Tallinn Estonia and the start of our Rick Steves’ Tour.

Monday, August 5, 2019 – Seaplane Harbor and the start of our Rick Steves’ Tour.
The breakfast buffet at our Kruetzwald hotel is another feast and I take the smallest servings possible of most everything. One Swedish Meatball, one dolmades, one slice of lox, one piece of fish cake. I love the healthy breakfast vegetables and take generous servings of zucchini, mushrooms, grilled tomatoes and Brussels sprouts. My resolve weakens and I finish with a thin crepe spread with raspberry jam.  We need to move from this hotel to the MyCity Hotel where our tour is staying and we must find laundry service.  After gathering up our week’s worth of dirty clothes, Art sets out to the laundry and returns shortly, telling me that he entered a basement laundry and handed a dour “Soviet era” woman our bag of dirty clothes, paid her 9 Euros and either he is to come back in 3 hours or at 3:00 P.M.
At noon we take an Uber to the MyCity Hotel and our room is ready. The four star hotel is in the heart of the Old Town and our room looks out over one of the upper city squares. It is spacious and for the first time in a week, a double bed is truly a double bed and not simply two twin beds pushed together. 
MyCity Hotel, Tallinn Estonia
Most museums are closed on Monday but the Lennusadam Seaplane Harbor is open. We take an Uber to the maritime museum and spend an interesting 3 hours. The museum is built in a renovated WWI seaplane hangar and is beautifully curated. There is a special exhibit; Sex and the Sea which curates sailors and their sweethearts love letters, every possible sexually transmitted disease and both the loneliness and glamor of a sailors life.
Lembit Submarine
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Lembit Submarine
Interior of the Lembit Submarine

Periscope up!
Marty navigating through the submarine

Submersibles as early as 1620?
Galley kitchen
Toilet

The highlight for me is being able to enter and explore the Lembit submarine. Jules Verne’s novel; Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, has always been a favorite of mine and I am fascinated by the steam punk mechanism within the submarine.
At 5:00 P.M. we meet our Rick Steve’s travel group in the small conference room of our hotel. Our guide for the entire trip is Eszter and her assistant is Mirjam. We meet the other 23 members of our group and discuss the logistics for this evening as well as the schedule for tomorrow. There are two couples who have logged 6 and 8 Rick Steve’s tours as well as a lot of first timers. Each person introduces themselves and in a couple of sentences tells the group why they are on the tour. Eszter, our confident Hungarian guide in her forties lightens the formality by asking who in the tour is carrying the provided and “stylish” Rick Steve’s money belt? Half the group raises their hand and Eszter tells of two former unrelated guests on a tour. A much younger woman was talking to an older gentleman and is overheard saying “don’t show it to me or anyone. Put it in your pants and keep it in your pants!” I am writing this part after having had Eszter as our guide for eight marvelous days. She had a few quirky phrases that ultimately endeared her to all of us. Okey dokey and easy-peasy will now be part of my everyday vocabulary. Not only was she knowledgeable in everything historical but she was adept at herding and placating her 25 elderly “children.” Lovely Mirjam was her assistant guide from Switzerland. Mirjam spoke many languages and was learning the Rick Steves’ way of touring so that she could manage future tours on her own. One of her seemingly important tasks was to bring up rear and make sure that all of the tour ducklings kept to the flock. A few simple rules were stressed and each of us choose a buddy who was not our traveling partner. This simple and effective strategy assured that no one was left behind and we would have buddy checks throughout the day. Before signing up for the tour we all needed to sign an agreement that we were willing and able to roll our own luggage over cobblestones, climb stairs, keep pace with the group and be punctual. Eszter and Mirjam ran a tight ship and we packed a lot of good times, history and sight seeing into the eight days.
Tallinn Old City Square

At 6:30 P.M. our group meets outside our hotel for a brief city tour and to walk to our welcome dinner together.  Dinner is upstairs and the room is stuffy.  Art noted on his tour application that he is dairy intolerant and does not eat red meat. His meal is served first and although it looks tasty enough, his salad is without the sliced duck or dressing and his entrée is a skinless chicken breast instead of the rich and tender beef roast marinated in wine sauce that the group is served. He looks longingly at my salad plate with thin slices of duck and a glaze of dressing. Although I prefer not to eat red meat, the tender beef smothered in mushrooms is delicious and I pass a bite or two along to Art. After dinner Art asks Ester to take him of fthe dietary restriction list. 

It’s a short walk through the picturesque village back to our hotel and our group disperses to find their own after dinner entertainment or to simply return to the hotel.
A toast with a new Estonian friend
Making friends at a Tallinn bar

 I want to sit for an after dinner drink and Eszter has mentioned that the bar across the street is a good local choice. We enter into the local establishment with some trepidation. A simple rectangle bar fills the space and there are a few vacant stools at one corner. The local crowd is high spirited and well into their evening beers. A squat and weathered accordion player sits against the window his stubby fingers punching out polka tunes. We sit beside an attractive young couple, Christian and Louise. They are friendly, bright and very articulate although they tell us they have been drinking for much of the evening. Art asks the no frills bar tender for a cocktail list and he dourly points to his bottles behind the bar each with a Euro price per shot clearly labeled on the bottle. I order a shot of tequila and a shot of Grand Marnier to be poured into one glass. Art orders a local liquor that looks and tastes like cough syrup  and we toast with others at the bar. Art points out a giant of a man with mutton chop whiskers and a troll like face. He balances his beer adeptly as he sways to the music and is soon sitting beside Art, his arm thrown around him as if they are long time friends. 

Dancing with a gentle giant
Polka anyone?





















The gentle giant asks me to dance and I accept, the top of my head barely reaching mid way up his chest. The floor is tacky with beer and my feet stick to the dance floor as I step to the music. Pretty and young Louise, a lawyers apprentice from London also accepts a dance with the giant. Art sees that my glass is empty and asks if I want another but Louise pushes her almost full shot glass towards me telling me that when I ordered, she had told the bar tender to pour her the same. The mix of tequila and Grand Marnier is not to her liking and she orders a cider and I graciously accept her drink. Art orders another shot of cough syrup and the evening continues until our second drinks are downed. We have a big tour day tomorrow and enough sense not to order a third round. It’s been a marvelous, spontaneous evening. 

Louise from London and Christian from Amsterdam

Tuesday, August 6th – Tallinn Old City, the KGB Hotel and Rick Owens Fashion

Couples from our group drift into the breakfast buffet an hour before our 9:00 A.M. The breakfast is another fine spread of lox and pickled herring, cold cuts and cheeses. Varieties of pastries and eggs, bacon and potatoes are also available. 
At exactly 9:00 A.M. our group meets in front of the hotel with our listening gadgets and we follow Eszter on a tour of the old town. Our route takes us along the ancient city wall and through the Old City center. 
Stalls along Tallinn’s Old City wall
Tallinn Old City wall

The cruise ships haven’t arrived yet and we have the city much to ourselves but by the time we ascend to the upper part of Tallinn to the onion topped Basilica, the city is clogged with tour groups. The skyline view of cathedral spires and red tile city rooftops is picturesque and our local guides narrative is informative.

Bird’s eye view of Tallinn’s Old City
Roof top view of Tallinn’s Old City

Looking down into the old city, Tallinn
Amber shop

Also in the upper part of Old Tallinn is the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral with it’s beautiful onion domes.
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
Interior of Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

We pop into an ancient apothecary. I love the signage but feel empathy for the dried toads and the parched bees. 
Our group listens attently to our guide
Old City Apothecary

Old City Tallinn Apothecary
Dried toads
Parched bees

Today’s walking tour ends with a visit to the Vabamu Museum, an interactive museum documenting the accounts of the Estonia people during Soviet occupation. We spend 2 hours at this interesting and heartbreaking museum and when we leave, have a greater sense of what the Estonian people endured. 
Vabamu Occupation Museum
Art installation at museum

We grab a terrible sandwich to tide us over before meeting Eszter at 2:10 to go to the KGB museum in Hotel Viru. Visiting the KGB museum is an optional excursion but two of our group visited yesterday and recommended it so we decide to go. For us, it proves to be a wasted 18 Euros and 2 hours of our time. The tour is little more than photos along the wall of a hotel that was where foreigners stayed during Soviet times. The majority of the rooms were bugged and we see what’s left of the spy control room within the hotel. The best part of the tour was our severe blond female guide who radiated the charm and warmth one might expect from a KGB agent. When the tour ends we escape from the Viru hotel and continue to the Kuma Art Museum.
KGB Museum at Hotel Viru
Remains of the spy equipment at Hotel Viru
View of modern Tallinn from behind the Hotel Viru sign
Wonderful harbor view of new Tallinn
The Kumu Art Museum is far from the city center and we catch an Uber. We see the Rick Owens and Tommy Cash exhibit. Although Art is familiar with Rick Owens’ fashion designs, I am not. It is an interesting if not attractive concept of models wearing people and the fashion pieces are human sculptures. Tommy Cash is an Estonian Rapper and photographer and choreographs the music and video performances. 
Kumu Art Museum
Can you hear me?

Rick Owens Fashion
Rick Owens Fashion

Art calls for an Uber but the wait time is nearly 20 minutes and because a taxi is already waiting at the exit of the museum, for 10 Euros, we take it to the Rotterman Quarter.  We expect to find some interesting boutiques but what we find is little more than an outdoor mall with a few restaurants and bars. It begins to sprinkle and then rains hard and we make our way back to our hotel darting between buildings and finding cover under eves and trees. We arrive back at the hotel somewhat soggy, change into dry clothes and walk the short block to the Pegasus Restaurant. 
Dinner at the Pegasus Restaurant
Window table overlooking a rainy Tallinn

We have 7:00 P.M. reservations and our third floor window side table looks over the street below. The cocktail I order is vodka, and a chili liquor and sweet chili mixer. It’s delicious with a sweet spicy kick and when Art takes a sip, he orders one of his own. We share a hummus; duck pate and fish pate appetizer and order baked eggplant and roasted chicken with fennel for our main course. The meal is delicious and even with two drinks each very affordable by California standards.
An after dinner walk in light rain
Tallinn Old City in the rain

We Almost Miss Riga’s Art Nouveau District!

Sunday, August 4th, 2019 – Another Tragic Day for America – A Mass Shooting in El Paso Texas.

Art wakes and checks his I Phone and our morning begins with news of a mass shooting in El Paso Texas. A week ago today, there was a mass shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival, an event that I have attended for nearly 40 years. I did not attend this year because of a scheduling conflict and instead of experiencing horror I am traveling in the Baltic’s and writing this travel blog.

We walk the two blocks from our shabby overpriced Hotel Elizabeth to the elegant hotel where we wish we were staying and indulge in another of their wonderful buffet breakfasts. We pay our 20 Euro breakfast bill and leave with intentions to return to our hotel and take the trolley straight to the bus station where we will spend an hour wandering the old town. Instead we bump into a hoard of tourists all following guides like lemmings and looking upward. Busloads of tourists with guides all speaking different languages are funneling down the side street of our hotel. Curious we follow and realize that we are in the heart of Riga’s Art Nouveau district. The facades of the buildings backing our hotel are all Art Nouveau masterpieces and we are both giddy with delight and dismayed that we might have missed a highlight of Riga that was right under our noses.

Tours in the Art Nouveau district
Ornate facade detail
Dragon door guardians in Riga’s Art Nouveau district
Detail of lion facade
Remarkable griffin and grill work

We piggyback on the English speaking tour and are delighted by the ornate facades, whimsical turrets and elegant architecture. We marvel at fabulous bas reliefs of griffins and whimsical dragons, owls and green men. The tours disperse and we retrace the path only to see another flood of tour busses regurgitating more tourists into this Riga Art Nouveau district.

Gorgeous Griffin Basrelief
Sphynx Guardian 

Art Nouveau style doorway
Owl motif
Greenman motif

‘

Amsterdam style Art Nouveau facade
Facade detail #11

Returning to the hotel, we pack quickly and roll our suitcases to the trolley stop. Within minutes we are deposited close to the bus station and roll our luggage over cobblestones and into the central market where we buy a few provisions for our 4 ½ hour bus trip to Tallinn, Estonia. 20 minutes to boarding we fall in line to show our passports, tickets and to stow our luggage. Our seats are at the very back of the bus topside but we have an extra 10” of leg room than the other rows. Although not quite as luxurious as the Lux business class line, each seat has its own entertainment screen. Art settles in and watches two movies and I spend the travel time writing this blog.

We buy bus snacks at the adjacent food market
The Riga bus terminal

A canal divides the food market from the bus terminal
Our bus to Tallinn Estonia

We make one 5 minute stop half way into the trip. Although there is a bathroom onboard, I choose to use the terminal restroom. I am quick about it but when I exit the bathroom, Art is panicked that the bus is leaving and we dash the 100 meters to our bus that departs 15 seconds after we are onboard.

We arrive in Tallinn at 4:30 and Art spends a few minutes on his phone getting us oriented.  He calls for an Uber and we are soon dropped off at the Kreutzwald Hotel. Although on the outskirts of Old Town, the hotel is lovely and our room is large and luxurious. We are given a voucher for a bottle of sparkling wine because we booked directly with the hotel. We take a few minutes to settle in and to check e-mail and Art tells me that there has been a second shooting today in Dayton Ohio. We watch the unfolding news on his phone. We are still reeling from the Garlic Festival shooting a week ago, the El Paso shooting this morning and now it’s Dayton Ohio.

The walk from our hotel to Old Town Tallinn is 20 minutes. Tallinn is another almost too picturesque to be real type of town. 

The less touristy upper end of Tallinn Old City
Tallinn back street

We locate the four star My City Hotel that we will move to tomorrow for our Rick Steve’s tour. It is 6:30 P.M. on a Sunday night and the town is relatively quiet and seemingly free of tourists. We want to sit for a drink and we wander downhill along quiet cobblestone streets towards the heart of the Old City and there they all are!  The sidewalk cafes are overflowing with tourists and I feel as if I have stepped into a Renaissance Festival. Waiters at several of the outdoor patios are dressed in medieval tunics and we step into a gift shop and are greeted by a women also wearing medieval clothing. She greets us in the “lilting” voice that we use at the Renaissance festivals and tells us that everything is handmade in Estonia. Candles flicker and the shop smells of a mixture of spices, leather and candle wax. There are shelves of leather shoes, all with turned up toes suitable for court jesters and medieval dresses hang from the roughly hewn beams. Rustic mugs and hand blown glasses, pewter jewelry, candles and animal skins are all for sale. We leave and take a few steps along the street when a darling young man, dressed in tunic and turned up toed shoes approaches us with a menu in hand. He asks us where we are from and tells us that we are the first Americans today who are not visiting from a cruise ship. I cannot be rude and listen to his spiel about the fine meaty fare that awaits us should we step inside his fine establishment. He suggests that we could dine on bear, wild boar or roasted duck, meats suitable for the upper class only and not for the peasant. For a moment he is taken aback when we tell him we are not looking for meat and he quickly regroups and points out vegetarian options. I dare not tell him that if I ate bear, I might not be able to show my face in California ever again.

Throngs of tourists in Old City Tallinn
A Medieval Restaurant

The Olde Hamsa where you can dine on bear?
Back door of Olde Hamsa

We head back to the upper edge of the old town where there are fewer tourists and enter a stylish restaurant without bear meat and costumed greeters. They are fully booked until 9:00 P.M. and we leave disappointed. Art questions if we are turned away because of how we were dressed but just then another younger and stylish couple enter and are turned away as well. We head down the narrowest of cobblestone streets to a more casual restaurant.

Pasta and beet salad

A back street bistro is our choice for dinner tonight.

Art is not thrilled with my choice but we choose a table in a back dining room. The patrons are mostly young and hipster looking. Once our wine and cider are delivered, Art relaxes and our dinners are excellent. We share a beet salad and Art orders the grilled halibut with mashed peas and potatoes. I order the pancetta pasta with cream and sun-dried tomatoes. Everything is delicious. Back at our hotel, I redeem our free voucher for a bottle of sparkling wine and and we drink about half the bottle before calling it a night.

Lucious Latvia and the Case of the Missing Grand Marnier

Friday August 2, 2019 – The Bus between Vilnius and Riga, Latvia.
We enjoy a relaxing morning in Vilnius sitting at an Old Town café and writing. We take a final stroll through the narrow back streets window shopping but most of the shops do not open until 11:00 A.M. and we have an 11:30 A.M. bus to catch to Riga, Latvia. 
Cafe time in Vilnius
Sunday morning and the shop is closed

Our second hotel is not far from the bus station and we walk ten minutes rolling our suitcases. We have reserved business class seats and each seat has its own entertainment T.V. screen.  The bus departs at 11:30 A.M. for the 4 ½ hour trip to Riga. Art watches movies and I write the entire trip.
We arrive at the bus terminal in Riga just past 4:00 P.M. Art discovers that Uber and Lyft do not exist in Latvia so we take a 10 Euro taxi to the Elizabeth Hotel. 
Art arriving at the Riga bus terminal and searching for an Uber ride
Art booked the hotel online last night and our “reception” is a bit odd, the hotel shabby and it’s farther from the old town than we expected. Art rings the bell to the hotel and after a minute listening to a crackling intercom, an older, pear shaped, gray haired woman opens the door. Her English is minimal and our Latvian non-existent. Before ushering us inside, she mimes a demonstration of how to open the door with a hard pull after first entering our room number on the outside key pad.  Art practices the hard pull several times until she is satisfied and allows us to enter.  She plumps herself behind a low desk in what feels more like a living room than a hotel lobby.  Art gives her our names and she shuffles reservation papers all the time wobbling her head which to me, indicates a problem.  She repeatedly mutters “two nights,” and runs her fingers across an old school reservation room log. She scrolls the log, shuffles papers and wobbles her head for over 5 minutes before coming to the decision that room #7 will be ours. I wonder if her wobbly head is a medical issue. There is no elevator and although we are only on the second floor the worn and narrow wooden spiral staircase looks challenging.  Art grabs both suitcases and makes the ascent. The room is clean and the bathroom small and modern but the décor is awful. The shades on the bedside lamps are patterned a bold orange and black and the wooden venetian blinds are saggy and broken. Art is less than happy for the $100 a night that we were charged but we shrug it off and within minutes are back downstairs and hoofing it across an expansive and beautiful park towards the Riga’s Old Town.  A river winds through the park, flowers are in bloom and the afternoon is crisp and sunny. This is a lovely time of year to visit the Baltic’s.
Riga’s central park
Basilica church in the Riga park

It is 5:30 when we arrive at the Old Town and we must find the tourist office minutes before it closes at 6:00 P.M.  Although not well marked, it’s on the main cobble stone street and we ask the board looking agent the usual touristy questions and pick up city maps and schedules for tomorrows free walking tours.
Riga is almost too picturesque and the cobblestone streets are swarming with tourists. With city map in hand we join the throngs, many with cameras pointed upward at the old cities rooftops, cathedral spires and churches.  I want to inhale the quaint city but the cobblestones are uneven and I am careful to devote equal time to watching where I step as ogling the surrounding sights.  The outdoor cafes and restaurants are spilling over with tourists enjoying a meal or a drink on this beautiful evening. 
Old Town, Riga Latvia
Tourist stalls beside the Church
Quaint Old Town buildings
A row of buildings – The Three Brothers
Art and I set off exploring, intent on finding an off the beaten track bistro where we can enjoy a drink and dinner.   After much wandering and looking at menus we find a quiet back street restaurant. 
Exploring less touristy plazas in Riga, Latvia
A back street bistro

The evening has become cool and we choose to sit inside where we enjoy a surprisingly lovely meal.  Art orders seafood pasta and I choose a beet salad with roasted chicken. Shortly after we order, a German couple is seated at an adjoining table and we overhear the man’s comment; “this restaurant was recommended to me by a friend.”  We are lucky in our choice tonight.  
Saturday, August 3, 2019  – Riga Old City Waling Tour and the Case of the Missing Grand Marnier
Yesterday, the wobbly headed receptionist at our quirky hotel informed us that breakfast was not included at the room price that we had paid and with a dismissive wave of her frail arm indicated that there were many café’s where we could get an early bite to eat. At least this is the translation that Art and I “heard” when we checked in.  At 7:30 A.M. we set out to find one of these cafes but the signs on the closed cafe doors indicate that they open at 9:00 A.M. We come to an upscale hotel a block away and I suggest we go in and that surly, we can buy breakfast there? 
A nearby upscale hotel where we eat breakfast
Art Nouveau facade near our hotel
Brick facade near our hotel
Indeed we can buy breakfast and for only 10 Euros each which is about $22 U.S. It’s not much by our standards but about twice what we might pay at a local café. The dining room opens at 8:00 A.M. and we descend to the lower dining area with a dozen more fortunate hotel guests. The buffet is wonderful and except for feeling like imposters, we enjoy the all inclusive array. Lox, pickled herring, cold cuts and cheeses of every type imaginable along with a variety of breads, croissants and pastries are on one long table.  Across the longest wall is a lovely fresh fruit and salad bar and a variety covered warming dishes containing cheese blintzes, crepes, bacon, sausage, potato pancakes and fried potatoes.  Stations in an alcove have self serve cappuccino and coffee machines, drinks and fresh juices. As we leave, Art inquires about the rates for the hotel should we wish to stay and extra night in Riga?  We expect the rates to be high but the receptionist checks his computer and informs us that a double room including breakfast would be 70 Euros including breakfast. Art grimaces and we return to our shabby hotel.
Our quirky, badly decorated and overpriced hotel that doesn’t include breakfast
We walk quickly across the park into the old town arriving at the meeting point in front of the Saint Peter’s Church just in time for the 10:00 A.M. Old Town walking tour. Three guides split up 150 tourists and we follow a young, handsome and articulate “Leonardo DiCaprio,” down the cobble stone streets of Riga. His two hour crash course in Latvian history and architecture is both informative and amusing. 
Check out our Leonardo DiCaprio guide for our free walking tour!
Art Nouveau facade in Old Town, Riga
Remarkable Art Nouveau facade
Tourist trolley in Riga Latvia
The Old City, Riga, Latvia
Cat topping a Riga roof
Architectural sculpture
Elegant doorway facade

We need to leave Riga tomorrow morning by bus and go to Tallinn Estonia.  We walk the short distance to the station and buy two senior tickets for 16 Euros each; so reasonable for a 4 ½ hour trip. Business class is sold out so we choose seats at the back of the bus, second level. The bus station is beside the central market, recommended in our guide book and we wander the stalls of vegetables and fresh flowers and cheaply made clothing. Three huge bunker shaped warehouses have permanent refrigerated shops offering every possible cut of meat, fish, cheese product and baked good. Inside one of these are a variety of restaurants, bars and shared tables. It’s basically a giant gourmet food court.  Art and I separate to choose our meals, find each other and eat enjoying the people watching as much as the food. 
Riga farmers market
Chanterelles at the farmer’s market

Fish market, Riga
Fish market, Riga
Caviar for sale
Art wants a haircut so we return to the old town where he gets a trim from a stylish tattooed barber. Art is less than pleased with the results, wanting more taken off, but I assure him that he looks more handsome than ever. 
A hair cut in Riga, Latvia
We spend the afternoon poking into the Decorative Arts Museum and a temporary exhibit of Art Nouveau. Neither is inspiring and with tired feet, we navigate our way back to the street where we had dinner last night; choosing a different café for late afternoon drinks. 
Riga’s decorative arts museum
Decorative art museum

Aperol Spritz in Old Town
Art seems to genuinely enjoy figuring out public transportation and I have learned to accept this. Often unexpected adventures unfold because of this. Art leads the way to a trolley stop, showing me where we are and where this line will take us. The trolley is on time and our tap cards work beautifully. The tracks take us around the other side of the park and along the water. Although our hotel is just two blocks away, there is a row of waterside restaurants in the opposite direction. We choose to cross over to the waterside and investigate our dining options. The first and second restaurants are possibilities and we intend to walk the entire strip of eateries before making our choice, but the 50 plus motorcycles in the parking lot just beyond along with the boisterous partying of many young men, if not intimidating, are a deterrent and we return to the Napoli Restaurant for drinks and dinner. Dinner is excellent and the parade of young women wearing stiletto heels is especially entertaining for Art. 
Waterfront restaurant in Riga, Latvia
Grand Marnier is on the menu and I order one as an after dinner aperitif. The waiter looks at me blankly and Art points to the listing on the menu. Our waiter checks at the bar and returns to tell us that they don’t have Grand Marnier but they do have Cointreau. I tell him that Cointreau will be fine and two glasses arrive, one with the liquor and one with ice and tongs. On a stroll earlier, we noticed that a large liquor warehouse adjoins the parking area of these waterfront restaurants. Art and I watch with amusement when minutes later a young busboy jogs through the front door carrying a bottle of Grand Marnier. The next American who orders Grand Marnier will not be disappointed. 

An Eclectic Day – KGB, Cousins Meet and an Underground Crypt

Thursday, August 1, 2019 – Vilnius; The Cousins Meet.
We might have left Vilnius this morning had Art not been able to set up a lunch date with his distant cousin, Lina. Before meeting, we take an Uber to the KGB museum. The museum is understandably depressing but the bleak Soviet Era building is actually the past headquarters of the KGB and the prison cells and killing chambers are in the basement. The horrors of war, the strange lighting and lack of air conditioning leave me dizzy and feeling slightly nauseated.
KGB Museum stairway
Descending the stairs to the prison cells

KGB Prison Cell
KGB Prison Cell
KGB Museum
Shortly after noon, we begin to make our way across town to meet with Lina at a stylish Peruvian restaurant that is close to her work. Lina is blond and pretty and in her mid thirties and looks nothing like Art with his half Okinawan lineage but they share a great-great Grandfather. We order the prix fix lunch menu and after several days of meat and grease laden food, I am thrilled to see a sashimi poke appetizer and a tuna steak on the menu. We visit for nearly two hours but Lina must return to work and Art and I, still not completely cycled into Lithuanian time, return to our hotel for our afternoon siesta.
Lina, a distant Lithuanian cousin to Art.
Tonight is our final night in Vilnius and we spend time wandering the Old Town before being lured into a cafe by a chanterelle and potato appetizer. We sit at street side bistro tables, sip our drinks, people watch and share the mushroom and potato dish (with pieces of ham mixed in.) There was no mention of meat in the description of the dish and I am beginning to think “vegetarian” is not in the Lithuanian dictionary.

Marty at a Vilnius cafe
Art enjoying is favorite drink, Aperol Spritz
Chanterelle and potato appetizer

City gate in Old Town Vilnius
Horn and bone carving workbench
Independent woodworking workshop




















Crafter’s Co-op
Spinning room




Quilting and printmaking space at the Crafter’s Co-op
Our intention is to make our final evening an old town “tapas” dinner and we continue our stroll until a fine clear voice accompanied by soft guitar pulls us into a wine bar. The intimate bistro is packed but there are two seats in a far corner. A dark haired woman beckons us to sit at her table. We order drinks and enjoy the music. At intermission, our new friend, Mira, tells us that the vocalist is from Russia and the guitarist from Chile. She tells us that this is a private party but that two guests didn’t come and so there is room and we are welcome. 
Marty meets Mira and the Russian vocalist
We crash a private party at a wine bar
She tells us that there are some famous artists and fashion designers here and once again, I realize how underdressed Art and I are. Mira is casually dressed as well and she points to a paint smudge on her arm and tells me that she is an artist and that her studio is very close by. She invites Art and me to visit her studio after the performance and we accept.
Mira’s underground crypt
Stairs down to  Mira’s underground crypt
Visiting with artist Mira in her home

We walk the short distance to her studio where she unlocks a heavy door and we enter a dimly lit cobblestone courtyard. We follow her across the courtyard to her apartment door. She unlocks this door and as we enter her studio, I am hit by the pleasant smell of oil paints intermingled with the musty smell of earth. Abstract canvasses are stacked against the walls and oriental carpets, paisley curtains and knickknacks add to the bohemian ambiance. She sweeps up a blanket from the floor exposing a window to an underground chamber below. We look through the glass into an archeological underground crypt with ancient stone archways. I don’t think twice when she asks if we would like to go below and I descend behind her down a wooden staircase. Below, it is cold and damp and smells of moldy earth.  It is only later that Art suggests that following a stranger into her underground chamber might not have been the best idea and that he hopes I would not have done this had I been alone. After resurfacing we sit in her cluttered living space and she talks about her daughters and shows us photos on her I-pad.
Mira shows us photos on her I Pad
Mira’s home and studio

I am intrigued but it is late and we decline the offered drink and she walks us back through her courtyard and points us in the direction of our hotel.  


Old Town Vilnius and Trakai Castle, Lithuania

Tuesday July 30, 2019  Old Town Vilnius, Lithuania
The buffet breakfast provided by the hotel is lovely and in addition we have cooked to order eggs over easy.  Navigating to the center of the old town is easy and we find the tourist information office and join the 10:00 A.M. “free” walking tour. Our tour guide sets a brisk pace as she leads 25 of us along cobblestone streets of the old town. 
Travelers wait for the start of the free walking tour
Faux hot air balloons and colorful flags span several of the picturesque streets lined with boutiques, café bars, restaurants and tourist shops selling amber and linen. 
A colorful street in Old Town Vilnius
Old Town Vilnius

We cross the bridge into the Uzupis district, an artist community past a bend in the river.  We are greeted by a few vibrant and colorful murals but the outdoor sculptures feel dated; like something I have seen and might have been trendy in the 1980’s. I try to take into consideration that Lithuania has only been independent for 29 years and they are doing a good job of catching up after soviet rule.
The river dividing Vilnius and the Uzupis art district
Uzupis art district

Colorful mural in the Uzupis art district
Mural, Uzupis art district

Our tour ends at the main square below the castle. We talk with a quiet man from Washington D.C. and after the tour, invite him to join us for lunch at one of the local restaurants recommended by our guide. We sit in a back courtyard and try to find something on the menu appealing. We pass on the pig’s ears and the sausage ring.  Art orders a chicken kabob and I choose what I presume to be a vegetarian potato and mushroom dish. Our guide had recommended mushroom dishes as a specialty but my plate arrives mixed with tiny pieces of ham and what I surmise to be canned mushrooms. I pick at my food but enjoy the Lithuania beer immensely. We are slightly jet lagged and return to our hotel for an afternoon nap.
Baroque church in Vilnius
City gate, Vilnius

Wanting to cycle into Lithuanian time, we force ourselves to get up at 5:00 P.M. and set out to explore the city again. Our hotel is at the edge of the old town and everything is within walking distance. We wander past baroque cathedrals and decorative old world facades and end up back in the main square as the sun is setting. 
The sun setting on a ruined castle above Vilnius 
Young men skateboarding 

Young men skateboarding
Young men are skateboarding on the plaza which delights me and makes me a bit nostalgic. When traveling with John, he would sometimes bring his skateboard and join in which was always a good ice breaker. The sun casts a rosy glow on a castle above the plaza.  We eat dinner at a touristy restaurant where we can try cold beet soup and we can sample the local potato dumplings stuffed with various fillings. We share a roast duck plate and have entirely too much food. The beet soup is tasty and not overly laden with cream but the potato dumplings are heavy and one is supposed to pour a sour cream and meat sauce over them. We share one and imagine our arteries hardening.
Cold beet soup and potatoes
Potato dumplings and roasted duck

We circle farther afield taking new streets on our return to our hotel. I would like an after dinner drink but we see only beer drinking establishments. When we come to a trendy and intimate cocktail bar, I suggest we go in for a nightcap. We sit at the bar and peruse the many pages of Mixology’s cocktail menu.  We are underdressed and that the patrons are all half our age but the handsome tattooed bar tender is gracious and speaks fluent English. He serves us beautifully prepared cocktails and during a lull, talks for some time with us about his life in Vilnius. We are tempted to order a second round simply to enjoy further conversation but decide to spare him and walk the many blocks back to our hotel.
Cocktails at the Mixology Bar, Vilnius
Wednesday, July 31, 2019  Vilnius to Trakai Island Castle.
We are staying an extra night in Vilnius and we must change hotels. Before moving, we enjoy the ample breakfast at our Hotel Rinno and walk to the bus station for the 30 minute trip out to the Trakai Peninsula. 
Vilnius bus terminal

Square across from our new hotel

The countryside is lush and I am surprised by the surrounding woodland forests. We arrive in Trakai and walk the two kilometers along the peninsula towards the castle. The peninsula is surrounded by lakes and historic wooden houses, painted in Easter egg colors, line both sides of the street. It is a lake resort area with many quaint bed and breakfast accommodations and overall too bucolic for my tastes. 

Trakai Peninsula
Window 










Trakai house


Wooden Trakai house


Along the way, we visit a small uninspired museum and eventually arrive at the bridge to the restored castle. Before crossing to the castle we hurriedly choose a café for lunch and once again find ourselves facing a heavily meat laden menu. We share a Greek salad which is fresh and undressed. Art orders two stuffed pastry pies and for lack of other options, I choose the potato pancakes. Two thick and greasy pancakes arrive accompanied by a mound of sour cream. I eat one and push the plate aside. Art picks the filling out of his pasty pies. Disappointed, we pay the bill and walk the bridge to the castle as clouds roll in and rain threatens. 

Art surveying the Trakai Castle mote
Marty crossing the Trakai Castle bridge
Drawbridge to Trakai Castle
Trakai Castle courtyard
Trakai Castle courtyard

The castle has been fully and overly restored. It feels like we are entering Disneyland instead of an historic site. I try to get past the artificial feel as we wander the many rooms curetted with historic treasures. It is not a great collection but there are a few  intricately carved bone pipes that are as detailed and intriguing as Japanese netsuke’s.


Vaulted ceiling, Trakai Castle
Detail of porcelain





Castle room filled with taxidermied animals
Bear skin rug

Bone pipe carving
We cross back over the castle bridge to the peninsula about and find a decent café for a beer and cider before catching the trolley back to the bus stations for our return trip to Vilnius. We arrive in Vilnius at 4:00 P.M and after an hour’s rest; head out in search of dinner. Our usual pattern is to walk miles and read countless menus before choosing a restaurant but Art demurs to my choice and we choose a bistro café and enjoy a lovely meal. Art orders the octopus salad and I choose a Dorado and lentil dish and we each enjoy a single glass of fine white wine. 
Bistro dinner in Vilnius, Lithuania
We consider returning to the Mixology Bar but decide instead to walk back to our hotel.  It is cold outside and we pop into the tiny bistro bar at the corner for a quick drink. The plump matron immediately pours us two shots of sweet mead, presumably on the house and plunks them on our table. Although she instructs us to down it in one gulp, I need to sip the cough medicine tasting liquor. It warms both our bodies and our spirits and I switch to shots of silver tequila. Art continues with shots of the mead accompanied by a bowl of cold beet soup. The bill is minimal with the drinks less than 3 Euros each but the matron seems pleased to have had us as late night customers. 
Cold beet soup and warming shots of liquor
A shot of a local liquor

We stumble a block to our hotel and float into bed.  Much of what I love about traveling are these unexpected back street adventures.  

Leaving on a Jet Plane to the Baltics’

July 28th, Santa Cruz to S.F.O. to Frankfurt and onto Vilnius Lithuania,
There is a Wharf to Wharf run between Santa Cruz and Capitola today and I suggest we leave our house to catch the Highway 17 bus 45 minutes early. Chuck arrives early but I am often overly neurotic about scheduling and Art tells us we will leave in 15 minutes. We lock the front door 30 minutes ahead of time. After loading our luggage in the prius, the key fob to the ignition dies. Chuck quickly jogs to his house to borrow his mother’s sedan. In the interim, I try to open the back prius hatch and it is frozen in the locked position. For a panicky minute, I am afraid that our luggage is locked inside of our car and imagine needing to call a locksmith and ultimately missing our flight.  Art struggles to remove our bags over the rear seats and he tosses them into the back seat of Chuck’s idling car. (Strangely enough, the fob to the back hatch of his car is also not working.) Ten minutes gone but we should still be O.K. time wise. That is until we reach Soquel and the traffic is bumper to bumper. My adrenaline surges and Art instructs Chuck to turn around and take the Park onramp to the freeway. Wrong decision! Chuck quickly makes a second aggressive U-turn and we move painfully slowly along Soquel. We will likely miss the bus at the Pasatiempo stop and the backup plan now is that Chuck drives us over Highway 17 to the San Jose Diridon train station. Chuck careens along, taking a few back street short cuts and when traffic clears, speeds along the freeway. He takes the Pasatiempo off ramp and Art hops out to check the time table printed on the sign. We look up to see the bus pulling in behind us.  We haul our suitcases from the back seat of Chuck’s car and board the bus with 20 seconds to spare!  The air conditioned express bus is cool and we chat with a man about our age also going to the S.F.O. airport and traveling to France. 
Caltrain to S.F.O. Airport
Diridon Train Station

I use the bathroom at the Diridon station and listen anxiously to the paranoid monologue coming from a woman in the adjoining stall.  Exiting I take a photo of the old school neon lit news stand and an intimidating young man growls “you’ve got to be kidding,” as he brushes past me.  The adventure begins!
This commute train takes us past the back side of many of the affluent Silicon Valley cities along the peninsula. The train stops at all of them; Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Menlo Park, Burlingame etc. Being Sunday, there is plenty of room on the train and I relax into travel/vacation mode. We get off at Millbrae and Art feeds money into the BART ticket kiosk and after several tries, two $5 tickets spit from the machine. We are at the S.F.O. airport in less than 10 minutes with ample time to check in and go through security. After eating mediocre and overpriced Vietnamese noodle bowls we play the waiting game at our United Gate. Art will turn 67 somewhere over the Atlantic and I promise him a German Birthday Beer during our layover in Frankfurt Germany.
After boarding I check my phone one last time and receive a text from my friend Dorothy in Southern California asking if I am O.K? She is watching the unfolding news of an active shooter at the Gilroy Garlic Festival and knows that I always do the festival. I quickly check the news on my phone and am horrified to see what is unfolding. I text a friend who is always represented at the festival. She is not personally at the show and has not yet heard about the shooter but within a minute she texts me back and tells me that Rhona is on the ground at their booth taking cover. The P.A. announces again that all phones must be turned off and I anxiously follow instructions and our plane lifts off. 
Marty, Alisha and Molly at the 2018 Gilroy Garlic Festival
I applied and was accepted to this years Garlic Festival but one morning in late June, Alisha comes to work and tells me that she has made a huge scheduling mistake. Her brother in law is getting married in Mendocino and her whole family is attending. Molly will be the flower girl and little Sterling will be the ring bearer. I have a very even disposition but I am angry with Alisha for making this scheduling mistake. Applying for shows is considerable work and this year I was categorized as a commercial vendor which doubled the entry fee for an already expensive show. I made many phone calls to have my work re-evaluated and was eventually put back in the craft category.  Because I cannot do the festival without Alisha’s and Molly’s help, I called and canceled the show This was awkward and embarrassing for me. The following week, I begin planning for a trip to the Baltics’ and to Russia.  
The onboard meal is awful and I rinse it down with two glasses of generic red wine. I am anxious to know more about the shooter at the Garlic Festival and worried about my friends but must turn off my phone. Two movies and half an Ambien make  the 11 hour flight between S.F.O.  painless enough.
Monday, July 29, 2019.
As soon as we touch-down in Frankfurt, I turn my phone back on and am flooded with messages from concerned friends, thinking that I had a booth at the Garlic Festival. I spend much of our 5 hour layover anxiously communicating with friends.  Art has turned 67 in the air but today is his actual birthday. We find a German restaurant, share a wiener schnitzel and have an Aperol Spritz toast to his birthday before boarding our Lufthansa flight to Vilnius, Lithuania.
An Aperol Spritz toast to Art’s birthday at a layover in Frankfurt, Germany
We land in Vilnius at midnight; our taxi pick up from the airport to our hotel is holding up a sign printed with my name. 15 minutes later we are deposited at the three-star Rinno Hotel on a cobblestone back street of the Old Town. Our reservations are in order and we wheel our suitcases to our spacious first floor room. When we open our door we feel as if we may be starring in the film Bad times at the El Royal Hotel. The room is decorated in brown with old world furnishing and floor to ceiling windows opening onto a leaf strewn courtyard. The room is fine but odd and Art ponders if there is one way glass?  The cavernous bathroom is intended to be luxurious with a huge soaking tub, bidet and heated towel racks, but all feels a little surreal at 1:00 A.M. in the morning.

Our bathroom at Hotel Rinno, Vilnius, Lithuania
Old world decor, Hotel Rinno

More Mexican Muralists

Friday, February 22

Although I want to visit the Ciudad Universitaria which has numerous murals and mosaics created by “The Three Greats;” Diego, Orozco and Siqueiros, Art vetoes that idea. The University is a city in itself and the art pieces we want to see are scattered over miles of campus.  330,000 students attend the university. We decide on a less ambitious day and after another inspiring view breakfast at our hotel, we set off to find the Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso. This hidden gem, a Jesuit monastery and an example of Colonial architecture is a few streets behind the Zocolo and has some wonderful murals by the ‘Three Greats’ and others. I am struck by a mural of Cortez with his indigenous mistress and the luminous stained glass in the stairwell.

Marty at Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso
Cortez and his indigenous mistress – Orozco
Jose Clemente Orozco
Detail of Orozco mural

I regret I cannot match all of the murals with their corresponding artists but I imagine that Maurice Sendak was inspired by these murals because his ‘Wild Thing’ monster character looks nearly identical to a creature in one of the murals. The downstairs theatre is closed but fortunately, musicians are wrapping up a rehearsal and we are able to slip inside. We are cautioned not to take photographs but we get a firsthand glimpse of Diego’s early mural, Creation, strikingly illuminated by the lights of the stage.

Just around the corner from our hotel is the Cathedral Café where we have been meaning to dine but because it closes at 3:00 P.M. our timing has been off until today. (This restaurant is on the “foodie” list.)   We enter the unassuming ground floor bakery and goat cheese shop to discover that there are two floors above. A stylish woman juggling seating charts and a microphone takes our names and within minutes she points us to an elevator and we ascend to the third floor and emerge into an elegant and light filled dining room.

View through the elevator door
A salad art piece

Art and I always share so we orchestrate our order so we can taste a variety of dishes. The salad we order is both delicious and an art piece and we order two different types of enchiladas. (We are not disappointed.)

This is our last full day and we are still ticking Diego Rivera murals off our must see list. We walk to Mueso Mural Diego Rivera, one that we overlooked a few days ago. It is home to one of his most famous murals, Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Central Park. The museum is just one room, showcasing this panoramic mural and we spend our time resting on the gallery bench and identifying the characters portrayed in the mural.

Dream of a Sunday Afternoon…
Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Central Park
Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Central Park
Photos of Diego Rivera

After a week of intense site seeing, Art and I are tired and sated but I feel I will regret not picking up a few souvenir gifts. I peruse the guide book and map and discover we are near the local craft market. Art humors me and we walk many more blocks in search of the permanent market that engulfs many blocks. We enter a warren of stalls, each one selling identical merchandise and Art is surprisingly patient as I try on several blouses in the hopes of transforming myself into a young Frida Kahlo. Alas, the blocky cuts are unflattering and I am soon disheartened, but had we not come here, I would have felt that I had missed something.  We UBER back to our hotel, rest a short while and head out for an early dinner at Restaurant Mumedi on Avenue Francisco in the heart of the trendy shopping district. Mumedi has good reviews but turns out to be more like a museum bookshop cafeteria than a restaurant. Although the food is good and stylish, they don’t serve any alcohol and we miss sipping wine with our meals. After dinner, we peruse the gift shop but overall I am disappointed with our dinner choice on our last night out.

We wander from dinner to an upscale bar with fashionable drinks but the music is loud and unlike us, the crowd is young and gearing up for their Friday night. Still not ready to give up on a last night Mexico City fling, we walk from the tourist district and choose a local cantina where we sit and people watch over a mediocre drink before strolling back to our hotel and sinking into bed.

Saturday, February 23rd  Homeward Bound

I’ve coordinated our separate flights back ‘home’ so that Art and I are able to enjoy a leisurely morning together. We forgo our hotel breakfast and walk around the corner to the Cathedral Café.
Yesterdays’ lunch was stellar and we want to sample their extravagant yet affordable breakfast (affordable by California standards.) Art has his shoes shined on the way and by the time we arrive at the restaurant there is a 30 minuet wait.

Art having his shoes shined
Waiting for a table

We put our names on the list, return quickly to our hotel to pack and are back at the restaurant just in time for our names to be called. We ride the elevator up to the first floor and are seated. A waiter immediately appears wielding a silvery pot of coffee and a white ceramic pitcher of Mexican hot chocolate. Having read the rave reviews over the hot chocolate, I throw cation aside and watch as the waiter froths the thick and creamy concoction. Another waiter discretely slides pastries onto our plates and we inhale the calories and the old world ambiance.  After the cholesterol high hot chocolate, I order an egg white, goat cheese and poblano pepper omelet, not because of its health attributes but because it sounds delicious. Art orders an omelet wrapped in squash blossoms and both our breakfasts are amazing.

Squash blossom omelet at the Cathedral Cafe
Egg white and pepper omelet

We fast walk off some of the calories to have a repeat look at the Diego Rivera Murals at the National Palace. There is no line at the palace and we are able to spend another 30 minutes admiring the murals.

A last look at the Diego Rivera Murals at the National Palace

The reality of time dawns on us and we call for an UBER and are soon our way to the airport. Our two different flights depart 20 minutes apart from different airline terminals. All goes seamlessly.  Art’s return flight to San Jose del Cabo is an easy two hours. My return flight to California is a bit more painful involving two flights and a 4 hour layover in LAX. I arrive back in San Jose by 9:00 P.M. and am pulling in my driveway before midnight.

Taking off over Mexico City – 21 million population!

Mexican Muralists and Xochimilico

Wednesday, February 20th, 
In spite of the dramatic terrace view of the Zocolo, our hotel breakfast is starting to get old. I am not complaining because I can’t imagine wanting more than what is offered and I serve myself fresh papaya and pineapple, two pieces of bacon, steamed cauliflower and broccoli and a tiny fresh baked croissant. We seat ourselves and the waiter takes our coffee order; a cappuccino for me and a double espresso for Art. Our waiter asks if we would like something from the kitchen and I order a one egg omelet with mushrooms and cheese. I am more than sated when we leave and well fueled for another full day of museums. 
We start with the museums within the National Palace, just steps away from our hotel. We arrive at 9:30 A.M. but entrance to the Diego Rivera murals doesn’t open until 10:00 A.M. We poke into several other nearby museums. A political cartoon exhibition is both interesting and amusing with satirical cartoons of Donald Trump, Kim Jong-un and Netanyahu.

Trump and Kim Jong-up 
Michel Michka Political Cartoonist

 When we exit the line for the Diego Rivera mural is long so we head to the art gallery across the narrow street. We have this free museum to ourselves and motion lights switch on as we enter each gallery. There is a guard within each gallery and Art comments that it must be a government work program to keep people employed. Again when we exit the line for the Diego Rivera mural is still long so we walk in the direction of the Palacio Bella Arts in search the Franz Meyer Decorative Arts museum. It is tucked inside an unimpressive courtyard but the temporary Neo-Baroque exhibit is excellent and leaves us wanting more.  

Exterior of the Franz Meyer Museum
Exhibit, Franz Meyer Museum






















Exhibit, Franz Meyer Museum

Most of the national museums are free and as seniors, the private museums offer discounted admission for seniors. I feel like a senior today with my legs still burning from pyramid climbing and my injured knee. Art steps into the men’s restroom and I rest on a bench nearby to wait. Suddenly two pretty young women wearing stylish museum uniforms with knee length skirts and high heels approach me and motion me to come with them quickly. I recognize the word “drill” and “not to worry” but they are insistent that I follow them outside to a breezeway and into a covered parking garage. I fumble for the word “esposo” and point to the restroom worried that Art will think that I have been abducted. A large dot with 4 arrows is painted on the garage pavement and they position me on the center dot as two dozen others are escorted to the “safety zone.” Gratefully, Art is among the others being corralled and within a few minutes the drill is over and we return to the museum.  

Safety drill at the Franz Meyer Museum
The safest spot!


Since our taxi driver to the Condessa passed us counterfeit money, we have been enjoying the magic of Uber. Art enters our next destination as the Museo Tamayo and within minutes our Uber magically arrives to transport us to the park bordering the museum. We head straight for the museum café and Art orders the salmon and I order succulently marinated duck tacos. As usual, we share. The modern architecture of the museum is striking and the main exhibit is work by German Venegas. I try to find merit in his work but it’s a struggle.  This is the Tamayo Museum but there are only a few paintings by him. The modern art museum across the park and is excellent and we spend two hours wandering the four wings. Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, David Siqueiros and Ricardo Martinez are just a few of the artists represented here.

German Venegas
German Venegas
Paintings by Diego Rivera

Frida Kahlo 
David Alfaro Siqueiros

We decide to give the Opera Café a second chance for dinner tonight. The interior could be out of a movie set and their claim to fame seems to be that Poncho Villa rode into it on horseback and shot bullet holes in the ceiling.  We watch nearly every customer crane their necks scanning for bullet holes on the baroque ceiling. The ornate carved wood and mirrored antique bar stretches the length of one wall.  We enjoy tonight’s dinner but much might be attributed to the liter of fruit filled Sangria that Art orders expecting me to share it. It tastes like fruit punch poured over fruit cocktail and I order red wine.  We linger some time listening to the mariachi music and enjoying the old world ambience and each other’s company. Although the food is good, we are getting tired of Mexican fare and take two of my four Chile Verde enchiladas to go with the intention of passing them to one of the many less fortunate who ask for a few pesos. We are less than a block away when a man approaches indicating that he is hungry and we hand him the well wrapped to go box and then worry that we have forgotten to ask the restaurant for silverware.

Opera Cafe
Thursday, February 21st,
We are looking forward to the day and have the perfect start at the National Palace. Yesterday the line for entry to the Diego Rivera Murals was long and we decided to try another day but this morning we arrive at 9:50 and there are only 30 people waiting.  We chat with a couple of Chinese American tourists who are foodies and reside in Albuquerque New Mexico.  They share foodie tips with us and their tips will influence our next couple of days. Entry to the National Palace is free but one must show ID and go through a security check. Security holds Art’s ID and we hurry into the palatial courtyard and towards the staircase with the murals. The Diego Rivera murals are impressive and we take our time trying to understand the historical characters and time periods of the various murals.

Diego Rivera Mural – The History of Mexico at the National Palace
Diego Rivera Murals – The National Palace
Diego Rivera Mural

Diego Rivera Mural – The Grand Tenochtitlan at the National Palace

There is a small gallery off the upstairs courtyard balcony with a few choice works from the period. We wish that we could spend more time here overall but we have an 11:30 A.M. entry to the Frida Kahlo Museum so we tear ourselves away and fast walk back to our hotel where Art calls for an UBER and within minutes we are magically transported to the Coyoacan district and to Frida’s Blue house. Although this is nothing like the Anne Frank House, the hype feels the same. One must purchase tickets in advance or suffer a 2-3 hour wait in line. The timed ticket line wraps around the corner and we insert ourselves time appropriately into the line. 20 minutes later we are granted entry and emerge into the lush courtyard of Frida’s Blue House. Initially, Art and I are unimpressed but we soon navigate towards a few rooms displaying Frida’s wardrobe, recently discovered and on display.  Art whispers to me that I already dress like Frida and I feel flattered and vow to do a better job of putting myself together. This was her home and painting studio. Her wheelchair sits in a light filled second floor room beside an easel along with an array of paints and brushes. I am gaining a new appreciation for her work. Prior to this visit, it was Diego who I most admired but her prolific work on display in various small gallery rooms are moving and impressive.  I am voraciously taking pictures when a guard stops me and inquires if I have a “photo permission sticker?” I tuck my phone away but return to the entrance to purchase a 30 peso sticker and I return to take photos. 

Courtyard
Line to enter Frida’s Blue House Museum

Frida’s wardrobe on display
Frida’s wardrobe on display

Marty beside a photograph of Frida
Title- Marxism will give health to the sick

‘

Frida’s painting studio
Frida’s easel, wheelchair and paints

Hungry, Art map quests a local restaurant just a few blocks away. The restaurant is packed with locals and offers only set lunch menus for 85 pesos or about $6.00 each. The waitress brings us a large pitcher of Jamaica juice and gives us a form and pencil. We are to write down our choices from the set menu. Art pencils in our order and minutes later soups and salads arrive followed shortly by two different styles of taquitos. A strange dessert completes the ample meal and we ask to take the leftovers to go. Within minutes of leaving the restaurant, we pass the box off to a young man motioning to his belly in what we presume is a request for money or food. 

Prix Fix Menu
Restaurant Terminal


The day has been perfect so far but I insist that we go from here to Xochimilico, the floating gardens where we will take a gondola boat along the canals. Art is not much interested but I am insistent. We take another UBER and are deposited at the boat dock. It is after 3:00 P.M. and the guide book tells us that the boats are 500 pesos an hour regardless of how many people are onboard and that we should find another party to share the boat. The boat launch is virtually empty except for a row of colorful boats and many bored gondola pole pushers and their “pimp.” We immediately run into a problem.

Xochimilico Gondolas
Xochimilico Goose

There is one boat master in charge of filling the vacant boats and he sees Art and me walk in alone. We scan the boat launch for other passengers who we might join and there are none. The gondolas hold over 20 passengers each and it is not so much a matter of economics as it is of pleasure. We would rather enjoy this boat trip with company. Art spots a Hispanic family and approaches them. In Art’s best Spanish he asks if they might like to share a boat?  Eddie, a man in his mid 40’s who speaks perfect English is from Guatemala and he is delighted with the prospect of us joining his family of four. We will share the expense and bring along some beer. I scurry off to try to find both beer and a bottle of wine in anticipation of a delightful cruise along the canals with new and interesting friends. The dock side concessions have no wine but I buy beer plus a couple of canned mixed alcoholic drinks and return to our Guatemala friends only to find that the dock master will not allow us to share their boat because we are not a part of their family. We offer to pay full price to join their boat but he will not budge on his policy. Another larger group of Canadians and Americans have arrived and we try to piggy back with them. The dock master “Pimp” stands his ground and it is not until the woman who has pre- arranged their trip for 15 people calls the travel agent that we are allowed to join their group but we must pay the $750 pesos additional for the hour and a half boat ride. Art thrusts the money at the dock master and we board the gondola with this large family wedding party.

We share the gondola with a wedding party
Our gondola poler

Local boatman
Canals

















Initially, we enjoy the company of this multi-cultural family until one member, an American bore, purposely moves himself to our end of the gondola table and decides to make Art and me his best friends. I surmise that the rest of his family is relieved that we have now taken on the burden of entertaining him and I watch Art visibly withdraw as the man spouts on and on. Although this experience might be fun with a group of likeminded friends, we spend an uncomfortable hour and a half simply wanting the trip to end.

The return UBER ride back to our hotel takes about an hour.  At about 7:00 P.M. we dress and decide to to walk to restaurant Limosneros, recommended by the couple we met waiting in line for the National Palace.  I tell Art we have little chance of getting a table but it is before 8:00 P.M. when we arrive and we are fortunate to be seated. The range of our meals in Mexico City has been all over the place and its’ time for us to enjoy a good meal. I suggest that Art orders the 7 course Prix Fix dinner along with wine pairing. I will order the sea bass entree and he can pass me tastes of his various courses. Although some of his courses are stellar, several are quite ordinary and even my sea bass is not exceptional. (We do not order the Pueblo beetle or ant egg appetizers.) We have an enjoyable evening and our bill with drinks and tip is less than $120 U.S. dollars. These meals with wine parings would have cost over $300 in California. 

Limosneros Restaurant
A fungi course




Limosneros Restaurant
Pueblo beetle and ant egg appetizers


World Class Art Museums

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

I wake up to my legs burning with every step. Scaling the Pyramid of the Moon may not have been a wise idea. My thigh muscles that have taken up the slack for my left knee are now screaming.

We know that the Frida Kahlo museum requires timed tickets and we ask our concierge to book us a time slot. My credit cards are in the hotel safe and Art passes the women his business credit card which is declined. She graciously tells us that it is certainly because we have neglected to tell our credit card company that we are traveling in Mexico. Our bill is paid and I believe this to be the case but she handles our embarrassment in the same manner that I handle declined credit cards from customers at shows. I tell my customers whose payments are declined that it is probably because they have purchased other items at the Art Show and the various artists are from all over the country. The credit card company sees charges from various cities and states and blocks the card for their own protection. She offers to use her credit card if we pay her the cash and we accept her kind offer and leave with printed tickets for Thursday at 11:30 A.M. Although Art is unconcerned about the credit card, I am worried since many of our automatic business expenses are tied to it and I don’t want there to be issues back at home. I call Alisha and tell her to test our two business credit cards by purchasing Endicia shipping. She texts back that all is good and Art and I walk several blocks to find an Scocia Bank ATM. A week ago, I gave Alisha a check to deposit into Art’s account so that we would have access to cash on this trip. Art makes a withdrawal and tells me there is no record of the deposit. This is not a good money morning and I call Alisha again. She sorts it out and discovers that the teller who made the deposit put the money back into our personal account, not into Art’s account. The bank manager remembers me mentioning our trip to Mexico and transfers the missing deposit into Art’s account. (I’m pretty sure that her doing so was not really acceptable on just a hearsay from Alisha, but we are grateful.)

We hope to join a FREE 10:30 A.M. walking tour of the city center and I fast limp to the meeting place in front of the Cathedral. It is not a great tour but we need some structure to our morning and to take our minds off the finance glitches. The free walking tour takes us to the Templo Mayor, at the far side of the Zocalo. This was the site of the Aztec City, the heart of Tenochtitlan and is partially excavated and restored. Our small group visits the sinking cathedral before walking along Cinco de Mayo Avenue and listening to our guide point out spots of interest. It’s not a great walking trip and at 12:30, we are relieved to be set free. At our guides suggestion we have an inexpensive lunch at a Taqueria with a young, Dutch/German man who arrived this morning and will be in Mexico for 2 months writing his Master’s thesis. His company is interesting enough but we part ways after lunch and retrace our steps to the Palacio de Bella Arts to see the museum.

Palacio Bella Arts
Palacio Bella Arts
Siqueiros 

The Art Deco interior of the building is fabulous but unfortunately all the galleries are closed or possibly being renovated (this is not entirely clear.)  We glide along the polished marble floors, our necks craned to admire the soaring Art Deco architecture. Murals by Diego Rivera, David Siqueiros and Jorge Gonzalez Camarena decorate the first floor balcony walls. Seeing the Diego Rivera murals feels like visiting a familiar friend but it is exciting to see the work of Siqueiros and Camarena.

Man, Controller of the Universe or Man in the Time Machine, Diego Rivera
Camarena
Camarena signature

Downstairs, there is a retrospective of Ricardo Martinez work, an artist I had not heard of and Art and I thoroughly enjoyed the show.

Ricardo Martinez de Hoyos
Ricardo Martinez de Hoyos
Ricardo Martinez de Hoyos

Before leaving, we have a drink in the Art Deco museum dining room. Well-heeled patrons sit savoring beautiful meals and I wish that we had chosen here for lunch instead of the taqueria. We walk back along the shopping promenade to our hotel and rest until 6:00 P.M. Our meals over that past few days have been awful and I read the guidebook carefully. Our restaurant of choice tonight will be the Hosteria de Santa Domingo, an upscale old world Mexican restaurant a few blocks away from the tourist and shopping area.

Hosteria de Santa Dominga Restaurant
Chiles en Nogada
The Prawn speciality

I order their specialty; Chiles en Nogada, stuffed peppers with minced fruit and meat filling that are smothered in a sweet walnut based white cream sauce and topped with pomegranate. This interesting dish is traditionally served at room temperature. Art orders House prawns wrapped in Bacon and stuffed with Manchego cheese.  Both meals are excellent although I doubt if I will ever choose to order Chiles en Nogada again.  A mediocre pianist and vocalist provide background entertainment and get little applause.  The service in this old world restaurant is a mixture of arrogant and accommodating and we pay the rather expensive bill (over 1000 pesos with tip) and return to our hotel overly full. I’m glad we had the experience but I don’t need to repeat it.

Wednesday, February 20th,

In spite of the dramatic terrace view of the Zocolo, our hotel breakfast is starting to get old. I am not complaining because I can’t imagine wanting more than what they offer and I repeat the past several mornings self serve plate of fresh papaya and pineapple, two pieces of bacon, steamed cauliflower and broccoli and a tiny fresh baked croissant. We seat ourselves and the waiter takes our coffee order; a cappuccino for me and a double espresso for Art. Our waiter asks if we would like something from the kitchen and I order a one egg omelet with mushrooms and cheese. I am more than sated when we leave, looking forward to another full day of museums.

We start with the museums within the National Palace, just steps away from our hotel. We arrive at 9:30 A.M. but the Diego Rivera mural isn’t open until 10:00 A.M. so we enjoy poking into several other adjoining venues. A political cartoon exhibition is both interesting and amusing with satirical cartoons of Donald Trump, Kim John-un and Netanyahu. When we exit the line for the Diego Rivera mural is long so we head to the art gallery across the narrow street. We have this free museum to ourselves and motion lights switch on as we enter each gallery. There is a guard within each gallery and Art comments that it must be a government work program to keep people employed. Again when we exit the line for the Diego Rivera mural is still long so we walk in the direction of the Palacio Bella Arts in search the Franz Meyer Decorative Arts museum. It is tucked down in an unimpressive courtyard but the temporary Neo-Baroque exhibit is excellent and leaves us wanting more.  Most of the national museums are free and as seniors, the private museums offer discounted admission for seniors. I feel like a senior today with my legs still sore from pyramid climbing and my injured knee. Art steps into the men’s restroom and I rest on a bench nearby to wait. Suddenly two pretty young women wearing dark museum uniforms with knee length skirts and high heels approach me and motion me to come with them quickly. I recognize the word “drill” and “not to worry” but they are insistent that I follow them outside to a breezeway and into a covered parking garage. I fumble for the word “esposo” and point to the restroom worried that Art will think that I have been abducted. A large dot with 4 arrows is painted on the garage pavement and they position me on the center dot as two dozen others are escorted to the “safety zone.” Gratefully, Art is among the others being corralled and within a few minutes the drill is over and we return to the museum.

Since our taxi driver to the Condessa passed us counterfeit money, we have been enjoying the magic of Uber. Art enters our next destination as the Museo Tamayo and within minutes our Uber magically arrives to transport us to the park bordering the museum. We head straight for the museum café and Art orders the salmon and I order succulently marinated duck tacos. As usual, we share. The modern architecture of the museum is striking and the main exhibit is work by German Venegas. I try to find merit in his work but it’s a struggle.  This is the Tamayo Museum but there are only a few paintings by him. The modern art museum is across the park and it is excellent and we spend two hours wandering the four wings. Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, David Siqueiros, Ricardo Martinez are just a few of the artists represented here.

We decide to give the Opera Café a second chance for dinner tonight. The interior could be out of a movie set and their claim to fame seems to be that Poncho Villa rode into it on horseback and shot bullet holes in the ceiling.  We watch nearly every customer crane their necks scanning for bullet holes on the baroque ceiling. The ornate carved wood and mirrored antique bar stretches the length of one wall.  We enjoy tonight’s dinner but much might be attributed to the liter of fruit filled Sangrias that Art orders expecting me to share it. It tastes like fruit punch poured over fruit cocktail and I order red wine.  We linger some time listening to the mariachi music and enjoying the old world ambience and each other’s company. Although the food is good, we are getting tired of Mexican fare and take two of my four Chile Verde enchiladas to go with the intention of passing them to one of the many less fortunate who ask for a few pesos. We are less than a block away when a man approaches indicating that he is hungry and we hand him the well wrapped to go box and then worry that we have forgotten to ask the restaurant for silverware.

Pyramid of the Sun and Moon and James Bond

Monday, February 18th, 2019

Breakfast overlooking the Mexico City Zocalo

We savor breakfast with the view and at 9:15 A.M. are picked up for our tour to the Teotihuacan Pyramids. The van is tiny and crammed with a half dozen passengers but we soon realize that we are being shuttled to a meeting place where we will be transferred to a larger bus. We wait for the transfer and are finally on our way at 10:00 A.M. Our first stop is the Plaza de las Tres Culturas, excavated Aztec ruins. Our mediocre but well intentioned guide speaks in length about the site in Spanish but his abbreviated English version of the history is unclear. His motivation however soon becomes crystal clear when he begins prepping us for the clean bathrooms and free coffee at the upcoming silver factory stop. There was no mention of a stop at a silver factory on the itinerary and I flash back to our trip to China where I felt held a hostage in cavernous gift shops while we waited for someone on our tour to complete a purchase (resulting in a commission for the guide.) Our bus deposits us on a city street lined with silver shops but we are ushered towards one in particular and directed towards the bathrooms in the back. This requires us to all file past numerous showcases filled with sterling silver jewelry. The tiny, three stall women’s bathroom is indeed clean but one can barely turn around in it and there is one sink shared between both the men’s and the women’s bathrooms. If this is to be the highlight of our tour, I am worried.

Metal workshop beside the authorized silver factory. 

There is a family of nine from Patagonian on our bus and they have taken the bait and are shopping. As a jeweler, I am interested in what motivates people to purchase these overpriced trinkets and I peruse the glittery displays with discerning eyes. Back on the bus, I try to be kind when Agnus shows me her purchases and asks my opinion. We still have an hour drive to the pyramids and we pass though miles of marginal houses, stacked and crammed together precariously on the out-skirting hillsides of Mexico City. The blocks of house are painted one of 9 different colors depending on the political loyalty. Apparently the politicians gift paint in exchange for pledges and the hillsides are paved a rainbow of colors; purple, yellow, salmon, green, turquoise, blue, orange and red.

The outskirts of Mexico City

We finally arrive at the pyramids at 12:30 and our guide explains the site (presumably eloquently in Spanish but with a minimal English translation.) We have 2.5 hours to explore the site. Art and I head first for the smaller of the two Pyramids, the Pyramid of the Moon and in spite of my injured knee, I manage to climb it, crab like, using only the muscles in my left leg and hoisting myself step by step using the cable hand rail secured from bottom to top along the steep stone staircase. My right knee is still too painful to bend but using different muscles, I scale this pyramid and am just slightly out of breath when I reach the top. There are of course fabulous views from this terrace which is actually not the top but as far as visitors are allowed to climb. A hundred awed tourists mill on this level with no barriers to prevent one from tumbling to ones’ death below. Everyone is taking selfies and we ask a German man to take a photo of us and return the favor. The entire city stretches below with the Pyramid of the Sun in the distance.

View of Teotihuacan from the Pyramid of the Moon

The approach to the Pyramid of the Moon
Pyramid of the Moon
Cable hand rail

Terrace of the Pyramid of the Moon

We descend and walk the long promenade between the Pyramid of the Moon and the Pyramid of the Sun. Ordinarily, I would climb to the Sun and back but find a sliver of a shade below an ancient stone wall and wait while Art sets out to conquer this Pyramid. He is gone nearly an hour and I catch sight of him once or twice.  His white shirt, floppy hat and shorts make him easy to spot even among the crowds upon the monumental pyramid.

Teotihuacan Pyramid of the Sun

Later, Art tells me that he tried to call me from the top but since I was hunkered down below a wall, there was no reception. At the appointed 3:00 P.M. we meet at the bus to go to lunch. Famished, most of the tour chooses immediate gratification at the buffet but this one looks awful and I dislike buffets in general. We have befriended two young Seattle women and one of them wishes to order from the menu so the two of us wait in solidarity for our meals. The stuffed chicken breast that choose arrives in time and is surprisingly good. I wash it down with a beer and we are off to the tequila tasting factory. This is the second non disclosed stop on our itinerary and is another tourist trap but I am mildly interested in the methods of harvesting the Agave nectar and we gladly accept the tastings of various tequilas.

On our return we stop at the Basilica of Guadalupe. Our guide explains that nearly as many pilgrims visit here as the Vatican in Rome. Again the Spanish and English explanation are vastly different in length but my understanding is that the original Guadalupe Cathedral has sunk along with the city and stands askew in the plaza.

New Basilica of Guadalupe
Exterior of the basilica

Alter of the modern Basilica of Guadalupe
Interior of the modern basilica

The sinking Basilica of Guadalupe

A newer modern round basilica, built in 1974 is the one that we tour. Prior to entering, I hope for a Sagrada Familia experience but although the basilica is beautiful, I am not spiritually awed.  Art and I wander the vast plaza between the ancient Cathedral and the modern Basilica with views of the volcanos and the sleeping lady in the distance. As a geologists’ daughter, I picture Mexico City sinking into this lake valley and surrounded by volcanic mountains. As we exit, Art lights a candle and I know it is for his mother.

30 minutes later, we are the first to be dropped off at our hotel. Without a plan, we wander the nearby shopping promenade in search of dinner. We have still not grasped how inexpensive food is or perhaps how strong our dollar is so we are price shopping the menus and settle on what looks like a promising patio restaurant. The Caesar salad dressing is rancid and the pasta Art orders is mushy and inedible. I am desperate to save the evening and suggest drinks on the terrace of Gran Hotel Ciudad de Mexico. Having drinks at this hotel is on my Mexico City bucket list and is the opposite extreme from where we just ate dinner. Parts of the 2015 James Bond movie, Spectre were filmed in Mexico City and at this iconic hotel. These next few sentences are in honor of Nancie Allie who always told me to hold my head up high and act like I own the place.

Interior of the Gran Hotel, Mexico City
Interior of the Gran Hotel
View from the Gran Hotel

We arrive at the relatively unpretentious entrance to the hotel.  The doors are opened as we step close and we are welcomed into an architectural Art Nouveau masterpiece. Soaring ceilings of ribbed glass crown the vast foyer. I wish for daylight so that the stained glass would show its’ vibrant colors but there is something magical about the structural skeletal ribs of steel against the night sky. There is no one in the cavernous lobby and we approach the front desk and announce our intentions to have drinks on their terrace. It may be my imagination that they appraise us dubiously but they point us to the elevators and we ascend to the top floor. With heads held high we approach a kiosk attended by a lone women and request to have drinks on their terrace. She records our name, peruses the seating chart and motions us to sit and wait. We sit obediently and within two minutes are ushered up another flight of stairs to a table overlooking the Zocalo and the illuminated Cathedral beyond. I realize that this is the same view we have enjoyed for the past three days at our hotel but minus one star. The Zocalo shines and the cathedral glitters and my heart flutters slightly as I look at the drink prices on the menu. Pesos seem so much more because of the extra zeros but in actuality the drink prices are no more than at a good California restaurant. Art orders a margarita and I order a glass of wine and once we relax into our drinks; as the American Express advertisement says, the experience is priceless and less than $30 including a generous tip.