Red Corner: Tracking Vietnam Lovers

by Neil Woodburn on

It’s always a great thing when travel and literature intersect. I’ve often sought out locations from books I enjoy while traveling through the cities in which they take place. After reading the amazing Master and Margarita, for example, it was a great joy to visit Patriarch’s Pond in Moscow where the beginning of the book occurs.

It was therefore with great interest that I came across an article in The New York Times in which journalist Matt Gross “retraces the narrative” of one of his favorite books; The Lover, by Marguerite Duras.

Duras was a French woman who grew up in the first half of the 20th century in Vietnam while it was under French control. As a teenager she fell in love with a wealthy Chinese businessman who was nearly twice her age. The Lover is a story of their illicit romance.

I’ve never read the book, in fact I’ve never even heard of it before, but Gross’s adventure tracking the storyline with the help of an old 1953 map book featuring original French street names is rather compelling. Surprisingly, he finds that not much has changed since the lovers first met in 1929; the romance of Indochina apparently lives on.

Red Corner: Bushby on the Move

by Neil Woodburn on

Good news for Karl Bushby. The British adventure arrested last month for illegally entering Russia while attempting an around-the-world walk has had his deportation ruling reversed and can continue on his way.

Things were looking glum for Bushby until Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich stepped in to help. Abramovich is actually governor of the region in which Bushby was arrested but claimed he had no power over the ruling seeing as Bushby broke a federal, not state law. Nonetheless, Abramovich who lives in London and owns the Chelsea Football Club, apparently worked behind the scenes to help out the adventurer who can now begin his long walk across Siberia.

(Thanks BlottoOttoMan, for the tip on the recent ruling).

Red Corner: Belarus Bison

by Neil Woodburn on

There aren’t too many places left in this world where you can go back in time and observe how life was lived during the Soviet Union. Belarus, is one such place.

Run by a strong-armed dictator in much the same manner as his Soviet predecessors, Belarus remains a window into a fascinating period that should simply no longer exist.

Andrew Evans of The Times (UK) journeyed here recently to observe this phenomenon firsthand. He pens a short article but instead of dedicating it’s breadth to collective farms and KGB goons lurking about, Evans spends time praising the beauty of the country instead.

One of his more unexpected highlights is the Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park — a UNESCO World Heritage Site where a herd of European bison roam unhindered. Once nearly extinct, the bison population is now flourishing strongly in Belarus; much like old school communism itself.

Red Corner: Hungarian Wine, Unique and Enticing

by Neil Woodburn on

There are so many wonderful little wine regions throughout the former Soviet Empire which sadly remained anonymous to the West during communism and today, are only slightly becoming known. A few weeks ago we posted about the yummy wines of Georgia, the former Soviet Republic most famous for wine making during the USSR days. Today, we point you towards an utterly unique wine that comes from Hungary and which has attracted the attention of Travel & Leisure.

Like most of the other wine regions in the area, Hungary was once quite world famous for their vintage before falling on hard times. Perhaps the most heralded, Hungaricum, comes from a unique white grape grown only on the north shore of Hungary’s Lake Balaton.

Journalist Bruce Schoenfeld (who has written for Wine Spectator and it shows) recently traveled to Hungary’s most famous lake to speak with wine makers and imbibe the local specialty himself. The article is lengthy and fascinating and accomplishes two very important goals; it makes you want to travel and it makes you want to drink. I’ll leave you with a very insightful quote typical of what you will find in the engaging article.

“…another reason is Hungary’s cuisine: rich and heavy, spiced with paprika, utterly unsuited to bottlings in the ultra-ripe international style. Balaton’s wines cut through that spice and fat, refreshing the mouth with their bright acidity but also adding a measure of complexity that emanates from the strong minerality of the soil.”

Red Corner: Is L�dz� the New Krakow?

by Neil Woodburn on

Although I’ve never heard of Lódz´ Poland before, I was sucked into Travel & Leisure’s exposé of the town with the first sentence; “Imagine Kraków 20 years ago-and you’ve got Lódz´.” Well, I sure liked what I saw of Kraków 15 years ago, so Lódz´ certainly has my attention today.

Unfortunately, the article is far too short, but it does inform us that Lódz´ is just two hours from Warsaw and populated with “retro-kitschy restaurants and cool nightlife.” In addition, journalist Marie Hennechart gives us a few recommendations on where to find the best mushroom soup, cabbage and dumplings in the city.

Lódz´ also boasts the largest Jewish cemetery in Europe as well as the film school from where Roman Polanski graduated. But not much else is mentioned regarding tourist sites.

Hmmm. I want to learn more. Has anyone out there visited Lódz´ and can kick down some independent verification that it is indeed the new, up-and-coming Krakow? Do tell, please.