New Year's in Rio

I flew from Paris to Rio de Janeiro on December 31st and met Aggie at the airport.   We took a taxi to an apartment owned by her friend, who was out of town and spent the day wandering around Rio.  It is not a very clean city and the people are friendly, but most are overweight.

New Years is a huge celebration in Rio, even bigger than Christmas, with dancing in the streets, fireworks, and hundreds of thousands of people.  We decided to watch the fireworks, but avoid the huge crowd on Cocobana beach.  

Everyone wears white and I brought my guayabera and white pants with me for the occasion.   After a light dinner and wine at the apartment, we walked to one beach, and then another to watch the fireworks, which were spectacular.  

Paris in December

I took the train from Troyes to Paris on December 28th and after going the wrong way on the subway once, found my hotel at about 4 p.m.  Nice, modern, clean hotel not far from the city center.  I wanted to go Karaoke singing and got directions from the pretty hotel clerk.  I got back on the subway and then walked several blocks to the karaoke bar, but apparently it had been closed for several months.  I went to another bar and asked directions to another karaoke bar on my list.  Now that I had mastered the subway system, it was no problem switching lines and getting to my new destination.  A TripAdvisor review said this second bar is a local dive, and it was true.  About three patrons in the bar were watching sports on TV, no bar tender around, and it was a very tired smelly environment.  I gave it a pass and looked at some restaurants on the way back to the subway, but none appealed to me.  I was on   Boulevard de la Bastille and there was a protest going on with about 100 marchers.  Of course I could not understand what they were chanting, but the photo of a prominent woman dissentient from another country was a clue.  So I had dinner at my hotel.

On Sunday I wandered around Paris via the subway and walking.  The streets and sidewalks were crowded with Parisians enjoying a sunny Sunday.This was my third time in Paris, so I did not feel the need to visit all the tourist spots, but I could not resist seeing the Eifel Tower again.  Across the Seine there was a huge Christmas adnarket with a couple of hundred vendor booths, and thousands of people.  I wanted to go salsa dancing and took the metro to a restaurant named "Barrio Latino."  I got there about about 1 and was told the intermediate lesson started at 2.  They were serving Sunday brunch for 36 euros (about $50), which was more than I wanted to pay.  Also, I wanted to eat at a sidewalk cafe and watch the people.  So I walked back to Bastille square and sat at a table right in front.  I had an excellent lunch of plank fish, fresh vegetables, bread, white wine, and a cappuccino.  All for only 38 euros.  So much for trying to save money on lunch!  Of course lunch took about 90 minutes and when I got back to Barrio Latino, the lesson was half over.   I watched the last half and stayed with the intent of dancing, but when I put on my dancing shoes, my left toe hurt.  Also, I had not salsa danced since before my operation on October 31st, so I decided to just watch the dancing and enjoy the music.  I went to the third karaoke bar on my list, but it had also been closed for some time.  I will post on TripAdvisor.  Karaoke does not seem popular in Paris.  They do not know what they are missing by not providing me a venue …or maybe they heard I was coming!

I love the cosmopolitan feeling of Paris and contrary to popular belief; I was treated with courtesy everywhere in the city.  One young lady at the information booth at the metro station gave me directions on how to get on the right subway, and when I stood there looking at my map, she took pity on me, came out of her booth and pointed me in the right direction with explicit instructions.  Pickpockets are a big problem in Paris, as they are in many big cities in Europe.  There are signs in all the subway stations and in the hotel elevators warning on how the pickpockets operate.  On Monday morning I met a lady at breakfast that had her purse stolen the day before from her backpack.  She had taken it out of the backpack in the subway station and then put it back in again.   I was very careful and also carried a whistle on a strap attached to my daypack.   I never took my wallet out of my inner jacket pocket in public and did not stand in the subway stations looking at maps. 

Tuesday afternoon I headed for the airport to catch my flight to Rio de Janeiro, via Rome.  It was raining hard in Paris.  Time to fly into summer in Brazil, on December 31st.

French Cuisine

Francoise's close friends, Phillip and Katherine invited Francoise, Aggie and me to dinner at their home, after we returned from Copenhagen.  Phillip loves to cook and he prepared a fantastic meal for the occasion.  We started with champagne, of course, and hors d'oeuvres, while listening to music by the Beach Boys.  Phillip had prepared home-made pate de foie de voielle and pate de foie gras.  The entree was a sea food dish that Phillip had invented. He started by sautéing peas, pearl potatoes, carrots, shallots and garlic in butter.  He spooned a layer of the veggies into small stone pots, then added large prawns, followed by another layer of veggies, then a layer of sautéed scallops.  Then he covered the pots with a pastry crust and baked them in the oven. 

  The French often have red wine with sea food and the French think the American rule of white wine with sea food is silly.  For dessert we had a selection of cheeses and fruit, followed by alcohol de poire William, a bottle in which a pear is grown and then pure alcohol is added and allowed to age.  Phillip said this bottle was about ten years old. Phillip has seen the pear trees covered with bottles in which the pears are grown.  I would like to try growing some.  Luckily, I was not driving that night.

 

Christmas in Copenhagen

We flew from Paris to Copenhagen on Dec 22nd, and stayed at a hotel located just two blocks for Tivoli.  That night we wandered around the Christmas outdoor market and sipped glog.  The next day Aggie and I spent about 4 hours in Tivoli, Copenhagen's premier amusement park which also has a big Christmas market that has many vendors with locally made arts and crafts.  It was a cold day and I bought a handmade knitted Scandinavian style hat to keep my head and ears warm.  Good of after skiing on a cold day (I wear a helmet while skiing).

 

Aggie's brother, Alex, and his girlfriend, Emily, flew in that evening and we all went to dinner at a very good small Danish restaurant near the hotel which was packed with locals.  We got there about 9 and waited 30 minutes for a table.  I expected to see a lot of smorgasbord restaurants, but we did not eat at one while were there for four days.  The next day was December 24^th and all the museums and most of the shops were closed. 

We walked for miles all over Copenhagen, ending up at the famous little mermaid.  On the way back to the hotel I convinced them to stop at a karaoke bar where I sang two songs.  Some of the patrons were excellent singers and we enjoyed the music. 

On Christmas morning we got up late, had breakfast, then opened gifts in our apartment.  Aggies brothers gave me some joke gifts:  A pair of underwear in the design of the Danish flag, and a horned Viking hat.  We went for a long walk to Christiania which was originally established as a type of commune, but is now a place where marijuana is sold in various forms from about ten vendor booths, each with a name like, “Marijuana Doctor.”  There are several big signs at the entrance to Christiania. That say, “NO PHOTOS.”   About 1000 people live in Christiania, but now there seems to be almost no economic activity other than the sale of marijuana.

My left foot was hurting from my toe operation so I took a bus back to the apartment, rather than walking.  That night the boys and I picked up some take out Chinese food and brought it back to the apartment.  It was the only bad meal I had in Copenhagen.

The next day we flew back to Paris and drove to Troyes.  It was fun seeing Copenhagen again.  I was there for New Years in 1968, but did not go to Tivoli or see as much of the city then.  It is a small city,  very clean and architecturally interesting. Everyone speaks English because it is a required language in all the schools. 

Champagne, champagne!

I flew from Vermont to Paris, France, on December 14th and took the train to Troyes,  that is in the heart of the champagne district.  My friend, Francoise, met me at the train station and we walked about five blocks to her house, which was built in 1898.  Francoise had done a lot of shopping and she spoiled me with excellent French wines, cheese, and her cooking.  On Monday I walked around the old city of Troyes that has many buildings dating back the Roman era.   Monday night I attended a Rotary meeting that was held at a business that provides internet security services.  The meeting opened with a glass of champagne.  It is a tradition in Troyes to have a glass of champagne at the beginning of any meeting or social gathering.  The program was in French, of course, so I did not understand what was said, but the program was illustrated with a power point presentation and I could follow some of that.  Francoise and I finished dinner about 11:30, just in time to go to bed.  I woke up about 5 a.m. on Tuesday, went back to sleep, and did not wake up again until 10:30 a.m.!  I never sleep that late!  Apparently, I have not adjusted to the time change.

On Tuesday I walked around the old city, went to a wine shop where I bought three bottles of good French wine, and unsuccessfully tried to find a bank that would change dollars for euros.  I found a restaurant that has karaoke on Tuesday nights so I made dinner reservations for 8:30.   Francoise had to work until about 8 and when we arrived at the restaurant the karaoke was in full swing.  My first song was the Beatle's standard, "I Want To Hold Your Hand," that got a lot of applause.  My second song was "New York, New York" in the Frank Sinatra version.  Even though my timing was off a little, the crowd loved it.   I was pleasantly surprised when a beautiful French girl came to our table and was gushing over my singing.  I don't think I am that great, but I am getting better, thanks to several months of voice lessons and practice

The French know how to eat and enjoy life.  Breakfast of fresh baked baguettes, lunch of salad and chicken or fish. and dinner at 10 p.m. of soup and salad.  Lunch and dinner may take an hour or two ... or three.

Then there are the meals out.  Thursday we went to Le Sarrail Restaurant in Troyes for a pre-Chrsitmas lunch with friends.  Lunch lasted for three hours.  I started with Terrine de foie de voielle confit (chicken liver pate salad), followed by Pave de saumon juste grille (grilled salmon) and finished with creme brulee.  Of course we first had a glass of champagne, complimented the salmon an excellent Beaujolais, and finally espresso and alcohol de poire william (alcohol seeped with a pear).

The restaurant is owned by two brothers who are friends of Francoise's friends.  Fantastic French food and very nice people.

Togo, West Africa -i Rotary Polio Immunization and Project Fair

On Saturday morning, Anne Marie Giangiulio, regional grants officer for the Rotary International Foundation, and Rotarians who work on grants, gave presentations on the new grants programs and how to apply for grants.  One of the presenters was our tour leader, Past District Governor, Brad Howard. 

This was Brad’s 18^th trip to West Africa. Brad, who is president of Howard Tours, is and exceptional Rotarian and leader.  Sunday was devoted to visiting the approximately 36 booths from clubs throughout West Africa that are seeking international partners to fund projects.   The clubs were from Nigeria, Togo, Liberia, and Ghana.  

 

Many of projects are to provide potable water, sanitation and schools.  Sunday night was an international celebration of Rotary and its achievements in providing health and humanitarian projects in West Africa. 

 

I was lucky to have a smart, articulate, talented and very beautiful Nigerian Rotarian, Oyindamola Opadiran, as my dinner companion.  After the dinner, we went downstairs to the bar and sang songs at the piano.  She is a much better singer than I, but my voice lessons are resulting in some improvement in my singing (I think).

 

 Monday was the polio immunization day. We rode the bus for two hours to a rural village that was designated by the World Health Organization for immunization based on a risk assessment. We had seen adult victims of polio along the road. This was a mop up immunization of about 1,000 children ages 5 and under.    About 50 mothers brought their children to the yard outside the village clinic and each of the 42 Rotarians gave a child two drops and marked their left thumb with an indelible pen. Then we broke into groups of three and walked door-to-door through the village seeking children under 6. I immunized about 30 children.


David giving polio vaccine



Vaccine carried in ice chest

  

The mothers were all cooperative and it is not a difficult task, except some of the children were frightened by the big white man, and cried and screamed.  Others enjoyed being held. It was an extremely rewarding experience to administer the drops.  Many of the children suffer from various illnesses, often related to lack of clean water and any waste disposal system.  

 

  Each group was accompanied by a health worker and a local Rotarian, who spoke French and the tribal language.  

 



Do I have to?



 

Health woker and lova Rotarian

On Tuesday morning we took a 2 1/2 hour bus ride to a rural village in the central plains at which the Rotary Club of Fort Wayne, Indiana, had completed two new classroom and a playground.  The children were very happy to see our group of Rotarians from North America.   Although just one of our group is a member of the club that sponsored the projects, the students saw us as representing all the Rotarians who built their new classrooms.  There were new desks in the classrooms that had to be removed every night to prevent them from being stolen.  Our group “passed the hat” and collected $1,800 to install doors and locks in the classrooms. We stopped at a small village for lunch and enjoyed an excellent meal under the trees. Tuesday night we went to a restaurant in town for our last dinner together. 

Wednesday morning we left the hotel early for a 2 hour bus ride to visit another school and village, and craft center. The school had three traditional thatched roof classrooms with no walls and two new built with donations from the European Union. When I sat down at a desk in the thatched roof classroom, the children piled onto my lap and back. 

 

They love touching, shaking hands, hugging, and having their picture taken.  Although they live in extreme poverty, the falmilies all have gardens and eat fairly well.  The major problems are lack of clean water, sanitation, and limited education. This school has 240 students in K-6, and six teachers, with limited qualifications.  Many children do not go to school beyond 6^th grade. 

We walked through the village and stopped to watch a weaver.  The prices were very low and most of us bought at least one woven scarf.  We rode another hour into the foothills to the to the town of Kpalime, which has a trade school for craftsman making pottery, wood carvings, jewelry, and batik.  I could not resist buying an African drum for $20. 

We stopped for lunch on the way back to the hotel, where I went for a swim in the pool, before going out to a farewell reception in the hotel.  At 7 p.m. we boarded the bus for the ride to the airport and the long flights home. 

The strongest impressions I have of this experience are the hundreds of laughing, chanting, singing children greeting us with such joy at each school we visited; the school children climbing on my lap and back and clinging to me; and the faces of the children to whom I gave the polio vaccine.  Rotary has, and will continue to make a difference in the lives of these children.  And they have made a difference in my life.

ROTARY WEST AFRICA PROJECT 2013

      After four flights and 36 hours of travel time, I arrived in Lome, the capital of Togo, west Africa. When I got off the plane at 9:45 p.m., I was greeted by the District Governor Elect, who escorted me into a VIP lounge, took my passport and quickly had immigration process my entry. Another Rotarian from Arkansas and I were then escorted to our hotel by four local Rotarians. My room is on the 10 floor and overlooks the city. Air conditioning, WIFI, king size bed, hair dryer, and all the comforts of a US 3 star hotel, but a little worn.

     The next morning, after an excellent breakfast at 6:30 a.m., we boarded a bus and first went to a voodoo center where traditional medicine is sold and administered. A local voodoo doctor gave us a talk on how the various parts of dead animals and plants are used and we purchased good luck charms, wellness stones, and totems with spells. I passed on the “African Viagra,” that is a stick from which a tea is made. Next we went for a bus tour of city and beach sites and the border into Ghana. 

     After lunch, we went to the U.S. embassy and met with the Ambassador, Bob Wagner, and his staff, for a two hour briefing on the politics, economy, and culture of Togo.   The Peace Corps director and two Peace Corps volunteers also gave a program on the Peace Corps in Togo, which works closely with the embassy. Togo has a population of about 6.2 million and 50% are under age 18. It has a presidential system of government in which power is centralized. The president initiates legislation, sends it to a unicameral legislative body for approval, then he signs it. Democracy has increased during the last 10 years and the last two recent elections went well.

      Lome, the capital, has a population of about 1.2 million and the only deep water port on the west coast of Africa. The U.S., under the supervision of the embassy, provides several programs and projects in Togo, including, training peace keepers, piracy prevention, family planning, HIV prevention, humanitarian projects, school development, prison reform, corruption prevention, and teacher development. The ambassador said that one of the goals for the U.S. programs is to promote a stable country that is a friend to the U.S. The Peace Corps is a separate agency that collaborates with the embassy. There are 84 Peace Corps volunteers in Togo, living in small villages and working with the Africans to develop agriculture development, education, HIV prevention, and managing national environmental reserves. 

 

    On our second day we rode our bus about an hour out of Lome to a village school. We were greeted by about 100 chanting, smiling, laughing children. Upon getting out of the bus we were mobbed and surrounded by the children who wanted to touch us, shake hands, and have their photos taken. We brought with us about a half ton of school supplies that our group of 42 Rotarians from the U.S. and Canada purchased and packed in their bags. The local Rotarians were in the process of building a class room of cinder blocks.

 

     Our tasks was to move about eight cubic yards of clay dirt from a pile, up a wood ramp, and dump and spread it for the base of the floor. The provided eights wheel barrows, shovels, and rakes. The temperature was about 85 degrees and humidity about 85%. We worked and sweated for about 2 hours, until we were out of dirt to move. Some of the Rotarians were not in top physical condition, but almost all pushed wheel barrows, raked, and shoveled. Those not physically able to do the manual labor sorted the school supplies.

 

 

                 

                

 About noon there was a formal presentation of the supplies to the school and speeches of appreciation for our work.  We had planned to have lunch there and work another couple of hours, but our lunches were left back in Lome and the contractor did not have any more work for us to do that afternoon.  So we hugged the children goodbye, and boarded our bus for the ride home.  The bus got stuck and we all got out and walked about half a mile until the bus was able to find another route and catch up with us.  

                    That night we were hosted by a Togo Rotary District at a reception.  Following the reception, I wandered down to the bar where I met four beautiful young Africans who were singing and playing the piano.  I practiced my newly learned singing skills and joined them in singing several songs.  Although I do not have the voice and skill they have, it was a joy to sing with them.