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Honolulu

Posted by Mark Sullivan on September 14, 2016
Posted in: USA. Leave a Comment
Loved the pinks and blues of our little spot on Waikiki beach

Loved the pinks and blues of our little spot on Waikiki beach

Honolulu is the obvious place for a quick stop to break up the long journey from mainland USA to the South Pacific. We had to stop here anyhow, so why not stay a few days, adjust a few time zones, and just hang out on Waikiki beach?

This is our second visit to Honolulu, and I would not say we are huge fans of the city itself. To us it feels like a ‘sanitized’ version of the tropics. The area all around Waikiki is pretty but antiseptic, sort of like a huge outdoor upscale mall. Restaurants are crazy expensive, yet packed to the gills. Fortunately, the hordes of Japanese tourists here eat on the early side, so the restaurants thin out a tad at our preferred dining times.

Since we ran around seeing the obligatory sights last time we were here (Pearl Harbor really is amazing), we now felt obliged to do nothing more than sit on the beach and practice readjusting to tropical life. We have spent very little time as beach bums since we left Greece and Turkey almost a year ago.

And I’ll admit, Waikiki beach is a stunning spot to do that. I love the bright turquoise water, the smooth sand, and the lush green of Diamond Head rising in the background. We stayed at a classic old hotel, the Royal Hawaiian, whose pink walls, pink rugs, and pink striped bathrobes add a bit of magic to this heavenly spot. I’m now pink, too, but we’ll call that a base. Give me another week, and I hope to have a teeny bit of a tan.

Wearing his swimsuit to match the hotel decor, Jim ponders a lunch that takes an unexpected turn

Wearing his swimsuit to match the hotel decor, Jim ponders a lunch that takes an unexpected turn

Our last day featured an unexpected little bit of drama. We like to dine sitting at the bar, especially in the US, where it’s more common. You often learn a few things from the bartender or from your neighbors. The bar at the Royal Hawaiian had lovely views and reasonable food, so we had lunch there every day. On that last day I sat next to a friendly young couple who started up a bit of conversation with us. We were soon surprised by just how much the young woman was slurring her words so early in the afternoon. Not 15 minutes later she was slumped lifelessly on top of the bar and had vomited a bit. It was all her colleague could do to get her to stand up and stumble away. We felt quite bad for them both.

That evening we had dinner at a nice steak place, where we snagged a couple more seats at a small bar. Once again the woman next to me tried to strike up a conversation and was obviously pretty smashed. I mostly sat with my back to her, as she tried to engage the bartenders and got mildly obnoxious, at one point informing us all that she was “richer than God,” which apparently meant she was due better treatment. It was a huge relief when she left after 15 minutes or so, as the bartender grumbled, “Three hours I’ve been babysitting her.”

What’s in the water in Honolulu?

The pool early in the morning before the crowds

The pool early in the morning before the crowds

More pretty pinks and blues

More pretty pinks and blues

La Paz

Posted by Mark Sullivan on March 25, 2016
Posted in: Bolivia. 1 comment
You can avoid the chaos below by flying across the city on Mi Teleréfico.

You can avoid the chaos below by flying across the city on Mi Teleréfico.

I knew that Bolivia’s capital, Nuestra Señora de la Paz, is the highest capital city in the world. But somehow I pictured a remote, sleepy Andean retreat. Instead we discovered a chaotic city of a million souls spilling improbably down the sides of a steep canyon.

On the map La Paz looks like a short hop from the shores of Lake Titicaca. But our bus took its time winding through the rugged mountains of the Central Andes. As in the Sacred Valley of Peru I was stunned by the drama of the landscape. The colors are so vivid — deep blue sky, bright green trees, and billowing snow-white clouds. As I contemplated the drama of the clouds a thought suddenly occurred to me: Perhaps they are so stunning simply because we are so much closer to them! Here we are rolling through the landscape at 12,000 feet. Planes fly at 30,000 feet, and they are way above the clouds. So we must be roughly halfway to them. No wonder they form such an integral part of the landscape.

A cemetery peeks out from the roadside, backed by those stunning Andean clouds

A cemetery peeks out from the roadside, backed by those stunning Andean clouds

I was wondering how we were going to get across this narrow stretch of Lake Titicaca to cross into La Paz. Most of us passengers took a little speedboat, as our bus boarded this primitive looking ferry. A few sleeping Bolivians were left in the bus the whole time.

I was wondering how we were going to get across this narrow stretch of Lake Titicaca to cross into La Paz. Most of us passengers took a little speedboat, as our bus boarded this primitive looking ferry. A few sleeping Bolivians were left in the bus the whole time.

The Spanish founded La Paz in 1548 in a narrow bowl in this canyon, surrounded by the high altiplano. As the city grew it climbed up the walls of the canyon and spilled out into vast suburbs in the altiplano. The result is a city that ranges in elevation from 10,500 ft. to 13,500 ft. Transportation is a nightmare of long, twisting, clogged streets — until the birth of Mi Teleréfico.

Inaugurated in 2014, this will be the world’s most extensive (and only) rapid transit network consisting primarily of aerial cable cars. Today three lines — red, yellow, and green — whisk passengers from station to station, rising and falling over steep Andean peaks in between. The cars leave every 11 seconds, so you virtually never wait. Then you fly above the density and traffic, enjoying stunning views all the while — all for less than 50 cents a ride. Heck, you’d pay $15 for a ride like this in some other city! Seven more lines are in the planning stages.

It's nice to fly above the twisted chaotic streets of La Paz in a sleek cable car

It’s nice to fly above the twisted chaotic streets of La Paz in a sleek cable car

Back down in the colorful streets of central La Paz

Back down in the colorful streets of central La Paz

Looking across the roof of Iglesia San Francisco in central La Paz

Looking across the roof of Iglesia San Francisco in central La Paz

In the bell tower of Iglesia San Francisco

In the bell tower of Iglesia San Francisco

We enjoyed the modern Bolivian art at the Museum of Contemporary Art, but it was especially cool just to wander through the halls of this 19th century mansion partly designed by Gustave Eiffel

We enjoyed the modern Bolivian art at the Museum of Contemporary Art, but it was especially cool just to wander through the halls of this 19th century mansion partly designed by Gustave Eiffel

Plaza Murillo at the heart of La Paz with the presidential palace to the left and the cathedral to the right

Plaza Murillo at the heart of La Paz with the presidential palace to the left and the cathedral to the right

The tomb of independence leader Antonio José de Sucre, where these guys aren't going to be messed with

The tomb of independence leader Antonio José de Sucre, where these guys aren’t going to be messed with

On our last night in La Paz we met up with old friends from Copacabana, Law and Meg (pictured here with Jim)

On our last night in La Paz we met up with old friends from Copacabana, Law and Meg

Nuremberg

Posted by Mark Sullivan on July 18, 2015
Posted in: Germany. Leave a Comment

The lovely Frauenkirche overlooks the main market square in Nuremberg

The lovely Frauenkirche overlooks the main market square in Nuremberg

Nuremberg is the second largest city in Bavaria and the largest in the region of Franconia. It is a lovely German town with an outsized and ugly history on the world stage.

In the late 1920s and early 1930s, the region provided the strongest base of support for Adolf Hitler’s rising National Socialist Party. Given Nuremberg’s strong historical connections to the Holy Roman Empire and its geographic position in the center of (then) Germany, Hitler chose the city as the site for huge Nazi Party conventions in 1927, 1929, and annually from 1933 to 1938.

To show off the might of his party and his nation, Hitler commissioned a massive complex of parade grounds and monumental architecture just outside the city center. The best and brightest soldiers from across the country were rewarded with trips to Nuremberg to march in massive rallies here in front of the Führer. These rallies are the iconic images of a defiant and hugely militaristic Nazi Germany.

The crowd looks toward the Führer's box at the center of the insanity at the Nuremberg Parade Ground

The crowd looks toward the Führer’s box at the center of the insanity at the Nuremberg Parade Ground

Jim stands in the Führer's box in what is left of the Nuremberg Parade Grounds

Jim stands in the Führer’s box in what is left of the Nuremberg Parade Grounds

During our visit we noticed something else quite peculiar about Nuremberg — an unusually strong presence of Christian proselytizing. Everywhere we looked little groups of people were pressing hands against each other’s shoulders and praying conspicuously. Or standing next to banners about the bible and handing out leaflets. Or strumming guitars and singing those really bad songs about how awesome God is.

We kept asking each other, “What on earth is going on here?” We eventually learned that Nuremberg that weekend was hosting a huge international Christian concert of some sort. Eager evangelicals had flocked to town from all over Europe to talk Christian talk, listen to those bad songs, and inundate the town with their sunny Christian demeanors. For us it was a truly bizarre juxtaposition with the history of mass brain washing already on display here.

After World War II came to an end, Allied troops chose Nuremberg as a fitting venue to prosecute leading Nazi war criminals. In the first and most famous round of the Nuremberg Trials, 24 leading Nazis were tried. A few were acquitted, several were given prison sentences, and 12 were sentenced to death by hanging. Of the 12 sentenced to death on October 15, 1946, only Hermann Göring escaped the hangman by taking a secret stash of cyanide that night. The other 11 went to the gallows the next day.

The unremarkable entrance to Courtroom 600 at the Nuremberg Palace of Justice

The unremarkable entrance to Courtroom 600 at the Nuremberg Palace of Justice

The Nuremberg Palace of Justice today looks just like it did then. After visiting a lengthy exhibit about the trials, you can then visit Courtroom 600, which also looks exactly like it did the day those trials took place. And somehow the history feels even more real because it’s not just a museum, it’s a real courthouse. And real trials of real criminals still take place in Courtroom 600 today. Walking into that courtroom felt a lot like walking into the one in Monroe County, Michigan where my uncle used to preside — except you could instantly recognize the very spot where Hermann Göring sat day after day. That place really made history come alive for me.

Courtroom 600. In the newsreels of the Nuremberg trials, you see the defendants escorted each day through the little wooden paneled door on the far left and then seated in that box, with Göring in the leftmost corner.

Courtroom 600. In the newsreels of the Nuremberg trials, you see the defendants escorted each day through the little wooden paneled door on the far left and then seated in that box, with Göring in the leftmost corner.

The Congress Hall at the Nuremberg parade ground was never quite finished

The Congress Hall at the Nuremberg parade ground was never quite finished

While exploring Nuremberg we stumbled upon these musicians practicing in St. Sebaldus Church. It was wonderful to sit and listen. Even better, because it was just practice, it was free, and we could just get up and leave whenever we felt like it -- my ideal kind of entertainment.

While exploring Nuremberg we stumbled upon these musicians practicing in St. Sebaldus Church. It was wonderful to sit and listen. Even better, because it was just practice, it was free, and we could just get up and leave whenever we felt like it — my ideal kind of entertainment.

Beer, check. Sausages, check. Sauerkraut, check. Life is good in Germany.

Beer, check. Sausages, check. Sauerkraut, check. Life is good in Germany.