Setting Sail At Last

We were on our way early Monday morning after checking out of the Berlin Hilton.  Elva and I are still in Bus group  A and will continue that way until we leave Prague at the end of the week.  Not so lucky is that our group always leaves for the day 15 minutes before the other.  It is good that they stagger the group but I am sleepy today.

Since our river cruise is on the Elba and it does not flow in Berlin we are driving out to meet it in Wittenberg.  Our first stop was in Potsdam which is really just a suburb of Berlin.  The wealthy area has beautiful homes which were mostly undamaged during the war.  All of Berlin is pretty much a reduplication of pre-war planning and design.  It was rebuilt to replicate the original city, but Potsdam is an original city filled with large, spacious homes of brick and balconies.

At the edge of Potsdam we crossed The Bridge of Spies.  Here Gary Powers was exchanged for a Russian spy. It became the exchange point routinely used.  It gets a little confusing as you drive in and out of east and West Germany and I am never sure which I am in. 

 A view of the nearby 'lake house' of one of the Nazi friends of Hitler.

We continued on stopping at the Sansoucci Palace to see the outside and view the extensive gardens.  We walked to the guest house which was built to give the tiny 12 room main house a better view than that of a swamp.  Known as the New Palace there were four guest suites, 1st and 2nd floor, on either side of the central ballroom and dining room overlooking the most beautiful English Gardens. Each suite took a full floor and had its own living room, dining room, card room, music room and his and her bedrooms. If you were a guest you were able to invite others to be your guest as well since there was a guest room within the guest suite.  Each also had indoor plumbing with toilet and ornate tiled bathtub.  Food was cooked between the main house and guest house and brought to basement chef's pantries to be finished and prepared to serve.

Frederich the Great had it all built after the Seven Years War and the showpiece was completed in six years.

Here is a link to view the interiors of at least the Grotto Hall and the Marble Hall.  The King wanted the seashell room on the first floor with open access to the gardens for this summer home so insisted the 80 ton Marble Hall be built above it.  Maybe not a good idea!  The halls recently reopened after the floor/ceiling need extensive repairs!

The Grotto Hall is marble and sea shells!  Stunning.  I could not take pictures of the Grotto Hall of the New Palace but you can find some here. 

We had a lunch stop in a lovely little town steeped with noble history.  Elva and I avoided crowded restaurants and enjoyed the sunshine with our picnic. We then continued on to Worlitz to a pretty little but very modern old home filled with history of an interesting family.  The wife even had her teeth filed to narrow points, as was the fashion, to please her husband.  But Louisa had only one son and was soon relegated to her own home on the property in an old convent where she happily enjoyed her own pursuits.  The husband soon moved to another, larger home across the lake where he had a succession of mistresses and children, all of whom were daughters.  All seven mistresses were also named Louisa!

The house we visited was the marital home built when he was so in love with his bride to be. And they did live there happily for a little time.  But this Frederich loved technology and clever construction better than any person.  The house was always open to visitors who were also interested in construction innovation.  Doors folded flatly into the walls because recessed depth was added into the frames to accommodation the door knobs.

 All the wallpaper, art, and furniture are original to 1773!

 The white spaces are raised decoration the green is Trompe L'oeil.

 Wine fridge.

 Cove ceiling.

 There was a collection of beautiful sculpture like the bust in  the library of a famous author.....








and he saved his favorite pieces for his bedroom!







Several rooms had an early version of a Murphy Bed built in.  Some folded down and some accordioned from the walls.  There was a refrigerator that looked like a simple cabinet.  It was in the dining room for the wine.  In his bedroom he worked Hugh Hefner style - from his bed. But since he was German it was a bit more structured.  One end had a built in desk and the other the wardrobe.  A trundle pulled out to welcome friends.

On the way out past the espaliered fruit trees and lovely lake and vineyard I had Elva pause by the bus showing our next Viking cruise which will be on the Viking Sky ocean liner.  Our bus that we always used pictured the Longship.

 

At long last we reached Wittenberg and caught our first sight of our home for the next week - the Viking Beyla.   In typical Viking fashion we were greeted by the Hotel Manager, Chef, Maitre'd, and even the Captain.

Also, as typical for me, we do not have the most spacious cabin but I was very happy to have a large window on this newly built, two year old ship. 

 Some of the people of Wittenberg had taken comfortable seats at the riverside to see the parade of passengers joining this week's cruise.

We found what will be our favorite spot this week  - the Aqua Vite Terrace.  When we were lucky we claimed the comfortable rocking chairs and snuggled under warm wool blankets while sailing.

 Sebastion, whom we had already spent time with in Berlin, remains as our Program Director but now wears his officer's stripes while on board.

 The Captain and all the officers were introduced and we could already see the cheerful comradery that they had which would prove to be so  much fun as the trip progressed.

 The Captain made a short welcome speech and toasted a happy journey.  He turned out to be so jovial and was everywhere around the ship when not in in the wheelhouse.

 Here Captain Vavel demonstrates the life jacket.

Following the Welcome Dinner was some Renaissance entertainment in the spirit of the hometown of Martin Luther from which we sailed away!

Weekend in Berlin - Part Two

Sunday dawned bright and clear and another tour of Berlin was on the agenda.  Although our Viking included tour duplicated many of the sights but we learned many new things.  Lothar was again the guide on our bus with our Group A of about 30 people.  We enjoyed it all and had so many personal stories of life in the East and the West since he was seven years old when the Berlin Wall was erected. We did go to some outlying parts of the city to where the Jewish community was living and there is currently a new synagogue.  Elva and I decided that since we will be experiencing the Ghetto sites in Poland on our extension we would skip the museum and so we did not go back to it after the tour ended.

When our bus reached the center of town again we stopped for a comfort break.  Elva and I took the opportunity to visit the new church that replaced the one that was destroyed but left as a reminder to have no more wars.  The new bell tower is closed for renovation and rests under a bright orange tarp and is nicknamed The Lipstick.  On the other side of the old church and tower is an octagonal black and dark windowed church nicknamed The Powder Box.   But when you enter the church the tiny windows are in reality the most brilliant Cologne Blue and the cross is resplendent against it!

We stopped at the Brandenburg Gate and could clearly see how closely the gate stands behind and to the side of the Reichstag. Lothar pointed out the spot where President Reagan made his famous 'tear down this wall" speech.  The platform actually had to be in the middle of the street in order to see the gate behind him and be in the West Berlin territory.  To his right was the building that was the heartbeat of the Eastern Government.

Elva and I both needed some 1 and 2  Euro coins for tipping so we each bought a cone of delicious gelato with a 20 Euro bill.  Mine was excellent lemon flavored.  Back at the hotel, now that we had had our dessert so to speak, we put our feet up for a while, ate our sandwiches, and took a few minutes to regroup before setting out once again on our own.

We simply crossed the street in front of our hotel and in the Gendarmenmrkt there was a demonstration being held.  The square is named because there was a time when some 20% of Berliners were French.  The Gendarmes were based in this square.  None were needed today because this was a celebration of 60 years of  the EU.  Children and adults were waving small flags and speeches were greeted with cheers.

You know from before that the center of the square is the Konzerthaus and either side has the matching German and French churches.  The Deutsch Dom is a museum exhibition about the architecture of the city of Berlin.  It was quite interesting as we followed the winding staircase down the ground floor.  Paper and wooden models were on the top floor, then pictures, lots of pictures. I liked peeking out the window to take pictures of the back of statues with lightening rods adding extra support, and the ground below.

As we walked through the city on our way to dinner, mostly in search of where Elva had the delicious soup the other night I enjoyed taking a few Farewell Photos of Berlin as we are leaving in the morning.

 I do like to take photos of the reflections of the old in the facades of the new.

We didn't find the soup kitchen, as they are called, and many places were closed.  Berlin is a very religious city and so many places close early on Sunday if they are even open at all.  We joined the throngs at the McDonald's by Checkpoint Charlie and then headed back to the Hilton. 

It didn't take long to organize for the early putting out of our luggage tomorrow morning.  At last we head to the Viking Beyla!

Weekend in Berlin! Part One

I have a few minutes now to let you know a little about our weekend in Berlin.  On Saturday we were up early to have another delicious breakfast at the Berlin Hilton Hotel.  Delightful buffet but I also had freshly made French Toast and Elva ordered Eggs Benedict that she thoroughly enjoyed.  At about 9:30 we left the hotel on a still cloudy morning to take the Hop On bus to the Museum Island.

After a pleasant tour with a live guide who added additional info to yesterday's lessons, we arrived just as the Altes Museum opened.  This is the 'old' museum which Elva had missed on her previous visits.  We bought our tickets at 10 Euros each, checked our bags, and entered the Greek Exhibition.  The museum has two floors and the exhibits are changed every now and then.  The statuary and artifacts were quite lovely but also quite typical of a Greek display.  Our Audio Guide gave greatly detailed explanations of what we were seeing and the whole museum seemed quite quiet and very scholarly. 

On the second floor there was a beautiful collection of Roman antiquities.  We spent quite some time there having our memories refreshed as to who did what to whom and when as expressed through art.  In the last room was a very details explanation of the differences between preserving and restoring art such as clay pots.  Etruscan pottery was red clay with black paint incised into it with red or white incisions for details back about 700 BC.  Very beautiful and much more skill to accomplish.  About 400 BC they began to leave the red clay bare with black, red, or white details painted on and black paint to fill all the blank space.  Possibly easier and more ability to mass produce.

If a piece is restored then a duplicating detail is created to fill the missing piece of a broken pottery and a cat scan will show evidence of stapling.  If it is preserved then black or red matting replaces the missing parts as obviously but still unobtrusively as possible.  It can never be mistaken as anything but what it is, a repaired piece. A restored piece may be passed off as an original to an untrained eye causing much monetary fraud.

We visited the spacious rotunda with its glass dome allowing light onto the marble floor.  The ornate decorations included the signs of the zodiac.  Each row of symmetrical boxed decoration became increasing smaller as the eye traveled upward giving the impression of even greater height than it was in reality.  We then stopped in the small cafe for a snack and Elva noticed that Plum Cake was available so I ordered that and a Coke Light.  Not a great combination to the taste buds but definitely a treat for my psyche.  Elva had coffee and her sandwich.

We walked around the island and viewed the exteriors of the other museums some of which were under renovation.  Our time didn't really allow us to enter another and spend enough time to make the cost worthwhile.  We enjoyed the view of the Spree from the bridge and as we walked around the complex we saw several brides and grooms having photos taken while patient wedding parties held jackets, long veils, flowers, and extra shoes for themselves and the brides.  Always fun to watch and on what turned out to be a beautiful day in a classic location it was extra nice.

We took the bus back to the hotel in time to get a little cleaned up before meeting the whole group for the first time.  As we gathered in the lobby Sebastian handed out the QuietVoxes and ear phones that we will use for the whole trip.  This 'whisperers' allow the guides to speak in a normal tone of voice so as not to interrupt others around our group and yet we can all hear well.  We also then do not to all need to huddle together and try to crowd forward but can look around and enjoy the sights we are there to see.  He introduced us to our local guide, Lother.

Lother, he said we probably pronounce it Luther,  led us on the Orientation tour since only 8 of our group of 78 arrived early and 70 had arrived on Saturday itself.  Lots of tired people.  The walk about is designed to familiarize us with the neighborhood of the hotel, give dinner and sight suggestions and a little history.  He did such a good job that we were delighted to know that he would be the guide for our half of the group on the next day.  Elva and I were so surprised to see how close everything of importance was to our hotel.  On the bus trips we wound around so many streets and zig-zagged through the city that we had not known that we were less than a mile from each of the major points of interest!  I guess I should have studied up more before beginning this long journey!

We left the walk about when we were only a couple of blocks from the Berlin Dom.  We followed Lother's recommendation and went to join Vespers there.  During a service there was no admission fee.  We enjoyed the service which was in the vernacular and especially the extensive but excellent organ music.  The church itself, the largest Protestant church in Europe, was beautifully decorated.  Many of the Frederichs who ruled Germany over time are buried in the crypts below but ornate faux-sepulchers just to show their importance and to let the unlearned early parishioners know of the importance and wealth of there monarchs.

Our Saturday ended with a beautiful sunset as we made the five minute walk back to the hotel.

I do have several pictures to share with you but slow internet, a late hour, and a dying computer mean I will have to give them to you, hopefully tomorrow!

First Day in Berlin

Friday, the 24th, was our first full day in Berlin and how the weather was when it dawned, we don't know.  We had slept for 12 hours and because this was to be a day on our own - erroneously called in the brochure 'at leisure' - we took our time getting ready for the day and enjoyed a delicious breakfast in the sunny dining room be fore setting out to join our Hop On Hop Off  Bus just across the street and down the block across from the Konzerthaus.

Before I tell you about this exciting day permit me to show you just a couple pictures from our arrival day.

 Elva stands under a pink ground water removal pipe.  Berlin is translated as 'swamp!'

 All around the city are these narrow double brick lines.  They define the location of the Berlin Wall.  This one confirms the dates 1961 to 1989.

 Checkpoint Charlie is a must see tourist stop, hence the KFC and McDonald's.

The pseudo soldiers make the site less important and more of a 'fun stop.'  

They are actors doing a job and not too well in my opinion.

Now back to today's story!
 
We had purchased a two day ticket and it was good for both the guided and audio-guided tours and for all routes currently running.  The plan was to do one and then the other but to do our best time wise we began on a red bud, switched to a green bus at Aleksanderplatz, and when green returned there switched back to red to finish the route.  This way we had seen all the possibilities and saved ourselves from an over long return the next day.

We didn't do a lot of off and on because most sites can not be entered.  To just walk around looking at buildings didn't appeal to us, maybe we were still hung over from arriving the day before.  Since our hotel was at one of the major sites, Gendarmermarkt, we got off and returned to the room to get our second wind.  It turned out to be a good plan.  We set out to see the Brandenburg Gate at night.  Our guide, Sebastian, showed us a photo he had taken the night before and shared it with us.

As is becoming the all too necessary custom, the landmark was lit up with the injured country's flag.  Ironically this Gate is next to the British Embassy.  

The attack in London happened just hours before we boarded our flight.

 Thursday night, though, this was our view.

The Brandenburg Gate is not, I repeat not, part of the Berlin Wall.  The Gate has been standing for centuries and was where tariffs were paid when traveling into or out of Berlin to or from the State of Brandenburg.  Brandenburg surrounds but doesn't include Berlin.  Berlin is both a city and a state.  The Wall did run just ten feet behind the Reichstag separating it from this iconic landmark in West Germany.

I am by the Brandenberg Gate. Across the street, down the block you see the back of the Reichstag.

As I said, we set out, map in hand, to go to the 'nearby Gate.'  However one misheard direction took us a couple miles in the other direction.  The Topographie of Terrors caught our eye.  We walked along some preserved Berlin Wall and then entered the museum.  It was a history of the Third Reich beginning in 1933.  A zigzag of  walls filled with carefully organized photos, news stories, personal letters was arrayed before us. Most fascinating and we would have spent even more than the one hour we spared there but we were trying to find the Gate.  A couple of helpful people turned us back around and soon we were there.  Quite lovely and many tourists enjoyed the sight.  One protester was upset with something going on in Italy and was loudly letting the world gathered here know it.

 The Reichstag through the bus window.

 This beautiful bridge with the S-Bahn crossing it allowed for traffic on the River Spree to move goods between Sectors.

This is the last remaining actual guard tower overlooking the Wall from East on that side to the West on this side.  Notice that the Wall is rounded.  We have seen many pictures of barbed wire topped walls.  That was more easily accessed.  People were will to cut themselves to escape.  With the rounded cement tubes on top there was no way to get a grip to boost yourself over the wall in the quick time you would have had to do it.

Here this section of Wall is called the East Side Gallery but the painting is on the West side of the Eastern Wall.  The paintings were done by invited artists after the Reunification to express the emotions of the city that had been separated for so long. 

No one on the East side could get anywhere near it to paint or even scrawl graffiti.  

There was a broad swath of No-Mans-Land. Here there was also the Spree.

The amazing thing is that the wall was not straight.  It followed the lines of the Sectors of the Division by the Allies.  All these years, in my head, I just thought it was a sort of straight 50/50 division.  Perhaps in my youth I knew better..  Even  more amazing is that the border was sealed overnight!  The Soviets began laying barbed wire at midnight on August 112th and by morning of August 13, 1961 the East Berliners were trapped!  Less than a day.  then construction began with cement blocks and eventually re-bar reinforced cement.

I have a friend, Helga.  I met her on a trip years ago.  She told us her story of escape.  With her brother and parents she lived in East Berlin but she and her brother crossed the border every day to work in a factory in the West.  They were considered lucky and also 'safe.'  She and her older brother planned for months to escape to West Berlin and then to Montreal, Canada where they had an uncle.  Every day they would wear extra clothing to work and hide it in a drawer with a false bottom or a cabinet with a fake back.  They would not eat lunch because in their lunch pail were hidden money and things they would need and that was the only way to bring it in, hidden under some particularly smelly cheese or sausage so that if it was checked the Officer would quickly close it.

The day came and she was extra nervous.  That day she quietly gathered their small stash of supplies in a grocery sack. Just before the factory shut down and Helga's office in it closed for the day, her brother came to her and told her to go but that he could not leave the parents.  He would bring them when he could.  Helga didn't want to go but the brother practically pushed her along the street knowing she was not on the route home and time was limited before someone would realize she was gone.  Helga was 18 and on that hot August day she was scared and alone.  She was setting out on an adventure she did not want to take by herself.  But she did.  She risked it all, her life and her families lives, on August 12, 1961, just hours before the chance would be gone forever.  Just hours before her whole family was encased in barbed wire and she was safe outside, looking in.

Helga made it to Montreal but she never said who helped her or how she did it.  The tears would come and the conversation would be over.  Not until 1990 did she get permission to see her elderly parents and kind brother again!  In Montreal she married, raised a family of her own with grandparents they didn't know.  When her husband died she met Heinz and he has a story of his own to tell but just shakes his head sadly if you ask.

 Near the East Side Gallery Elva pauses on a ramp adorned with modern graffiti.

Riding back toward the historic center of the city we see again the Winged Victory.  Three tiers are adorned with golden cannons to mark victories in three wars by three governments.  The fourth tier has no cannons because the Nazi ruling party never won anything!

 Bet you thought this was a church.  Nope and never was.  

It is a beir hall with dancing and gambling!

 

 This  is the approach to the Brandenburg gate driving past the U S Embassy.

 

 I am closing here on a lighter note.  Aldis sister store but you see the carts lined up to take a Euro!

Please share me with your friends and sign in to comment!  JLH

Berlin to Bordeaux in Four Easy Weeks!

Welkom to Berlin!
Elva Smith and I arrived unscathed in the early morning of March 23, 2017.  We left Hartsfield - Jackson Atlanta International aboard KLM after a swift and hassle free check in.  The flight was smooth, the food was actually good, and movie selections included the latest Oscar winners including La La Land and Moonlight!  Arriving at 6:00 a.m. to Amsterdam's  Schiphol Airport we were delighted to know we did not need to go through customs to transfer to our next flight in the EU. However Passport Control was a long sad story of misdirection and changes after the fact by the rather rude "TSA" types.  Not sure what they are called there but I would call them useless.  Some 45 minutes later we were heading to our gate for the short hop to Berlin.

Again a smooth flight with just enough time for an egg salad sandwich (I declined) and a tiny can of Coke!  On the ground we crossed the rain soaked tarmac to a shuttle bus to the gate.  Arriving directly to baggage claim we waited another 45 minutes before our bags stumbled along the conveyor belt.  It stuttered and convulsed spitting out two or three pieces of luggage and then came to a halt.  The pauses seemed interminable but finally we had bags in hand and headed out the door where we were greeted by the grateful Viking transit person who had been waiting for a painfully long time.

We were the only passengers in the Volkswagen Mini-Van on the long ride from the airport to the Berlin Hilton Hotel centrally located in the heart of the historic Mitte district.  Sebastian, our Viking Program Director, met the car and assisted us into the lobby and helped with check - in.  Our room on the fourth floor is on the quiet side of the hotel not facing Gendarmenmarkt.  This is one of the most beautiful squares of the city and features the old theater which is now the Koncerthaus and two historic churches of twin design.  The German and French Doms were built together so that neither faction of the city would feel less than the other.  Who knew that once about 20% of Berlin was Hugenot!

We settled in and tested the two full sized beds for comfort, made a cup of tea and coffee, and I ohhed and ahhed over the marble bathroom with a long, deep bathtub!  After checking everything out we decided not to waste even a rainy day while on vacation and set out to explore the surrounding neighborhood.  We were the first of the pre-trip group to arrive and so with guidebook in hand and a city map with the hotel circled on it began our adventure.

Around the corner and a few blocks ahead was Checkpoint Charlie!  We were to discover that our hotel has an ideal location and everything you really want to see and do is a short to reasonable walking distance.  At Checkpoint Charlie, so named because it was the third allied crossing of the Berlin Wall (A,B,C etc.) there were two soldiers casually standing guard and posing for photos with anyone who asked.  Turns out they are not retired military but actors from a nearby school who do this as a way to earn money...sort of an acting job but since they seemed to have no particular character to portray, I think it is not exactly good experience.

We looked at several related displays but did not enter any of the 'museums' as they seemed to be rather hokey tourist traps and not genuine.  The nearby McDonalds and KFC were busy with lots of young people going in for familiar food and respite from the rain.  It occured to me that although these young adults knew they should see Checkpoint Charlie they really didn't know why or understand the significance of it.  They gaily donned hats and struck poses, sometimes weirdly, with the acting soldiers.  Lots of laughter and not too much understanding.

As we made our way back to the hotel we checked several small restaurants and decided to stop at a soup bar where we perched at a counter facing the street to people watch.  I had a blueberry scone, not very good, and Elva had excellent tomato and sausage-filled soup, maybe it was knockwurst.  We noticed that we see very many smokers, more than at home.  Also lots of people pushing baby carriages and strollers.  I saw lots of dogs but no dachshunds!  There were not many old people out and about, maybe because of the rain.  Traffic seems well managed but there are not turn lanes so if waiting to make a left (they drive here as we do) horns will be honking and some get quite persistent.

Back at the hotel we were excited to try out the heated pool and sauna.  But the water was not exactly warm and the attendant thought we were not supposed to have the sauna included.  So a hot bath replaced both of those for me!

By 8:00 p.m. we were in bed and it turned out the next  morning that we slept soundly for 12 hours!

Hawaii 2017

Happy New Year to you and a happy new experience for me!

This January my friend Elva and I are heading to Honolulu to volunteer to help refurbish the Mighty Mo.  The barnacled battleship is a preserved remembrance of the "date which will live in infamy." Lying off Ford's Island in Pearl Harbor, the National Park Service, and I am sure in conjunction with the U.S. Navy, maintains and protects the famous USS Missouri.  It was the last battleship commissioned by the US government and is most remembered for being the ship whose decks served as the site for the signing of the surrender of Japan on September 2, 1945.  The flag flying from the mast that day was oddly the 31 star emblem of America.  It was the flag carried ashore at Tokyo Bay, by Commodore Perry in 1853, when Japan was forced to open it's doors to foreign trade.

I have been to Hawaii three times before.  Going once is the dream of a lifetime and each of my visits was a blessing I was amazed to receive.  This time, under the auspices of Road Scholar, we will spend a week working at service tasks that we will be assigned.  I may be polishing the brass, cleaning crew quarters, or working on research and reference filing.  I am excited to know what this next week holds.  We also will be spending a day working in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, lovingly called Punchbowl.  Again a day of unknown adventure.

I am sure though, that if you know me at all, you know there will be a cruise involved along the way.  You would not be wrong.  In 2015 my family and I sailed on the Pride of America and Elva and I will be doing that as well.  It will be a new trip for her, and although it breaks my rule of needing each trip to visit some new places, it is a cruise I do not mind repeating at all.  We needed to add an interim day in Waikiki to make it all work.  Tough duty!

I will try to update you at least occasionally and provide some photos, especially of the Mighty Mo. It would not be exciting to my son-in-law but I am very much looking forward to the night we sleep in crew quarters on the great ship.  Pretty sure it will in no way compare to any cruise I have been on, and the food won't be as good even though the "Navy gets the gravy..."

For now, Aloha!

Lo Cai and SaPa

Lao Cai City and SaPa

Before dawn we heard music playing in the corridor of the train car.  Then the snack cart lady came by to knock and wake everyone.  I had set the alarm on my phone so Susie and I had already used the communal facilities before the rush hour!  We had slept our long underwear as our ‘winter pajamas’ because Phil had warned us that in the mountains it would be very cold.  We could only bring a small bag with us so we needed to conserve on space and have our clothes do double duty.  Our goodie basket had toothbrushes, combs and wet wipes along with the crackers so one could do a little bit of a cleanup if you did not bring things with you.

Phil, who had knocked a good morning wakeup call earlier, came by to give us a two minute warning. We stood up with our bag ready to go.  As soon as the train stopped we moved to the door and exited easily.  The porter or Phil took our bag and the other held our hands as we disembarked safely.  

We followed Phil rapidly along the concrete platform and across the remaining tracks to the station.  We went up the steps, right through and down the steps to our waiting small bus.  The dark was giving way to gloomy grey skies and heavy mist.  I have no pictures because the dew was too thick to get a clear view from the windows of the bus.  

Lo Cai City was not our destination but the end of the line for the Sapaly Express. We would return here for the trip back to Hanoi in a few days. Our destination is SaPa at the foot of the Roof of Indochina – Fan Si Pan.  The ride was about three hours over mountain roads more winding than on the previous trip.  The fog or haze was blinding. Phil filled us in on the plans for the stay and also talked a lot about the various tribes we would be visiting – the Red Dao and the Black Hmong. We stopped for a break at a place that made Milk Candy.  Milk for the children is a relatively new addition to the Viet diet.  They do not have a lot of cows.  So when they couldn’t sell the milk this family started making candy.

We arrived in the resort town of SaPa (Sapa).  The narrow and twisted streets required the bus to go around and about until it could line up with the street the hotel was on.  We checked into the Sapa Lodge Hotel.  Our room was down one level from the lobby on Floor 2.  There were four floors below the lobby and three above.  It is built on the hillside facing the mountains and had a nice, rustic balcony where we could enjoy our morning coffee.

We had arrived in time to enjoy the breakfast buffet with made to order omelets and pancakes.  The French Toast was French bread that was sliced, buttered, and toasted. We had time to shower and change.  We checked e-mail and got a little reorganized after the Stilt House stay.  Phil took Barbara and I to the ATM. My card had not worked in Hanoi but here we found a machine of an international bank and it worked fine. 

We all then went for the Orientation Walk. We went back up to the center of town where a large cement amphitheater was being readied for some event.  They have concerts and performances but today looked like it might be a military review.  An officer was cleaning the movie screen with a feather duster.  Adjacent to the arena is the Stone Church.  Dedicated to Mary it was a pretty but not significantly original looking to me.  But it does represent the large French influence in VietNam.

We met our adorable local guide, Mai Linh.  We drove out to her village which is part of the Red Dao (pronounced Red Zhou) tribe.  Mai Linh would be with us for the next couple days as well.  She shared a lot of personal information about her people.  Her parents still live in the village but she lived in SaPa because she married at the old age of 32 and chose a man she met in guide school.  Her parents were okay with receiving only two water buffalo as her dowry and with letting her marry a man of her own choosing. Because she was already so old as to be considered un-marriageable.

Even that she met him in guide school is remarkable because women in her village usually go only as far as primary school.  They are taught in Viet but speak their local language. Also only the boys learn to read and write their native language.  Luckily in the schools they do learn to read and write but not necessarily speak English!  The young people like to speak with foreigners to practice their English.

The visit in the rain to the humble Red Dao Village required an entry fee.  The fee is supposed to be used by the government to support the infrastructure such as the crumbling paved partial road we were walking on.  As soon as our feet touched the ground we were swarmed by the women who chatted amiably to be “very friendly.” On their backs were baskets of woven goods they tried to talk us into as we walked. They all co-operated with Phil when he wished to speak about the town and with Mai Linh who was showing us points of interest.  None minded being pointed out to describe their everyday costume or to have pictures taken.  But the truth was this was how they made their living when it was not farming season.

We saw a beautiful example of the complicated wedding dress and how it was worn.  The heavy veil covers the bride’s face the whole day so no one but the groom will see her.  When she goes to his family home she then restyles her headdress and becomes the Daughter-In-Law.  Her job is to learn to become the Mother-In-Law eventually! She submits to her in-laws totally.

Back at the hotel we set out once again. This time it was Barbara, Bruno, and I that Phil was taking to the store where they could shop for gloves and hats.  They ended up getting a good deal on an authentic North Face jacket which Barbara could really use. They had very nice ponchos that OAT had sent them but no jacket.  Although they are American they live in San Miguel, Mexico.  Warm clothes were not part of their wardrobe.  Phil found some great zip off pants in a pretty blue for summer use.

After lunch at a local restaurant some went back to the hotel but some wanted to try to get jackets like Barbara’s.  Phil returned with them to be sure they found the right store and wouldn’t get stung by knock-offs.  The day passed quickly and soon most everyone set out for dinner on their own.  But with guidance.  Phil recommended a restaurant and went along to do the ordering.  I chose to pass on that and relax in our room.

I planned to catch up on writing but soon fell asleep and so this is a short entry.  Not much happened on our first rainy day in SaPa!