This Sister Cities International site is one I’ve been meaning to get around to for a while as I saw this cool book Peace Through People and thought it might make for a nice gift. The book is a limited edition from what I can tell. Created to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Sister Cities International the inside holds stories and photos from sister city members on the movement and how it has helped create 50 years of global citizenship. Anything that says global citizenship always seems honkey-dory to me, but check it out for yourself. The book is priced at $39.95.
Raining Forest
I haven’t spent very much time over at Google video, I have to admit. Seems like the site is in serious need of some better editing, since every time I go over there I end up sifting through gobs of crap. But there I was today, checking some things out and came across this decent piece about the Puerto Rican rainforest.
I am guessing that we’re going to start seeing a lot more interesting travel video on Google in the coming months/years. Already there is a fair amount, if you search travel when you go there. Some of the stuff now is just horrendous, so I’m kind of hoping that a much better rating system is developed to weed out the bad from the good, but for now, a quick search can make for some light lunchtime viewing.
23 Years Old and on the Road
Oh, to be 23, free and on the road. To be able to travel around the world…AND, get this…to have a newspaper pay for it? Or at least, have them publish regular articles while you travel. Such is the life right now of 23-year old Haley Edwards, a world-weary gal, apparently fresh (or near so) from college and sharing her thoughts about the world with others.
Now, I could make all sorts of nasty quips here about how youth is wasted on the young, but that would certainly be an expression of envy. Those of us who also traveled in our youth for long periods know that being on the road is about as healthy an experience as exists for mind body and spirit. So good for young Haley.
Let’s see where young Haley went:
Haley’s stated purpose is to go to places that scare her. That places her first and foremost in Egypt with a camel named Michael Jackson <insert poor-taste hump joke here>, and then on to Israel, Jordan Kashmir andIndia.
And so it goes. The pieces here (though I confess I didn’t read them all, are thoughtful enough for a 23-year old. Needless to say, for most of us the joy of reading them comes from the vicarious remembrance of our own past travels. We are glad for Haley, but we read and hope and wonder if we, too, will be able to set out upon the world again someday so free and innocent and hopeful.
Naw, I doubt it.
Last Hippie on Haight Street
Although a big chunk of Haight Street in San Francisco is now packed with tourists, yuppies and beggars, you can still find occasional treasures. If you can get past the cheesy hippie souvenir stores and grungy-gone-chic clothing boutiques, that is. Yes, and there is even a McDonald’s on one side and GAP smack in the middle. OK, so it is the original GAP, but still..
The Red Victorian is a small B&B at 1665 Haight Street, a part of the Peaceful World Inns, run by a sweet, entertaining lady named Sami Sunchild. She started this hippie hotel in order to create a “new alternative for corporate tourism” and it is fair to say she succeeded. You can choose from 17 unique rooms, such as the Summer of Love Room, the Flower Child Room, or the Peace Room. We recently stayed there and can definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for clean, quaint, and pretty affordable accommodation in SF.
Sami actually joins her quests for Breakfast Conversations, so if you are ready to discuss peace in the Middle East over your fair-trade latte, Sami will be all yours. Of course, if you have any good ideas on that topic, please get back to us. Peace out.
Real Fishermen–Carpe Diem
Neil’s post about goulash reminded me of another controversial Czech specialty – fried carp. Don’t make that disgusted face! Carp can actually taste good, if prepared properly.
Europe has a fascinating history of fish farming, or aquaculture, dating back to the Middle Ages. Historically, monasteries were the centers of the nascent fishing “industry,” and many ponds were created to feed members of the Church.
This tradition dates back to the 11th century, and spread throughout Europe. My home country, the Czech Republic, was one of the biggest fishing centers, sporting as many as 25,000 fish ponds by the 15th century.
The primary meal fish is, and has been, carp, but eel, pike, perch, and trout are also common–and tasty–fish “crops.”
The tradition continues to this day, but you’ll have to travel a little out of the way to see it in action. You’re not going to see these events on a tour bus or just sitting around in the city. No, you’re going to have to get out to the country, to a local fish farmer.
The most common, most efficient, method is to drain the lake to one end, and just scoop up net-fulls of thrashing fish. In Czech, we call it a “vylov” (pronounced “VEE-lof”). The modern method usually goes like this: men from the village are invited to come at 4am, warmly dressed, ready to get drunk, and get wet. Waders or tall waterproof boots are required. Big, burly men catch, separate, and weigh the fish, which are quickly put into holding tanks on big trucks–essentially aquariums on wheels. Water, fish, and body-warming slivovice (90+ proof clear plum brandy–preferably homemade) are sloshed around in a frenzy until the lake is emptied. The pace slows somewhat, as the slivovice kicks in, but it’s still a blur of activity. The day is capped off by a big feast for the participants, with, of course, delicious dishes made of fish: fish soup, smoked fish, and fried fish.
Once a tanker truck is full, it’s bound for markets all over Europe, or, at Christmas time, particularly in Germany and the former Eastern block, the fish end up in big barrels for purchase by families who can’t wait to put their carp in the bathtub, where they swim briefly before being prepared in the Christmas Eve dinner.
Unfortunately, the European Union’s ridiculous, burdensome regulations are killing local agriculture and aquaculture. Better get there soon, or it will all be gone.