By: Zdenko Kahlina
Off the beaten path to visit historical Yorktown

After we left Fredericksburg we were heading south on Route 17 which is actually a George Washington memorial Highway. This is an amazing road. Not very busy, but going through some beautiful scenery.

Following highway on our way to Virginia Beach, we found ourselves on the Chesapeake bridge over the York river, and in front of this small town on the river shore. I just had to make that turn and see what this town was all about.

George Washington Memorial highway (Route 17)

Yorktown is close to Williamsburg and Hampton in the south. Heading towards south, immediately after crossing the bridge, turn right onto Mathews Street and follow down to the Water front Street. There is adequate nearby Parking – a parking terrace is within easy walking distance of the piers and River walk Landing. A Trolley shuttle is available daily during the summer, weekends in spring and fall and for special events.

George Washington Memorial highway (Route 17) - Chesapeake bridge

Chesapeake bridge over the York river

History & Culture

Yorktown was established by Virginia’s colonial government in 1691 to regulate trade and to collect taxes on both imports and exports for Great Britain. By the early 1700s, Yorktown had emerged as a major Virginia port and economic center. A well-developed waterfront boasted wharves, docks, storehouses and businesses. On the bluff above, stately homes lined Main Street, with taverns and other shops scattered throughout the town. Yorktown had 250 to 300 buildings and a population of almost 2,000 people at the height of its success around 1750.

Yorktown painting

Colonial history

The American Revolution had entered its seventh year when, in 1781, British general Lord Charles Cornwallis brought his army to Yorktown to establish a naval base. In the siege by American and French forces that followed, much of the town was destroyed.

On October 19, 1781, the decisive military campaign of the American Revolution culminated with the British surrender to combined American and French forces under the command of George Washington. The Siege of Yorktown effectively ended the six-year struggle of the Revolutionary War and set the stage for a new government and nation.

By the end of the Revolution, less than 70 buildings remained in Yorktown and the 1790 census recorded only 661 people in town. Yorktown never regained its economic prominence. A fire in 1814 destroyed the waterfront district as well as some homes and the courthouse on Main Street. Additional destruction came during the Civil War Siege of 1862 and the occupation by Union troops that followed.

Yorktown Victory Monument 

Lady Victory is on top of a pedestal of Maine granite. It is located on the southeastern end of Main Street in Yorktown, Virginia.  In 1956, the original figure of liberty, damaged by lightening, was replaced. The first picture is one that I took in 1964 when we lived in Norfolk. The other picture was taken at dusk in 2004.

The shaft is 84 feet high and Liberty is 14 feet high Construction began a century after the battle, and it was completed in 1884. There are informational signs which explain the importance of the battle.

Today, there are still some tangible reminders of Yorktown’s historic past that have survived, giving much of the town a colonial atmosphere. During the visit to Yorktown, stop at the Nelson House on Main Street, the home of Thomas Nelson, Jr., a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and commander of the Virginia Militia during the Siege of Yorktown. For hours of operation, see Yorktown Programs and Activities.

As we strolled the streets, we have had the opportunity to imagine Yorktown as it once was–a thriving tobacco port–that witnessed the last battle of the American Revolution.

Today the Yorktown Victory Center, a museum of the American Revolution, chronicles America’s evolution from colonial status to nationhood through a unique blend of timeline, film, thematic exhibits and outdoor living history.

An open-air exhibit walkway details events that led to American colonies to declare independence from Britain.

Indoor exhibition galleries portray the Declaration of Independence as a revolutionary document that attracted international attention, recount the war’s impact on 10 ordinary men and women who left a record of their experiences, highlight the roles of different nationalities at the Siege of Yorktown, and explore the story of the Betsy and other British ships lost in the York River during the siege. Exhibits also describe how people from many different cultures shaped a new society and the development of a new government with the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Outdoors, visitors can explore a re-created Continental Army encampment, where historical interpreters describe and depict daily life of American soldiers at the end of the war. A re-created 1780s farm, complete with a house, kitchen, tobacco barn, crop fields, and herb and vegetable garden, shows how many Americans lived during the Revolutionary era.

Immerse yourself in 300 years of Yorktown history.  Here you can experience 18th century homes, revolutionary battlefields, a scenic riverfront beach, one-of-a-kind restaurants and lodging apart from city crowds. Park your car and stroll along picturesque streets or take the free trolley. Visit art galleries, antique stores and specialty shops. Experience the museums offering hands-on history programs and exhibits. Walk along the scenic Riverwalk and relax on the sandy beach at river’s edge. Enjoy sounds of The Fifes and Drums of York Town and live entertainment on the riverfront. After working up an appetite, dine at one of the charming restaurants, many with a view of the York River.  Enjoy a sail on the York River during the day and as the sun goes down, enjoy a sunset sail on the Schooner Alliance.

Vera in Yorktown

Yorktown waterfront 

In Spring 1862, The Confederate heavy artillery batteries on the bluffs of Yorktown, as well as those positioned along the waterfront on both sides of the York River, effectively blocked the US Navy’s attempt to bypass Magruder’s 2nd Peninsula Defensive line. The waterfront fortifications were built by Maj. Gen. John Bankhead Magruder’s Army of the Peninsula and Confederate naval personnel.

The earthworks on Yorktown’s inland perimeter were mostly constructed atop the British defenses from the 1781 siege. On the night of May 3-4, 1862, the Confederate Army abandoned the 2nd Defensive line. Gen. Joseph E Johnston, CSA, believed that the confederate positions could not withstand Maj. Gen George B McClellan’s USA elaborately prepared bombardment with heavy siege guns. The Confederate army was prevented from evacuating its heavy equipment and artillery via the York River because McClellan’s Siege Battery #1 comprised of 100-200 pound Parrot Siege cannon, had already bombarded the waterfront.

The Confederate evacuations suddenly converted Yorktown into a busy port supporting the Union advance on Richmond. Members of the 1st Connecticut Heavy Artillery retrieved the ordinance from the siege batteries around the town, and troops assembled at Yorktown to be transported up river to the Federal base at White House on the Pamunkey River, a tributary of the York River. As the Peninsula Campaign continued casualties from the battles around Richmond were transported to Yorktown which became a major hospital area.

Following the 1862 Peninsula Campaign, Yorktown became a Union garrison and headquarters for a federally held district which includes Williamsburg and Gloucester Point. Its waterfront area was an active port for Union forces until the summer of 1864 when the Union army established a supply base at City Point on the James river during the Petersburg Campaign.
River Dine – savor dining at one-of-a-kind restaurants, many with a waterview or grab an ice cream cone and enjoy it as you stroll by the river or sit on the beach.

River View - enjoy a mile-long pedestrian walk along the York River from the Yorktown Battlefield to the Yorktown  Victory  Center. Like the water? Enjoy a sail on the Schooner Alliance or make your own fun on the beach. 

Up the hill in the village are even more shops, galleries, museums and fine dining. Special events year round feature musical performances, artists, fresh local food, living history and fireworks.

Plan your visit to coincide with festivities to include: Market Days with plenty of local food and more for sale, Shaggin’ on the Riverwalk with beach music and Motown, and Rhythms on the Riverwalk with jazz and swing. Come back for July 4th and Yorktown Day (Oct. 19) for patriotic concerts, performances by the Fifes and Drums of Yorktown, plenty of food, and other entertainment. Holiday events include a lighted boat parade and visit from Santa.  

 Home Away From Home
Sanja and her friend Jenn decided to take some time off from the work and all daily routines here in Edmonton, and travel the world for a while. I will publish blogs about their traveling adventures, so return to this site again to read more. They left Edmonton in mid July 2010 for a short visit to London, and than headed off for capital city of Croatia – Zagreb.

Family house in Kraljevec street (Zagreb)

Zagreb, Croatia July 17, 2010

We made it!

After a night in London wide awake wondering what the F** to do, we made it to the Luton airport ready to get to Croatia. We were in surprise as we made it through customs with nothing but a nod hello. Nothing like the London customs where they needed a pee sample.

Hello Croatia! I was so ready to say hello to my new home. Although I couldn’t even say hello but I felt like I was home.

We were not in any mood to take the big airport shuttle to downtown Zagreb, as it was +35 and the thought of crowding on a bus with about a hundred other sweaty people was not worth the 30$ we would have saved. So we used Sanja’s left over Euros from a previous vacation and hailed a cab. We had pretty much lost as many layers as we could, without sitting in the back seat with nothing but our under garments on.

Cathedral in Zagreb

As we drove through the city en route to Baka’s house, I noticed just how different everything was to me. Nothing looked anything like home. The streets were small and narrow, cute little details such as street signs, lamp posts, the patios full with people sipping their expressos and puffing on their 15th cigarette. The rail went right through the middle of the roads, the people filled the streets wearing nothing like the typical fashion we were so used to seeing. Just about everywhere I looked, totally different to what I was so used to seeing as I drove the streets of Edmonton. Unreal to someone who thought she had done much for travel. Well up until now, I had barely graced the surface of the world.

As I sat back and listened to Sanja speak in full Croatian to the taxi driver, finding it hard to not throw in the odd English word as she would with her parents at the dinner table, I started to panic. I didn’t know a word of the one language I was now surrounded by for the next few months. As Sanja turned and explained what she just said, I breathed a sign of relief, I was in Croatia with a Croatian, whew, I was going to be totally fine.

Our temporary home… street side

View from the back of the house

As we made our way to the house we now called home, it was almost a surreal feeling. We had made it. Yes, we were here. We actually did what we talked months about preparing for this exact moment. It was nothing like I had ever felt. I couldn’t ask Sanja what she was feeling as she was directing the taxi driver to the exact address I thought it might not be the appropriate time to have an in depth conversation about our big adventure and a totally new direction our lives were going just from this one trip.

Main entrance into the old house

We pulled up to the big house with the red brick roof. It was exactly how in looked in the pictures that hung on the Kahlina’s wall at home in Canada. It was very homey. Reminded me of my Gram’s place in Ontario. The house even smelled like my Gram’s. It was so neat that our families lived worlds apart yet they were so similar with the way their homes were set up. The little pictures hanging on the walls to the ornaments nicely organized on the coffee table. It was just perfect for the two of us for the next few months. We had left our families to explore the world but felt closer to them just by staying in this home.

We took a mini tour of the place, figured out which room we would have the pleasure of unloading our 140 lbs of items we squeezed into our poor luggage to get it here. It was like a department store, we couldn’t remember all the items we placed in out bags, as closer to our departure, we were taking things out to comply with the weight restrictions. We both couldn’t help but laugh as we unpacked yet another white tank top. Seriously, how many white tank tops did we need… apparently six! Yes, Zdenko, you were right, we didn’t need half of what we brought but we brought it anyway. Laughing away as we neatly placed everything in the cupboards and closets. We were set!

We were both extremely tired by this point that we just wanted to go right to bed, but once again, we didn’t think going to bed at 2 pm on a Friday night was he best solution. Instead we went to the local neighborhood store (or market as they are referred to here) and picked up the basics to get us threw till we could hit up a bigger market to stock the house.

St. Mark’s church in Zagreb

We literally didn’t do much for the rest of the day and night. Went for a nice walk around the downtown area just to get familiar with the city. It was still not sinking in that this was our home for the next few months. I must have looked completely confused when an outsider looked at me. Not understanding another language is frustrating. I was determined to figure out the basics of the language before I left though. I repeated that to Sanja as she tried once again to teach me how to pronounce the address we now lived at. Yep! Still can not say it… Kraljevec 9.

Day 2 started off great. We both rolled out of bed at 12:30 pm all upset that we missed going to the market in the downtown square. Since we now lived in a humid, overly hot climate, we had to make sure that we got majority of our outside activities done by noon otherwise we had to wait until the evening. The heat here is nothing like I have felt. I have been to Hawaii and Mexico multiple times but nothing was like the Croatia sun. Seriously, I was sweating just brushing my teeth.

Park in Zagreb with big trees

Horse nuts trees are everywhere

      The kitchen window and the box of good Cabernet Sauvignon wine!

July 20,2010

So it’s 8pm and we are sitting at a little table under the kitchen window, where the boxed wine is keeping us hydrated. It’s quite the life we have:) We spent all day in the garden, getting all the weeds out and trimming the overgrown plants. It’s a lot of work, that I didn’t think I would want to be doing, but turns out that we are both enjoying it very much. I just wish I could tell the difference between a weed and a plant. There was a lot of confusion as to which greens to remove and which to keep, but we somehow decided what would look best and went with it. So, sorry mom, if you come here next year and wonder where that wonderful plant went that you planted strategically in a special spot…..we may have mistaken it for a weed and killed it. I’ve never claimed to be much of a gardener, but at least we’re trying.

Somewhere in the vineyards of Zagorje region…

Time to finally enjoy our trip with good food and vine!

In the corn field

Anyway, the last few days have finally cooled off a bit, and it has been cloudy, so we spent most of the days outdoors. We couldn’t resist but to go out on Saturday night, so we dressed up and found ourselves a cute little caffe/bar on Tkalciceva street. We ordered our usual, red wine for Jenn, and my vodka with a new favorite, tonic water and lemon. I have a feeling we were the only ones consuming alcohol, as all you could see on everyone else’s tables were coka cola bottles. But at least we weren’t chain smoking like the rest of the crowd. After a few hours of people watching and chit chat, we headed home. Usually in Edmonton we would have stopped at the nearest Mcdonalds drive through on the way home, but here I think we have found something even better. Gelato!!!

icecream – Gelato – Sladoled

As you walk into any one of these wonderful ice cream stores you instantly get a feeling of being a kid in a candy store. There is at least 20 different flavors of ice cream spread out in front your eyes and it looks kind of like clouds of ice cream. Big tins filled with soft, creamy, delicious flavors of all sorts. And at 6 kunas ($1.25) per scoop, who could resist this heavenly treat. So we then strolled down to Britanski Trg where we got on the bus to Baka’s house. I think this was only my second time in my life taking public transport while a little under the influence, but it was quite fun.

Sasa and Iva with Sanja: they were wonderful hosts and guides

Sanja under “attack” by “Neanderthals” from Krapina (Zagorje)

Monday turned out to be quite a productive day, as we did most of our shopping for the week. And no, I don’t mean shoes and clothes, but food and market necessities. Fruits and veggies at the fresh outdoor market, groceries at the Konzum (the local store), and toiletries at DM. All this is located about a 20 minute walk from the house. So after that we went back and relaxed at home. In the evening we met for drinks with an old friend, Martina, and made plans to go to an island with her and her friends from August 11-15. How easily plans happen:) Martina also showed us where the English bookstore was located, and we spent about an hour there, picking out our next reading pleasures. Jenn’s picks are fun, mindless, entertaining books about sex and the city type of stuff. And I am apparently trying to be grown up and pick a few classics, like the count of Monte Cristo, which I’m sure will keep me occupied the entire 8 months as it is 1100 pages long. But at least we can say we are reading books, instead of watching TV.

Ivan i Durda our friends who live in Sydney

Wednesday night we were invited to a family friends house for dinner and of course home made desserts and wine. Mladen ensured that our wine glasses were never empty and the ladies just made us eat. After expressing how much we enjoyed the wine, Mladen explained that it was home made wine that he makes at his vineyard. So Jenn immediately expressed how she has always wanted to learn to make wine, and just like that we were invited to his vineyard in the fall for the harvesting and the making of the wine. And not just a few bottles, but apparently 800 Litres, of which I’m sure he could spare a few for us. Life couldn’t get any better than this but than again, we are only a week into our new adventurous selves.

To be continued…

 Cheers!!

By: Zdenko Kahlina
On the road: Traffic congestion.

We left Washington City early in the morning one Saturday, with the idea of making it all the way to Virginia Beach before dark. Should be an easy task, right! Wrong.

Traffic congestion on highway I-95 around Dale City made us lose three hours of our estimated travel time. This was the worst traffic backup I’ve seen lately. From Dale City to exit 152 it took more than three hours as we were barely moving, just sitting in a car. We even turned onto secondary highway 1, thinking it might be better, but it was just as bad.

Route we completed in two days (550 miles)

So, finally we decided to turn north on exit 152 towards Manassas city in Prince William county.  We made a huge detour on the secondary roads 646, highway 28 and highway 17. Except for lost time we had no regrets. At least we were driving and the area was gorgeous.

Once on the George Washington Memorial parkway (Route 17) we just followed the road and around lunch time we were entering historical town of Fredericksburg.

In the Fredericksburg area, one can throw away the alarm clocks. Get ready to be whisked away to another century where the first president roamed free as a boy and the North and South came face to face in battle. The area, standing midway between Washington D.C., capital of the Union, and Richmond, capital of the Confederacy, was the major site of five Civil War battles.

We arrived there mid day only for a quick visit (couple of hours). After finding parking on the city lot (free parking) we walked through the old town streets. It appeared that we didn’t need our car for anything here. You can take the trolley tour at the visitor’s center. Very informative, and you see everything.

Walking in downtown Fredericksburg was very nice, with many colonial buildings to visit. There is Hugh Mercers Apothecary shop (Hugh was a friend of George Washington and a Rev War general), the Rising Sun Tavern, which was run by one of Georges brothers, Kenmore, the beautiful mansion built for his sister, and yes, the Mary Washington house.

In downtown, find chef-owned restaurants, art galleries and studios, and antique and specialty shops. George Washington grew up at Ferry Farm, and the great early 20th century artist, Gari Melchers, lived and painted the local scene at his estate, Belmont. Four major Civil War battles were fought in the region, and more than 7,000 acres of hallowed ground are preserved by the National Park Service. Water sports abound on beautiful Lake Anna and the pristine Rappahannock River.

Visiting all of these places would take about 4-5 hrs, and all are within easy walking distance in the downtown area. Chatham is a very nice colonial mansion on the Stafford side of the river, and it’s free. Ferry Farm is the place where George grew up, and it does have a nice view of Fred from the Stafford side. Do try to visit either the Fredericksburg Battlefield or the Chancellorsville Battlefield. About 30 min drive north of Fred is the Marine Corp museum.

We had a wonderful lunch at the Capital Ale House, where local micro-brews can be tasted alongside new and classic American handcrafted beers. We sampled the great local beer that carried the flavor of tradition and history of this place. After the crub dish we ordered, it was time to head straight to the car and continue our journey.

Heading south from Fredericksburg on George Washington Memorial four-lane highway, also known as Coastal Highway (Route 17) was delightful. The road follows Rappahannock river and is very good, going North-South, through the woods and hills of Virginia and we had very light traffic. It was nothing like when we were leaving Washington on highway 95.

We didn’t know at the time, but our next stop was going to be historical Yorktown, that just happened to be on our way.

Fredericksburg History:

One of the reasons that Fredericksburg has had such a long and interesting history is its strategic location at the falls of the Rappahannock River. To the Indians, the falls were favorite fishing and hunting grounds. To Virginia’s early settlers, the fall line was the colony’s first frontier.

Just below the falls of the Rappahannock River, the town of Fredericksburg prospered as a frontier river port. The town’s importance grew with increased river traffic. In 1728, it became an official inland port. Tobacco trade brought prosperity.

Perhaps it was its proximity to George Washington’s boyhood home or maybe it was its safe distance from the Colonial government in Williamsburg, but Fredericksburg contributed heavily to the American cause in the Revolutionary War. Munitions were manufactured here; five generals left their families here to fight; and Fredericksburg fortunes were devoted to the fight. Thomas Jefferson and others met in 1777 in Fredericksburg to draft the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom.

After the war, the city settled down to relative prosperity. Grand mansions mingled with tidy frame houses and a bustling business district by the river. But a few generations later the city’s location would come again into play – and this time it brought danger and disaster.

Located halfway between the two Civil War capitals Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Va., Fredericksburg was battered bloody for three years. The city was crippled by a Federal offensive in December 1862. Confederate troops defending the heights above the city were able to hold off repeated Union attacks mounted from the shell-pocked remains of the business district. The armies were back in the spring of 1863. This time most of the fighting raged outside the city, at a country crossroads called Chancellorsville. Again, in 1864, the blue and the gray clashed nearby. Ulysses S. Grant had begun the last big campaign in the East in the tangled Wilderness. Ignoring massive losses, he soon had punched through to Spotsylvania. In each of the campaigns, the armies left many of their dead and wounded behind.

Today’s Fredericksburg has preserved its memories well. Its large downtown historic district is dotted with Colonial structures and reminders of the people who lived and worked here. Its Civil War past is inescapable. A major National Park interprets the battles, and the city still shows its glories and its scars.

Click on the link below to view the Central Rappahannock Regional Library website.

www.historypoint.org

Away We Go…
Sanja and her friend Jenn decided to take some time off from the work and all daily routines here in Edmonton, and travel the world for a while. I will publish blogs about their traveling adventures, so return to this site again to read more. They left Edmonton in mid July 2010 for a short visit to London, and than headed off for capital city of Croatia – Zagreb.

London: Before crossing the street… warning for tourists!

Travelers & bloggers: Sanja & Jenn

They left Edmonton in mid July 2010 for a short visit to London, and than headed off for capital city of Croatia – Zagreb.

London

July 14-16, 2010

We arrived in London separately. Both of us were still groggy from my muscle relaxants (I injured my back a few days before the trip). Since Sanja had arrived an hour prior to me, she was awaiting my arrival past customs.

Sanja seemed to get past customs no problem, yet myself, well lets just say I was lectured for 25 minutes on who the UK allows into he country “I am sorry Miss, but we are unlike Canada and their customs, we do not allow just anyone in”. I got off with a warning and was given 48 hours in the country. I am not sure if he was just giving me a hard time because I stated “unemployed” or that I had no idea where I was going.

Once we collected our 140 lbs in luggage (no, this is not a joke), we proceeded to the trains.  We had been advised the train system was tricky, so we wanted to give our selves plenty of time to get there without rushing. Since I was still injured from my back incident, poor Sanja was responsible for majority of the luggage handling throughout the airport. I must say, the airport wasn’t half as big as I thought it would be. We managed to get to the trains in less than 10 minutes from collecting our luggage, even with the luggage being delayed from being taken off the plane. We had time to rest before taking the train to Downtown London.

We were surprised when our train pulled up completely empty. As I was getting onto the train, I had the pleasure of the door shutting on me. Since I was unable to lift the luggage in time, I let go of my handle and watched the luggage fall toward Sanja. I gave a small wave to Sanja as she stood there in shock with all bags at her feet. I think we both had a mini panic attack.

Once we both realized the train was not going to leave either of us separated, we could both breathe.

We struggled to get on the train with all the bags. Sanja was getting yelled at by some man to get on the train, not even taking a look at all the bags she actually had to get on the train with. We did it though. We came to realize that we work very well under pressure. We rode the train to the last stop, London Victoria. We managed to get our luggage through the huge train station to hail a cab to our hotel.

We have been in disbelief on how not one person would assist us with any of our bags, not that we expected help, but an offer would have been polite. The cab driver didn’t even help us get everything into his cab, he just sat there waiting impatiently as we loaded all our stuff in his cab.

About 5 blocks later and 5 British pounds we were dropped outside our hotel.  Once again removing all our luggage on our own with no assistance from the cabbie. As we looked into the hotel we realized we booked a budget hotel, which didn’t have an elevator nor a bell boy. So once again, there we are struggling to get all our bags up the 2 flights of stairs. We laughed so hard when we tried to open the door to our room to realize the room might have been as big as most of our bathrooms back home. Once again, not joking. As we managed to fit ourselves and our bags into the room we sat in a numb state that yes, we had made it.

We found the nearest pub to our hotel and had some lunch. Familiar foods like nachos and grilled cheese/ham sandwiches. Can’t go wrong. As we were paying our bill we noticed the “snacks” on the bar counter – pickled olives, popcorn, mixed nuts and a scotched egg. (don’t ask).

Since we were both exhausted but didn’t think going to bed at 1 pm in the afternoon would be smart, we decided to go check out some sights. When I say some sights what I mean is one. We managed to make it to Buckingham Palace. I think because we were both so tired, we didn’t get too excited as we stood in front the Queen’s home. We snapped a few pictures and proceed back towards our hotel.

We made a pit stop for the basics, water and chocolate digestive cookies. Then headed straight to bed at 4 pm. We awoke at 10:30 pm well rested and ready to take on London, or at least that’s the idea we had for the first 20 minutes of waking.

As I sat here to type out this first excerpt I watched Sanja struggle to find a plug in to charge her camera battery. She sat there all confused that all our plugins were child proof but soon to realize she just was using the wrong adaptor. Yes people, she was using the typical standard European adaptor but London has their own 3 prong adaptor.

Now we are off to hit up London like originally planned. In true Canadian form – lululemons all the way!

Day 2 (July 15, 2010)

So, turns out, that a combination of muscle relaxants and jet lag is a bad idea. Day 2 started at 13:40 when I finally made myself sit up in bed, look at the time and say, “seriously Jenn, we need to get up”. We clearly missed the included breakfast at the hotel, so in search of a good breakfast place we went. Although, first stop needed to be an exchange office where they would assault our Canadian dollar once again. So, we randomly chose a direction to walk in

search of the nearest exchange office. After 30 minutes of strolling random london streets we finally came across a post office that was a little nicer in the exchange rate, than the previous day at Victoria underground station. Once we stuffed our pockets with the 60 GBP we were off in search of food. But, turns out we accidentally came across all the biggest sights London had to offer, such as Big Ben, the Parliament buildings, London eye, and a few large cathedrals. We kept walking and eventually got a little lost (although my inner compass was definitely guiding me in the right direction), so we stopped and asked for directions to Victoria station just to get our bearings. The guys completely pointed us in the wrong direction, but not to worry, we found our way anyway. We finally made it to an area that was familiar and grabbed a quick bite to eat in a very nice park at Buckingham Palace. Having walked for two hours straight we decided to sit down for a nice coffee and read our books. It turns out we both really enjoy not being on a schedule and having nothing to do. So after about an hour at the coffee shop we strolled back to our hotel to freshen up a bit before dinner.

We decided to treat ourselves with dinner, and by that I mean, actually sit down in a restaurant and order a meal. The sign outside this cute little italian place said “pizza and a glass of wine 10GBP”. So we thought that sounded great and took a seat. Well, one glass of wine turned into a few and of course couldn’t pass up dessert once we were a little tipsy, so our budget went out the door and a credit card came in handy.

So now, it’s 2AM, and we’re both wide awake thanks to our early afternoon wake up. We need to be on the bus to London Luton airport in two hours. I guess we won’t be needing that wake up call we asked for.

To be continued…

By: Zdenko Kahlina
Walking tour of old town Alexandria
When Vera and I purchased Metro daily passes while visiting Washington, we had to use them to get our money worth. We rode in the Metro for hours, visiting places such as Bethesda and Alexandria.

We really enjoyed our visit to Old Town Alexandria, as it is very quaint and extremely busy little place. We enjoyed all the little shops and numerous restaurants.

Old Town Alexandria is a quaint historic town just on the other side of the Potomac River from Washington, DC. Dating back to 1749, Alexandria’s riverfront was an important colonial port during the colonial, revolutionary and Civil War periods. Today Old Town Alexandria is a revitalized waterfront with cobblestone streets, colonial houses and churches, museums, shops and restaurants.

Torpedo factory in the Alexandria harbor

Zdenko in the Alexandria harbor

Torpedo factory in the Alexandria harbor

Alexandria, Virginia is an independent city located along the Potomac River, six miles south of downtown Washington, DC. Regan National Airport is just seven minutes away.

The historic center of Alexandria, known as Old Town, is the third oldest historic district in the United States. The charming neighborhood contains more than 4,200 historic buildings dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries, including homes, churches, museums, shops, small businesses and restaurants. Alexandria is the center of nightlife in Northern Virginia and is a popular destination for tourists as well as residents of the DC/Capital region.

According to the 2000 census, the City of Alexandria is home to 128,283 residents.

How to get to Old Town Alexandria

We took the metro and get off at the King Street stop and walk about 10 blocks to the east. If you’d rather save your feet for your sightseeing tour, take a DASH bus for a dollar or pop up the Circulator bus for free. This is a busy tourist area, so start out early and plan to spend several hours exploring, shopping and enjoying a meal.

Walking Tour of Old Town Alexandria

Once in Alexandria, step aboard the free King Street Trolley, which travels along the neighborhood’s main thoroughfare, making many stops, so it’s easy to hop on and off.

If you are walking, begin your walk at the Ramsay House Visitor Center at the corner of King and Fairfax Streets, in the heart of the Old Town Alexandria Historic District. Pick up a map and some brochures of the many museums and businesses in the area.

Head north on Fairfax Street and turn left on Cameron until you come to the redbrick buildings across Royal Street, known as Gadsby’s Tavern Museum. Gadsby’s is an Early American-style restaurant and a museum of 18th-century antiques. George and Martha Washington, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams had temporary quarters here. The buildings are noted for exquisite Georgian architecture, preserved and restored to a late eighteenth century appearance. You can take a 30-minute guided tour of Gadsby’s or come back here later for lunch or a snack.

From Gadsby’s, continue west on Cameron Street and turn right on St. Asaph Street. You will cross Princess Street. The cobble paving stones are original and traffic is banned here. Go one block farther on St. Asaph, and turn left at Oronoco Street. The house on your right at number 607 was The Boyhood Home of Robert E. Lee . It is now a private residence.

Across Oronoco Street, at the corner of Washington, is the Lee-Fendall House . the home of several generations of Lees. The tour here is brief and interesting, including a display of Lee family documents, among which is the original copy of Harry Lee’s eulogy of George Washington. For doll house enthusiasts, the third floor displays a wonderful antique doll house collection.

King Street

Continue on Washington Street and you will come to the Lyceum , a city historical museum. This free museum is worth a short visit browsing the two galleries, historical exhibits of Alexandria and a gift shop.

Next, head to the intersection of Washington and Prince Streets to view the bronze sculpture of The Confederate Soldier. In 1861, when Alexandria was occupied by Union forces, 800 soldiers marched out to join the confederate army. This statue marks the point at which they gathered. This is a memorial to the fallen soldiers. One hundred names are carved onto the base.

Restaurants are lined up on the King Street

We had a lunch at “The Warf” restaurant – very good food (and service)!

Continue walking east on Prince Street and turn left on Fairfax Street to the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Shop which displays a collection of early medical supplies and hand-blown glass containers.

Head south on Fairfax Street to Duke Street to the Old Presbyterian Meeting House. The graveyard here has a marker commemorating the Unknown Soldier of the Revolutionary War.

Retrace your steps back to Prince Street and turn right. Cross Lee Street to Captain’s Row. This is a cobblestone section of Prince Street that runs along the Potomac riverfront. Stroll down to the waterfront park to see the scenic view of the river.

Continue north on Union Street. You will come to the Torpedo Factory. Torpedoes were manufactured here during World War I and II. Today, the building houses the studios of about 160 artists. You can watch printmakers, jewelry makers, sculptors, photographers, painters and potters at work. This popular attraction is a great place to find unique gifts and decorative items for your home.

We spent only several hours in Alexandria, but we loved the old town warm ambience of yesteryear with the modern comforts and conveniences that today’s travelers crave.

By: Zdenko Kahlina
A small town in Montgomery County, in the Washington-Arlington metro area.
When Vera and I purchased Metro daily passes while visiting Washington, we had to use them to get our money worth. So we decided to take the train and travel from one side of the city to the other. It was a Friday afternoon, my conference was over and we had plenty of time.

We boarded the train at the Metro Center station in downtown Washington City. Metro escalators are long and go far under ground. We were impressed…

Long escalator accessing the Metro station

The RED Metro line goes from Glenmont in the far North of the city to the downtown and all the way to Shady Grove in the northwest suburb area of Washington. After about 20 minutes from downtown the train stopped in Bethesda and we decided to explore this place on foot. I heard that if you go by car it will take at least 45 minutes, because traffic can be really heavy.

Bethesda Metro Center : band was playing when we were there.

Main square in Bethesda

Waiting for the Circulator bus which never came…

Bethesda, Maryland is a small town in Montgomery County, in the Washington-Arlington metro area. In general, Bethesda is center for government and private research organizations. The town is a thriving urban district, brimming with nearly 200 restaurants, two live theatres, 20 art galleries, and some of the best shopping in the Washington, DC Metro Area. The district has ample parking, and is accessible by the previously mentioned Metro Red Line. Located just outside Washington DC, Bethesda MD is also the home of the Bethesda Naval Hospital (Bethesda Naval Medical Center) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). One tradition says the community was named after a local church; another traces its name directly to the biblical place. The population, at the time of the 2000 census, was about 55,000.

Being a suburb, there’s not a ton of stuff to do in Bethesda. However, Vera and I followed the route of the Circulator bus from the town’s brochure and it took us only 30 minutes of walking.

Very colorful restaurant… I think it was Mexican…

Tourist center with plenty of brochures…

Bethesda has more restaurants per square mile than the US, so there’s bound to be a great place to eat that will satisfy your family. The most popular ones and family  favorites are Cafe Deluxe, Austin Grill, Jaleo (a bit pricier), as well as Stromboli’s and Vace’s for Italian. There’s also a Potbelly’s (a famous sandwich shop on the east coast) and Chipotle, etc. These restaurants are all pretty much within walking distance of the Residence Inn.

www.downtownbethesda.com/guide/dining.php

But ultimately your best choice for a great lunch with local flavor might be to get some good crab cakes near BWI, if you want to leave a little later than you’re planning. Three places that usually leap to mind are G&M Restaurant, the Olive Grove and Timbuktu. Opinions are widely varied as to which is best (ask ten different Marylanders on where to find the best crab cakes, you’ll get ten different answers, I’m sure you’ll hear some here), but I don’t think you can make a mistake going to either of the three.

Their dining rooms all open at 11, but the atmosphere of eating in is nothing special at any of them. All three will do carryout if you want to have that picnic lunch (G&M and Olive Grove’s carryout operations open at 10).

For movies, there’s a Regal Theater right across the street from the Bethesda Court hotel.

Since the metro is pretty much across the street from the center square in Bethesda, it is very easy to get back and forth from DC. I’m not sure when you’ll be coming to the area, but the Cherry Blossom Festival and Parade is always a big hit with kids. You can also rent paddle boats in the Tidel Basin.

North Bethesda shares a common history with most of its Montgomery County, Maryland Montgomery County neighbors. Archaeological evidence suggests that Paleo, Archaic, and Woodland Native Americans lived nearby, along the banks of the Potomac River. These peoples traveled along an ancient route known as the Seneca Trail (which is today approximately followed in North Bethesda by Old Georgetown Road). Like many ancient roads, the Seneca Trail followed a ridge line – in this case, the high ground between the Potomac River and Rock Creek (Potomac River) Rock Creek. Much later, development would spring up along this route.

The recorded history of the area commences with the colonial era. Settlements formed along Rock Creek and the Seneca Trail in the 17th Century, with recorded land grants in this area known originally as “Dan” and “Leeke Forest.”

In the early 19th century, much of the area was part of a 3,700 acre tobacco plantation owned by a slave owning family with the surname of Riley. One of the Rileys’ slaves, Josiah Henson, is thought by historians to be the inspiration for Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin. During this period, the Washington Turnpike Company was founded to improve the old Seneca route, by then known as the Georgetown-Frederick Road. The road was opened in 1828, but had nearly washed away by 1848. The Riley plantation house was located on this road, and the plantation house’s kitchen (in which Henson is known to have slept) still stands near the course of this road.

By the late 19th century, the area was privileged with stops along a train route, and by the early 20th century with its own trolley tracks on the line connecting Georgetown and Rockville (along current-day Fleming Avenue). During this time, development bloomed around train and trolley stops, and a number of wealthy families, including those of Captain James Frederick Oyster and Charles I. Corby (who developed methods that revolutionized the baking industry), lived or summered in the area. Nonetheless, the area remained sparsely populated through the 1920′s.

The arrival of the automobile eventually transformed the area into a commuter suburb of Washington, D.C. By the 1950’s, the area had sprouted a number of developer-conceived neighborhoods with tract houses for the middle-class.

Today, the area remains largely a commuter suburb, with most residents traveling an average of 30 minutes to their workplace. While some traditional neighborhoods remain, other areas have struggled with issues related to suburban sprawl. Over the last few decades, the area has become increasingly affluent and, like most areas in southern Montgomery County, Maryland Montgomery County, has attracted a highly educated and older population.

Read more: What is the history of North Bethesda, Maryland?

By: Zdenko Kahlina
IBM System Storage Technical University (Formerly known as the IBM System Storage Symposium)

I recently returned from Washington, DC where I was attending an IBM storage conference. The conference has hundred’s of sessions to choose from in the IBM System z10 and zSeries Mainframes, Systems Storage and Linux areas. These sessions are presented directly by IBM developers, which provide the opportunity to learn directly from the experts. The purpose for me was to find out how can we at WCB address the growing challenge of managing and securing retention-managed data, using storage solutions from IBM.

 All activities were held at Washington Marriott Wardman Park hotel wardmanparkmarriott.com‎ , easily accessible from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport – DCA. The Marriott Wardman Park Hotel is a Marriott International property in Washington, D.C.. The hotel is located in the upscale Woodley Park neighborhood at Woodley Road, NW and Connecticut Avenue, adjacent the Woodley Park–Zoo/Adams Morgan station of the Washington Metrorail system.

 Washington Marriott Wardman Park hotel

 Good Location to visit DC area with Metro within one block

Even among the most sophisticated hotels in Washington, DC, Marriott Wardman Park rises above. With a blend of charm, modern elegance and a historic landmark setting, this NW Washington, DC hotel’s stunning guest rooms, event space and impeccable service make it the perfect choice for business and leisure travelers.

Wardman tower 

Hotel lobby area

Situated on 16 garden acres, this hotel in Washington, DC has hosted a long list of U.S. Presidents, dignitaries and VIPs. With 1,335 guestrooms and suites, including 145 VIP suites, plus an outdoor heated pool, vacationers will find the perfect place from which to explore the city and enjoy their down time. Families will delight in the hotel’s close proximity to the National Zoo and the National Cathedral. With 195,000 sq ft of event space and 95,000 sq ft of exhibit space, meeting and conference planners will find the Washington Marriott Wardman Park a perfect venue for events of any size. Additionally, the comprehensive conference services and expert staff ensure that every event is perfect.

IBM storage representative for Western Canada Brian Neudorf with Zdenko

Group of conference attendees from Alberta

This hotel is split into two towers, Central and Wardman. The Central part of the hotel consists of the main tower and two wings and it is so big people get lost. If you take time to review the map it will save you a lot of steps when you walk to the metro (and you need those to walk the national mall area). They are significantly different. The Central tower is like a typical business hotel while the Wardman tower is more luxurious and has finer furnishings and gardens etc. The hotel lobby areas and bars are very nice and elegant.

I’ve requested a room in Wardman tower because I heard this was a newer section of the hotel and the rooms are newer and bigger. The room (2323) was nice and clean, with new furniture and big window overlooking the pool. I must admit it was hard to leave the room every morning for the sessions, seeing all those people swimming in the pool. But I did what I had to do and didn’t miss a single session.

Hotel pool was always busy

Pool view from Zdenko’s room

The metro was very convenient within a block of the hotel at the corner of Woodley Road and Connecticut Ave. An all day pass on the metro was only $9.00. The zoo is within walking distance of the hotel.

Plenty of places to eat around the area or just a subway ride away. We did not use any of the amenities in the hotel as there is so much to do and see around the DC area.

One warning–the hotel offers the use of three complimentary computers in the lobby (right next to the bar where it’s noisy and very dark) for web browsing. If you have any real work to do, however, the hotel business center charges $24/hour (!!!!) for the use of its MS Office-enabled computers and printers. So definitely bring your laptop. Even than be careful, as a daily internet fee is about $13. I was offered Marriott’s membership (thanks to Brian who mentioned this option to me!) and received complimentary access to the internet as part of the package.

Conference

At the IBM conference, I learnt about the latest enhancements to the IBM System Storage portfolio, all of which support virtualization. I sat at the sessions about the new IBM XIV® Storage System, a revolutionary high-end Open Disk system designed to support key business requirements.

Many more sessions were available as conference was spread all over the Marriott Wardman Park hotel conference center. I must mention how well conference was organized. I couldn’t find anything that was out of order.

Opening General Session

I discovered new Tivoli Storage Productivity Center functions that deliver enhanced management capabilities for virtualization. I also attended a session to learn how to use IBM Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM) to automate data backup and restore functions, and centralize storage management operations. At the conference IBM had setup Solution Center where their best Business Partners were presenting their storage products and solutions.

Entrance to the IBM Solution Center

Solution Center 

IBM selling boot camp

IBM System x Rack and Power Infrastructure

Highlights and Featured Sessions

I am listing here just some of the sessions the 2010 IBM System Storage Technical University conference was offering this year with the short description:

Opening General Session

Presentation on trends and directions in IBM Storage by IBM Distinguished Engineer and Chief Technical Strategist for IBM Systems & Technology Group, Storage Platform.

XIV Overview

The XIV system is an exciting addition to the IBM disk portfolio. This session covers the underlying architecture and describes the different configurations currently available.

DS8000 Technical Update

This session discuss the enhancements to the DS8000 product family during the last year. A new model of DS8000, new disk options, and exciting new functions such as Easy Tier were covered. 

DS8000 Space Efficient Storage: Flash Copy and Thin Provisioning

This session compared and contrast two different space efficient implementations on the DS8000, and then provided an update on the situations in which these implementations performed best. 

Easy Tier Implementation and Use on DS8700

This session introduced the new Easy Tier functionality provided by the latest release of the DS8700. It provided an overview of the capability to monitor an active subsystem, automatically moving data which is most likely to benefit from Solid State Disks onto SSDs, managing this resource based on application usage. 

Data Deduplication

This session cover the data types that deduplication does well and which ones don’t, capacity planning exercises and considerations to maximize performance and network bandwidth.  

IBM System z Storage Management Overview

This session provided an overview of IBM’s strategy for managing z/OS storage environments and some about z/VM. Details were provided about each layer of the z/OS Storage Management strategy: Process management, IBM Service Management foundation and Operational management. 

IBM Tivoli Storage Productivity Center Overview and Update

IBM recently announced its latest version of Tivoli Storage Productivity Center, a storage resource management tool that manages both IBM and non- IBM storage devices, including disk systems, tape libraries, and SAN switches. This session gave an overview of the various components of Tivoli Storage Productivity Center and describe what’s new in this version of the product.

Tivoli Storage Manager Version 6 Technical Overview

Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM) Version 6 includes many new features, including client side deduplication, automatic deployment for Windows clients, simultaneous write during storage pool migration, a new reporting and monitoring server, and several others. This session was a technical overview and was intended as an introduction to all the new functions introduced in TSM V6.2.

What’s New in DFSMShsm

With a new release of z/OS and DFSMS coming out every year, clients need a regular update to keep up with what is new in DFSMShsm. This session covered the latest and greatest enhancements to the product delivered in the latest official release and via development APARS.

What’s New in DFSMSrmm

This is a review of z/OS V1R11 content for the DFSMSrmm component. The material covered includes all the latest functions: command and dialog enhancements, cross-verification of tape labels, new GDG retention options, exploitation of the z/OS Dynamic Exit Facility, and reporting changes.

SEA CATCH Restaurant

IBM representatives from Alberta invited all their business partners from Canada, who were attending the conference, for a dinner on Tuesday night. The reservations were made at the “Sea Catch” restaurant. Known as one of the top downtown DC restaurants, Sea Catch Restaurant and Raw Bar prides itself on offering the best in seasonal seafood in a welcoming and pleasing environment.
 

The Canal Square Building is the birthplace of the original computer.

Restaurant setting

Situated in a restored building over 150 years-old and just steps from the charming C & O Canal, this restaurant offers a unique and delectable dining experience.
Today guests to this exceptional seafood restaurant in Georgetown Washington DC are invited to honor the history of the building, while appreciating its present incarnation as home to the Sea Catch Restaurant and several art galleries. Please take a moment to view a commemorative plaque, an original punched card plate and a pictorial display of Hollerith’s achievements during your visit.

Seafood platter was served as a starter

Delicious Crab cake was served

Historians recognize the Canal Square Building as “the birthplace of the original computer”, long before it became a renowned Georgetown Washington DC restaurant. The building was originally built in 1842 to serve as a shipping warehouse for barge traffic on the bustling C&O Canal. It later served as a coopers shop, the art of crafting casks to hold such goods as flour, wine, and gunpowder. However, the Canal Square building gained its full historical status when Herman Hollerith converted the structure into a factory for manufacturing & printing punched card tabulating machines.

Patio overlooking C & O canal

Hollerith’s punched card tabulating machine shortly proved their worth. By using these machines in the 1890 census, the government was able to shave 2 years and 5 million dollars off of the project as compared with previous censuses.  

A pictorial display of Hollerith’s achievements with the original punched card plate in the middle

With such a success, it is no wonder that Hollerith’s Tabulating Machine Company was merged with two others to eventually create, in 1924, the “International Business Machines Corporation” or IBM. In 1984, IBM recognized the Canal Square Building as a historic site.

With this, I would complete this blog about another successful IBM System Storage Conference.

By: Zdenko Kahlina

What is a Pow Wow? For those not familiar with Pow Wows, it is one of the oldest, most important and colourful Aboriginal ceremonies.

Pow Wows traditionally have been dedicated to warriors and a way of giving thanks to the Creator for all that Mother Earth provides for Her people. In short a “Thanksgiving” ceremony.

Chief Cam – Alexis, Alberta

The Pow Wow is the center piece of the Canadian Aboriginal Festival with visitors from all parts of Canada and around the world gathered in Hamilton at the Copps Coliseum to witness this most beautiful traditional ceremony.

All peoples of all races and creeds are invited. In fact you do us honor by attending this great offering to the Creator.

What is a Pow Wow?

Pow Wows are all about drums, songs and dance. The drum – a term which describes the instrument and its complement of singers, what Americans would call a band – is the center of the arena and the center of attention. The drum performs songs for all occasions, including contest songs, flag songs, memorial songs, intertribal songs and more. Drums travel many miles to attend Pow Wows Dancers from as many as two dozen tribes will participate in dance competitions, with competitors broken into groups from toddlers through senior citizens. They’ll compete in fancy dancing, grass dancing, jingle dress dancing, bird dancing and singing, and many other structured dances.

The term “Pow Wow” originated by the early settlers observed the gatherings and often heard a particular word that refers to the Medicine Man. The Medicine Man is a very important person in the community and he was always greeted by most of those gathered. This name was heard at almost all gatherings and was misinterpreted by non-Native people to mean a gathering.

A Pow Wow is many things to many people. It is a time to thank the Creator, honour our warriors, meet old and new friends, share and enjoy the rich heritage and culture of our people as well as an opportunity to display or purchase arts and crafts.

The Pow Wow concept has not changed over thousands of years since their beginnings on the western plains of Turtle Island (North America). We are told by our Elders that in the beginning, the gatherings were usually held in the spring and the fall when people from various nations would gather. Over the years, the look and style has evolved to include English as well as other cosmetic changes such as colourful regalia. However, the cultural importance for the celebrations have remained the same.

The Pow Wow is an important vehicle for handing down Native traditions from one generation to the next. It is also an excellent opportunity for all people to participate in a vibrant and vital aspect of Aboriginal heritage.

The Drums

The instrument itself is a drum made from a wooden shell covered in rawhide. Today, cowhide usually is used, although a buffalo-hide head is not uncommon. The average drum is about two feet in diameter and can seat eight to ten people around it. In the Northern style of singing, drums are smaller and are often commercial bass drums, like those used in marching bands. The sticks used to strike the drum are usually thin fiberglass rods with a leather handle and leather-padded head.

There are about ten people in the average drum, seven or eight men and two or three women. In the Southern tradition, women are not seated at the drum nor allowed to strike it, but instead sit in a second row behind the men and sing. The people on a drum are required to know many songs, because a good drum is expected to sing for an entire Pow Wow without repeating a song. A song is started by the lead singer, who does not announce what song they are about to sing but simply begins with the lead.

The Songs 

To newcomers, songs can be the most puzzling aspect of a Pow Wow. It is not uncommon to hear a visitor say to the performer, “I didn’t know you were singing different songs.” To the contrary, there are literally thousands of songs and more are composed every year. Every song has its own unique characteristics and subtle effects. One of the differences between Northern and Southern-style Pow Wows is the way songs are sung. Northern songs are sung in a much higher falsetto voice and follow a different format in the way they are arranged. Both types of songs will be performed at the Avi Kwa Ame Pow Wow. There are songs written for all occasions as well as for families and individuals. Some of the most common themes are flag songs, contest songs, inter-tribals, veteran songs and quitting songs. Just as the United States has its own National Anthem, nearly every tribe has its own Flag Song, which is a song dedicated to the flags that are brought in during the Grand Entry. The Flag Song is sung every time the flags are brought in, and every person in the arena is asked to stand and be silent to give the flags their proper respect.

Contest songs, which will be plentiful during the Avi Kwa Ame Pow Wow, are written to test a dancer’s skill. They often increase in speed or stop in unexpected places to help the judged determine who among the dancers is the best. Contest songs usually are written to suit a particular dance style, such as grass or jingle dress. Inter-tribals are the most common form of song, sung for everyone to dance to and used as all-occasion songs. Sets of three or four intertribal songs are performed throughout the Pow Wow to keep spectators involved in the festivities.

Rules To Live By 

There are certain rules Pow Wow spectators need to be aware of. First, pay attention to the Master of Ceremonies for directions as to what to do throughout the event.  Everyone is invited to join in the social dances, such as inter-tribals, the blanket dance, honor songs and the two step. Spectators are encouraged to ask questions and learn more about the activities. However, it is taboo to touch anyone’s dance regalia or take photos or video without first obtaining permission. Alcoholic beverages are not allowed in the Pow Wow area and spectators are not allowed to enter or cross the arena unless the Master of Ceremonies calls for everyone’s participation. Above all, everyone is invited to watch, dance and learn about Native Canadian dance, music and culture.

Watch Pow Wow on “YouTube”:

Pow Wow (3:53) 

May 06, 2006

Native American Indian dancing @ Northeast Arizona, on White Mountain Apache land.

Northern Cree – Hand Drum Contest – Nipisihkopahk Pow-Wow 2008  (2:32)

Northern Cree Jamming @ Samson Pow-Wow in Hobbema, Alberta, Canada on July 13, 2008. 

Alexis – Cardinal River Landsite (Nakota Gathering)

Teepee

By Ed Potts 

Teepee means “home” in our language.

Some in our tribe would also say teebee, both mean the same thing. They were made with buffalo hides in the old days, and later with canvas. This is one of the dwellings our poeple utilized because we were often on the move and it was perfect for that reason. It took very little time to set up and take down. There is a story about the design. It is said that it was given to a girl many years in the past. As she sat below an aspen tree relaxing she was given this gift that would house the people and it would be their home where ever they went.

Teepees

The design itself was a curled up aspen leaf that was split at the top, forming the smoke holes. She was told how to make this design from buffalo hides and what poles to use to hold it up. It was a gift to the women so that they might have a home for their families. 

There is one other dwelling that we used it was called “cha tee” as the name says it was a tree house much like the teepee but made with just poles,bark and mud to fill the holes around the outside. These were used in the bush in areas where we would winter. 

Traditional way to dry meat

By: Dumneazu

Korean New Jersey – The Kim chi belt

Don’t like Korean food? Then go away right now. In this part of Jersey, you eventually come to like Korean food. This blog is about Kim Chi food.

Recently a friend of our quit Budapest and moved to the sunny coast of Dalmatia in Croatia. She sends us sms messages every few hours revealing what she has found in the local markets of Korcula, Split, or Rovinj… tuna, octopus, fresh sardines.

This kind of news is harmful to those of us who still live in Budapest, where the only “seafood” is carp or frozen fillet of hake. So, Princess Oooh-La-La, consider this post a gentle version of revenge… welcome to New Jersey, an outlying province of the Republic of Korea! My family is lucky (although they don’t seem to recognize it) to be living in a part of New Jersey which hosts the largest Korean community in the New York area – neighboring Palisades Park and Leonia are nearly 40% Korean, complete with an idiotic white bread Mayor trying to enforce English language sign laws that would make a small-minded nationalist Transylvanian mayor (I’m talking ’bout you, Gheorghe Funar) seem insane. But the Koreans don’t care. They have revitalized a series of dumpy old towns into vibrant Kim chi suburbs.

Don’t like Korean food? Then go away right now. In this part of Jersey, you eventually come to like Korean food. We started our journey into the depths of garlicy cabbage pickles at the Fort Lee institution we discovered last trip: So Kong Dong Soft Tofu Restaurant. As Anthony Bourdain said before pigging out here “Soft and Tofu are two words that usually mean I don’t want to eat it.” Put away your preconceptions: this place rates almost as high as Katz’s Deli in my list of must eat in New York Foods. Almost everything on the menu is $9.00. The kalbi ribs are $15, but you must have them, so no complaining, they are said to be the best in the NY area -and there is a lot of competition in this area for tender marinated grilled kalbi ribs.

The plan is to order your soft tofu soup and wait while the staff cover your table in Kim chi and banchan - little dishes of hot pickled delights to accompany the rice. The rice is spooned into metal bowls: Koreans do not pick up their rice bowls like Chinese and Japanese. Tea is then poured into the hot stoneware rice serving bowl to make a special soupy tea-rice for those who like a bit of the burned rice as a hot beverage.

Kim chi is an acquired taste for non-Koreans, and I highly advise you to acquire it. We have actually tried to make this at home in Budapest with varying success. And now the star of the show arrives: a cast iron bowl of bubbling hot tofu soup – I chose seafood and beef – into which you break an egg and then wait while the egg cooks.

I looked around the packed house and a lot of the tables were filled with local Chinese people, not Koreans. So… this is what Chinese folk eat when they want to go out for something exotic and Asian. A classic aha! moment! Stuffed and satiated, we went out into the foot deep snow that had been dumped on New York the night before. Problem was, we no longer had Kim chi in front of us. That was easily fixed by hopping into one of the many Han Ah Rheum supermarkets serving the local Korean community. These are huge Kim chi retailers, and you wonder how could anybody eat that much spicy fermented radish? But they can and do. A lot of non-Koreans help out – once you are hooked on fermented spicy cabbage and squid pickles, there is no turning back. The seafood at these markets is mind-boggling: fresh (as in alive) and cheap as you can find.

These sea squirts were floating around waiting to be bought and consumed by adventurous eaters: this is about as out there as human seafood consumption can get. Described as “tasting slightly of urine” even the Japanese consider eating sea squirts something of a frat-boy challenge, definitely not for everyone.

Outside in the parking lot there was a wood fired iron stove cooking up yellow fleshed Asian sweet potatoes, a winter delicacy in Korea and Japan. Speaking of Japan, we also hit the Mitsuwa Japanese Shopping Mall on the way into New York city for a quick fix of fresh Santoka Ramen noodle soup.

This was Aron’s first experience of real, fresh ramen soup, not the instant packaged soup that has taken over the world. He like. He like very much. He also liked the accompanying bowl of rice topped with salmon roe. It is great to have a teen aged kid who says “fish eggs on rice? Yeah, Papa, I’ll have some!” Last night we downed a dozen raw clams on the half shell from the Korean market. Maybe I will get him started on sea squirt sashimi before he heads back to Budapest.

All this with a soy sauce hardboiled egg for $10.Like I said… we were not the first to discover that some of New York’s best eating is across the Hudson river in New Jersey. Anthony Bourdain is from Leonia… just down the street from where I am typing this. He trod these same pathways in an episode of No Reservations a few years ago.

http://horinca.blogspot.com/2009/12/korean-new-jersey-kimchi-belt.html

By: Zdenko Kahlina

 During my recent visit to a friend who lives in Mississauga (Ontario), I wanted to explore the area local cyclists are using for their training rides. I asked my friend (an excellent cyclist) for advice and he suggested I should go towards hamlet of Belfountain and beautiful surrounding Caledon hills, just north of the city.

I took his advice and that’s exactly what I did. Since I didn’t bring my bike with me  to Toronto this time, I explored the area with the car.

If you start from Kipling as this map suggest, this route will be about 122 km long. There are very few variety stores on certain stretches of this route – so when going with the bike, stock up on food and fluids BEFORE leaving the city. Be sure to pace yourself and take breaks when needed – you do not have to wait till the designated break to stop and take a rest.

Small hamlet on the Heritage road

On my way out of Mississauga I took Heritage road north/west, all the way to Mayfield Road. As I was driving and approaching Halton Hills on Heritage road, suddenly on my right  appeared a beautiful wooden structure of the Ukrainian Catholic St. Alias Church. It was early in the morning, but the Archpriest Fr. Roman Galadza just happen to arrive at the church while I was there and politely offered me a tour of the church.

The parish church of St. Elias

The parish church of St. Elias 

The parish church of St. Elias the Prophet rises high on the Peel Plain above the Credit River Valley. Though this building was built in 1995, the parish community was started in 1976.

A wooden structure of heavy timbers (Douglas Fir), it is sheathed in Western red cedar. It has been constructed according to an architectural style known as “Boyko”, derived from western Ukraine. The 3 sections (altar, sanctuary, and narthex) are each topped with a dome or cupola.

According to Byzantine liturgical typology, the dome is an image of the heavens.

The narthex is the world fallen after the sin of Adam, the Sanctuary is the world redeemed following the Passion and Resurrection of Christ Jesus, and the Altar is the World to Come, an image of the New Jerusalem. The cupolas on the church of St. Elias are in the 17th century Cossack style.

After this unexpected but nice experience, I continued my journey north towards Terra Cotta. There I turned to Mississauga Road, and pretty soon I was in the Caledon hills surrounded by big trees.

This long ride takes you though an incredible variety of terrain – through the beautiful Caledon Hills, past the unearthly dunes of the Badlands, through the breathtaking Forks of The Credit Provincial Park and up an actual switchback hill to the goodies of the quaint Belfountain General Store.

At the General Store cyclist (and bikers) usually stop for a break. There are sandwiches, cookies and ice cream available for those who need more energy, before they head back to the city.

Belfountain General Store

Belfountain Conservation Area is situated on the Niagara Escarpment in the valley of the West Credit River at the junction of County Roads 1 (Mississauga Road) and 11 (Forks of the Credit Road), just west of Highway 10 and approximately 15 kilometres south of Orangeville. It’s also about 30 kilometres northwest of Brampton, and 82 kilometres northwest of Toronto. 

The first settlers arrived here before 1850, and in 1852, the village was called “Tubtown”. This was a reference to a local blacksmith, Archibald McNaughton, who used large octagonal iron tubs to cool hot metal. The tubs sat outside his shop, which occupied a prominent place in the village, next to the town gas pump.

Belfountain General Store

Belfountain Bed & Breakfast

Fortunately, this name did not last long. A post office was opened at Belfountain (some sources cite it as “Bellfountain”) by Thomas J. Bush in 1853. By the 1870′s the village had a population of about 300 and the local business establishments included a tannery, grist mill, sawmill, one hotel and two general stores.

The picturesque location of Belfountain draws visitors from far and wide, particularly in the autumn when the changing leaves clothe the surrounding hills in brilliant colours. The origin of the name appears unclear, although it may have come from the French “belle fontaine”, or “beautiful fountain” – a reference to the clear waters of the Credit river.

There is plenty to see and do at Belfountain. A nature trail spans the river gorge using a suspension bridge and then winds along the steep sides of the Escarpment requiring steady feet and approximately 30 minutes to walk. A short distance downstream is the juncture of the West and main Credit Rivers, the scenic “Forks of the Credit” area. These can be reached by a rugged hike down into the valley along the Trimble Trail that will take you out of the Conservation Area. The Trimble Trail is not a loop and you will have to retrace your steps to return to the Conservation Area.

On this particular day at the beginning of July, it was really a beautiful summer day, with temperatures in the thirties. Following twisty Forks of the Credit Road I descended from the old town into the valley where the road followed West Credit river.

At the top of the hill you can take a turn and visit Forks of the Credit Provincial Park

Switchbacks on the descent from the Belfountain into the valley

Take a look at this short video of the climb to the Belfountain, by Wes Hodgson: http://vimeo.com/6240853

The cold, spring-fed waters of the West Credit River provide ideal habitat and ample angling opportunities for brook and brown trout and other fish. Freshwater springs flow from the steep valley walls that enclose this tranquil oasis. Heavily treed woodlands of cedar, oak, maple and birch are alive with wildlife – songbirds, rabbits, flying squirrels, ruffed grouse and white-tailed deer. Walkways, a beautiful fountain, gardens, historic stonework including a cave and a grinding stone from a gristmill that once stood beside the river add interest to this beautiful site.

I stepped on to the suspension bridge that spans tumbling waterfalls and take in the view of the river gorge below. You can walk along cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment and watch freshwater springs flowing down limestone cliffs. As you explore, listen for the staccato beat of the ruffed grouse and look for the quick flash of the white-tailed deer. An historic fountain, cave and grinding stone from a gristmill that once stood beside the river also add interest to this beautiful site.

Road thru the valley

Closed Ice cream parlor in the valley

The Credit River is 90 kilometers long, and is home to a wide range of wildlife. Some species are permanent or seasonal residents while others are sighted occasionally. For cyclists and bikers, this is a wonderful drive thru the valley, as the road goes over the small hills. Few kilometers later and I was on McLaughlin Road heading back south towards Brampton.

Beautiful scenery around Inglewood area

Local farm and surrounding hills

Caledon Hills cycling shop

 As I was approaching city and very dense populated areas, memories of this beautiful place that I just left behind were still with me. That’s when I decided to put together small blog so many others who will read this, might one day decide to visit “Forks of the Credit” conservation area in Brampton suburbs. 

Region of Peel, Caledon

At the end, I was so jealous on my friend who can often ride these roads and enjoy the beautiful scenery around Belfountain Conservation area. Next time I should definitely bring my bike with me and do this tour on the bike.

By: Zdenko Kahlina
Welcome to the Unionville (Markham, Ontario)

While I was in Toronto on a business trip few weeks ago, one day I had few extra hours to do my own thing and was thinking what should I do?

I had only couple of hours for that, so I couldn’t go anywhere far away from Markham. All I had was a tourist map/guide of Toronto, where I quickly spotted an area near by, marked as “Historic Unionville”.

Unionville’s Welcome Sign

From Richmond Hill on Highway 7, Unionville is only about 5 minutes drive. I made a left turn into the old town and immediately felt like being on another planet. I was away from the hectic traffic and all the craziness of the big city like Toronto.

Big tourist attraction: Main Street in Unionville

Unionville is a very pretty area, close to Markham, with a nice mix of boutiques, a few antique stores and number of restaurants, all on their Main street. I heard that Unionville is especially lovely in the fall, when the leaves are changing.

Typical Unionville house

Unionville Trading post

Unionville – which is a very pleasant and very walkable little area – finds itself in the middle of the suburbs, where things are further apart than they seem. It’s 3 km (35 minutes at typical walking speed) from Centennial GO station to where the Unionville shopping strip starts (Main Street Unionville & Station Lane), and most of that walk is along Highway 7.

Main Street Unionville

Boutique shops on the Main Street

Off of the Main Street

Unionville is a suburban community in Markham, Ontario, Canada. It is located 33 km northeast of downtown Toronto and 4 km east of southern Richmond Hill. Unionville is comprised by the neighborhoods alongside Major MacKenzie Dr. as the Northern limit, Highway 407 as the Southern limit, the neighborhoods alongside McCowan Rd. as the Eastern limit, and the neighborhoods alongside Woodbine Ave. as the Western limit. Main Street, which was Kennedy Road in the mid to late 20th century, runs through Unionville while the new Kennedy runs 300 m to the east.

Restaurants are lined up on the Main Street

Patio seating on the Main Street

Fire hall turned into restaurant

Stylish Country Inn restaurant

The population of Unionville is presently about 30,000. Unionville is said to be one of the most affluent areas in the Greater Toronto Area with an average household income of $127,900. Rouge River runs north of the central part of Unionville and to the southeast. The highway (Highway 404) is to the west, the nearest interchange with the 407 ETR is 2 km south on Kennedy Rd. The population lives in almost all parts of Unionville except for the south central industrialized area. The railway line which links the area to Toronto via GO Train Service once ran as far as Lindsay, a town near Peterborough.

Beautiful church in Unionville

One of the colorful stores on the Main Street

Tourism is a major part of Unionville’s economy. The historic village or downtown section of Unionville is typical of a small town that developed over a century or so starting in the early 1840s (when Ira White erected his Union Mills) through the middle to late 20th century. The historic Main Street Unionville attracts thousands of visitors each year – as of 2006 it boasted 9 restaurants, including 3 pubs. Main Street (originally the laneway from the village’s first grist mill) also has a number of “century homes” dating back to the 1800s. Each year, thousands visit Unionville during the Unionville Festival.

Main Street Unionville

Shoe store in Unionville

The old Planning Mill in Unionville

The main street has been used as a stand-in for fictional Connecticut town Stars Hollow during the first season of The WB’s (now The CW) Gilmore Girls television show, as well as other television and movie backdrops.

Most of the historic buildings in Unionville are included in List of historic buildings in Markham, Ontario.

Toogood Pond, Unionville

Unionville Millennium bandstand

Beautiful pictures:

http://www.evonnedarren.com/blog/main-street-unionville-toronto-maui-hawaii-lifestyle-photographer/

By: Zdenko Kahlina
One of Istria’s most dramatic natural phenomena, the Limski kanal drives a narrow 10 km-long sliver of sea straight into the heart of the peninsula. With densely forested cliffs – rising straight up to a height of 150 metres – and calm, green crystal-clear water below, those who never took in basic geography might well mistake it for a Scandinavian fjord.

  Panoramic view of Limski kanal 

Hollywood certainly banked on the fact. The Limski kanal was the main location used during the filming of The Long Ships, a 1963 film about jolly little Vikings off on their rape and pillage jaunts, and starring the rather Nordic Richard Widmark.  

  Limski kanal 

Richard left his mark here alright. A local family was so chuffed with Mr Widmark’s compliments on the cooking, they vowed to open their own restaurant. The happy result is Viking, one of Istria’s best fish restaurants sited directly at the water’s edge. Of course it doesn’t hurt to have world-class ingredients right on your doorstep. Limski kanal is feted for its oysters which, together with those from Ston in Dalmatia, are among the best you’ll ever find. 

As a protected area, sailing in the kanal is heavily restricted but you can take private guided boat trips from Rovinj.

There is no local public ferry service but private boats can be hired. Anton Crnec (098 254 990 mobile) offers five-hour day trips in summer, with a break for swimming in the kanal itself. The 230kn cost includes live music and refreshments. If you prefer to keep your feet on dry land, there’s a viewing platform by the main road.

Vrsar panorama

In its historical heyday, Vrsar was a highly influential and the seat of the Porec bishopric. The old town itself is perched on top of a high cliff with wonderful views across the bay and the Vrsar archipelago of 18 little islands – all is topped off by its 12th-century castle. Largely unspoiled, Vrsar’s Venetian-style architecture lines a maze of atmospheric narrow streets while down below are a large marina full of foreign yachts and a harbour where most of the town’s modern hotels are sited.

If you’d rather have a holiday au naturel then head for nearby Koversada, one of the world’s largest naturist colonies. With facilities for 15,000 residents, this self-contained holiday town is right on the beach and offers nudists all the facilities they could wish for. Popular with Dutch and German tourists, Istria has a long tradition of nudism but Koversada is the original and probably still the best such resort.

Much of the land surrounding the Limski kanal is under government protection as this large and unique tract of unspoiled land is home to a vast array of indigenous wildlife. One of Istria’s most important nature reserves is Palud Bird Sanctuary. To reach it, take the main road from Rovinj, heading for Bale, and then take the turning for Vestar. Palud is signposted.

In Roman times this marked the boundary between the Poreč and Pula regions – Lim is derived from limes, a Latin word meaning “border” or “limit”; later it became a favourite shelter of pirates, who used it as a base from which to attack the Venetians. An appealing local legend associates the kanal with pirate and adventurer Captain Morgan, who liked it so much he decided still to settle down here with his crew, founding the village of Mrgani (which exists 51km inland from the kanal) in the process.

Mussels and oysters are cultivated here – you can sample them, along with other fresh fish, in the Viking and Fjord restaurants, both expensive but highly rated by locals. If you’ve a car, you can get down to the northern side of the water (and the two restaurants) via the side-road which leaves the Rovinj-Porec route near the village of Kloštar. The best way to see the inlet, however, is by boat. Numerous excursions, often including a fish picnic or a lunch stop en route, are advertised on the quaysides of Rovonj,Vrsar and Porec; expect to pay around 150-180Kn for the trip. 

Occupying high ground near the mouth of the Limski kanal is VRSAR, a hilltop village curled tightly around a campanile-topped summit. It’s quieter than Rovinj and Porec, although there’s a marina and hotel on below. A kilometre south of town on the coast is one of the world’s ist colonies, Koversada. Established in 1960, this was the first of naturist communities, and is nowadays a self-contained mini-city 15,000 residents can dress as nature intended on a 24-hour basis.

By: Zdenko Kahlina
Welcome to the 2010 version of the DR Exercise!
This was a business trip with the purpose of participating in “Disaster Recovery Exercise” for the company. The objective of the DR Exercise is to confirm that we can recover the identified WCB systems and to confirm that we have accurate and complete documentation for executing the recovery.

 Sheraton Parkway hotel in Richmond Hills

We arrived in Toronto at the beginning of G20 Summit and were warned not to go anywhere near downtown. Walking was likely the best way to get around during G20 weekend, so long as we didn’t walk anywhere near the secured or protest zones.

G20 Summit was in Toronto

 It was probably best not to be anywhere from King to Lake Shore and Spadina to Yonge unless you absolutely have to: that’s the “Traffic Zone,” where even pedestrians were subject to police checkpoints. And if you do get past, don’t even think about getting over that ten-foot fence that’s protecting the “Security Zone.” Fortunately, we didn’t have to go near downtown, as we were stationed in Richmond Hill and Markham.

IBM building on Steels Avenue in Markham

WCB team: Marlon, Kevin, Meng, Mike, Rod, David and Sunny. Zdenko took the picture.

As usual, our “hot site” for recovery of our computer systems was in Markham (Ontario), where we used IBM’s facilities. For this exercise we have set up primary and secondary objectives and hoped to accomplish as much as possible.

Town of Richmond Hill has population of close to 200,000

There was a lot of parking space available everywhere.

Our DR team was staying in Sheraton Parkway hotel on the north side of GTA Toronto in an area called Richmond Hill. To get there we had to use the Hwy 404/Hwy 401 combo to get there, and therein lies your traffic woes. During crush hour, it can take up to 1.5 hours to drive a 20 minute distance.

People drive expensive cars… but no pickup tracks!

The Sheraton Parkway was a definitely good choice for this business trip. From the time we arrived we were treated with warmth and the staff was very friendly. We arrived at the Sheraton on June 26th (my birthday!) at around 3:30 pm. We received the rooms that we requested, and the rooms were beautiful. I especially loved the beds, the most comfortable I have ever slept on (in a hotel).

On our first night we just took it easy, and went to a nearby restaurant for dinner. Our choice was Italian grill Fazooli’s with a great selection of Italian pasta and seafood on the menu.

Fazooli’s grill: very good food!

 Markham is actually one of Canada’s oldest communities. Unfortunately, it was a lot more quaint when it was farmland than now when it has been condo-ized and development-ized to the hilt. Which means it is a desirable bedroom commute from Toronto proper, and now is one of Toronto’s two “high tech” corridors.

 The Hilton Suites Toronto Conference Centre & Spa hotel in Markham

Main Street in Unionville, definitely worth a visit

 Town of Markham does house the Varley Art Gallery in the deliberately picturesque Unionville, and many of Canada’s Group of 7 lived near there in the old town of Richmond Hill. But it is now a lotta square box Costco-type shopping malls and condos, and unless you have family up there, or work there, it’s not necessarily an interesting destination!

Square box building in Richmond Hill

Another Square box building in Markham on Hwy 7.

Huge apartment building in Markham

Our work was in Markham, so I was commuting between Richmond Hill and Markham every day, which is about 10 minute drive one way. Markham is an unremarkable suburb with all that entails — mediocre chain restaurants. It’s home to a large and wealthy Chinese community, and reputedly some of the best Chinese restaurants in North America. The Times Square Mall close to Sheraton hotel is a good place to start.

Times Square Mall: Chinese Mall in Richmond Hill

Another Italian restaurant in Markham

The area around our hotel (East Beaver Creek and HIGHWAY 7) has a variety of restaurants and bars…. I can tell you that there is a really cool restaurant in the food court at Pacific Mall (Steeles & Kennedy Road) near Markham, called “Fill your bowl” where the chef makes noodles for his soups by hand, the old fashioned way. It’s really a trip to see him twist and whack the dough on the counter. Food is really good too. A soup and a glass of soy milk will run you about $6! 

Mainframe team did a great job: Rod, Sunny and Zdenko

For the duration of this exercise, David our DR coordinator, provided refreshments, meals etc. which was a nice company gesture. Work shifts were scheduled to last approximately 12 hours and the whole exercise lasted total of 96 hours.

IBM Facilities for DR Exercise

IBM provided hardware

Over the four packed days, we were testing the emergency preparedness of the WCB to recover from a disaster to the data centre in Edmonton. We have declared an emergency at WCB in Edmonton and now it was time for our team of experts here in Markham to show their strengths.

At the end, the exercise was a total success. Although we did not complete it in the three days we’d hoped, I think we did very well considering these type of exercises never go without unexpected problems. We all did a great job, and returned back to Edmonton satisfied.

From: Travel Adventures
In the North, nothing is straightforward
One of the conditions for visiting North Korea is that you are not allowed to go anywhere without the guides which are appointed by the State.
Not only the itinerary is completely planned beforehand, any visit or trip needs to be completely endorsed beforehand and going anywhere without guide is simply denied. However, this seems to depend on your guides, and probably also on the time of your visit, since it seems that some others have indeed been allowed to walk a little bit around.

Nevertheless, we tried on several occasions to get the permission for an innocent stroll around the city, but this was never granted. The motivation was that the guides were afraid that we would take unwanted pictures, and they told us of an incident in which a Korean woman had contact the police, who quickly identified the responsible guides. Since we did not want to create a scandal and did not want our guides to get into trouble, we decided to stick to this severe limitation to our freedom. The eventual compromise was a guided walk along the vast and almost empty stretches of asphalt avenues in the capital. How much were we longing to just some walking around, talking to the population on the street, and, indeed, taking pictures whenever we wanted! Even the apparently most innocent shots were not approved by the guides, while the stares of the people we saw were certainly not hostile at all, just very curious. Obviously, the guides preferred us to take nice pictures of one of the monumental statues instead.

The pictures you can see on this page were the ones we took more or less unnoticed. In this country of contradictions, the nervousness about our walking about the city for fear of contact with the local public struck us as an especially obvious and lamentful example. After all, in all its publications, monuments, and all other channels the government tries to make it very clear to the very same visitors to the country that these people are the happiest, proudest, most friendly and social people of the world. One can wonder, then, what could be wrong with communicating with these people?

Capital: Pyongyang

Population: 23mln

Religions: Traditionally Buddhist and Confucianism, officially atheist

Languages: Korean

Climate: Moderate with four distinct seasons. The hottest time is July to August, which is also the rainy season; coldest is from December to January, winters in the far north can be very severe. Spring and autumn are mild and mainly dry.

Currency: North Korean won (KPW)

Train Journey

OK, so North Korea is the most closed country in the world. The next logical question for those interested in visiting the country is: how to get there? On the map of Pyongyang, for the convenience of the visitor, all possible connections from the outside world are listed. There are 4 trains a week from Beijing, and two international flights.

One of the exits blocked by luggage

Where for most destinations in the world the options are getting almost endless, the traveler to North Korea does not have to ponder for a long time how to reach his destination. We opted for the train from Beijing. Upon entering the compartment which actually accommodated two other persons, we discovered that it was empty. However, we also came across a large amount of beer under the seats, and a piece of luggage in the compartment. Strangely enough, the compartment remained empty the whole night. This was especially puzzling, because all the other compartments were stuffed with people and loads of luggage. Actually, since the passenger compartments apparently were not enough, luggage was also stored in two of the three toilets, as well as in three of the four exits of the carriage. Obviously, our peace would not last until Pyongyang.

While in the railway station of Dandong, the border with North Korea, two persons entered the train, sweating, suffering, and looking desperate. They were trying to push an enormous package through the aisle, struggling with what appeared to be an impressive weight. When they finally arrived in front of the door to our compartment, they stopped and smiled. The package had arrived at its temporary place. With a superhuman effort, moaning and trembling, the two men managed to park the package on one of the top beds.

We had watched this spectacle with our eyes wide open. When we returned to the aisle, a second package, at least the size of the first, had mysteriously entered the aisle, leaving us little to guess as to where its destination was concerned. To make a long story short, after we had left the compartment on the North Korean side of the border, it had been reorganized completely. By now, it contained two more packages of enormous size and weight, some boxes with fruit, a smaller box with a dirty dog which before meeting his owners had been white one day, and a complete family of three. The son was positively mentally retarded, enjoyed playing with sharp objects, throwing them through the compartment, cleaning a watermelon with a knife and then using the same instrument to help put on his shoes, and demonstratively putting used chewing gum under our seat. His sister had fun in throwing the dog around, either through the air or just by kicking the poor animal inside where she thought it belonged.

Since our time in North Korea was limited, we decided to occupy one of the few windows which could be opened, to look outside at the countryside and the villages. After all, this was the mysterious, closed country which we had wanted to see so desperately. Already at the border station we found out the function of the beer bottles: they were offloaded and disappeared in a car which was driven by someone clearly sanctioned by the heavily guarded soldiers whose task was to prevent interference of train passengers with the outside world, and vice versa.

This very first station also provided us with the very first sight of a face which would be etched in our heads for the next days: that of late President Kim Il Sung. During the many hours it took the train to reach the capital, we saw a lot of different crops in the fields, poor people working the land, very old and obsolete tractors, almost no traffic, and every entrance to a village marked by a huge arch with a slogan.

Although we unfortunately could not read them, we could guess their meaning. They were all praise to the country’s superior system, persuaded the people to work harder to serve their country and its dead President, and basically reminded people that there was no escape from this paradise.

Instead of leaving at the first station in the country, our friends in the compartment accompanied us to Pyongyang. With a 3-hour delay, we arrived in the evening. In an attempt to escape the crowd and the struggle to offload the incredible amount of luggage, we also unintentionally escaped our guides who had been waiting for us. With slightly worried faces, they found us at the hands of a female official with whom no sane person would like to argue. Our visit to North Korea had really started now.

Panmunjom (North)

For days now, the guides have been talking about the South Koreans. Sometimes as their brother folk who have been robbed by the imperialist Americans. Sometimes as their enemies, allies of the hostile world. Finally, we get to visit the border post. After driving for hours on a nearly completely deserted highway from Pyongyang, we end up in Kaesong where we stay overnight. The next morning, without much ado, we continue to the border. We get one last briefing with a model of the area (again, unfriendly words about “the other side” are used). From here, we enter the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone).

We then proceed to the hall where the armistice was signed. The South Koreans refused to sign, because they did not agree. Technically, the two countries are still at war. Here again, there are rooms with exhibits about the infamous Americans and their “puppet allies” who imposed themselves on the defenseless North Koreans. A short drive from here, and we arrive at the real border. But before we reach that, we stop at a gigantic white stone with a Korean inscription. We are told that the base is 9,4 meters, and the top 7,7. Obviously, this is a symbolic link to the day that the sculpted words were written. The author … who else than the Great Leader? One day before dying, he left this message for his people: Korea should be reunited. It seems in contradiction with his efforts to be independent and self sufficient.

Then we continue to the United Nations-blue buildings which are built exactly on the across the borderline. Before we can enter, the North Korean guides take position, and the South Koreans have to stay behind their line. Inside, a table. One side of it is North Korean, the other South Korean. Crossing this border is impossible – for fun you can walk around the table. The absurdity of the situation becomes clear. Probably the most vivid reminder of a Cold War…

Visited: Kuly 2000 

Manyongdae

Of course, with such an important President, his roots are very important, as is his childhood. So, the Koreans changed history once again and invented Kim’s birthplace: Manyongdae, a lovely hill near the capital and the river. It was well understood that to become a real Hero of the People, the background of the President should be as humble as possible.

So, replicas of very modest dimensions of his native house and childhood surroundings were placed in the Manyongdae Park. Some items were placed in them, but since we are talking about God here, it is not allowed to enter the houses. Pictures of the grandfathers of the Late President can be seen in one of them. Also, a picture of Kim’s son has been added.

The guides cannot stop talking about the fact that the poor President did not see his parents alive after allegedly winning the guerilla war against the Japanese, only his grandparents. Every story they tell you is even more sad than the previous one. Anyway, according to modern North Korean history, this is the place where Kim Il Sung grew up, played as a child, pondered over the future of the country as a 13-year old revolutionary in the 1920s, and laid the basis of his endless wisdom which would lead the country to such prosperity.

The most incredible story they told us, though, was the Story of the Jar. When standing in front of one of the houses, there are three big jars on display, and the third is completely distorted and seemingly unusable. In these surroundings, where everything related to the Late President, the Great Leader and the Genius of the 20th Century, the innocent visitor frowns upon seeing this jar which appears to be misplaced. However, the explanation is very obvious. The Mother of the Great Leader was extremely poor, and she did not have the money to buy a new jar when she needed one. Since she was also very practical, she bought a misformed jar, which obviously cost less money. Hence the importance of the Distorted Jar in the life of the Late President. His background is as poor as any North Korean could be. His brilliance made him President. Kim Il Sung, the personification of the American Dream.

http://www.traveladventures.org/continents/asia/northkorea.shtml

Five rules for traveling to North Korea

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) on Jan 25th 2010 at 2:00PM

I’m told that travel to North Korea is quite safe, as long as you follow the rules (and don’t do anything stupid). You have to realize that, politics aside, you’re entering a country that just does things differently. Of course, the consequences that come with straying can be severe. The trip will be scripted, but you know that going in. Follow the bouncing ball, and you’ll be just fine.

This year, we’ll get a sense of how widely North Korea is willing to open its doors to the line of westerners waiting to enter. In 2009, the window for Arirang-related trips was extended, and there are some indications that this year will bring further liberalization to travel rules for Americans. There’s nothing but opportunity, it seems, for travelers interested in seeing the most remote country on the planet.

Again, travel to North Korea is safe, I’m told, as long as you stick to an established tour group, preferably one that specializes in excursions for westerners. Nonetheless, it’s still a good idea to be hyper-conscious of your environment. Here are five ways to make sure you don’t extend the “Ugly American” stereotype to Pyongyang.

1. Stay on the beaten path
Every travel writer in the world seems intent on delivering super-local, “insidery” insights, encouraging you to really blend. In North Korea, that’s the worst advice you could possibly receive. Want to see something strange? The beaten path will give you plenty.

2. Bring cigarettes
Fuck the Surgeon General! Everything I’ve read suggests that North Korean cigarettes suck. Use packs of Marlboros as tips, and you’ll be treated very well throughout your vacation. Pick up a few cartons at home, preferably in a state that doesn’t tax the hell out of them.

3. Be careful with your camera
There is no shortage of rules about what you can photograph (and how). When in doubt, ask your tour guide. First, you don’t want to run afoul of the regs. More important, though, is that you don’t want to ruin someone else’s day … which could end in a damaged career or worse. This is especially the case if you want to take pictures of North Korean people (which is almost always forbidden).

4. Don’t go political
Be open to having a good time. The official guides are actually quite personable and seem to realize, if subconsciously, that they are in the service industry. Your North Korean tour guides will probably be more accommodating than the flight attendants you encountered en route from the United States. Interact with your guide as guides — not as politicians. These people aren’t setting North Korean policy any more than you’re setting U.S. policy.

5. Interview the tour company
The people taking you into North Korea will make a difference. Stick with a reputable company that has a track record of running tours for westerners. Before you make a purchase, talk to the people who run the company. Get comfortable with them. Don’t be afraid to ask even the strangest questions. The right tour company will not only be open to them, it will answer you from a position of expertise and experience.

By: Zdenko Kahlina

 In September 2007 we spent delightful week in Texas. Vera and I used my business trip to San Antonio, to travel around Texas. We managed to travel around for few days (on the weekend) with rented car and went to visit places like Austin, Corpus Christi, Fredericksburg and other smaller places on our way. It was a week well spent!!

Old St. Mary’s Catholic Church

Day trip to Fredericksburg

 Fredericksburg, the county seat of Gillespie County, is seventy miles west of Austin in the central part of the county. The town was one of a projected series of German settlements from the Texas coast to the land north of the Llano River, originally the ultimate destination of the German immigrants sent to Texas by the Adelsverein. In August 1845 John O. Meusebach left New Braunfels with a surveying party to select a site for a second settlement en route to the Fisher-Miller Land Grant. He eventually chose a tract of land sixty miles northwest of New Braunfels, where two streams met four miles above the Pedernales River; the streams were later named Barons Creek, in Meusebach’s honor, and Town Creek.

 Fredericksburg is a city of beauty and charm. Its founding includes a rich history of people making a good life in a new place with the help of friends and neighbors.

In Fredericksburg, we ate at Friedhelm’s Bavarian Inn – German Restaurant. It featured authentic German recipes served in a genuine “Gasthaus” dinning room. The food was great but I heard this place is not always good. Some people called it “tourist trap” as the service sometimes sucks and the food is overpriced. But our experience was good!

New St. Mary’s Catholic Church

 They have several buildings of different architectural styles on their campus. The first photo is of the oldest church building. It was built in 1861. Meusebach was impressed by the abundance of water, stone, and timber and upon his return to New Braunfels arranged to buy 10,000 acres on credit. The first wagon train of 120 settlers arrived from New Braunfels on May 8, 1846, after a sixteen-day journey, accompanied by an eight-man military escort provided by the Adelsverein.

Main street in Fredericksburg

Souvenir shops are everywhere

  Surveyor Hermann Wilke laid out the town, which Meusebach named Fredericksburg after Prince Frederick of Prussia, an influential member of the Adelsverein. Each settler received one town lot and ten acres of farmland nearby. The town was laid out like the German villages along the Rhine, from which many of the colonists had come, with one long, wide Main Street roughly paralleling Town Creek. The earliest houses in Fredericksburg were built simply, of post oak logs stuck upright in the ground. These were soon replaced by Fachwerk houses, built of upright timbers with the spaces between filled with rocks and then plastered or whitewashed over.  

Working together, they created a city where all could live up to their potential, participate in activities and benefit from services to enhance the quality of their lives. The spirit of working together to create a beautiful, livable place is still alive today in Fredericksburg.  And that spirit is responsible for the ambiance of the city today.

Fredericksburg, celebrates its German heritage through OKTOBERFEST. Oompah at its best. German music, food and drink, arts and crafts, children’s area and family fun.

OKTOBERFEST is a colorful, festive celebration of Fredericksburg, Texas’ German heritage. This has become an annual tradition around the world. Oktoberfest is a community event of family entertainment featuring two stages and two tents with continuous oompah music, art & crafts, Children’s fun area ~ Kinder Park, a German Bier Tent, and Oktoberfest Vineyard area, plus delicious food and drink … all weekend long!

Kerrville

Kerrville is located 60 miles NW of San Antonio on I-10 and is 104 miles from Austin, 248 from Houston and 306 from Dallas, making a “trip to the Hill Country” easily accessible from all parts of Texas.

Camp Verde

From Kerrville, we drove on some twisty but scenery road heading to next town on our way – Camp Verde.

This town is on the north bank of Verde Creek six miles southwest of Center Point in southeastern Kerr County and only 10 miles from Kerrville. It grew around the Williams community store, established adjacent to Camp Verde in 1857 in order to serve the needs of soldiers stationed there. It is reported that the primary purpose of the store was to provide liquor to the soldiers because regulations prohibited the sale of intoxicants within the camp.

An amazing old fashioned General Store that is full of great stuff to buy. It was like finding a lost treasure when we happened upon this store! Lots of history with this place. It was the site of a “Camel Experiment” in the 1800′s.

The people were exceptionally friendly. Good sandwiches, lots of old fashioned candies, gifts, etc. The building itself is quite an example of “Old Texas”, and the setting – along the Verde Creek – is just beautiful.

By Zdenko Kahlina