Vienna and a Strikingly Beautiful/Strange Cathedral… Great Rivers Series: Danube #1

November 18, 2024 / Curt Mekemson / 21 Comments

I’ve put on some mood music for today’s post: *The Beautiful Blue Danube* by Johann Strauss. Appropriately, it’s being played by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. This is the river and its beauty. Its blue green tint is caused by the time of day and clouds. Like all rivers, it has a variety of ever changing moods.

We leave the Colorado River as it flows through the Grand Canyon today and travel 6000 miles to the second river in our Great River Series, Europe’s Danube River. Peggy and I, along with her brother John and his wife Frances, cruised down the river from Vienna to the Black Sea for nine days in late September/early October this year while adding another 7 days with a pre-tour of Vienna in the beginning and a post-tour of Transylvania at the end.

Polar opposites come to mind when comparing the two experiences. The Colorado combined the world class natural beauty of the Grand Canyon with the high adventure experience of floating through roaring rapids in small rafts. Accommodations are best described as roughing it. We slept on the ground in our two person tent, prepared our own food, and took care of bathroom chores on the groover— which was hopefully hidden from public view by bushes and rocks. Whatever bathing took place was in the ice cold river or or side streams with our clothes on— might as well wash both at once, right? Side trips normally involved climbing up the steep, possibly dangerous sides of the Grand Canyon to enjoy the beauty or leap 10 to 20 feet off cliffs into small, hopefully deep, pools of water. As for weather, think up close and personal.

The Danube has a beauty of its own but lacks the incredible scenery of the Grand Canyon. Our ‘raft’ was a brand new river boat holding around 100 people, where we ate four course meals served to us by friendly, attentive staff. (Peggy had won them over on the first day. When we entered the dining room we’d hear, “Hi Peggy,” coming from all sides.) We slept on a king-sized bed, had large windows looking out on the river, enjoyed a hot shower every night, and had a toilet that, um, actually looked and behaved like a toilet. Our side trips were usually into major Eastern European cities known for their culture and stunning architecture. It wasn’t quite ‘roughing it.’

The primary difference, however, was on focus. On the Colorado, it was the river, the surrounding natural beauty, and the adventure. On the Danube, it was on history and the cities that border the river. The Danube had once served as the boundary for Rome. In the centuries since the region, known as the Balkans, had seen continuing invasions including the Mongols out of Asia and the Ottoman Turks from Turkey.

World War I started in Bosnia when Archduke Franz Ferdinand of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was assassinated by a Serbian nationalist. World War II ended with Russian tanks and troops rolling across the area and establishing the Communist Eastern Bloc nations. Ethnic rivalry, seen most recently in the bloody Kosovo conflict, has often been intense. The word Balkanization, which refers to a country or region breaking up into smaller, frequently hostile units as the result of ethnic, religious, or political differences, is actually based on what happened in the region.

We followed the Danube River traveling for about 1200 (1930 km) of its 1700 miles (2,730 km) in a southeast direction starting in Vienna and ending at the Black Sea. I’ll start this series in the classic city of Vienna. On today’s post, I am going to feature St. Stephan’s Cathedral which dominates Vienna’s skyline and is remarkably beautiful. And strange, in a medieval sort of way.

St. Stephan’s Church with its striking roof and its 446 feet (136 meters) tall south tower reaching for the sky. The roof is covered with some 230,000 glazed tiles. Note the birds flying between the tower and the roof. They had been disturbed by the ringing of the noon bell. It is said that Beethoven first realized how totally deaf he was when he saw the birds fly out of St. Stephan’s bell tower but couldn’t hear the bell ringing.

A front view of St.Stephan’s. The main entrance to the church is just below the overhang. It’s know as the Giant’s Door. The story behind the name is that the thighbone of a mammoth was found in 1443 while workers were digging the foundation for the North Tower and hung it over the door, where it apparently resided for decades. Did they see it as a unique decoration? Or maybe they thought of it as a message from God…

A view of the North Tower where the mastodon bone was found. Originally the tower was supposed to reach the height of the South Tower but the funding came to an end. It does, however house the Pummerin, or, as it is known locally, the Boomer, a 44,380 pound (20,130 kilogram) bell, which is the second largest swinging bell in Europe. The two eagles on the roof are the symbols of Austria and Vienna. Note the monument on the lower left…

The Capistran Chancel was once the main pulpit in St. Stephan’s. It’s named after St. John of Capistrano, a Franciscan, who is said to have preached a Holy Crusade from it against the Muslim Turks in the 1450s. It shows St. Francis tramping on a defeated Turk. From what I’ve read about St. Francis, that’s fake news. St. Francis was a man of peace who risked his life to establish peace between the Christians and Turks.

Also, I wouldn’t be surprised if you are thinking swallows when you hear Capistrano. And you’d be right. The Franciscans also named their early mission south of LA, California after the Saint, San Juan Capistrano. And that’s where the swallows return to each year. There is even a song about it. One final note: The door to the church’s catacombs is next to the monument. There are the skeletal remains of over 11,000 people in the catacombs. I wonder if the mammoth’s bone is there as well? Why not.

Most people think of beauty and vast size when they visit Europe’s great cathedrals. And yes, there is that. After checking out the beauty, however, I like to focus in on the details. I found this stone carving on the side of the church. Is it a bird; is it a plane (as they said about Superman)? No! It’s St. Francis, appearing as a bird carrying a tree. It’s much more like the usual portrayal of a good saint than his image of stomping Turks. He loved trees and was said to talk to animals. If you see an image of a saint from medieval times with animals, birds or trees, you can almost bet it will be St. Francis.

This is a photo of the inside of the Cathedral. It’s busy. I meant it to be. The number of statues and paintings of saints and important church personages was mind blowing. This is looking toward the high alter where a painting of St. Stephan is featured.

He’s being stoned. It would be hard to find a painting of the saint when he isn’t. Even Rembrandt painted one. Here’s the thing. Most people were illiterate in the Middle Ages and the church fathers wanted their parishioners to know their saints and understand the messages they carried. Like St. Francis and nature. And St. Stephan and stoning. A bit gruesome perhaps, but most martyred Christian saints are tied to their martyrdom.

There are several at St. Stephan’s including St. Sebastian with arrows sticking out, St. Barbara holding a castle tower and St. Catherine of Alexandria holding a spiked wheel. Their stories are all similar. Deep faith brings them into conflict with non-Christian authorities. They are tortured and God miraculously intervenes to save them. Finally, they are killed. Thus you have faith, suffering because of faith, the power of God to miraculously intervene, and ultimately their willingness to die because of their faith. I assume they are all pulled into heaven where they live happily ever after. A story with a happy ending…

The woman standing behind at least 10 other beings, including the weird angels/people peeking out from the clouds, is St. Barbara. Her daddy kept her hidden away in a castle until he discovered she had converted to Christianity. Then he took her to the local pagan priest who submitted her to various tortures, from which she would miraculously be cured by God each night. Finally out of frustration, Daddy chopped her head off. On the way home he was struck by lightning and burned to a crisp. There’s a message here. Anyway, the castle represents where she was held, the sword with which she died and the crown her martyrdom. BTW, because of the lightning, St. Barbara became the patron saint of artillerymen and miners— things that go boom.

I, for one, if I ever have need for a saint, will stick with St. Francis of Assisi, the man of peace and nature who died of a natural disease. I like a guy who can talk to an almond tree and it suddenly breaks out in blooms.

Here’s another symbol, Baby Jesus and his apple. It refers to him as the New Adam who will redeem humankind. I couldn’t help thinking, “Here Mom, your really should try this apple. Snake says it’s great.”

The church’s pulpit is quite impressive. it includes realistic stone sculptures of the Four Fathers of the Catholic Church: Augustine, Jerome, Ambrose, and Gregory. The pulpit is found in the central part of the church rather than in the front. In the era before microphones, this was necessary for the priest to be heard. Note the balustrade on the right…

It was covered with frogs and lizards biting each other, which, according to our guide, was to remind the priest/bishop/cardinal mounting the stairs of his many sins. A stone dog stood guard at the top of the steps to protect the speaker while he gave his sermon. Even then, it appears that dogs were considered man’s best friend. Cats, associated with women, were considered evil. Hmmm. An impressive organ can be seen beyond the stairs.

Every cathedral we visited on our journey down the Danube had one. Looking at this one, I was reminded of the first massive organ I ever saw. I was on an Episcopal Church related trip in the early 60s and we stopped off at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. At the time, Grace was one of the most progressive churches in America. It still is. My minister, Father Baskin, grinned at me and sat down at the keyboard. The sound was incredible, echoing throughout the church. He played an old ditty that I was familiar with, “The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out, the worms play pinnacle on your snout.” Father Baskin was one of the best men I have ever known. He was my kind of priest.

There were many other strange sights that caught my attention as I wandered around the church, including this knight with his codpiece, meant to protect his vitals during battle. They were quite the fashion statement of the time and kept getting longer and longer. And don’t you wonder how his helmet (on the left) could ever fit over his hair.

It’s time to move on, however. (Did I just hear, past time!) Next up is Vienna’s Summer Palace.

Welcome to Dracula’s Castle in Transylvania… Happy Halloween

October 31, 2024October 30, 2024 / Curt Mekemson / 27 Comments

Peggy and I never expected to visit Dracula’s Castle in Transylvania but there it was on our Danube River trip itinerary. How could we resist? Halloween was only 2 1/2 weeks away.

There was a danger of being tied up, however.

And ghosts. This scary fellow was floating back and forth in a dark room, like a caged wild animal. Optical illusion? Perhaps…

A wild lion with vampire sharp teeth peered out from a table…

A lioness with frightening sliced eyes was hidden among scroll-like decorations.

Looking closely, other evil creatures seemingly appeared out of nowhere, like this satan goat with dead eyes and his companion, a horned dragon.

Even door knockers were threatening. “Beware!” rather than “Welcome” was the message. Monsters’ heads peered out from the medallion. Two snakes slithered out, wound around the knocker, and became a second set of massive horns on a cruel face with pursed lips.

Strange metal doors invited opening. Dare we? What dark secrets does the room hide? Eyes stared out from the top panel. Halloween scary for sure.

Peggy entered a dark room and came out screaming. Had her hair fallen out? (Our guide had hidden behind a curtain and jumped out yelling.)

And there were lots of dark, narrow, ancient stairs to climb that led to mysterious heights. Was this damsel in distress wearing a nervous smile about to become Dracula’s latest victim? (We were traveling with Peggy’s brother John and his wife Frances. This is Frances negotiating the ‘dark, narrow stairs,’ with a smile.)

Even the castle’s no-smoking sign had a bit of Halloween-type humor, which brings me to something much more scary than Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the real, historical Dracula, son of Dracul…

Stoker never visited Dracula’s Castle but he based his book partially on folk tales, legends, and the actual historical Dracula/Vlad the Impaler. Compared to him, Stoker’s Dracula was a wimp, a woozy, a rank amateur. Born in 1431, Vlad would be responsible for some 80,000 deaths throughout his 45 years of life, utilizing various means including torture— the worst of which was impaling. Not to get too graphic, but imagine sitting down on a yard long, pointed, narrow pole. Ouch. He once did in 20,000 Ottoman Turks using that method. The rest of the army turned and ran home. Even Pope Pius II was impressed. The gruesome chair and standing tomb above are other examples of torture implements he might have used. Once a delegation of diplomats visited Vlad and refused to take off their hats in respect. He had their heads cut off and their hats nailed to their heads. So, if you want scary, Vlad is your man.

These were violent times throughout Europe and Vlad was among the most violent. No wonder ghosts roam about his castle, virtual, or otherwise.

At one point, Vlad was imprisoned in this tower for a couple of years, a part of his own castle.

And now, to lighten things up, a leap forward to Halloween 2024…

If you’ve been around this blog for a while, you know Bone, Eeyore, Bonetta, and George, the African Bush Devil. Bone has been wandering the world for 47 years, ever since Tom Lovering and I found him while backpacking south of Lake Tahoe; Eeyore has been his traveling companion for 25 of those years; Bone found Bonetta in a Florida swamp and married her at Burning Man; George came home with me from Africa in 1967 and is on the front of my book about my Peace Corps experience: *The Bush Devil Ate Sam*. They dressed up for Halloween— and you— using their Burning Man costumes.

Eeyore and Bone have been wandering around North America together for 25 years. Bone gets Eeyore into trouble and Eeyore gets Bone out of trouble. Eeyore is wearing his leopard mask. Bone, BTW, is naked, which is his Burning Man costume. If Eeyore appears a bit bedraggled, it may be because he served as an elementary school mascot before joining Bone.

The gorgeous Bonetta put on her Burning Man wedding dress to appear as the Bride of Frankenstein. (Baby Bone was sleeping in his coffin and no one wanted to hear him scream if he woke up.)

George is wearing his dramatic Red Hawk mask. He was carved by a leper in Ganta, Liberia.

And finally, the Mekemson and Cox Family Pumpkins. Clay’s lurks threatening in the background. Tasha’s is a First Grade Monster with eyes peeking out on the side. Ethan’s is an AI Robot (scary as a category five hurricane). Cody’s large mouth pumpkin is throwing up his innards. Peggy’s is the Castle of Dracula, and mine is Dracula’s Teeth. (I have a dental appointment this week and all I could think of was teeth. How much scarier can it get than trip to the dentist?)

Actually, my dentist, Dr. Tim Smith, and his staff at Purcellville Dental are excellent. And have a great sense of humor! Their annual “Decorate for Halloween Contest” was underway. Each staff member creates a ‘Jack-o-lantern’ and patients are invited to vote for their favorite. This was mine.

Peggy and I, along with Clay, Tasha, Ethan and Cody and, of course, Bone, Eeyore, Bonetta and George would all like to wish you and your family a Happy and Safe Halloween filled with laughter, goodies, and slightly scary things.

The Great River Series… Introduction

October 18, 2024 / Curt Mekemson / 17 Comments

Clouds roll in threatening rain along the Danube River. Fortunately, the weather gods were kind to us. The river had flooded the week before our arrival due to heavy downpours upriver.

Today marks the beginning of our Great River series. The inspiration for it is our trip down the Danube from Vienna to the Black Sea that we just finished while traveling with Peggy’s brother John and his wife Frances.

Along the way, we traveled through Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania, all countries that I had never visited except Croatia. (Peggy had been to Austria, as well: Way back in BC…As in before Curt.) Other than the Romanian apple that got us in trouble with US Customs and a cold I picked up and undoubtedly shared along the way, our trip in a riverboat with the GoHagan travel company was quite good.

Knowledgeable (and often humorous) local guides led us on tours through cities, towns, churches, castles, and palaces while providing historical background that ranged from Mongol and Turkish invasions, to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, to the Russian Communist occupation following World War II.

We watched horses prance, people dance, and consumed at least three times as much food as we usually do. An ancient village with roots going back 5-6 thousand years and the beauty of the Carpathian Mountains of Romania/Transylvania wowed us.

Dracula/Vlad the Impaler called the Carpathians home. While we found the Impaler’s castle fascinating, I think Peggy was more excited to discover that the Cantacuzino Castle (where we stopped for lunch) serves as the site for the Nevermore Academy of the Netflix series Wednesday, a take-off on the TV series, The Addams Family, of yore. How much does she like the series? Well, she has binged on it. More than once. Her scream of delight when she saw a sign promoting the castle as the series’ location led everyone on the bus to turn and look at her. I felt like I was married to a smitten teenager.

The Cantacuzino Castle that serves as the as the location for the Nevermore Academy of the Netflix series *Wednesday* with a view of the Carpathian Mountains of Transylvania in the background. The leaves were just beginning to turn as we made our way through Romania.

The castle of Vlad the Impaler, aka Dracula, in Transylvania.

One great river doesn’t constitute a series, however. And we’ve promised a series which brings up what our criteria are for defining a great river. There are the normal factors, i.e. length and volume, but I would also add history and in beauty. The Nile is a great example for history, while the Colorado River on its run through the Grand Canyon is one for beauty. Both are mind-blowing.

There is one criterion that is strictly ours: We have to have floated on the river. For example, Peggy and I have crossed the Mississippi, Missouri, and Columbia Rivers numerous times from their headwaters to where they flow into the ocean. But our only personal experience has been to take photos and explore their history, with folks like Mark Twain and Lewis and Clark serving as our teachers. Peggy is known to stick a finger or toe in on occasion, however, “to test the water.”

In addition to the Danube, the series will include the Colorado, Amazon, Rhine, Nile, Zambezi, and England’s Trent and Mercy Canal— not a Great River perhaps, but Peggy and I had a blast navigating it in a 60’ long 10’ wide narrow boat, stopping at pubs along the way.

Our private 21 day trip through Grand Canyon National Park by raft was filled with beauty, adventure and fun.

We explored the Amazon River out of Manaus, Brazil for a week on the Amazon Clipper, a small boat that we shared with four other couples plus crew. We dined on piranhas for dinner that night, the ones we had caught in the afternoon (carefully).

Our trip up the Rhine River had it all: Charming towns, Medieval castles, towering cathedrals, bucolic countryside and history. Plus, we took our son, daughter, spouses and grandkids with us.

Horus, the Falcon God of ancient Egypt in the Valley of Kings. The Nile is lined with such treasures.

The Zambezi River of southern Africa brings its own magic ranging from water buffalo, to hippos, to crocodiles, to lions and numerous species of birds.

An underpass on England’s Trent and Mercy Canal. “Low bridge, everybody down.” —Erie Canal song

Since we have already blogged about these experiences (other than the Danube) in the past, I’ll simply do a summary post or two on each one that focuses on photos. The Nile may include more since there were several blogs that I ran out of time to do after the trip last year.

Next week, a quick look at the incredible beauty of the Colorado River through Grand Canyon National Park. After that, we will start on the Danube.

Dangerous Romanian Apple Is Caught Slipping into US without Passport… With Us. We’re Back!

October 14, 2024October 14, 2024 / Curt Mekemson / 30 Comments

This apple is a dangerous criminal, an illegal alien attempting to slip into the US from Bucharest without a passport. I am using it here to hide my identity as it is interrogated under the bright lights of the law in a US Customs Detention Center at Dulles Airport. I can still hear the questions, over and over: “Are you or are you not an apple? Did you or did you not come from a former Communist Country? Where is your passport? Is it your intention to destroy America’s apple crop and replace it with foreign apples? What about oranges, grapes, turnips, and petunias?” Petunias?

Peggy and I were innocent victims. The apple was using us for its nefarious purposes. The staff at our hotel in Bucharest had slipped apples into breakfast paper bags when Peggy and I, along with her brother John and wife Frances, checked out at 2 AM. They had included a sandwich made up a slice of cheese and a slice of ham on white bread without any condiments, plus— the piece de resistance— a two-bite muffin. I’d eaten the sandwich and muffin on our ride out to the Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport. I was suspicious of my apple, however. It had a not-right feeling. I tossed it into a trash can. Let the Romanian authorities deal with it.

Peggy, on the other hand, had visions of eating the apple somewhere along the way on our seemingly endless journey as a defense against starvation. She slipped it into an extra bag she was carrying for gifts and the apple immediately burrowed itself into the bottom of the bag, where it hoped to be forgotten. I can’t blame it for not wanting to be eaten, but apparently it had other motives as well. I don’t know what John and Frances did with theirs. I’d watched Frances cut up lots of them on our trip down the Danube, however. As for John, it probably depended on his political assessment of the apple. Had he thought of it as liberal, or radical, he would have consumed it on the spot, down to its very seeds. Had it been Libertarian, he would have coddled it, possibly even slipping it into Texas where the laws are different (not really, when it comes to US Customs).

We had a 4 hour layover in Zurich where the apple would have been consumed except we were traveling business class and could hang out at the Swiss Air lounge where all sorts of goodies were available for eating. Likewise, we were fed two full meals on our flight from Switzerland to Virginia. The apple continued its happy and secretive existence in the bottom of the gift bag— until we were in the middle of a massive crowd of people slowly making our way toward the passport check stations. It was then that Peggy saw the sign: “All travelers entering the United States are Required to Declare meats, fruits, vegetables, plants, seeds, soil, animals, as well as plant and animal products (including soup or soup products) they may be carrying. The declaration must cover all items carried in checked baggage, carry-on luggage, or in a vehicle.” The food might contain dangerous pests. Not declaring it is a crime subject to fines up to $10,000!

It was an “Oh poop,” moment. Oh well. Having lived in California for many years, we were used to border checks for fruit. We either got rid of it before entering the state or declared it if we hadn’t. I’d stopped being overly concerned when the border checks were frequently unmanned. If we declared fruits, the guards told us to throw it into a nearby trash can, or eat it. So much for the dangerous pests.

When we reached passport control, Peggy bravely pulled the offending apple out of her bag and explained why she had forgotten it. “Here, you can have it,” Peggy offered with one of her dazzling, disarming smiles. “Or is there a place I can toss it?” The agent reacted like Peggy was offering her a dead rat with the bubonic plague. She grabbed Peggy’s passport and locked it up in a plastic box for Peggy to carry. “Follow that red line to Custom detention,” she told her. Suffering from guilt by association, I was directed to go with her.

We opened the door and a very stern looking fellow took Peggy’s passport and glared at the apple. We were told to go sit on the side with a lot of other people. We would be allowed to go when and If the agents found no more apples in our luggage, which, at the time, was going around and around on the Swiss Air’s luggage carousel. “Can I go pick up the bags and bring them back here?” Peggy asked. “No” was the terse reply. “You will not bring fruit into the country,” we were reminded again. We were very close to being criminals. Agents would go collect our luggage so we wouldn’t try to escape.

A sign declared we were to take no photos or record any conversations. I understood why. Four agents were standing in the back of the room sorting through a pile of garbage four feet high and four feet across, carefully pulling out each piece and examining it. I certainly wouldn’t want my photo taken doing that. I hoped that they were well paid. As for the no photos, I wasn’t going to take any photos of their secretive activities, but I really did want a photo of the apple.

I pulled out my MacBook Pro and opened Photo Booth. Positioning my apple where I wanted, I pushed the red cameral symbol. BEEP, BEEP, BEEP the computer went as it counted down. The wasn’t an ‘Oh poop’ moment. It was an “Oh shit” moment. I imagined guys with guns rushing over to grab me. I quickly closed my laptop and waited. Nobody seemed to have noticed. The problem was, I wasn’t happy with the photo.

Out came my laptop again, this time with the sound turned off. I positioned the apple just so (as you see it above) and snapped another photo. The only thing I could see in the photo that might be considered in the no-take area was a TV that featured Mr. Potato Head on the left and an orangish looking guy with horns on the right. Satisfied, I put the laptop away and we waited. And waited. Another family of four was in the same strait we were. The daughter had brought a closed package of beef jerky to give to her brother, which was apparently a crime even more serious than ours. Her father was roaming around like an angry bee.

A half hour passed, and then an hour, and then an hour and a half. Each time the agents brought in luggage, Peggy and the dad would jump up to see if ours was included. Nada. Once the agents brought in 20 pieces from a French airline. Who knows what that was about. Maybe the French were trying to smuggle in a hundred pounds of Foie gras. The French fellow they were holding couldn’t (or wouldn’t) identify any of the luggage. I felt for all of the passengers who were wondering where in the heck their luggage had disappeared to.

Finally, the dad went over to talk to the “Big Guy,” who stood about five feet tall, and asked if he could go out with an agent and identify his luggage. Maybe the fellow was feeling a little guilty about the dad’s long wait with children. He said yes. Peggy, who knows an opportunity when it knocks, ran over and requested the same privilege. Five minutes later Peggy and the dad showed up with the luggage that the agents hadn’t been able to find in two hours. Ten minutes later our luggage had been scanned, Peggy had her passport back, and we were free to go. It was one AM in Bucharest. We had been traveling for close to 24 hours. All’s well that ends well. We had been worried that the following photo may have shown our fate.

Peggy is threatened with having her head cut off at Vlad the Impaler/Dracula’s castle in Transylvania. Our guide, whose name was also Vlad, was wielding the ax. That’s it for the day. Next up, we will start our Great River Series, including our adventure down the Danube River.

Cape Town, Table Mountain and the Cape of Good Hope: South Africa… On Safari 25: A Wrap-up

April 1, 2024April 1, 2024 / Curt Mekemson / 22 Comments

This is a view of the Cape of Good Hope as seen from on top of Cape Point. Portugal’s Bartolomeu Dias was the first to round it in 1488. He named it the “Cape of Storms,” for good reason. Ten years later, Vasco da Gama followed the same route and then sailed up the coast of Africa, prompting King John II of Portugal to rename it the “Cape of Good Hope.” It opened a sea route to fabulous wealth of the spice trade in India and the Far East.

Today marks my 25th and final post on our African Safari. As you read this, Peggy and I are driving between Carson City, Nevada and the Central Coast of California where we will spend the next two weeks exploring Big Sur, Carmel, Monterey, Pinnacles National Park and the surrounding area. The visit will kick off our next series: A three month, thousand mile journey following the Pacific Coast through Northern California, Oregon and Washington— one of the world’s most beautiful coastlines.

But first, a wrap up on South Africa where we will visit the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Town and Table Mountain.

We took a full day excursion from Cape Town down to the Cape of Good Hope. Along the way, we were entertained by the ostrich, snakes, penguins and a lizard that you have already met in previous posts. This is the end of the road— as far as you can drive on the south-western coast of Africa without getting wet.

This is Point Cape, just east of the Cape of Good Hope. Looking west, we had the view of the Cape that I showed in the first photo.

This lighthouse was built was built in 1859 on Da Gama Peak, the summit of Cape Point, 780 feet (238m) above sea level, to protect sailors from the dangerous rocks off Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope. It seemed like the ideal location. Unfortunately, it was often hidden by fog. A modern lighthouse is now located down Cape Point at 275 feet (78m). The hawk was a bonus.

Our drive down to the Cape of Good Hope provided this view just south of Cape Town.

We also saw this young caracal with its impressive long ears near the Cape. Our guide Johnathon was very excited and told us this was the first caracal he had ever seen in the wild. A member of the cat family, it hunts almost exclusively at night and is rarely seen by anyone! We were lucky. I moved quickly to get a shot before it disappeared into the brush.

This rather impressive Peninsula Granite Fynbos wasn’t going anywhere, however. Peggy and I could take our time photographing it. It’s endemic to the Cape Town region and nowhere else.

I managed to sneak up on one for a close up…

And another. Now, back to Cape Town and the Springboks. I’m not talking about the attractive South African antelope known for its pronking, taking several 6 foot high leaps into the air in quick succession. I am talking about the South Africa’s Rugby Team that had just won the World Championship and was booked into our hotel for their Cape Town celebration.

A large crowd had gathered around our hotel and was waiting their arrival. The police opened their cordon to let us through. Several people thought we were related somehow and snapped our photos. A number of teenage girls waited nervously. One actually managed to get a selfie with one of the stars. She tried to be cool when taking the photo but immediately screamed afterwards. So much for cool.

Our guide, Jonathan, took us on a tour of Cape Town and Table Mountain in addition to taking us down to the Cape of Good Hope. Here, he is talking about the colorful homes in the small community known as Bo-Kaap that I featured at the end of my last post.

The original residents of Bo-Kaap were descendants of slaves imported by the Dutch from Malaysia, Indonesia, India, and Sri Lanka during the 16th and 17th centuries.

Because of their cultural heritage, Bo-Kaap is primarily a Muslim Community. Even the mosque was brightly painted, matching the brightly painted homes.

It seemed that each one was painted a different color.

We found this artistic elephant in Bo-Kaap…

And this man selling freshly caught fish from the back of his pickup.

Johnathon also took us to the Shimansky diamond jewelry shop where we watched diamonds being cut.

The diamond cutters showed us two of the diamonds he was working on. Judging from their size, I’d say they were a bit beyond my budget. Quite a bit.

Any trip to Cape Town should include a trip up to Table Mountain, the dramatic backdrop for the city. We got there by going up this tram.

Looking back at Cape Town from Table Top Mountain.

Our hotel was mixed in among these tall buildings.

And another view. A number of flowers demanded their photos be taken.

Including one I had never seen: a peninsula conebush. The cone is tough and will only open and release its seeds as a result of fire.

These flowers created a pretty bouquet among the rocks.

Peggy shows the mist rising up on the ocean side of Table Mountain. Her hair shows that it was accompanied by a breeze.

This little beauty, an orange-breasted sunbird, was waiting for us as we neared the end of our time on Table Top Mountain.

After all of the great people, incredible wildlife, and striking scenery, I think it is only appropriate that we end our African safari series with the small hyrax on Table Top Mountain, seemingly waving goodbye to us. The next morning we began our long air journey back to Virginia. I hope you enjoyed this series. We were ever so glad you decided to come along.
Next up, an introduction to our thousand mile journey following the Pacific Coast.

A Final Look at Lake Kariba, Chobe National Park and Hwange National Park…. On Safari 24

March 28, 2024March 28, 2024 / Curt Mekemson / 19 Comments

I promised more sunsets as I continue the wrap-up on our African safari. This one was on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe. Today, I will be focusing on those photos from Lake Kariba, Chobe National Park and Hwange National Park that were blog-worthy but didn’t fit into our earlier posts.

After sunset, it’s time for moonrise. Right? We were entertained by a full-moon at Lake Kariba one night, when we out exploring later than usual. That’s a weaver bird nest on the right, BTW.

I was curious about how my new camera would handle a close-up.

Most of the islands were covered in vegetation. This one featured acacia trees.

Rangers from Matusadona National Park next to Lake Kariba took us on a trip back into the park that I covered in other posts. But I missed this photo of impala and zebras running. We found that the wildlife at Matusadona was much more skittish than it had been at other national parks. I figured it was because they saw far fewer tourists, either that or there were more poachers operating in the area.

We woke up at 5:00 on the morning we were supposed to return to port because the boat was rocking and rolling. A major storm had come in overnight that none of the weather forecasts had predicted. This photo was taken from where we were anchored close to the shore. Big waves were rolling on the lake. Lake Kariba is the largest manmade lake in the world by volume. The captain took the boat out, looked at the waves, and brought the boat back in. It was too dangerous. There was talk of bringing another boat in that could handle the waves better. Eventually the waves calmed down enough that the captain was willing to make the trip. It was a rough crossing. We knew how rough when we tried to walk and when the liquor bottles came tumbling off the shelves in the bar. We survived!

While we in Africa at the wrong time to see the massive migrations that take place, this herd of Cape buffalo moving along the Chobe River gave us a feel for what it might be like.

Here I am with the warthog at our lodge on the Chobe River. You can see how close I was and how unconcerned he was about my presence. There were several photos of this fellow when I did my post featuring warthogs.

This photo provides a look at what much of the terrain looked like in Chobe National Park away from the river. We had stopped for a snack and potty break. You are looking at the restroom. It was called wander off into the bush where you couldn’t be seen and hopefully not eaten.

Samantha demonstrates how to headload toilet paper. Guides make a tremendous difference in the success of any tour and Samantha is among the best that Peggy and I have ever had. She was knowledgeable, efficient, and fun. Hats off to the Collette Travel Agency for hiring her.

The waterlilies along the Chobe River were magnificent.

Before moving on to Hwange National Park, here’s a photo of sunset over the Chobe River.

We stayed at Iganyana Tented Camp when we visited Hwange National Park. The swimming pool where the elephants came to drink while we were eating dinner is just off to the right.

Iganyana is the name for the African painted dog. This one was located in a shelter designed to provide care for the painted dogs that had been injured.

This was our tent, which was quite comfortable, glamping at its best! The dark spot to the right of the trail was where the Cape buffalo left its calling card.

Terry Anders, who co-owns the Iganyana Tented Camp along with his wife Sheona, took us on a safari walk through the area surrounding the camp. He and one of his staff were both armed in case of a wildlife attack. Here he stopped to talk about termites. Peggy’s brother John and I were persuaded to sample what the termite mound tasted like. Dirt.

Large termite mounds were found wherever we traveled in Botswana and Zimbabwe, as they were in West Africa when I served there as a Peace Corps Volunteer. We called them bug-a-bugs in Liberia.

Cal Nyer, a photographer and videographer from the Collette Travel Agency joined us on our journey through Botswana and Zimbabwe and added a lot to our trip. Here he has climbed the stump near the Iganyana Tenanted Camp that the lions had climbed up to escape the rampaging Cape buffalo that I blogged about. I can pretty much guarantee that the lions got up there much more quickly than Cal. But had he been chased by an angry Cape buffalo…

I’ll close today with this photo of Cal and me. Next up: South Africa and our last Safari post.

Bo-Kaap is a colorful neighborhood in Cape Town South Africa.

Victoria Falls or Mosi-oa-Tunya, “Thundering Smoke”… On Safari 23

March 26, 2024 / Curt Mekemson / 19 Comments

When David Livingston, the seasoned Scottish missionary and explorer, first came upon these roaring falls, one of the largest in the world, he was so impressed he named it after Queen Victoria, England’s long reigning monarch. To the natives of the region, however, the falls were Mosi-oa-Tunya, or “Thundering Smoke.”

I tried, I really did. This was supposed to be my last post on our African Safari. But when I looked through the last thousand photos of scenery, people, and a catch-all-miscellaneous that I considered blog worthy, I just couldn’t do it. Eventually, I got the thousand down to 82. I’ve divided them into three posts. Today I will focus on Victoria Falls and the surrounding area. The second post will wrap-up Chobe National Park, Hwange National Park and Lake Kariba. The last post will feature South Africa.

We arrived at Victoria Falls at the end of dry season when the water flow was close to its lowest. Imagine what this looks like at the height of rainy season! Based on its combined width, 5,604 ft (1,708 meters) and height, 354 feet (108 meters), Victoria Falls is considered the largest waterfall in the world. In April, when the river flow is at its peak, the spray sometimes reaches a height of over 2600 feet (800 meters) and can be seen from 30 miles (50k) away.

A trail leads along the Zambezi River showing the main falls and several others such as this one that are part of the complex.

Peggy absolutely loves falls. Whenever we are near one, we detour from our selected route. She was one one happy camper.

Another view from where we were sitting. During rainy season, this view would be wiped out by the spray.

Walking along the trail, we came on these jewels.

The Zambezi River continues to cut a canyon. Eventually, this may be an island. For now, the river flows out, around this promontory, and on.

We went on a dinner cruise on the Zambezi River above the falls. Clouds were threatening a beginning to the rainy season. You have already seen crocodiles, hippos, and various birds from this cruise on earlier posts.

Peggy and I really liked the contrast created by this dead tree and the greenery behind it.

Another view of the trees along the Zambezi.

Our evening cruise also brought us a spectacular, ethereal sunset. It was one of many we experienced while we were in Africa. We will be featuring more of them in our final two posts.

A view of the hotel we stayed at in Victoria Falls. This is the hotel where I was visited by the mongoose.

The trees surrounding the hotel were bursting in color.

We traveled with a great group of people on our safari through Botswana and Zambia. These are three of the friends we made along with Peggy’s brother John and his wife Frances joining us for a final photo in our Victoria Falls hotel.

On our way to the airport to fly to South Africa, our guide, Samatha, took us to see this huge baobab tree on the outskirts of Victoria Falls. Peggy provides perspective on its size. This tree is estimated to be around 1200 years old. Its circumference is 73 feet and height 78 feet. A tree this size can hold over 120,000 liters of water, over 31,000 gallons.

Another large baobab tree stood next to the giant.

I took a photo from the base of the tree up. The scarification is likely caused by elephants that love to feed on its bark. That’s it for today. Our next post will feature final scenes from Chobe National Park, Hwange National Park and Lake Kariba.

View along the Chobe River in Chobe National Park, Botswana.

Kudus, Water Bucks, Impalas, and More: African Antelope… On Safari 22

March 22, 2024 / Curt Mekemson / 25 Comments

We saw only a handful of the numerous species of antelope found in Africa but the ones we saw were magnificent, such as this handsome male kudu that came in for water at the Iganyana Tent Camp where we were staying next to Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe.

And brought his family of five with him including this mom and her baby.

His spiral horns will continue to grow until they have made 2 1/2 twists. Note his large, and I think, beautiful ears. Their large size enables them to hear approaching predators. The horns of mature male kudus are used in traditional cultures as musical instruments.

His female companion with her large brown eyes was as beautiful as he was handsome.

A final family shot. Here’s a fun wrap-up fact: The sport of Kudu dung-spitting is practiced in southern Africa. (Think of watermelon seed spitting contests.) The winner is the person who is able to spit one of the antelope’s small, hard pellets the furthest. Our guides demonstrated for us. None of us volunteered to join them. I read that the world record is 51 feet. That person must have had one heck of a tailwind.

Waterbuck: “Imagine sitting down on a freshly painted toilet seat,” our guide told us. Waterbucks are easily identifiable by the prominent ring around their tail as this female shows.

A male waterbuck along the Chobe River displays his ring.

This photo shows his impressive horns and rather attractive fur. When excited, the skin of a waterbuck secretes a greasy substance called “greasy kob”. It stinks so much it serves to discourage predators but it also serves as waterproofing when the waterbuck jumps into water as an escape route.

Impala: The impala is another African antelope with a beautiful set of horns. We saw more of them than any other antelope.

We found these elegant animals in fairly large herds. The buck behind was chewing on something.

We came on this herd when we were out for an evening drive in Hwange National Park. Something had obviously alerted them. If they had spotted a predator, they would have been out of there at speeds reaching 50 miles per hour with prodigious leaps of over 30 feet in length and 10 feet in height. We were privileged to watch them leaping and running away from us at Lake Kariba. It was poetry in motion.

Wildebeest: Wildebeest travel in large herds. We only saw one. Africans like to say that the wildebeest was the last antelope God created and he had run out of parts. So he took the leftovers from other animals including the stripes of zebras, bodies of hyenas and heads of buffalo and created the blue wildebeest. We found this fellow when we were on a safari hike in Hwange National Park.

Later that evening we found him digging in the dirt to create a dust bath. I couldn’t help but wonder about where his spare parts came from here.

He became a blur as he took his ‘bath.’ He certainly seemed to be enjoying it!

Tsessebe: This was another strange looking dude. The straw in his mouth reminded me of a stereotypical country bumpkin. Tsessebe are nothing bumpkin-like when it comes to running however. They’ve been clocked at 60 mph(100k).

Steenbok: And the final antelope we saw. It’s southern Africa’s smallest antelope, standing about 20 inches tall at its shoulder. It is a common but solitary animal. We found this cutie hidden alongside the road in Hwange National Park.

Another view. Note the small horns and large ears. We weren’t sure what created the small scars. Our next post will be a wrap-up on our safari featuring the varied scenery, places we stayed, and the people met.

The African Art of Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe… On Safari 21

March 18, 2024March 18, 2024 / Curt Mekemson / 27 Comments

This is something you don’t see every day: An elephant being carved. Our guide Samantha, who had taken us to the fishing village, decided that visiting an African artists’ workshop in Victoria Falls where various African animals were carved out of wood and stone would also be interesting to us. It was located in a junk yard that offered car and truck parts for sale. Multitasking.

We arrived close to noon and lunch was being prepared.

A rhino, small elephant, and African fish eagle near completion.

This regal-looking eland is about to get its tail. Note the fine detail. This is the work of a master carver!

A carved water buffalo was for sale in downtown Victoria Falls. Samantha told us it would cost a lot more to ship it home than it would be to buy it.

We were amused by a carved crocodile chasing a welded warthog.

I used the elephant head a a teaser for today’s post in my last blog. Peggy provides perspective in this photo.

Several stone carvings decorated a sculpture garden.

I suspect that lots of folks will find this carving ugly but I felt it was powerful and modern.

This painting would feel right at home on the walls of our home.

I bought a small warthog from this woman. I figured Bone would like it.

And Peggy bought a piece of art made from reeds. That’s it for today. My next post will feature African antelope we encountered on our safari.

Fishing Village on Lake Kariba… On Safari 20

March 11, 2024March 15, 2024 / Curt Mekemson / 24 Comments

Children anxiously awaited our arrival at the tribe fishing village we visited on Lake Kariba. Which one was trouble? Grin

When the Zambezi River was flooded in the 60s to create Lake Kariba, several villages of Tonga people were flooded— without compensation. Some of them were later granted limited fishing concessions on the lake. Our guide was eager for us to meet Africans as well as wildlife and arranged a tour of one village located on an island. I found the people and village life quite similar to what I had experienced as a young Peace Corp Volunteer in West Africa 50 years earlier. Following are some of the photos that Peggy and I took.

Life continued as usual in the village during our visit. The bathtub.

Child safety seat. How much safer could one be?

Housing construction varied. This one was was made of round mud bricks.

The construction process. We watched as bricks were added.

Both methods would eventually be finished off with this solid clay covering, which I assume withstood rain.

Roofing materials varied as well. This was a traditional covering. The reeds were purchased from a nearby town and brought in by boat.

Modern tarps of various kinds were more common.

This came as a surprise. You may have noticed it on our ‘Main Street’ photo. A solar panel makes lots of sense.

Roof decoration? It’s possible that this hippo jaw was present to scare away evil spirits.

A more modern store featuring the latest in sugar-free drinks! “Same great taste.” Even in 1965, the then small town of Gbarnga, Liberia where I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer had a Coke billboard. And one for Guinness.

The chief of the village (blue shirt and leaning on post) took us on a tour where cooking, house building and fish net mending were demonstrated. The man in the cap talking is the captain of the houseboat we lived on while exploring Lake Kariba. This demonstration was how the Tonga cooked fish.

Mmm, mmm, good! Since fishing was the primary source of income for the villagers, fish were also their primary source of food.

Mending fishing nets was an ongoing, daily process.

Fish caught for sale were salted and dried.

After a steady fish diet, eggs might make a welcome substitute. Or chicken?

Peggy taught one of the children to make the Peace sign. The kids were an absolute delight.

And here Peggy was teaching them the ‘A wuni kuni ki yo oonie’ song and clapping game. Everyone of our grandchildren, nieces and nephews will immediately recognize this. Peggy, a retired and well-loved elementary school principal, had a large group of the children with her wherever she went in the village.

I’ll close today with a photo of two of the children who had adopted John. He skipped up to the village with them!

Peggy and I are on the road again. Tomorrow we start our journey west where we will be taking three months to travel up the West Coast from Big Sur to Olympia National Park camping out in our travel trailer as we go. I will blog about the trip as we go! Hopefully, I’ll be able to wrap up Africa and the Everglades on our two week drive across the US. I’ll continue to read blogs and respond to comments as time allows.

Wandering through Time and Place

Exploring the world with Curtis and Peggy Mekemson

Wandering The World