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HAITI BEFORE THE EARTHQUAKE

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judithworks

on

January 26, 2013

Not too long before the terrible earthquake that struck Haiti I had occasion to visit on behalf of the United Nations. Now when I look back I see that Port-au-Prince was paradise compared with current conditions with the lack of housing, education and jobs, and the presence of cholera increasing the suffering resulting from their tragic history.

* * *

The airport in Port-au-Prince was a madhouse. Suitcases tied with string, plastic bags and cloth-wrapped bundles circled the conveyor belt.

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Africa The Gambia

THE GAMBIA

By
judithworks

on

January 1, 2013

The mellow sound of a marimba and harp-like kora welcomed us to Banjul, the capital of The Gambia. It was a Friday in this heavily Moslem country. Prayers were finishing at mosques, which despite being in abundance, were insufficient in size so that even gas stations were used for worshippers. Later, streets and walkways were filled with men walking home with rolled up prayer mats under their arms while holding on to their little boys’ hands.

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Italy Venice

BE READY FOR GOOD FORTUNE

By
judithworks

on

December 13, 2012

A Guest Post by fellow traveler, Janette Turner:

One summer I traveled to Italy with my husband’s business school and set out on a side trip to Venice. My companion was another wife amusing herself while her spouse was in class. As I sat in the back seat of a student’s rental car next to Barb, she revealed why all the other wives had gone off without us.

“Slow down!” said Barb every few minutes, even though the young driver was motoring in the right lane, letting cars pass.… Read more

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Alto Adige Bolzano Italy Mummies Otzi

THE ICE MAN

By
judithworks

on

November 28, 2012

It was disturbing to gaze into the vacant eyes of a 5500-year-old man who could possibly be one of my most distant ancestors.

Otzi, as he is known after the location where he turned up, is sleeping in the northern Italian city of Bolzano between Verona and the Brenner Pass. But Otzi doesn’t rest in peace because he was a murder victim in a case that will never be solved, and because some scientist or another is always wanting to study him or check on his health.

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cruisng Kamchatka Petropavlesk Russia Sled Dogs

GOING TO THE DOGS

By
judithworks

on

November 1, 2012

It was a long way to travel to see sled dogs – well, I admit that it wasn’t the only reason for the trip but it was one of the more interesting stops along the way.

We left Kodiak Island in a huge storm with an ocean-going tug escorting us because of jagged rocks so close to the ship I felt we could have stepped off for a hike if we were feeling foolhardy.

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Galata Bridge Golden Horn Istanbul Restaurants in Istanbul Turkey

WHERE THE GOLDEN HORN MEETS THE BOSPHORUS

By
judithworks

on

October 17, 2012

Guest post from David Joslyn:

Finding the Galata Bridge on your first visit to Istanbul is like discovering the center of the universe, where dozens of cargo barges, huge water taxis and tourist cruise ships crisscross the golden Horn that flows under it in a never ending mish mass of maritime movement, a constant flow of ocean vessels visible in the distance carrying oil and grain, sharing the narrow Bosphorus passage with naval ships of all sizes as they move from the Mediterranean through the Sea of Marmara to the Black Sea and back.

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Africa Cape Coast Castle Elmina Ghana Slavery St. George's Castle

THE GOLD COAST

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judithworks

on

October 9, 2012

This old drawing doesn’t show the the Gold Coast in Australia, Long Island or Florida. It depicts Cape Coast Castle on the Gold Coast in Ghana. The gold that gave its name to the Ghanaian coastline wasn’t only the shiny metal from the African hinterland. After the establishment of plantations in the New World it was the money earned from the trade in slaves who supplied the labor that made the plantations of coffee and sugar cane so obscenely profitable.

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Iceland

AN ICELANDIC GARDEN

By
judithworks

on

September 26, 2012

We set out from the small port town of Isafjordur on Iceland’s northwest coast, just below the Arctic Circle. The sun was out; the glaciers were sparkling, white against black. Waterfalls gushed down the steep hillsides. As we moved inland an amazing sight came into view – vast spills of purple lupines covered the grassy hillsides. The flowers are an invasive species but one that created dreamy vistas in all directions.

We were on tour that took us on a visit to what must be one of the more northerly gardens in the world: Skrudur, the first Icelandic botanical garden.

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Bali cruising Oman Taj Mahal

Floating Into Retirement

By
judithworks

on

September 6, 2012

The countess was drunk again, floating motionless on her back in the warm water of the ship’s swimming pool. Wrinkled, thin and heavy with jewelry, she seemed to have an ability to remain afloat instead of sinking as the weight of her jewels would dictate. We watched her while awaiting the crew members who would haul her out on a nightly basis. During her more sober day the poor countess, who had recently suffered the theft of other jewelry from her chateau, was comforted by an Indian woman who lived in Florida.… Read more

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Copenhagen Stroget

STROLLING ON THE STROGET

By
judithworks

on

August 19, 2012

The Strøget is the longest shopping street in Europe and a delightful place to spend a sunny afternoon peering in the show windows, sipping coffee and smiling at the active street scene.

This visit I started from the Radhaus, the city hall, with its strange fountain depicting a dragon and bull furiously fighting. It stands on the side nearest Tivoli Gardens. A Viking duo eternally blowing their horns are perched far up on a pillar on the other side of the building.

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