The Riddle is solved

Chaos down to 8.3lbs this January from 18lbs (last March 2009). We have chalked this up to rigid proportion control which was started by Mr. Hippo last spring. Now the truth is revealed. The cat has Type II Diabetes. It was quite shocking to see her weight plummeted a further pound over the Christmas holidays. Then the tell tale signs of increasing voiding and drinking emerged in early January. A quick blood test confirmed the results and now she is has started a regime of insulin injections administered by me. Her kidneys are fine but I think she has suffered a little neuropathy as her gait is visibly altered. Her energy level however has increased noticeably since the insulin was started.

Looking for a refund on my Avatar ticket.

You may not be able to ignore the phenomena of "Avatar". The dedication of Cameron to this movie and the expertise of its execution are a credit to movie making. The movie generated the most amount of employment in Hollywood during a time of recession and now likely will generate the most revenue as well. These factors alone may be enough to secure a Best Picture Oscar.

I went into this movie with very low expectations. There has been so much publicity about this movie and how it may represent the future of movie making. One should always be skeptical when such hyperbole is spouted. Is Avatar the future of cinema? Certainly not the future I would have anything invested in. It is an imperfect offering of the 3D age.

The critique about a "1st draft script" was well justified. Stereotypical characters fill this movie : gun/violence loving military man, plucky army chick, greedy corporate type, noble savage. Sadly, even the gimmick of 3D adds no further dimension (no pun intended) to the members (chief, shaman wife, rival warrior) of the Na'vi tribe nor to the other members of the human cast either.

The dialogue is similarly unimaginative. The single moment of humor and wit lies in the name of the ore that is so precious: Unobtainium. Movies like Avatar are about the spectacle, that WOW factor. The thoughts, ideas and indeed the inner world of our characters should be demonstrated with actions. Instead, James Cameron reverts back to the "voice-over" from our lead man Jake. Very lazy storytelling.

The plot is equally unoriginal. A "white" messiah infiltrates the natives, thinks he can win them over, the baddies come along and our white messiah (painted bright blue now) comes to the rescue of the natives. You've seen this before in Dances with Wolves, Dune and even to some degree with District 9. That last movie at least had an interesting twist in its narrative. So Avatar is just another movie about the white man's guilt from plundering the riches of North America and destroying the native American culture. Yawn.

So, even with low expectations, I tried to enjoy the movie. This is movie that was suppose to be about the awesome experience of 3D. Like Jake being connected to his avatar via the pod, the audience should be similarly immersed into the world of Pandora. Our neuro-cortex would be bathed in the detail and colours of Pandora's fauna and landscapes, especially its extraordinary airborne mountains.

Even taken at its most superficial, the film doesn't offer is any real imaginative leap. Like most "Eden" fantasies (think Jurassic Park), we do encounter dragon-like dinosaurs, sabretooth like mammals, massive awe-inspiring trees with the weird insects. The film doesn't glow as its visionary palette is both conventional and narrow. Remember the visual effects of Lord of the Rings Trilogy and the soft hues and lighting effects that highlighted each scene. Cameron should be taking lessons from Peter Jackson here.

The 3D capture also can't seem to keep up with the action. The movements are often blurred and the motion is somewhat jarring. This unfortunately, all combines to create a nagging low level of nausea which started about 30 minutes into the film and culminated with a not unsubstantial retro-orbital headache by the end.

Perhaps the real innovation of Avatar is in the future of gaming but it certainly offers nothing to narrative cinema, creative storytelling, imaginative dialogue and thoughtful exploration of humanity.

I have no doubt that many will see Avatar more than a few times. I also have no doubt that many more such 3D spectacles are in the works. To avoid disappointment in enjoying a 3D spectacle, I would recommend you wait for a better production. Visually, the world of the Pandora is all undeniably dazzling. Ultimately though, it seems a soulless one.

A fun movie and a fun weekend.

I was downtown with a colleague of mine (Red) to attend a conference on malpractice yesterday. It was well attended by nurses, doctors and lawyers. This type of conference usually leaves me feeling sick to my stomach and suffering from an paranoid that lawyers (and sometime patients) are always out to get doctors. I was most surprised to leave the conference without the need to reach for some Maalox or Ranitidine or a glass or two of wine. I am beginning to understand that providing a reasonable standard of care for patients particularly with regard to good communication and documentation go hand in hand with making a defensible case. More importantly, it seems that the MORE OB program may be part of the key to correctly systematic errors.

Dinner consequently at Nota Bene was a delightful experience as usual. Crispy chicken skin, Japaneses seabreem with shitake mushrooms, truffles and quail's egg, B.C. Black Cod with Chinese mushrooms and vegetables. My colleague shared the appetizer but had chicken breast and creme caramel.

Mr. Hippo is still recovering from his cold and is finally on antibiotics after more than two weeks of coughing and sneezing. Most surprisingly, I am still well. This weekend, we watched a really really fun movie for both the young and the old: The Fantastic Mr. Fox. I hadn't read the Roald Dahl book as a child but I suspect this delightful story had been adapted to the screen with the usual quirky Wes Anderson humour. The "dysfunctional" family theme of Wes Anderson's cinema is present once again....along with a lots and lots of hi jinx. In a world overwhelmed with CGI, this use of old school stop animation and nostalgic storybook atmosphere was a most welcomed change. The excellent voice performances of Clooney, Streep, Gambon and Schwartzman further animate the surprising adventures of Mr. Fox and his family and friends. I didn't just want to watch this movie, I wanted to climb in and play in it.

L'chai-im

I hadn't seen Fiddler on the Roof on the stage. I thought I remembered all the songs. However, I was left in tears by the end of the second act. Life for the Jews of Anatevka is hard and bitter but yet they managed to find some joy and celebrate it.

I too have made my own joyful discovery in Mr. Harvey Fierstein's performance. He inhabited Teyve, the milkman so completely I forgot about Zero Mostel's voice from the soundtrack and Topol's film role. This is not to diminish the efforts of Mostel or Topol but really to demonstrate the power of Fierstein's stage presence. His swagger, his personality, and in short his joy de vive enchanted the audience at the Canon Theatre.

There were also many strong performances from the remainder of the company particularly the daughters of Teyve. Mazel Tov to all.

In a second Jewish feature this week, I saw the Coen brothers' film "A Serious Man". Now, I have only recently become a fan of the brothers. A Serious Man follows the very ordinary troubles of Larry Gopnik in 1967 Midwestern America: his wife leaves him, his son is experimenting with pot, his brother freeloads off him, he agonizes about getting tenure, etc. He struggles to find meaning in his life and consults no less than three rabbis.

There is no discernible plot but that really isn't the point. Seeking to understand why we make the choices we make, what choices do we have, why things happen to us, how should we behave, and how to cope with the absurdity of human existence....that is just a slice of this black comedy. I also suspect the film is highly autobiographical (the Coens grew up in St. Louis Park, Minnesota) and highly reflective of the Jewish life in 1960s Midwestern USA.

Winter....really in 2010

Every year for the last few years, I have travelled out west to Winnipeg to see my in-laws. And every year, I seem to pick the frostiest part of the winter season to make the journey. Yesterday for instance, the temperature was -45 degrees Celsius with the wind chill. To be truthful, I don't think I could really tell the difference between -20 and -30 degrees Celsius. Cold is cold.

There was relatively no issue with checking in, my carry on baggage or security check in despite the new security relations stemming from the attempted Christmas Day bombing. However, I was taking a domestic flight. So, what's there do in Winnipeg? Relax in the great indoors, catch up with your in laws, drink, eat, drink, eat, watch a few films, catch up on my sleep....the best kind of holiday.

There is much to be said for seeing your in-laws once a year. Lots of merry making and lots of food and lots of stories. Mr. Hippo's father (Hippo Sr.) had news from his trip to Trinidad. This was his first visit back since he first left the island nation for England more than 50 years ago. He returned to bury his brother whom he hadn't really spoken too for many years too.

More surprisingly was the discovery of a nephew that Hippo Sr had never knew of. This boy was not only his brother's son but his cousin's son i.e. the nephew was also his second cousin. Many family secrets had been uncovered recently by another cousins' attempt to construct the family tree. For example, one uncle had fathered children with two sisters.

Secrets run in all families. This year, I discovered an estranged cousin of my mother's uncle who now resides in New Zealand. She has made contact with a few other family members including my sister. All this family time has peaked my interest into constructing my own family tree.

'Tis the season

The holiday season is upon us and with it comes the ritual celebrations. There was a double hitter this weekend. On Friday, it started first with my office staff Christmas party at The Mint Leaf, a local Indian restaurant. This was an excellent if somewhat unconventional holiday feast of pakoras, samosas, chicken tandoori, lamb vindaloo, butter chicken, chicken tikka masala, fragrant basmati rice, palak paneer, baigan bharta, ras malai, poached pear with pistachio ice cream..all washed down with several bottles of wine, Guinness, and martinis. Many stories of yesteryear and general good cheer was shared by all.

On Saturday, Mr. Hippo and I were off to his office staff Christmas party at La Felicita, an Italian restaurant in Oakville. This was a similar good time party at a lovely bakery and cafe which served up an sumptuous meal. Such gatherings usually create a few problems for me as I rarely meet Mr. Hippo's company folks but once a year. I did have some difficulty in remembering the names of the over 40 fellow employers and their spouses but generally speaking, I think everyone was in the same boat. The new restaurant, and special loot bag gift of Italian cookies were the most obvious and welcome signs of change in social committee at Mr. Hippo's company. The long promised summer BBQ may become a reality this coming year.

What awaits this week...the nurses Christmas dinner and the the hospital physicians holiday gathering.....'tis the season.

How do you photograph a 500lb sea cow?

Actually, you don't really photograph them. Over weekend, my Honey and I spent a few days of R&R on Florida's nature coast. We did some kayaking and swimming (really floating) with the manatees. Very intriguing beasts. At birth, the pups weigh 30kg and can the females (who tend to be bigger) can reach up to 1 000kg.

There was a definite kinship or perhaps curiosity felt between Mr. Hippo and these animals. He was the manatee magnet. Perhaps they are drawn to his whiskers! One of the pups even took a gentle nibble of his toes (which is very common) and he rubbed the tummy of another. Another young male nearly kissed me as seen in this video. What the manatees get out of this human socialization is a mystery but for this human, it was a very magical.

Near perfect Stratford Experience.

The appetizer at Bijou
Originally uploaded by divinemissladybird

Well, practice makes perfect. After three tries, I think this was the near perfect Stratford experience. Dinner started promptly at 5:15pm at Bijou. This is an excellent restaurant with fabulous service and sumptuous meals.

We were seated in our own private dining room with some low mood lighting (but not so dark you couldn't see what you were eating). The appetizers for arctic char and country vegetable soup and main courses of crispy duck, and quail (done four ways) were devoured with gusto and complemented delightfully with California Zinfandel, Niagara Pinot noir and the Bijou champagne cocktails.

The show was A funny thing happened on the way to the forum. To be fair, I was a bit skeptical about the material having see the 1966 movie which showcased such legendary comedians as Buster Keaton, Phil Silvers and Zero Mostel. I was a bit disappointed in the product as the jokes seem silly and comedy was flat.

To my very pleasant surprise, this was not so with the stage production. Perhaps the side gags perpetrated in this muscial comedy are indeed meant only to work before a live audience. The comedic timing was flawless. The lead role of Pseudolus was led by Sean Cullen as the original lead Bruce Dow had been injured. It was indeed fortuitous that he was available. All manner to comedy from word play, to slap stick to mistaken identity and even some bawdy bits worked perfectly as Cullen and the company danced, and sang their hearts out. The energy from this performance was infectious and by the end of the evening, the audience were humming Comedy Tonight as they made their way out of the theatre. Indeed many funny things happened in this forum.

Movies at TIFF

Prompted by a friend's recent email, I finally got around to a review of this year's TIFF selections. Overall, the movies were better this year but I think this has probably more to do with the fact I was able to select the movies I wished to see rather than opt for a "pass" to certain package where the films were pre-selected.

In no particular order,

1) Good Hair: loved this one and saw this with a friend of mine who happens to be Afro-Canadian. After the show, we met up with her sister and heard a few personal "hair" tales. Chris Rock's socio-political documentary on African hair was both stingily funny but thoughtful. Inspired by his daughter who shocked him with the declaration: Daddy, why don't I have good hair, Chris explores everything from the economics of hair weaves to the politics of "relaxing" one's hair was covered. He journeys from science labs to witness the effect of the chemicals in the hair products on aluminum cans, to the hair salon around the corner to the Battle Royal competition at the largest convention for black hair products in America

2) City of Life and Death: probably will be a candidate for this year's best foreign film. The movie deals with the Rape of Nanking which has been likened to the Chinese holocaust. After many years of avoiding any open discussion about the atrocities, the Chinese seem to have decided to embrace this director's vision to narrate a story of the Japanese occupation of the old proud capital. The mass executions, "comfort women", and violations of all sorts are covered in the scope of this film. Its greatest secret is the story is told from multiple view points including that of various Japanese soldiers, John Rabe (the works of this good german were largely unknown to me) and various Chinese men and women. There are many characters inspired by (and loosely based on ) Iris Chang's novel. The bold black and white cinematography confirms a gripping documentary vision to the film.

3) Baaria: From the director of the much beloved Cinema Paradiso. This movie was bloated with too many characters and was lost in a sea of meandering plot narratives which ultimately did not come to any conclusion, satisfactory or otherwise. Its style and characters were directive of Cinema Paradiso and by the film's conclusion, I was rather longing to see that film again.

4) Prince of Tears: this was the story of a family shattered by the terror of communism plots and conspiracies in Taiwan. The "White Terror" held Taiwan in the 1950s in a state of near martial law. Neighbours, friends and family members could be taken away at moment when the mere rumour of ties of association to Red China were whispered. The plot was somewhat convulated with a twist of a lesbian love affair, misunderstandings between half-siblings and a suspicious and slightly deformed uncle.

5) Anti-christ: I can't really talk about this one. Obscene, grotesque, vile, misogynist and I know why the audiences at Cannes walked out on this film. Lars Von Tier clearly was suffering from some form of mental illness. Later, I learned he wrote this film while recovering from a deep depression. I wonder if it was accompanied by any psychosis.

6) Invention of Lying: Love all things Ricky Gervais. Extras, Office UK, Ghost town, Stand up specialst. He again comes up with a film where characters say the most outrageous things. Brutally honest, cheeky, and yes, funny. Exploring a world where there are no lies (no actors, no forms of any ficition, no religion, no half truths), it does lose its narrative trail at times but nevertheless is entertaining.

7) My son, my son, what have ye done?: Another puzzler? Not sure if I was missing some gene which would give me insight into the film. The story is told in reverse order but did this cinematic technique add to the story telling. There was a dwarf and some other oddities which were reminiscent of Twin Peaks. Werner Herzog, the director, is associated with German New Cinema (and darling of the art house circuit) and a good friend of David Lynch. I wonder who influenced who on this film.

8) Partir: French film starting Yvan Attal, Kirsten Scott Thomas and Sergei Lopez. The plot is a simple: woman starts tense love affair with a construction worker (who is helping to renovate part of her home into an office). Devastating consequences ensue. Splendid acting.

9) Leaves of Grass: Ed Norton plays two roles in this film....twin brothers who have taken different paths in life. One is a cultivator of high grade marjiuana and the other is a much sought after academic of the classics. Both brillant in their own way and in their own worlds. Each has a different way of analyzing the world through their respect intellects. Touching in its portrayal of a wacky dysfunctional family, and well acted. The abrupt changes in tone once the body count starts to rise does jar the tone of the film and the lack of chemistry between Ed Norton and love interest Keri Russell is another failing.

10) Harry Brown: Michael Caine's last major/leading man role. The story runs along the same lines as Gran Torino/Death Wish and is set in Caines' native London. Vigilante justice is the central focus of this story. Formulaic in its unfolding, and stocked with sterotypical characters, it does deliver some good action and nice plot twist at the end.

11) Kamui: strange Japanese film. Ninja code prevents them from ever leaving the clan/family alive. The plight of these "runaway" ninjas is the premise of this story. The movie is obviously met to introduce us to the new adventures of Kamui (one such runaway ninja) and seems to setting us up for his future films (not sure they'll be made too soon after this one is released). The CGI was sloppy at times and the lead actor did a lot of brooding.

12) Karoke: Chris Chong's first feature film. I may be a little bias here as I know the guy. It was an abstract piece with long expansive shots which made for more thoughtful viewing than I expected. A simple story of the homecoming turns into a commentary of the modernization of Malaysia today. I took my parents to see this one and my father got more out of the film than my mother or I. I can see why the film was asked to be presented at Cannes and is winning awards at film festivals everywhere.

The Agony and The Ectasy that is TIFF

Every year, it is the same old story. Running down town to pick up the Advance Sale Ticket Form to fill for TIFF, then submitting the forms and awaiting the lottery. This year, there were over 50 boxes of forms and lucky box 48 was randomly selected to be processed first. My forms were in box 44. More interestingly, I received 16 of my 20 selections (with 12 being my first choices). Not bad.

Ms. Noel tried to get onto the TIFF website unsuccessfully >5 times, tried to call the box office another >5 times and then called me at 7:40am to say, she was heading to the TIFF central box office to physically get the tickets. Luckily, she lives about 5 minutes from this location. I awoke by 8:30am (after doing a 2am C-section) and headed downtown. After a 45 minute ride into downtown, I entered Nathan Phillips square to see the General Public Ticket purchasing line wrapped around the square. I had to call Ms. Noel to locate her!

She had very cleverly called Ms. Desi who did manage to get onto the TIFF site and to complete the ticket purchasing. In a complete "celebrity" treatment, she went to the Advance pick up line (there actually is no line) and got the tickets. The rub here was, Ms. Desi had to verbally give her VISA card number and confirmation number to the TIFF volunteer over the phone in order for the tickets to printed. This was a move of no small importance as Ms. Desi was leaving for Europe and wouldn't be back before the middle of TIFF week and Ms. Noel would be unable to pick up or use the tickets Ms. Desi had purchased for her.

By comparison, my transactions were quite unremarkable but also quite fortunate. I was able to pick up my tickets and then do my exchanges and even purchasing more tickets in the Advance pick up line without ever really needing to return to the General Public Ticket Purchase line. All told I had spent under 90 minutes at the Box Office and then it was off to Dim Sum with Mom. The Agony of the purchasing is over and the Ecstasy of the films can begin.

Bhangra and West Side Story

The week flew by. A friend's 40th birth day party was celebrated, a play seen at Stratford and a last minute rush to prepare for TIFF (Toronto Film Festival). The party was a blast with homemade Sushi, lots of Cabernet Savingnon, and a rocking DJ mixing bhangra with 80s classics. I have given a lesson on cultural subtleties of north and south Indian culture by a slight intoxicate friend as well. Although, the element of surprise was lost (the birthday boy inadvertently caught a glimpse of the preparations in the basement), it was great chance to unwind with friends.

The meal before Stratford was a ho-hum affair. The Church Restaurant (constructed in 1873 as a Congregational church) provides a lovely ambience but the service as slow and the food was passable. Definitely not recommended. My duck three ways was ordinary which was head and shoulders above my friends' uncooked steak and bison.

However, the musical we saw at Stratford was dazzling. The energetic and athletic cast of West Side Story delivered great solos, and amazing dance numbers which would have made the perfectionist Jerome Robbins proud. I humming America, Office Kurpke and Somewhere all the way back home to Milton.

Aftermath of a Tornadao

It's official. There was an F1 Tornado which landed in Milton. It was one of five which hit southwestern ontario last night and certainly not the most devastating.

This was the damage to my dentist office on Ontario Street. They cancelled all appointments today obviously. My father was one of these calls...it was made by the secretary from her home as the staff couldn't even get into building. So lucky again, no fatalities.

If it wasn't a hurricane, it was a twister

It has been a summer of extremely unstable and frankly more violent weather. Rumours of a tornado touching down in Milton and a wild near-hurricane downpour which lasted a mere two hours. The sheets of rainwater fell downward and sometimes sideways. What crazy weather...and the aftermath is something to below. Part of a roof of my local dentist office was lifted off and carried to into Ontario street and into the parking lot of the adjacent Milton mall.

Tree branches and even whole trees themselves lay over the roads, yards and driveways, onto and into the roofs, and cars and boats. Then, there was the electrical fire. The broken branches of my neighbour's willow leaned heavily onto the hydro electric wires. There was a brief power outage at and when the power came back on at 6:45pm, this fire was ignited in the tree.


4The firemen came and realized the fire was electrical and contacted the Milton Hydro. The power to our section of the grid was cut and this extinguished the fire. Next, the chain saw came out to perform a bit of tree surgery leaving my neighbour with a new pile of smoking firewood. The charred wood was still warm.

Of course, Milton got off on the lucky side compared to the communities of Durham and Vaughn where the real damage to more than 600 houses was done. The really remarkable event was that there was only one fatality in this whole event. This was sadly, an 11- year old in Durham.

A rare double rainbow

A rare double rainbow
Originally uploaded by divinemissladybird

After a sudden torrent of rain, there followed a blaze of sunshine. The result, a gorgeous burst of colour over the Milton skies.

They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.

Drive in Delivery
Originally uploaded by divinemissladybird

It was an incredible that that the construction of this new parking lot at Milton District hospital should occur right in front of the three labour and delivery rooms of Obstetrical unit. There are actually only three such L&D rooms. Cars pulling in would have front row view of the birthing units giving a whole new meaning to "drive in" features. In addition to the loss of privacy for expectant mothers, several moderate size fruit trees were destroyed in the construction of this parking lot (cue: Joni Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi). There also use to be a warren of rabbits on the grounds too...likely chased away by the new housing developments.

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

The Big Movie Weekend

It is hardly surprising to those who know me that I should post a blog about movies. These past two weekends had been quite amazing though for the depth of talent. First, there was Amal, the story of a very honest (if somewhat simple) rickshaw driver and his unlikely change in fortune. All set the bustling streets of New Delhi. Always delighted to see the very talented character actor Roshan Seth too. Then, The Hurt Locker which is about a bomb disposal squad in Iraq. No political messages here but a straight forward character study of soldiers at war. Imaginative direction from Kathryn Bigelow, excellent performances by the main cast and a number of great cameos from Ralph Fiennes and Guy Pearce. I had never been much of a fan of war films but this film has changed my mind. The Red Cliff is a John Woo production with Tony Leung and Takeshi Kaneshiro. Based on a very famous chapter in the historical novel, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, this is a 280 minute epic detailing battle of Red Cliff. There are a slew of heroes in this tale (much akin to Homer's Iliad) and to hear John Woo tell it...a more historically appropriate tale. Stunning battle scenes, and eye dropping CGI landscapes worthy of Lord of the Rings comparisons. Having known nothing of this part of ancient Chinese history, I now may intrigued to read more after watching this film.

Memories of Venice

Venice was a hectic place to finish our European vacation but just about the most fun. After taking many trips, I have come to realize that the places you go are secondary to the people you travel and share the experiences with. Noel and I did many things in Venice but most importantly, we did them together. We ate, shopped, did some sightseeing and got a little tipsy.

It started with the shopping experience. She is definitely a bad influence but what a great time we had being bad. Jewelery particularly the gorgeous Murano glass necklaces tops the list. The lace purchases in Burano were complemented by the telling of the long history of the lace makers themselves, viewing several pieces of their lace artwork on display and drinking espresso at the post-shopping respite in the garden at the back of the shop.

The meals of Venice were definitely the best of the trip. Dinners at little out of the way places like Enoteca al Volto and the three hour seafood lunch on Burano at Trattoria al Gatto Nero were the stand outs. The service at the later restaurant was fabulous. Our waiter whose family has owned the restaurant since the 1940s was particularly attentive and made many useful menu suggestions. The dessert of the Burano biscuits dipped in a fruity dessert wine was a highlight. He incidentally spoke English with an accent that he latter confessed he attained while studying at the University of Edinburgh.

Of course, we did the tour of the Grand Canal by boat, had a Bellini at Harry's Bar, saw the fabulous mosaics of San Marco as well as the Doge's apartments and other things Venetian too. Although we did not have the romantic experience in Venice in an overpriced gondola ride, we did finish our European vacation with the very James Bond experience. A speedy near dawn ride in an overpriced water taxi through the many rios (water streets of Venice) and across the open waters of the Lagoon to Marco Polo Airport.

Salona

Necropolis

Basilica

Amphitheatre



We departed the boat/cruise today and took a local bus to Salona which is the ancient Roman settlement. Today, the ruins are surrounded by the new city of Solin. The walk about the site took almost 3 hours and it was quite marvelous. This is a truly a hidden gem and well worth the price of admission...about $5 Canadian.

The highlights include an ancient amphitheatre which was sadly mostly dismantled by the Venetians, a theatre and adjoining Temple, necropolis, thermae (Roman baths). Salona was a Roman city reaching its height during the reign of Diocletian (and probably his birth place).

It is also the site of the first Christian colony in Dalmatian. The emperor Diocletian was famous for martyring the local Christians and the first martyr of Salona were Dominus. St. Dominus got his revenge though as the Cathedral of St. Dominus is built over Diocletian's mausoleum and his body is missing too. Hmmmmm?

The exercise work out we got from walking the grounds was quite a direct contrast to the lazying about on the boat over the past few days. Our last pilgrimage was up to the citadel overlooking Hvar town which was a somewhat steep vertical climb up many stairs and a winding incline. However, the reward was our splendid views as we surveyed the lay of the land. It reminded of the Stations of the Cross trek I made on Gozo. Our meal that evening was fish Gregada in the restaurant named Hannibal. This a soup-like dish consisting of fresh fish cooked in olive, white wine, herbs,garlic and potatoes. Just delicious!

Dubrovnik and beyond

Walking the city walls of Dubrovnik


The Stradun from the city walls.

City walls from outside the city
Fountain in
Clock Tower in the old Renaissance square


The order for the good weather finally came in. We had two days of thunderstorms and heavy rains as we toured Dubrovnik. It was quite pretty despite the deluge. We walked the walls of this ancient city which is the best way to see the place. The main street known as the Stradun was a washed limestone finish from many years of pedestrian traffic.

The street was created to join the old Roman town of Ragusa with the newer settlement of the Croats...thus creating the city of Dubrovnik. Ragusa was hence originally an island with a different language and people. There is a mosque, a synagogue, and over a hundred churches and one cathedral. The old middle square has a Venetian palace called Sponza which houses the memorial to the defenders of the city during the aggression of the Bosnians and Montenegrins in 1991, In fact, several houses were destroyed by fire and the city walls were damaged too.

Our city guide was called Paulo, an Italian ex pat who was quite flamboyant and I suspect gay as well. He had dyed blond hair and orange trimmed sunglasses. He spoke animately and passionately about his adopted city with speedy and colorful descriptions and with theatrical gestures. Although he may not have always been factual, he was definitely entertaining.

We wander through the old Franciscan monastery, the orthodox church of St. Nicolas and St. Blasie church who is the patron saint of the city. At the end, we finally exited through a hole in the wall facing the sea to small bar called Burz at land's end to gaze on the towering 25m walls from outside the city. We took an extended walk of the city walls the following day. The occasional downpour did not diminish the grandeur of Dubrovnik.

Today, the sun came up and Noel and I worked on our tans. It was hot enough that I braved a swim in the cool and fresh waters of the Adriatic in Lombarda beach. We are now in Korcula, the reputed home town of Marco Polo. Boy have the locals milked their association with this traveller for all its worth. There is a hotel, restaurant, tower, local house, a bar and several souvenir shops with the Polo adage! We are taking a break from our seafood diet today to try some local beef and lamb specialities.