband Jack in that respect. One day he will be a kind steady husband and a father.
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