IRELAND: Embraced in Green Velvet

By Patricia Keegan

Flying over the neat, square, green fields of Belfast on a shuttle flight from Heathrow, I am captivated by the tapestry below. Shades of gold, deep green and pale green, blending with a pink glow from the setting sun, evoke tranquility and peace. Cows and sheep graze blissfully. This lush, eternal land stands unspoiled, the strength of its beauty untarnished by history.

Though I was born in Dublin, the capital of the Republic of Ireland, as I look down on the mountains and fields outside Belfast airport, I feel a familiarity with its distinct beauty. I am thrilled by the anticipation of freely exploring the six counties of Ulster that I have never seen.

I am not alone in my enthusiasm. A young couple returning from a vacation in Spain lean across me to see their homeland. The woman's eyes shining with tears, she whispers, 'Oh, it's so good to be home.'

Since all the hotels in Belfast were full, I picked up a Hertz rental car at the airport and headed for Bangor, a historic seaside resort. Maureen, a Northern Ireland tourist board representative, offered encouraging words.

'It'll be very easy once you find the road to Bangor. If you get lost, just ask anybody, they'll be delighted to help you.'

Maneuvering out of the airport with a map on the seat next to me, I set out to find Bangor, hopefully before darkness descends and leaves me on lonely roads to be chased by leprechauns.

Driving on the left, my first mistake, on exiting the airport, was to automatically look left at a circle. Lo and behold, from the corner of my eye I saw a thousand chariots descending from the right. I pulled back in the nick of time.

Driving in Ireland is itself an adventure. It takes only a few hours on the roads of Northern Ireland to realize how well marked they are, and only one or two stops ,meeting the Irish people, to understand how friendly and hospitable they are. By the time I reached the seaside resort of Bangor and checked in at the Marine Court Hotel, I felt rewoven into Irish society.

Belfast -- An Alive City!

Nestled in a valley ringed by mountains, this bustling city of close to half a million inhabitants appears to be in a state of vibrant renewal. Impressive Victorian and Edwardian buildings, including Belfast City Hall, have a clean and polished look. The City Hall is open to visitors, and inside its marble interior is a mural by Belfast artist John Luke, depicting the founding of the city, a good place to start exploring.

In the 17th century, Belfast was a village just beginning a mercantile economy. In 1888, with a population approaching 300,000, Queen Victoria, who had visited the town in 1849, gave Belfast the status of city and the citizens built city hall, completing it in 1906.

Ulster Museum describes the rise of the city alongside fine art collections featuring the works of Belfast artists Sir John Lavery, William Conor and Gerard Dillon. There are exquisite samples of china, silver and glassware, together with natural history and geology exhibits stretching back 9,000 years.

The Linen Hall Library's 20,000 books include a Robert Burns collection and documentation of Belfast's most recent history. A wall inscription tells us it was founded 'to improve the mind and excite a spirit of general inquiry.' The library has been lending books since 1788.

St. Anne's Cathedral, built in 1899 and consecrated in 1904, has a beautiful mosaic depictingSt. Patrick landing at Saul in 432 A.D. With its strong literary and musical tradition, Belfast considers the arts an important part of daily life. There are numerous small theaters throughout the city. Major performances are held at the Grand Opera House, Ulster Hall, and Queen's University. For an evening of good humor, the Empire Bar on Botanic Avenue is venue for the Empire Laughs Back, a sharp, satirical comedy targeting everybody and everything.

Discovering the Glory of Antrim

Although many Irish ballads refer to the beauty of the Glens of Antrim, I was familiar with most Irish scenery and did not expect to enter a state of bliss. It seemed to happen just after the first sign for the Antrim Coast Road which took me through the glens and on to Ballycastle. I drove for many miles through green velvet without seeing another vehicle. I felt as though I were in a heavenly garden surrounded by every conceivable thing of beauty. My joyful journey took me on roads that ran under archways of trees, that curved through mountains, descending into small villages with castles rising in the distance. I saw cows standing on high meadows seeming to lean against the sky, forests filled with trout streams, lush green everywhere and many beaches with ribbons of white foam breaking along the edges of the sea. I heard myself singing all the way through Antrim as my little car took on wings.

Glenarm, the oldest of the villages, has long, narrow streets leading to Glenarm Forest, where there are bridle and walking paths and waterfalls spilling from mountaintops. Glenarm Castle, which looks like the Tower of London, is the home of the Earl of Antrim.

In Cushendun, the entire village and beach is preserved by the National Trust for its Cornish style cottages and unspoiled beauty. Flowing through Cushendun, the river Dun is noted for salmon and sea trout, and if you want to go fishing, you just drop your boat into the mouth of the river.

Glenariff, considered the 'queen of the glens,' has a series of waterfalls plunging down through a gorge traversed by a path crossing rustic bridges. One cascade is named tears of the mountain. The park is also a national nature reserve with access to caravan and campsites. The view from the visitor's center down through the glen was described by Thackery as 'Switzerland in miniature.'

From Ballycastle to the Giant's Causeway

I continued driving through a spectacular landscape. At one point I pulled into an overlook and saw, in the distance below me, what looked like a miniature village nestled in a curve of green cliffs sweeping to the sea. I felt a magnetic pull to get a closer look. Continuing on the main road, I turned onto a long lane cutting through fields. I judged the path to be about the right distance to the place I had sighted. As I came closer to the sea, I passed two farmers standing at a gate. They didn't stop me so I assumed it was not a private road. Reaching a dead end at the very edge of the sea, I was thrilled by what I found--five houses and one tiny church, flowers and roses growing in front gardens, all warmed by the sun and completely protected on all sides by high cliffs. The peace and solitude here was spellbinding, I felt I couldn't leave without knowing more about where I was. 

There I discovered Bernie McKay, a rugged and healthy looking man with alert, blue eyes. He looked as though he had spent his life outdoors and, indeed, he had spent most of his life salmon fishing on the high seas.

Bernie told me he had grown up in Portbraddon. His father had owned all the land in the area and did all the construction. Portbraddon is one of the oldest spawning areas in Western Europe. Bernie, an expert on the history of the area, showed me the remains of the Templastragh Church, built in 648 by St. Gobhan, a carpenter, blacksmith and preacher. There is an intriguing stone slab on the northwest comer with a crude drawing of a cross and letters difficult to decipher. He is working with the local historical society to rebuild the church, as well as writing a book about Portbraddon. Saying farewell to heavenly Portbraddon and Bernie Mc Kay, I left with an indelible memory of beauty and goodwill.

From Portbraddon I headed toward the Giant's Causeway. There I checked in at the lovelyCauseway Hotel. 

I set out to explore one of the wonders of the world. Nobody should visit Northern Ireland without seeing one of Ireland's greatest treasures. It extends 18 miles along the coast and is Northern Ireland's most famous landmark and a World Heritage Site. Crashing waves beat against a coastline of 40,000 six-sided basalt columns formed by volcanic and fissure eruptions over eons of time. Some of the oldest rocks in the area are of Jurassic age (135-190 million years ago). Most were formed after a volcanic eruption 60 million years ago. It is a prime example of the earth's evolutionary history during the Tertiary epoch.

Walking alongside these six-sided basalt columns, the symmetry of their cut is remarkable. As a guide explained, when you look at cracks caused by hot sun on mud, all lines are equally divided, similar to these giant columns formed by heating and cooling in the surrounding atmosphere.

Like everywhere in Ireland, the Giant's Causeway has its own legends. Here lived the giantFinn MacCool, whom they say built the Causeway to bring his wife across to Ulster from the Scottish island of Staffa.

Donegal--The Republic's Northwest County

An Alternate Trip from Dublin  to Donegal and Back

Serene and apart for centuries, County Donegal missed the western world's siren call to industrialize, modernize and bring its resources into the swiftly moving currents considered 'progressive.' So the big, destructive wave of the industrial era bypassed Donegal and most of western Ireland where houses are spread miles apart and velvet, green hills sweep down to white capped waves.

But there is no lament about being a small spoke left out of that 'progressive' wheel. The people along the Northwest coast have turned to creative ways to make a living and are linked by computers to the larger world. Towns and villages are not only distinctly beautiful, but alive with life. Women bob in and out of the butcher's and the baker's, chatting with the vendor and bringing home freshly cut meat and bread straight from the ovens.

The streets are filled with modern cars, and at noontime, pubs are filled with businessmen on lunch hour. Life in the local pub begins at lunch with a wide variety of 'pub grub.' Fish and chips, Irish bread and a glass of Guinness seems to be the favorite.

Sitting in Donegal town's O'Hanlon's pub at noontime was a great way to connect with the vitality, confidence, and strength of identity in being Irish in the 21st century.

With the opening of the new airport in Carrickfin, you can fly to Donegal from Dublin or London but we, two couples, rented a car in Dublin for the journey. We detoured slightly for the ever popular medieval banquet at Bunratty Castle in Limerick, then traveled through the western counties to Donegal, where we stayed a few days before driving back to Dublin by the northeast route.

We passed through the city of Limerick, made famous by Frank McCourt's bestseller, Angela's Ashes, portraying a dismal, though humorous, side of the Irish experience almost a century ago. New construction is under way, but we could see the tiny row houses in areas completely barren of aesthetic grace--the background of the writer's sad, young life.

From Bundoran we drove through Ballyshannon and Rossnowlagh to Donegal town, then west through Killybegs and Glencolumbkille.

In Dungloe we stayed at Sweeney's Bed and Breakfast. Dungloe is quiet an relaxing, but outdoor activities abound, ranging from fantastic fly-fishing to horseback riding, bike riding, or scenic hiking. In the evening we found our way to some local dances, both traditional and country western. Before the dance, we sat by the turf fire having a great Craic, catching up with the latest news of Dungloe.

Dungloe lies in the heartland of the Gaeltacht, the Irish speaking area of Ireland. (Of course, everyone speaks English as well.) All road signs are in Gaelic, so it's important to carry a map.

Gaelic, one of the oldest surviving European languages, is spoken in areas of Donegal stretching from Fanad Head in north Donegal to Slieve League in the southwest. Up to the 16th century all Ireland spoke Gaelic, however British rule eventually undermined Irish culture and language. The Great Famine (1845-1848) drained the country of native speakers as the population decreased by four million, who either died or left for other lands. The revival of the language is part of the school curriculum.

Dublin

We traveled through the northeast counties southbound toward Ireland's capital, Dublin. Dublin is a great pedestrian city with colorful shops, loads of pubs and small, ethnic restaurants lining the narrow streets of the old section just off Grafton Street.

We stayed at the beautiful Merrion Hotel in Merrion Square on Dublin's colorful Grafton Street.

Dublin's cultural life is punctuated by live theater. The Literary Pub Crawl has become a favorite of visitors. The guided tour meanders through the literary haunts of famous writers while being entertained by the richness of the language of Joyce, Yeats and Behan. The two and one half hour crawl features professional actors performing the works of the great scribes with irreverence and humor--a good example of what makes Irish pubs the liveliest in Europe.

The National Museum of Art houses the preeminent collection of Irish artists including a room filled with William Butler Yeats and Jack B. Yeats' paintings. The latter's use of bold, thickly applied color provides a strikingly dramatic effect. I especially liked 'Men of Destiny,' with its mystical aura. 

Dublin's bountiful bookstores contain vast collections devoted to Irish history and modern Irish writers. However, if you don't have time to read and want a quick overview of Dublin's tumultuous history, a visit to Trinity College, (home of the Book of Kells), to see the historical overview, 'The Dublin Experience,' is one way to understand more about the fortunes and misfortunes of this great capital and all of Ireland.

Planning a trip to Ireland?

An excellent resource is the 'Be Our Guest' guide detailing over 800 places to stay, plus touring maps, special interest sections and vouchers for free accommodation in Winter and early Spring. The guide is available from the Irish Tourist Board, 345 Park Ave., New York, NY 10154, (800) 326-0036.

President Obama and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon - Still Popular?

By Bill Miller

In a recent World Public Opinion Poll, President Barack Obama and the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon held the top two slots as most respected world leaders. Obama was at a stratospheric 61%, with Ban running at 40%.

Slightly lower, Germany’s Angela Merkel (40%), UK’s Gordon Brown (38%), and France’s President Sarkozy (36%) rounded out the next three spots in the survey that included 20,000 people in 20 countries. China’s Hu Jintao (32%), Russia’s Vladimir Putin (34%), and Iran’s President Ahmadinejad (28%) brought up the rear.

Polls can be very helpful to project an image to the public and to reflect a public opinion snapshot as to how leaders, policies and issues are perceived at a given moment in time. President Obama still enjoys high personal popularity ratings in the US, even though his poll numbers pertaining to his policies are sagging slightly as the public and his Administration wrestle with the intricacies of how to address the financial meltdown, the health care crisis, climate change and a multitude of other problems.

UN Secretary General (SG) Ban Ki-moon is also benefiting from positive poll numbers, more so overseas rather than in the US, as he crossed the halfway mark in his five-year term as head of the UN. When Ban was elected SG, with the blessing of the Bush White House, he was perceived as having a totally different managerial style and persona from former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

Annan had achieved rock star status with his highly visible efforts to reform and strengthen the UN and to challenge some of the key players on what was widely perceived as foreign policy blunders that destabilized peace and security. Kofi Annan and President Bush disagreed on what was, and still is, widely viewed as the US’s illegal invasion of Iraq, an unpopular and unnecessary intrusion into a sovereign country.

Some UN watchers opined that Ban Ki-moon was too closely aligned to the Bush Administration and would be a toady for US foreign policy. Indubitably, the UN does assist US foreign policy goals in many spheres, such as by maintaining 17 peacekeeping missions and promoting peace and security. These missions share the financial burden and keep US troops out of harm’s way. UN programs are also vital in Afghanistan and Iraq by providing humanitarian assistance and arranging the free and democratic elections, just to mention a few.

However, Ban Ki-moon may have been underestimated by the Bush Administration and some of the UN detractors. Ban, who began slowly and quietly, has blossomed into his own person and has developed a managerial style that is quietly effective, yet unobtrusive. He is intelligent, well-prepared and tenacious, in a positive sense, in pursuing his and the UN’s goals.

Just a few examples of his tenacity:

Although the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) normally receives most of the publicity, as well as one-half of the Nobel Peace Prize it shared with Al Gore, SG Ban Ki-moon is widely credited by many UN observers as being the spark plug in moving forward the debate on climate change. Specifically, he was the first secretary-general to lead a delegation to Antarctica and Brazil to experience firsthand the melting of the glaciers and the disappearing rain forest. When a climate conference in Bali, Indonesia was on the verge of collapse, Ban dropped his plans, flew to Bali and rallied the participants to move forward with their discussions, which ultimately proved successful.

And in 2008, after the ferocious Cyclone Nargis killed nearly 140,000 people and devastated the Irrawady River Delta Region of Myanmar (formerly Burma), dozens of aid agencies queued up in Bangkok, hoping to get into Myanmar. Due to an upcoming election regarding a constitutional change and a general paranoia of outside meddling, the military strongmen, led by General Than Shwe, refused to allow entrance. After a few frustrating weeks in a standoff, Ban got on a plane, flew to Myanmar, met with the general and got a crack in the door that ultimately allowed humanitarian relief to be delivered.

Ban Ki-moon appears to be constantly in motion. Barbara Crossette, UN columnist for The Nation and a former New York Times reporter, wrote that just a few of his activities last May included: attending a UN World Health Organization Assembly and convincing leaders of pharmaceutical companies to donate vaccines; helping coordinate UN strategies to combat the Swine Flu outbreak; visiting with Congressional leaders in Washington to discuss UN funding; addressing an international summit in Bahrain on disaster planning; encouraging business leaders in Copenhagen to get involved in overcoming climate change; conducting 21 meetings in one day with various Danish leaders and environmental experts, and then heading off to an official visit in Finland. And the list goes on.

Ban has been criticized for a variety of managerial decisions and personality traits, such as some curious upper-level personnel appointments, surrounding himself with a small cadre of Koreans, having his reform efforts stymied by various UN member countries, being isolated from public input, not speaking English well, being a behind-the-scenes, low-keyed negotiator and not speaking forcefully enough on atrocities in Gaza, Sri Lanka and the Congo.

Normally, the Wall Street Journal confines its vitriolic attacks against the UN to its editorial pages, but not always. Recently it did a supposedly straight news piece on “The UN’s Invisible Man,” Ban Ki-moon. The article contained some legitimate concerns but downplayed most of Ban’s major accomplishments. Organizations such as the editorial pages of the Wall Street Journal and Washington Times, as well as Heritage and other right-wing groups, seem to be on an untiring crusade to disparage the UN.

Of course, the clear winner in the character assassination and distortion category has to be the Journal of Foreign Policy’s (July/August 2009) article on the “Most Dangerous Korean.” Jacob Heilbrunn, senior editor of the National Interest (an ultra-conservative publication) had a rambling, perhaps libelous, screed about Ban being an “accidental tourist…(Ban) frittering away his influence.” Apparently, Mr. Heilbrunn has little knowledge of Ban’s accomplishments, forgot that Kim Jong Il is a Korean (North, that is) and failed to even remotely prove that Ban was a danger to anybody or a failure. The article’s title and content were 180 degrees apart.

With articles like Mr. Heilbrunn’s, Foreign Policy may be trying to become the print version of Fox News, as well as the gossip tabloid in the international relations field. One inevitable conclusion is that the journalistic professionalism of the WSJ and the FP has certainly been damaged.

Given that it is legitimate to criticize and scrutinize many UN programs and activities, the US media should not give the UN or Ban Ki-moon a pass, but should cover the UN objectively and professionally. However, that is not what is happening. Each day, major decisions that impact billions of people are discussed at the UN. Little coverage actually takes place.

The UN has an immense challenge to get its message out to the media and the general public. Following are just a few examples of media bias it encounters:

-- Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the UN’s World Health Organization, has led the charge against the H1N1 Swine Flu epidemic. Seldom do any media outlets identify WHO as a UN agency or Ms. Chan as a UN official. This bias is prevalent in most stories about almost all UN agencies.

-- Often when the UN sponsors a conference -- and a heavy percentage of international conferences are under the UN’s auspices -- on climate change or AIDs for example, the media lists it as an “international conference,” and seldom mentions the UN’s involvement. PBS recently ran a documentary on the founding and evolution of the International Criminal Court and failed to mention the UN’s role in establishing this unique body.

-- The UN has a host of activities it is sponsoring that receive virtually zero recognition, much less commendation, such as putting together the free and democratic elections in Iraq and Afghanistan, mobilizing the world to combat piracy, launching major international campaigns against autism and suicide, and the list has hundreds more examples of services provided.

-- In 2001 when former Secretary General Kofi Annan and the UN won the Nobel Peace Prize, US News and World Report (another notorious UN basher) scarcely mentioned this Herculean accomplishment. Shortly afterwards, it did a full-page spread on Annan being on the Muppets Show, which trivialized Annan and made him look foolish.

-- Another challenge is the “Foxization” of the news in general and the UN in particular. Fox Television personalities start their unverifiable attacks on the UN and many other entities with three commentators on Fox and Friends in the morning, do a modicum of objective reporting during the day, and wrap-up in the evening with Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity, who consistently present a biased and distorted portrayal of the news, facts and issues, especially when discussing the UN. CNN’s Lou Dobbs also falls into this category to a lesser degree.

The “Foxization” effect follows Mark Twain’s sage advice to “Get your facts first, then you can distort them how you please,” rather than be “fair and balanced” as Fox purports to be.

A Wall Street Journal/NBC poll indicated that 81% of Americans had never heard of Ban Ki-moon or had an opinion about him. Even SG Ban indicated that he felt like an “invisible man.” Although Ban may be unknown by most Americans, a recent Pew Global Attitudes Project Poll reported that the UN’s popularity in the US has spiked from 47% in 2007 to 61% in 2009.

Ban Ki-moon appears to be a low-keyed, consensus builder who is more of a “work horse” rather than “show horse.” Achieving the goal and getting the job done appear to be his key criteria. This has worked to his advantage in helping to promote cooperation, forge consensus-building and maintain lines of communication, while not making waves.

Ban Ki-moon grew up knowing the horrors of the Korean War, which arguably shaped his belief in the UN and what it could do to promote peace in an intractable conflict, much as it did when the US and other allies liberated South Korea from 1950-1953.

Also, Ban is the first SG to have an advanced degree in public administration. Undoubtedly, this provided him with a certain professional development outlook, and a toolbox of skills that emphasizes diplomacy, fact-finding, objectivity, determination and results-oriented approaches to dealing with problems.

The first UN Secretary General, Trygve Lie, said to Dag Hammarskjold, the second SG, that being UN Secretary General was the “most impossible” job in the world. Ban Ki-moon may actually agree with that prophetic statement.

_____________

Bill Miller, former Chair of the UN Association of the USA's Council of Chapter and Division Presidents, is the accredited Washington International journalist covering the UN and is the Producer/Moderator of “Global Connections Television.”

Switzerland: Alpine Trekking.

Have Mule, Will Travel

By Patricia Keegan and Dan Davis 

It's not often you find a hotel or restaurant that has parking space for your mule. But in the hamlet of Binn, Switzerland, the Hotel Ofenhorn's outdoor restaurant offers ample refreshment beneath shady trees with hitching posts on the side. This backroads make that footpath waystation in the southwestern Valais canton is seldom mentioned in guidebooks. Binn is even hard to find on maps. (Focus a magnifying glass at the eastern end of the canton between Fiesch and the Italian border.) Without a car to drive the local mountain road that mimics the twisting Binntal River, hiking or mule trekking provides the only access, just as it has done for centuries. The trail follows an ancient trade route to Italy through alpine meadows, farms, mountain tunnels, and over stone bridges. Outfitter Stefan Schweizer of Bergland Produkte , saddles up in the village of Ernen (near Fiesch). His mule treks the only one offered in this side valley of the Valais begin in a courtyard that practically lies in the shadow of the Tellhaus, Ernen's most famous building. The Tellhaus has the earliest depiction of Switzerland's legendary folk hero, William Tell, who shot an arrow off his son's head. Stefan's mules bray and stamp their hooves just as they might have done in the late 16th century when the Tellhaus fresco was painted. This Swiss trip marks my first hiking experience. With the exception of a New Yorker in his 60's, the eight Americans, two Swiss, three Japanese, and a German couple are all younger than me; and judging by their faded packs and coordinated gear, all are old hands at hiking. Even the Germans' dog, Lupa, wears saddle packs filled with dog food. Two mules carry excess gear and baskets of food. Three others are saddled to allow us to alternate hiking and riding. The mules are fresh, and so am I, so I relinquish the saddle seats to one of the Japanese, who communicates with us mainly through smiles and gestures. Stefan's assistants lead the mules, giving those in the saddle nothing to do but hold on and enjoy the scenery. We amble past sun blackened chalets built of aged larchwood. On balconies, decked with rioting red geraniums and yellow pansies, housewives air down comforters. Cow bells clang in backyard pastures. Not one soul gives the mules a second glance. An earthen switchback trail marks the old Valais route to Italy. Pine roots act as ladder rungs on the steepest section. My calf muscles start to feel as firm as cheese wheels. I begin to wish I hadn't given up my turn in the saddle. We traipse through a barnyard, past a farmhouse and a tiny whitewashed chapel the cluster of buildings a symbol of the self sufficiency practiced for generations by these secluded Binntal farmers. As late as 100 years ago, the Swiss traveled this route to trade cheese, corn and leather for Italian rice, wine, textiles, salt and spices. Then only mule trains negotiated these steep and narrow trails. Lupa leaps ahead, kibble jiggling in his packs. In a small clearing a stucco chapel perches above the valley. Here Stefan spreads a blanket onto the chapel steps and lays out cheeses made from sheep's and cow's milk. The cheeses are prized local varieties made in small quantities in the high alpine only during summer months. Slices of salty beef sausages and crusty wheels of brown bread complement the cheeses. A saffron rice and raisin salad, carrots and wine round out the picnic. 'The Swiss people were afraid of the mountains,' Swiss native, Natalie Kenmeugni, tells me as we drowse like butterflies in the sunshine. 'They thought bad spirits caused avalanches and falling stones. They thought the sounds the wind makes were poltergeists. They put on masks at the end of winter and rang big bells to make noise to chase the bad spirits away.' I can hear the bells, but they belong to cows, mere dots on the opposite hillside. Suddenly, snarling and barking shatters our peace. A couple of descending hikers rushes into the clearing where their dog has attacked Lupa. We rally around the Germans' dog, defending him as if Lupa belonged to all of us. The couple snare their hound and drag him away, but the spell is broken. Rain clouds are gathering. Quietly, we pack up and move out along a trail that zig-zags downhill across a stone bridge spanning a boulder tossed gorge. The path narrows and switchbacks upward. The mules trudge farther ahead out of sight and then out of hearing. A tunnel of fir trees spreads upturned angel wing branches overhead. The calves of my legs start a slow burn. My stumbling steps dislodge pebbles that spill into a rock slide. For several moments I listen to the cascade of stones I can no longer see. Then the sound is swallowed up by the gorge far...far below. The trail ascends through a pine forest umbrella that shelters us during a brief, but chilly, shower. Oh, dear mules, where are you now?

The fast walking New Yorker leads the way along the rustic trek that hugs the mountain's hunched back. The inexperienced hikers, like me, concentrate on the scenery from the backs of the sure-footed mules. Rough hewn mountain tunnels slice across the final miles to Binn. The nature-loving Germans will camp on the trail that night as the mules continue into Italy. The rest of us take the high road by car back to the 20th century. Two hours later I arrive in Sion, Switzerland's oldest city, proving that this is a country where you can hike all day in the Alps and still make it into the city for an evening concert in a castle. My destination, however, is the pool and spa of the Hotel Des Vignes, a pink stucco palace tucked into a hillside of vineyards. A glass of 'Arvine' wine a Valaisian specialty and a swim rejuvenate me for an evening outing: driving amid the vineyards. As far as I can see, mountain vineyards of Switzerland's main wine-growing canton ripple down to the city sprawled below. Golden light gilds the vines where burbling water rushes through irrigation canals called 'bisses,' which Valaisian wine growers have relied upon for centuries. Hiking provides the perfect complement for Switzerland's hearty cuisine. Nearly every meal includes a variation on Rosti a potato, onion and egg dish. Some of the simpler specialties are the tastiest. Raclette, a dripping grilled cheese is served with gherkin pickles, onions and Rosti. Even remote mountain restaurants present artfully arranged entrees garnished with herbs and decorative designs swirled in the sauces. 'The Swiss are known for their hospitality,' says Denise Guigoz, a local guide. She laughs as she hands me an appetizer of 'Serac,' a farmer's cheese made that morning. 'My mother used to chase after tourists with buckets of meat.' I accept a second serving of succulently roasted pork, knowing that this indulgence of calories can easily be walked away in the morning on a hike through the vineyards. Months later I receive a letter from one of the Japanese hikers with whom I had exchanged business cards. A photo is enclosed with a note that reads, 'So send for memory during our Swiss day.' It makes me crave a meal of farmer's cheese eaten on the open trail beside a faithful mule. 

Getting There: Swissair flies from Washington, DC's Dulles International to Zurich two days a week via Boston. Also, Swissair code-shares with Delta and Austrian Airlines, using on an Austrian aircraft for nonstop flights to Geneva six days a week. Call 1-800-221-4750 for reservations. For information on Switzerland, contact the Swiss National Tourist Office, 608 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10020. 212-757-5944. FAX 212-262-6116.

Croatia: Red Roofs of Dubrovnik Radiant Again

By Dominique Wellington

In the sunlight, you can't tell the old roofs from the new, but it's evident that the charm of Dubrovnik has returned again.

As one of the oldest and most beautiful Adriatic towns, Dubrovnik was a commercial and naval power with a medieval structure dating back to the 13th century. For seven centuries the people of Dubrovnik labored to create and maintain a rich cultural tradition, symbolized by the city's treasure trove of architectural monuments, paintings and sculpture. During the recent war, the historic core of Dubrovnik, the old city, was subjected to heavy bombardment. All public buildings, churches, monasteries, palaces, walls and fortresses suffered grave structural damage.

The news of the damage reverberated around the world. It was particularly devastating to those who had walked the walls above the terra-cotta rooftops during serene times, and those with a sensitivity to the cultural treasures of our world.

Almost immediately after the shelling stopped, the Rebuild Dubrovnik Fund, alongside other preservation groups, and with the help of the travel industry, came to the rescue. Fund raising efforts have now restored most historical sights to their original splendor.

The history of this beautiful city remains an integral part of its spell. There is a feeling of splendor and valiance associated with the Old City which, like a noble character from a Puccini Opera, survives all attempts at destruction because the forces for good-arts and culture-are on his side.

Some sources date the first civilization around Dubrovnik as far back as 6000 B.C., but the city itself was founded in the 7th-century by refugees of nearby Epidaurum, a large Roman city destroyed by earthquake and war. Most of ancient Epidaurum sank into the sea during a 4th-century earthquake and still lies buried under layers of sand. Dubrovnik's first settlers picked a strategic, well protected island, but the experience of Epidaurum led to construction of fortifications around the city. By the 9th-century, sea trade and ship-building were well developed, and the continuing fortifications were strong enough to withstand a 15-month enemy siege. Shortly thereafter, the Republic of Dubrovnik was born, and foreign troops never set foot on those streets again until Napoleon marched in unopposed in 1808.

Besides sea commerce and world famous shipbuilding, Dubrovnik was known for its diplomacy. Despite numerous threats, the Republic knew how to make the best use of political and economic advantages to turn enemies into allies. For many centuries the Venetians vied with Dubrovnik for control of the Adriatic, even proclaiming sovereignty over the Republic for 150 years. Some of the greatest diplomacy emerged after a disastrous 1667 earthquake when much of the city was in ruins and temporarily defenseless. While most of Yugoslavia fell to the Turks during the Ottoman Empire, Dubrovnik, alone, remained free, independent and Christian for four centuries. Although the yearly tribute of gold and silver paid to the Turks was a heavy burden, they wrote, 'Freedom was worth more than gold.' One of the great charms of Croatia is the consistency of its architecture. Those irregular, red, terra-cotta tiled rooftops, such a familiar part of the unfolding scene, stand out in sharp contrast to the spectacular blue of the Mediterranean or a background of green hills. They are as much a part of Dubrovnik as a smile lighting up a face.

The Dubrovnik Republic was characterized by the fact that almost everyone sang or wrote poetry, always competing for ways to express their creativity. This tradition of attracting writers and performing artists has remained intact through the centuries but, sadly, came to an abrupt halt during the recent conflict. Restoration of the performing arts, the life blood of the city, has been one of the primary goals of the fundraisers. The initial goal was achieved on July 10 this past summer, when the 47th Dubrovnik Summer Festival, founded in 1950, resounded again. What had been a n annual tradition until 1991 was awakened after a long pause. Its return was heralded with a great fanfare of color, pageantry and joy. The opening celebration of fireworks and performances, facing the sea and stars along the blue Adriatic, was attended by President Tudjman and other government officials. The Festival, which concluded August 25, featured the acclaimed Zagreb Soloists, the Croatian National Theater of Zagreb and Split, the Royal Dramatic Theater of Sweden , the Moscow Chamber Choir and the Festival Strings of Lucerne. On July 11, the Lord Mayor of Dubrovnik, Nikola Obuljen, recognized major benefactors of the Rebuild Dubrovnik Fund. Engraved brass plaques were presented with the inscription, 'A city of poets...a poet city,' based on the words of Croatian poet Jure Kastelan. Those honored for their 'dedication and effectiveness' were Alan and Harriett Lewis of the Grand Circle Foundation, for their contribution towards the restoration of the Stradun, (the main street), Jeanne and Otto Ruesch for the Jesuit Stairs and Dordic Mayneri Chapel, and Earlene Causey, president of the Rebuild Dubrovnik Fund, and her husband, Bruce Causey, for restoration of the St. Blaise Statue at Revlin Fortress. Strolling through the Stradun (Placa) in the evening has always been a favorite pastime for both residents and visitors in this medieval city. Resembling huge slabs of marble, the pavement reflects the shadows of people walking in sunlight or lamplight.

With most of the restoration projects now completed, visitors are returning again to this city of inspiration by the blue Adriatic. Among the hotels back in full swing are the Excelsior and the Argentina, which is renovated but undergoing further upgrading this winter. The Villa Orsula is a charming, deluxe, 17-room hotel within walking distance of the old city. Just outside the city walls, the beautiful Imperial Hotel is still under renovation. People who have fallen in love with its old world charm and gracious ambience will be happy to hear its friendly front doors will soon reopen.

GETTING THERE:

Swissair, Lufthansa and Austrian airlines all fly to Zagreb. Atlas Travel Agency, a full service destination management company, offers motorcoach tours and adventure tours. Atlas and Blue Heart Travel have incentive travel programs and can arrange trips to Medjugorje.

Chinese Literature Creates a Garden of Meditation

By Amber Wu (Taiwan Today)

Imagine a quiet life of meditation, conversation, poetry, painting, calligraphy and music, all within a walled garden with rocks, water, trees, plants, sculptures and surrounding buildings.

In ancient times only the elite literati could dream of such a life, and to most people today it is no more than pictures from a book. Surprisingly, however, people in Taiwan can now get a taste of this refined lifestyle at Nan Yuan, a classical Chinese garden located in the lush mountains of Hsinchu.

Nan Yuan, or 'South Garden,' is a well-kept secret. Built between 1983 and 1985 and intended for private use, the garden was only opened to the public in the fall of 2008. The garden was mysterious from the start, with even locals knowing very little about it. We were very curious when helicopters flew into the mountains in 1983 and there seemed to be some construction going on.

There was even a rumor that the hundreds of workers there were building President Chiang Ching-kuo's tomb, a local inhabitant who declined to give his name said. Visitors to Nan Yuan have also been shrouded in mystery, but are said to include former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, and New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger, Jr.

It was not politics or military secrets that led to the construction of Nan Yuan, however. °Originally, it was a gift for Wang Tih-wu, founder of the United Daily News and Economic Daily News, from his two sons,' said Carrent Wang, deputy manager of the Marketing Division of The One Images Ltd., the company now responsible for the management of Nan Yuan.

According to Wang, Nan Yuan is one of the best works of Han Pao-teh, the well-known Harvard-educated architect who established Tainan National University of the Arts and served as the director of the National Culture and Arts Foundation. After the Wang family commissioned him for the project, during a trip to the 27-hectare site Han was excited to find the landscape very suitable for building a classical Chinese garden. The family gave him free rein in designing the garden.

'I couldn't believe in this dream come true. I was so lucky to have the freedom to bring my imagination to reality in this project, while ancient predecessors such as Ji Cheng in the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) or Li Yu in the Ching dynasty (1616-­1912) could only build according to the owner wishes, or just dream about an ideal garden on paper, Han wrote in his memoir. Ji was arguably the first landscape designer in Chinese history, while Li Yu was a playwright, novelist, and theater impresario, author of important work on garden architecture and philosophy.'

For the garden Han revived ancient design philosophy. First, he adapted the most representative plan of a classical garden: a series of wood pavilions surrounding a lake and an arched bridge in the center of the garden, with a main hall overlooking the whole thing. Traditional construction techniques were employed, with no nails used in the buildings.

Nan Yuan also preserves the traditional employment of symbols in Chinese gardens. A vase-shaped doorway, for instance, represents 'peace' because the words for 'vase' and °peace' in Chinese are homonyms. Carvings on the eaves and pillars display auspicious animals or patterns mentioned in folklore and legend.

By using red brick and roof tiles, Han infused a southern Fujian flavor in Nan Yuan, in contrast to the white walls and black roof tiles of Suzhou gardens.

Carrent Wang said when the UDN Group wanted more people to be able to share in the garden's beauty, they commissioned The One to manage Nan Yuan in 2008. The design company refers to Nan Yuan as 'the land of retreat and wellness'. It now provides guided tours of the garden, lodging, dining and a comprehensive exhibition of local designers works.

'A classical garden is more than just wooden houses, and artificial mountains and ponds. It embodies a refined and relaxing lifestyle, which modern people have little knowledge of but long to experience,' Wang said.

A limit on the number of visitors allows people to better appreciate the spatial design of the garden without being overwhelmed by crowds. 'If people just rushed through, they would not discover that the architecture itself is a treasure.'

To bring life to the architecture, it is important to revive the lifestyle. 'The aesthetics of the architecture depend on how people use it. 'Wang said, 'and that is why we invite calligraphers and handicraft artists to work in some of the pavilions and teach visitors about their art.

Instead of rushing from site to site and just passively listening to a guide, visitors enjoy themselves playing old-style games, making wooden toys, or learning about tea tasting in the waterfront pavilion.

A mother watching her daughter learning to make handicrafts said she never thought there would be a place they could experience the life of ancient intellectuals like in the famous Chinese novel 'Dream of the Red Chamber.'

This article and others of interest are available online at Taiwan Today.

Dresden Loses UNESCO Designation

By Patricia Keegan

It was in July, just after President Obama left Dresden that I made my 6th visit to my favorite city in the world. When I heard about the limitations on the President’s visit, I felt sorry for him, so harnessed by the restraints that come with the office. On a hectic schedule, he stayed only one night at the Taschenberg Palais, overlooking the baroque Zwinger Museum. There was tight security everywhere, the city was cleared out for more than 15 hours. He paid a visit to the renowned Frauenkirche, ( Church of Our Lady), he met with officials at the King’s Palace, and the next day he was gone!

Unfortunately, he missed really seeing and feeling the city of Dresden -- still being restored after the Allied (Britain and US) fire bombing on February 14-15, 1945, at the end of WWII. During my stay in the same hotel on my very first night in Dresden in 1995, although restoration was in full swing, rubble from the bombing was still visible in different areas. I could imagine President Obama looking out those great hotel windows in the evening and seeing the surrounding Baroque architecture and the lantern lights shining invitingly on cobblestone streets and wishing he were free to explore. I can almost hear him saying to himself, “One day I will return and really see Dresden.”

For cultural addicts, Dresden is a place that combines the great works of art and architecture gathered by Saxon Kings in the 17th and 18th centuries with the history of the world’s finest musicians and composers who either lived or gave concerts here. In a small city, nurtured on culture and overflowing with everything the soul needs to enrich life, all was well -- until the advent of Hitler and the war. Near the war’s end, with Hitler falling in defeat, Dresden was considered a safe place to shelter from the approaching Red Army, so thousands of women and children poured into the city. Husbands and fathers were still deployed in combat. It was then that Dresden‘s residents, its refugees and all its monuments to beauty were fire-bombed. There were no records of the number of refugees arriving daily, and there is still no accurate tally of the number of people burned to death. Some say as many as 250,000 died, others estimate range as low as 15,000.

Even 64 years later I still haven’t heard a reasonable argument as to why Dresden was bombed. People glibly give me answers wrapped in clichés such as “war is war” and “stuff happens.” For 44 years the question was overshadowed by post-war history as Dresden and East Germany fell under the communist sphere of Soviet empire.

The nightmare of fire bombing, human suffering and political oppression is in the city’s past, and the world has moved on, but it adds a poignancy to Dresden that is even palpable today and bound to affect the sensibilities. I believe the feeling comes from the juxtaposition of the human potential for greatness alongside man’s inhumanity to man.

Who can understand? It is an awesome thing to ponder, but the city of Dresden remains a true reflection of the capabilities of the human spirit. Like few cities in the world, it carries a legacy that, hopefully, will be studied and learned from through generations to come. I believe that legacy also carries a huge responsibility to tenderly care for all that is beautiful and conducive to uplifting that part of the human spirit that yearns to be enriched by other than material gains.

After a four year absence from Dresden, I walked around in awe of the carefully planned restorations of the Neumarkt, the old baroque buildings around the Frauenkirche, and the spectacular King's Palace, a work still in progress. I was thrilled to be back among buildings that spoke to the human potential for greatness, serving as monuments to Germany’s early history when the environment held a soothing power.

But there was a snag -- one that had loomed in my mind and was brought to my attention again by a woman on the train from Dresden International Airport. She was on her way to her mother’s birthday party in Dresden, and later was setting out on a bicycle trek along the Elbe River to Prague. Full of enthusiasm, she told me, “I will pass old castles, and villas and small historic towns. It is an inspiring journey.” She asked if I had seen the advertisements about the “ugly bridge.” She said the bridge would spoil part of a ride such as hers. “I can’t believe we were dropped from UNESCO’s World Heritage List for that bridge!”

The only other site worldwide to have ever provoked deletion was Oman’s Arabian Oryx Sanctuary in 2007.

Dresden, like every modern city, faces the challenge that change brings. Sometimes its not pretty. This beautiful city recently lost its UNESCO designation over a bridge that is planned across the Elbe River and its unspoiled valley. For me this was hard to fathom. I could only conclude that either UNESCO was out of control, or Dresden had made a huge mistake.

Later I had the opportunity to ask Dresden Mayor Helma Orosz about plans for the bridge. At an opening reception for a new No Violence Revolution exhibit at the Stadt Museum, honoring the 20th anniversary of freedom from Stasi control under communism, I spoke with her. She seemed a little surprised at my question. She told me that the “decision by UNESCO is not discussed anymore.” She said the decision to go forward with the bridge has been made by the court, and there is still a chance of restoring the designation somewhere further upriver. She said all agree it will not affect tourism. The people had voted for the bridge, she said, and the project was already started and nothing would change.

I came away thinking that if the citizens voted for it, they must have taken everything into consideration, including the potential loss of UNESCO’s designation, an outcome which couldn’t help tourism. Without UNESCO oversight there are no limits. The bridge can be designed so large as to obscure views of the historic city from some locations. I still wasn’t sure if this was a done deal -- a lost cause. I know there are thousands of Dresdeners who are not about to give up. They have always wanted to build a tunnel instead of a bridge.

The fact is that in 2005 a plebiscite was held, and with a low voter turnout two thirds voted for the bridge. However, before the plebiscite the people were not informed about the alternative -- a tunnel, nor was UNESCO consulted to find out if the bridge was compatible with UNESCO standards. When Dresden first applied for World Cultural Heritage recognition the bridge was announced, but at a different site, apparently further away from historic areas.

Consider this. For over 500 years the banks along the Elbe were looked upon as sacred territory, and for many centuries animals and rare plants flourished here. People could walk the banks and enjoy the quietly flowing river, but that could end if so called “progress” takes over. The four lane bridge will certainly be a detriment to peace in the valley and will add pollution. Those in favor, including some business owners, say they need the bridge to relieve traffic congestion, some say the other five bridges are old and not strong enough. Those against the bridge roll their eyes and describe it is as a “disaster.” They are afraid this will only precipitate further development of a treasured area, and they dread to think of what could be forfeited next.

It is possible that those who favor the bridge do not see the rarity of the treasure that Dresden offers the visitor. Like every other city it has to respond to change and keep its economy functioning at the highest level. At the same time it cannot afford to take for granted a beautiful and magnetic attraction for tourists and to forfeit a prize like UNESCO World Heritage status in the name of progress.

The keepers of Dresden have to be more careful than other cities not to disturb their unique environment. It is not like any other city in Europe, it fits into an image of “the ideal.” Maybe that’s an unfair burden as compared to most city’s commercial and public works projects. But if it were like any other city, geared toward commerce, it will have lost its presence, its character and its spirit, and that would be a real tragedy.

It would be a shame if President Obama, on his next visit to Dresden after his White House tenure, with the freedom to really enjoy the city, was not able to stroll several miles along the banks of the Elbe without encountering a noisy, four lane bridge.

Cyprus - A Break in the Clouds?

By Patricia Keegan

The pain caused by the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 is still palpable 26 years later. But on my second visit since 1991, I felt that this cloud, woven like a shroud so long ago, was developing some holes with flickers of light edging through. Divided Cyprus has come close to a solution before, but now something real and concrete lies ahead. Membership in the European Union gives incentive to all sides to work out a mutually agreeable solution. The devastating earthquake in Turkey that brought an immediate, humanitarian response from Greece - and the swift, Turkish reciprocation when the Greek earthquake struck - opened the way for a more trusting relationship between the two countries. But there is much ground work to be done. Building trust takes a long time; it must be established on an individual-to-individual basis and passed along to children.

Cyprus shares the fate of its geographic and historical ties to both Greece and Turkey with other well-known, culturally rich and beautiful islands, all at some stage of threat or domination by a larger, more powerful mainland: Northern Ireland by Britain, Taiwan by China and Cuba, passive-aggressively, by the United States. To gain independence, sovereignty, and individual destiny, a high price must be paid and the innocent always seem to pay. The constant fear of invasion is not conducive to a secure environment for children-the fear and the stories of war and oppression simply pass to the next generation. The cycle of enmity is never-ending unless people at the grassroots on both sides of every dividing line are totally committed to change and the experience of sharing their loss. 

For Kate Clerides, elected member of parliament since 1991, law graduate of London's Gray's Inn with a degree in sociology from the University of London and a political science degree from New York University, and daughter of Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides, the concept and model for bi-communal meetings are very important. She was instrumental in starting the meetings in 1992. The idea sprang from a meeting with Louise Diamond, an American expert in conflict resolution, who was brought to Cyprus to begin mono-communal, then bi-communal meetings. The training brought 10 Greek Cypriots and 10 Turkish Cypriots together. Both groups attended a conflict resolution workshop at Oxford University, thus establishing a core group of leaders.

"It's quite amazing to see how significant results come from a very small beginning," said Clerides when I met her at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia.

"In a small country like Cyprus you get a spillover effect as people talk to families and friends and more and more  become interested." Stressing the importance of training prior to these sessions, she elaborated, "So many times when we think we are talking to each other, all we are actually doing is debating, putting forward our own view and not really listening to what the other person is trying to say. The goal of the group is never confrontational, but something much deeper. The process of reconciliation cannot really start until you understand that not only have your side and your community suffered, but the other side has suffered also. You need to experience their suffering, they need to experience yours, and you need to understand how they have experienced the whole situation."

An acknowledged success story, the meetings, monitored by the U.N., took place at Nicosia's Ledra Palace which stands on the dividing Green Line. Sometimes there were four or five thousand people, families from both sides, in attendance. Villagers came to see if they could find their counterparts from the opposite community. Some days were called free access, "open days," mixing food, drink, folk dancing and music with the meetings. Healing, at some level, had begun until December, 1997, when Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Dentkash shut them down. Apparently, this was in response to the EU Council at Luxembourg's statement that Cyprus would become a member of the EU as a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation. Turkish Cypriots, however, want a confederation of equals on each side.

Kate Clerides knows instinctively that her efforts at reconciliation and rapprochement are on the right track, but she has yet to harness the full support of her own Greek Cypriot side. Some prefer a passive role, allowing the two governments to work it out. But I sense Kate Clerides' unwavering commitment.       

But what about the other side? On March 27, shortly before I arrived in Cyprus, 300 Turkish Cypriots crossed the Green Line to have their blood typed in the search for a bone marrow donor to save the life of a six year-old Greek Cypriot boy, Andreas Vassiliou, suffering from leukemia. Business men and women, housewives, academics and students filed into the ballroom of the Ledra Palace responding to the boy's plight .

Among the volunteers providing blood samples to Greek Cypriot nurses was Serdar Denktash, son of Rauf Denktash, leader of the Turkish Cypriots. After being tested, he was introduced to the boy's father, Vassos Vassiliou, a 38-year-old businessman. The two came together in a bear hug. "This goes beyond politics, religion, nationalities and hatred, said Vassiliou. "When Turkish Cypriots see my son, they just see an innocent child who desperately needs help. He could be one of theirs."

 In a telephone interview with 41-year-old Serdar Denktash, one of the founders of the Democratic party in 1993, and a current member of Parliament who served as State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, he conveyed a similar point of view. "This was not about politics at all. I heard about Andreas from a bi-communal NGO representative who approached me and asked for my support. A Greek Cypriot would have done the same thing. You saw what happened during the earthquake, how the Greeks helped the Turks. I wish the best for them. I hope the same goodwill climbs into the political realm."

I asked if there was a time frame to restart the bi-communal meetings halted by his father. "I believe they will start again this year and continue as long as both sides use it as a way of learning the fears and concerns of the other side, not for propaganda."

Regarding EU membership he said, "It is an aim for both Greeks and Turks, but before becoming members we must first find a solution to our own problem. My brothers and sisters and I have, for the past 35 years, been living isolated from the world. We want to become part of it."

Moldova – A Painful Transition to Democracy

An Interview with Ambassador Nicolae Chirtoaca

By Alan Dessoff

Eighteen years after Moldova declared its independence from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and began a move toward democracy it still finds some hurdles to overcome. The violent disruptions after a recent election have demonstrated that it is having a hard time fully letting go of its past. Moving in fits and starts to become fully democratic, but still ruled by a Communist government, the country of 4.1 million people, located between Ukraine and Romania, is finding the change it seeks difficult to achieve.

But the energetic and optimistic Nicolae Chirtoaca, Moldova’s Ambassador to the United States (and also to Canada and Mexico), said he is confident it will happen. As an observer of political change in the democratic US, he places the emphasis on the electorate's “need for change.” In 1992, as a self-described “young political leader” in Moldova, he came to the US to observe “the election of a president, a lesson of democracy” — in that case, the election of Democrat Bill Clinton and the failed reelection bid of Republican President George H.W. Bush. Last year, three years into his Washington posting, he again saw a political party defeat the one in power as Democrat Barack Obama was elected president over Republican John McCain.

“I came to the conclusion that Bill Clinton had a great chance to win because America was in need of change, and it was the same with Obama,” said Chirtoaca. Now Moldova also needs a change, and while older Moldovans with lingering ties to the former USSR resist it, the younger generations are pushing for it, and it will happen, Chirtoaca firmly maintains.

Moldova’s political dilemma was demonstrated this spring when former President Vladimir Voronin, 68, was voted president again by his Communist Party colleagues while three opposition parties boycotted the election, claiming that it was rigged. A former baker and police general, Voronin initially was elected president in 2001, making Moldova the first former Soviet state to elect a communist as its leader.

The Communists won about 50 percent of the vote in April, but the results were disputed and triggered violent protests in which parliament buildings were burned, two people died, and hundreds were detained or mistreated, according to media reports from the country.

Under Moldova’s constitution, new parliamentary elections must be held if deputies twice fail to elect the president with the support of at least 61 of the 101 legislators. The liberal opposition forced Voronin to dissolve the parliament that was elected in April; he called for new parliamentary elections on July 29. Preparing for a new election, Moldova, already reeling from the economic woes of 2009, faces an uncertain future, with continuing uncertainties about a fully functioning government, parliament and president. That is not encouraging to investors.

In June, in a meeting in Moscow with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Voronin said he was “grateful” that “during these difficult days when attempts were made to destabilize the political situation in our country, Russia was the first and probably the only country to voice its support for the legally elected government.”

Chirtoaca acknowledged that Moldova is experiencing a “political crisis” and “very tense situation.” But he maintained that communism is a political “brand” that is used for “electoral purposes” in Moldova, while basically the country is “social democratic, socialist.” He said that older Moldovans, “nostalgic for the past,” have been “disillusioned” by attempts at democracy, which they see as “anarchy and corruption and weak government.“We are in transition from the Soviet past toward a national Moldovan identity, from a lack of any kind of democratic institutions to a functional democracy. We are inventing ourselves as a nation. That means a huge complexity of everything we have to do,” he declared.

In a briefing last September held by the US Helsinki Commission, Chirtoaca said: “In order to advance democracy, peace and territorial reintegration of the country, Moldova has to be successful in its efforts to end the transition from the Soviet past to the sustainable and durable democracy of market economy and efficient governance. For the time being, old-style practices still exist alongside more democratic ones, as is the case in many traditional democracies.”

Elaborating in the interview, Chirtoaca said Moldova’s own history presents challenges. “We have been occupied by empires,” he asserted. Occupying what has been known as Bessarabia, Moldova’s location made it a historic passageway between Asia and southern Europe as well as the victim of frequent warfare as Greeks, Romans, Huns and Bulgars invaded the area. In the 13th century, it became part of the Mongol empire. In the 16th century, it fell under Ottoman Turkish rule. After the Russo-Turkish War of 1806-1812, the eastern half of Moldova (Bessarabia) was ceded to Russia while the western half remained with the Turks. Romania took control of Bessarabia in 1918 and was forced in 1940 to cede it to the USSR, which established the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic.

That’s the way it stood until 1991, and although politically independent since then, Moldova has continued down a rocky road, facing “extraordinarily big challenges, a lot of pressure. We have pressure from our neighbors, principally Romania. They consider us part of Romania,” Chirtoaca said. He cited recent “inflammatory statements” by Romanian President Traian Basescu to the effect that “Moldova doesn’t have a future and should reunite with Romania,” according to Chirtoaca.

In Romania’s eyes, Chirtoaca suggested, the two countries are “the last divided state,” as Germany was. “But we are not like Eastern Germany. We are like Austria to Germany. We speak the same language and have a lot in common, but we are different. We are recognized as an independent state by all the big powers and international organizations, and we will struggle to continue to be an independent state.

“Amazingly,” he continued, Romania is one of Moldova’s biggest trade partners, because “people are traveling in the region; there are a lot of cultural contacts.” It’s the political relationship that “creates a lot of animosity,” he said.

Meanwhile, Moldova has good relations with the US, its “biggest partner,” which provides “strong support” including economic and technical assistance, Chirtoaca said. There are no outstanding issues between the two countries and he hopes the US will “help us become again a strong international and military country,” he said. In 2006, Moldova and the US signed a $24.7 million “Millennium Challenge Corporation Threshold Program” agreement aimed at reducing government corruption. Moldova was to use the funding to address persistent corruption in its judiciary, health care system, and tax, customs and police agencies.

As one of the poorest countries in Europe, slightly larger in geographic size but about 20 percent smaller in population than the state of Maryland, Moldova needs all the economic support it can get. “We have no raw material. Our resources are human resources,” said Chirtoaca. But he insisted that “we are not as poor as we look statistically.” There is cash coming from Russia and a “big boom in construction,” he said. Moldova’s gross domestic product was $7.5 billion last year, up from $4.4 billion in 2007, and its government is projecting it will grow 3-4 percent this year, Chirtoaca said.

Most of Moldova’s GDP comes from services — “supermarkets, stuff like that,” Chirtoaca said. “We have a more or less developing industry,” he added. He cited “huge military-industrial plants” that Moldova “inherited” from the USSR. “We don’t know what to do with them.” Some areas “lag behind, underdeveloped,” Chirtoaca said. With the “huge assistance” of the US government Moldova privatized some rural land at the end of the 1990s. “But,” he continued, “we were not able to create an efficient system to finance a system of commerce. It is still in stagnation.”

Moldova would like to attract international tourists but “unfortunately, it is not included in the network of big tourist companies,” although many tourists come from Russia and Ukraine, Chirtoaca declared. There are no big international hotels in the country, but a Marriott is under construction, he said. For tourism to become an industry in Moldova, “we need investors,” he said.

Moldova’s attractions include good wine and a wine festival in mid-October as well as many small restaurants that feature “very distinguished cuisine,” Chirtoaca said, adding that Moldovan farmers produce only organic foods. His American friends who visit Moldova “fall in love with it and can’t wait to get back,” Chirtoaca continued, citing the country’s “nice climate” and forests, hills, rivers and small villages as well as the capital, Chisinau, with its “strong international community, people with money, and the young generation.”

Younger Moldovans speak good English, which many learn on the Internet, and the country maintains “very high” education standards, Chirtoaca said. Moldovans and visitors also enjoy the cultural presentations of artists, musicians and performers who mostly were educated in Russia, he added.

But he acknowledged that Moldova has no free press. “The problem is political engagement,” he said. “The media will become really independent when the population needs news and the media will sell the news without being politically engaged. But that means they have to be financially independent. They have to make money,” Chirtoaca stated. Meanwhile, he said, younger Moldovans get their news online.

The country also has no independent judiciary because it is a “captured state,” the “most dangerous period in a transition,” with only limited freedoms, he said. In that type of situation, he explained “oligarchs” not interested in democracy control the judiciary, as they do the media. “This will blow up from the inside. The young generation is not very happy,” the Ambassador asserted.

Chirtoaca was involved early in the events in Moldova that led to its independence from the USSR. As Director General of the Department of State, which became the Ministry of Defense after independence, Chirtoaca played an active part in creation of Moldova’s national army — “we hid them in the forests” — before the “Moscow putsch” of 1991, he said.

Chirtoaca taught himself English and also speaks Romanian, Russian, French and Italian. He is also an architect by profession. His wife is still learning English, he said. They have a son, 28, in Moldova, and a daughter, 33, who is a lawyer in Boston.

Halfway through what he said is the usual 6-year posting for a Moldovan ambassador, he made it clear that he enjoys Washington and the “very intensive life — political, social and cultural” — of a diplomat here. He said he would like to stay longer.

During the interview, Chirtoaca frequently spoke of “karma” and he ended by citing a fragment of Oriental philosophy that “the sense of life is life itself, because life is a lesson.” Moldova’s transition to democracy is a virtual lesson he is living this very moment.

Mexico: Exploring the Heart of Oaxaca

 By Arin Pereira

In Mexico the heart is a familiar motif. For centuries, Aztecs and Mayas offered up still-beating human hearts as sacrifices to their hungry gods. Then the Spanish arrived, bringing their own form of corazon, emboldened in Catholic imagery. Today the heart is a popular symbol in Mexican art, especially in Oaxaca where so much art is created. Hoping to discover the heart of Oaxaca, I followed some of its many rich veins.

One of these is its geography. Oaxaca, the state, is the fifth largest and most diverse in Mexico. Its topography ranges from 10,000 ft. mountain peaks to some of the worlds deepest caves, its vegetation from tropical forest to desert plain. Almost anything could grow in Oaxaca, it seems. Oaxaca, the city, lies in the center of the state, in a fertile valley which still looks much the way D.H. Lawrence described it in the early 1950s:

"The dry turf of the valley-bed gleams like soft skin, sunlit and pinkish ochre, spreading wide between the mountains that seem to emit their own darkness, a dark-blue vapor, translucent, sombring them from the humped crests downward."

At 5,000 ft. elevation, Oaxaca's semitropical climate provides cool nights and warm days with plenty of sun. Over the centuries, its gentle climate has rubbed the paint-over-plaster facades of its gorgeous colonial architecture, creating soft, multi-hued pastel washes. Combined with the prevalent building stone, or cantera, which comes from nearby Etla in shades of light green, rose, and yellow, these colors can look unearthly.

The geographical heart of the city is the Z=F3calo, or main square, where people stroll or sit under the cafe arcades; municipal bands play and protesters march. On the south side is the State Capitol, decorated by an engrossing detailed mural, "Oaxaca in the History of Mexico," by Arturo Garc=EDa Bustos. On the north side, the 18th-century Cathedral provides a stately backdrop to the hundreds of gaudy bouncing balloons that seem to go forever unsold.

Including the Cathedral, there are an astounding 27 Roman Catholic churches in Oaxaca. These are stratified somewhat socially: Santo Domingo Temple, with its extraordinary Baroque polychromed plasters and heavily gilded altar would be at one end; San Juan de Dios, the first church in Oaxaca, where simple paintings tell the story of the arrival of the Conquistadors from the Indian perspective, would be at the other. Somewhere in-between is the 17th-century Lesser Basilica of Our Lady of Solitude, or La Soledad, famous for its fine stone facade. The Virgin of Solitude is the patroness of the state of Oaxaca. Above the altar, her image rises in a great gown of black velvet, brilliant with jewels, and wearing a crown encrusted with diamonds. Catholicism, obviously, leads toward the heart of Oaxaca.

A good place to see the full effect of the city is from Monte Alban, at sunset. Located on a mountain top six miles southwest of the city, Monte Alban was the holy city of the great Zapotec Indian empire. Its well-preserved ruins cast strange shadows and create unusual echoes. Especially interesting are the ball court, observatory, and danzantes (dancers), a group of thick-featured, carved human forms representing-it is believed-various medical challenges. The valley of Oaxaca was ruled by Monte Alban from 600 B.C. until 1000 A.D., when the rival Mixtecs conquered the city. The Mixtecs built their capital at Mitla, located about 25 miles southeast. Mitla is remarkable for its mosaic walls and Hall of Columns.

As varied as its geography, Oaxaca's indigenous population is another important vein. There are 16 distinct ethnic groups in Oaxaca, of which Zapotec and Mixtec are among the largest. Each maintains its own customs and traditions, including distinctive clothing. Walking through the streets of Oaxaca, it is not unusual to see a couple of Trique women in their vibrant, full-length huipils (block-form tops), woven in deep red on white; a Mixtec woman in her short, heavily embroidered huipil with a bright, floral patterned skirt; or a Yalalag woman in a simple, monochromatic dress with a horizontal bit of twisted yarn at mid-chest. These and other traditional clothing items are displayed at the abbreviated Guelaguetzas, performed in town at the Hotel Camino Real. The main Guelageutza is a two-day affair in July, when delegations from all regions of Oaxaca gather for a spectacle of music, folk dancing and song, followed by a feast.

Food is a vein essential to the Oaxacan heart, and the region is famous for its delicious dishes, both simple and complex. On the simple side would be chapulines (grasshoppers), which are sold both on the streets and in the finest restaurants. They are pure, cholesterol-free protein, sizzled in lemon and chili salt. If you can get beyond the aesthetic, they really are tasty. Tamales are especially good in Oaxaca (corn meal packed with a variety of herbs and meats, baked in corn husks or banana leaves) as are the quesadillas (made with squash blossoms and Oaxacan string cheese). At the high end of complexity would be the Oaxacan mole, served with chicken or turkey. There are several different types of mole, but the black is the richest, concocted with more than 30 ingredients including peanuts, raisins, spices, and chocolate. Mole is a real gastronomic art.

Art, of course, is one of Oaxaca's main veins, and I followed its course straight to Mary Jane Gagnier de Mendoza. Canadian by birth, she is married to well-known artist Arnulfo Mendoza and has lived in Oaxaca for 11 years. The Mendozas run the popular art gallery and shop, La Mano Mágica, located on the ground floor of their hacienda in the center of town. La Mano Mágica carries only the finest examples of Oaxacan fine and folk art, and seems to attract foreign visitors like a magnet.

Briskly friendly, Mary Jane is constantly on the move. Her dark eyes do not miss a thing and business seems to be good, thanks in part to the recent devaluation of the peso. Sitting in her airy gallery one day, I asked Mary Jane why she thinks art is such an integral facet of life in Oaxaca. Three of Mexicos greatest contemporary painters, Rufino Tomayo, Francisco Toledo, and Rodolfo Morales, were born in the state, as were many others whose work is shown in the city's excellent galleries and museums. (These include the Quetzalli Gallery, Gallery of Mexican Art, Museum of Contemporary Art of Oaxaca, State Graphic Arts Institute, and the Alvarez Bravo Photographic Center.)

"It may be genetic," Mary Jane said. "Look back at Oaxaca's artistic past; it may be that there is a just the right climate here to grow art." Witness the dazzling contents of Monte Alban's Tomb Seven, on display at the Regional Museum of Anthropology and History. The work, in gold, silver, stone, shell, and bone, accomplished centuries ago, is of astonishing beauty and precision.

There is also an inescapable folk art tradition in Oaxaca, echoed in the marvelous ancient pottery and stone carving on view at the Rufino Tomayo Museum of PreHispanic Art. Some of the Oaxacan folk art, or artesanías, is subtle and fine, particularly the work in gold and silver, religious ornaments, glass, distinctive pottery, textiles and weaving; much of it is cruder, attractive for its bright, lively vulgarity.

Death, it seems, is also a vein. It was late at night, and we were in a graveyard in Xoxocotlan, 15 minutes from town. The place was packed. Copal incense filled the air, mingling with the heavy scent of many flowers. Candles glowed on every grave where entire families crowded, set up to spend the night. For a week, people had been preparing for this night, buying incense, candles, flowers, breads and decorations at the tianguis, temporary markets set up once a year just for this. It was October 31, the beginning of festivities surrounding the Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos.

Death is a central cultural theme in Mexico, and Mexicans seem to have a comfortable, even ironic, relationship with the concept. At no time is this more evident than when the Roman Catholic All Souls Day nears and shops are full of macabre, but humorous, "dead" merchandise. Since the end of the thirteenth century, All Saints Day has been celebrated first, on November 1, when Church saints are commemorated, and, in Mexico, the souls of dead children. The next day, November 2, is All Souls Day, a day of prayers for the souls of the Christian departed, especially those thought to be in purgatory. Elaborate home altars and graveyard vigils underscore the respect Mexicans feel for their ancestors. The arched altars are filled with offerings: mole, tamales, chocolate and mezcal, or other favorite foods and drink of the departed, pan de muertos (decorated sweet breads), candles, and flowers (mainly cempaz=FAchiles, a kind of marigold). Garish candy skulls, photographs and plaster skeletal representations of the dead complete the offering. It is believed that while they do not actually eat the food, the dead consume its essence and leave behind positive energy to be ingested later by the family, sustaining them for the coming year.

In Xoxocotlan, the famous medieval graveyard lured hundreds of tourists that night. A perverse, carnival-like atmosphere developed between the outside food vendors, fireworks and crush of the crowd. It seemed intrusive as we stepped over one another, examining the graves and threading our way through family groups. But I spoke with a number of residents, and each one said basically the same thing: "The more the merrier."

The last vein I followed was to Oaxaca's wild Pacific coast, famous for its virgin beaches, scenic bays, flora and fauna, especially sea turtles (the Mexican Sea Turtle Center is the world's only research center of its kind). Now it is famous for something else: the careful resort development of the nine bays of Huatulco, the "new, improved Acapulco."

The bus ride south from the city of Oaxaca is not for the fainthearted: eight hours of twisting and turning up into the mountains, through the cloud forest, then down again through the jungle. Suddenly, you can smell the ocean through the tropical air.

On my way to Huatulco, I stopped first in Puerto Escondido, the "Hidden Port," where palm groves line fine, white sand beaches. The town's laid back attitude contrasts with the violence of its surf. It is dangerous to swim in Puerto Escondido, but surfers from around the world flock there to ride the waves, and major competitions take place twice a year.

Puerto Angel lies 50 miles southwest of Puerto Escondido. A tiny fishing port wedged between green cliffs, it is often referred to as "sleepy" and "rustic," but I would add "seedy." The main beach is freckled with the colorful boats and the daylong activity of fisherman, and did not look like an inviting place to swim. (Nearby La Esobia, Zipolite, and Mazunte beaches are reputedly nicer.)

Forty miles east of Puerto Angel, Huatulco is a world away. Once a primitive fishing village, in 1984 the Mexican National Fund for Tourism Development (FONATUR) took over development of what may be the country's most beautiful coastline. The government's conscientious plan will eventually transform the nine pristine bays of Huatulco into an environmentally-protected megaresort, designed to receive an estimated two million guests a year by the early 21st century, many via a new international airport. The lessons of gaudy, overgrown Acapulco have been learned, however, and the government plans to keep 75 percent of the area green. Efficient sewage treatment plants and fresh water networks mean clean bays and tap water in Huatulco.

Huatulco has an average year round temperature of 87oF and green, bathwater-warm surf. Each of its nine bays is separated by rolling hills which afford near-total isolation. Tangolunda was the first to be developed: in 1988, Club Med opened there its largest installation in the Western hemisphere, followed by the Royal Maeva, Sheraton, Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza, and Deluxe Omni. There is also a golf course. I stayed at the Royal Maeva (see Hotel Spotlight), to date, the loveliest, and only totally Mexican-owned, of the Tangolunda resorts. Following strict architectural regulations, each resort has been designed to blend somewhat with the tropical surroundings.

I returned to Oaxaca, the city, having seen something of the state. The varied and vibrant veins I had followed included geography, architecture, religion, indigenous culture, gastronomy, art, and history. They led me to wonderous places and marvelous things, however lightly I touched. And while I may not have found all of Oaxaca's heart, I certainly left behind some of mine.

Getting There
Many domestic airlines fly to Mexico City, including Continental, United, and Delta. Connecting Mexicana flights to Oaxaca take about 40 minutes. The bus from Mexico City to Oaxaca takes six hours and costs about $15 if leaving from the first class terminal. There a numerous direct flights daily from Oaxaca to the coast. They take some 40 minutes and cost around $150 roundtrip. The Oaxaca to the coast bus leaves twice a day (first class terminal), more often from second class, and costs $10-25

The Mind of Obama and the Speech in Cairo

By Patricia Keegan

No intelligent being could listen to a speech by President Barak Obama and not be intrigued by the richness of his thought processes. Although I favored Hillary's realism and experience over Obama's idealism, that has changed. When I listen to what Obama is trying to accomplish, I am convinced it comes from a strong desire to take a fresh approach to the world's problems. I see him as courageous, with a unique approach to each challenge.

He demonstrates the laser concentration and analytic approach of one who feels he can untie the Gordian knot. The knot that represents the difficult, the intractable, the insolvable problem. According to ancient Greek legend, Alexander the Great slashed through the knot with his sword and was rewarded with Asia. But that was cheating. Obama wants to find the ends and untie it thoughtfully. His aim is to find common ground in a more rational world.

If I were a visitor from another planet and didn't feel so deeply involved with the high stakes of confronting and untangling these complex knots, I would just sit back and enjoy the show.

Barack Obama seems to be on a mission to follow truth no matter where it leads. Indeed, this should be the logical approach for a new president as he wades into international waters. In this era of instant communication and openness, it seems appropriate for a newly elected American president to go on a world tour telling the public where he stands on major international issues, otherwise they would expect the status quo.

In the past we have seen former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice shuttling back and forth across the world without the public ever really knowing the major goals were or what was being accomplished. We know President Barack Obama wants to give the world his best gift -- the audacity of hope!

This is a new age with the clock ticking down on approaching disasters -- the myriad effects of climate change which are considered almost out of our control, and nuclear proliferation which is barely controllable. Then there are the weak governments and failed states and the dire predictions of clashing civilizations.

So when Barack Obama contemplates his major tasks, it is his innate quality of hope and optimism that gives him the “audacity” to try counteracting this wave of pessimism by letting the world know and better understand American principles. Once he has told the world where we stand as Americans- has reached out the hand of friendship and follows his words with the implementation of his ideas, he can then fulfill his leadership role with a clear conscience. He will know he was true, not only to himself, but also to the promise the Founding Fathers laid out in the Declaration of Independence.

Thomas Jefferson, chief author of the Declaration, spoke of its fulfillment in the Constitution by saying, “Preserve inviolate the Constitution which, if cherished in all its chastity and purity, will prove in the end a blessing to all the nations of the earth.”

Speech in Cairo, June 4, 2009

In his New Beginning speech in Cairo, reaching out to the Islamic world, President Obama spoke of America’s early link with Islam: “The first nation to recognize my country was Morocco. In signing the Treaty of Tripoli in 1796, our second President, John Adams, wrote, The United States has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility of Muslims.”

Obama went on to say that since our founding, American Muslims have enriched the United States. “They have fought in our wars, served in our government, and have stood for civil rights, they have taught at our universities, excelled in our sports arenas, won Noble Prizes, built our tallest building, lit the Olympic Torch and when the first Muslim American was recently elected to Congress, he took the oath to defend our Constitution using the same Holy Koran that one of the Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson, kept in his personal library.”

The Israeli/Palestine conflict is the #1 Gordian knot that no American president has been able to untie. President Obama left no question that he wants to see justice on both sides. He presented a new image of America, with a more even-handed approach to the conflict. He is firm about a two state solution and no more settlements. The next few weeks should show the effect of his words.

If he opted to stay in the White House and not confront these problems head-on, I believe they would continue to fester with more and more lives lived in hopeless conditions of chaos, terror and fear.

In his Cairo speech Mr. Obama said Iraq was a war of “choice,“ and how events in Iraq have reminded America of the need to use diplomacy and to build international consensus whenever possible.

I don’t think any American wants to ever again witness the atrocities precipitated by that pre-emptive strike.

On the economic front Obama wants to create more partnerships. He points to education and innovation as the currency of the 21st century, yet sees too many Muslim communities remaining underinvested in this area. On education he wants to expand exchange programs and increase scholarships. This year he will host aSummit on Entrepreneurship to find out how to deepen ties between business leaders of countries.

Given his balance between EQ (Emotional Intelligence), and IQ (Intelligent Quotient), Barack Obama appears to see the world, with all its problems, as an overall decent place where people, regardless of color or creed basically try to do what is best for themselves and their families, and where common ground can be found and nurtured.

The calming voice of the new President of the United States helps the world to understand more about his leadership, gauge his sincerity, and see if he can influence for good their own governments and their own futures.

Solomon once said; “Where there is no vision the people perish.“ From the mind of President Obama comes a new vision for the world. Enchalla! God willing!

Canada: Quebec: Beautiful, Cheap and Easy to Reach

By Grace Halsell

There's a surprising new destination for travelers who want more for their dollars-it's Canada!

I found I had more money in my purse as soon as I crossed the border. For 68 American cents I had a Canadian dollar. Although Canada's currency has fallen more than currencies of other industrialized countries, travelers are still in a stable atmosphere. Canadians act as though pretty much nothing has happened. That's because their economy is otherwise relatively healthy.

Tourists are the clear winner in the diving loonies, as Canadian dollars are called. And for anyone like me, living in Washington, D.C., Canada is a destination easy to reach. Boarding an Air Canada plane at National airport, I was, after just shortly more than an hour, disembarking in the dynamic island city of Montreal, Quebec-and mingling among French-speaking Canadians. 'Why go to Europe?' a friend remarked. 'Canada is as beautiful. It's also closer, safer and cheaper.'

In Montreal, I didn't want to pass up the opportunity to visit its famed Casino, one of the largest and busiest in the world. It boasts five floors of gaming tables and slot machines, as well as elegant restaurants, including Nuances, which made Mobil Travel Guide's 5-star list.
From Montreal, I set out to visit some of Quebec's small villages, which reminded me of earlier travels in Provence where one experiences some of the finest gourmet dining in what otherwise are little known towns. Only a short distance from Quebec City, yet in a quiet, pastoral setting, one comes to the small village of Saint-Antonine-sur-Richelieu, known for its superb restaurant 'Le Champagne.' It's housed in an authentic chateau, where one dines like the royalty of yore, with sparkling chandeliers, immaculate linens, glassware, and waiters in tuxedos and white gloves. The French pride themselves on their preparation of tender lamb, so I knew I wouldn't go wrong with an entree of that-preceded by fresh asparagus which meant, in this case, it was home grown. As the managers of the restaurant were trained in France, they brought the fine techniques of cooking and service with them to Quebec.

From Chateau Saint-Antoine, it's an easy drive on to a country inn called Auberge Godefroy. It's half-way between Montreal and Quebec City, and ten minutes from the heart of the confluence of three rivers, and the village of Trois-Rivieres. At this first-class inn, the traveler might want to relax with a dip in its spacious indoor swimming pool, then go for a massage (with the exchange rate, it costs about $35 U.S. for an hour). There's also a golf course, as well as a marina. For travelers with U.S. dollars, the Canadian hotels now are less expensive than those in the States. At Auberge Godefroy, double occupancy prices started at US$59.

If you like atmosphere, you'll enjoy Manoir des Erables, within walking distance of the town of Montmagny and the St. Lawrence River. I found an abundance of Old World charm in the Manoir, built in 1812 and named for the maple trees on the grounds. Owned and managed by Jean Cyr, the inn has 23 rooms and suites, each furnished with a Jacuzzi or fireplace. It's become famous in Quebec for its excellent food, with its chef, Martin Boucher, boasting award-winning ribbons both in Quebec and France.

One day, in the inn's charming parlor, Owner Jean Cyr, a man in his 40's who likes to hunt, showed me mounted trophies of a 920-pound moose, as well as deer, wild boar and caribou which are found less than 100 miles from the Inn.

Coming from the States, where distances usually are not great between towns, one is surprised to learn that only a relatively short distance from the U.S.-Canadian border, there's a vast region of largely unexplored territory, inhabited by few, if any, people and an abundance of wild animals.
Quebec province alone has 14 public wildlife reserves, majestic unspoiled land with affordable activities including camping, swimming, wildlife observation and fishing. For his guests, Jean Cyr can arrange hunting packages in the fall, and in summer, the Inn offers package tours to suit a client's desires, be it sea kayaking, bicycling, golf or tours to nearby islands, such as Grosse Ile and its memorial to early Irish immigrants.

After relaxing in the countryside, I was ready to enjoy Quebec City, which seems almost as French as Paris. It's a city, again like Paris, made for walking. And history doesn't seem so much in museums, as underfoot, all around you. I strolled along a high terrace overlooking the St. Lawrence River where I saw ships from around the world, including a large freighter from Russia, as well as private sailing vessels.

The French pride themselves on having a focused desire to prepare and serve the best of all possible meals. I found this same dedication in many Quebec restaurants. And in the hotels, such as the small, but eloquent, Le Dominion Hotel in Quebec City, I was impressed by the management's impeccable taste in linens and attention to detail.

From my windows, I gazed on the history surrounding me. I imagined the transition from original fishing encampment to a fur-trading post, to the birthplace and capital of New France, to a festival-loving city that modern Quebec City has become.
To visit, U.S. citizens need only proof of citizenship.

It's a free call away for further information: 1-800-363-7777.

WHO Invites Taiwan Participation

“Become a Partner in Combating Swine Flu”

By Taiwan's Health Minister, Yeh Ching-chuan 

The Republic of China (Taiwan) has long sought to return to the World Health Organization (WHO) in order to directly and effectively contribute to the international health network and global disease prevention efforts. Recently, this goal was finally achieved when Taiwan accepted the invitation of Margaret Chan, director-general of WHO, to take part in the 2009 World Health Assembly, as an observer under the name “Chinese Taipei,” when the assembly convenes in Geneva on May 18.

With the continuing growth of global trade, tourism and business travel, national borders appear increasingly irrelevant when it comes to dealing with human health threats. Both information sharing between countries and international technical assistance are hugely important for global pandemic prevention and other concerns. Recent efforts to keep emerging influenza viruses under control and assure food safety offer concrete examples.

There is an urgent need for every country to cooperate and exchange information to prevent the spread of the H1N1 virus. As a member of the international community, Taiwan will closely participate in the international prevention effort — exchanging information freely with all countries, striving to prevent transmission and the further spread of the disease, and working to develop and manufacture a vaccine and stockpile pertinent medical treatment materials to deal with a potential outbreak. When needed, Taiwan will also extend a helping hand to assist other countries with disease prevention and help provide the necessary medical treatment resources to resist the influenza virus.

Another area in which Taiwan is fully prepared to cooperate and contribute within the WHO framework is global food safety, an increasingly serious problem. Rapid transportation and advanced preservation techniques are allowing foodstuffs to travel great distances and be consumed around the world like never before. Finished food products enjoy wide circulation, and their ingredients can come from any corner of the globe. As the sourcing of ingredients grows ever more complex, food safety is becoming more and more difficult to control. Only the correspondingly swift circulation of accurate information — as well as enhanced cross-border cooperation when it comes to monitoring and controlling foodstuffs — can keep countries abreast of the safety of each type of food product and trace the source and destination of contaminated foods the moment a threat is uncovered. Modern food safety management differs from traditional approaches, and prevention nowadays requires concerted cooperation between countries.

Like all countries, Taiwan is confronted with these major public health issues. As a major global trading hub facing the challenges of a globalized world, it is more imperative than ever for Taiwan to be fully included in the international health network. Taiwan therefore looks forward to actively participating in and contributing to WHO activities in its new capacity as an observer — not only to better ensure the health safety of its 23 million people, but that of the global population as well.

Taiwan also has much to share with other countries in terms of its outstanding health system. The Economist Intelligence Unit ranked Taiwan second worldwide in terms of health system performance. Taiwan has a long history of public health challenges and successes, such as eliminating domestic cases of smallpox, cholera, malaria and polio, providing comprehensive inoculations against hepatitis B, and launching one of the world’s premiere universal health insurance programs. Taiwan has demonstrated malaria-fighting results in São Tomé and Príncipe and has set up Taiwan Health Centers in both the Solomon Islands and the Marshall Islands to provide medical treatment and public health services. Taiwan is more than willing to help other countries solve various public health challenges, such as medical network planning, infectious disease prevention and treatment, health insurance, medical research, emergency relief and aid, as well as tobacco hazard prevention. The return of Taiwan to the international health mainstream will enable us to more effectively share our experience and resources with other countries.

The international community has positively affirmed Taiwan’s pragmatic and flexible attitude with Taiwan’s invitation to become an observer in the World Health Assembly this year. Taiwan’s participation in the WHO is a great step forward for global health-related human rights and seals the last remaining gap in the international health security network. Finally, Taiwan hopes to achieve even greater participation through appropriate means in future WHO-related events, mechanisms and meetings.

For updated reports regarding Taiwan, please go to Taiwan Today at www.taiwantoday.tw.

Bosnia -- Under War’s Shadow

An Interview with Ambassador Mitar Kujundzic

By Alan Dessoff

It’s a short walk across a park from the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Washington to the State Department, but while that facilitates access to America’s foreign policy headquarters for newly arrived Ambassador Mitar Kujundzic, he might find his job to be no easy walk in the park.

Fourteen years after a brutal war in his country ended in an agreement negotiated by the U.S. at an Air Force base near Dayton, Ohio, the war and its aftermath still shadow Bosnia’s relations with the U.S. as well as with other countries in the European Union and NATO, both of which Bosnia strives to join.

From the unusual rotating presidency at the top of his parliamentarian democratic government to landlines remaining from the war that continue to cause deaths and injuries, Kujundzic, trained as a mechanical engineer, is called on to address sensitive issues that require all the skills he has developed in 11 years in Bosnia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Barely two months into his Washington posting, for example, Kujundzic said it was “very difficult” for him to talk about statements made early this year by Haris Silajdzic, a member of the Bosnian presidency. As reported by The Wall Street Journal, Silajdzic said in an interview with the paper that increased U.S. engagement and enforcement of the principles of the Dayton Peace Accords are essential to avoid a repeat of the 1992-1995 conflict.

According to the WSJ, Silajdzic said Bosnia, a country slightly smaller than West Virginia, remains ethnically divided between Muslims, Serbs and Croats. He cited “benign neglect” since the Dayton accord and international “fatigue” Bosnia faces in trying to resolve its issues, both of which create a “potentially destabilizing situation” that could lead to a new conflict.

“It is very difficult for me to talk about it,” said Kujundzic, a Serb, when questioned about Silajdzic’s statements. “I can not comment on a statement made by a member of the presidency.” At another point, he said he was “not familiar” with what Sliajdzic had said and was “not authorized to comment specifically” on it.

“I can only suppose he was trying to stress the partnership, the friendship” between the U.S. and his country and that “the already very high level of cooperation and relations between them should be preserved and more developed,” Kujundzic said. Since the war ended with the Dayton accord, he continued, “there has been peace and everything has gone in a good direction,” with no security incidents or attacks on international peacekeeping forces, who have been reduced from 60,000 initially from NATO to 2,500 now from the European Union.

“We are very grateful to the United States for everything they did for peace. The Americans successfully led the efforts to end the war after some previous peace negotiators failed,” Kujundzic said. Today, he said, Bosnia maintains “very close contact” with the U.S., with “political cooperation at a very high level” and “consultations on every significant issue.” The U.S. “has been very supportive all these years; there is no real conflict of interest.”

Bosnia’s principal foreign policy goals today, Kujundzic emphasized, are membership in the European Union and NATO and the U.S. has been “very supportive” of both, especially towards NATO membership. Since 2006, Kujundzic said, Bosnia has participated in the NATO Partnership for Peace program. Bosnian troops also joined the NATO mission in Afghanistan and until last year Bosnia participated in the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq, withdrawing “with permission of the Iraqi government, as other countries did,” Kujundzic said.

While Silajdzic spoke of continuing ethnic divisions in Bosnia, Kujundzic said the ethnic cleansing that took place during the war “was a matter of individual involvement of some people and can not damage the general relations” between Bosnia and other countries. “In general,” he said, Serbia was not responsible for the genocide that took place in Bosnia-Herzegovina and relations with Serbia now “are generally good,” notwithstanding “some minor issues.”

But he added that “some people were very involved in war crimes,” and whether they were “high in the chain of command or ordinary soldiers,” they must be brought to justice before either the International Criminal Court in the Hague or domestic courts in Bosnia, and “held responsible for everything they did during the war.” One of them is Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb general indicted for ordering the massacre of more than 7,000 Bosnian Muslim men in Srebrenica in 1995. He remains at large and “we are sure he is not in the territory of Bosnia-Herzegovina,” Kujundzic said.

He acknowledged that the aftermath of the war still is experienced in other ways. Most refugees have returned to their pre-war homes, although “in some cases, the people didn’t want to return” and remained in other countries, Kujundzic said. Also, many children lost their parents during the war and some “must be affected by what happened to their parents; they can not forget it forever.” But although some in the “new generation” remember the war, “they are not bothered by it,” he said.

Kujundzic emphasized that “there is no hatred” among the people of Bosnia-Herzegovina today. “You can ask anybody, in any village or city, on the street, if they feel the other people are enemies, and they would say ‘no.’ That doesn’t mean the war didn’t hurt relations, but it didn’t hurt in a way that couldn’t be repaired in a few years. They have been living together for centuries,” he asserted.

When telephone lines were reestablished immediately after the war, “people started to call their friends and acquaintances on the other side” and three years later, Bosnians had “complete freedom of movement” throughout the country,” Kujundzic said.

Land mines are one issue still unresolved from the war. There were two million of them when the war ended and although about 500,000 remain, deaths and injuries are “very seldom,” Kujundzic said. It is a government priority to “get rid of them” and the most dangerous places are known and marked, he said.

The Associated Press reported late last year that more than 600 square miles of territory—an area larger than Los Angeles—are still riddled by mines and the impoverished country is having trouble coming up with money it needs to get rid of them. When Sarajevo, which hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics, bid for the 2010 games, it was eliminated from consideration largely because ski slopes and a bobsled run that would be used were still heavily mined, according to the AP report.

Still, tourism, a government focus, is improving with “good facilities for skiing and hiking,” Kujundzic said. In Sarajevo, the capital, “almost everything has been repaired” and many new buildings have been constructed. But while construction continues, he acknowledges that unemployment “remains a problem.” It is officially about 43 percent and rising, according to the Associated Press, although Kujundzic maintains it is less than that.

Bosnia and Herzegovina was among the poorer areas of the old Yugoslav Federation and remains one of the poorer countries in Europe today. Although it has made considerable progress since peace was reestablished following the Dayton Accords, it still is regarded as a transition economy and sees the long-term goal pf EU membership as a driver to further economic growth and development. The banking sector has been fully reformed, with a significant inflow of foreign banks, and although lending has slowed significantly since 2008, Kujundzic make the point that “no bank has failed so far.”

According to the most recent census, conducted in 1991, before the war, Bosnians, who are Muslim, made up 48 percent of the population; Serbs, who are Orthodox Christians, comprised 34 percent; and Croats, who are Roman Catholics, represented 15 percent. The remaining ethnic divisions in the country are reflected today in the presidency, which rotates every eight months among three members—a Bosniak, Serb and Croat, each elected for a four-year term.

“All are equal” and obliged to “represent the common opinions on issues. No one is authorized to represent the view of only one side,” Kujundzic explained. Accordingly, Silajdzic’s remarks should represent “the views of the whole government,” Kujundzic said.

Among other assignments before his Washington posting, Kujundzic headed the American desk in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and served as Bosnia’s Ambassador to Germany. Now getting settled in Washington with his wife and four-year-old daughter, “I like it here very much,” Kujundzic said.

Russia: St. Petersburg

A Visit to the Venice of the North

By Arin Pereira

When the Russian Tsar, Peter the Great, decided to build his new capital city and European port, he chose a harsh, swampy, desolate part of his country as its site. Saint Petersburg would be located on a series of small islands on the Baltic coast. Slowly, the decades of serf labor, imported architects and materials would combine with the attentions of a transplanted nobility, the whimsies of rulers, and vast sums of money to create this majestic city. When the city was done, its hundreds of bridges, golden domes, grand palaces, yellow, pale green, light blue, and dark red buildings transformed the original site. It became known as the 'Babylon of the Snows,' the 'Venice of the North.'

I arrived in St. Petersburg from Moscow in December, at night. Many travelers prefer the romance of the midnight train, which pulls into Moscow Station at 8:30 a.m. and costs about $65 for a first class sleeping compartment. But I decided to take a painless 40 minute Aeroflot flight ($100) in order to save time. 

My Russian guide, Eugenia, met me at the airport with a large smile, easy laugh, and perfect English. The 20 minute car ride into the city took me through the outskirts of town and past the stark Leningrad Memorial, built in commemoration of the Nazi siege. The population suffered horribly from 1941- 44, but never capitulated. In fact, St. Petersburg has never been occupied by an invading force, unless you consider the Communist government, responsible for changing the city's name to Leningrad. (Leningrad became St. Petersburg again in 1991.)

I stayed at the Nevsky Palace Hotel, located in the center of town on Nevsky Prospekt, St. Petersburg's most famous boulevard. The five star Nevsky Palace is luxurious and cozy. My large, tasteful room ($340) overlooked a quiet square and was, importantly, exceptionally well heated. Cold or not -- and it was never unbearable -- it is hard to imagine a city more beautiful than St. Petersburg in the snow. Although it was 9:00 p.m. when I set down my bags, I felt the urge to take a walk and headed northwest on Nevsky Prospekt, toward the Neva River. I passed the magnificent deep red Beloselsky Belozersky Palace, great carved column Atlases holding up its facade, and crossed the Anichkov bridge whose four famous horse sculptures rear their magnificent heads over the Fontanka canal. Over another canal and I came to the Our Lady of Kazan Cathedral, with its massive, sweeping semi circular colonnade, directly across the street from the globe topped, art nouveau Dom Knigi building, once the Singer sewing machine factory. One more canal and I spotted an enormous, oddly angled, carved archway looming in the snow. I went through what turned out to be the Main Staff Building and suddenly found myself in Palace Square, the Winter Palace stretched out long, low, and sea green before me. The sight was awesome and so heavy with history I had to gasp, the air crystallizing around me.

I would visit the palace later, on a tour of its museum, the State Hermitage, so I circled its facade and finally came to the Neva. The hoarfrost was magical in the moonlight as I slid -- literally -- across the river's south bank, frozen solid in minus 20 degree weather. Twinkling lights from the palace gleamed on the ice, and across the river I could just make out the soaring spire of the Peter and Paul Fortress, dull gold against the night. My daylight experiences began 12 hours later. Guide and agenda had been arranged by Destination Services Russia (DSR), a joint Swedish Russian travel management group based in St. Petersburg. DSR can arrange just about any kind of travel in Russia, from corporate extravaganzas to solo excursions to the countryside; from troika rides to flights in jet fighter planes. They are a creative, dynamic group with seemingly endless contacts all over the world. In Russia it is a good idea to hire a guide unless you speak or understand Russian; the country is not particularly English friendly, though St. Petersburg, cosmopolitan as it is, is probably more so than most Russian cities.

We started at St. Isaac's Cathedral, designed by the French architect Auguste de Montferrand. The lavish St. Isaac's is topped with a dome of pure gold, an interior decorated in 43 types of stone and marble, and a vast array of magnificent paintings, bas reliefs and mosaics. Great columns of lapis lazuli and malachite sentinel its iconostasis, or central wall of icons, and gold hung heavy on every corner. I was reeling from its opulence. Continuing in the lavish vein, we went for lunch at the Senat Bar, a trendy restaurant located in the famous Senate building on Glernaya Ulitsa. Its vaulted ceilings, painted frescoes, and mosaic floors were charming and cozy, while its Italian modern furniture and cross European cuisine, although fine, did not seem very 'Russian' to me. Likewise the prices, which were rather 'New York;' simple lunch running about $30 per person. The Northern light began to fade early, at about 3:30, cutting the day quite short. But that night was New Year's Eve, and I was going to a ball. The annual Tsar's New Year's Ball was a tradition in St. Petersburg until the Revolution. In 1994, the first revival ball took place, co sponsored by DSR and Potel & Chabot, a French catering firm reputed to have been the Tsars' favorite.

This year's Tsar's Ball was held at the Tauride Palace, an 18th century building given by Catherine the Great to one of her favorites, Prince Potemkin. It is famous as the house of the first Russian Duma, or parliament. Potel & Chabot provided the decoration -- an exquisite blend of ingenious luxe and clever detail such as a sprayed gold centerpiece worked with carnations and red berries. Tickets, which include all food, beverages, and entertainment, cost about $350. All night transportation is also included. A bus picked up guests from the hotel, and we entered a large reception hall lined on two sides by long bars and tables of caviar hor d'oeuvres. In the middle of the room, a huge ice sculpture in the shape of an Orthodox cathedral ran with vodka released through low slung spigots. It was getting crowded when suddenly music sounded, and a curtain at the far end of the room spread wide to reveal a small, elevated stage in the center of a dining room laced with large round tables. Onstage, costumed soloists from the Maryinsky (Kirov in the Communist era) Theater were dancing classical ballet as an orchestra accompanied guests to their seats. Throughout the evening, a series of classical and modern ballets, scenes from operas, and folkloric dances would be performed. I would see many of the actual dancers later when I twice visited the Maryinsky, first for the very Russian Mussorgsky opera, 'The Lady from Pskov,' then for the swashbuckling ballet, 'Don Quixote.' (Theater tickets are still a terrific bargain. If you buy them from a kiosk or the box office, they range from $2- 6. One night, espying it empty and making a dash for it, I managed to sit front and center in the Tsar's box.)

The dinner began with a luscious crab pastry, followed by great gobs of exquisite caviar with blinis and cream. A wild salmon came next, followed by veal with chanterelles. Each course was served in a special manner. The almond macaroon dessert, for example, arrived on underlit glass platters in a procession of waitresses dressed like Saint Lucia. Excellent vodka, wines and champagne flowed ceaselessly. After dinner, the dancing began and lasted until dawn. I spoke to a number of guests, mostly American and French, who had come to St. Petersburg expressly for the ball and were planning to stay but a couple of days. 

'We came last year, and we will come next year,' gloated one Frenchman in the company of his wife, daughter, and son in law. 'It is always different, but it is always magic.'

At midnight, we rushed to palatial windows to watch fireworks released in the gardene, illuminating the frosted trees and embroidering the snow with light. The whole experience was dreamlike.

The next day, most of the city closed down for the holiday. New Year's Eve has always been a great celebration in Russia, but it became even more important after the Revolution, when religious holidays were no longer publicly sanctioned. It also served as a kind of replacement Christmas, with gifts exchanged. (The Orthodox Christmas is also celebrated, taking place about a week later.) The Alexander Nevsky Monastery was open, however, and I was delighted to discover its neo classical Cathedral of the Trinity in full service. Inside, scores of mainly women were standing in near darkness, oil lamps casting a peculiar colored glow, and incense heavy in the close air. The chorus was singing, and beeswax candles were burning low on small altars. The Cathedral of the Trinity is very unusual in Russia because it is decorated with full blown post Renaissance oil paintings in lieu of traditional icons. The remains of Alexander Nevsky, Russian hero and saint, lie near the iconostasis in a massive silver sarcophagus.

Outside, the snow looked dazzling against the deep red Baroque buildings surrounding the monastery. I visited its two famous graveyards: the Lazarus, where Imperial favorites are buried, and the Tikhvin, known as the Cemetery of the Masters of Arts, where the gravestones of many Russian composers, writers, artists, and actors are ranged by profession. Many of their gravestones are strange and beautiful: Rimsky Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, and Mussorgsky are particularly interesting.

Keeping with the theme, we next drove to Zayachy Island, at the junction of the Malaya (small) Neva and Bolshaya (big) Neva, where the Peter and Paul Fortress is located. Six bastions and thick sloping walls surround the fortress. Inside, the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul houses the sarcophagi of most Russian rulers since Peter the Great. Plans to inter the remains of Nicholas II, his murdered family and servants in the cathedral, scheduled for early this year, have been delayed. The most beautiful tombs, carved from green Altai jasper and red rhodonite from the Urals, are those of the murdered Tsar Alexander II and his wife. The saddest is a slab in the floor near the entrance belonging to Alexei, the son of Peter the Great, reputedly tortured to death by his father for conspiracy in a treasonous plot. Once considered the Bastille of Russia, the fortress has held a number of distinguished prisoners, including Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It also contains the massive Arsenal and Artillery Museum, arrayed with various tanks and guns like perverse topiaries, and the Mint, where one morning the temperature dropped to 86 degrees, turning its entire tin based coinage to white powder.

Few museums in the world rival the Hermitage, where I went the next day. Created in the spirit of Enlightenment by Catherine the Great to house the Imperial collection, the museum originally occupied the Small Hermitage, then the Large Hermitage, and eventually the entire Winter Palace. The collection contains more than three million pieces in 353 rooms. It would take an estimated six days a week for nine years to spend one minute in front of each piece displayed in the 10 kilometers of rooms, halls, and corridors. During my four hours there, I saw the 'Hidden Treasures' exhibit of mostly confiscated impressionist paintings 'lost' since World War II. It seems that Stalin did not appreciate the period so the collection was hidden in the basement of the palace. Simply displayed on rolling walls, it is an astounding group of masterpieces. 

Other highlights of the museum include its Baroque state rooms, such as the astounding Malachite Room dressed entirely in the deep green stone; Rembrandt, Da Vinci, Boticelli, Picasso, and Matisse paintings; and the ancient Egyptian collection. I especially enjoyed the collection of Scythian, Greek, and early Siberian gold.

In need of refreshment after such enervating sensory stimulation, we headed down Prospekt to the cozy cafe Nevsky 40, a former Imperial bakery still decorated with original Chinese silk hangings and carved walls. A coffee and pastry there costs about $6.00 and comes with post Soviet hospitality, just slightly begrudging. 

Afterward, we continued down the Moika, one of the larger inlets leading southwest from the Winter Palace, and stopped at the Yussopov Palace, famous as the site where Rasputin was finally done in. The Yussopov family was the richest in Russia by the turn of the century, and this palace, one of four they owned in St. Petersburg, was largely preserved after their sudden flight from the oncoming Revolution. A guided tour is necessary (about $15) as is the wearing of felt overshoes, enforced in most Russian palaces to protect precious parquet floors. Called 'Tapochki,' they are floppy bits of mismatched stuff tied on with frayed string or elastic, awaiting visitors in large dirty bins near entry halls. Actually walking in them is very difficult; it is much easier to glide.

The Yussopov palace is full of the kind of splendors that bring the Revolution into sharp focus. Among its scores of rooms are a smoking room decorated entirely in Middle Eastern tile, with fountains running and dark jewel tones glittering; the game room where a amplifying acoustic alcove at one end of the billiard table was installed for laughs; and the library, paneled floor to ceiling in carved mahogany. The most interesting part of the palace, however, is the cellar bachelor apartment that belonged to Prince Felix Yussopov. In a recreated scene replete with creepy wax figures of Felix and Rasputin, the rooms have been arranged the way they presumably were on the night of the prolonged murder. Low vaulted ceilings, plush banquettes and carpets give the place a den of iniquity feel. Felix stands in uniform, holding a gun while Rasputin sits at a table set with fake almond cakes looking spooked. The guides love to sit you down there and recount the infamous tale in sinister tones. It is quite an experience.

Before I left for Russia, I had been warned that the country is dangerous and the people unfriendly, even unhelpful. I found neither to be the case in St. Petersburg. Although it is true that the Russian people maintain a certain reserve, and there was a definite language barrier between us, I found them interesting and interested, and never felt hostility or witnessed aggression. The parliamentary elections had just taken place and, although the Communist Party won a majority of seats, the number of reformists seats actually increased. The authorities I spoke with agreed that the population, though somewhat disillusioned and struggling with severe economic problems, is on the path to democracy. St. Petersburg was built as 18th century Russia's 'window on the West,' but perhaps it has evolved into a 20th century 'door to the East,' a re opened entrance to understanding Russia, both now and then.

Getting There

I flew Finnair to Moscow and from St. Petersburg, stopping in Helsinki. The flight was smooth and comfortable with good food and friendly service. Roundtrip airfare in December is approximately $850 plus taxes. Finnair offers a special rate at the Helsinki Inter Continental Hotel: You can spend 1- 3 nights for $85 per person (single rate) or $100 per couple, per night. It's a very civilized way to head home, and Helsinki is full of its own charms. For information, contact Finnair at (800) 950 5000.

The Nevsky Palace is a Marco Polo Hotel, an Austrian Russian joint venture. It offers all the amenities expected of its five stars, including four restaurants, a pub, sauna, fitness room, and conference center. Room rates run from about $240 for a single room, to $1100 for a two bedroom suite. Special rates are offered during New Years week. For more information, contact the Nevsky Palace by telephone 7 812/850 1500 or fax 7 812/850 1501. DSR can create and organize any sort of travel experience in Russia, from the most exclusive to the simplest. In addition, the Tsar's Ball is already planned for next year. For more information, contact DSR by telephone 7 812/273 1353 or fax 7 812/273 4532.

Obama and Clinton -- Sweeping up the Mess

By Patricia Keegan

When Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were vying for the Presidency, we heard both say whomever won the office would face the daunting task of sweeping up a “mess.” Only George Bush could have known how immense is the mess.

Unfortunately, the sweepers who get a close look at the intricacies of the mess are blamed as soon as they pick up the broom. They are admonished for not cleaning up the inherited mess fast enough, their approach is too far left, and we hear irresponsible comments from talk show host Rush Limbaugh and others that it would be better if Obama “failed.” These infantile, attention-provoking remarks are a disservice to our country. It is in each and everyone's interest, indeed in the world's interest, that President Barack Obama succeed.

When Barack Obama spoke many times about changes, some were predictable and some were not. Now we traverse completely new territory, with new international and domestic challenges arising each day.

On the international stage, Hillary Clinton has entered a “hot zone.” Never before has a US Secretary of State faced so many complex problems that require so much tact and clarity of strategy. With her broom she has to follow on the heels of “if you break it, you own it,” as Colin Powell stated early in the Bush administration when the breaking began. She is now navigating her way over egg shells. In view of the subversion of diplomacy by George Bush, the US faces a myriad of challenges – foremost, the revitalization of America's image in the world.

On her tour of Asia, her first overseas mission as new Secretary of State, it was not long before the world began to see a fresh, more direct approach in US diplomacy under the Obama administration. In China, Clinton was criticized for not putting human rights front and center. As a pragmatist, Hillary must weigh the major issues the world is facing and try to come up with solid solutions, requiring the cooperation of not only our allies, but those who consider themselves competitors. On March 10 a lead editorial in the Washington Post chided the Secretary of State for not making human rights a major issue of the Asian tour. “Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton continues to devalue and undermine the US diplomatic tradition of human rights advocacy in her dismissal of raising human rights concerns.”

Her response was: “We pretty much know what they are going to say about such issues as a greater freedom for Tibet, we have to continue to press them. But our pressing them on these issues can't interfere with dialog on other crucial topics.”

On March 12 Clinton said the Obama administration regards the issue of human rights on the same level as economics and international security. “A mutual and collective commitment to human rights is [as] important to bettering our world as our efforts on security, global economics, energy, climate change and other pressing issues. We are going to look for ways to be effective where we can actually produce outcomes that will matter in the lives of people who are struggling for their rights to be full participants in their societies.”

Anyone who doubts the Obama administration's commitment to human rights hasn't been paying attention. There is a choice -- to keep lecturing on human rights without affect, as we have seen in the past, or to come up with more creative methods, as Clinton seemed to suggest.

The world is focused on pressing issues – the catastrophic meltdown in world economies, the slow destruction of the planet caused by global warming, nuclear proliferation, scarcity of water and food, and biological and nuclear terrorism. If you set out as Secretary of State on a mission to mend fences in an imperfect world, you must know in advance what your priorities are. If the US and allies fail to confront the issues of nuclear proliferation or any one of those volatile challenges -- there goes human rights on a global scale.

If a major part of the sweep-up is to somehow reestablish moral authority, squandered in the Bush administration, we must proceed not by the words we speak but by our overall policy of justice. During the late 90's, we were focused on a global economy that was ordained “to raise all boats” and improve living conditions around the world with little regard for its effect on climate change or human rights. Today the imminent danger to our planet is finally being addressed front and center. Our priorities of the past tended to be reactive rather than proactive.

What we are beginning to see from the Obama administration is the realization that amid today's complexities there is greater need to find common ground. In order to solve world problems we first must TALK. Finding common ground and talking is now the only answer. Throwing bombs at problems has to become obsolete. Talking requires leadership and focus, otherwise it's just babble. Leadership requires intelligent listening.

The first week of April saw a breakthrough in finding common ground. The days sizzled with TV and print images of a purposeful America on the move again. First there was the UN sponsored Afghanistan/Pakistan conference in the Hague which brought together more than 80 countries, including non-governmental organizations, in a joint effort to stabilize the Afghan government. When 80 countries, including Pakistan, Iran and Russia, come together to bring stability to a part of the world, something good has to happen. Leaders have a chance to express their opinions and listen to others. Iran was free to express their concerns regarding their neighbor and the spill-over of narcotics into their territory, as well as their fears that the presence of “foreign forces” has not improved the situation and an increase in numbers “will prove ineffective too.”

The Secretary of State praised a speech made by Mr. Akhondzadeh, Iran's deputy foreign minister, describing it as a “promising” sign of how Iran wanted to engage with the US and other states in ways to improve Afghanistan's future. Meanwhile, Mr. Holbrooke held a brief and cordial exchange with Mr. Akhondzadeh. At least this is communication -- a small step, but a start!

The G20 Summit in London brought Barak Obama onto the world stage. He had brought the seed of hope to Europe when, as nominee of the Democratic Party, he spoke in Berlin. Now that hope has blossomed into a full blown example of fine, thoughtful, intelligent leadership. While North Korea was readying its missile launch, Russian President Medevev was sitting down with Obama, smilingly pressing the “restart button” in US/Russian relations, with a US President who was calm, cool and direct. Throughout his European tour, he was clearing the brush and planting a new harvest, laying the foundation of a strikingly different tone in US/ European relations. He said he had come to listen, not to lecture. We knew he could listen as we watched him in press conferences and with students at a town meeting in Strasbourg where his intellectual honesty shone through. Along with his extensive knowledge on a diverse group of problems, he has convictions which he can rely on as he deals with each question. He endeavors to express his answer succinctly while transmitting sincerity, an important factor we have not seen in so long we have forgotten it was possible. He also smiles appropriately, eight years of inappropriate smirks were a little disconcerting.

Winding up his first overseas visit in Turkey, President Obama offered his hand in friendship to the Muslim world saying we are not at war with Islam and never will be. He said “The future must belong to those who create, not those who destroy.” Overall one feels his sense of urgency that we have reached a point in history, where nuclear proliferation must be halted and where the rational world must begin to reassess prejudices that serve as barriers between cultures. He has asked his audiences at every stop to take fresh approach in looking at the world, not to become fixated on past history. As in the US, he wants the young to get involved, to see service to country as a noble endeavor. As long as the youth are paying attention, and regardless of what the skeptics say, there is still room for idealism in the world.

What transpired from this trip is a stimulation of new ways of thinking; as a country we were static for too long, now we are flowing again. The President's trip lays the foundation for more conferences like this G20 summit that asks world leaders to come up with solutions, not only in dealing with the nuances of the global economy, but in sharing expertise on other problems that beset our small planet. It takes strong leadership to address the challenges of a world that has become so intertwined that if one country is affected, the whole world feels the pain.

As part of his clean sweep Obama made an unannounced visit to troops in Iraq where he urged the government to take control of its country and stand on its own as a democracy.

In the first week of April, 2009, Barack and Michelle Obama have revitalized America's image in the world and have inspired by both their words and their example.

Bringing Museums to Life

Children at the National Palace Museum

from the Taiwan Review

Richard Fortey, a renowned paleontologist of the Natural History Museum in London and an award-winning writer, is a passionate advocate of museums. 'I believe profoundly in the importance of museums; I would go as far as to say that you can judge a society by the quality of its museums,' he has written. If that idea is accurate, then Taiwan's society is progressing from strength to strength as the quality and number of its museums develop apace.

In fact, Fortey's fame is in large part due to his enthusiasm and skill in explaining complex knowledge to lay readers through his books. It is a role he shares with the best museums around the world, including those in Taiwan, of collecting and researching specimens and phenomena, and then finding ways to communicate that knowledge to the public through exhibitions and other events.

There were about 580 public and private museums in Taiwan at the end of 2007, up from approximately 400 in 2000. In particular, private museums have seen rapid growth in the past decade, with collections as diverse as those of the Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines, the Miniatures Museum of Taiwan and the Chi Mei Museum of Western art and historical artifacts.

This development is not without its challenges, however. Private museums in particular, often created through the efforts of individual enthusiasts or single enterprises, need more than the support of one individual or business if they are to be sustainable in the long term.

A challenge to both public and private museums in Taiwan is the recruitment of professional museum staff. As Fortey puts it, 'the people who work out of sight are what keeps a museum alive.' There are several graduate-level museum studies programs here and many other schools that have related courses in arts management, but more expertise is needed, especially in developing scholarship around the assessment of Taiwan's museums in terms of visitor education and the long-term impact of an institution.

One museum that is devoting resources to visitor education is the renowned National Palace Museum (NPM). For example, up to 10 percent of staff at the NPM are involved with using multimedia and interactive displays to enhance exhibitions. In fact, finding ways to engage visitors will be key for the continued success of public and private institutions alike. 'Without an audience, a museum is merely a warehouse,' says Wang Chi-hsiang, an associate researcher and manager of the Volunteer Program at the National Science and Technology Museum in Kaohsiung City.

Reaching out to the local community is certainly a theme that has been taken up by the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts in Taichung. The museum works to improve accessibility such as by organizing tours for elderly people and students in remote regions, hosting a section for children and resources for teachers, and even maintaining an open sculpture park surrounding the museum.

At the same time, focusing on local-level communities reflects a general trend toward the decentralization of public museums in Taiwan over the last 20 years. Since 1987, the Council for Cultural Affairs, which oversees public museums in Taiwan, has worked toward establishing museums based on local traditions, crafts and cultures. This represents a major shift from both the colonial aims of Taiwan's first museums set up during the period of Japanese rule (1895-1945), as well as the focus on traditional Chinese culture that followed. There are also sound economic incentives in such a move. The establishment of the Taipei County Yingge Ceramics Museum, for example, has both capitalized on and boosted the local traditional ceramics industry based in Yingge Township.

Taiwan's museums mirror its culturally rich society, and the diversity and sheer number of institutions certainly reflect the wide-ranging interests, knowledge and understanding of its people. Museum enthusiast Richard Fortey has good reason to believe so strongly in the importance of these institutions to a society.

This above article appears in the online April edition of Taiwan Review at taiwanreview.nat.gov.tw.

President Obama and the UN

By Bill Miller

President Barack Obama’s “inbox” certainly is not suffering from a paucity of suggestions on how to deal with both domestic and international crises. Undoubtedly, the most important challenge is how to get the US economy out of the recession, which could conceivably become a depression. The Obama Administration has developed an ambitious and comprehensive series of proposals — some critics say too many --- dealing with many of these issues.

Focusing on the international side of the coin, a recent Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) poll indicated that in 15 of the 17 countries (with the exceptions of Japan and Russia) polled, majorities believed that the Barack Obama’s election would lead to improved relations with the rest of the world. Obama is mobilizing to make the polls a self-fulfilling prophecy. For starters, he nominated Susan Rice, a highly-competent career diplomat, US Permanent Representative to the UN, and elevated the position to Cabinet-level status. Being a member of the President’s Cabinet is extremely important because UN issues would be basically on-par with the others and should not get lumped in with, filtered or sublimated under other issues.

Ms. Rice is off to a good start by emphasizing Obama’s pledge to strengthen the relationship between the US and the UN. In a spirit of bipartisanship and a recognition of the UN’s importance, Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) encouraged Rice to be a vocal advocate for the UN to the American public and Congress. Ambassador Rice also stressed the US paying its legal UN dues in full and on-time. The US will soon be $1.6 billion in arrears to the UN, as was pointed out by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon during a recent visit on Capitol Hill. The US is in danger of reverting to its unflattering moniker of the 1980s and 90s of being an “international deadbeat” by not paying its legal financial obligations.

Arguably, the US benefits more overall from the UN than probably any other country. For example, the UN blue helmets, operating in 18 dangerous areas around the world, work to bring peace and security, reduce violence, and help people resume their normal lives. UN peacekeeping missions operate without US troops on the ground, the financial burden is spread among several of the 192 UN member states, and the US has veto authority to approve each mission.

Other facts highlight the UN’s value in these operations. For example:

-- A Rand Think Tank Report shows that when the UN can conduct a peacekeeping mission, it is more successful than when the US military takes on a unilateral peacekeeping assignment. The US plans to aid the UN to deploy and manage future complex peace operations even more effectively.

-- A US Government Accountability Office (GAO) study indicated that UN peacekeeping costs US taxpayers only one-eighth of what a US military mission would cost.

The Obama Administration views the UN as an imperfect, but necessary, institution. To improve its overall operation, one major thrust will be a renewal of the international body to make it more effective and efficient, which includes improvements in management, financial accountability, transparency, ethics, internal oversight and program effectiveness. The UN has improved its internal management quite dramatically over the past 8 years. Ironically, although the UN should continue internal reforms, many UN programs are more cost-effective, less wasteful and more efficient than some US Government programs, such as FEMA’s mismanagement in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the bloated Defense Department budget with cost overruns, and the Iraqi Economic Assistance Project where tens of billions of dollars were misappropriated or stolen.

Three other areas of emphases by President Obama are to:

1. Strengthen global nonproliferation and the disarmament regime. The US can play a substantive role in 2010 during the review of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty by emphasizing the commitments made -- by both the nuclear and non-nuclear countries -- to make sure they adhere to their original agreements. Emphasis should be on commitments made by nuclear powers to reduce the number of nuclear weapons in their arsenal and the by non-nuclear states to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes only.

Obama should also halt the herd-like stampede by some military advisers to rapidly install an anti-missile system in Poland and the Czech Republic. This system will not achieve its goals, will alienate the Russians, and will cost close to $9-13 billion, according to a recent Congressional Budget Office study. For 24 years, the US has invested over $100 billion in a US missile defense shield that does not work. The US should secure the help of the Russians in dealing with Iran and completely halt funding a failed system that is projected to cost close to $1 trillion if implemented worldwide—and still not be effective.

Congress should be encouraged to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). The recent civil unrest in Pakistan emphasizes the frightening scenario that could occur if Al-Qaeda or the Taliban got access to Pakistan’s nuclear weapons. Arms reduction at all levels should be a high priority.

2. Support the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to reduce abject poverty affecting 2 billion people, reverse the AIDs epidemic and other diseases, secure universal primary education, reduce child and female mortality rates, battle environmental degradation, empower women, and cooperate internationally to achieve these goals. These are logical, quantifiable, and agreed upon goals that may be achieved if the 192 UN member states, in conjunction with the private sector and non-governmental organizations, provide the necessary political and financial support, With the recent economic downturn, many countries are reneging on their pledges to work towards these laudable goals. The US should forcefully support the MDGs and play a leadership role in rallying international support for them.

3. Play an active role in helping draft the follow-up agreement to the Kyoto Protocol which expires in 2012 that will confront the ill-effects of global warming and climate change. As a run-up to the Copenhagen Climate Conference in December of 2009, both UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and President Obama, at a recent White House meeting, stressed that 2009 would be the year for climate change and agreed that climate change is an “existential threat” to the world. Once the financial crisis is averted, climate change should move into the number one slot as the major problem confronting the world at large

To its credit, the Obama Administration recently restored US support for the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) by contributing $50 million to promote safe pregnancies and childbirths, as well as HIV/AIDs prevention and gender equality in over 150 countries and territories around the world. The Bush Administration withheld a total of nearly $250 million over a seven year period. According to UNFPA, every $34 million available prevents 2 million unwanted pregnancies and 800,000 abortions. By withholding for seven years, the US contributed to approximately 14 million pregnancies and 5.6 million abortions. According to its bylaws, UNFPA does not encourage or fund abortions.

What should President Obama do in the immediate future?

-- The US should seek a seat on the Human Rights Council (HRC) in the upcoming HRC election of May 2009. The HRC which, according to many UN watchers, is not reaching its potential, must have more hands-on leadership to broaden the agenda dominated by a handful of countries, such as Saudi Arabia and Cuba, that often violate the human rights of people within their boarders and want to focus exclusively (albeit there is much to criticize) on Israeli transgressions against the Palestinians. The US, now that it is moving to improve its own human rights problems with the Patriot Act and Guantanamo Bay atrocities, can be more of a moral compass for the HRC.

--The US Congress should bring up for discussion and ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Convention on the Law of the Sea Treaty, (CLOST) which interestingly is supported by business and military groups. CEDAW and CRC both inculcate major human rights provisions that are extended to everyone in the US and guaranteed by the Constitution. The US is only one of a few countries, such as Somalia, that has not signed on to these treaties.

-- The US should join the International Criminal Court that pursues individuals who have committed genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity. The concept of “complementarity,” which allows a national court to deal with any of its citizens accused of these crimes, negates the bogus argument that US troops who inadvertently committed some crime would be hauled before the ICC.

President Obama sent a powerful message when his first official visit was to the US State Department, as opposed to the Defense Department. He signaled that diplomacy and working with other countries would take precedence over the “Neoconservative shoot first and ask questions later, might-makes-right philosophy” that led to several disastrous actions by the Bush Administration, which attempted to create a quasi-Cold War mentality of “with us or against us.” Arguably, the most disastrous action was the ill-fated invasion of Iraq which today is widely viewed as unnecessary, illegal, damaging to US and Middle Eastern interests and the worst foreign policy blunder in US history.

The White House reported that President Obama, after taking office, telephoned 37 world leaders, including Pope Benedict XVI and the Palestinian Authority President Abbas, before he contacted UN SG Ban Ki-moon. As all American presidents have learned, some quicker than others, that one of the first calls Mr. Obama will make in the future will probably be to the UN.

With massive problems worldwide such as the economic meltdown; explosive conditions in Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea and Iran; negative, climactic changes; social unrest in Italy, Pakistan, Ukraine, Iceland, Ireland and dozens of other countries, as a few examples, it will take a multilateral forum and many countries’ involvement at the UN to bring the key players and resources together to confront these challenges. As former Secretary of State Madeline Albright said, “The UN is indispensable…and even superpowers needs friends.” No one country can deal with these massive problems by itself.

For the past 63 years since the founding of the UN, public opinion polls have consistently shown that the vast majority (a recent Better World Campaign poll was at 75%) of the US public wants the American government to work through international bodies, primarily the UN, in dealing with the myriad of intractable international issues and problems. These problems range from combating terrorism, drugs and climate change; promoting peace and security; eliminating diseases such as AIDs and polio; reducing poverty, hunger and illiteracy; and helping move aircraft, ships, mail and weather information safely around the globe, to mention just a few.

Dealing with a cumbersome UN bureaucracy and oft-times obstinate member states will be frustrating and challenging but absolutely necessary to overcome the grave problems confronting the US and the world. During the campaign, candidate Obama said, “No country has a greater stake in a strong United Nations than the United States.” That phrase is even more accurate and more timely today than it was a year ago.

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Bill Miller, former Chair of the UN Association of the USA's Council of Chapter and Division Presidents, is the accredited Washington International journalist covering the UN and is the Producer/Moderator of “Global Connections Television.”

Russia: The Mystery and Magic of Moscow

  By Arin Pereira 

'It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma,' so Winston Churchill referred to Russia in 1939. In 1996, Russia is a different place, but the reserve of mystery remains, at least in Moscow. Its exteriors can be wildly deceiving, and, like native Matryoshka dolls, the city nestles together, layer upon layer in a series of rings. It was constructed that way, and even the traffic flows in circles; there are no left turns allowed.

At the center of Moscow's inner circle lies the Kremlin, Russia's mythic refuge and symbol of centralized power. In Russian the word kreml means 'fortress,' but this Kremlin is more than that. It is a city-within-a-city, where a multitude of magnificent palaces, churches, famous squares and armories create a magical, golden onion-domed skyline.

Its outside walls are 7,319 feet long, 65 feet high, and 20 feet wide. It has four gates and 19 towers, dominated by the great gilt dome of the Ivan Great Belltower. It also houses the Tsar Cannon and Bell, both the largest of their kind in the world, and neither ever worked. About half the Kremlin's interior is off-limits to tourists, including the Arsenal, the Senate, and the State Kremlin Palace, but there is still much to see.

At the Troitsky Gate Tower entrance, a medieval drawbridge leads up into the massive red-brick citadel. The moat is now dry, but walking the bridge feels like stepping through time. I made my first unforgettable trip to the Kremlin with my brother, who lives in Moscow and whose fluent Russian made Moscow more accessible, as it is not exactly English-friendly. (Before going, it is a good idea to learn the Cyrillic alphabet.)

We started at the Armory, which costs about $15 to enter. Moscow museums all seem to have a two-tier fee system which translates into something like a 1000 percent surcharge for foreigners. Its collection of Imperial armor is astounding, but even more so the gold, silver and jewels collected over the centuries by various rulers, including dozens of Faberge easter eggs, jewelled thrones, and royal coaches.

In the costume room, visitors can see the likes of Boris Gudonov's armor, Peter the Great's boots and long narrow-shouldered coats, the diamond encrusted mantles of the great Patriarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church, and the coronation robes of Catherine the Great.

The Diamond Fund exhibit is also in the Armory, but the $40 entrance fee disinclined me to gaze upon what must be one of the world's greatest collections, including the 190-carat Orlov diamond.

Cathedral Square is the Tsarist heart of the Kremlin. Crowded around it are the great palaces and cathedrals. Cathedral of the Assumption, the oldest and most important, is a renaissance masterpiece where the city's bishops and Patriarchs were interred. Cathedral of the Annunciation, once a private church for Russian princes, contains magnificent iconostases by Theofar the Greek and Andrei Rubliov, and its floor is tiled with agate and jasper. Cathedral of Archangel Michael is where the Tsar's were buried until Peter the Great relocated the capital to St. Petersburg in 1712. Until then, the Terem Palace, oldest building in the Kremlin, served as the Imperial residence. The Faceted Palace was used for audiences and feasts, and the Great Kremlin Palace, (where the President lives now), was built in the 19th century as a residence for Nicholas I. None of the Kremlin palaces are open to visitors yet.

Red Square abuts the Kremlin to the northeast. Lenin's Tomb, a sort of sleek massive marble sarcophagus, is planted there. Inside, it is dark, and a series of graded walkways decorated with bizarre, red marble thunderbolts take visitors past the embalmed corpse of Lenin, arranged with an extended hand and looking like wax. Ironically, Moscow's great GUM shopping center, a paragon of capitalist values, sits directly across from the Tomb.

Moscow's most familiar emblem, St. Basil's Cathedral, is also on Red Square. Built by Ivan the Terrible in 1552 to commemorate victories over the Tatars, it is a colorful Oriental jewel. Reputedly, Ivan had its architects blinded to prevent them designing anything like it again. Inside St. Basil's, a series of small, dark, irregular chambers are linked by exquisitely painted passages. Leaving St. Basil's, reeling with its beauty, I looked across Red Square at the gates to the Kremlin and was reminded of an old Russian proverb: 'There is nothing above Moscow except the Kremlin and nothing above the Kremlin except Heaven.'

Underground Moscow is also worthy of adage. Gilded domes and marble floors reflect the soft light thrown by crystal chandeliers; bronze statuary and colorful mosaics tell stories from myth and history; great halls arch above sweeping staircases, punctuated by delicate carved railing: This is the Moscow Metro.

One of Stalin's pet projects, the stations were conceived of as a sort of people's palace, each unique, some spectacular. Preeminent Soviet architects and artists collaborated, and the project was started in 1932. The stations can be strangely incongruous with the rather colorless, weary crowds I saw bustling through-the magnificent architecture and decoration an ironic glaze over the tedium of life. It is a fast, efficient system, however, carrying more than 8 million commuters each day. A one-way, flat fare token (zheton) costs about 35 cents. All signs are in Cyrillic, so it is a good idea to purchase a guide in English. I took the metro many times, at all times of the day-it runs from 5:30 a.m. until 1 a.m.-and found it much easier than trying to get through the horrendous traffic in any other way. The tourism group Patriarchi Dom offers a very good guided tour of the system, and there is even a Museum of the Metro at the Sportivnaya Station.

I was most impressed by the mosaic representations of Russian national heroes and Soviet soldiers marching across the ceiling of the Novokuzenetska Station, and by the Ploschad Revolutsii Station where dozens of Socialist-realist bronze figures bloom larger than life from every column, glorifying the worker, in all shapes from ironworker to infantryman.

One night we took the metro to the ballet because we did not want to be late. My sister-in-law had procured front center balcony seats for a performance of Sleeping Beauty at the Bolshoi Theatre (literally 'big' theatre). After checking our coats and drinking a glass of Russian shampanskoye in the lobby bar, we took our seats on the top tier 'balkon.' From there, perched on slim velvet chairs, we got a full view of the ornate red and gold splendor of the inner theater itself.

Built in 1824, the building's grand Ionic facade hides a neglected interior. Like elsewhere in Moscow, the building and the dancers suffer from privation. The company was started in 1773 as a dancing school for the Moscow Orphanage and has retained a very traditional repertoire. The Bolshoi acoustics are excellent, and the performance I saw was highly theatrical with rich costumes and lovely music.

Tickets to a Bolshoi performance actually cost about 50 cents, but it is difficult to buy them at face value. They are bought up by legitimate agencies and racketeers weeks before performances and resold to foreigners at enormous profit, usually at about 50 times their actual cost. Touts sell tickets outside the popular venues, or they can be bought at the theatre kiosks (Teatralnaya Kassa) located near most metro stations. There is a good one in front of the Intourist main office on Manezhnaya Ploschad.

For a different sort of Russian experience, we went one night for dinner at Mama Zoya's, a well known Georgian restaurant. Georgians are known for their love of music and food, (wine and women, too), and the restaurant did not disappoint.

The entrance to Mama Zoya's is through a rough, wooden door in the corner of an inner courtyard. A short, narrow staircase leads guests below ground as rich odors waft up accompanied by a melancholy voice singing with guitar. The smoke overwhelmed us as a seedy, velvet curtain was pulled back to reveal the restaurant itself. Low ceilings and shabby carpets enhanced the sinister feel. The music stopped. We were eyed with suspicion and only grudgingly served a bottle of excellent Georgian wine while we waited to be seated. Everything was red: the wallpaper, the table linens, the carpeting, the plates, our waiter's eyes... Suddenly, amid the dark looks, smoke, and rich smells, the guitarist broke into song and the entire room lost interest in us. We felt collective relief and ordered an enormous meal, some of almost everything on the menu washed down with lots of Georgian wine. The food was delicious and tasted Mediterranean with lots of garlic and herbs, tasty cheese bread (khachapuri), meat dumplings (palmeni), and eggplant (baklazhan). The bill came to about $30 for five of us.

The next day, feeling somewhat the effects of the large meal, I ventured to a real Russian bath, or banya, the Sandonuvskaya at Pervy Neglinny Pereulok. The banya is a tradition in Russia and nothing like the spa experience in the United States-not yet, at least. First of all, the bathhouses I saw were all rather rundown. Second, they are inexpensive, about $3 for the whole day. You buy the famous switch of birch (veniki) from a vendor stationed near the bathhouse entrance.

After leaving all clothing in your assigned vestibule (leave valuables at home), you take a shower and soak your veniki. Then you enter either the dry sauna or the steam room for as long as you can stand it, switching yourself (and your neighbor, if she asks) with the birch as the pores open. I went with another American woman and her adolescent daughter. The Russian women knew we were foreigners because we did not cover our hair. They were all wearing gummy woolen caps to protect theirs and told us ours would fall out.

At first, we were eyed with suspicion, although my friend speaks Russian. But the women slowly came around to us as we withstood all forms of birchbeating, turned blazing pink, and shuffled dutifully from dry to steam sauna then into the cold pool without a whimper. We ended up sharing laughs and feeling part of the big, maternal Russian group.

'You are brave for American girls,' one of the women informed us, 'not so soft as we thought.'

Most bathhouses also offer splendid massage services, and some have onsite estheticians for facials, manicures, and pedicures. It is a thoroughly rejuvenating experience.

Moscow has been going through its own rejuvenation over the past five years. 'It's vitality and chaos are a direct result of the collapse of communism and the efforts of its citizens to reinvent their lives,' according to one travel authority.

Religion, the Marxist 'opium of the people,' is making a comeback, including newer religions, such as Mormonism, which some Russian women find attractive for its abstinence approach, (there is a lot of heavy drinking in Russia).

Construction is taking place everywhere, most spectacularly in the resurrection of many of the great churches that Stalin destroyed or converted. He had one of the finest, turned into a public swimming pool.

I did not find Moscow a particularly friendly place, but it did not seem dangerous either. When I was there, the painful effects of economic transition were most apparent in the large number of old people, pensioners, selling their belongings on the streets to help meet the costs of living. Perversely, there is also a glamorous, obviously monied group of Muscovites who drive around in expensive cars and wear designer jewels and clothing.

The city seems to function on at least two distinct levels; then again, like the Matryoshka dolls, there are surely many not evident at first glance. It will take more trips to Moscow to even begin to solve its riddles.

Getting There

I flew Finnair to Moscow, through Helsinki. The current advance purchase ticket price is about $1100. The supersaver fare from Sept. 16-Oct. 31 is $908 weekday/$968 weekend. In November, fares go down to $798/$848. The flight from New York is impeccable and the food delicious. Finnair also offers special rates at the Hotel InterContinental in Helsinki, a lovely city where a three-day sojourn on the return trip is a good way to reacclimate and relax. Call Finnair for details at (703) 534-7512 or (800) 950-0500.

Austria: Treasures of an Imperial Past

By Patricia Keegan and Dan Davis 

The Esterhazys were the richest and most powerful of the Hungarian nobles and stalwart supporters of the Hapsburg monarchy, but their main claim to fame these days is that the music-loving warrior, Prince Paul Esterhazy, hired Joseph Haydn to serve as Kapellmeister in 1761. The great composer was in charge of all musical activities for the family, churning out masterpiece after masterpiece for the dejection of the Esterhazys and their guests for the bulk of his long and active life.

The linkage with Haydn lent luster to the Esterhazy name long after the dynasty crumbled under the onslaughts of war and the upheavals of the 20th century. It's celebrated today by the annual Haydn Festival at the restored Esterhazy palace in the lovely town of Eisenstadt, situated in the fecund wine country a half-hour's drive south of Vienna.

A day at the Festival in mid-September yielded some memorable musical experiences, beginning with a noon concert by the aptly-named Haydn Quartet at the Palace's Chapel, a long, narrow, gilt-trimmed hall whose pale blue walls set off a magnificent inlaid wood pulpit and a marble alter crowned with a Baroque-era painting of Mary and Jesus flanked by kneeling angels. The concert included a rarely performed arrangement for string quartet of excerpts from Haydn's greatest oratorio, The Creation. The reverberant hall bathed the instruments in a warm, rich aural environment that often made the four string players sound like a full orchestra, without losing instrumental detail, which often occurs in such surroundings.

Emerging into the sunlit afternoon, we continued our Haydn odyssey with a visit to the hilltop church known these days as 'the Haydn Church' where the composer's remains are interred in a marble sarcophagus.

Another mandatory stop for Haydn pilgrims is the Haydn Museum, situated in the house in which the composer lived and wrote most of his scores. Some of those scores - including many in Haydn's own hand, along with early copies and print editions - are on view at the museum. Other rooms are filled with contemporary portraits of the composer, his friends and renowned pupils, instruments, a unique table that opens to hold eight music stands for at home concerts, and, among much else, Haydn's death mask. More rooms in an adjoining house now seamlessly incorporated into the museum offer special exhibit areas and a multimedia room where visitors can view and hear Performances of Haydn's music.

That evening, it was back to the Palace for a Haydn opera, the rarely heard L'isola disabitata, at the Haydnsalle, the Esterhazy's large, brilliantly decorated concert hall. The festive air was enhanced by a wind and brass quintet situated in the corner of the cobblestoned inner courtyard, piping concertgoers in with bouncy arrangements of Haydn's tunes.

On entering the hall, once we could tear our eyes from the ornate painted ceiling, we saw a stage dominated by the side of a large ship -the vessel carrying the protagonists to a stormy shipwreck, vividly portrayed in the Overture. The plot background - shipwreck, struggling ashore on a deserted island, the kidnapping of the hero by pirates, and the resultant abandonment of the heroine and her little sister were mimed to the extended Overture.

The opera begins with the heroine, convinced she's been ditched by her husband, warning her now teenaged sister against the perfidies of men. Of course, the husband has managed to escape and now returns to the island in search of his wife, leading to plot entanglements revolving around mistaken identities, the awakening of young love (the sister and the husband's young relative who accompanies him), forgiveness and reconciliation. It culminates in a grand final Quartet, in which the four principles are joined on stage by sole violin, cello, flute and bassoon who embody their personalities in purely musical terms.

The Festival performance was a knockout - four handsome, fresh-voiced young singers whose artistry conveyed the wide range of emotions captured by Haydn, who elevated this standard desert island melodrama into a work rich in musical inventiveness and emotional depth. The staging added immeasurably to the evening's success - only some silly, unnecessary updating in Act One (the sailors accompanying the husband and his cousin arrive with cameras and surveyors equipment!) mar the otherwise satisfying production. one unbreachable rule of the theatre is: if you're going to have a shipwreck on stage, it had better be a good one. This one was a smashing success. The Festival's music director, Adam Fischer, conducted the Austro-Hungarian Haydnphilharmonie, with aplomb and the smiles on the faces of the audience as they left the hall, testified to the evening's success.

Back in Vienna the following night, the famed Staatsoper proved an irresistible lure, with Jean-Pierre Ponnelle's production of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro. At the Staatsoper, the hall itself provides an awesome sense of occasion from the magnificent grand staircase leading to the tiers to the lovely interior with its blend of Jugendstil austerity wedded to a sedate version of Baroque jewel-box. On this evening, the vocal electricity was supplied by the Figaro, Ferruccio Furlanetto, whose expansive baritone and pungent acting brought the character to life, and American mezzo Susan Graham, whose beautifully sung and acted Cherubino stole the show. The production, premiered in 1977, looks a bit faded these days and Ponnelle's cynical outlook (his Count flirts with the girls after his reconciliation with the Countess) undercuts Mozart's music. But Figaro, with the right singers, is virtually director-resistant and all in-all, it was a grand evening at the opera.

So was the next night, for what's a visit to Vienna without seeing a Strauss operetta? His most beloved work, Die Fledermaus, was given a superb performance at Vienna's second opera house, the Volksoper. You'd think that an old warhorse like this would be ossified by overfamiliarity, especially in a house that specializes in operetta. But this was a Fledermaus as fresh and fetching as it must have been on its opening night 124 years ago. The Volksoper production wisely resists the temptation to introduce post-modern distortions and managed to invest the sight-gags with a freshness and sense of fun that added to the joys offered by the superb cast of singing actors. The troubled Eisenstein couple were especially fine, with Sona Ghazarian etching an expansive Rosalinde and Adolf Dallapozza acting well and wrapping his lyric tenor around Gabriel's lines with thrust and verve. But then, the entire cast was fine, the non-singing buffo, Frosch, brought the house down with his antics, Linda Pavelka was a stunning Orlofsky, and the orchestra leaned into Strauss' infectious waltz rhythms to the manner born.

There will be more Strauss operettas in the coming year, the centennial of his death in 1899. And there will be more Haydn rarities at the next Haydn Festival. In fact, Vienna, Eisenstadt, and the rest of Austria are a movable musical feast, a natural destination for travelers seeking sounds, as well as sights.

Croatia - Looking to a Bright Future

An Interview with Ambassador Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic

By J. P. Finley

Stepping out of her stately Massachusetts Avenue office, Croatian Ambassador Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic exudes grace and elegance. Through the course of an interview, she applies the depth and knowledge necessary for a diplomat of one of the fastest developing nations in the world.

Amongst the seven languages Ambassador Kitarovic speaks, her English is flawless, with few hints of an accent. She attended high school in Los Alamos, New Mexico, mastering English, before embarking on a worldwide educational tour. Kitarovic holds a BA and MA in political science from the University of Zagreb in Croatia. In 2002 she received the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship doing pre-doctoral research at George Washington University in Washington DC. While at GW, Kitarovic won the Presidential Medal for her studies on international relations and security. She also studied throughout Europe, attending seminars, conferences and academic retreats in Zurich, Brussels, and Geneva, where she cultivated an understanding of successful democratic and free market societies.

In January 1992, during the breakup of Yugoslavia, Kitarovic began her career of service to her country. Working her way up the ranks of the Croatian Foreign Ministry, she concentrated on relations with the United States. By 1995 she headed the North American Department of the Foreign Ministry, and in 1998 she took her first diplomatic position in Ottawa, Canada.

After returning to Croatia in 2003, Kitarovic was elected to the Croatian Parliament and was consequently appointed Minister of European Integration. She has acted in many roles to help Croatia prepare to join the EU. In 2005 she was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Croatia. On April 9, 2008 she became Ambassador to the United States.

The Ambassador first spoke with us about Croatia's post war period. On June 25, 1991, Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia and war broke out. After a tumultuous period that wreaked havoc and destruction, the war in Croatia ended in 1995.

Washington International: What were the major issues for Croatia after the war?

Ambassador Kitarovic: During the war almost 1/3 of our territory was occupied, and we had a lot of displaced persons whom we had to take care from the occupied area, along with a huge number of refugees who came to Croatia from the war in Bosnia. Through time, we were able to reintegrate the occupied territory. In 1998 we reintegrated the last remaining portion of eastern Slavonia into Croatia. Over 230,000 people have returned to their homes, 140,000 people of Serbian background. Croatia remains determined to accept back every single refugee who wants to, and has the right to return to Croatia. So after people started returning to their homes, the building of infrastructure was very important. Every person whose home was damaged in the war had the right to apply for assistance.

As people start returning, you have to work on reconciliation at the local level, which I believe was done successfully. Incidents do happen from time to time, but they are immediately sanctioned and are becoming fewer and fewer. The biggest problems now in the return areas are of an economic development nature. I’m happy to say that Croatia has gone through a tremendous transformation. We have really become an exemplary country, not just in the immediate region, but as a country in general -- a country that has been able to successfully overcome the legacy of war, successfully reintegrate and reconcile the population, and foster good neighborly relations.

This was a huge economic challenge because 90 percent of total resources came from the State budget. Today, we have not only rebuilt infrastructures, but we are well on our way to becoming members of the European Union and NATO. Of course, we have been implementing a lot of criteria while conducting numerous reforms in the political and administrative areas toward building and strengthening the economy.

We are progressing well in our EU accession negotiations, and we plan to close them by the end of 2009. I expect that next April, during the NATO anniversary, we will become a member. I’m happy to say that the US was the third country to ratify Croatia’s and Albania’s accession protocol to NATO which sends a very important message to our people. What President Bush said during the ceremony -- that Croatia has undergone and successfully conducted this transformation -- also sends an important message to Southeast Europe -- that we have taken the right path, and want other allies to go ahead with their ratifications as well.

What about the other countries of the former Yugoslavia. How are they doing?

Ambassador: Countries are at different stages of EU and NATO integration, and we support every single country in southeast Europe in becoming members in NATO and the EU, provided they fulfill all the relevant criteria. I believe this will insure a truly lasting stability in the entire region. The prospect of membership serves as an excellent catalyst to go ahead with reforms, and as a blueprint, because we basically have to go through the same transition that other Central and Eastern European countries already went through in moving from a planned economy to a market economy, from a Communist system to a Democratic nation.

How do you assess your relations with Serbia?

Serbia’s new government is more pro-western oriented, and we hope they will fully realize that joining the EU offers the best future for Serbia. Unfortunately, after Croatia’s recognition of Kosovo and the recent decision of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, that it has jurisdiction over Croatia’s lawsuit against Serbia, there has been stagnation in the bilateral relationship. We have established a diplomatic presence in Kosovo, operating in the status of an Embassy. We hope that the reality of Croatia’s recognition of the independence of Kosovo will not dominate our bilateral relationship with Serbia, and that we will continue working on the relations between the countries in the spirit of mutual respect.

What about Bosnia?

We have a special interest in Bosnia becoming a stable country. We share a long border with Bosnia which is 99 percent determined, however, there are actually two spots that have not been resolved yet. There are a few other open issues which we are leaving to the experts. We believe these issues should not be critical, and we are determined to be supportive and to concentrate on the bulk of the relationship which is very positive. We recently supported and, actually, were the co-partners in inviting Bosnia and Montenegro to become part of the US Initiative in which Croatia and Albania were already a part.

We firmly support not only the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bosnia, but also the constitutional equality of all three nations -- Croats, Serbs and Bosnians -- in the entire country. We hope they find solutions to strengthen the institutions in an emancipated, functioning government and create the mechanism for the protection of national rights in the entire territory.

Before the recent global economic downturn, there had been a lot of investment in Croatia, and visitors saw numerous construction projects in the capital, Zagreb. How has this been affected?

Our financial and monetary institutions have remained quite stable. Croatia is still the most dynamic country in southeast Europe with steady economic growth, relatively low inflation, a stable currency, and a GDP that continues to grow. According to the World Bank, for the past two years we have had a place among the top 10 performers of the world. The regulatory improvements we have made are important for investment in Croatia, especially foreign direct investment.

Our economy is primarily service based, 67 percent of GDP is derived from that sector. We have ship building, food processing, also biochemical industries and pharmaceuticals. The agricultural sector is showing more potential as we grow natural produce free of chemicals. We would like to increase exports without affecting quality. With the increasing demand for organic foods, I think Croatia will have a place in the European Union and many parts of the world for its agricultural products.

But as far as the financial crisis goes, you would expect a slowdown in trade and exports to certain countries, and that is how it could affect Croatia. We have become a huge vacation destination, with 10 million tourists attracted by a small country with a spectacular coast, fine hotels and wonderful cuisine. We receive hundreds of cruise ships along the Dalmatian coast. We have about 1,200 islands off that coast, all different and picture perfect, and great for nautical tourism.

It remains to be seen how general economic trends will affect us, but we hope that the popularity of Croatia as a tourist destination will attract at least the same number of tourists as we had last summer season.

Could you expand a little on the Green Field investment?

We have a state agency promoting investment. The agency works to find the best places for potential investors and helps them to carry out the deal. Opportunities are vast -- from hotels and marinas to the potential opening of a Coca Cola bottling plant. Much depends on local planning and how they view the land's purpose -- whether they want industry, and what kind of industry is in their economic development plan. We want to encourage ecological sensitivity. We offer incentives for this kind of investment and want to make it long term.

What are your goals while in Washington?

Well, you know Croatia has reached the highest level of relations with the US since its independence. Our relations are very good. Of course, we still have a lot of room toward further building of bridges of friendship and working together, particularly in the economic sphere. We would like to see more US investment in Croatia, higher trade figures, and more American tourists.

Right now we are members of the UN Security Council. We have been cooperating with the US in many fields and been a part of the Global Cooperation in combating terrorism. We have 300 of our troops in Afghanistan and have been participating in many UN peace-keeping missions.

We want to continue our cooperation with the US in working for global peace and stability. Our imminent NATO membership will present us with another framework for closer cooperation. We very much appreciate the early ratification of our NATO accession under the leadership of President Bush and also the bi-partisan support that secured early ratification.

One of the objectives for Croatia is to become a part of the Visa Waiver Program. We don’t require a visa for US citizens visiting Croatia, but Croatians are required to have a visa to visit the US. We are currently working on the bi-lateral agreement and other aspects that we must satisfy in order to become part of the program. We are looking forward to continuing our dialogue and cooperation on all these issues with the new administration.

The Ambassador lives in northwest Washington with her husband, Jakov, and their two young children, Katarina and Luka. Her children attend American public schools, like their mother years before.