TravelWorld International Magazine Fall 2016 by TravelWorld International

Iguazu National Park Argentina

travel world FALL 2016

I N T E R N AT I O N A L M A G A Z I N E

Four Faces of Argentina The Ultimate Safari Accessible Austria Savor Northern Ireland Bran Castle, Romania On the Whisky Trail

From Roots to Soup, Israel Elkhart Lake Retreat, Wisconsin Spirited Away to Totorri Japan Exploring the Cherohala Skyway Fantasy Road Trip, Poker Odessy The Magazine Written by North American Travel Journalists Association Members

TravelWorld International Magazine

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR This issue of TravelWorld International demonstrates beyond question why the North American Travel Journalists Association. is so outstanding— its members are the best writers, photographers and creative people focusing on travel on the planet. No exaggeration.

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travel world FALL 2016

I N T E R N AT I O N A L M A G A Z I N E

6 Four Faces of Argentina

Story & Photos by Jennifer Crites

18 Accessible Austria

Story by Peter Rose, Photos by Peter & Hedy Rose

29 The Ultimate Safari

Story & Photos by Linda Ballou

34 Savor Northern Ireland

Story & Photos by Deborah Stone

40 Bran Castle, Romania

Story & Photos by Anda Galffy

travel world

FALL 2016

I N T E R N AT I O N A L M A G A Z I N E

47 On the Whisky Trail

Story & Photos by Peter Mandel

52 Lakeside Retreat (Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin)

Story & Photos by Donna Adinolfi

56 From Roots to Soup, Israel

Story & Photos by Kristin Winet

60 Spirited Away to Totorri, Japan

Story & Photos by Daniele Auvray

65 Exploring the Cherohala Skyway

Story & Photos by Dale Dunlop

68 Fantasy Road Trip (A Poker Odessy)

Story by Howard Hian

Four Faces of Argentina IGUAZU BUENOS AIRES PATAGONIA SALTA Story & Photos by

Jennifer Crites

IGUAZU Mist soaked, we clung to the railing of the wooden platform, watching in awe as tons of water thundered over the horseshoe-shaped precipice and plummeted 350 feet down into the chasm of Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat) on the Argentina side of Iguazu National Park. “Poor Niagra,” Eleanor Roosevelt said when visiting Iguazu. The American/Canadian falls is no match for the massive flow that is Iguazu—275 individual falls coalescing into a massive 1.67-mile-wide panorama of water that, during the rainy months, pumps as much as 450,000 cubic feet—enough to fill five Olympic swimming pools every second—into the river basin that borders Argentina and Brazil.

A toucan at Iguazu

“Be the first ones there,” we’d been told, “or you’ll be looking at the backs of heads.” So we climbed aboard the park’s first scheduled train, disembarked at its terminus, and race walked two-thirds of a mile along a wooden walkway that spanned forest and river until we got to the platform and the stunning view before us. Even though Gargenta del Diablo is the jewel in Iguazu’s crown, the park is not without many other splendors. An Upper-Falls trail takes you on a sightseeing tour of the rest of the falls, while the Lower Falls trail offers a different perspective. And like Niagra, visitors can opt for a raincoat-essential speedboat tour—an Argentine Maid of the Mist, if you will—that actually goes under the falls. There’s also an abundance of hiking trails where you can spot the local fauna, including an array of birds, butterflies, monkeys, giant lizards with forked tongues, and cute coatimundis—one of which we found begging for food at the train station. The monkeys hang out around restrooms where they also beg for (and sometimes steal) food, so watch your sandwiches and fruit.

A cute coatimundi at Iguazu Falls

Iguazu National Park Train

Iguazu Park sign

Powerboat Ride in the Iguazu river below the falls Giant lizard at Iguazu

Chicken and potatoes dinner at an Iguazu restaurant

Iguazu National Park Argentina

Obelisk at the center of Avenue 9 de Julio, Buenos Aires

BUENOS AIRES Most visitors to Argentina start in the capital city of Buenos Aires—a cosmopolitan metropolis comprised of 48 barrios or neighborhoods. From our hotel near immense Galerias Pacifico shopping center we were able to explore on foot, easily finding the grand Avenue 9 de Julio and its distinctive obelisk, visiting Casa Rosada (the presidential palace and site of Eva Peron’s speech), and touring the exquisite Teatro Colon theater. One day we unexpectedly came across a Gaucho Days celebration featuring a folk band perched on a balcony, and costumed dancers whirling in the street below. Looking forward to seeing gauchos, we had scheduled our trip for early November to coincide with the country’s largest gaucho parade in the town of San Antonio de Areco— about seventy miles north of Buenos Aires. It’s possible to take a bus, but we opted for a one-day guided tour to this special event. On the way there, we learned that the parade had been cancelled because of an approaching storm. But the weather turned out to be picture perfect, so we visited leather-working, woolweaving and silver shops as well as a gaucho cafe. Afterwards, our guide drove us to a nearby estancia (ranch) for lunch—meat, meat, and more meat in typical Argentine fashion. We were also treated to a short horseback (or carriage if you preferred) ride and two gaucho horsemanship demonstrations. Despite missing the parade, I gave the excursion five stars.

Chandelier-festooned hallway at Teatro Colon

Teatro Colon’s cavernous interior and stage All types of dance are celebrated in Buenos Aires

A gaucho demonstrates a follow-horse method of roundup at a San Antonio de Areco ranch Folk dancers at a Gaucho Days celebration, Buenos Aires

A gaucho demonstrates the trust between horse and rider

Leather shop in San Antonio de Areco

A gaucho serves a plate of sausages at the San Antonio de Areco ranch

A goucho demonstrates the trust between horse and rider at a San Antonio de Areco ranch

BUENOS AIRES (Cont’d.)

Colorful corregated houses in La Boca barrio

Mannequins represent colorful Argentine figures in La Boca barrio

Back in Buenos Aires, we hopped on the subway and exited at trendy barrio Palermo, where, before enjoying a café lunch, we strolled through the zoo and wandered around two parks—Jardin Botanico and Palermo Lakes— where locals come on weekends to jog, picnic, in-line skate and ride pedal boats. Another barrio, La Boca, was on our must-see list. Famous for its tango cafes, colorful buildings made of cast-off shipbuilding materials, and the city’s favorite-son soccer team— the Boca Juniors—La Boca (the mouth, in Spanish), at the mouth of the Riachuelo River, was first settled by shipbuilding and dockworker immigrants from Europe. We’d heard there might be a crime element there, so we elected to go with a local guide. The tourist section of the barrio—Caminito— appeared more kitschy than criminal, and we had a great time wandering through artists’ studios and souvenir shops, listening to musicians, and, yes, watching tango dancers on café stages.

Cafe band in La Boca barrio

Insert your faces here for a photo as tango dancers

Cafe tango dancers, La Boca barrio

Casa Rosada (the presidential palace), Buenos Aires

Carriage Ride at Palermo Lakes, Buenos Aires

Paddle boats at Palermo Lakes, Buenos Aires

Soccer stadium in La Boca barrio

PATAGONIA

Dinosaur skeleton in the paleontological museum, Trelew

It was with reluctance we left the vibrant city life of Buenos Aires, but our next destination—Patagonia—awaited. At the airport city of Trelew, we rented a car and prepared to explore Argentina’s big-sky country, where guanacos (llama family), rheas (ostrich related), Patagonian hares, hawks and owls hang out on the sides of bumpy gravel roads, and mountains appear as miniscule dots on the flat land’s horizon. At Punto Tombo’s Magellanic penguin colony, hundreds of cheeky tuxedoclad birds waddled back and forth from their hillside ground nests to the ocean in search of food and play. A further excursion along the Peninsula Valdes coast took us to the seaside town of Puerto Piramides, where we boarded a boat to spy on southern right whales and check out lumbering elephant seals tussling in the surf or lazing on weathered sea rocks. Patagonia is Argentina’s dinosaur-bone repository. New skeletons are often discovered in this area, and some—like the gargantuan titanosaurus at 180,000 pounds—are displayed at Trelew’s fascinating paleontological museum. But our most surprising discovery occurred in the Welsh-settlement town of Gaiman, known for its tea houses. Completely by accident we stumbled upon the very event we’d missed in San Antonio de Areco—a gaucho parade. Dozens of gauchos, silver knives gleaming in the backs of their waistbands, rode, hat tipping and horse prancing, down the main street and past musicians on the review stand. Following the parade, costumed folk dancers and, of course, tango dancers performed in the street. After all that excitement, there was only one thing to do—enjoy a late lunch of sandwiches and sweets at a tea house.

Dinosaur diarama at the Trelew airport

A meal of lamb chops and potatoes in Patagonia

Patagonian residents include the guanaco, hare, owl and bighorn sheep

Penguins at Punto Tombo

Penguins enjoying their cove â&#x20AC;&#x153;beachâ&#x20AC;? at Punto Tombo

Rhea and Chicks along a Patagonia highway

Penguins in their burrow nests at Punto Tombo

Whale-watching boat and southern right whale at Peninsula Valdes

SALTA Considering the vastness and long driving distances in northern Argentina’s high desert region, we decided to sign on with Say Heuque tours and leave the driving to them. Our mustsee here: Salinas Grande, 2,300 square miles of salt flats, which is mined, not for table salt, but for sodium and potassium used in making soap, oven cleaners, and drain openers. The place is also a “gold mine” of lithium for batteries. To get there, we crossed high mountain passes, one topping an altitudesickness-inducing 13,400 feet.

Street murals are common in northern Argentina

Empanadas—a delicious deep-fried pastry roll filled with meat—are listed on the menus of most Argentine restaurants Handmade goods for sale are displayed on dried cacti

In addition to the salt flats, the high desert offered other unique experiences. We lunched on llama meat, drove through multi-colored mountains and a forest of cacti in Los Cardones National Park, visited a winery and historic pueblos along the highway, spotted a wild herd of vicuna whose wool is the finest in the world, and were treated to a mini concert in a towering rock crevice known as the Amphitheatre where three musicians played and a local tour group sang the country’s national anthem.

Handmade goods and art for sale at a desert-town shop LLamas carved from salt blocks in Salinas Grandes

Pueblo Church in Salta’s high desert region

The flight back to Miami was bittersweet, our fondness for Argentina cemented in memories of good food, music and dance; a vibrant culture; spectacular scenery; and friendly, welcoming people.

Handmade goods for sale at a roadside stand in the high desert

Vast expanse of dried salt in Salinas Grandes, Argentina’s great salt flats

Llama in Salta’s high desert

Mineral deposits created the seven-colored hills in Salta’s high-desert

Cacti and dramatic rock formations in Salta’s high desert

Mineral deposits make up the Seven-Colored hills surrounding the town of Purmamarca Salt at Salinas Grandes is mined in rectangular slices. The holes fill with salty water from the mountains and re-solidify

Cactus flower in Salta’s high desert

Dramatic rock formations along the road in Argentina’s high desert

The Amphitheatre rock formation

Main Square in Salzburg

ACCESSIBLE AUSTRIA Story by Peter I. Rose

Photos by Peter and Hedy Rose

If you have never been to Austria, here is a suggestion for an eight-day excursion that will give you a close-up introduction to a country rich in history and beauty with enough time to explore three very different cities. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll get to meet the people, visit a number of Austriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highly accessible sights and treasures and take in the spectacular scenery -- and also enjoy a variety of gastronomic and oenological specialties. We recommend starting in Salzburg and staying for two-three days and ending with three days in Vienna with two day-long stopovers in the city of Linz (overnighting there) and along the Wachau Valley, both straddling the storied Danube River. Schloss Leopoldskron and Festung, Salzburg

Iconic horses, Untersberg in background, Salzburg

Vienna fountain

SALZBURG Salzburg, a riverside city nestled against the foothills of the Bavarian Alps, was founded by Romans and built on the proceeds of a single commodity: salt. Today it is better known as the home of its favorite son, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the site of one of Europe’s best-known musical festivals, the place associated with the Von Trapp Family and the musical, “The Sound of Music” and, to some, the world’s best-selling energy drink, Red Bull. The city itself is a magical place of fairytale fortresses, chateaus and castles, hundreds of churches, monasteries and convents, handsome gardens, a world-renowned conservatory, new sculptures in almost every district, and wonderful vistas from within town or from the citadel that dominates the highest point in town or from the heights of the nearby mountain known as Untersberg.

Salzburg cityscape from river

It takes only a twenty-minute taxi ride from the city center to get to the base of the Untersberg where a cable car whisks riders to a high point on the mountain from which hikers can climb to the summit and in the winter season local skiers can take to the trails on the German side of this border range. For an additional treat, a half-day excursion to Salzkammergut, an area of lakes and mountains and charming villages within an hour of Salzburg is highly recommended. In many ways Salzburg is a small town writ large and a somewhat provincial one. With around 150,000 residents and an average of 5.5 millions visitors a year, it has one of the greatest local-to-tourist ratios of any place in Europe. Most Salzburgers are true natives, having been born and raised in the city or the surrounding area. Whether decked out in traditional trachten – the men in lederhosen, short jackets and alpine hats; the women in dirndls (and not just on festival days) – or in jeans and t-shirts, many visitors say Salzburgers are readily recognizable. They take particular pride in telling visitors about their hometown. Like the folks in many other tourist centers filled with souvenir shops, fancy stores, numerous restaurants and coffee houses and special attractions on whom much of the wealth of the community depends, patience and tolerance are de rigueur.

Salzkammergut Lake Country near Salzburg

People come to visit Salzburg to see the landmarks – the Festung Hohensalzburg, a fortress that dominates the highest point in the city; the Festspielhaus, home of the Salzburg Music Festival; Mozart’s birthplace and museum, and the Mirabell Gardens and also to pay visits to certain already-known venues such as the Schloss Leopoldskron, the palace used as the setting for the Hollywood selected home for the Von Trapp family. (They actually lived on the other side of town.) There are many places to stay in Salzburg ranging from elegant hotels in the central part of the city to firstclass B&Bs in charming settings (such as the Schloss Leopoldskron itself) to the very modern high-rise Eurohotel, located across from the train station and near to several fine restaurants such as the Imlauer, featuring the best in local cuisine. The Eurohotel can serve as a convenient, early morning jumping off point for the next phase of our suggested tour of Austria.

LINZ

In the center of Linz

Danube and northside of Linz

Only an hour by train from Salzburg is the city of Linz, the third largest in Austria.* Linz has its own claims to fame and its own distinguished native sons including Johannes Kepler and Anton Bruckner, both still celebrated for their accomplishments in science and music, respectively. Long dominated by a hilltop castle (which now houses the very modern Schlossmusuem), Linz like Salzburg, is a city of churches. Most famous are the 8th century Martinskirche (St. Martin’s), said to be the best preserved in all of Austria, and the nearby Neuer Dom (New Cathedral) constructed in the 1860s. Both are in the old town just below the castle and very near the bustling town square. Linz’s modern Danube-side Lentos museum of modern art, Ars Electronic Center and museum of media art, its botanical garden, and a ride on the tram that runs to the highest point in the area providing great views of the city and the river are not to be missed. There are many other activities for locals and tourists, including boat rides on the Danube and bicycle trips along its banks.

Quite different from the cultural and natural attractions is a huge industrial plant known as the Voestalpine Stahlwelt (Steel World). It is a steel mill that has a very checkered history. Originally known as the Reichswerke Hermann Goering, AG Berlin and developed to provide iron and steel for the Nazi cause -- which it did mainly through the use of forced labor, it was a prime target of allied aircraft during World War II. After the war and with assistance of American aid and guidance, it was rebuilt and eventually became a private enterprise. Today it is Linz’s principal industry and one of the largest and most modern steel mills in the world, supplying steel to most of Europe’s automobile manufacturers. Special guided tours of the well-designed exhibition hall as well as of the plant itself are easily arranged. Like Salzburg, Linz has a number of fine hotels, restaurants and cafes in the city center and in nearby neighborhoods. For short-time visitors, an overnight stay at the Arcotel located next to the handsome new concert hall and riverside park provides great rooms, unimpeded views of the Danube and the city and ample breakfast to fuel tourists as they set out on their further adventures.

City of Linz and the Danube at dusk

Voestalpine Stahlwelt (steel mill )in Linz

WACHAU-DANUBE VALLEY The next place on our suggested itinerary is a region rather than a city: the Wachau Valley. It, too is rich in history and culture, especially viniculture! We would recommend taking an early train to the village of Melk, only an hour away, then either joining a tour or renting a car, to get a sense of the richness of the Valley. One of the richest architectural treasures in all of Austria is the huge, well-maintained Benedictine Abbey located in Melk itself. That should be everyone’s first stop. The next one might few miles from Melk is the hamlet of Spitz. Its attraction is the small Schifffahrtsmuseum devoted to portraying the history of commerce on the Danube, Europe’s second longest river. There, in a building that itself was once also a monastery, one can see superbly carved models of the vessels that plied the river for centuries, the horses that towed them against the current, and the men that manned the boats and drove the teams. The museum’s operators, Karl and Susanne Zanzinger, are engaging historians of bygone days when the waterway, known there as the Donau, was the most important means of transporting goods and people not only in what is called NiederÖstereiche (Lower Austria) but also to and from many places along its nearly 1800 miles. Today there are bridges that cross the Danube but they are quite far apart. To save lengthy travel to get to the other side, near Spitz there are several landings where small ferries take cars and passengers across the turbulent river by cable. Doing so is an experience in itself.

On the east side of the river below Spitz are a number of private and several cooperative vineyards and wineries, the largest of which is the Domaine Wachau. And there are also boutique hotels, including the quite unique and particularly gemütlich 700-yearold homestead and now a guesthouse and restaurant owned and operated by Karl and Barbara Holzapfel who are also vintners also grow their own grapes in extensive vineyards and make a tasty variety of their own wines. The Holzapfels’ place is very old, but even older are the ruins of the still-visible 12th century Dürnstein castle where King Richard the Lionhearted was imprisoned by Duke Leopold V. The castle sits high on a hill above the vineyards in the town that is also called Dürnstein. After seeing the abbey at Melk and the shipping museum in Spitz, having a good lunch and some wine tasting in and around Dürnstein, the last stop on the Wachau Valley tour is Krems. It is a small town within commuting distance of Vienna, housing several universities and two unusual museums. One, the Austrian Cartoon Museum, is devoted to no-holdsbarred political art and caricature; the other focuses on digital imagery and modern art. Some might want to stay overnight in Krems is but, because it is only a 60 minutes train ride to the next stop, Vienna, we would suggest going on to the city and settling into a prearranged hotel for the last part of this odyssey.

Spires of Benedictine Abbey in Melk

Stairway, monastery at Melk, Austria

Reflection on the River Danube

Durnstein on Danube in Wachau Valley, Austria

Model of old Danube vessel

Barbara Holzapfel at inn and winery

Weatherman cartoon, Krems Museum

Karikature Museum, Krems, Wachau Valley

VIENNA University of Vienna

Vienna is quite different from Linz and from Salzburg. While also very old -- it, too, has Roman origins -- and is also pridefully Austrian, but its chauvinism is far more nuanced – and for good reason. Unlike Salzburg and Linz, whose resident populations are quite homogeneous, Vienna’s is much more diverse. It has been a cross-roads for people almost since its founding. Some claim that today more than a third of the nearly two millions residents were born outside the city, many abroad. Like Salzburg and Linz, Vienna, which had become a part of the Third Reich after the Anschluss, the annexation by Germany in 1938, suffered the ravages of World War II. After the war, the city was divided into four sectors (American, British, French, and Soviet). As a place strategically located on the border of the democratic west and communist east, it quickly became a strategic center for diplomacy. It remains so today. And as it was during the lengthy heyday of the Hapsburg dynasty, it is once again a major commercial hub, attracting new residents as well as tourists from many former East Bloc countries. Among the latter are many from the eastern part of what was the AustroHungarian Empire until 1918.

In addition to those who come to work and often to stay in what has been rated “the most livable city in the world,” Vienna is also a tourist mecca with much to offer its millions of visitors. Travelers are attracted to Vienna by many things: Hapsburg palaces, bourgeoisie neighborhoods, great museums of classic and modern art and history, concert halls – including the Musikverein, which justifiably boasts the world’s best acoustics, theaters, churches, gardens, all readily accessible by an excellent system of under- and above-ground public transportation. This includes the trams that circle the famed 150 year-old inner loop known as the Ringstrasse. Constructed during the heyday of the monarchy, it is around this belt that one finds the famed Staattsoper (state opera). several of the largest museums, the Austrian Parliament, the Staatstheater, the Rathaus (city hall), the main building of the university – currently celebrating its 650th anniversary, the city’s grandest old hotels and its best known cafés, among them Landtmann of pundits’, professors’ and politicians’ fame. Inside the Ringstrasse, in what is known as the First District, are royal palaces, the Albertina gallery of art with ever changing exhibitions, the home of the Spanish Riding School where visitors can see training sessions throughout

Staatsoper (State Opera House), Vienna

Sculpture atop Austrian parliament, Vienna

the week and shows on weekends, moving memorials to famous Austrians as well as to the victims of the Nazis, all sorts of shops and restaurants radiating out from a principal landmark, St. Stephens cathedral. Near to the Ringstrasse and to the side of the Mariahilferstrasse, a major shopping street which leads up to the Westbahnhof, is the Museum Quartier. Said by some to be the eighth largest cultural center in the world, it is a huge complex integrating the Baroque buildings of the royal stables with several 21st century museums displaying the art of the Secessionist Era and the work of other modern painters, sculptors and architects.

populated by thousands of immigrants and students, is rapidly becoming a center of neo-bohemian life Vienna. Near to all this and an easy tram ride away is the beautiful area known as Wienerwald. En route to the area made famous by Johann Strauss’s “Tales of the Vienna Woods,” it is the custom to stop off at various Heurigen (wine taverns) to sample the local product. We, too, recommend engaging in the tradition.

For visitors to get a sense of the everyday Vienna, in addition to riding the local trains and trams, sampling the wines and eating in the Naschmarkt and enjoying the relaxed ambiance Outside the Ringstrasse there are many other distinctive of old-time cafes, we would recommend staying in one of neighborhoods, each with its own character. Among the many boutique hotels that serve the needs of those who them is the Ninth District, home of its famed medical eschew the highly expensive grand hotels and seek other complex and the residence of Sigmund Freud; the amenities than conventional B and Bs. One such place is the Tenth, in the southern part of the city, also known recently refurbished Harmonie Hotel, located in a residential as Favoriten, which has the largest concentration of neighborhood but only a five-minute tram ride from the residents; the Fourth in which one finds the massive Ringstrasse and ten minutes from the center of the city. Karl’s church, Belvedere Palace, and the Naschmarkt, a great place to eat and purchase all sorts of fresh food, When it is time to bid “Auf Wiedersehen” to Vienna – and and the recently renewed Second District which not other parts of Austria, there are numerous ways to get to the only features the old and famous public park known very modern airport less than 40 minutes from the city center. as Prater with its gigantic Ferris wheel, but, currently

Tourists, Vienna

Imperial Building, now museum, Vienna

Chess players, Salzburg

Model of old galleon on Danube

It should be obvious that it is difficult to compare and even harder to rank the different places briefly discussed here. Each is truly unique. But there are some things Salzburgers, residents of Linz and those who live in the Wachau Valley as well as the Viennese do share in common, things that are purely Austrian and can be found at each stop along the tour we have outlined. Among those best loved are schnapps, schnitzel, strudel, Sacher-torte, and kaffee mit schlag. We bet you will enjoy them, too. Hedy in Benedictine Abbey, Melk

Hedy and Peter Rose are retired professors, travel journalists and photographers. They often teach at the Salzburg Global Seminar and lecture in Vienna but have only visited the Wachau area on two, too brief, occasions. They are eager to return. Peter’s latest books are With Few Reservations: Travels at Home and Abroad (2010), Postmonitions of a Peripatetic Professor (2013), and They and We (7th – and 50th anniversary— edition, 2014).

Twilight at the Schloss Leopoldskron, Salzburg

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Discover Nature’s Splendor

The Ultimate Safari Story and Photos by Linda Ballou

Morning mists rose over the golden savannah of Botswana’s Okavango Delta as our Overseas Adventure Travel Land Rovers did the African mambo through deeply rutted sand. Fifteen guests, eager to read the day’s morning adventure headlines, kept their eyes peeled for game. Luck was ours. Guides Cowboy and Wise Guy momentarily stopped the vehicles to point out tracks in the powdery sand that told them a lion had passed this way in the night. “Hold on!” Cowboy called as he lurched off road and charged through thickets, knocking over young mopane trees and fording deep gullies carved by hippo. After 45 minutes of heartthumping pursuit, our wagons circled around a pride of five lions sprawled in the tall grasses and resting after a night of hunting. A majestic male with a dark brown mane and orange eyes stared

at us with what must have been utter disdain. His mate and their two adolescent daughters remained in quiet repose as we snapped cameras like paparazzi. Our bush camp, located in the largest inland delta in the world, is part of a private reserve leased from the Khwai villagers. Unlike in the national parks in Africa, we were allowed to off-road and track game and take photos. (Shooting game is outlawed everywhere in Botswana). We crossed the bridge on the River Khwai to cruise the flood plain where crocs lay in wait for the careless red lechwe, impala, or puku grazing on the shore. A couple of secretary birds and the giant horn billed and saddle-billed stork poked the grasses for frogs as a water monitor lizard slithered by.

Botswana’s Okavango Delta

Cheetah

Two Lioness

(Photo by Tom Schwab)

Mother with Baby Baboon

Male Kudu

(Photo by Tom Schwab)

Baby Hippo with Mother (Photo by Tom Schwab)

Land Rover with Ellie

(Photo by Tom Schwab)

Ellies on the Move

(Photo by Tom Schwab)

We stopped for lunch at a waterhole where a band of big boys were swilling water with their massive trunks. Young male elephants are cast out of the herd and stay together for many years learning what it takes to be a dominant male. A learned matriarch is in charge of females and the young. There were many baby elephants in the parades that we saw that day. At our sundowner, the ritual happy hour of the bush selected for the best spot to view the orange sun dropping on the black horizon, we witnessed elephants charging across a meadow trumpeting and flapping their ears wildly as they chased a hyena away from a two-month old baby. Each of the four bush camps visited on the Ultimate Safari—a 17-day, all-inclusive holiday offered by Overseas Adventure Travel—is set in unique micro-climates. They are similar in that the main lodge with its thatched roof, teak wood floors, and open beams serves as meeting place

and dining hall where delicious buffet meals are served. Screened tent homes with all the amenities including private baths and electricity provide glamping at its best. Guests are greeted with dancing and drumming and the three-night stay ends with a traditional ceremony around the fire in the boma (a sort of livestock enclosure). Hosts are gracious, extending, and eager to please. Influence of past British rule is seen in formal table settings and high tea at 3 p.m. each day. Our first camp on the edge of Botswana’s Chobe National Park was in the third largest preserve in Africa. It overlooked the Chobe River where the gold framed flamingo-pink sunset stained the water magenta. Sightings included numerous elephants, herds of impala (the fast food of the savannah), handsome kudu with elegant curling antlers, bad-tempered Cape buffalo, and wart hogs running with tails held high. A journey of gangly giraffes frolicked in the Chobe River that was lined with water birds like the avocet, Egyptian geese, herons, and egrets. In Zambia we enjoyed a dreamy day beneath tender blue skies on the Kafue River where it merges with the Lafupa. Birders like me were excited to be on the slow boat, a pleasant change from the rocking and rolling in safari vehicles on dirt roads during game drives. Fisher people shot up river on a fast boat and came home with buckets of tilapia and catfish. Hippos blew bubbles and yawned with gaping mouths as we floated past their watery home. Jacana with characteristically long toes walked on the lily pads with huge white blooms, and flashy malachite kingfishers kept us company on our glide past waterberry trees and unlikely palms lining the shore.

While resting that afternoon in my tent home on the bank of the Lafupa, a troop of vervet monkeys peered in at me with quizzical faces. Wildlife in the camps is commonplace. I went to sleep one night listening to the belly rumblings of elephants; another, the pounding hooves of a herd of buffalo; and, at the river camp, the grunts of hippos that sounded like they were laughing at us.

Fish Eagle Mirrored

(Photo by Tom Schwab)

At Hwange in Zimbabwe our lodge sat on the edge of an escarpment overlooking basalt mopani woodland stretching to the horizon. Our game drive here garnered a cheetah strolling casually across a dead zone created by the many elephants that munch the leaves of the mopani and tear at the bark of the upside down baobab trees with their tusks. At our lunch stop at the Masuma Pan watering hole, a menagerie of animals that would fill Noah’s Ark grazed casually at water’s edge. A parade of elephants sauntered in for a drink while chuffing Impala let us know that big cats were nearby. Zebras, kudus, hippos, crocs, giraffe, and baboons all came to the party. Victoria Falls, the largest curtain of water in the world, is a wild, untamable torrent that charges through a deep gorge sending spray 1,500 feet into the air. This was the grand finale to our tour. Mist from the falls nourish a rain forest of tropical foliage that seems out of place in what is mostly an arid region. A path tracing the gorge takes you to Dangerous Point where a deluge drenches the undaunted tourist. I lunched on crocodile salad on the terrace of the Victoria Falls Hotel overlooking the falls where heads of nations come to relax in a remnant of the colonial splendor. You can see the mist and hear the thunder of the falls in the distance while giving homage to a body of water that knows no master.

Lost Angel WalkaboutOne Traveler’s Tales

In easy walking distance of the hotel is an open air market where one is encouraged to barter. Indoor shops offer highend sculpture, jewelry, and artwork for discerning tastes.

See more of her articles at:

Activities offered at Victoria Falls are helicopter rides, white water rafting on the lower Zambezi River (not for the fainthearted), and elephant-back safaris. The last night of the Ultimate Safari is an enjoyable dinner cruise on the upper Zambezi capped with a copper sunset farewell.

Linda Ballou is the author of :

www.LindaBallouAuthor.com

Southern Ground Hornbill (Photo by Tom Schwab)

Birding on the Kafue

Breakfast in the Boma

Sunset on the Chobe

Irish Pubs are always friendly places!

SAVOR NORTHERN I RELAND ONE BITE AT A TIME Story and Photos Debbie Stone

To be honest, I didn’t have high hopes for good food during my stay in Northern Ireland. My expectations were low based on a trip I had made to the Republic of Ireland many years ago. I recalled eating lots of potatoes, breads and bland stews, along with the proverbial Guinness to wash it all down. And though 2016 has been designated The Year of Food and Drink for Northern Ireland, I was frankly still leery about the culinary scene. Imagine my surprise then to discover a country that has become a great destination for foodies; a place that crafts, grows, breeds, catches, cooks and enjoys the finest, freshest food available. “Local” has become the buzz word with themes from ‘plot to plate’ and ‘grown here not flown here’ celebrated. The excitement is palpable among everyone from producers and artisans to chefs and consumers.

St. George’s Market is an iconic landmark in Belfast.

In Belfast, Northern Ireland’s capital city, check out St George’s Market, an historic landmark that is the site of a lively and colorful market selling the very best of local farm produce, dairy, seafood, baked goods and more. Then dive into the town’s vibrant restaurant scene, offering everything from fine dining establishments boasting globally- infused cuisine to ethnic eateries and classic Irish joints specializing in traditional Ulster fry breakfasts. The café culture is also alive and well in Belfast, with local artisan roasters, independent coffee shops and top class baristas that ensure you’ll always be able to get a great handcrafted coffee or a boutique loose leaf blended tea. And when it comes to enjoying libations of an alcoholic nature, the country’s pubs are hard to beat. Walk into any Irish pub and immediately you’ll feel at home. The convivial atmosphere combined with the often energetic, live music will have you doing the Irish two-step with a host of new friends before you know it.

Ox is one of two establishments in the city that recently received the coveted Michelin Stars designation.

The Mitre is another top-rated restaurant in Belfast. Tucked inside Culloden Estate & Spa,

one of the country’s most prestigious Dinner at this restaurant is a hotels, you’ll find this gem of an sensory experience that defies establishment. Surrounded by description. Chef owner Stephen beautiful secluded gardens and Toman is a magician in the woodland, with a killer coastal view, kitchen, who uses imagination the Culloden is as beautiful on the and creativity to bring fresh outside as it is inside. Originally built ingredients to life on your plate. as an official palace for the Bishops Due to the close relationships he of Down, the place has an air of has with local suppliers, menus elegance with fine antiques that evoke are designed around the finest a gothic grandeur. Let the talented seasonal produce. The best Chef Brian Donaldson introduce you approach is to opt for the tasting to his gourmet chic culinary scene menu so you can sample a variety via a seven-course tasting menu of dishes and make sure to add that emphasizes carefully selected the paired wines to enhance local and seasonal quality foods. His your meal. When I finished my focus is on infusing Irish staples with last bite of dessert, a heavenly French and Scandinavian influences. concoction of Jerusalem Everything is presented with an eye artichoke, banana, caramel and towards aesthetics, such as a palate pistachio, I literally swooned in a cleanser of elderflower sorbet with food-driven ecstasy. candied beet root spectacularly arranged within a toppled wine glass.

For an authentic food journey, sign on for an NI Food Tour with owner and guide Tracey Jeffrey.

you might stop in the picturesque village of Strangford, at the Cuan, for its renowned seafood chowder, made of fresh haddock, cod, mussels She’ll take you around County Down, and prawns. A highlight of the tour is an area with the highest concentration meeting Patrice Bonnargent, an oyster and mussel farmer in Killough who of award-winning producers and came from France to play rugby years restaurants of anywhere in the ago, and ended up staying in Ireland country. The region has become a must visit destination for foodies and to grow oysters and mussels. After seeing Patrice’s farm, we sampled his for those who just love good food. On your tour, you’ll hear stories from fleshy, meaty oysters with shallots and lemon, accompanied by a glass of local farmers and other producers, crisp white wine. while tasting their products, such as craft beers, local breads, scones, meats, The tour ended in the sleepy potatoes, cheeses, butter, shellfish, hamlet of Chapletown at chocolates and more.

At Rowallane Garden, for example, where they sell food made on site using products grown on the property, you can watch a demo of how to make Irish soda bread, a staple that goes back centuries. I discovered that the key to knowing when the loaf is cooked in the middle is if it sounds hollow when you tap it. For other Irish local specialties,

Curran’s Bar & Seafood Steakhouse, one of the oldest pubs in the area.

A welcoming fire and jovial wait staff greeted us, and we proceeded to chow down on hearty Irish stew and champ, a typical Irish mashed potato dish, while listening to several local musicians make merry for St. Pat’s Day. Often voted “Pub of the Year,” Curran’s is a magnet for locals and tourists alike, who enjoy the live entertainment, good food, drink and great craic, or conversation.

You’ll find that food also takes center stage in Derry, home of the LegenDerry Food Fair, an annual event held in March. It’s a two-day festival showcasing the wealth and range of local food in Northern Ireland, and a celebration of everything that makes produce from this place so delicious, from Abernathy butter and Braemar Farm ice cream to Broighter Gold rapeseed oil and Kennedy Bacon. Dozens of restaurants showcase some of their signature dishes and noted Derry chefs perform cooking demonstrations during the fair.

To help orient you to the food scene around town, take a bike tour with Far and Wild. Go on an empty stomach, as you’ll be plied with such specialties as homemade sausage rolls and traditional Irish scones at Cherry Blossom Bakery, Leek and Cream Cappuccino at the Legenderry Warehouse Café and a variety of Pintxos or tapas at the newly opened Walled City Brewery, which also brews its own craft beers with quirky names like Kicks, Boom and Wit.

Explore Derry on a bike or walking tour to learn about the city’s history.

Soda Bread is a staple in Northern Ireland.

When you’ve indulged and imbibed to your heart’s or rather your stomach’s content, know that there’s no dearth of sights to explore in Northern Ireland. The country is rich in history and culture, with museums a plenty, and grand estates with hidden walled gardens just waiting to be discovered. And of course, there’s the breathtaking Irish coastline and the ever-so-green, bucolic countryside, which no one can resist.

In Belfast, you’ll want to head to the Titanic Quarter to uncover the true legend of Titanic in the city where it all began. There you’ll find Titanic Belfast, the world’s largest Titanic visitor experience, which is housed in an iconic six-floor building. Its stateof-the-art nine interpretive and interactive galleries bring the history of this famed ship, as well as the city and people who made her, to life in an unforgettable way. Nearby, there’s the SS Nomadic Belfast & Hamilton Dock Meet Patrice Bonnargent, an oyster and mussels farmer in Killough.

where the SS Nomadic rests. The old tender ship, originally built in 1911, served the Titanic on her maiden voyage carrying first and second class passengers. It’s the last remaining ship of the White Star line. To learn even more about Belfast’s shipbuilding legacy, visit Titanic’s Dock & PumpHouse, and then make a stop at the Titanic Memorial Garden, which is sited in the grounds of Belfast City Hall. Inscribed in stone are the names of the 1,512 people who perished on the ship 104 years ago.

The Ulster Museum is also of great interest to visitors for its collection of art, history and natural sciences, which tells the story of the people of the north of Ireland from earliest times to the present day. Combine this with a tour of the many political murals which dot the city and depict the region’s past and current political and religious divisions. They have become important symbols of Northern Ireland, and are of great interest to visitors. Themes range from overtly political declarations

and graphic depictions of the ageold conflict, to comments on peace and the peace process. In Irish Republican areas, events such as the 1981 Irish hunger strike, the Ballymurphy Massacre and McGurk’s Bar bombing are commemorated. In working class Unionist communities, several of the murals promote Ulster loyalist paramilitary groups, as well as commemorate their deceased members.

It’s impossible not to notice the walls that have been erected over the years across Belfast as a means of defusing sectarian tension. There are nearly 100 of them, dividing nationalist Catholic neighborhoods from loyalist Protestant ones. Many have colorful murals, pictures and graffiti with varying messages scrolled on them. Today, ‘peace gates’ are being opened in some of the walls in an attempt to foster greater links between communities, and the plan is to eventually tear down all of these structures in the next decade.

Titanic Belfast is the largest Titanic experience in the world and a must-see in Belfast

Outside of Belfast, the countryside reigns with some of Northern Ireland’s oldest and most beautiful estates. Glenarm Castle and Walled Garden ranks up there as one of the finest. Though the castle is only occasionally open to the public due to the fact that it is an occupied residence, the Walled Garden welcomes visitors daily from April until September. It’s a horticultural spectacle in an incomparable setting by the sea with water features, fruit and vegetable gardens, imaginative herbaceous borders and displays of flowers that burst with color. Climb the mount for a view of the castle, the sea and the estate beyond. Then relax and enjoy a snack or light lunch featuring the estate’s own produce in the charming tea room, overlooking the kitchen garden. The Giant’s Causeway is a geological wonder.

Guinness and seafood stew make for a tasty pub lunch.

For picturesque Kodak moments, drive the Causeway Coastal Route on up to Derry, Northern Ireland’s second largest city. And if there’s mist, even better, as it’ll add a bit of Irish magic and mystery to the scene. This is most apparent at

the Giant’s Causeway, a geological wonder that is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

It’s an awe-inducing marvel containing over 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, which were created as a result of intense volcanic and geological activity. For visitors, it provides a glimpse into the Earth’s most ancient past; an epic sixty million year-old legacy to the cooling and shrinking of successive lava flows. This is a place that’s also steeped in myth and legend, with stories of a mighty giant, Finn McCool, who left behind an ancient home full of folklore. Local folks

Quaint seaside villages add to the region’s charm.

believe that between the hexagons, the mythical features carved out in the rocks and the sea, there’s real magic. They say that you may not always see it right away, but stand on the stones, use your imagination and just wait. It won’t be long until you feel it.

Upon reaching Derry or Londonderry, you’ll be in the oldest intact walled city in all of Ireland. You’ll also be in a town that’s been the subject of a naming dispute between Irish nationalists and unionists. Generally, although not always, the former favor using Derry, and the latter prefer Londonderry. Legally, the city and county are called “Londonderry,” while the local government district containing the city is referred to as “Derry.” You’ll learn that there are also other names for this place, such as Cathedral City, Walled City, Maiden City, LegenDerry and my favorite, Stroke City (Derry/ Londonderry).

Begin your exploration of the city with a visit to the Tower Museum, which tells the town’s colorful and dramatic history from past to present. Follow it up by joining one of Martin McCrossan’s City Tours to view the historic walls from along the rampart walkway and at ground level. Measuring almost one mile around, the walls date back to the early 1600s when they were first constructed to protect the English and Scots settlers of the new town that was established here as part of the Plantation of Ulster. As you stroll, you’ll learn the names and significances of the various bastions and gates, as well as get a glimpse of famed St. Columb’s Cathedral.

Like Belfast, Derry was also the scene of political strife for many years, andit, too, has murals depicting the issues and events of the times, including the infamous Bloody Sunday. Murals cover the buildings within the Bogside (Irish Republican section) and throughout the Loyalist-occupied areas of town.

Of note is the Peace Mural, found on the Bogside,

which represents the peace process and negotiations that have helped bring an end to the terrible violence of the past. Walking and taxi tours are available for those interested in learning more about this turbulent history and its effects on the populace.

Political murals depict the events and issues of the times.

Derry’s Craft Village Legenderry Warehouse Café

Derry’s Peace Mural is testament to the peace process and negotiations, which helped end the violence of the past.

For all things Northern Ireland, visit:

www.tourismni.com

Derry’s Craft Village is a well-known mecca for visitors and locals alike, and has often been described as a hidden jewel in the city’s crown. This cultural oasis is an eclectic mix of artisan craft shops, charming cafes and balconied apartments. Dickensian in appearance, with a thatched cottage to boot, it encapsulates a sense of times gone by. The place also serves as a venue for concerts, weddings, conferences and crafts workshops.

If you’re a “Game of Thrones” fan or a “thronie,” you’ll be in good company in Northern Ireland, as there are multitudes of visitors coming from all over the world to indulge their fascination with this popular show. There are numerous sites sprinkled throughout the area that have been used to film the award-winning series. You can follow in the footsteps of the stars and plot a path through the dramatic scenery, taking you to where some of the pivotal scenes were shot, including Winterfell, Robb Stark’s Camp, the Haunted Forest and Inch Abbey. Though the sites are easily accessible for those who wish to explore on their own, there are also several different tour companies which offer various “Game of Thrones” experiences.

No matter what you see or do during your stay in this fair country, remember to take the time to savor each experience one bite at a time. And as they say in Gaelic, “Ithe Sásta,” or “Bon Appetit!”

BRAN CASTLE CAUGHT BETWEEN LEGEND AND HISTORY

Story and Photos by Anda Galffy

From its foundation on the naked rock near the riverbed, the fortress of Bran rises majestically above the valley. An imposing, yet graceful structure that seems to be gazing down upon the hordes of visitors that flock to its entry. The ticket line is about 40 minutes long, but luckily the booth is adjacent to a local market, so people can take turns to stand in line. There are lots of stalls to browse. From food, to folk costumes, to local crafts and all sorts of souvenirs for vampire enthusiasts, you can find almost everything.

“ARE WE GONNA SEE DRACULA INSIDE?” jokes a teenager as he hands over his money to the cashier in the ticket booth. For most people, Bran Castle in Transylvania, Romania, will evoke one name only: Dracula! The cashier smiles but doesn’t say anything. She might not know that Bran Castle isn’t as closely connected to Dracula as people think. Or maybe she knows but she doesn’t want to break the spell.

Bran Castle

THE LEGEND LEGEND THE Bram Stoker’s character –Dracula– is a Transylvanian Count who lives in a castle perched on a steep rock, high above a narrow valley in the Principality of Transylvania. Dracula is associated with Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler), a Walachian Prince whose castle was in fact at Poenari, now in ruins. In reality, Bram Stocker never visited Romania, but he depicted Dracula’s castle based on a description of Bran Castle that was available at the turn-of-the-century in Britain. His character’s name –Dracula– derives from an appellation of Vlad Tepes, the ruler of Wallachia (1456-1462), who was also called Vlad Dracul. Dracul was a title from the knightly order of the dragon whose

mission was to defend Christianity. Vlad Tepes was a great military leader and a hero to his people, but he was perceived as a bloodthirsty, ruthless despot, because he was very cruel to his enemies (therefore the association of his name with the vampires.) Bram Stoker drew his inspiration for his story from one of the local legends. Until about a century ago, people in the villages near Bran believed in the existence of evil spirits called strigoi (ghosts). The strigoi looked like normal people leading a normal life during the day, but at night their souls left their bodies haunting the village and tormenting people. They had the ability to transform into animals that would drain the vitality of their victims by sucking their blood. These evil spirits could only haunt at night – from midnight until the first cockcrow – when their power to harm faded. The strigoi are also known as vampires, hence Stoker’s bloodthirsty character.

B Village of Bran viewed from the castle

STRUGGLING STRUGGLING THROUGH THROUGH HISTORY HISTORY

Bran Castle Interior

Like many other castles in the area, Bran was established as a fortress in 1211 by the Teutonic Knights –a catholic religious order formed in Palestine during the late 12th century. The knights were brought here to defend the Southeastern border of Transylvania from the Cumans and the Pechenegs. In 1377 the Hungarian King Louis I of Anjou issued a document granting to the people of Brasov the privilege of building a castle. The castle was built in a very strategic location: up on a high cliff within a narrow gorge, on the passageway between Transylvania and Wallachia (in old Romania).

Bran Castle Interior

Over the course of history the castle changed hands many times, passing from King Sigismund of Luxembourg to his ally, Prince Mircea the Elder of Wallachia, then to the Princes of Transylvania. Vlad the Impaler’s only connection with Bran was through an alliance with the Princes of Transylvania, who requested him to handle the antiOttoman resistance at the border. However, other than fighting a number of campaigns in the area around Bran, there is not much else that can link him to the fortress. In 1500, one of the Kings of Hungary borrowed a large sum of money from the town of Brasov mortgaging the Castle of Bran. After the expiration of the term (which lasted for 35 years), the Hungarian King wasn’t able to repay his debt, so Bran Castle became the property of the town of Brasov, which began using it as a customhouse for the merchants crossing the Bran Pass.

BRAN BRAN CASTLE CASTLE IN IN MODERN MODERN TIMES TIMES

Queen Marie of Romania

By 1836, after the border between Transylvania and Wallachia was moved to the mountains, Bran lost its military and commercial importance. The Revolution of 1848 left the magnificent medieval fortress in ruins. In 1920, after Transylvania became part of Greater Romania, Bran Castle was donated to Queen Marie of Romania (born into the British royal family) who turned it into her favorite royal residence in the years after the First World War. Extremely talented and a very astute decorator, the Queen used her feminine touch to transform the place into a fairytale home. She enlarged the windows, built new spiral stairs, installed telephone lines, tap water and electricity and even an elevator. The area around the Castle was turned into an English Park with two ponds and a Tea House. Queen Marie also added a guesthouse, a wooden church, staff housing, stables and a garage. After the Queen’s death in 1938, Bran Castle was passed on to Princess Ileana, her daughter, now married to Archduke Anton of Austria. Queen Marie was buried next to her husband in the Monastery of Curtea de Arges. In accordance to her will, her heart was kept in a cloister at the Balchik Palace (now in Bulgaria), which she had built. The Queen’s heart was placed in a silver box, covered with a double-faced flag: on one side was the Romanian flag –representing her royal duties, and on the other side the English flag, representing her English origin. The Queen’s heart was transferred to Bran Castle in 1940 when Balchik was returned to Bulgaria. In 1948, the newly installed communist regime in Romania seized all the royal properties, so Bran Castle became again the property of the Romanian State. In 1956 Bran Castle was transformed into a museum with three departments: Royal Heritage, Medieval Customs and Ethnography. Currently, Bran Castle fully re-entered in the possession of its legal heirs, Archduke Dominic, Archduchess Maria Magdalena and Archduchess Elisabeth, the tree children of Ileana.

Spiral staircase at Bran Castle

VISITING BRAN CASTLE Bram Stokerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s story brought a lot of fame and glory to Bran Castle. Today Transylvania is not so much known for its stunning natural beauty and medieval towns, as it is for being the home of Dracula. But along with Draculaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fame came the inevitable vampire themed tourism. English speaking tourists began flocking to Romania in search of, well, vampires. Although Poenari Fortress is the real Dracula castle, it did not raise to fame because of its isolated location. So people continue to come to Bran Castle, which became the preferred tourist destination mainly due to its proximity to Bucharest, just a 2.5 hours drive.

Interior Courtyard Bran Castle Marketplace

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Story & Photos by Peter Mandel A trip to Ireland and the Scottish island of Islay uncovers a storehouse of local quirks— along with a few special drams.

Shots of Courage. Lightning in a Bottle. Bottoms Up. Whisky has its own liquid poetry. Sip it and you talk, or sing. My Scottish cousins can be almost eloquent about the drink itself. It is, they say, an education. As richly cultural as wine. This started me thinking. If wine has terroir—the special traditions, soils, sunny hillsides that end up affecting its taste on your tongue, what about alcohol that’s distilled from grain? Would it matter if it came from sacks of barley that had matured in Indiana? Or did Scotland and Ireland (supposedly the birthplace of the drink, with records dating back to 1405) have something no one else could claim? I began to map out a trip to those distillery-dotted countries to try and find out. But since I am a whisky amateur, not an aficionado, I’d want to get a full-fledged vacation out of my route. It wouldn’t be a string of cellar tastings. I wanted plates of potatoes and meat pies in pubs, philosophical walks by the sea, and whatever local quirks I could find. Landing in Dublin, I am met by morning, and by rain. Passengers on my plane are pointing. There is something out there. When we board our shuttle, we can see it crouching, darting behind a pile of luggage, zooming away. “Hare!” says the bus driver. “An’ it’s a giant.” Rabbits are lucky, I think. Could it be a sign? I head directly to the first distillery on my list. This one belongs to Jameson and it’s a replica of how its Bow Street warehouse might have looked when Irish whisky was made here back in the 1780s, when the company was founded.

A smokestack at The Old Kilbeggan Distillery in County Westmeath, which dates back to the mid-1700s and is one of two distilleries in Ireland that bill themselves as the “oldest in the world.” A good chunk of the original machinery here is still in place.

Unlike Scotches, which are double distilled, Irish whiskies are distilled three times for smoothness and I’m especially eager to see what Jameson has to show visitors since it’s currently North America’s most-requested brand. One of the things it has are mannequins like you might see in a museum. Replica workers stack up barrels. Realistic cats glare at tourists, guarding the grain. One of the best parts for me is learning a little about the label’s master barrelmakers, or coopers. I pore over a list of cooper nicknames. “Duck-Egg” Byrne was an admired craftsman here. “Snowball” Mills another. Not to mention the legendary “Nizzler” Brannigan. None of them seem to be on duty at the moment. But, well, I can tell. These are men I would have liked to drink with. I catch a bus the next morning for County Cork to check out Jameson’s Midleton distillery, about 160 miles southwest. It’s been drizzling throughout the night and there’s so much green in the landscape that even tree-trunks seem tinged with it. This could be moss, I think. Or it could be jet lag. The tourist sitting next to me, another American, whiles away the ride by telling me about a job he once held at the Phantom Fireworks Company in Youngstown, Ohio. “I was the PR director,” he says. “Did that job there, and later at the ACLU.” By the time we arrive, I’m more than ready for a dram. It turns out I am not disappointed. Along with other samples, I enjoy some sips of 12-yearold Midleton Distillery Reserve which eases down as if it were a rare and gentle sherry. According to the guide who’s pouring, Irish whisky is not just a popular drink at the moment. “It’s on fire.” It’s a lighter taste, he tells us, than Scotches. “Easier drinking. A gateway, you might say, for the ladies.”

On to Kilbeggan in County Westmeath which, I’ve read, dates back to the mid-1700s. It’s one of two distilleries in Ireland that bill themselves as the “oldest in the world.” Here I find some tastes of the history I’ve been craving. There’s a water wheel from the 19th century that creaks and splashes as it turns, and I’m delighted that a good chunk of the original machinery is still in place—including an old steam engine which roars into action on special days. I get to talking with a shy-looking person who is listening intently throughout my tour. Turns out he is a spy: Willie McCarter, the distillery’s executive director. “Do you live anywhere near Boston?” he asks. When I say yes, his face spreads out into a Santa Claus smile. “I miss it,” he tells me wistfully. “I was at MIT years ago. Spent much of my time there at a pub called The Plough & Stars.” Remembering pints of my own at the Plough, I do a tour and tasting at the Though still in her twenties, Andrina Fitzgerald is one of the master distillers at The Old Kilbeggan Distillery in County Westmeath, Ireland.

last Irish distillery on my list, Bushmills, which has a list of regulations for us lucky visitors: No mobile phones, no pictures, and no food allowed. But, should we require them, “ear protectors are available on request.” Bushmills, we discover, scoffs at Kilbeggan’s lineage, bragging that its own roots go back even farther, to 1608. I don’t have hopes of sorting this battle out, and back on the road, I check out signs for a tuber-themed amusement park called “Taytoland” (might be fun if I had more time) and try some Rowntree’s Randoms candy to clear my palate. The miniature chews are shaped like rockets, bowties and suns. “Twenty percent fruit juice,” assures the package. For my Scotch whisky tastings, I head for Islay (pronounced “Eye-lah”), the southernmost island in Scotland’s Inner Hebrides, which is only about 25 miles north of the Irish coast. Sometimes called “The Queen of the Hebrides,” Islay is known for its strong peaty flavors. Scotches distilled here tend to be single malts, as opposed to the blends I’ve mostly encountered in Ireland.

One of the classic copper stills used for making Irish whiskey at the Jameson Experience in Midleton, Co. Cork, Ireland.

Irish whiskey set out in glasses during a tasting at the Bushmills distillery in Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland. Bushmills scoffs at Kilbegganâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lineage, bragging that its own roots go back even farther, to 1608.

Instead of flying or boarding a ferry, I chip in for a share of a charter boat with some other Americans I’ve met. What we get is something called the Kintyre Express—a “Storm Force”-brand rigid inflatable speedboat. In minutes, we are shooting spray and ricocheting off the tops of whitecaps. This may be the Irish Sea, but in the glinting sunlight, it says Scotland, Scotland, Scotland: It is as blue as a loch. Out on deck, I talk with first mate Jimmy MacLean of Campbelltown. “Ye see a lo’ of dolphins here,” he tells me. “Puffins as well.” Despite an often stormy climate, flowers decorate most streets on Islay (pronounced “Eye-lah”), the southernmost island in Scotland’s Inner Hebrides. Whiskies here are known for their strong peaty flavors.

As if on cue, MacLean begins a jag of pointing out invisible animals and birds that are supposedly demanding attention on our port side. Me: “What are we seeing?” MacLean: “Puffin!” Me: “Where?” MacLean: “Gone now. Ye’re too slow.” Me: “Are Puffins black and white?” MacLean: “No. White an’ black.”

Freshly-whitewashed buildings and water views at The Laphroaig Distillery in Port Ellen, on Scotland’s Isle of Islay, induce visitors to linger into the evening hours.

My first Scottish distillery feels more convoluted than what I’ve seen so far. A study in shiny brass and scoured copper, Laphroaig is almost steampunk with its valves and pipes and dials. If Willie Wonka owned a distillery instead of a chocolate factory this would be it. My tastes here are on the strong side. I feel like I’m swallowing liquid oysters that have been smoked over an open fire. But the label’s freshly-whitewashed buildings and waterfront views make me linger long into the evening before heading to town.

Islay is a place of gorse and green. Bumps and ripples of land are neatly carpeted, and along the island’s sandy edge, flocks of sheep and clumps of cattle come very close to the sea. At the Bowmore distillery, the tourguide lets us climb up to the kiln that’s used for drying barley and pad around on the beach-like dunes of grain. One ingenious man flops down to wave his arms and make a barley angel—something everyone has to try.

I’m down to my trip’s last dregs. One more tasting to do—at Lagavulin—and it is a good one. Maybe it is the coziness of carpet, the plates of marmalade and jam, a pre-drink bite of a scone. But the whiskies here turn out to be my favorites of all, including a 16-year-old single malt that seems a perfect blend of Irish easiness and Scottish strength of character: something distinctive in the nose and, slowly, sunset-togloaming, sliding down.

The Ardbeg distillery in the village of Port Ellen is even more of a surprise. There’s a SPECIAL—TODAY ONLY! at the on-site café: “The Islay Lamb and Haggis Burger.” It’s topped with cheddar and, according to the sign, with an “Ardbeg-infused 10-year-old special sauce.”

As we tourists complete our work with rows of glasses, we’re told to blurt out impressions of what is on the tongue.

Just as I’m thinking of ordering one, my tour group is joined by Hamish Torrie, one of the company’s top managers. He’s sporting a pair of pea-green tartan slacks and is eager to tell us about a test tube full of Ardbeg that at this very moment, is being “aged in space.”

“Some salt and pepper.”

Say what? “It’s an experiment, you see,” explains Torrie. “A bit of whisky, a sliver of barrel-wood. Shot that off to the International Space Station.” But why? inserts a visitor. “Science!” says Torrie. “We wanted to see how Ardbeg ages in zero gravity.” What will happen? interrupts someone else. “To be honest,” says Torrie. “We have absolutely no idea.”

“Berries!” says a man. “I rather think it’s raisins,” corrects his friend. “Caramel or toffee.” “Biscuits!” “Biscuits and tea!” I’d like to shout my own impressions, but it would not go well. I realize that my tastes are strange. They’re mixed up with the names of coopers. With a mill wheel. With not quite seeing the puffins. With grain angels. And with nighttime rain. “Ireland!” I might yell. Or “Islay!” Everyone would turn. And I would have to try, with my final sips, to explain.

Peter Mandel is an author of books for kids including the new Zoo Ah-Choooo (Holiday House) and Jackhammer Sam (Macmillan). He lives in Providence.

pbmandel@cox.net JUST THE FACTS: www.irelandwhiskeytrail.com

The Ireland Whiskey Trail website is a good overall source of information on touring the country’s distilleries. Along with free maps that you can download, there’s historical info as well as listings of whiskey pubs, hotel bars and specialized whiskey shops.

www.scotch-whisky.org.uk/understanding-scotch/whisky-regions-tours/

The Scotch Whisky Association has a similarly useful site focused on Scotland’s national drink that includes whisky history, an interactive map, and a downloadable “Distilleries to Visit” brochure.

Lakeside Retreat Escape to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin Story and Photos by Donna Adinolfi “They both listened silently to the water, which to them was not just water, but the voice of Life, the voice of Being, the voice of perpetual Becoming.” Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha

What’s the antidote for stress? A lakeside retreat.

My journey began in southeastern Michigan as I traveled west to Wisconsin and ultimately Elkhart Lake, about an hour outside of Milwaukee. I didn’t know much about Elkhart Lake when I set out on this Midwestern road trip, however, it has been a draw for many since the late 1800’s and I was eager to discover the allure of this lakeside haven. In fact, long before it became a ‘tourist’ area, Native Americans called it “the chosen spot” and once I arrived I could see why. Beautiful cedar trees stand tall along the shore of this deep spring-fed lake and they believed that the lake had restorative and spiritual powers.

Early Days At The Lake In the late 1800’s when tourism was just beginning at Elkhart Lake, families would arrive and remain at the lake for the summer season. Routing the tracks through the Village of Elkhart Lake created opportunities for the area and visitors would arrive from Chicago and Milwaukee and men would return to the Lake on the weekends to reconnect with their families. It certainly must have been a nostalgic and romantic time.

Elkhart Lake & Pier

However, with more resorts opening in the area, gambling arrived in

the 20’s and then raids in the 30’s and 40’s, which ultimately banned gambling in 1945. It wouldn’t take long though for something new to arrive and in the early 50’s open road racing began and it helped bring the community together after the Depression and the war. Sports car drivers traveled to Elkhart Lake for the first race in 1950 (3.35 miles for the first race), then in 1951 it increased to 6.5 miles and the same in ’52. Due to safety concerns, 1952 was the last year for open road racing. One of the best bars on the racing circuit was the StopInn Tavern, located at Siebkens Resort, which happened to be my home for this journey. Paul Newman, Mario Andretti, Al Unser and many others were known to race in the area and visit the StopInn. Since I love driving, especially cross-country, I was delighted to see the memorabilia at the Stop-Inn, which is still a go-to place while at the lake. The area is rich in history with vintage race cars showing up to be seen and admired and signs that remain in the area marking the historic circuit with names like Hard Left. Although open road racing ended in 1952, it wasn’t long before racing would continue with the opening of Road America in 1955. It started out with 525 acres and has grown to 640 acres. It’s known as ‘America’s National Park of Speed’ and it’s a main draw in the area. Road America offers a natural terrain with grassy rolling hills and a number of motorsport activities, go-karting, geocaching and more. Do you love speed? If you own a sports car or high performance vehicle you can drive your own vehicle on one of the best courses in the country.

Historic Hard Left sign

Road America

There are many private homes and cottages on the lake, however, there are a number of resorts, too. In addition to family owned Siebkens Resort, which is celebrating 100 years this year, the Osthoff Resort also has a storied past.

The Osthoff Resort

Aspira Spa Meditation Room

The Osthoff overlooks the pristine lake and has 245 suites, a cooking school (L’ecole de la Maison), several restaurants and the relaxing Aspira Spa. For years I wanted to experience Aspira as there was something about the area that intrigued me and much of it had to do with the Native American influence. While this was the main intention of my travels to Elkhart Lake, I soon realized that there was much more to discover in this magical place. Otto Osthoff, a German entrepreneur, opened the resort in 1886 and it was a respite for many years for travelers seeking luxury and entertainment. It was sold in the 50’s and used as a drama and arts camp before being purchased in 1989 when it was redeveloped as a condo resort. Lecole Cooking School

One of the best experiences during my stay was the cooking class at L’ecole de la Maison. I love to cook and had an opportunity to learn more about French Bistro cooking and add a few more recipes to my repertoire. French cooking always seemed difficult to me, however, the chef and his team created a fun environment and our food was amazing. In addition to the French Bistro class, you can learn more about French Desserts, Pasta and Sauces, Italian Trattoria cooking and more. Our French Bistro course was about 4-hours, however, shorter workshops (2-3 hours) and longer two day courses are offered.

Healing Waters at Aspira Spa

French Gougeres (rolls)

Several years ago I met Lola Roeh, General Manager of the Osthoff Resort, at an International Spa Association (ISPA) Media Event and it was my first introduction to Aspira. I felt an immediate connection to Lola and Aspira Spa and from that point on this spa was on my own bucket list. Aspira means ‘infused with spirit’ and the spa certainly provided a healing oasis during my journey. The Meditation Sanctuary was one of the most beautiful I’ve experienced and Aspira also offers yoga, guided meditations, movement classes, and private sessions. For my spa service, I experienced ‘Sacred Waters’ as I knew that Native Americans looked at the lake as restorative and sacred and I set my intention to connect with that healing energy. My therapist brought the water from the lake back to the spa, it was heated and placed in deerskin pouches and used throughout my service. I found the service to be deeply relaxing and one that I’d recommend. One other service to mention is the Cedars Massage. Native cedar is an herb used by Native Americans to protect and purify. I’ve always felt a connection to Native American traditions and that is the reason I felt compelled to visit Aspira since its opening nearly 10 years ago.

Food & Wine

Elkhart Lake shore

Elkhart Lake offers a stellar list of dining options from casual like the Back Porch Bistro at the Victorian Village Resort to fine dining like Lola’s on the Lake at the Osthoff Resort. These restaurants offer a seasonal menu with locally grown ingredients and two of them, Paddock Club and Lake Street Café, have earned Wine Spectator awards. There’s a camaraderie that is evident as you meet the owners of these establishments and I believe it has helped them grow and thrive over the years. The food at each of the restaurants I dined at would make fellow foodies and wine lovers happy they visited Elkhart Lake. Travel is about engaging in new activities where we can explore our creativity and maybe even find something new that we’re passionate about. I found Elkhart Lake to be one of those places where you can explore and experience more than you could have imagined. A lakeside retreat every now and then is good for your soul. WHERE TO STAY: Siebkens Resort www.Siebkens.com The Osthoff Resort www.Osthoff.com Victorian Village Resort www.VicVill.com WHERE TO DINE: Back Porch Bistro www.vicvill.com Lake Street Café www.lakestreetcafe.com Off the Rail www.offtherailelkhartlake.com Paddock Club paddockclubelkhartlake.com Stop-Inn Tavern www.siebkens.com/tavern Lola’s on the Lake www.lolasonthelake.com WHAT TO EXPLORE: Cooking Class at L’ecole de la Maison www.cookingschoolatosthoff. com Henschel’s Indian Museum www.henschelsindianmuseumandtroutfarm.com Kayaking www.ecologyoutfitters.com Pontoon Tour with Captain Tom www.elkhartlake.com/things-to-do/captian-toms-elkhartqueen Pottery Class at Two Fish Gallery www. twofishgallery.net Road America www.RoadAmerica.com Spa Treatment www.aspiraspa.com Wine Tasting www.vintageelkhartlake.com

Kayaks & Canoes

WHERE TO SHOP: Nicola’s Gift Cottage www.nicolasgiftcottage.com Vintage Elkhart Lake Wine Shop www.vintageelkhartlake.com & Tasting Bar (Meet the owner and certified sommelier, Jaclyn Stuart) MORE INFORMATION:

www.elkhartlake.com

Kristin Winet & Moshe Basson Cooking Maqluba

From Roots to Soup Chef Moshe Basson finds his home by excavating the past in this exquisite Jerusalem eatery. Story and Photos by Kristin Winet

For those who know Moshe Basson, they’ve probably heard how his story begins. They might know, for instance, that the man now called “Israel’s Biblical Chef ” arrived in Jerusalem as a nine-month-old Iraqi refugee and that his first memories of Israeli are of living huddled in a tiny aluminum shed with his family in the outskirts of Jerusalem. They might know that he planted a very sacred eucalyptus tree in his front yard when he was only six years old, and that, 25 years later, after growing up in his father’s bakery, his mother’s kitchen, and the fragrant Jerusalem hillsides, he would begin his first restaurant and call it Eucalyptus. These key facts about one of the most innovative, praised, and renowned chefs in Jerusalem are well-known and documented. But what those who know Moshe Basson might not know is that he credits his unique cooking method, one grounded in ancient cooking techniques and centering dishes around what is known to some as simply “the accoutrements,” to the women in his young life—and, perhaps even more surprisingly—to a couple of humdrum weeds and roots.

Moshe Basson is not a shy man, either: ask him about his weedforaging days in the glowing Jerusalem afternoons and he will regale you for hours. He seems to glow when he talks about the ingredients he’s rescued from nearly being forgotten: wild-growing herbs, “sidewalk weeds,” and root vegetables with names I’ve never heard of, like malva and purslane and hyssop. If you ask him, he will gladly pull up a chair at his elegant al fresco restaurant in the Artist’s Colony near Old Jerusalem—which, though it’s gone through many iterations and locations over the years, still faithfully sticks to the name Eucalyptus—and will tell you all about the Arabic, Iraqi, and Syrian women in his neighborhood who taught him about the beauty of the earth’s overlooked horticulture. As a little boy, he followed these women, fellow refugees from wartorn countries themselves, around the hillsides and abandoned gardens between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, and he helped them forage, sort, and cook with the new foods of his new land. Because his family was nearly penniless when they arrived in Israel, they experimented—a lot— with the foods they could find in the wild. In the kitchen, Basson watched his Iraqi mother play with

foods completely out of her cultural repertoire, foods like the herbaceous plants he was bringing home and homemade olive oil, neither of which were popular at all in the Iraqi kitchen. His mother, he says, only knew of hyssop as being a medicine and preferred oils made from sesame seeds. While his dad faithfully whipped up the same menu of Middle Eastern pastries and cakes at the bakery each morning, every meal at home was an experiment. Though he is often called Israel’s Biblical Chef for his devotion to using local ingredients and excavating old cooking techniques and recipes, Basson will confess that it was never his intention to be connected with Biblical cooking. “So I was just cooking the food of my mom and her mom and others from the region,” he says, gesturing widely at the tables and tables of patrons around him, and, though he has always known that “a big part of the food [at Eucalyptus] is poor people’s food,” he didn’t know that he and his mother were making nearly identical recipes to what was described in the Bible and other ancient texts until years after he opened his first restaurant.

Basson knows, though, that there are certain and unavoidable difficulties with popularizing food that has complicated histories, foods such as the Jerusalem artichoke, a root vegetable (with no relation to the green globe-like artichoke that shares its name) that he uses to make one of his celebrated soups. He tells the story of a time when a French family came to dine and he horrified the grandma at the table when he told them their next course would be a soup made of something many Westerners call a sunchoke. “She shouted and said, ‘No!’ and everybody—I mean, this is a small restaurant under a tree—looked up and she said, ‘No! This was the food in the war. I cannot eat it.’ So everybody was saying OK, they don’t want it, they don’t want it. She said “No, no, no, no, you eat it. It’s wonderful. I cannot.” Then, he laughs. “And then she ate it.” He did not know, he confesses, that Jerusalem artichoke soup—the topinambour in French—was many peoples’ daily rationed food when the Nazis occupied France in World War I. Now, he tells all his French patrons what they’ve eaten only after they’ve eaten it.

Front of Eucalyptus Restaurant

Dinner at Eucalyptus is a many-course event, prominently placing roots, stems, spices, and homegrown leafy greens like purslane, chubeza, olesh, and malva at the center of the table. The night begins with freshly-baked focaccia bread and five delectable spreads: aioli, pesto with hyssop, red pepper, sumac-dusted tahini, and garlic mayonnaise. From there, a soup trio, complete with the infamous Jerusalem Foccacia with Four Dips

Lamb Balls

artichoke soup as well as lentil and tomato-mint, comes out, and after that, his elegant signature dishes: gnocchi with fresh chubeza, a wild herb slightly reminiscent of spinach, mixed into the potato dough; figs stuffed with roasted chicken and drizzled in in a sweet tamarind sauce; maqluba, the upside-down casserole of rice, chicken, and vegetables, seasoned with fresh saffron and topped with yogurt; fire-roasted eggplant served with tehina and pomegranate seeds; grilled duck breast with mashed potatoes, carrot coulis and berry relish; and thinly-sliced steak served with a mix of ancient greens from his garden. Dessert is no less extraordinary and no less attentive, with dishes like semolina cake served with wine-soaked pears and jelly. Though Eucalyptus has been in its current home—a collection of wooden tables, hanging pots, and old-fashioned lamps on the terraced steps of Hutzot Hayotzer, just west of the Old City—for six years now, Basson hasn’t forgotten his long journey to find home. In 1962, he planted a tree he hoped would bear fruit to feed his family. Twenty-five years later, in 1987, he opened the first Eucalyptus restaurant near the eponymous plant he raised as a child. Today, after three additional moves, the walls around which his restaurant now sits, made from the same stone as his home in Iraq, nurture his business, his family, and his future. A future, he says, that includes his young grandchildren, his family of chickens, and a garden made of beloved, complicated vegetables.

Diners at Eucalyptus

Jerusalem Artichoke Soup

Exterior of Eucalyptus

Kitaro and friends under the magic umbrella at the Shigeru Mizuki museum is a favoured spot for selfie. An hurried train commuter unaware of the frightful gaze of a yokai is boarding the train at Sakaiminato station.

Details of the Yokai monsters of the forest in the form of an old man ,a yokai known as Konaki jiji.

A yokai zoku or yokai tribe seems to invite passengers to board the train at Sakaiminato station .Just hop in. A ride with the yokai anyone.

A section of Yokai Monsters of the Forest stained glass artwork created by Shigeru Mizuki on display at Yonago Kitaro airport

Spirited Away to Tottori Written & Photographed by Daniele Auvray

t’s a mere 80mn flight between Tokyo Haneda airport and Yonago, yet a world apart. And, from the moment you land, the mood is set. You have reached “Manga Kingdom”!

characters born of his extraordinary talent as a cartoonist.

lady, he nicknamed NonNonba; some of which frighten the hell out of the little boy that he was then, but which he later depicted in a successful manga titled: “NonNonba to ore” (NonNonba and me) in 1977.

Story telling in Japan has long been a tradition since way back when pretelevision time, it was a great form of entertainment on long nights. In Yonago Kitaro airport located today’s Japan it still is popular in the Growing up in Sakaiminato, an isolated along the Sea of Japan coast in the fishing village back then, Mizuki lived in form of “Rakugo”. Chugoku region, in beautiful Tottori a kind of dream world. He spent happy prefecture is only the starting point years walking in the woods, performing for an exploration into the surrealistic For Shigeru Mizuki drawing was a rituals on the beach, or staring at the god’s given gift, so naturally he realm of mythical creatures that will walls of old houses with NonNonba started to paint at an early age, unravel from then on.... who would teach him the secrets of the encouraged by his own father who Immediately greeted by a bunch of invisible world. Thus introducing him to gave him his first oil painting set. supernatural beings which ornate the magic world of Yokai. From then on, it ceilings, windows, walls and even up Daydreaming was also one of his favorite occupation; which he agreed would be an integral part of his imaginary to the airport buses, that is Manga world which he would only explore deeper was still true in his later years. He mania! and deeper as time went on. Even as a once conceded:”I have remained child, as though they frightened him, he Paying tribute to their illustrious son: the same as when I was about 4 or still wanted to make “friends” with them, Shigeru Mura better known under his 5 years old...” Childhood memories as he felt naturally attracted by the world “nom de plume”: Shigeru Mizuki, the stayed vivid in his mind, especially those incredible tales told by an old above and beyond. whole area celebrates the creation

Young Shigeru Mizuki at the temple being tutored by NonNonba. If you don’t pray with sincerity she says, an Otoroshi (Ox-demon) will drop down at the temple’s gates.

n ancient times, the Japanese imagined that inexplicable phenomena in the natural world was the deed of Yokai. Yokai is a collective name for all sorts of bizarre creatures and supernatural phenomena in Japanese folklore. They are, even today very popular in Japan. Many legends about the existence of Yokai persist around Japan, to this day. Over time these Yokai were given names and came to be venerated. The Japanese, a polytheistic people, believe in a multitude of deities, this is underpinned by a religious tradition of animism, in animism, all things , animals, natural phenomena, even

Shigeru Mura at a tender age, unaware of the extraordinary life he would lead but through which he managed to keep his inner child vibrantly alive.

things that today we wouldn’t even consider alive like rocks, mountains and rivers, have spirits inhabiting them; absolutely anything can be a Yokai, if you decide to make it one. In old japan, when people threw something out, they would take it first to a temple or a shrine and hold a ritual to appease its spirits and to give thanks. People still do, but to a much lesser degree. In the 18th century, a craze for Yokai swept Japan. Even famous woodblock print artist created Yokai theme masterpieces, which brought Yokai to the attention of yet more people, and this flood of prints led

Along Mizuki Shigeru road a shrine dedicated to kitaro’s family featured the yokai Medama oyaji rotating on itself in a water fountain.

to spin off like children’s card game or board game or toys... People in old time Japan wanted to have the Yokai character they like, around them, incorporated into everyday objects. They put Yokai on folding screens, or sometimes even kimono, in the lining, so that, normally, it was invisible, and you could get a glimpse of the Yokai, only when the lining showed. Back then, giving just a flash or a pick at that kind of unusual design was considered highly sophisticated and quite fashionable...

Nezumi otoko and Nurikabe two of Shigeru Mizuki’s yokai characters proudly decorated the side of a Limousine bus at the airport

The JR Sakai Line which carry passengers from Yonago to Sakaiminato in 40mn, has Yokai painted in and out.

Kitaro and his friends riding the skies on a whale airship which is the newly installed hanging object at Yonago kitaro airport

Inside the Shigeru Mizuki museum a yokai in the form of a skeleton reprived from Utagawa Kuniyoshi Ukiyoe by Mizuki is the perfect spot for fun pictures taking. ith his series of Yokai works such as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gegege no kitaroâ&#x20AC;?, Mizuki revived perhaps that appeal which laid dormant. It became a huge success, from the book it went to anime and then on to a motion picture. If he was first introduced to Yokai by an old lady, he also developed his knowledge of ghouls, reading the works of folklorist Kunio Yanagita; and an unusual event encountered while a young soldier, finished to convince him, that they indeed do exist. Mizuki started drawing Yokai, because of an experience he had during WWII.

Caught up once in ferocious fighting on an island in the Pacific, he fortunately survived by fleeing into the dense jungle. And as he ran as far as he could in the dark hours, he suddenly found himself prevented by a strange force to move even one step further: so he resolved to simply lay down there and then, for the night. He felt as if a Yokai like a wall had stopped him. When he woke up, in the morning, he realized that he was only one step away from the edge of a cliff. Mizuki believed that a Yokai had saved his life.

On Mizuki Shigeru road in Sakaiminato, Nurikabe the living wall yokai is on display along with more than 150 other yokai statues.

The diverse Yokai that Mizuki has drawn over the years tap into the same sense of awe and wonder felt by the people of ancient Japan.

Author Daniele Auvray surrounded by Yokai mascot straight out of Mizukiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s manga world in Sakaiminato culture hall.Tottori prefecture.Japan.

On Mizuki Shigeru road the Yokai jinja allows manga fans to place votives plaques in the form of their favourites characters with their wishes written on them.

South Carolina’s REVOLUTIONARY RIVERS

Listen closely. The waters of the Pee Dee & Lynches Rivers whisper stories of swampy battlefields, colonial rice fields and routes to freedom. Retracing the past from Native American settlements to the island hideout of the Revolutionary War’s Swamp Fox, your outdoor adventure becomes a history lesson you will never find in a book.

Don’t just read history... paddle history. visitflo.com/screvrivers 64

Great Smoky Mountains

Exploring the Cherohala Skyway Story and Photos by Dale Dunlop

Most people have heard about the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive which highlight the Blue Ridge Mountains from just outside Washington D.C., all the way down past Asheville, N.C. No one would disagree that these are among the great scenic drives in the world. However, the reality is that it takes a long time to drive the entirety of either one and they are apt to be very crowded during the peak spring and fall seasons. If you are short on time or just looking for something a little less crowded then you can’t beat the Cherohala Skyway which connects Tellico Plains, Tennessee, to Robbinsville, N.C. It’s less than 40 miles long, but climbs from 860 feet at Tellico to over a mile high at the state boundary. Along the way there are many, many places to stop for a short or long hike, canoe on Indian Boundary Lake or visit Bald River and Baby Falls, each of which is spectacular in their own right. If your interest is in history there are numerous interpretive panels along the route detailing the history of the area from the Cherokees through to

the restoration work of the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Depression. I didn’t know about the Cherohala Skyway until meeting with a tourism rep for the attraction at the 2016 North American Travel Journalists Association conference in Oxnard, California. Looking over the map of the skyway laid out in front of me I knew I had to see and drive it in person which I did in mid-May on the way back to Canada from Florida. The Cherohala Skyway is a relatively new highway. It was opened only in 1996 and cost $100 million to build, but the investment was quickly rewarded with recognition as a National Scenic Byway. It lies entirely on lands owned by the Federal Government in two National Forests, the Cherokee in Tennessee and the Nantahala in North Carolina. The name is a combination of both. Although it can be driven in as little as one and a half to two hours, plan to spend the better part of a day to really appreciate the beauty of this drive.

The starting point is the Cherohala Skyway Visitor Center in Tellico Plains, Tennessee that describes itself as “The Little Town with a Big Back Yard”. It’s one of those historic trail towns that draws a wide range of outdoor enthusiast’s eager to kayak, hike, fish or bike the natural wonder that is the Great Smoky Mountains. At the Visitor Center you can plan your day with the help of a very detailed map of the Skyway and environs, pick up some locally made products and learn about the black bears that you will be sharing the woods with. Instead of killing and mounting real black bears this place has created life size replicas from textiles. The mother bear just might be the biggest teddy bear in the world. Just across the way from the Visitor Center is the Charles Hall Museum which houses an interesting series of collections including firearms, Indian artifacts, phonographs, cameras, Avon bottles and toy tractors. It’s free and you’re bound to find something of interest.

Bald River Falls

The first part of the Skyway follows the course of the Tellico River which is clear and shallow and apparently loaded with trout. There are many places where you can stop and get down to the riverbank to look for them. The highlight of the Skyway is a six-mile detour to Bald River Falls which you come upon quite suddenly as you round a bend. It is literally right beside the road and at 100 feet tall is pretty impressive. A little further on is Baby Falls which is much smaller, but very beautiful as well. Further on there are several campgrounds should one want to spend the night in these marvelous woodlands where there are literally fifty shades of green.

Cherohala Skyway Interpretive Center

Back on the main road the Skyway starts climbing and the views get more and more spectacular. Odds are good that you will drive into the clouds and then emerge on the other side. You can definitely see why these are called the Great Smoky Mountains as the valleys far below are shrouded in fog. From here on the driving is a real pleasure with turn after turn and many look offs. This is why the Skyway is so popular with motorcyclists and if you’re not on a bike you’ll certainly encounter lots of folks who are.

Tellico River

A short distance off the main road is Indian Boundary Lake where you can launch a canoe or kayak, go for a swim or ride a bike around the trail that circles the lake. It’s also the jumping off point for Citico Creek Wilderness which has an unsurfaced suitable for SUV’s and other high clearance vehicles. There is a campground on the lake with some really lovely campsites. Between Indian Boundary Lake and the end of the Skyway there are many areas where trailheads begin and there is a chance to hike to the summit of some of the nearby peaks or just enjoy the view from one of the picnic areas. Several stops have interpretive panels that explain the history of the

area. One tells the good news story of how the Civilian Conservation Core arrived in the area in the 1930’s after it had been completely logged and erosion was threatening to destroy what was left of the rivers and streams. It is almost impossible to believe that what you see today is entirely based on reclamation efforts and comforting to know that it will never be destroyed again. Another stop tells a story without a happy ending. Strewn along a short path to an overlook are the huge carcasses of dead American chestnut trees that once dominated this forest until nearly all were wiped out by a fungal blight in the early 1900’s. Despite the fact that these trees have been dead for probably over a hundred years, their wood is so hard and resistant that they have not rotted. It’s actually quite moving to just look at them in their fallen splendor. The Cherohala Skyway ends quite abruptly on the North Carolina side with a flurry of billboards and you realize that there have been no bothersome commercial distractions on the Skyway. Still the remaining drive into Robbinsville is also very scenic and interesting as it passes huge Lake Santeetlah at a number of points. If the Cherohala Skyway has peaked your interest in more of these type of exhilarating drives, check out 105 mile Moonshiner 28 or the ultra-curvy Tail of the Dragon which are both nearby.

Baby Falls

Indian Boundary Lake

Faux Black Bears, Cherohala Center

During my stay in Tellico Plains I found very good value staying at the Lodge at Tellico just on the edge of town. It is constructed entirely from logs and offers modern amenities in a woodsy setting. For more information on the Cherolala Skyway visit www.cherohala.org.

Fantasy Road Trip: A Poker Odyssey By Howard Hian

As a travel writer, I’m often questioned about my dream vacation. A poker getaway is always at the top of my list. I’d skip beaches, sightseeing, museums, shopping, sporting events, etc., and follow my personal yellow brick road in the direction of casinos or card rooms across the country. So, why that? It’s in my DNA. My mom and my aunts were terrific card players. An uncle was always a guest of a casino in Vegas’ golden age. My grandmother actually died at the poker table! Over the past few years, I’ve played 13,000+ hands of

CALIFORNIA

The Golden State Where my travel odyssey begins. In fact, my first stop is just outside of my hometown, San Diego, at the Four Diamond Pala Casino Spa Resort. Heading north, I’d hit the Commerce and Bicycle card rooms in the L.A. area on the way to Bay 101 in San Jose. These three venues host major tournaments that are frequented by poker’s elite players.

NEVADA

The Silver State I would skip Las Vegas’ 120+ casinos and continue my journey to Reno. I’m familiar with the friendly, wellrun poker rooms at the Eldorado, Peppermill and Grand Sierra casinos. Two others are close to my heart: In 2015, I placed 5th in a World Poker Tour’s Deepstacks Omaha Hi-Low tournament at the Atlantis and also cashed #1 at a daily tournament at the Nugget.

Omaha High/Low and 14,000+ of Hold ‘Em in home games, casinos, computer simulations and online. In February 2014, my app, Poker Tutorial: Omaha 101 - Improve Your Game and/ or Learn the Basics, was launched. It was downloaded in over 40 countries around the world. Its updated version, Poker Tutorial: Omaha 101 Plus An Insiders Guide To Reno, recently won Gold in the app category in the North American Travel Journalist Association’s 2015 competition.

Pala Casino & Spa Resort

MONTANA

The Treasure State Where my wanderings now turn to try to solve a mystery. Why are almost half of the 400 licensed card rooms in the U.S. located there? By way of comparison, California has less than 100 card rooms, yet California is #1 in population vs. Montana at #44. What’s going on?

MISSOURI

In The Show Me State The daydream continues as I reach my birthplace, St. Louis, which features riverboat gambling. I will stay a bit longer to visit family, friends, eat thin crust pizza, toasted ravioli, gooey buttercake and, of course, play poker. What could be better?

St. Louis Arch

NEW YORK

The Empire State Wraps up my make-believe tour. I’d search out an illegal “underground” game, as portrayed in the movie Rounders, to test my skills. It will be a short stay in New York City because I much prefer tournament settings (a fixed dollar buy-in limits potential losses). And, with that, my Cross Country Fantasy Road Trip is complete. Did I win? On this imaginary poker odyssey, Of course I did.

GAMING FACTOIDS: Card rooms differ from casinos because they offer only card games. A casino has a poker room, slots and other table games, e.g., roulette and craps.

New York Skyline

Worldwide Casino Count: Africa, almost 200; Asia, over 250; Caribbean,150; Central and South America, over 500; Europe, over 2,500; Oceania, almost 600; North America including Canada, Mexico and the US; over 2,000. Gambling is big business, it was a $70 billion dollar year in 2015 in the USA alone.

Safe travels, never draw to an inside straight and enjoy the journey….

www.Travels-with-Hian

Thanks to various websites for information and photos. Want to learn or improve your game? Download Poker Tutorial: Omaha 101 Plus An Insiders Guide To Reno. It’s in the iTunes Store.

DESTINATION INFORMATION EXPLORE BRANSON, MO

Branson, Missouri, nestled in the lakeside beauty of the Ozark Mountains, is America’s affordable, wholesome family entertainment capital that emphasizes fun, comfort and the feeling of being right at home. Featuring an array of live theaters and attraction venues and active recreational pursuits, the community embodies essential American values such as patriotism, faith, courage and generosity of spirit in a warm inviting atmosphere that is truly genuine and heartfelt.

Desert character. It can’t be conjured, landscaped or kindled with twinkling bulbs. Projected against this rugged backdrop is a panorama of charm: Resorts and spas infused with Native American tradition. Golf courses that stay emerald green in the middle of winter. Mountain parks crisscrossed with trails. Sports arenas worthy of the Super Bowl. Restaurants that invite you to dine beneath sunshine or stars.This is the desert you never knew. Discover it.

DISCOVER OXNARD, CA

Nestled along the Pacific Coast between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, Oxnard, California offers everything you need for a great vacation. Catch a boat out of our scenic marina for a whale watching cruise or to explore the Channel Islands National Park, “America’s Galapagos.” Enjoy miles of uncrowded beaches and oceanfront bike trails. Grab a kayak, ride the ocean on a paddle board, soak up Southern California’s beautiful-year-round weather. Play at our world-class golf courses and taste local wines along the Ventura County Wine Trail. Celebrate the sunset. It’s time to discover Oxnard!

www.explorebranson.com

www.visitphoenix.com

UNITED STATES

INDIANA

ALABAMA

Stay In Simi Phone: 8055263900 Website: http://www.stayinsimi.com

http://www.birminghamal.org

Tourism New Zealand Phone: 3108572205

http://www.visitbloomington.com

Hunstville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau (256) 551-2235

Visit Buena Park Phone: 714-562-3560 Website:

http://www.huntsville.org

http://www.visitbuenapark.com

ALASKA

www.visitpalmsprings.com

Visit Palm Springs (760) 778-8415

Kansas Department of Wildlife Parks & Tourism Phone: 785-296-4922 Website: www.travelks.com

http://www.ExploreFairbanks.com

COLORADO

KENTUCKY

ARIZONA

http://www.glenwoodchamber.com/

Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau Phone: 502-560-1480 Website: http://www.gotolouisville.com

FLORIDA

LOUISIANA

http://www.saltyflorida.com/

www.ExperienceJefferson.com

Greater Birmingham Conv. & Visitors Bureau (205) 458-8000

Explore Fairbanks 907-459-3770

Sedona Chamber of Commerce (928) 282-7722

http://www.visitsedona.com ARKANSAS

Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism Phone: 501-682-7602 Website: http://www.Arkansas.com Little Rock CVB Phone: 501-370-3224 Website: http://www.littlerock.com North Little Rock Visitors Bureau 501-758-1424

www.NorthLittleRock.org CALIFORNIA

Catalina Island Chamber & Visitors Bureau Phone: 310.510.1520 Website: http://www.catalinachamber.com Lowell Milken Center Phone: 310-570-4773

VISIT PHOENIX, AZ

Solvang Conference & Visitors Bureau Phone: 805-688-6144 Website: http://www.solvangusa.com/

Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Assoc. (970) 945-5002

Franklin County Tourist Development Council (850) 653-8678

www.visitoxnard.com

Visit Bloomington Phone: 812-355-7723 Website:

Visit South Bend Mishawaka Phone: 574-400-4025

KANSAS

Jefferson County Convention & Visitors Bureau 504-731-7083

Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau Phone: 305-539-3000 Website:

MICHIGAN

http://www.miamiandbeaches.com

http://www.lansing.org/

Santa Rosa Tourist Development Office (850) 939-2691

MISSOURI

The Beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel Phone: 239-338-3500 Website: http://www.fortmyers-sanibel.com/

http://bransoncvb.com/

Visit Central Florida Phone: 863-551-4707 Website: https://visitcentralflorida.org/

Finn Partners 212-715-1600

http://www.floridasplayground.com/

Visit Sarasota County (941) 955-0991

http://www.visitsarasota.org

Greater Lansing CVB (517) 377-1423

Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce & Convention & Visitors Bureau (417) 243-2137

NEW YORK www.FinnPartners.com Niagara Tourism & Convention Corporation Phone: 7162828992 Website: http://www.niagara-usa.com

DESTINATION INFORMATION (Cont’d.) VISIT PALM SPRINGS

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, CO

Palm Springs, California is known for its storied Hollywood legacy, Native American heritage and stellar collection of mid-century modern architecture. Palm Springs is California’s ultimate desert playground. It truly is like no place else. Lounging by the pool and soaking up the sun is always a favorite pastime. If you want to explore the outdoors and enjoy the beautiful climate, there are plenty of activities. Soar to the top of Mount San Jacinto on the world famous Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, hike scenic trails and stroll through the ancient palm groves in the Indian Canyons, or take an off-road excursion of Joshua Tree National Park or the San Andreas Fault.

Take a ticket to your next Colorado Rocky Mountain adventure by exploring “America’s Most Fun Town,” Glenwood Springs, Colorado! For over a century, visitors from around the globe have added Glenwood Springs to their travel itineraries. Our destination is family friendly, affordable, and blessed with a remarkable mix of geological wonders including hot springs, vapor caves, two rivers and a canyon, surrounded by the glorious Rocky Mountains. Whether you crave hiking, biking, fishing, outdoor activities or relaxing spa time, you’ll find it all in Glenwood Springs.

www.VisitPalmSprings.com Turning Stone Resort Casino 800-771-7711

www.TurningStone.com NORTH CAROLINA

www.glenwoodchamber.com RHODE ISLAND

Newport, Rhode Island CVB (401) 845-9117

www.GoNewport.com

Burlington/Alamance County CVB Phone: 336-570-1444 Website: http://www.visitalamance.com

South County Tourism Council Phone: 401-489-4422 Website: http://www.southcountyRI.com

Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau Phone: 919-245-4323 Website: http://www.visitchapelhill.org

TENNESSEE

Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau Phone: 919-680-8326 Website: http://www.durham-nc.com/

http://monroecounty.com/

Graham County Travel & Tourism Phone: 828-479-3790 Website:

http://www.GrahamCountyTravel.com

Outer Banks Visitors Bureau (252) 473-2138 Website: www.outerbanks.org Wilson County Tourism Authority Phone: 800-497-7398 Website: www.wilson-nc.com

SOUTH DAKOTA

Sioux Falls Convention & Visitors Bureau Phone: 605.373.2012

OKLAHOMA

Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Bureau Phone: 405-297-8973 Website: http://www.visitokc.com

OREGON

Cherohala Skyway National Scenic Byway (423) 442-9147

TEXAS

VISIT SALTY, FLORIDA

We’re Salty! If you’re looking for the old Florida experience you’ll find it in Franklin County. Tucked along Florida’s Panhandle, the coastal communities of Alligator Point, Apalachicola, Carrabelle, Eastpoint, and St. George Island offer beaches, history, adventure and fresh Apalachicola Bay seafood served up in an authentic “salty” setting. Relax on award-winning, pet-friendly beaches, climb historic lighthouses, charter eco-tours and fishing trips or bring your own gear and enjoy camping, paddling and hiking on acres of wooded trails and miles of quiet streams. Tee up on a championship golf course, enjoy live theatre performances in an historic venue and browse local galleries, museums and shops. Fresh local seafood is served at more than 30 area restaurants and local seafood markets.

www.saltyflorida.com Whidbey and Camano Islands Tourism (360) 629-7136

http://www.whidbeycamanoislands.com/ WISCONSIN

VISIT Milwaukee Phone: 4145079009

TRAVEL SERVICES Auto Europe

Phone: 207-842-2038 Website: http://www.autoeurope.com

City Pass

Galveston Island CVB (405) 797-5152

Toll Free (888) 330-5008 Direct: (208) 787-4300

Visit Big Bend Phone: 432-837-3915 Website:

Exodus Travel

http://www.galveston.com

http://www.visitbigbend.com Visit Houston Phone: 713-437-5275 Website: http://www.visithouston.com

VIRGINIA

Hampton Convention & Visitor Bureau (VA) (757) 728-5316

www.citypass.com

Phone: 647 880 1581 Website: http://www.ExodusTravels.com

CANADA QUEBEC

Quebec City Tourism (418) 641-6654, 5421

http://www.quebecregion.com

http://visithampton.com/ WASHINGTON

Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism Phone: 360-671-3990 Website: http://www.bellingham.org

Baker County Tourism Phone: 541-523-1589 Website: http://www.basecampbaker.com

San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau (360) 378-6822

Washington County Visitors Association Phone: 503-644-5555 Website: http://tualatinvalley.org

Travel Tacoma + Pierce County Phone: 253-284-3253

http://visitsanjuans.com/

MEXICO PUERTO VALLARTA Visit Puerto Vallarta (212) 633-2047

www.visitpuertovallarta.com

SO FUN SO MEMORABLE SO SOLVANG

Journey to the Danish town of Solvang, on California’s Central Coast. You’ll gain a whole new perspective on the world.

VisitSolvang.com