Gabcast! Testing #2

Since I don’t keep an official journal, I thought this would be as good a place as any to note that Selma lost her first tooth (front, bottom right) on Friday, December 26, 2008 at approximately 11:00 A.M.

Look, ma, no tooth!

I decided that I should pay tribute (or at least give a shameless plug) to our gracious culinary provider, Mimoza Restaurant, located at Branitelja Dubrovnika 9. The restaurant manager, Mr. Ivo Ogresta, was kind enough to cut the Yale Summer Session a deal providing three course lunch and dinner menus (salad, entree and dessert) plus a drink. The close proximity to the IUC made it convenient for the students.

The layout of the restaurant is pretty unique as it lies down a flight of stairs from the street to which you enter into a two-tier grand room. The upper tier has about 10 or so tables with formal place settings, while the lower tier offers padded covered benches providing seating for six at the picnic style tables. Mimoza is set up to handle large parties, especially tour groups with its plentiful seating. Best of all, there was enough room from our kids to run around without running into the wait staff. Part of its charm is the vine covered ceiling. Being that the roof is Plexiglas, the vegetation provides shade from the sweltering sun while the removable windows allow for a nice breeze to subsidize the ceiling fans.

Although the meals tend to be reciprocal on a seven day schedule, I personally have not had any complaints with the cuisine. Being on the Dalmatian coast you might assume that fish would be the meal of choice; well you are correct with fish fillet offered several times a week. Even on Wednesday pizza night, the choices are either capricciosa (ham/cheese) or seafood (mussels/calamari). Of course other meat dishes were offered, the lignja (squid) was always a delight and the refreshing Greek salad was spot-on.

We were also treated to Monday, Wednesday and Friday entertainment. Originally there was a traditional Croatian trio that played folk music, but due to a contract dispute, Ivo “the guitar man” took their place playing a soft. classic-rock set (including Eric Clapton’s Leyla). On occasion, a traditional folklore dance troupe would perform accompanied by a lijerica.

Deep appreciation must be given to the head waiter, Andro (last name unknown), who put up with all of our requests (even take-out) and was always on his best professional behavior (despite the occasional rolling of the eyes). The rest of the wait staff was accommodating and they too must be given thanks.

During our stay here in Dubrovnik, we have befriended a family from Zagreb we met on the beach: Damil and Zorka Kalogjera and their two daughters Vida (age 6) and Gaja (age 2).  Since our daughters are the same age, it only seems fitting we would have a lot in common (especially running after out two-year-olds when they are in precarious places).  It turns out that Damil is the official photographer for the Dubrovnik Summer Festival which means he photographs each nightly event.  It also means he knows event organizers.  One evening over coffee at a local cafe in  Stari Grad (Old City), we got talking about the festival and Damil asked if we planned to attend any of the events.  We said no because of the kids and, quite frankly, we really didn’t know who was performing.  At that, Damil pulled out a schedule and asked if we might be interested in anything.  Straight away, my eye caught the Friday night concert; classical guitarist John Williams and jazz fusion guitarist John Etheridge

Having studied classical guitar briefly in high school, I was very familiar with John Williams as one of the premiere classical guitarist of the day and was very excited at the opportunity to attend his concert.  Damil came through and handed us the tickets on Friday afternoon over coffee.  So that night, Jasmina and I made arrangements for a babysitter and were off to the Revelin Fortress.

Originally to be on the roof of the 16th century fortress, the venue was forced inside due to rain which caused about a 30 minute delay since equipment and chairs needed to be moved.  Although we did not have the chance to listen to the music under the stars, the fortress wall acoustics and high arched ceiling more than surfeit the experience.

Not knowing what to expect from such two different musical styles, I found myself very impressed with the way they accompanied each other, especially the African compositions the duo performed, including “Malinke Guitars.”  One of the more lively pieces, “Sangara“, exemplifies how Williams held the harmony, while Etheridge carried the melody with jazzy runs.  After the intermission, each performed solos beginning with Etheridge who played a rendition of “Stormy Weather” (Arlen) and “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” (Mingus).  Williams played a couple South American pieces, including “La Ultima Cancion” (Barrios) and Tarrega’s (in my opinion) masterpiece, “Recuerdos de la Alhambra” without error.

To see Williams play was a thrill; such a virtuoso.  I was extremely impressed with the fluidity of his playing as he perched in the classical guitar sitting position – guitar nestled in his lap like a babe in mother’s arms with the left leg propped on the folding stool.  It was truly awe inspiring the way his plucking hand remained still, yet his fingers were in continual “rapid fire” mode. Mind you, Etheridge is no slouch either using both acoustic and electric guitars interchangeably during the concert as well as both plectrum and finger picking to create the right affect.  The program even states that Eric Clapton paid him a compliment by saying: “You’re not a great blues player, but you are a great guitarist.”

The duet ended the night with Ethridge’s “Places Between” (which I mistakenly thought to be Rodgers’ “Favorite Things” from “Sound of Music”) and part 2 & 3 of “Peace, Love and Guitars” by Benjamin Verdery which totaled more than 10 minutes.  Unfortunately, one of the plastic patio chairs used for the audience snapped (presumable because of weight) during the last song which was somewhat of a disruption as both Johns glanced in the area of the incident and at each other in bewilderment, but continued without missing a note.  Apparently, the plastic chairs were used due to the staff having to scramble for last minute indoor seating (luckily, Jasmina and I were on the wooden chairs).  Damil told me the next day that three chairs actually broke during the night (I think I heard one during the intermission) and that someone’s head was going to roll.  Ouch!

After an encore piece by the duo encouraged from the audience’s resounding applause, my lady and I were off for home, discussing our thoughs of the concert as we passed through the Old City with gutiar melodies dancing in our heads.  Such a cool night that shant be forgotten anytime soon.

So I thought it would be good to explain where we are staying while in Dubrovnik.  The apartment is called House Pile and the address is: Svetog Đurđa 16, Dubrovnik, Hrvatska The apartment is literally a stone’s throw from the Adriatic and a two minute walk to the Old City gate entrance.

House Pile

We swim nearly everyday at a local (fairly secluded) beach called the Bay of Kolačine which is about a five minute walk and is perfect for the kids.  The cove, stone-covered beach offers shallow water, a shower to rinse off, and enough shade or sun depending upon your preference.  We are also protected with the walls of Fort Lovrjenac (or Lovrijenac) which also provides a nice backdrop.

It really is an ideal vacation spot especially for relaxing.

The day after arriving to Dubrovnik, my wife and I were up at 6:15 (Sunday, July 13) to leave on a two-day excursion to Bosnia and Herzegovina which included three cities: Sarajevo, Mostar and Stolac.  The excursion was one of several planned events for the Yale summer session students studying in Dubrovnik.  Having myself never been to any of the cities I was very excited to tour them, especially with Yale history professor, Ivo Banac, as our guide.  Our first stop by way of bus was Sarajevo which is about 450 Km.

I suppose a border crossing should be fairly uneventful, but ours lasted about 35 minutes.  Mind you, we were entering Bosnia and Herzegovina at Trebinje which is located in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia where feelings of hatred still run deep between the three main ethnic groups.  I can only image what it must have been like during the conflict.  Still, we’re 15 students (Yale students at that which was all explained on a document given to the patrol guard), plus Professor Banac, my wife and myself, but the show of authority in this case was a bit absurd.  A couple of the more memorable moments was when the check-point guard asked Prof. Banac if Yale was located in Dubrovnik or Zagreb and when a guard inquired which student (to be nameless) left a 10 Euro bill in his passport, perhaps indicating a bribe.

After checking each under-carriage compartment and verifying that the fire extinguisher had not expired, we were off…  Well almost.  The bus driver neglected to take the passenger list from the guard and remembered about five minutes after leaving the post.  The list is important, because it accounted for everyone on the bus and the exact same number of people needed to be accounted for on our return.  After finding a “safe” place to turn around on the jagged hill-side we retrieved the document and were finally headed for Sarajevo.

According to our calculations, the trip should have taken about four hours, but because of our unexpected delay and and inexperienced driver (he was literally asking us for directions), we arrived in just over six hours.  Our first order of business was to check into the Hotel Bosnia.  I must tell you that the interior must have looked exactly the same during the 1984 Winter Olympics.  Despite it’s convenience to the city, there were several complaints, including cockroaches, broken window blinds, and non-functional shower fixtures.  To be honest, however, these are the things that make a trip memorable.

Our next order of business was lunch at Asdz restaurant which was about a 15 minute walk from our hotel.  The meal consisted of traditional Bosnian dishes and, of course, Turkish coffee with dessert.  After gorging ourselves on Bosnian cuisine, we walked to the International Forum Bosnia where we where hosted graciously by Rusmir Mahmutćehajić for a brief presentation about his organization and the current status of Bosnia in regards to human right violations today.

We were then off to see the city, first stopping to see the location where Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated which triggered the beginning of WWI.  After passing through the old market place (Baščaršija) we came upon one of the most famous mosques in Bosnia called the Gazi-Husrev Begova Mosque built in the 16th century, which was ravaged during the war but has fortunately been reconstructed.  Wounds of the war were still present on building walls, although somewhat camouflaged with the new construction.

The day ended with dinner on a hill-side restaurant looking over the city called Sedem Suma (Seven Forests) where we were served lamb from the spit, burek, ustipci and kajmak.  What’s more, the owner even serenaded the group while accompanied by a two-man band (guitar and accordion).  Dean “B” couldn’t help herself but to sing along with the Bosnian folk songs.  A nice way to end the day.

Monday, began with breakfast in the Hotel Bosnia lounge and then off for a quick errand to buy some souvenirs before the bus departed at 9:30 for Mostar.  Of course it was not before 10:00 that we actually left the city due to a gas stop and getting directions.  The ride to Mostar was fairly melancholic with most catching up on sleep.

Upon reaching Mostar, the recent war was very obvious just driving through the city.  The number of buildings still in ruins (at least on the Eastern side, or Bosnian Muslim side) was tremendous.  A good example is the Cultural Center that still stands vacant with broken windows and mortal shell remnants.  Even in front of one of the Franciscan Church bell tower(a bit outrageous in an of itself) wall where the bus parked was evidence of the mortar fire.  These ruined building really struck a chord and I think really gave me (an probably the rest of the group) a true sense of destruction that occurred here.

The main attraction in Mostar is, of course, Stari Most or Old Bridge, which we made a beeline for upon parking.  The walk was about a half mile to the bridge and was quite a magnificent sight.  The other impression left on me was the craftsmanship of the bridge reconstruction.  It was even more evident after watching a video of the actual destruction of the bridge at the Old Bridge Museum.  Mind you, it took several days for the total collapse of the Stari Most.  What’s more, the reconstruction was done using the same method as the original bridge, i.e., no concrete.  The blocks are held together with clasps and spikes; amazing!  In case anyone is wondering, about ten percent of the original stones were used in the reconstruction.  One silver lining of the bridge destruction, was the discovery of the first wooden bridge remains built in Medieval times that had been lost in history.  The archeological dig of the original bridge footings can be seen by touring the Old Bridge Museum.

The last leg of the trip was to the town of Stolac which has come to be known as one of the more successful towns in terms of resettlement of displaced refugees.  Touted by the Croats as an “ethnically cleansed” town during the war, the high resurgence of Bosnian Muslims after the war has been overwhelming in claiming back their property.  It has not been an easy process, however, as discrimination, segregation, torment and cultural symbolism is still very prevalent.  One example is how the Muslim elementary school children are required to enter the school building through the back door, while the Croat children enter through the front door. Another is how flag poles sporting the Croatian flag have been erected atop Muslim grave sites and how large stone crosses look over the city on a mountain top as a sign of Croatian dominance in which local Croat political officials and Catholic Church officials hide behind the Catholic religion as a way to preserve the symbol’s existence.

These atrocities are being addressed by the Youth Forum Stolac Organization which is headed by Narim Dizdar.  The 80 member, multi-ethnic human rights group has been responsible for calling-out such wrong-doings and bringing attention to the international community.  Hats off to Mr. Dizdar and his fight for justice in the area.

After getting some background of Stolac and the Youth Forum Stolac from Narim Dizdar at a local restaurant, our first stop in the town consisted of a tour of the reconstructed Čaršija Mosque which as been painstakingly rebuilt to its original form.  This was done in order to not only keep with tradition, but also not to provoke the oppressors in any way, i.e., even to their advantage.  The last stop of the day was to visit Rusmir Mahmutćehajić’s house that has also be reconstructed and now serves as a museum to show a tratitional Bosnian Muslim house.

All-in-all it was a short, fast trip with a lot to take in, but I was very glad that I had the opportunity to see such places that I probably would never visited on my own.  With a country steeped in so much history it was even more meaningful to have a renowned Yale history professor tour us, but what’s more, we should never forget the most recent war that ravaged the region and the human right violations that occurred.  Luckily there are human right groups that continue fighting injustices that still prevail; food for thought.

Please visit this page for pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/trumbulldean

With the exception of a slight delay taking off from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport (after a five hour lay-over, what’s another 20 minutes), the trip was fairly uneventful.  I think the most excitement I had was when the Connecticut Limo driver passed a Statie on 91 en route to Bradley.  Here are some photos I took along the way.

To be honest, the main reason I started this weblog was to document my summer trip to Croatia; an on-line journal if you will. I take off tomorrow, Friday, July 11, 2008 from Hartfod, CT and arrive in Dubrovnik, Croatia the next day (time changes are a b*&%). I cannot guarantee that I will be able to blog everyday, but hopefully a few times a week with updates and photos.

That said, my first order of business is to post my itenerary:

TO:

FROM:

One day I got thinking about all the toys I played with growing up in the 1970’s and early 80’s and thought it might be fun to put together a photo archive collection to reminisce (I must credit Ebay sellers for most of the pictures). Below is my toy list with a brief description. I did not include all the toys I ever owned, e.g., the Star Wars action figures, Hot Wheel and Matchbox cars and plastic army men, but these are the ones that really did give me tons of fun. Looking at the list, it appears I was a bit spoiled. There are still a few pictures I am looking for to complete the list (my yellow, banana seat, Schwinn bike and AFX slotted car track) and hope to find them soon. Enjoy.

Adventure People Parachute: I probably spent more time retrieving the toy from trees, but boy did it work great. I would also use my other action figures (e.g., Han Solo) in place of the dare-devil figure.	Adventure People Parachute
Air Jammer: This was a great concept toy.  It would get its power from compressed air that was injected into the air tank via a pump. It did have some go and it was very rugged. No matter how many times I drove it off a set of concrete stairs it never broke.	Air Jammer
Mattel Big Wheel: I think I got my first Big Wheel in about 1974 or 1975. This was the bomb; a boys tricycle on HGH. My friends and I had Big Wheel gangs and we would drive our neighbors on our block absolutely crazy racing up and down the sidewalk with those hollow plastic wheels. Of course the neighbors would have there revenge when the front wheel would go “flat” from one too many spin-outs.	Big Wheel
Evel Knievel Dragster: When Evel was at the height of his career, he had his own set of wind-up toys. Most kids, I recall, got the motorcycle, but for my 6th birthday in 1977 I got the dragster. Unlike the motorcycle that would typically wobble off the winder and crash a few feet from take-off (although this may have brought about a more realistic feel), I actually preferred the car to the motorcycle because of its stability. The chute was an added bonus, but mine would just get tangled up.	Evel Knievel Dragster
Erector Set: I can unequivocally state that my tool skills were much improved by buliding these metal structures. What’s more, since this set had a motor, I was also introduced into the world of electrical engineering. I recall the windmill and car were my favorites to construct.	Erector Set
Lego Police Headquarters: This was my first Lego set. I received it for Christmas one year and remember for the next hour following the step-by-step instructions putting this thing together. To be honest, I think that was the only time I made the headquarters. Thereafter, imagination took over.	Lego Police Headquarters
Lincoln Logs: Probably got these when I was about four and loved them. The roof was always the trickiest part as to not knock off the green planks, but undoubtedly, I would accidentally end up knocking over the whole thing. The logs would later become great for use with my Star Wars action figures – create a fortress, set the figures inside and have at it with rubber bands trying to either knock down Vader or the structure itself. Hours of fun!	Lincoln Logs
LiteBright: Was fun until all the paper templates were used up.	Lite Brite
Football Toy Box: This was where my toys were kept (it was also a great hiding place).	Football Toybox
Nerf Football: Look Ma, no broken windows! The only drag about the Nerf is that it would take a day to dry out when landing in a puddle. A bonus is that the original was orange; Denver Bronco color.
Six Million Dollar Man Action Figure: In his day, Steve Austin was the man!!! I think I got my first experience with anatomy by rolling up the skin on his arm to reveal the bionics. Other features were the glass eye and ratchet arm. The red jump suit had to be a turn-on for the Bionic Woman.	Six Million Dollar Man
Darth Vader 12″ Action Figure: I recall that I wanted the 12″ Han Solo figure for Christmas that year, but “Santa” was clean out, so I had to settle on Darth. The removable life sabre (which broke) and cloth cape (got lost) were an added bonus. The only problem with Darth (and R2, see below) is that they were not as portable as the 3″ action figures.	12 inch Darth Vader
R2D2 7.5″ Action Figure: I think I got R2 D2 my birthday after I received the 12″ Darth (my birthday is in January). I liked R2 more than Darth (I mean who can hate a sassy robot) because he could roll, his head turned 360 degrees and he had a secret compartment holding the Death Star plans in back that would open by pressing a button on his front. Way cool!	7.5 inch R2 D2
Sucker Man: Such a novelty toy, but would drive my mother crazy throwing it against the sliding glass door. Boy, would Sucker Man leave his mark.	Sucker Man
Super Toe – Super Jock Football: I can’t tell you how much fun I had with this toy. You pressed (or should I say, slammed) his head which made his leg thrust out. The idea was to kick the plastic footballs (hard plastic, mind you, so it was important to stand clear) though the goal post. It came with a spinner labeled with “yards” that corresponded to the measuring tape that was to be laid down for distance. So if you spun a 50, you had to set Super Toe next to the 50 “yard” mark and try to make the field goal. My friends and I would abandon the spinner and just see how far back we could make a goal. After about an hour of playing our hands would turn blue with pain.	Super Toe
Tinker Toys: The analog version of the Erector Set. I am really surprised I didn’t become a structural engineer with all the building toys I had.	Tinker Toys
Tonka Dump Truck: The best outside toy I had. Tough as nails and big enough for me to ride in.	Tonka Dump Truck
Rough Rider Lunch Box: I think most kids of my generation had a metal lunch box. This was mine.	Rough Riders Lunch Box
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