41 years ago today we were married. The extent of pre-nuptial counseling that I received was the minister’s pragmatic advice, “If it doesn’t work out then get a divorce.” It has worked out, but then we continue to work at it.

In the context of the last 87 days this has been a good day, but not exceptionally so. In any other context today would have been spectacular beginning with lambs bleating beneath our window.

We visited a museum dedicated to Iceland’s pre-modern turf homes. Unfortunately the museum was closed, but we were able to enjoy views of the exterior and gain a sense of those pioneer times.

There were waterfalls…

Tall waterfalls…

hidden waterfalls…

distant waterfalls…

and really big waterfalls.

We left the interior in favor of the south coast and the community of Vik. We will be here two nights and then return to Reykjavík on Thursday in anticipation of our Friday flight back to Kansas City. Our lodging in Vik is a well appointed satellite cottage adjoining an ultramodern hotel with a top notch bar and restaurant. There is even a half price “happy hour” where beers are discounted to $7.00 from the usual $14.00. One does eventually get over the “sticker shock”.

Those of my generation may recall a time in 1972 when the eyes of the world were focused upon two men and the chess board that separated them. The stage was Reykjavík Iceland and the players were Soviet Russia’s Boris Spassky and Bobby Fischer of the United States. The chess they played was at a level beyond the comprehension of all but a very few. The Cold War tensions seething in the workup to the match were palpable. It was not just white pieces vs black pieces but West vs East, Democracy vs Communism, Good vs Evil… National Pride on the world stage was at stake in a time that the United States still took pride in its reputation on the world stage. Bobby Fischer was our hero and he was victorious.

In 1975 Fischer forfeited his title and went into seclusion until 1992 when he and Boris Spassky played a rematch tournament in Belgrade Yugoslavia. The once heroic Fischer was declared a criminal by the United States, citing his participation in the match as a violation of an economic embargo that it had imposed upon Yugoslavia. The US issued a warrant for Fischer’s arrest and thereafter he remained a fugitive from the country that once adored him. He was eventually granted asylum and citizenship by Iceland where he lived until his death on January 17 2008 at the age of 64. He was buried in an obscure church cemetery surrounded by farmland just outside of the small town of Selfoss. It was there today that I found Bobby Fischer… “en passant”.

Peace Everyone. Pete

PS. We have gifted each other an upgrade to our flight on Friday from coach to first class. We have earned it.

Here are some additional pictures from the day:

 

Here are some images from our day in Berlin:

By the way, this is the REAL Budwar “Budweiser” beer from the Czech Republic, not the Dutch owned “American King of Beers”.

Berlin is a city fettered to the tragedies of its 20th Century past. The people of this city could have easily turned their back on this past, or worse declared it to be “fake news”, but they recognize that ignorance of history merely perpetuates the malignancy of the past. This city lives the lesson taught in 1863 by Spanish philosopher George Santayana that, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” There are current world leaders who could benefit from that lesson.

 

The people of Berlin have taken the fetters of the 20th Century and made them into the jewelry of the 21st Century… their version of beating swords into plowshares. Take for example Herman Goehring’s Luftwaffe headquarters. When built in 1935 it was the largest government building in Europe. It was one of the few centers of Nazi government to survive the bombs of World War 2.

Today, it has been modernized into a clean and efficient center of finance. Facing it across the street is a large information display that declares its use under the Nazi and Communist regimes, and its proximity to the events surrounding the Berlin Wall.

The Reichstag, a focal point of government under the Third Reich, retains its classic exterior but the war destroyed interior has been replaced by an ultramodern interior. 20% of the cost of reconstruction was dedicated to art, much of it pertaining to the tragedy of the Nazi past. Among the displays was a 20 foot portion of the tunnel that played a part in the mysterious fire of 1933 that the Nazis used as a pretext to suspend many personal rights within the country.

Of course there is the 5 acre Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe,

and the outline of the Berlin Wall.

There is Checkpoint Charlie,

and the nearby “Mauermuseum” dedicated to the history of the infamous Berlin Wall and the spirit of those who sought to escape it.

The Brandenburg Gate, is adjoined by a Room of Silence, a place for silent contemplation of the past.

The “Palace of Tears” was once a border crossing between East and West Germany at the Friedrichstrasse Train Station. It is now a museum to that past and juxtaposes images and films produced by each side concerning events of the times.

Of course there is much more. My point is that the beauty of Berlin is not limited to its architecture. It extends to the soul of a people who are committed to remind themselves and the world that the 20th Century is a recent past and the bigotry, xenophobia, and State sanctioned criminality of that time may become the heritage of any country that ignores the lessons of that past.

Peace Everyone. Pete

PS. Our exchange student “son” Andre shared with us two large and well organized volumes of memorabilia from his yearlong stay with us in 1992-93. There were pictures, news clippings, and the other items common to such personal collections. It was great fun to be reminded of our own youth (40 at the time!) and forgotten family times.

One item held my attention. In 1992, 16 year old Japanese foreign exchange student Yoshi Hattori was shot to death in Baton Rouge Louisiana by Rodney Peairs. Yoshi was on his way to a party and went to the wrong house by mistake. The homeowner, Peairs, was acquitted upon his testimony that he thought the boy presented a threat to him. The tragedy and the outcome of the trial were addressed in a letter to the other exchange students. It is as relevant today as it was 25 years ago.

For more details on Yoshi’s death and the string of similar tragedies that followed here is a link: The Death of Yoshi Hattori https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Yoshihiro_Hattori

We arrived today by train in Brussels Belgium and were greeted by Bryony Ulyett who we have not seen for 26 years! She will be our companion for the next two days, sharing the sights and culture of a country at the western crossroads of Europe. She and Christine appear below in front of the birthplace of actress Audrey Hepburn.

Belgium is officially bilingual (Dutch and French), and Brussels City is not only the nation’s capital and location of Belgium’s Royal Palace, but also the de facto capital of the European Union. It is believed that there are more ambassadors and journalists in this city of 1.2 million than in Washington DC.

We began savoring the local cuisine and exceptional beer with her this evening. The real tour begins tomorrow.

Travel of a significant duration will inevitably include times of problem solving. As detailed in an earlier post, we were caught in a rainstorm while in the Netherlands. Christine’s iPad became “toast”. She has coverage to replace it, but only with the same model. The Apple Store in Amsterdam did not have one in stock and it could take up to two weeks for one to arrive if ordered. Of course, we have left Amsterdam and are now in Brussels Belgium.

As luck would have it, the Apple Store in Brussels was a 10 minute walk from our hotel. Christine left me at a street side restaurant with permission to caress a Belgian Blond or two (it’s a style of beer) and continued on to Apple to tell them her tale of woe.

I understand the importance of the iPad to Chris. It contains her books, puzzles, provides email and video contact for her with the “little people”, and most of all provides her with a reprieve from the uninterrupted version of me. I get it. The Brussels store had ONE in stock!

While Christine was engaged for nearly two hours at the store with the task of transferring data and functionality to the new device one might imagine that I would have become either bored, inebriated, or both. Instead, It turned into one of the most pleasant and insightful 2 hours of this journey.

I sat solo under an umbrellaed sidewalk table. It had rained earlier in the day so the pavement was wet and there was a lingering mist in the air. This was a busy upscale urban shopping district so there was a constant flow of traffic and people. A stream of life passed me from left to right and right to left… male, female, caucasian, black, oriental, young, old, fit, disabled… those characteristics stood out, but what was impossible to discern was nationality.

I was “invisible” to those who passed my table. I had become part of the wallpaper of that street scene. When I sought to make eye contact folks appeared to look right through me. The rare exceptions were a very old woman who met my gaze with a broad smile, and a few youngsters who looked at me with a mixture of wonder and curiosity. It was an extraordinary experience.

I found myself wondering. My literacy is limited to English and stands in stark contrast to the common command of at least two, or three languages by these pedestrians. Christine was availing herself of services in a “foreign country” with the same seamless ease that she would expect in Kansas City. Our sojourn will tally visits to 17 countries yet involves only 6 different currencies. Our Eurail Pass is a magic carpet of travel recognized by 28 countries. Our T-Mobile phone plan allows us virtually the same telephone and data access that we enjoy stateside, but extended to over 140 countries. We see familiar products and brands in virtually every store. I could go on…

What could any thinking nation ever expect to gain by succumbing to the siren song of xenophobia and isolationism. What insecurity drives those voices. Certainly, the forces of innovation that have conferred stardom upon a nation on the world stage sing an entirely different song.

Peace Everyone. Pete

I am writing this on May 31st. We have concluded 2 very nice days with our friend from the 2013 Camino, Jacobien Ubbink and members of her family. It was really nice to be guests in her home and have the opportunity to reconnect in depth. We spent yesterday with her touring the Rijksmuseum and wandering amid the canals and byways of Amsterdam’s Old City.

The Rijksmuseum of Dutch Art and History has been located In Amsterdam since 1808. It houses a phenomenal collection of priceless paintings by such 17th Century masters as Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hals, and Steen. The Museum has over 1 million objects in its collection, of which approximately 8,000 are currently on display.

Rembrandt’s masterwork, The Night Watch (1642} is the focal point of an entire gallery of masterpieces.

One of Rembrandt’s works that may be very familiar to Americans of my generation has been the package trademark for Dutch Masters Cigars since 1912.

The gentlemen in the painting are not discussing the finer points of a cigar’s “predominantly tobacco with non-tobacco ingredients”, but rather are a group of merchants evaluating cloth. Thus, the title of this 1662 masterwork is, “Syndics of the Drapers’ Guild”.

Of course, there are other eye popping pieces from other periods as well.

The current museum building itself is a work of remarkable architecture. It was designed by Pierre Cuypers and built in 1885. It is one of the centerpieces that define this beautiful city.

I learned today that while we were touring the Rijksmuseum yesterday, another Camino friend from 2013 was there as well. Had we only known… Damn the bad luck that prevented us from meeting!!!

Amsterdam is perhaps the most culturally open place that I have ever visited. By my measure, the people of Amsterdam are friendly, polite, and English of a very high order is spoken throughout the city. Yes, there is the “Red Light District”, and yes the odor of burning marijuana may be encountered, but the city is safe, clean, steeped in history, and exceptionally charming.

One who is more concerned with the way that others live life than how he conducts his own should probably pass on visiting here. (Matthew 7:1-5)

Peace Everyone. Pete

We leave for Brussels Belgium tomorrow and will be visiting a young lady that we have maintained overseas contact with since 1991.

On a somber note, a stroll by the home of Anne Frank, or a casual glance to the pavement provide reminders of the darker side of a history that touched these good people.

No pictures today. What I have to say can not be understood with the eyes, only with the heart. Christine and I have been on the road now for two months. With less than a month of this journey remaining it seems an appropriate time to share a reflection.

We have met hundreds of you, from restaurant wait-staff and hoteliers to fellow travelers. You are the young, studying and working to secure a future. You are the not-so-young who see that life has a horizon, life is a lottery. A few of you have planned life with a loved one who has not lived to share that dream. A few of you are confronted with the specter of serious illness, infirmity, disability. In reflection, we have become aware that none of you have had life presented to you on a silver platter. Each of you have met challenges and difficulties in life, yet every day you present us with the face of optimism and a deep inner joy. Your gratitude for life’s gifts allows you no opportunity for regret over its misfortunes.

We have been treated to amazing sights, both natural and made by human hands. We have enjoyed sharing with you, but we want you to know that you have been sharing with us as well. We take vicarious pleasure in your hopes, dreams, and plans for your own “next thing”… motorcycling across the USA, a cabin in the wilderness, journeying with an RV, trekking a Camino, or helping with the care of your children’s children. If you are reading this then I assure you that we are thinking of you, whether or not we have met in person and whether or not we know you by name.

Peace Everyone. Pete