tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9865781794853716832024-03-05T04:03:14.428-06:00What's John thinking?Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11509881023832201989noreply@blogger.comBlogger116125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986578179485371683.post-51522672984846963882016-03-10T10:50:00.001-06:002016-03-10T10:50:23.406-06:00Things we have learned about European Travel<div class="MsoNormal">
Without quite intending to, we have been traveling back and
forth to Europe frequently (twice a year or more) in recent years, mostly for
conferences or Susan’s teaching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
certainly claim no great expertise, but on a day where I am adjusting to
jet-lag from our recent time in Poland, I want to jot down some of the helpful
things we have learned in the hope that it may benefit others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let me begin with the travel experience
itself.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Flights from the US to Europe typically depart later in the
day, so that you fly through the night and arrive in Western Europe early
afternoon, Eastern Europe late in the afternoon, of the next day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We have friends who go through elaborate rituals beforehand
to reduce the effects of jet lag, adjusting diet, sleeping patterns, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They find it effective, and I am glad for
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We just Do It.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Likewise we have friends I particularly envy
who can sleep on airplanes, which we no longer even try to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During the overseas flight, we enter into
what we call Zombie Mode; read a bit, play games on the ipad, watch a movie,
rest our eyes, drink a lot of water, make frequent visits to the (increasingly
disgusting) rest room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We find
noise-canceling headphones essential.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Susan likes her neck pillow and blindfold, while I do not find them all
that helpful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When we arrive, bone-weary, we try to stay awake and active
until it is “normal bedtime” where we are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We have a drink or two, eat a light meal, and try to walk for a few
miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If schedule permits, we will
sleep until we awake the next morning, and usually do pretty well from there
(although jet lag is mysterious and variable; sometimes it hits hard a day or
two later).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coming home is almost always
a more difficult adjustment for us, while friends claim just the opposite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As with the stock market, past experience
does not always predict future performance.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is almost like talking about religion, but after a
sequence of problems we now will schedule a longer route to Europe to be able
to fly Delta rather than United.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of
this is about the airlines, much of it about the airports.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>O’Hare is where luggage goes to die and
flights home to Appleton get canceled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Delta has rarely failed us (last evening it seemed that every Delta
employee in the Midwest was personally searching for the suitcase that did not
make it onto our flight home from Detroit).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And Detroit has a Vino Volo (<a href="https://www.vinovolo.com/">https://www.vinovolo.com/</a>),
an island of tranquility in the chaos of an airport, where the manager chooses
our wine and food for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last evening,
when a large number of international flights arrived at the same time, customs
officials scrambled to open more lines and move us through quickly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Detroit Metro simply works well most of the
time while O’Hare is, well O’Hare.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This last trip we indulged ourselves by paying extra for
“Comfort Plus” seats for the overseas flights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We would do it again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An extra
three or four inches of legroom and slightly more supportive seats may not
sound significant, but in the course of seven-eight hours it made a difference.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If possible, we book our tickets with the airline
itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If/when something goes awry
while you are overseas, the airlines’ priority is to first help those who
booked with them, then those who booked through a “real” travel agent, and good
luck if you booked through an on-line “agent.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Years ago we were awarded TSA “pre-check,” apparently just
because we are old and harmless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
appreciate it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it is useless in
Europe, of course, and if your flight home begins with a “partner airline” (and
it will) pre-check disappears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is
one reason why we allow at least two hours whenever we know we will need to
clear customs and security in either direction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Global Entry would be even more helpful, but so far we have been too
cheap to join the program.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We have become fussy about the airport through which we
enter the European Union.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We like
Schiphol (Amsterdam), even though it is very large and you can easily walk a
full mile to reach your connecting flight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Charles De Gaulle is acceptable, but some of the terminals are so far
away that they may be in Belgium.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
avoid Frankfort whenever possible; we have had nothing but unhappy experiences
there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Milan is also on our “good” list,
and while you will rarely get a chance to fly through Vienna, it is a great
airport, where employees solve problems rather than create them (see:
Frankfort).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Be prepared for challenges or frustrations flying home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you begin with a smaller airline (Malta,
Slovenia), you may not be able to check in on-line, secure boarding passes for
all of your flights, or check your luggage all the way home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mind the small things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We originated yesterday’s flight from Warsaw
with KLM, which emailed us boarding passes, but in a form we could not store in
our phones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We opted to print a hard
copy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We always purchase travel insurance, even though we have
never needed to use it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We do this less
out of concern with a canceled trip or other issue than to have medical
coverage that would not require is to jump through hoops to receive medical
care if needed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One hopes never to need
the “emergency evacuation” coverage.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We take a bit more luggage than we need, since two checked
bags are free for international flights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We have learned to “cross-pack” our clothing so that if one bag is lost
we are each prepared for a few days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
anything essential for the first 24-48 hours is in our carry-ons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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This is what we have learned about getting to and from
Europe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next post will speak of our experience
of being in Europe.<o:p></o:p></div>
Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11509881023832201989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986578179485371683.post-16501083590103478072015-09-12T16:33:00.005-05:002015-09-12T16:35:59.581-05:00Slovenia, part two: Bled<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBI-q9-oHwppGnt87dFLXGWDJd21e7rfigy70lPuQoFatYSes37393ubFrOYzFaafNLYH75LYXtV56dLdAmHkkJmRdYjMZTXe52_IgvsGDWMmSs_nbZXGakMzOAJ0FKHLE053HGAe8xYc/s1600/IMG_0553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBI-q9-oHwppGnt87dFLXGWDJd21e7rfigy70lPuQoFatYSes37393ubFrOYzFaafNLYH75LYXtV56dLdAmHkkJmRdYjMZTXe52_IgvsGDWMmSs_nbZXGakMzOAJ0FKHLE053HGAe8xYc/s400/IMG_0553.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">After the Alzheimer Europe Conference closed (you can read
Susan’s description of the conference at </span><a href="http://agingtogether.blogspot.com/" style="text-align: center;">http://agingtogether.blogspot.com/</a><span style="text-align: center;">)
we took the train to Slovenia’s celebrated resort town of Bled.</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><span style="text-align: center;">At least we tried to take the train.</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><span style="text-align: center;">We had purchased tickets in advance, knowing
the train would take us to a town near Bled from which we could get a bus.</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><span style="text-align: center;">But the trains don’t run to that town on
weekends, so we took the train to a bus that took us to another bus, but it all
worked in the end.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-0GwbpbGHsLhTvAMvLgixl24b9Cnyy9vpk9wzHHJEXPVFAmlI9vigBTdsUyB9a1bL_GrnVaFeRvHAMN1HYFhZ6KGSXRG3_VTTybQ93q0ertT4JzhOfrx0yeU70RAs2Tk3jr7Mzc4aybk/s1600/IMG_0561.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-0GwbpbGHsLhTvAMvLgixl24b9Cnyy9vpk9wzHHJEXPVFAmlI9vigBTdsUyB9a1bL_GrnVaFeRvHAMN1HYFhZ6KGSXRG3_VTTybQ93q0ertT4JzhOfrx0yeU70RAs2Tk3jr7Mzc4aybk/s200/IMG_0561.JPG" width="200" /></a>We had never visited a European resort town before, but we
chose a very nice one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bled is nestled
on “the sunny side of the Alps” and features a beautiful alpine lake (oddly
enough called “Lake Bled).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
walking/biking trail meanders around the lake (on our first stroll we ran into
a friend from Rome), and there is an island one can ride to in traditional
boats called pletnas (<a href="http://www.bled.si/en/what-to-see/symbols-of-bled/pletna">http://www.bled.si/en/what-to-see/symbols-of-bled/pletna</a>)
that are rowed by a man standing in the rear of the boat – all quite
romantic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the island is a church
perched atop a hill (many steps to climb) that every Slovenian couple wishes to
be married in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is traditional for the
groom to carry his bride-to-be up the steps in his arms, a feat at which about
¾ of grooms succeed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During the
Communist era, church weddings were forbidden, but in the waning days of the
regime weddings resumed on the sly.<o:p></o:p></div>
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There is also a castle (<a href="http://www.bled.si/en/what-to-see/cultural-sights/the-bled-castle">http://www.bled.si/en/what-to-see/cultural-sights/the-bled-castle</a>)
above the lake that dates to 1004.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To
reach the castle from the lake one negotiates a long series of switchbacks and
then climbs 226 steps (a lady who was quite proud of herself counted them on
her way up).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is lit at night in
orange, and the sheer cliff below it is lit in white: simply breathtaking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Behind the castle loom the Julian Alps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was raining when we first arrived, but
snowing at higher elevations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We watched
the snow recede over the next few days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Have I mentioned that it is simply a beautiful setting?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigunKNstPPMonYY3MlmPr554N3A5VvSqW7B4ikJ_kLs17V6E1Omhd5-Yx4dVl7X1894fbtece9UNquLXMsJzFEahnoufSMe_KBwcCOQftOcJjE404ZQg7mQKyM3Pmy0QQC_i-kv1EfG8E/s1600/IMG_0565.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigunKNstPPMonYY3MlmPr554N3A5VvSqW7B4ikJ_kLs17V6E1Omhd5-Yx4dVl7X1894fbtece9UNquLXMsJzFEahnoufSMe_KBwcCOQftOcJjE404ZQg7mQKyM3Pmy0QQC_i-kv1EfG8E/s200/IMG_0565.JPG" width="150" /></a>We visited the summer palace of Marshall Tito, now a hotel with glorious grounds. It features, among other things, a gigantic slingshot. I assume Tito enjoyed picking off the occasional Pletna to relax from the stress of being dictator.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_4Bk1T9j-qupv5amFfZw4cR623nc1KQxjIMYY-Zx6T-C96aD3TY1PYTAsD2tO2Ug4-d60Xh6MrXJ9vNJemzqNl-6MvMlRBlNIT2td0okDVBmRU-ivPe6-DICIMCW-gdNOC50cpBM4lg/s1600/IMG_0543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_4Bk1T9j-qupv5amFfZw4cR623nc1KQxjIMYY-Zx6T-C96aD3TY1PYTAsD2tO2Ug4-d60Xh6MrXJ9vNJemzqNl-6MvMlRBlNIT2td0okDVBmRU-ivPe6-DICIMCW-gdNOC50cpBM4lg/s320/IMG_0543.JPG" width="320" /></a>So in Bled one walks and boats and climbs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those who are so minded can scream down a
steep hillside on a kind of toboggan thingie, but we were not so minded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather, we focused on the other things one
does in Bled, which is to eat wonderful food and drink Slovenian wine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we first arrived we were fortunate enough
to find Okarina (<a href="http://www.okarina.com/en/">http://www.okarina.com/en/</a>),
the restaurant Rick Steves calls the best in Bled, and obtain a reservation for
that evening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is small, features
eclectic art (including Egon Schiele prints in the bathrooms), and the odd
combination of Slovenian and Tibetan food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Okarina alone would justify a visit to Bled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hey, Paul McCartney ate there!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hit it off with the manager, a delightful
lady, who squeezed us in again for our final night even though the restaurant
was fully booked by two private parties (we ate in a small nook while the rest
of the room was occupied by 14 British diplomats who were there for a
conference on Europe’s migration crisis).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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We also developed an odd fondness for the bar in the Grand
Hotel Toplice, where most of the guest appeared to be elderly Brits; a nice
spot for a nightcap while gazing up at the lights on the castle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All in all, it was relaxing and thoroughly
enjoyable to be in this beautiful setting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>While waiting for the bus that would take us back to Ljubljana we ran
into the manager of Okarina.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“So, you
are really leaving?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes we were; it was
time to get to know Ljubljana better. <o:p></o:p></div>
Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11509881023832201989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986578179485371683.post-429004188707151002015-09-11T11:44:00.003-05:002015-09-11T11:44:44.284-05:00An Introduction to Slovenia<br /><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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One of the things we most appreciate about participating in
Alzheimer Europe over the years is that the annual conference has taken us to
countries we would otherwise not think to visit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In at least one case – Poland - the initial
visit resulted in Susan making a connection to the University of Warsaw that
took us back and likely will again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
now have a dear friend in Warsaw, and have learned a great deal about their
tragic history and vibrant culture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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Certainly we would not have thought to visit Malta on our
own, and had a delightful time there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
year’s conference in Ljubljana, Slovenia sent us scurrying for maps, sorting
out exactly where Slovenia is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For those
scratching their heads, it is the westernmost nation in the region termed
“central Europe,” sharing borders with Italy, Austria, Croatia and
Hungary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In its long history it has been
part of the Roman and Austro-Hungarian empires, and more recently Yugoslavia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a small, largely rural nation with a
population of slightly more than two million.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Its largest city and capital, Ljubljana, has only 300,000
residents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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It is a beautiful nation of mountains (the Julian Alps line
its northern border), lakes, forests and fields.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Geography has favored it in multiple ways: it
was able to largely avoid the horrors of the Balkan wars, and it has prospered
far more than some of its Slavic neighbors since the advent of democracy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At least in the cities, almost everyone
speaks at least passable English (when there are only two million of you, you
do not expect visitors to learn your language, which is a good thing given that
the Slovenian language is unique and has 42 official dialects).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The people are warm and hospitable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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Cultures, including culinary cultures, collide in wonderful
ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Slovenians argue, and not without
reason, that they offer the best pasta and gelato outside of Italy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Austrian and German influences also abound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a distinctly Slovenian cuisine, and
also what gets termed “ex-Yu” cuisine from the broader Slavic culture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>International foods can also be found: our
favorite restaurant, Okarina, in the resort city of Bled, combines traditional
Slovenian food with Tibetan offerings because, well, because it does.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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I will write specifically about the capital city, which
travel writer Rick Steves terms “the next, next Prague,” and the beautiful
resort town of Bled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I doubt that
anything I write will cause many people to put Slovenia on their “must visit”
list, lacking as it does major tourist magnets. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, it has cathedrals, castles, and museums,
but no one travels to Slovenia to see specific attractions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather, one goes to experience a beautiful
place, to learn about a people’s history and culture, and to appreciate a
setting that is distinctly different from the United States and Western
Europe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11509881023832201989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986578179485371683.post-4375571489309429652015-09-09T11:27:00.001-05:002015-09-09T11:27:03.228-05:00Slovenian Hotel Rooms<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I plan to write a number of essays about our wonderful visit
to Slovenia (we fly home in the morning), but first let me reflect on the
things I love most about European hotels, as well as the things that puzzle me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The environmentally responsible part of me loves the way
that one needs to insert the key card into a slot by the door to turn on the
electricity in the room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, if
you want to power up a computer or keep the room warm/cold while you are out,
it is a bit problematic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But overall, I
wish American hotels would go this route.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I love European hotel bathrooms that include towel dryers,
which are especially appreciated when washing underwear and socks in the
sink.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many bathrooms also include a
bidet, which we have never attempted to use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Apparently one can wash various body parts in them, including one’s
feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the web there are tutorials on
using them, but I find the illustrations frightening and a bit disturbing.
European friends claim they cannot imagine life without one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps some day we will learn proper
appreciation.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Newer or renovated European hotel rooms offer a bewildering
array of light switches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It can take
several days to sort out which ones carry out various functions, and which do
nothing at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Similarly, the HVAC
system may be less than intuitive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
spent two days at our very nice hotel in Bled fiddling with the control on the
wall before I figured out that one needed to open a hatch on the radiator and
hit an unmarked switch before the wall control did anything at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Housekeeping is seemingly instructed to turn
this switch off between guests so that new arrivals will have the fun of
searching for it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
European bathrooms often feature bathtubs so deep that one
should not attempt to step in or out of them to shower while remotely
tipsy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There will be no grab bar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, there is a chain with a plastic,
dangly thing with “SOS” inscribed on it that you can pull if you fall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Except, of course, you will not be able to
reach the chain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There will be no shower
curtain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather, there will be a hinged
bit of glass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is cleverly positioned
to make it impossible to spray water on one’s body without also spraying the
floor or countertop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe this
design is meant to encourage short showers.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All of our rooms here have featured a trouser press.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I simply must press a pair of trousers one
day to show my appreciation.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
European hotels almost universally include an absolutely
amazing breakfast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In addition to the
things one might expect to find it an American hotel (eggs, sausage, cereal,
etc.) there will be a selection of meats and cheeses, roasted vegetables, many
kinds of fruit, thick loaves of bread to slice yourself, and remarkably good
coffee (they know that Italians will never come back if the coffee is bad). In
Bled there was even a bottle of prosecco because, hey, why not?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am particularly grateful that European
hotels would never, ever include a “make your own waffle” machine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Free hotel breakfasts are a great joy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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On the plus side, there will usually be a king-size
bed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the minus side, it will actually
consist of two mattresses with a gap in-between them, ranging from an inch to a
chasm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it will have a duvet, or
possibly two matching duvets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Discussing
duvets is similar to discussing religion or politics, so I will be guarded
here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At least a duvet offers one a
choice between being too hot or too cold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There is no third option.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Finally, an upmarket European hotel will feature a wonderful
bar with a gifted bartender. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will miss
the one here at the Grand Union Hotel in Ljubljana terribly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On arrival, one can have a glass of wine and
a plate of artisan cheeses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Late in the
evening, one can explore marvelous digestifs. The bar here, for example,
features some sort of Slovenian gin that one sips like brandy, with a sprig of
juniper leaf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It makes even the likes of
me feel momentarily sophisticated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11509881023832201989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986578179485371683.post-87765258367857801782014-09-01T15:34:00.001-05:002014-09-01T15:48:57.783-05:00Seeking Accommodations <div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhNhN_ZxXt_2GdPXO7w65oMBlR-ejV-N2z0wFbmHJhshQIkIEGfykkus0sk4K4llHalVX8rQWNQx51oF7dvLQe6YJoaiveC0s45SaHQpWn2tTAwm_zCYuj07uA0g9wbPX-P1YbDzNzEWQ/s1600/P1000740.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhNhN_ZxXt_2GdPXO7w65oMBlR-ejV-N2z0wFbmHJhshQIkIEGfykkus0sk4K4llHalVX8rQWNQx51oF7dvLQe6YJoaiveC0s45SaHQpWn2tTAwm_zCYuj07uA0g9wbPX-P1YbDzNzEWQ/s1600/P1000740.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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For a low-key summer, we slept in quite a few beds along the
way. Most of these were made necessary
by a week’s road trip to visit friends in Pennsylvania, a two-day drive in each
direction. A two-day drive means finding
a place to spend the night along Interstate 80, which pretty much guarantees an
adventure in mediocrity. For years I
have been searching for the “sweet point” in pricing for these forced overnight
stays. My standards used to be low:
clean sheets, hot water, and a towel or two.
But enough bad experiences (and, full disclosure, the process of aging)
have led me to raise the bar. In no
particular order I now seek:</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->A room that does not smell like ancient cigarettes</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Free wi-fi and a breakfast with decent coffee</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->A chair you can sit in with a light you can read
by (remarkably uncommon)</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->A toilet whose flush does not terrify you in the
middle of the night</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->A hotel that is not filled with partying
participants in a softball tournament</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->A carpet I am not afraid to walk on barefoot</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Something resembling blessed Quiet </div>
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Budget hotels almost always guarantee a miserable night, so
we opted to go mid-scale, staying in Hampton Inns in both directions. I got at least some of the things on my list,
but I also got one of the things I most detest: a duvet. They are quite the thing these days. Pity the cleaning staff that has to change
these monsters. And a duvet pretty much
ensures that you will be either too warm or too cold all night. Just as I am waiting for “wraps” to disappear
from restaurant menus, I am waiting for duvets to go the way of the water bed.</div>
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While visiting friends in Lewisburg, Pa, we stayed in a
downtown Bed and Breakfast, <a href="http://www.tawstyflower.com/">The Tawsty Flower</a>.
I am beginning to overcome my prejudice against B and Bs. I am a slow starter in the morning, and
especially hate the social obligation to chat with strangers before I have had
my coffee. I was deeply scarred by my
first B and B experience, where I was seated with a man who was eager to
discuss doorknobs. Seriously. But we had our simple breakfast alone both
mornings in Lewisburg, the room was small but comfortable, and the location was
ideal. It did, however, have a duvet.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
While visiting friends in Petersburg, a region of mountains,
hollers, and gravel roads, we stayed at the only B and B I anticipate with
eagerness,<a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g52862-d81452-Reviews-The_Inn_at_Solvang-Huntingdon_Pennsylvania.html"> the Inn at Solvang</a>. It is
pretty much in the middle of nowhere, a mansion surrounded by glorious
gardens. We had the place to ourselves,
which meant we could sip a cocktail in the music room or listen to crickets and
tree frogs in the gardens while gazing at the night sky. The breakfasts are spectacular – pancakes made
with spelt from their own mill, drenched in maple syrup tapped from their trees,
to give one example. Excellent
coffee. Oh, and an on-site
masseuse. Solvang is almost worth a
two-day drive just to stay there. “Our”
room (we have stayed in it three times) is huge, wonderfully furnished, and has
– wait for it! – a blanket and bedspread instead of a duvet. It was hard to leave and head for another
Hampton Inn in Indiana.</div>
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We had several overnights in Madison, one in a really lousy
place (as a bonus, the hood of our car suffered overspray from a restaurant
next door that was being painted) and the other in the new Hyatt Place
downtown, which was so nice that Susan said, somewhat amazed, “I really like
this carpeting!”</div>
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More recently, we spent two nights in Munising to check on
the progress of the construction project at our cabin. We have not stayed at a motel in Munising in
sixteen years. Most of them, as one
friend expressed it, have a permanent smell of old snowmobile boots. We<a href="http://www.beachinnmunisingbay.com/"> stayed at a new place</a>, a summer-only
motel, right on the shore of Lake Superior.
Not much of a breakfast, but also no duvet, the room was clean, and you
can’t beat the view. The manager is
willing to cut me a deal on rates for the runs I will need to make up there
these next two months.</div>
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So we now have good options in Munising and Madison, and
places I would gladly return to in central Pennsylvania. Which leaves the problem of Interstate travel
and the ghettos of chain hotels and omnipresent Applebees. I would be grateful for suggestions.</div>
Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11509881023832201989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986578179485371683.post-7351209645407257572014-01-20T10:52:00.001-06:002014-01-20T10:52:32.831-06:00Warsaw in PicturesThe Old Town Section of Warsaw is the closest the city comes to having a "tourist mecca." The Palace is there, as are many shops, cafes and restaurants. January is hardly a prime season for visitors, but we are grateful we were able to see it with beautiful holiday lights. You can see how they project falling snowflakes onto buildings, and how the President's Palace is lit at night.<br />
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An excellent traditional Polish restaurant where we took Anna, our ever-so-helpful host. We returned for our final evening in Warsaw.</div>
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The pastry case at the restaurant we wandered into on our last visit to Warsaw, and where we took Kasia for dinner. It is largely depleted by the evening meal, but we still had wonderful things from which to choose. That was the meal where I had my first (and likely last) taste of fois gras; if I was ever going to taste something so morally maligned, it seemed the right place to do it.</div>
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At the other extreme, here is what we ate in our apartment the night Susan needed to grade papers. I bought what I thought was a filled pastry for desert. It was filled all right - with spinach!<br />
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The luxurious facility in which Susan taught. If anything, Kasia's office and classroom in the hospital were even worse. American students and faculty are spoiled rotten! </div>
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<br />Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11509881023832201989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986578179485371683.post-52492383774681522872014-01-20T10:06:00.002-06:002014-01-20T11:58:17.037-06:00Nazis!<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj16l_A0M84fnqprPuA2-cXkkXOh3QSgTTfwfsGvMYJvFU4fN_F7_KsilwsB_G4fcxASeCiRLEri6YwDucf3CKKcDfDhCaVXQ40BzMn59TcvqIJU5jz1nVcw4JEiHjhk-eoIpZ7OnejwQc/s1600/Dada.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj16l_A0M84fnqprPuA2-cXkkXOh3QSgTTfwfsGvMYJvFU4fN_F7_KsilwsB_G4fcxASeCiRLEri6YwDucf3CKKcDfDhCaVXQ40BzMn59TcvqIJU5jz1nVcw4JEiHjhk-eoIpZ7OnejwQc/s1600/Dada.jpeg" height="240" width="320" /></a>In an interesting coincidence, our last European trip was to
Malta, an island nation that the Nazis bombed almost daily for 2 ½ years,
leaving horrible devastation behind. But
after the courageous but short-lived </div>
Warsaw uprising of 1944, Hitler completely
leveled the city. Earlier, 300,000
Polish Jews were loaded into boxcars and shipped to Treblinka, where the great majority
was gassed. The remaining Jews were
herded into the walled Ghetto, where they were systematically starved to
death. After the Ghetto Uprising of
1943, the Germans executed the rest.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
The Warsaw Uprising (in Poland it is simply called “The
Rising”) took place in 1944. The Russian
army was advancing into Poland, providing the hope that Russian troops and air
support would aid the effort. These
hopes were in vain, as Stalin’s troops essentially watched the devastation take
place from a nearby ridge. A few
numbers: before the war, Warsaw’s population was about 1.3 million, dropping to
900 thousand after the extermination of the Jews. After Germany leveled the city in 1944, fewer
than 1,000 persons lived in the ruins of the city (many others fled into the
nearby forests). When the war ended, the
newly-democratic Poland considered creating a new capital elsewhere, but Warsaw
carried too many memories. It was
rebuilt brick-by-brick, with women and children passing bricks and stones
hand-to-hand. Our friend Kasia’s Nanny,
Dada (pictured) was among the women who participated.</div>
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So with but one free day available to us, we decided to
visit the <a href="https://www.warsawtour.pl/en/tourist-attractions/warsaw-rising-museum-muzeum-powstania-warszawskiego-1891.html">Warsaw Rising Museum</a>, one of the most emotionally draining days we
have ever spent. In a small theatre, we
watched a brief, 3D film taken with a </div>
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stereoscopic camera from a plane that did
a fly-over in 1945. Nothing was left,
nothing. It is an extraordinary museum
that tells a story of unimaginable human evil, and remarkable human courage and
resilience. <br />
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Throughout the city are monuments and reminders, including
simple markers that define where the walls of the Ghetto once stood. Every year there is a solemn processional
from marker to marker, and Ghetto tours are conducted daily.</div>
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Poland is now marking its 25<sup>th</sup> year as a
democracy, founded in the remarkable year of 1989, when the Iron Curtin fell so
dramatically. That makes it a very young
democracy, but conversations with our Polish friends suggest it is both stable
and healthy, as is its economy. They are
still sorting out their relationship with Russia (their second president died
in a plane crash, and conspiracy theories pointing to Russia still circulate,
even as we still speculate on who killed JFK) and, to a much lesser extent,
with Germany. It is a city, and a
nation, that has suffered terribly, but is now a vibrant and hopeful culture. </div>
Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11509881023832201989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986578179485371683.post-9317820764868582472014-01-18T14:47:00.000-06:002014-01-20T12:00:26.438-06:00Our Polish friends<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
I noted before that this trip has been mostly about Susan’s
teaching, not tourism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it has also
been about friendships new and old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
the latter category is Kasia (Katarzyna Broczek) who we met the last time we were in Warsaw. At that time, she escorted
us on visits to a nursing home and adult day facility, and we hit it off well
enough to spend part of our final day off that visit with her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have stayed in touch, and were eager to
see one another again.<o:p></o:p></div>
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How to describe Kasia?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She has an MD and a PhD, a practice in geriatric medicine (making house
calls on her most frail patients) and teaches medical and nursing students.
(Susan did a guest lecture for some of her students this week.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She also writes scholarly articles and
studies mime in a focused way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She holds
street mimes and poseurs in contempt; her focus is on translating thoughts into
emotions, and emotions into actions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
her spare time, she cares for her 75 year-old cousin and her 102 year-old nanny.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh, and she raises marine fish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> (Only after we got home did I learn that she also studied theology for five years!) </span>She lived in Tennessee for a year when she
was a teen, and traversed most of the US via Greyhound bus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is intense, brilliant, funny and kind--a
true and dear friend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will likely
return to Warsaw, largely because Susan finds meaning in her teaching here, but
also because of Kasia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had two
dinners together, each more delightful than the other.<o:p></o:p></div>
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A word about having friends in or from Central Europe:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gifts are important, and those of us
American-born, no matter how thoughtful we try to be, will always be
out-gifted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We brought Kasia chocolates
from Wilmar’s, a copy of our book, and a beautiful hand-crafted wooden bowl
from the woman who sells them at the Appleton Farmers Market.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We thought we had the gifting thing licked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kasia gave us two ceramic teapots, three
books…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trumped again!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Then there is Anna (no picture available yet), the PhD
student assigned to be our host.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is
lovely, brilliant, adventuresome and, as we were told in advance, very
Dutiful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She picked us up at the
airport, settled us into our apartment, and provided us with groceries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had written to her asking for help in
acquiring Polish SIM cards for our phones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She arranged for us to have Polish cell phones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I inquired about the most affordable way to
ride the buses and trams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She borrowed
our driver’s licenses and used them to get us “senior passes” that gave us
unlimited access to public transportation all week for less than 50 cents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She spent four days hounding down my missing
luggage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We took her out to a delightful
dinner and learned more about her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
does her academic writing in English because she finds the language more
versatile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has lived in Malta,
Spain, and Long Island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has a
brilliant academic career ahead of her, and we will stay in touch.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Then there is Jasia, the former director of the WISP program
where Susan taught, who was disappointed that we had no free evenings for
dinner, so instead took us to lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
got her PhD at Columbia, and studies various forms of prejudice – she is kind
of a Polish New Yorker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She rides her
bike everywhere until the snow gets nasty, and is giving serious consideration
to putting snow tires on her bike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
This is not to even mention the great people Susan worked
with in WISP. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are many reasons
that Warsaw has become an important part of our global map, but these friends
are certainly significant contributors.<o:p></o:p></div>
Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11509881023832201989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986578179485371683.post-10379185715329437052014-01-18T14:02:00.000-06:002014-01-18T14:02:12.423-06:00Teaching in Poland<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio8qMPRNnsVl6p5ZUWtOyLhiGTkdy3Bm95gteBxGaabm-asEPnyV6MlcDUZSuWvpEjHkn0Qrq6TclFp3_obasorVUTNWvL5wwuGtEle7192kvs76dq8QHRkt3yN_KKOkqZD5r_tZU2OI8/s1600/P1000485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio8qMPRNnsVl6p5ZUWtOyLhiGTkdy3Bm95gteBxGaabm-asEPnyV6MlcDUZSuWvpEjHkn0Qrq6TclFp3_obasorVUTNWvL5wwuGtEle7192kvs76dq8QHRkt3yN_KKOkqZD5r_tZU2OI8/s1600/P1000485.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>John’s allowing me a guest spot on his “What’s John
Thinking” blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just hope everyone understands
that when “funny” was passed out genetically, I was standing at the back of the
line.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This week (Jan. 13-17, 2014), I’ve had the honor of teaching
a 15-hour elective course on the Psychology of Religion to eighteen students
enrolled in the WISP program at the University of Warsaw.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>WISP--Warsaw International Studies in
Psychology--is an all-English, 5-year psychology program that leads to a master’s
degree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
WISP attracts students from all over the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of my students were Polish; others came
from Belgium, the Philippines, Sweden, Portugal, Malaysia, and Finland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be honest, I’m not sure about the home
country of every student.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll learn
more when I grade their final exams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
offered them a few extra credit points to introduce themselves to my Oshkosh
students who will be taking a 45-hour Psychology of Religion class during our
May interim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some of the students enroll in WISP for the whole 5-year
undergraduate/graduate program, and others come for a semester through the
Erasmus Mundus program which is run by the European Union. According to its
website, Erasmus “<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">aims to enhance the quality of higher education and
promote dialogue and understanding between people and cultures through mobility
and academic cooperation.”</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When John and I were here in October, 2011, for the
Alzheimer Europe meeting, I was introduced to WISP when a Polish colleague at
UW Oshkosh connected me with the Dean of the University of Warsaw who
recommended I contact Dr. Emilia <span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Ł</span>ojek, director of WISP.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She kindly invited me to give a lecture to a
class even though it was the first week of the semester and she was burdened
with administrative tasks. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Afterwards,
she invited me to submit a proposal to teach a course of my choosing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I selected the Psychology of Religion since
they had never offered it in their curriculum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, because I was concerned about my mom’s anxieties when I
traveled, I told them I couldn’t teach in 2012 or 2013.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As many of you know, mom died in May, 2013, and so I was
then free to start talking with the WISP folks about scheduling a class for
2014.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This class came at the end of the
students’ fall semester and while I’ll know more when I get their evaluations
after I submit their grades, I feel like it was a success.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Several colleagues with experience teaching
European students told me that they tend to maintain social distance from
professors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, from the first hour
of the course, the students asked questions, made comments, argued with me, and
generally engaged in a lively but respectful way with the ideas I
presented.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One big difference between this group of students and my
students in Oshkosh is that about half were men.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Oshkosh, I often only had one or two men
in my classes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The WISP students clearly knew a lot about many areas of
psychology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A WISP faculty member told
me that they are required to take only a few courses in other subject
areas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other words, they lack what we
usually call “general education.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Although our US students take many hours of classes outside their major,
too often they told me they forget everything they learned in them!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hopefully, the new University Studies Program
at UW Oshkosh is correcting that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiigNeKffE4o_sb22hrXpSfyZZ3rQnoUew9LYdjDps8m8R_Ql6f5ogs0DyPMqwaAR0nbK2n8mMK-ePJY9h4MTbu0-4XKZDpSxZTa6AvhSBlLMmBtNIW6eWQqFo9003LcEyvnpBnwIlkv4g/s1600/P1000486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiigNeKffE4o_sb22hrXpSfyZZ3rQnoUew9LYdjDps8m8R_Ql6f5ogs0DyPMqwaAR0nbK2n8mMK-ePJY9h4MTbu0-4XKZDpSxZTa6AvhSBlLMmBtNIW6eWQqFo9003LcEyvnpBnwIlkv4g/s1600/P1000486.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Before I close I need to say something about the building
housing the WISP program and the Polish Psychology Department.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is located several miles from the main
University campus, completely isolated from any other university offices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The University located the psychology faculty
and students there in the 1970s because they were considered subversive by the
Communist regime.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Before the war, the building had been a hospital and a
school, but the Germans took it over and made it their command headquarters
when they occupied Poland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is located
in the middle of what became the Jewish ghetto of Warsaw.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Across the street is a memorial commemorating
the place where the trains loaded Jewish people being taken to Treblinka (the memorial is in the shape of a boxcar). I never entered or left the building without
feeling a chill of evil, and yet I then rejoiced in seeing bright young
psychology students from all over the world going about the business of
learning in the 21<sup>st</sup> century.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11509881023832201989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986578179485371683.post-70136269662257819572014-01-17T09:56:00.001-06:002014-01-17T15:34:39.687-06:00Small learnings<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim1n_9f8DWzuQ2-XSqHFMPJd5QLrfShr0BlyolO5EZHGthip2_cuae8JGt0rqBsJOfGa7aMVhA_5ejo0uY7RUcfHbrATtrawYv4iU5xAAmQ17FscjTn0uhHFP2b_hyfCAJ2DKzwSW5g8E/s1600/P1000481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim1n_9f8DWzuQ2-XSqHFMPJd5QLrfShr0BlyolO5EZHGthip2_cuae8JGt0rqBsJOfGa7aMVhA_5ejo0uY7RUcfHbrATtrawYv4iU5xAAmQ17FscjTn0uhHFP2b_hyfCAJ2DKzwSW5g8E/s1600/P1000481.JPG" height="228" width="320" /></a>The Poles were standing at the front of the line when God handed out consonants, and when The Almighty looked away they grabbed some extra "z"s and "c"s.<br />
<br />
Susan is teaching her last two classes this afternoon (she will grade the final exam at home and send the grades by email). Last night's snow turned to freezing rain today so I gave up my ambition to take a long walk and instead stayed in the immediate neighborhood of Muranow. This was the Jewish Ghetto, which is likely why the Nazis used the psychology building as headquarters. Directly across the street is a memorial to the 300,000 Jews who were loaded on trains and sent to the camps after the Ghetto Uprising. Movingly, it appears to be among the first places to be cleared after a snow. There is an impressive new Jewish museum nearby, but the major exhibits have not yet been installed. Next time we come to Warsaw we will need to go.<br />
<br />
The neighborhood is being aggressively developed. Our apartment looks out on a construction site where I cannot quite figure out what they are doing, but given how short winter days are here the crews start working at first light. Most newer buildings are designed with porticos, a nice thing in freezing rain.<br />
<br />
I picked up a few grocery items then went to Carrefour, essentially a Polish version of Wal-Mart, to look for small gifts for the grandchildren. I have reached the tentative conclusion that Polish cashiers are disproportionately made up up of grouchy older women. Here are some things you will not find in guidebooks:<br />
1. They do not like to make change. The total is announced in rapid Polish and when you give them, say, a twenty zloty note for your 13.45 bill, they wait for you to fish out the 3.45. Since I do not understand what they are asking for I either pull out all my change and try to look confused but pleasant or make writing gestures. The ladies do not find either especially charming.<br />
2. If you use the express line at Carrefour, you are not entitled to a plastic bag. Since bags are freely dispensed in the other lines, this is not intuitive to an American. I made the horrible mistake of reaching for a bag from the next counter and received a severe scolding. I am grateful she did not call security.<br />
3. Speaking of which, the supermarket in our apartment building always has a security guard standing just beyond the registers. We have no idea why he is there and have never seen him do anything but look stern. It is a practice we might consider to reduce unemployment.<br />
<br />
Tonight we will have dinner with our friend, Kasia, and tomorrow we have the full day to play or explore before departing Sunday. Only two more nights in/on this miserable bed, which I have determined is - or once was - a futon.<br />
<br />
<br />Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11509881023832201989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986578179485371683.post-17511298986143614192014-01-16T10:18:00.000-06:002014-01-16T10:18:02.963-06:00Where we are living<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuZcQdxqoeDLXcrjSwy7DWdnSO46bdjpEVuJcj_INzcWfnEH8SR2xK8JYK-SzczJqzmV2ihF9tyPK6ur3yV2TQGRJFZpMGuUn_mI8NK3MPUtrdGY4UZgxG5hk2_ZGnQU_ANM0vN-3VOdQ/s1600/P1000468.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuZcQdxqoeDLXcrjSwy7DWdnSO46bdjpEVuJcj_INzcWfnEH8SR2xK8JYK-SzczJqzmV2ihF9tyPK6ur3yV2TQGRJFZpMGuUn_mI8NK3MPUtrdGY4UZgxG5hk2_ZGnQU_ANM0vN-3VOdQ/s1600/P1000468.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">A </span>brilliant
photographer lives somewhere in Warsaw.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He or she is the person who took the pictures of this apartment that we viewed
on the web, the ones that made it appear strikingly modern and attractive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is neither.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is, however, serviceable and well-located,
mostly meaning that Susan has a short walk to the psychology building, and the
tram and bus lines are within a few blocks.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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As best I can tell, very few units in this large complex are
short-term rentals like this one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Presumably most of the others larger; there are many young children
living here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The kitchen is equipped
with just enough cups, plates, silverware, etc. to get us through a day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no coffee maker, a sad
discovery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The small amount of Starbucks
instant we brought “just in case” is long gone, and Polish stores sell the kind
of instant coffee our parents drank in the 1950s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those readers who are addicted to good coffee
can appreciate what deprivation this represents, especially given that there is
no café within a reasonable walk that opens before eleven.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Then there is the bed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is a double-bed mattress resting on a single-bed box spring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is covered by a duvet that needs to be
readjusted in twenty minute intervals through the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Susan generally does not sleep well when
traveling, and she is making a serious run at a new Personal Best in sleep
deprivation.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Since this is a working trip for Susan, who is cramming 15
hours of instruction with all the related reading of student papers and such into
five days (add in the lecture she gave at a hospital yesterday to medical
students), it is good to report that we have excellent wifi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What we do not have is a desk, so she is
using her thickest textbook as a lap desk as she grades papers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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A miniature washing machine was creatively jammed into the
bathroom, a wonderful asset during the days when my luggage was missing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like the rest of Europe, Poles love warm
towels, so the heated towel rack has proven an effective clothes dryer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have been in many tiny European showers,
but none quite so small as this one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Early learning: if you run the water full blast, the shower will
overflow in less than a minute.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Also like the rest of Europe, there are no washcloths, but I
always bring my own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would one day
like to watch a European man shave, just to see how he cleans the soap from his
face when he is done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other rarity
in Europe are ice cubes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We do have an
ice cube tray.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It makes eight tiny
cubes, and I am grateful to have it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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There is a grocery store in our building, and the folks
there are friendly enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are eating
in tonight so that Susan can get her papers graded, so I went down to purchase
items for dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am not entirely
certain what I purchased, but I am pretty sure it is food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Friends like Kasia and Anna have been helping
me with elementary Polish, but reading signs and food packages is part of the
advanced course.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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This may sound a bit whiny, which is not my intent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having our own apartment is a reminder that
we are not here as tourists or to attend a conference: in a very small way and
for a very short period of time, we are taking part in the life of Warsaw.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kasia, who I will write about, has become a
true friend and we are learning to feel a little bit at home here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will be surprised if Susan is not invited
to return in a few years, and surprised if she does not accept the
invitation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will bring lots of instant
coffee.<o:p></o:p></div>
Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11509881023832201989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986578179485371683.post-3548750574439209402014-01-15T10:34:00.000-06:002014-01-15T14:33:51.414-06:00Shopping for clothes in Warsaw<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgLH0e1KVD6EVrHAgyBHi7wSz05v_45orurya6-haeXjUm29W5AZ_DNOCkWraR-qDz4Cu7I9z_XYYBYJq_WZHZ2zYyOBYNxoP_SxgZtwVn5JdVyiYtHZ7OS9-XozQ1q_ZDBaOvPeTZ9lA/s1600/P1000470.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgLH0e1KVD6EVrHAgyBHi7wSz05v_45orurya6-haeXjUm29W5AZ_DNOCkWraR-qDz4Cu7I9z_XYYBYJq_WZHZ2zYyOBYNxoP_SxgZtwVn5JdVyiYtHZ7OS9-XozQ1q_ZDBaOvPeTZ9lA/s1600/P1000470.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
By Monday, not knowing when or if my missing suitcase would arrive, it was time to go shopping. We went to Arkadia, which is the Mall of America of Poland. I dread malls in general and have carefully avoided the M of A, but this was desperation.<br />
<br />
On the plus side, European clothes tend to fit me better than American clothes do. On the minus side, the sizing information appears to be utterly random and meaningless, and it was a challenge to find a salesperson who spoke English or who had a sense do how American sizes correspond to European ones. I tried on pants that were a bit too long, others a bit too short. It was not going well at all.<br />
<br />
We finally wandered into a cavernous store filled with designer stuff. Europeans appear to be inordinately fond of designer logos, while I am not. <br />
<br />
We were turned over to a young woman who spoke a fair amount of English, who proceeded to study my body with great care, giving my butt particular attention. "You are perfect 46! You wait here." I did not correct her by noting that I am 65 and terribly flawed.<br />
<br />
She triumphantly handed me a pair of pants that fit like a coat of paint. Never has my rear end been so sag-free. Likewise with the shirt she handed me. She made me try it on just so she could gloat.<br />
<br />
In theory I could demand reimbursement from the airline or my travel insurance now that my suitcase caught up with me, but it would feel wrong. After all, I have nice new threads I would never have purchased otherwise, and I got to meet the only woman in the world who knows my body better than I do, plus we got to buy some wonderful Polish pretzels on our way out.<br />
<br />
One more purchase to mention, a bottle of Zubrowka Biala, the vodka we became fond of last time we were here. Each bottle contains a blade of grass from a bison farm (what the Poles do with bison I do not know). The bison pee on the grass and the grass flavors the vodka. It was banned in the US the same year that absinthe was. There is now a US legal version, but without the grass and tarted up with vanilla and sugar--nasty stuff. Our first few guests when we get home can sample the real taste of Poland. If they ask nicely, I will put on my duds.Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11509881023832201989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986578179485371683.post-14196577933116070832014-01-14T05:06:00.000-06:002014-01-14T05:06:18.105-06:00Warsaw: the first two daysWe arrived in Warsaw Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately, my suitcase did not, and remains lost in the airline ethers, adding a bit of complication to life. Fortunately our apartment has a washing machine, so daily ritual involves wearing one set of underwear and socks while the other set is drying on the heated towel rack.<br />
<br />
We were met at the airport by wonderful Anna, the PhD student who is serving as our host. She is altogether remarkable - brought us to our apartment, gifted us with some simple groceries, maps and guidebooks, and has been dutifully (if unsuccessfully) pursuing my luggage each day. <br />
We were, of course, dog-tired upon arrival. We explored our immediate neighborhood (mostly apartment buildings and a few markets), ate a simple meal courtesy of Anna, and slept for nearly 12 hours.<br />
<br />
Sunday's first task was to make certain Susan could find the building where she would be teaching the next day. It is a short walk from the apartment, and a grim building indeed. It houses WISP, the Warsaw International School of Psychology. It is a part of the University of Warsaw, whose main campus is in the Old Town section, and offers graduate and undergraduate programs taught entirely in English. Many courses are taught by visiting faculty like Susan, with a two-credit course compressed into a single week (meaning she will give the mid-term exam on Wednesday). The building was occupied by the Nazis during the war, and one gets the sense that it has not been dusted since. I will encourage Susan to write about her classroom experience.<br />
<br />
We also walked to a huge shopping mall, suspecting that I might need to purchase some clothing, and had lunch at a so-so restaurant there. We soon learned that "English is widely spoken in Warsaw" is a bit of an exaggeration, but we are getting by on smiles, gestures, and our few Polish words.<br />
<br />
Anna had done much scrambling to get us "senior" passes for the buses and trams, so it was time to put them to use. We rode to Old Town, which we had visited briefly our last time here, and wandered about. We mistakenly entered the Presidential Palace, passing through layers of security, and became part of a tour group. The tour was, of course, conducted entirely in Polish, and once it began there was no way to leave until it was over. I cannot imagine many American visitors have taken that particular tour.<br />
<br />
Old Town by night, even in a light, cold rain, is spectacular! The lights are magically beautiful, and the main street featured holiday "installations" - small buildings made of lights through which little children could run giggling. Falling snowflakes were projected onto the walls of buildings. The area was completely destroyed by the Nazis, then rebuilt brick by brick. Unlike the central business district with its skyscrapers, no building in Old Town (palaces excepted) is more than three stories, and they ooze with charm. We treated ourselves to a wonderful dinner in a cozy below-ground restaurant (me in jeans and a ragged shirt, but what can you do?). Our appetizer was raw salmon, cream cheese and caviar, our entree chicken stuffed with veal pate. For dessert we sipped vodka and nibbled on faworki, a simple pastry I had not tasted since childhood, when it was made by a Polish friend's grandmother. We walked off our meal, and with a bit of trial and error found our way home on the buses (later learned that if the number on the bus is red it is an express that will sail past the stop you wanted). <br />
<br />
Susan reviewed her lectures, and we slipped into our peculiar little bed (the apartment is worthy of a description in another post) in (vain) hope that she would get a good night's rest.Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11509881023832201989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986578179485371683.post-87536262399535468112014-01-07T20:15:00.003-06:002014-01-07T20:23:06.607-06:00Reviving Blog, heading for Warsaw<div class="MsoNormal">
I am reviving this long-dormant blog in the hope that I can
do some reflecting while we are in Poland next week. Susan will be teaching a two-credit course
(Psychology of Religion) in the English-language psychology program at the
University of Warsaw, and also giving a lecture to medical students. My job is to make Susan’s life work, so I am
in charge of equipping the kitchen of our apartment, navigating the culture,
etc. Most people do not take a break
from Wisconsin winter by fleeing to Polish winter, but if you are going to be
cold you might as well take comfort in pierogies and vodka.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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It was not part of the plan for this stage of life to be
traveling to Europe or the U.K. several times each year, but we have made at
least two such trips annually in recent years, none of them for vacation
(although we generally try to stay at extra day or two to enjoy the
setting). Flying overseas on our budget
is never pleasant, and it becomes ever more complicated. Our last trip home—from Malta—involved three
different airlines that do not play together nicely. We arrived in Vienna with 50 minutes between
flights and no boarding passes. Our
luggage could only be checked as far as Toronto. It required 26 hours to get home, and it was
actually one of our better experiences. </div>
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<br /></div>
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When you book through
an American carrier and come home on a European one, you are nobody’s problem
if a flight gets canceled (as happened to us in Edinburgh, leading to a
miserable travel day). International
travel requires many coping skills and for those who, like me, simply cannot
sleep on an airplane, the ability to spend ten hours in Zombie Mode.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Booking a flight has also become remarkably
complicated. There is, for example, a
direct flight from Chicago to Warsaw, but the tickets cost more than
$3,000. By starting from Appleton, we
are taking that same flight for $1,400.
Pricing has become increasingly counter-intuitive, based largely on what
seats they need to fill. When we left
Milwaukee for Malta, our first flight was to O’Hare. I met a nice couple from Chicago who were on
their way to Paris. They drove to
Milwaukee, flew back to Chicago, then on to Paris, saving a bundle by doing
so. Travel agents are making a comeback
for good reason—sorting it out yourself just isn’t worth it anymore. Plus it would be wonderful to have a Real
Human Being to call when things go awry, as they sooner or later will.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Everyone who travels overseas develops their own survival strategies. I cannot imagine flying without
noise-canceling headphones, for example, and Susan loves her comfy pillow. To combat jet lag we try to leave late in the
afternoon, arriving at our destination on the afternoon of the following
day. We take a long walk, eat a nice
dinner, then (if our bodies cooperate and the meds work) sleep for ten hours,
starting the next day on local time. It
works except when it doesn’t. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Essentials – toiletries, clean socks and underwear—travel in
our carry-on. When our luggage (along
with that of all the passengers on the plane) went missing while passing
through Frankfort (one of my most dreaded airports) in October, we looked
rumpled the next day, but were at least presentable. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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From our European friends, who regularly hop between
countries, we learned the value of maintaining a Currency Box, with “starter
money” for any country we will be passing through. Sure, there are exchanges in the airports,
but usually your first need is for small bills and change to board a bus or tip
a taxi driver. For this trip we will
take zlotys, of course, but also tuck away a few Euros in case we get rerouted
on our way home. Our box also has
British pounds, Swiss Francs and Canadian dollars—we try to come home with the
equivalent of about twenty dollars for a future trip. If we never return, well, it becomes part of
our estate.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We try to sort out the local public transportation as
quickly as possible—it is almost always the cheapest way to get around, and
service tends to be very good. Learn
where to buy tickets (often from a tobacconist) and assume that the bus driver
will only accept correct change. Also
learn how to have your ticket punched or stamped, because the fines for being
caught without a valid ticket are expensive and must be paid on the spot. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While Susan is teaching, I hope to do a lot of walking, a
lot of reading, a bit of writing. We
will spend time with our Polish friend, Kasia, about whom I will write next
week. We once set up a week’s
housekeeping at a villa in Italy, but ten days in a Warsaw apartment will be a
new experience. Stay tuned.</div>
Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11509881023832201989noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986578179485371683.post-1487748197159018372012-02-12T14:30:00.002-06:002012-02-12T14:52:39.018-06:00Whitney Houston and meWhitney Houston’s death triggered memories of the wedding I performed 34 years ago in which Whitney, then a pig-tailed twelve-year-old, sang with her mother. I was serving the Glen Ridge Congregational Church in New Jersey when I was contacted by a bride-to-be who wanted me to conduct her ceremony in our church. She was a beautiful woman, a well-known jazz disc jockey on an African-American radio station, who was marrying a musician (the marriage later turned abusive, but that is another story altogether). She was a member of New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, whose sanctuary was too small (and, it gradually came out, too humble) to host the celebrity wedding she had in mind. The choir director at New Hope was Cissy Houston, and the chance to meet and work with Cissy was likely a factor in my agreeing to perform the ceremony.<br /><br />I met with the bride and groom several times, and we planned a service quite unlike anything this young white pastor had experienced. Cissy would sing, and her brother Nate would play the organ (this required quite a bit of negotiation with my music director, who was very protective of the fine organ). Several noted musicians would also perform. The guests would include the black musical aristocracy of the greater New York area. <br /><br />Since Glen Ridge was a small, entirely white, affluent community that was pretty uptight on issues of race (during the 1967 riots in nearby Newark they blockaded all the streets leading into town, assuming the rioters would come to pillage), this seemed like a wonderful opportunity for the church to extend hospitality to the African-American community. Plus I would get to hang out with some very hip people.<br /><br />Feeling out of my element, I called my friend and mentor Reuben Sheares, a national officer in the UCC and a respected black theologian, for a bit of coaching. “John,” he said, “the hardest thing for a white liberal like you to understand is that you got to take CPT (“colored people’s time”) seriously; that wedding is going to start when it wants to start.” Sure enough, the rehearsal began nearly an hour late. Nate, Cissy’s brother, ambled to the organ console. “Shee-it,” he said in wonder, “I ain’t never played nothing but no Hammond before.” I prayed my music director would never learn. He began tentatively, but soon was bringing out sounds I did not know that organ could make.<br /><br />Cissy was scheduled to sing a solo, but she brought her little girl, Whitney, with her, and announced that they would be doing their first public duet. Whitney was shy, sweet, gangly and mildly buck-toothed. In all honesty, I was focused on her mother, one of the great back-up singers of all time. They sang wonderfully together.<br /><br />When the hour arrived for the wedding to begin, there were no more than three of four guests wandering around the building. Most of them had some sort of request to make of me—aspirin, bobby pins, a phone. Reuben had prepared me for this: African-American pastors enjoyed more respect from their members than us white pastors, but they also had higher expectations and more demands placed upon them.<br /><br />After a while Nate wandered in and began playing. More guests were drifting in, some even taking seats. About an hour after the wedding was to begin, with no word from the bride, a very large man holding a very small flute sought me out. He was to play a prelude, and wondered who would be announcing him. With that he began to list his credits: just played in a certain club, played on Stevie Wonder’s most recent album. Clearly I would be announcing him.<br /><br />Some 45 minutes later the limo pulled up (the chauffeur was the only other white guy I had seen all afternoon) and the bride, looking radiantly beautiful, peppered me with questions. Had Joe (flute player) arrived yet? Yes, he was there. Who was going to announce him? That would be me. <br /><br />Ninety minutes past the scheduled time for the ceremony, we were ready to begin. Nate had played everything he knew several times, so I motioned for him to halt. “Folks, we have a very special treat for you. Direct from his recent engagement at New York’s premier jazz club, Joe is going to play several numbers for us. His most recent recording…” I was into the zone.<br /><br />Finally the bride and groom stood before me. I opened my mouth to begin the ceremony, but before I could get a word out Nate started rocking the organ again. The Spirit had informed Cissy that she and Whitney would perform their duet immediately, rather than when they were scheduled to. It was electrifying. When they sat down again it take me a full minute before I was able to speak the words “dearly beloved.”<br /><br />The rest of that day is a blur in my memory. As noted earlier, things did not go well for the couple, and the bride later returned to me for pastoral care and counsel. I never again saw Cissy Houston, or her sweet young daughter, but I retained a bit of personal investment in Whitney, first as her career soared and then as her personal life crumbled. I believe that Cissy is still alive, and I cannot imagine the pain she has borne through these years, or the grief she now carries for her precious little girl. God bless you, Whitney; I pray that the pearly gates opened in a timely manner for you.Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11509881023832201989noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986578179485371683.post-24626567842961900342011-10-28T13:54:00.003-05:002011-10-30T12:09:34.952-06:00Shopping for Pants at Kohl'sIf my choice is between getting poked in the eye with a sharp stick or going shopping I will go shopping, but I would much prefer visiting the dentist. I shop only when there is no other choice, which became the case when I finally acknowledged that I have become shorter.<br /><br />I had vaguely wondered why the cuffs of my pants were fraying so rapidly, and Susan finally noted that it might have something to do with the fact that they were dragging on the ground. The arthritic deterioration in my spine that has caused various unpleasant symptoms in recent years has now taken an inch or two of height from me. I needed an entire new pants wardrobe, so I steeled myself and headed for Kohl’s.<br /><br />For those who do not know it, Kohl’s is a discount department store that sells decent-quality merchandise at reasonable prices and always has some sort of sale going. They regularly send us promotional material that requires us to peel off a sticker to learn the amount of our “special discount,” and on the most recent one we had won the Kohl’s lottery with the enviable 30% discount. Armed with my discount card I headed for Kohl’s on a Wednesday, which is Senior Discount Day, when everyone over the age of 60 gets an additional 15% off. My mission was to find pants that were already on sale and then take another 45% off the price. What could possibly go wrong?<br /><br />I tried on a fair number of pants, most of which hung on my thin frame like burlap sacks. The fit categories appear to have shifted in the last few years. What they now call “natural fit” are pants that used to be called “relaxed fit,” and the trousers they now call “relaxed fit” should be called “bordering on obese fit.” I finally located a few pairs of “thin fit” pants in my new size, and, since I was going to get 45% off everything, also purchased a shirt and a few birthday gifts for our grandson. <br /><br />Except when I got to the register I learned that my 30% discount card was not good until the next Monday (I failed to read the fine print), so I received only my senior discount. But I did get twenty “Kohl’s Dollars,” part of another promotion they were running. Since I still needed to replace my jeans, I would simply come back on Monday to get my 30% discount and spend my Kohl’s Dollars.<br /><br />On Monday I found some jeans – in the “hip, urban young guy” department, which remarkably enough had a nice selection of thin fit Levis 511s (“second pair half price!”). When I took them to the register I received my 30% discount but learned that my Kohl’s Dollars were not good until Thursday (another failure to read the fine print). And to get my 30% discount I had to put the jeans on my Kohl’s account, which I did not have. I opened an account, purchased my jeans, and received – take a deep breath - another ten Kohl’s Dollars.<br /><br />On Thursday I returned to Kohl’s with the thirty Kohl’s Dollars and my still-valid 30% discount card, determined not to let the Kohl’s Dollars expire, only to discover there was nothing in the entire store I wanted or needed. I picked out six pairs of nice socks, but since they were on sale I was still only halfway to my thirty Kohl’s Dollars. Which means that our grandson is going to have a very nice birthday.<br />I am done shopping for the foreseeable future. But the next time I need something from Kohl’s I plan to read all the fine print. Or take my accountant.Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11509881023832201989noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986578179485371683.post-22612874673870184752011-10-11T09:17:00.005-05:002011-10-11T20:16:05.892-05:00Reflections on Visiting Warsaw<a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnv1YwbeJoXDwwCh0ctoZ9VC0iYNvmrB_WyqeFkuFExFeNV3TqoPglRrw-5L9qkJNBKsOAiEyHbYJuR-kLtUUM5lZ2XdA4cwsWAemmUIDC7SkhM_YXvqyjwkV1NAr0TkSFzgxTUbtP8Pc/s1600/P1000904.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnv1YwbeJoXDwwCh0ctoZ9VC0iYNvmrB_WyqeFkuFExFeNV3TqoPglRrw-5L9qkJNBKsOAiEyHbYJuR-kLtUUM5lZ2XdA4cwsWAemmUIDC7SkhM_YXvqyjwkV1NAr0TkSFzgxTUbtP8Pc/s320/P1000904.JPG' border='0' alt=''style='clear:both;float:left; margin:0px 10px 10px 0;' /></a> <div style='clear:both; text-align:LEFT'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div><br />1. Poland is a country that it would never have occurred to us to visit without the Alzheimer Europe conference to draw us there, and one that does not offer a great deal of what normally motivates tourists to travel – not “world-class” museums, cathedrals, castles, architecture, cuisine, wildlife, etc. The language is more difficult than romance languages, direct flights from US cities are almost non-existent; on almost any version of a Life List of places to visit, it would have a hard time cracking the time 30. And yet for experiencing the sense of “other” that is one of the most rewarding joys of travel, it holds its own with far more storied destinations.<br /><br />2. We can hardly claim to “know” Warsaw after six days, with more than half our time devoted to the conference and most of the rest of it to activities related to the conference (speaking at the university, visiting a nursing home and day care facility). And yet it is in doing the sorts of things that tourists rarely do that we can discover the strongest sense of “place.” One outcome was meeting Karisa, a teaching physician who was our driver to the nursing home, and with whom we somehow formed a connection sufficient to spend the afternoon with her on our final day, meeting in Wilanow to see the poster museum (hardly a major tourist draw), walk the grounds of the summer palace, and chat in a café, forming a friendship that will likely last. <a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCTVTa7FY_Ilb9hVflHfGmfTTtyM4aBLezWg5ePeV8kaQjlYvFGWARniwnVgbYAxbGDmxnWDdQjYMFyh1gVZ5iEQh-pUzDzvJ93OXQTDX9uzj8PPZWb96FqD-Hfe4TMtj-b4Tyf60_crE/s1600/P1000942.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCTVTa7FY_Ilb9hVflHfGmfTTtyM4aBLezWg5ePeV8kaQjlYvFGWARniwnVgbYAxbGDmxnWDdQjYMFyh1gVZ5iEQh-pUzDzvJ93OXQTDX9uzj8PPZWb96FqD-Hfe4TMtj-b4Tyf60_crE/s320/P1000942.JPG' border='0' alt=''style='clear:both;float:left; margin:0px 10px 10px 0;' /></a> <div style='clear:both; text-align:LEFT'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>We barely touched upon the few “must do” things that tourists typically do in Warsaw – we spent perhaps 50 minutes in Old Town, and we never saw New Town or the Royal Way. This may prove hard to explain to the few people we know who have been to Warsaw. But we became reasonably accomplished at navigating the bus system , wandered the streets of the Centrum district where our hotel was, and managed to stumble across wonderful dining experiences that were not to be found in any guide book, or even on the web. Among them:<br /><br />3. The tiny, basement level Georgian restaurant where we ate on our second night. No English was spoken by the hostess/waitress, who we figured out likely owns and runs the place with her father, who does the cooking. We were served a heaping platter of lamb, eggplant stuffed with more lamb, tasty appetizers and drank Georgian wine (who knew there was such a thing?). And on our last night, while looking for a restaurant we never found, we stumbled into a charming place that served one of the most memorable meals we have ever eaten, including desserts that (we were informed) are considered by local folks to be the finest in the city. <br /> <br />4. Who would ever expect to become genuinely fond of a conference hotel? We ate dinner twice in their restaurant (three kinds of pierogies, all very tasty). As best we can recall, it was the first time we have spent six consecutive nights in the same hotel, and we were well taken care of. We came to know the staff in both bar and restaurant a bit (I was introduced to a vodka infused with “bison grass” that I wish we could get in the states). The hotel catered the coffee breaks during the conference with delightful pastries, provided very good lunches, and:<br /><br />5. Our breakfasts were free and extraordinarily good – much food from which to choose, fancy espresso machines, and I finally found a juice – black current – that I enjoy with breakfast. Our room was of modest size, but very well equipped, with two desk chairs and two reading chairs, and had free Internet (once we purchased an Ethernet adapter for our MacBook Air). Given all these extras, our room was<br />6. Surprisingly affordable, as was all of Warsaw. We took $100 US in zlotys and hard a hard time spending it, something that conference delegates from other countries also noted. An excellent dinner for two with a decent wine runs maybe sixty dollars, bus tickets are about a dollar, a fine vodka three or four bucks. We have not calculated our total costs yet, but it is fair to say that, ignoring airfare, the week cost about half what we would have spent in major Western European cities.<br /><br />7. Pretty much the only Polish word we learned to say more or less correctly (other than “yes” and “no”) was “thank you.” That and a smile will pretty much get you by most anywhere. Except maybe France.<br /><br />8. Being in Poland brought back many of our childhood memories of the “Iron Curtain,” and our sense that behind that curtain there was nothing but a grey blanket of misery. Certainly there is much to remind a visitor of the horror and tragedy that has marked Polish history, particularly 20th century history, first with the German destruction and occupation, then with the Soviet oppression. But human beings in general and Poles in particular are remarkably resilient, and Warsaw is very much a modern European city (although still playing catch-up in a few respects) with an economy that is healthy by the standards of Greece, Ireland, Spain, etc. We saw many young professionals on the streets, well-dressed and gabbing into cell phones on their way to and from work. Likely the rural areas are a different story, but we had no sense whatsoever of Poland being backwards or Western Europe’s “poor relation.”<br /><br />9. Our room looked out onto the “Centrum Rondo,” which utterly fascinated us. First, picture a four-lane roundabout in the very center of a major city, with all the drivers seeming to know what lane to be in. Now run trams through the roundabout in both north/south and east/west directions, with the traffic signals somehow taking them into account. Then imagine a world underneath the roundabout with dozens of shops (including some sort of brothel that “members” appear to have keys for) and 18 (my best guess/count) sets of stairs leading up and down. Only in our last two days did we succeed in surfacing where we wanted to on the first attempt. You want urban? Warsaw’s got it.<br /><br />10. We discovered once more, (as we did this past summer in England) how much we enjoy being anywhere in Europe. We envy the friends we met at the conference their ability to travel just a few hundred miles and be in another country with its own language and culture, and how at ease they are in moving between them. Most everyone but us was fluent in two or three languages and can get by in several others. It is not that Europeans cannot be provincial, but they need to work harder at it. If our budget permitted it, three trips to Europe per year would feel just about right. Sadly, it does not. Next year’s Alzheimer Europe Conference will be in Vienna, where I have heard the pastries are pretty good. Barring the sudden death of a rich uncle (and neither of us has an uncle, rich or otherwise), it is hard to imagine attending. Hard, but not completely unthinkable. And finally:<br /><br />11. We enjoyed all of our new European friends. But Italians still have the most fun.<br /><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0tW_y-qiH7n5W7qylV-XzhenKfe3CrUUau7ycSC4sknWmDZzxX8RA3P012ggoZH-SzF8XnwyDSagfGYdDwedTiniHzL7OwSVyTox3e2mB4efkgVvYa1nxSZEFHflZKw_LVa0XMT5iPxc/s1600/P1000924.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0tW_y-qiH7n5W7qylV-XzhenKfe3CrUUau7ycSC4sknWmDZzxX8RA3P012ggoZH-SzF8XnwyDSagfGYdDwedTiniHzL7OwSVyTox3e2mB4efkgVvYa1nxSZEFHflZKw_LVa0XMT5iPxc/s320/P1000924.JPG' border='0' alt=''style='clear:both;float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;' /></a> <div style='clear:both; text-align:RIGHT'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11509881023832201989noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986578179485371683.post-65814015072442541262011-08-09T10:46:00.003-05:002011-08-09T10:51:07.003-05:00The Center for Progressive Renewal: a GLBT future for the UCC?A few months ago I went to the Center for Progressive Renewal in Atlanta to be trained as a potential consultant to UCC congregations identified as having the potential to “turn around;” troubled or struggling churches that with a bit of guidance and direction might be able to flourish and grow again. I did not feel any particular sense of calling to become a consultant to congregations, but my dear friend Tony Robinson, himself a very successful church consultant, urged me to at least bring an open mind.
<br />
<br />I was glad I went, first because I was able to renew friendships with some folks I had not seen in many years (Bill McKinney, retiring president of the Pacific School of Religion; Steve Sterner, who was about to retire from UCC Local Church Ministries; Ron Buford, who brought the “Still Speaking” Initiative into being; and, of course, Tony) and meet some wonderful folks who were new to me. But frankly, I had no real sense of what the Center for Progressive Renewal was all about. I had spent some time on <a href="http://www.progressiverenewal.org/">their very slick website</a>, and was mightily impressed by the ways in which they were using technology, but could not quite get a handle on their identity or mission.
<br />
<br />The short version is that in an era where very few UCC Conferences can sustain a position in church development and renewal on their own staffs, the CPR is seeking to become a quasi-independent organization (they do not yet have their own 501c3 status but that is a part of their plan) that will take on this role, primarily for UCC churches but also for those belonging to other “progressive” judicatories. (I have confessed in a previous post that I struggle with the word “progressive,” so will not belabor it again here).
<br />
<br />Their co-executive directors, Cameron Trimble and Mike Piazza, are bright and energetic. Cameron is startlingly young to be so accomplished (old guy perspective here), and recently migrated from the United Methodist Church to the UCC. Mike is the founding pastor of <a href="http://www2.cathedralofhope.com/new">the Cathedral of Hope</a>, a primarily GLBT congregation in Dallas that moved from the Metropolitan Community Church to the UCC some years ago, the largest congregation ever to join the UCC. They are supported by a dedicated and talented staff of part-time folks, with a strong focus on technology. This is a good thing: given how tight church and judicatory budgets are these days, the more that can be done on-line the better. In many important respects, they represent the future of church renewal, leadership development, coaching, etc.
<br />
<br />They are very blunt about how they triage their consulting opportunities. They do not want to invest their limited resources in ventures not likely to succeed, which describes the overwhelming majority of UCC congregations. They believe that the future of the United Church of Christ is largely southern and primarily GLBT, meaning churches made up mostly of gay and lesbian Christians and the straight folks who like to hang out with them.
<br />
<br />I have no real problem with either emphasis. The South is where population growth has been happening for decades, and the UCC has done a pretty miserable job of establishing itself there. Moreover, the South remains less secularized than other regions. In my view, it is hardly an accident that the Cathedral of Hope grew like wildfire in Dallas, even though it is not regarded as a “gay-friendly” part of the country. Dallas is arguably the “churchiest” of all major cities in the U.S.; every restaurant that serves Sunday brunch offers a discount if you bring your church bulletin, and department store ads still feature “church dresses.” Like everyone else in Dallas, GLBT folks want to be in church on Sunday morning. And being in a less gay-friendly region can help to build community not just among GLBT folks, but also among those who support them. Being lesbian parents is unremarkable in Seattle or Minneapolis, but it remains a challenge in the South.
<br />
<br />So yes, there is a legitimate mission to strengthen and support GLBT congregations in the South, and yes, there is potential for meaningful growth in doing so. But then my list of problems with this strategy begins.
<br />
<br />First, I am not nearly ready to abandon the thousands of congregations who do not fit the CPR’s vision. I still hold the conviction that small, aging congregations in areas where the population is stagnant or declining have opportunities not only to survive but to flourish if they can identify real community needs, particularly the needs of an aging population, and address them. Yes, the overall picture is glum, but I find it hard to believe that God no longer has any use for us above the Mason Dixon line.
<br />
<br />Secondly, the GLBT emphasis brings me to the same issue I have had all along with the Still Speaking campaign, namely whether “everyone is welcome here!” is an adequate vision on which to hang the faith identity of a congregation. As Stan Hauerwas once expressed it, “I have the suspicion that God Almighty finds our genitals a good deal less fascinating than we do.” Or as a pastor of a thriving congregation recently said to my friend Tony, “Folks only come to this church looking for two things—a genuine experience of God’s presence and a safe place to talk about that experience.”
<br />
<br />There is precious little interest in theology among the CPR staff, nor is there much desire to talk about Jesus. I would in no way want the UCC to be anything less than fully inclusive of GLBT folks, and it makes sense to me in certain regions of the country to emphasis that inclusiveness strongly and publicly, but I cling to the conviction that the calling of the church is to make Christian disciples out of us, whether we self-identify as gay or straight. Too many of our churches think that getting folks in the door and congratulating them for being such wonderful people is enough. It isn’t.
<br />
<br />Finally, I wonder about the math in this formula for church growth and renewal. If ten percent of Americans self-identify as GLBT, and the UCC manages to attract—let us be remarkably optimistic here—ten percent of them to its congregations, our potential growth will be coming from 1% of the population.
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<br />I will continue to follow the work of the CPR and pray for its mission. I have offered myself as a resource person on addressing the issues and opportunities raised by aging and dementia, an offer that was politely received and, likely, promptly forgotten. Clearly it is not the right fit for me, but I welcome what they bring to the table and do not want to underestimate the good that God can bring out of their sincere efforts.
<br />Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11509881023832201989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986578179485371683.post-89972549956429291252011-08-01T11:31:00.004-05:002011-08-01T12:35:49.858-05:00A few kind words for the Established Church<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLINGyBHct6YrpSw4bF5qRNNT4nBKvQ26RqXxGi20oHMjXCEgIvCm1oGB2cRR3ORVuwScb689vtRHZCCKsDP3wpnwaSizsWLoA1kqXXI6AzrupndqwA2aXjDIHONwDM7KHGsDAqAZM5nE/s1600/P1000674.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLINGyBHct6YrpSw4bF5qRNNT4nBKvQ26RqXxGi20oHMjXCEgIvCm1oGB2cRR3ORVuwScb689vtRHZCCKsDP3wpnwaSizsWLoA1kqXXI6AzrupndqwA2aXjDIHONwDM7KHGsDAqAZM5nE/s320/P1000674.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635926604443792658" /></a><br />I have promised to write more about the United Church of Christ on this blog, but have been distracted by our recent trip to England to visit Memory Cafes, which I encourage you to read about on our <a href="http://agingtogether.blogspot.com/">Aging Together blog</a>. During that trip we spent three days with Rob Merchant, a gerontologist and theologian who serves as rector to seven small Anglican parishes in rural Gloucestershire. I had the privilege of preaching in two of these churches (the “new” one was constructed in the 16th century while the oldest dates to the 11th) to congregations ranging from seven to twelve. <br /> <br />While we in mainline Christianity make a lot of noises about the loss of our privileged position as the de facto “established church” in America, this was my first experience with a truly established church (it is, after all, called “the Church of England”) and what it means to serve as faithful pastor in such a setting. Here are a few thoughts and observations of some relevance to those of us living and serving in the twilight of mainline Protestant Christianity in America.<br /><br />1. We should never underestimate the loyalty of members to their churches, or the deep emotional and spiritual investment of those with a multi-generational history in their congregations. In practical terms it makes no sense whatsoever to try to keep these seven rural churches going. Try to imagine the maintenance issues associated with a building that is eight centuries old. The dream of one congregation is to have a working toilet in the church building, but the engineering challenges make this impossible (in rural England, remember to pee before leaving for church). Somehow they find a way to do the repairs that simply must be done to the buildings, and to maintain the cemeteries that serve as history books for the entire village. The practical thing would be to close four or five of the churches and merge them into two or three viable congregations, and one day it may come to this. But the deep center of identity and meaning these churches provide to their members suggests that they will put that day off as long as possible.<br /><br />2. Rob’s predecessor served those churches for 30 years, and provided the people of the villages with the same consistent message: you are a member of the parish by virtue of living within it; you do not need to attend worship to be a good Christian (although showing up on Easter, Christmas Eve and Boxing Day is good form); and the church will always be here for you. Rob is more or less stuck with the first point, is gently trying to correct the second, and is deeply committed to the third. While the seven churches combined rarely draw a total of 100 persons to Sunday worship, he serves as caring pastor to a flock of about 3,000 souls.<br /><br />3. Not all of those souls are Anglican souls. We accompanied him on a visit to an older couple, the husband an acclaimed artist with dementia (you can read their story on the Aging Together blog). She is a Roman Catholic, but the closest Catholic parish is in the city of Gloucester, quite some distance from the village of Hartpury. She clearly regards Rob as her pastor, and gratefully shares in the Eucharist with her “vaguely Christian” spouse. If I had in any way associated the Established Church with a certain degree of arrogance, what I witnessed was precisely the opposite – humble and faithful service to all in need. <br /> <br />4. In American Protestantism, whether Evangelical or Mainline, busyness itself is counted a virtue and a wide range of groups and programs is considered essential to a vital church. It is assumed that a church that is not growing in numbers and planning its next expansion project is somehow failing the test of faithfulness. Worship must be a major production where no detail is overlooked. As I participated in my first Anglican Evensong, trying to find my place in various service books that were older than I am (everyone else present was apparently born already knowing the practices and traditions), I had reason to question these assumptions. When the time came for my meditation, I abandoned my carefully-prepared notes and simply reflected aloud on our texts, deeply aware of how connected we were to God and one another through this simple and ancient act of worship. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC5_70zkWdR7V3fi9vvgWT7ZVEM5rb09z4UqQ1skEKwfBrhw2keHTQ8XsXvDVDSRCrmG-dpIAhYMrHUsKlbkBdd5EIyQR1fCzMObiI3pUZuxFf9HlgeWBkAEZfRU9Nw9FPoJbdjHkhtgw/s1600/P1000670.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC5_70zkWdR7V3fi9vvgWT7ZVEM5rb09z4UqQ1skEKwfBrhw2keHTQ8XsXvDVDSRCrmG-dpIAhYMrHUsKlbkBdd5EIyQR1fCzMObiI3pUZuxFf9HlgeWBkAEZfRU9Nw9FPoJbdjHkhtgw/s320/P1000670.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635926961366815202" /></a><br />Economic realities may ultimately lead to the demise of some of these congregations, but they have persisted faithfully with far fewer resources than many of our small Mainline congregations that are labeled “declining” or “dying.” Their doors, by the way, are never locked; that would be unthinkable. They are the settings where young couples marry and the dead are remembered and grieved. They are the entire village’s anchor in the transcendent realm, the embodiment of their highest aspirations and ideals. They are where the God revealed in Jesus Christ is encountered in worship. And that is enough, it is more than enough.Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11509881023832201989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986578179485371683.post-12492104645243266122011-07-11T15:48:00.004-05:002011-07-11T20:11:44.889-05:00Churchy thoughts: the UCC is in crisisI have allowed this blog to lie fallow for a number of months as I focused on completing my Goodwill chaplaincy and sorting out the pattern for life’s next stage. I am now officially a “retiree,” at least in the sense that I am no longer receiving a paycheck (thank you, UCC pension boards; bless you, social security!). My primary focus for the coming year will be on the work Susan and I are doing on dementia, friendship and community. This will include a fair number of speaking engagements and a bit of travel. We leave for England next week, where we will visit four towns with active Memory Café programs. Their models vary slightly, which will help us sort out which model will be the best fit for the program we hope to initiate here. In October we will both present papers at the Alzheimer’s Europe Conference in Warsaw and Susan will return to Europe for a conference in November. <br /> <br />But I also want to make service to the church a part of the new mix, so I would l would like to do some reflecting on the state of the church and my possible role within it in a series of posts. Those not interested in churchy posts can feel free to tune out for a month or two.<br /><br />Let’s start with an ugly truth: the United Church of Christ is in tatters. Until about six weeks ago, I do not realize how rapidly its decline has accelerated. We have 38 Conferences, or regional judicatories. At least ten are now hanging by a thread: in or near bankruptcy, without any full-time staff, etc. Our own Wisconsin Conference, among the healthiest in comparative terms, has just “right-sized” its own staff in a manner that will radically change how it resources its member congregations. The average age of UCC members across the country is 62. More than half of its congregations are, at best, fragile; many will never again be served by a full-time ordained minister.<br /><br />Why? A big piece of it is not UCC-specific—the role of religion in American life is greatly diminished across the boards. Young adults are disaffiliating from congregations at six times the historic rate, and many will not be coming back. The United States is becoming France (and not only because our artisan cheese is getting better).<br /><br />UCC congregations are disproportionately located where populations are declining—across the northern tier of states, in dying small towns and rural areas and in inner cities where demographics have changed. We were too slow out of the gate in founding congregations in high-growth areas, and now lack the resources to do so.<br /><br />We also pretty much bet the farm on the idea that if we just got the word out about how swell we are because we include everyone, folks would break down our doors. But our big “everyone is welcome here!” campaign probably helped the Unitarian-Universalists more than it helped the UCC. After all, if your core identity is built around inclusiveness, why exclude non-Christians? The principal outcome of our “Still Speaking” campaign was to make us the favorite church of young adults who have no interest in being part of a church.<br /><br />These things hold true to varying degrees for the other denominations that used to be called “mainline.” The new word, it seems, is “progressive,” which I detest, because it essentially says to other church bodies “we are progressive and you are not.” It is more a political term than a theological one, and it is not playing particularly well in the political realm these days either. As my friend Tony Robinson puts it: “mainline churches used to be the ‘default choice’ for selecting a church home, and the ‘default’ is now Evangelical.” It never occurred to us that this could happen. How could anyone not choose us when we were so welcoming, inclusive, and justice-minded? Turns out folks wanted to develop a personal relationship with the God revealed to us in Jesus Christ. Who could have guessed?<br /><br />So now I have made a significant commitment to the Wisconsin Conference of the UCC in sorting out how we may serve God faithfully in a challenging era where we no longer sit at the head of the table of American Christianity (hopefully we have not yet been relegated to the card table set up in the kitchen). Challenged though it may be, the Wisconsin Conference still has a great deal going for it. We have been shaped by a robust theology, a rare thing in the UCC. Our folks are wonderfully loyal overall, to their God and to their wider church family. We need to find a way to continue in faithful witness and service with virtually no resources from the national office, which has pretty much run out of creative ways to rearrange the deck chairs as the ship goes down. We represent an important tradition within the Christian family, a tradition that is unique in significant ways. I believe that God is still capable of getting some good out of us. I have a few stories to tell—about a strange and disturbing center in Atlanta, about the Ethiopian eunuch and a few other things. Yes folks, it is all-church all-the-time on this blog for awhile!Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11509881023832201989noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986578179485371683.post-87799510251583677532011-05-02T17:28:00.002-05:002011-05-02T17:30:36.507-05:00Why I cannot rejoice in Bin Laden's deathOsama Bin Laden was a very wicked man who perpetrated great evil. He was the enemy not only of the United States, but of civilization itself. Doubtless it is a better world, arguably a safer one (although in the short term it will likely be even more dangerous), with him removed from it. <br /> <br />Yet I cannot rejoice in any violent death, not even that of a wicked man, for it necessarily continues the cycle of violence itself. I have never found the argument that capital punishment serves as a deterrent convincing, and I am equally skeptical that Al Qaeda will be deterred from future terrorist activity by Bin Laden’s execution. Fanatics who regard suicide bombing as a spiritually noble way to die are not likely to be dissuaded by the threat “we will bring you to justice, no matter how long it takes!”<br /><br />There are many lost souls in our world, some of those souls terribly warped and twisted. Bin Laden clearly was in that latter category. I am not saying that he should not have been put to death (certainly he would not have permitted himself to be taken alive), merely that I cannot rejoice in it. My faith teaches that rejoicing is the proper response when a lost soul is reclaimed, not when a lost soul is executed. It had to be done: I understand that, even agree with it. And yet I grieve my own complicity in the cycle of responding to violence with violence.<br /><br />There is a bit of irony in the timing of his death. After nearly ten years of armed conflict in Afghanistan and Iraq, Bin Laden is finally killed just as the Arab world begins to embrace freedom and democracy rather than the path of hatred he taught. The young in particular, those whose frustration made them so ripe for recruitment by Al Qaeda, are coming to believe that they have the power to shape a better future. People who believe in their future are not likely to become suicide bombers.<br /><br />Some are claiming that Bin Laden’s death marks the end of a dark era, and I hope and pray that will prove to be true. In the real world eras never end tidily, of course. Some Al Qaeda cells will likely endure for years, even decades. More grievous acts of terror will occur, we will retaliate, and that retaliation will then be used as a tool to recruit more to the path of terrorism. That is how the cycle has always worked: violence cannot bring an end to violence.<br /><br />What can? Hopes and dreams. In the end we all want the same things: a safe and decent world in which to raise children, friendship and community, love and laughter, and the freedom to pursue our hopes and dreams. Bin Laden is dead. May new hopes and dreams be born in the imaginations of both those who idolized him and those who hated him.Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11509881023832201989noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986578179485371683.post-31887066606722755392011-04-19T11:16:00.001-05:002011-04-19T11:16:53.902-05:00Whining About the WeatherThose who deny the reality of climate change resulting from human activity like to point to each unexpected cold spell as “proof” that there is no such thing as “global warming.” But the climate change models argue that even as the overall temperature of the planet (as averaged over the course of the year) continues to rise, this increase will be accompanied by more extreme swings in local weather patterns. Columnist Thomas Friedman has given this phenomenon a name: “Global Weirding.”<br /><br />Today it is feeling very weird indeed as we await the arrival of a major snowstorm on April 19. If the predicted 6-8 inches materialize, many of us will face an ethical dilemma: are we morally required to shovel wet, heavy snow that will be gone within three days? If the snowplow comes through, we will likely have no choice—the snow-blower that I put away for the year weeks ago will be summoned back to duty. Oh, and the ice scrapers and brushes are back in the cars while my snow tires are sitting on a rack at the tire store.<br /><br />What a spring! Last week we were in the 70s, and I got my yard work started even as the massive storms that spawned multiple tornados and hailstorms approached. Raking out the lawn was like cleaning up a battlefield: there were many patches of fur and feathers, testifying that our feeders created a buffet table for the local hawks over the winter. Sadly, the hawk to rabbit ratio was not nearly high enough, and the rabbits did their usual damage, girdling all the forsythia and mowing down the raspberries among other insults. My estimate of the final score is rabbits 6, hawks 2, McFadden 0.<br />Last year I was able to start planting spring vegetables in late March. Given how wet the ground is (and how much wetter it is about to become), this year it may be June before the first seed is planted. Bah! <br /><br />Being as I am a 63-year-old ordained clergyperson, one might reasonably assume that I have cultivated rich gifts of wisdom and patience that enable me to place such minor inconveniences in proper perspective. I know, for example, that God is good and is present to us in all circumstances. I know that it is our relationships with others that give life joy and meaning. I know a lot more stuff like that. But I reserve my right to whine.Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11509881023832201989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986578179485371683.post-50785345179041753632011-03-30T09:44:00.000-06:002011-03-30T09:46:02.283-06:00News FatigueIs anyone else feeling overwhelmed by the effort to follow world events right now? I generally feel obligated to remain aware of current events, to have some understanding of them, and—at least on a good day—to hold an opinion about them. I confess that the largely peaceful revolution in Egypt, one of the most significant events of our young century, has pretty much slipped off my screen entirely. Libya is front and center right now, with a shifting cast of characters too complex for me to absorb. Gaddafi is clearly a bad guy, a very bad guy. The rebels are the good guys, unless they later prove not to be. The U.S. military played the limited (and highly effective) role promised and then, also as promised, pulled back and turned enforcement of the no-fly zone over to NATO. Which is dominated by the U.S. In a most encouraging sign, the Arab League is supporting this operation. Except when it isn’t. Some argue that the U.S. took too active a role; others insist that we need to “finish the job” by deposing Gaddafi. And all of this is changing hour by hour.<br /><br />That does not leave much time or energy to focus on what is happening in Yemen, Syria, or the other nations where pro-democracy forces are challenging entrenched power, because I also need to pay attention to what is happening in Japan. And earthquake so powerful that my imagination can barely grasp it, followed by a tsunami of incredible destructive force. Many lives lost, others profoundly disrupted. A Japanese economy that may require years to recover, sending ripples around the globe. Crippled nuclear reactors are leaking radioactivity in a tense drama that has skittish people in the American Midwest popping iodine pills. The future of nuclear energy is being passionately debated, with persuasive arguments being made on both sides of the issue. I will share my opinion if you wish, but it will likely be different tomorrow.<br /><br />These momentous events have pushed U.S. politics out of the headlines almost entirely, but Washington is rapidly approaching another impasse over the federal budget that this time, some pundits believe, may result in a government shut-down. That did not work out particularly well the last time it happened. And here in Wisconsin, the budget bill Governor Walker signed is now officially a law, unless it isn’t, so some municipalities are enforcing it and some are not. Chaotic and confusing? You bet. Democracy is always a messy affair, but in these divisive, contentious times, we appear to be teetering on the edge of complete dysfunction.<br /><br />I try to read two newspapers each day and read "The Economist" each week, as well as following events on the web and radio. It is beginning to feel like a full-time job, and not a particularly enjoyable or encouraging one. So I am grateful for the sports section, and the beginning of baseball season. The world may be crumbling around us, but if the Brewers can stay healthy, we have a real shot at the post-season this year. The snow will melt, the crocuses will bloom, and the umpire will bellow “Play Ball!” The substance of hope has been built on far less than this: God is good and all, somehow, will be well.Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11509881023832201989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986578179485371683.post-5884164422673509482011-03-16T13:14:00.005-06:002011-03-16T13:48:27.399-06:00Wisdom Born of Tragedy<span style="font-style:italic;">From time to time I share thoughts from others on this page. This is a portion of an essay that my friend <a href="http://debradeanmurphy.wordpress.com/">Debra Dean Murphy</a>, Assistant Professor of Religion at West Virginia Wesleyan College, wrote in the aftermath of the tragic earthquake and tsunami in Japan. </span><br /><br />“The indiscriminate destruction caused by earthquakes and tsunamis messes with our sense of cosmic justice. It shatters our romantic views of nature and of divinity–the silliness we often succumb to when we credit God with a beautiful sunset or a striking cloud formation. It silences, thankfully, if only for awhile, the bad theology of Everything Happens for a Reason. (That the Japanese are the only people to have suffered a nuclear attack and are now at grave risk for prolonged radiation contamination is a particularly cruel irony that ought to leave us in stunned silence.)<br /><br />This kind of “natural” devastation also reminds us of how little control we really have in this life, despite our considerable efforts to manage, contain, and forestall the unforeseeable. We know this in personal, intimate ways–a loved one stricken with cancer, say–but we seem so willing to buy into the lie that we can preempt disaster with our cleverness and moral resolve (and a few billion dollars).<br />A decade of rhetoric about “homeland security” has trained us to think that we can make our country safe from outside attack, that, indeed, we must value and pursue security above all else. Politicians routinely campaign on such ideas, counting on an edgy, fearful electorate to latch on to any promise to keep us from harm–no matter how dubious or contrived.<br /><br />But life is fragile, peace is always precarious, and the earth itself no respecter of persons or property. One gigantic wave and whole populations are decimated; one seismic shift and time itself is altered.<br /><br />If there’s a lesson in this most recent tragedy (and it’s generally a bad idea to go looking for one), it’s that humans exist in a complex, interdependent web of relations with each other and with a planet that is sometimes inhospitable to our habitation of it. It was as instructive as it was terrifying to anticipate and track the waves that washed up on the California coast as the tsunami made its inevitable way westward. What happened in Japan didn’t stay in Japan.<br /><br />Because corporations have written the dominant narrative of our time–that we exist to consume their products and that this is made possible by the easy flow of capital, goods, services, and labor across increasingly permeable borders, we might think that it is free market capitalism which binds us together, making us “one world.” But in fact the earthquake and tsunami have revealed our common humanity and common destiny, reminding us that we have always been linked to our neighbors near and far, and that consumerism won’t save us but acknowledging our mutual dependence and shared vulnerability just might.”Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11509881023832201989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986578179485371683.post-26067616446071315902011-03-02T10:31:00.001-06:002011-03-02T10:49:09.390-06:00Air Travel and High-Tech LuggageIn the coming months, Susan and I hope to have many speaking opportunities based upon our soon-to-be-published book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Aging-Together-Friendship-Flourishing-Communities/dp/0801899869/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1293741792&sr=1-1">Aging Together: Dementia, Friendship and Flourishing Communities</a>, which means that we will be living the life of Road Warriors. This is fine if the speaking engagement is in a place close enough to drive to, but air travel will be a part of the picture, and air travel has become increasingly unpleasant and uncertain. For example, we have an upcoming workshop in Quincy, Illinois. If you are flying from Appleton to Quincy, there is but one sequence of three flights that will get you there the same day, which leaves a lot of room for things to go wrong. Even though the sponsoring organization will pay travel costs, I have been hesitant to book the flights, thinking it might be safer, even faster, to drive. <br /> <br />It was pondering this next phase of life that set me to studying our luggage this past weekend. We own three suitcases: Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bear. Of the bear family, only Baby qualifies as a carry-on, and on smaller planes “carry-on” now means “plane-side check.” Which is why I have tended to use my duffel bag for travel whenever possible: I have never met the overhead bin it could not be stuffed into. Susan also has a duffel bag, which unlike mine is not held together with duct tape. Duffels are great when you need to run from one end of an airport to the other (if you don’t mind having your belongings crash into your hip with each step), but a contemporary carry-on with clever wheels and a handle has virtues of its own. We decided to venture out to see what options we might find in luggage departments.<br /><br />We quickly found what seemed to be the perfect carry-on for our needs. It was reasonably priced. It appeared to be rugged and featured a clever padded compartment for a laptop that permits easy access for going through airport security. It appeared perfect until we actually opened it: between the framework for the handle and the laptop compartment, there was only enough room left inside for two pairs of underwear and a clean set of socks. Yes, we have reached the point where luggage has become so clever that it no longer works as luggage. We examined a bewildering range of carry-ons, some with as many as eight wheels spinning in various directions. In the end we purchased a duffel bag. I tossed my beloved duct-taped bag into the trash and donated Papa Bear to Goodwill (I cannot imagine ever checking a suitcase again for a trip shorter than a week). Even with our aging bodies, we will be tossing duffel bags over our shoulders for all trips that feature tight schedules.<br /><br />Overall I believe that technological advancement is a good thing. I also grudgingly admit that air travel works remarkably well most of the time. But if I really need to be someplace the same day and it is less than 500 miles away, tossing the duffels in the back of the car makes a lot of sense. I am willing to buy my own peanuts.Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11509881023832201989noreply@blogger.com3