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Images: Acadia National Park

These are views from our first day at Acadia National Park taken while driving the Park Loop Road, including Cadillac Mountain views, Jordan Pond and views from the trail around Jordan Pond, and walking the trail to Thunder Hole.

June 2018

All photos by James Carey

Acadia National Park, Day 1 – Mt. Desert Island, Maine

We woke up to a beautiful bright day, and after breakfast, set out for the park.

View from Cadillac Mountain

The first part of the park that you encounter as you enter is the Park Loop Drive which is on the east half of Mt. Desert Island. This takes you pass almost all the high traffic sections of the park like Cadillac Mountain, Jordan Pond and its hiking trails, the Bubbles, Thunder Hole, and the little town of Northeast Harbor.

Islands viewed from Cadillac Mountain

The first stop was Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on the North Atlantic coast and the first place in the US where you can view sunrise from October to March. At 1500+ feet, it is not really that high but it offers spectacular views of the surrounding bay and islands. Also the drop in temperature even in summer was dramatic. At the base of the mountain is was 87F’ that morning on the top with winds it was about 49F’. So bring a coat or jacket, you will need it.

Continuing along the Park Loop, you come to Jordan Pond and the historical Jordan Tea House. Finding parking in the car lot is tight so bring your peaceful, calm side because it can be frustrating and this was just the early summer season for tourists. The Park Service does offer a free shuttle service to various parts of the park, so check their website for more info and schedule on this service.

Jordan Pond

The Jordan Pond House traces its history from 1847. A man by the name of William Bennett built the first road to the pond in 1836. He had bought the land to start a logging business. He built a house and two mills. Three years later the Jordan brothers bought the property and operated the mills for many years, cutting and sawing the heavy growth of timber which covered the valleys and sides of the mountains, – and the pond gained its name.

In 1847 they built the original farm-house which forms a part of the present Jordan Pond House.  The pond was named for the Jordan family for whom the pond and house were named. The Jordan Pond House was founded as a restaurant by Mr. Melvan Tibbetts in the early 1870’s. People would ride out in their carriages on the weekends from Bar Harbor to the pond and the Tea House would serve refreshments to people on the grounds while they hiked or admired the views. Both the Pond and the Bubbles are visible from the Tea House, which still serves food today.

The Bubbles

The Bubbles are two small mountains located on the northern end of Jordan Pond. They are asymmetrical pink granite hills that were abraded and smoothed on the northern side and quarried—rough and steep—on the southern side by overriding ice. The Bubbles got their name because of their unusual shape. When viewed from the southern end of Bubble Rock Jordan Pond, the twin mountains look bubble-like. They are different from most other mountains on Mount Desert Island. Rather than the typical elongated shape of most mountains there, they are instead more round.

Bubble Rock or the Balance Boulder is perched precariously on the southeast corner of the summit of the South Bubble. This large rock was transported from the area around Dedham, Maine and left in its current position as the glaciers receded thousands of years ago. Bubble Rock is clearly different from the rocks on which it sits. Bubble Rock is made of white granite rather than the pink granite that makes up the Bubbles and the surrounding mountains. It is called a glacial erratic.

From the Jordan Pond Trail

The Bubbles are accessible from two trails; there is the much steeper Southern Trail that leads from the Jordan Pond Loop Trail to the summit of the South Bubble. It is a short hike, .6 miles, and offers wonderful views of Jordan Pond and the surrounding mountains. The Bubble Trail is short, about four tenths of a mile, and not very steep, quite accessible. Start in the parking area right off of the Park Loop Road. The trail doesn’t offer any views until the summit of either mountain. Both the North and South Bubble peaks are accessible from the trail. There are no restroom facilities at the trail head.

Shoreline Jordan Pond

A carriage road on the western side of Jordan Pond provides spectacular views of the mountains. Also there is also a hiking path surrounding the pond. Jordan Pond Full Loop Trail is a 3.4 mile lightly trafficked loop trail  and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from April until October. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash. Half of the hike along the pond shore is very manageable with easy pathways, but then the path than gets very difficult for older or unsteady hikers and children. Lots of climbing, elevated and narrow plank walkways, and difficult terrain so check which side of the lake suits your hiking style.

From Jordan Pond Trail 2

Our next stop was the little village of Northeast Harbor, which is located on the southern tip of Mt. Desert Island. The village was extremely quaint filled with art galleries and eateries. The village has a significant summer population, and has long  been a quiet enclave of the rich and famous.We stopped at 123 Main Street Restaurant for ice cream and coffee, and a walk down to the marina. Really lovely and off the main track so there were not many tourists that day.

An interesting side note is that this part of world was settled by Quakers among other religious groups seeking a peaceful life in the New World, and there is a Quaker Friendship House in Northeast Harbor. Quakers do not believe that meeting for worship should occur in any special place. They believe that “where two or three meet together in my name, I am there among them” (Revised English Bible, Matthew, Ch 18, v 20). Therefore, meeting for worship may take place in any place.

Thunder Hole

Final stop for the day was on the east part of the Park Loop Drive. We parked and hiked about a mile by a sea-side trail to Thunder Hole. This is a natural rock inlet where waves crash with a thunderous boom & high-flying foam when seas are up. Thunder Hole is just past Sand Beach while traveling south on the Park Loop Road.

From Trail to Thunder Hole

Went back to the hotel and changed for dinner at a local eatery just outside of Bar Harbor called the Chart Room featuring classic New England seafood, pasta & prime rib are on the menu at this casual indoor/outdoor eatery. The wine was very good and dinner hit the spot. During the summer they recommend reservations – 565 Eden St, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, chartroombarharbor.com, (207) 288-9740.

Next – Acadia, Day 2

From Trail to Thunder Hole 2

Historical info by Wikipedia, photos by James Carey

Images: Houses of Bar Harbor

Bar Harbor, while not as famous for grand “cottages” of the Gilded Age, as its neighbor to the south, Newport, Rhode Island, it did have some spectacular homes before a massive fire in 1947 burned many of them down, or they were torn down. These are some of the amazing houses still left in Bar Harbor, both private and converted for some other use. Enjoy!

Going Down East – Bar Harbor, Maine

PortFringe was over and we were on to the next part of our Maine excursion. We pulled out of Portland in our rental car after saying goodbye to our wonderful hosts, Laurie and Ross, and headed for Mt. Desert Island. Mt. Desert might be better known to you as Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park which are located on the very large island off the coast of Maine.

We were early in the season for Maine tourism, so the traffic on the 1 as you drove north up the coast was not to bad so we made decent time. We stopped for lunch in Camden and walked around. Pretty little town, but very touristy and crowded.

We turned off the 1 to the 3 at Ellsworth and in about 16 to 18 miles took the bridge over to the island and headed to our hotel – the High Seas Motel on Highway 3 on the outskirts of Bar Harbor. A very reasonably priced, clean family run motel with a heated pool in summer. There is morning coffee and an open kitchen area with microwave open from 7 AM to 10 PM. There is also a coin laundry on the premises for the guests.

After settling in and getting unpacked, we headed for Bar Harbor about 3PM. Bar Harbor is located along Maine’s Frenchman Bay. It serves as the gateway to the mountains and cliffs of neighboring Acadia National Park. Towering over the park, Cadillac Mountain has trails and views of the town, the bay and the Cranberry Islands.  From the town pier, the Shore Path winds along the bay overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the Porcupine Islands, and several of the remaining grand houses of the Glided Age building craze in the 1890’s.

Here I will take a moment to comment on the National Park and its relationship to the island. Acadia National Park covers much of Mt. Desert but there are many selections of the island that are purely residential. When you arrive on the island you are encouraged to buy a $40 pass that allows to travel and park in the National Park. But to be honest, we were on the island and in the National Park everyday – we were never stopped or given a ticket. I am not advocating not supporting the National Park Service, but it is not absolutely necessary to buy a Park Pass in all cases. You may run the risk of getting a parking ticket from the Park Service. Yet, with so many out of state people living on the island during the summer, it is almost impossible to keep track of all the cars and knowing who is a part-time resident or a park visitor. That said I would encourage to support the work of the National Park Service and buy a pass.

Brief History of Bar Harbor

The town of Bar Harbor was founded on the northeast shore of Mount Desert Island, which the Wabanaki Indians knew as Pemetic, meaning “range of mountains” or “mountains seen at a distance.” The Wabanaki seasonally fished, hunted and gathered berries, clams, and other shellfish in the area. They spoke of Bar Harbor as Man-es-ayd’ik (“clam-gathering place”) or Ah-bays’auk (“clambake place”), leaving great piles of shells as evidence of this abundance. In early September 1604, French explorer Samuel de Champlain ran aground on a rock ledge believed to be just off Otter Cliffs, and when he came ashore to repair his boat he met local natives. Champlain named the island Isles des Monts Deserts, meaning “island of barren mountains”—now called Mount Desert Island, the largest in Maine. The community was first settled by Europeans in 1763 by Israel Higgins and John Thomas and incorporated on February 23, 1796 as Eden, after Sir Richard Eden, an English statesman.

The Famous Balance Rock!

In the 1840s, its rugged maritime scenery attracted the Hudson River School and Luminism artists Thomas Cole, Frederic Edwin Church, William Hart and Fitz Henry Lane. Inspired by their paintings, journalists, sportsmen and “rusticators” followed. Agamont House, the first hotel in Eden, was established in 1855 by Tobias Roberts. Birch Point, the first summer estate, was built in 1868 by Alpheus Hardy.

By 1880, there were 30 hotels, and tourists were arriving by train and ferry to the Gilded Age resort that would rival Newport, Rhode Island. The rich and famous tried to outdo each other with entertaining and estates, often hiring landscape gardener and landscape architect Beatrix Farrand, a resident at local Reef Point Estate, to design their gardens. A glimpse of their lifestyles was available from the Shore Path, a walkway skirting waterfront lawns. Yachting, garden parties at the Pot & Kettle Club, and carriage rides up Cadillac Mountain were popular diversions. Others enjoyed horse-racing at Robin Hood Park-Morrell Park. Many of these grand estates and homes were burned down in a massive fire at raged in the town in 1947.

On March 3, 1918, Eden was renamed Bar Harbor, after the sand and gravel bar, visible at low tide, which leads across to Bar Island and forms the rear of the harbor. The name would become synonymous with elite wealth. It was the birthplace of vice-president Nelson Rockefeller on July 8, 1908.

Many influential people have called Bar Harbor home for at least part of the year. John D. Rockefeller, Jr., son of John D. Rockefeller of Standard Oil Co., donated about one-third of the land in Acadia National Park and built the carriage roads that are used for hiking and biking. J. P. Morgan owned a house that is adjacent to Bar Harbor. Cornelius Vanderbilt built cottages in Bar Harbor. The Astor family owned hotels and cottages in Bar Harbor and the surrounding areas. The co-founder and CEO of Burt’s Bees, Roxanne Quimby, has a home near Bar Harbor. Martha Stewart has also been known to frequent Mount Desert Island and been seen in Bar Harbor.

Shore Path

We sent the late afternoon and early evening exploring the small streets of Bar Harbor and walking along the Shore Path (described above). Seeing what remains of the houses that at one time rivaled Newport Beach in Rhode Island, as a playground of the super-wealthy. The walk starts at Argamont Park and moves along the shore till it reached Wayman Lane.

There are several yacht tours of the harbor and islands, some even on large sailing yachts, all docking and leaving from the terminal next to Argamont Park. Many of the large old homes have been converted into hotels, B&B’s and restaurants, and all with wonderful views of the harbor. And of course there are tourists, t-shirt shops and sports bars everywhere.

We opted for dinner at a natural food store on Main Street, but there are eateries of every variety to choose from all serving lobster (especially lobster rolls),  haddock and salmon.

After the walk and dinner, we returned to our hotel for a bottle of wine and some time in the heated pool before the mosquitoes got too bad. Next day  was Monday and that was to be part 1 of two days in Acadia.

Historical data from WikiPedia, Photos by James Carey

 

PortFringe, Part 2 – Portland, Maine

Fringe festivals are very interesting events. Some are by invitation, some you just pay a fee and come do your thing. Some are small and some are huge in terms of numbers of shows and people coming to see them. Some feature local artists and some draw on international artists. No one (well very few) make any real money but the festivals continue to spring up around the world because someone has a passion for presenting weird theatre experiences and hopefully they can find an audience that will support that desire.

Portland, or PortFringe as it is called, is a small festival (31 artists), by invitation (names are drawn out of a hat), and this year mostly featured local artists. There was a wide spectrum of material from storytelling to magic to Shakespeare to dance to physical theatre. There were 3 artists from the West Coast and a bunch from along the East Coast, and about 50% local artists. And when you come to a festival the politics of fringe begin to take effect.

You have to hustle up an audience in order to play before people and get the name of your show out. You go to other shows and support other artists so that they will come see your show. You go to events where you talk to other artists and you exchange post cards and ‘excitedly’ talk about your shows. Anything to get the word out so you don’t end up performing for no one. Hustle, schmooze, sell, support and repeat! And if done correctly, you get a decent audience, other artists begin to talk about your show, you support them, and really work to see shows and be seen. This results in awards from the festival (audience awards, critic awards, best this and that award, etc.) that you use for PR in advancing and advertising your next fringe festival performances.

(I won a PortFringe 2018 Critics Choice Award – that is pretty cool!!!)

I chose Portland for a few reasons. I need to get back onstage, the fees were some of the cheapest, it was small with a good chance I could get in, they found housing for the artists, and I had never been there. When I got selected – I was surprised. Not because my show is not good, but I had only applied for 3 festivals and to get into any of them is by chance.

Drydock

So I pulled  my show out of mothballs (been over a year since I last did it in San Diego), rehearsed it, got my ad materials together, bought my ticket and waited for the dates to arrive. I was giving the name of a couple that would host me and my partner, and we planned of seeing all the shows that we could. Our goal was to get one of those awards – either critic or audience – whether it was based on actual quality of the performance or just that we had supported everyone else and played the game correctly.

PortFringe just never told us how effing beautiful the city of Portland was! It was gorgeous! The small city, the bay, the islands in the bay, the parks, the old houses and working class neighborhoods, the water front, the lobster boats and always the light and sky. Summer in Portland must be heaven.

Our plans to see all the shows went out the window because we were so busy seeing the Portland area. Our hosts were always telling us about some new place or adventure we should take. The city is so walk able – so the parks – West Prom and East Prom got done. The Mailboat cruise to 5 of the closest islands, a boat journey through Casco Bay with my host to see his new boat in dry dock up on Long Island, a cruise and hike around Peak’s Island with a lovely dinner by the water, the amazing food available in Portland, and the exciting and vibrant history of the town and its port right in front of your eyes. So instead of fitting in scenery around the plays, we were now fitting shows in around our journeys through Portland.

We got some very nice reviews and a standing ovation at one show, plus a  Critics Choice Award. Yet, we mostly got a truly wonderful feeling of Portland and the surrounding area. The people, the places, the bay and the history all made for a wonderful experience. Plus we did see some really good theatre from our fellow artists.

Most memorable for me were three shows: First, Breakneck Julius Caesar was fun. Filled with humor, background, effects and history, Tim Mooney runs through Shakespeare’s political tragedy playing all the parts and uses the audience to help him along. His acting is spot on especially his juxtaposition of Brutus’ speech to the Roman citizens at Caesar’s funeral against Marc Antony’s speech to the same group. You truly see the contrast between the two characters – an arrogant flawed nobility of Brutus against the cunning and ambition of an intelligent Marc Antony. Very good! Tim does 200 shows a year around the country so look out for him. Whether you understand Shakespeare or not – he will make it worth the ride.

Second, was the sci-fi story, The Sibyl of Mars by my friend, L. Nicole Cabe. I have seen 3 of Nicole’s shows and what always impresses me is the depth that her scripts go to create the world that she is trying to bring us into. They are always about the end of civilization as we know it. Some dystopian  future where everything is breaking down and she leads us into these dark, multi-layered worlds using words, symbols, and images to create this fantastic fantasy. The Sibyl is a seer from Mars,  who has come to Earth to find ancient records of Mar’s original mission. Using tarot cards that the audience pulls for her, she pieces together scattered records, learning why her home world’s ecosystem is collapsing. Interesting, interactive and thought-provoking.

Third, I saw a piece by a local artist, Chris DeFilipp. Using the device of a Dungeon and Dragons game, he examines his disturbing childhood filled with abuse and emotional upheaval and survival. Dark, very personal but touching.

I saw some other shows and heard about others that we missed, but these three stood out to me plus Walking While Black Through Moscow which I reviewed in my last column.

Thank you PortFringe for a wonderful festival that I did not support as much as I should have because our city is so damn nice. I feel guilty, but not much. Thank you for the wonderful hosts – Laurie and Ross – and their generous hospitality. And thank you for some great parties at Local 188, Matthews, and Fringe Central.

Next Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park!

 

Images of Maine

 

 

On The Road Again – PortFringe – Portland, Maine

It has been a long time that I have written my column consistently. In January, I took over the artistic direction of a small theatre in Los Angeles and getting them on the right path plus directing 5 plays in 6 months has pretty much taken all my creative time. Not all my personal time, because one cannot live by theatre alone, but all my creative time has pretty much been taken up with running this theatre.

But I also do Fringe festivals around the world presenting my one man shows that I write and produce. And for summer 2018, I am doing PortFringe in Portland, Maine. Literally in the opposite corner of the country. I thought since my duties at the small theatre in LA (the SkyPilot Theatre) were winding down for the summer, this would be a good chance to return to my writing by documenting my Fringe experience at PortFringe, and then take a week-long tour around Maine, a place I have not been since my early acting years when I was based in New York City.

This will take the form of stories, photos and possibly daily diary entries.

Friday, June 15 – Los Angeles

It is 11:59 PM and I am sitting waiting for a United flight to Chicago that is now running thirty minutes hour late. Everyone by now has noticed that the airline business just seems to get worse and worse, and they seem to care less and less about customer service. I will eventually take off one hour late putting me in Chicago about 20 minutes after my connecting flight to Portland has left. Free water and pretzels for a 4-hour redeye to Chicago. No movies to even rent, but I did get free wifi!!

I walked off the plane in Chicago having no idea where I was supposed to go to find out about a new connecting flight and I was greeted by a United rep who handed me a ticket for the next flight to Portland at 8 AM. Cool and my luggage would be transferred as well. She promised!

I hate to fly and the only way that I can do it is to take Xannax with a vodka tonic. That chills me out enough that I can usually stand anything, but I can never sleep on the plane, so I always arrive in a zombie state. Got a lame airport breakfast and Bloody Mary and boarded the next flight. Arrived in Portland on a warm bright summer morning and took a taxi into town to the waterfront, where PortFringe had arranged for a couple (Laurie and Ross) to put me up in their condo next to the marina. The view from their deck is truly beautiful.

I dropped off my luggage and walked up to Fringe Central to check in and drop off some promotional material. As I wandered through Portland’s down town, I realized how little I knew of Maine and its history except for Steven King books. Portland was having Gay Pride that day and the town was live with people and colors of the rainbow. Beautiful buildings and a vibrant downtown. I had the feeling this was going to be an extremely fun festival.

Fringe Festivals are all alike and all different. What they have in common is the passion that one or more people have in presenting theatre pieces from all over the country and sometimes the world to their home audience. The difference is how they operate, and most are operated by well meaning and dedicated but underpaid staff plus passionate volunteers. The all have different rules and operating procedures that you as the artist just have to deal with because they are not going to change for you. The fact that you are getting to present your work in another city on the other side of country is an amazing thing in the first place.

You are self-produced and self-funded and if you make any money it is because people at the festival come out for your show, but there is no guarantee that will happen. Some festivals you can play for large houses and some you will play for crowds of 3 or 4. I have had both experiences. Sold out shows in Harare, Zimbabwe and played for 2 people at Hollywood Fringe one night. You just never know.

I went why do it? Because you have too. You have a need, a desire, and passion to tell a story and connect with an audience of perfect strangers.

After lunch, I went back to the luxurious condo – believe me the living conditions are never this nice – and took a nap. As I write this little report, I am sitting on my hosts’ deck watching the sun set over the river and marina. Lovely and relaxing and very nice after the hectic past months.

Meanwhile, my writing partner who is coming to join me has been sitting in the LA airport for 7 hours because of a delayed flight by United. They offered to pay for a hotel room and gave her (2) 10 dollar food voucher. In LAX you cannot buy anything for 10 dollars. Ouch!

Tonight I caught the new show by my road warrior friend Les Kurkendaal called While Walking Black in Moscow with fellow road dogs Nicole Cabe and Chris DeFilipp. Very funny show and descriptive about what it is like to be gay in Russia.

Home to bed about 1:30 AM – theatre life on the road again.

 

Christmas Day on Isla Mujeres – Riviera Maya, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Staying in Cancun over the Christmas holidays, I decided to leave my all-inclusive escape bubble and journey out to see some of the amazing Yucatan beauty. I have been to Cancun before and seen the Mayan ruins, visited Tulum and Playa del Carmen, but had never ventured to Isla Mujeres, a beautiful little island about 30 minutes ferry ride from Cancun.

While there are several ferry companies to choose from, the easiest by far is Ultramar Passenger Ferry which has 4 different launch sites just in the Cancun area. One of them was literally next door to my hotel. The cost was $19 US round trip and they took US dollars, Pesos, and credit cards. From my location trips left almost every hour and half with the last trip going to the island at 8:45 PM. Final return trip from the island was at 9:15 PM.

 

You land at the Passenger terminal docks right in the middle of downtown Isla Mujeres. A magical little town full of tourist shops, all types of hotels and hostels, bars and restaurants, transportation businesses that rent bikes, mopeds, and golf carts. The downtown is also right next to Playa Norte, considered one to the best beaches in the Caribbean (locals say the world). It is a 5 mile stretch of beautiful white sand located on the northern part of the island. It is full year-round with tourists from all over the world mixing with the locals making for a very bohemian feel. It is also an amazing place to watch a Caribbean sunset while drinking a cool brew!

Preferred transportation is by moped or golf cart that are very easy to find all over the downtown area of Isla Mujeres. Golf carts rent for 200 pesos for an hour to 700 pesos for all day. Current exchange rate is about 17 pesos to 1 US dollar. I rented a golf cart for three hours and it was a perfect way to travel around the island even if it was not very fast. As you travel south out of downtown you pass through the residential areas of Isla Mujeres. Like all parts of Mexico you will find nice and poor areas, but overall the standard of living on the island is rather high. The Cancun area has an unemployment rate of under 2 percent.

After about 20 minutes you will come to a fork in the road. To the left will lead you to Punta Sur with the old lighthouse, an Mayan fort with a sculpture garden on the cliffs above the end of island, and to the east coast road back to downtown. To the right will take you up a thin peninsula that leads back toward the north. Here you will find several private luxury hotels and the famous Tortugranja (Turtle Farm) and the Dolphin Discovery park. Breathtaking views are in all directions as you travel around the island. To completely cover the island without many stops would take about an hour but each few feet there is another view, another place to relax with a cold beer or another taqueria serving delicious fresh seafood.

As you drive up the eastern coast road you continue to pass amazing views of the Atlantic although the coast here is much rockier. Also, this part of the island has some amazing private homes that reflect the great wealth that this part of Mexico has, and the very interesting mix of architecture brought by the different cultures that have passed through this area in the last 500 years.

Returned to the town of Isla Mujeres around sunset, turned in the golf cart, and had a very lovely dinner on the beach watching a sunset while eating fresh fish tacos. Caught the 6:45 ferry back to Cancun and was in my hotel room by 7:30 PM. A perfect Christmas day!

Other things to do on Isla Mujeres are to take advantage of the world-class snorkeling and scuba diving. Dive shops exist all over the island. Another huge attraction for diving and snorkeling fans is the famous MUSA Underwater Museum of Art which is an underwater museum located in the National Marine Park surrounding the Cancun, Isla Mujeres, and Punta Nizuc area. MUSA contains over 500 sculptures of more than six different artists. The sculptures provide areas for coral growth and contribute to give shelter for fish. The Museum highlights the relationship between art and environmental science, and all of the sculptures are made from materials that promote coral life. The museum can be enjoyed by both divers and snorkelers.

Berlin’s Holocaust Memorials – Berlin, Germany

In the last 80 years, the city of Berlin may have gone through more changes than anywhere else in Europe. First, the capital of a struggling and failing democracy, then the capital of a monstrous totalitarian regime, then an invaded city, then a divided city, then the epicenter of a political battle of the two most powerful entities in the world, then a united city, and now like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the capital of the most powerful democracy in Europe. That is a lot of history both good and bad, and Berlin faces that history in both celebration and somber recollection.

Two of the most somber places to face some of that dark history are the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, also known as the Jewish Holocaust Memorial, and the Memorial to the Sinti and Roma Victims of National Socialism. The first is a memorial to the murdered Jewish people throughout Europe during the Nazis’ reign of terror, and the second is a memorial to that minority that Hitler almost eliminated in his racial purges, the Sinti and Roma peoples. The Sinti and Roma are nomadic people found throughout Europe and the United States. Often both groups are referred to as Roma, collectively, they are popularly referred to as Gypsies.

Before the Second World War, Berlin had one of the largest Jewish populations in Europe, and the Murdered Jews memorial seems to speak to that history. With its location in the city centre directly across from Tiergarten, Berlin’s large main park, and near to both the Reichstag building and the Brandenburg Gate, the monument provides a central reference point for visitors.

The monument is composed of 2711 rectangular concrete blocks, laid out in a grid formation, the monument is organized into a rectangle-like array covering about 5 acres. The design allows for long, straight, and narrow alleys between them while the ground below them undulates in dips and rises. Designed by American architect Peter Eisenman, the number of slabs (or stelaes) is not symbolic, but rather fit the dimensions designed by Eisenman. The slabs are made of gray concrete treated with a protective chemical coating that allows for the easy removal of graffiti and other forms of defacement.

There are many interpretations to the memorial design. Eisenman’s own description states, “the stelae are designed to produce an uneasy, confusing atmosphere, and the whole sculpture aims to represent a supposedly ordered system that has lost touch with human reason.” The most common is that of a graveyard. And another is that the size, scale and straight lines of the design evoke the discipline and unquestioning bureaucratic order that kept the killing machine grinding along. There are parts of the memorial where you entered a dip and you are surrounded by massive blocks that cut you off from the sights and sounds of the city around you.

Beneath the slabs, is the real center of the memorial. The information center, which is located underground at the site’s eastern edge, begins with a timeline that lays out the history of the Final Solution, from when the National Socialists (Nazis) took power in 1933 through the murder of 500,000 Soviet Jews in 1941. The rest of the exhibition is divided into four rooms dedicated to personal aspects of the tragedy, like reading of the letters thrown from the trains that transported the Jews to the death camps, or The Room of Families which focuses on the fates of 15 specific Jewish families from different parts of Europe, or the Room of Names, where names of all known Jewish Holocaust victims obtained from the Yad Vashem memorial in Israel are read out loud.

To walk through these rooms is both humbling and horrifying. Humbling in the realization of the millions of people who suffered just because of their race, religion or sexual orientation. And horrifying when you realize the sheer scale of the Final Solution, and its amazing ability and efficiency to care out that goal.  You have to look for the information center, and many critics have questioned the placement of the center. It is underground and not well-marked, but while the above slabs of concrete evoke a graveyard, the personal stories you hear of ruined lives and families and survival in the information center will break your heart.

The complete opposite of the Jewish Holocaust Memorial is the small, quiet, almost hidden Memorial to the Sinti and Roma Victims of National Socialism. The memorial is located inside Tiergarten just north of the Brandenburg Gate. This monument is dedicated to the memory of the 220,000 – 500,000 people murdered in the Porajmos – the Nazi genocide of the European Sinti and Roma peoples.

The memorial was designed by Israeli artist Dani Karavan and consists of a dark, circular pool of water at the centre of which there is a triangular stone. The triangular shape of the stone is in reference to the badges that had to be worn by concentration camp prisoners. The stone is retractable, and a fresh flower is placed upon it daily. In bronze letters around the edge of the pool is the poem ‘Auschwitz’ by Roma poet Santino Spinelli.

While thousands stream through the other memorial because of its location and unique design, this quiet pool attracts far fewer people, but the message is no less powerful. The pool, the poem written along the pool, and the quiet respect people show give this small memorial a power that truly moves you.

There are certainly more fun thinks to do in Berlin, but importance that the city itself places on these memorials in the heart of Berlin make them essential places to visit. Not only to reflect on those who have gone, but to make sure horrors like this near occur again.

(Many of the facts about the Memorials were supplied by Wikipedia and other sources.)

Visit to Cannery Row – Monterey, California

On a recent business trip to the Bay Area, I had the chance to spend part of the day in Monterey, California. I had not been to Monterey in about 18 years, and I was both astonished but not surprised by the changes along the world-famous street “Cannery Row.”

Cannery Row is most famous for the John Steinbeck book written about it in  1945, Cannery Row. The book is set during the Great Depression and tells the tale of the down and out fishermen and cannery workers on a street lined with sardine canneries. The actual row was known as Ocean View Avenue until it was named Cannery Row in 1946 in honor of Steinbeck’s book.

Yet, the story of Cannery Row started long before that with the arrival in the early 1850’s of Chinese sailing families into the area, and they began fishing in the rich waters of Monterey Bay. During the 1880’s, the Southern Pacific Railroad arrived in the area opening the rugged Monterey Peninsula to the world. By around 1902, the beginnings of what would be a massive fishing industry along the Monterey coast began with the first small canneries opening. In 1906, a huge fire destroyed much of the “Chinatown” area of Monterey ending their dominance among the local fishing workers, and they were soon replaced by Japanese and Filipino workers and other fishermen who also began to live around Ocean View Avenue.

From around 1916 to 1945, the Row became the “Sardine Capital of the World” as is supplied tons and tons of sardines for canning and for fertilizer. It only ended when they had totally over fished the Monterey Bay and surrounding areas of sardines. Then a slow sad decline began as the canneries closed leaving their huge metal skeletons empty along the coast. The buildings and small wood frame houses built among the canneries began to fill with painters and writers, bars and whore houses and bums.

During the 1950’s and 60’s, small family restaurants and eateries began to open along the Row making it more of a family atmosphere as tourism began to drift in due to Steinbeck’s book and the artist colony that now was established there. In 1984, the biggest change to the row since the end of the canneries came in the form of the world-famous Monterey Bay Aquarium with its aggressive educational outreach programs to the local school children in the area.

When I first visited the area in 1998, the Row had a strong tourist vibe going but the shops housed antiques stores, thrift shops, second hand stores, and vintage clothing stores. A couple of chain restaurants had opened along the Row, but it still seemed to be dominated by local family places. My then wife and I bought a beautiful 3-piece vase and bowl set made of cut blue glass that I still use today. The Row still maintained a semi-hippy vibe and charm that went well with the Monterey coast and weather.

Today the Row is a tourist haven filled with upscale eateries and bars, Starbucks, and t-shirt shops. Anchored by the Aquarium, the cannery buildings that are still there have been turned into small indoor malls featuring all types of shops selling tourist junk made somewhere else. All the vacant lots are being filled with condos and upscale hotels. It was a November weekday morning and the street was crowded, during the summer it must be a parking nightmare with bumper to bumper traffic. There are also several B&B’s in the area that are worth checking out for a nice stay along the Row.

The City has done a nice job of trying to keep some the history of the Row with a recreation trail right in the middle of the area featuring markers along the way describing the history of the area and some of the older buildings that are now historically preserved. The area is a little hilly but totally walk-able and is contained in a 7 by 3 block area along the coastline. There is a wonderful open-air plaza with good eateries and ocean views called Steinbeck Plaza featuring a huge statue with several of the significant people who helped turn the Row into a vibrant destination including John Steinbeck and the famous marine biologist, Ed Ricketts.

The Bay is also on the comeback. It was turned into the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and the protected area extends for 35 miles offshore. It is a perfect place to go on a kayak or stand up paddle board ride, or just to take a walk along McAbee or San Carlos beaches to experience the beautiful Monterey coast.

Cannery Row is certainly worth your time to see and visit. Along with Fisherman’s Wharf and the Monterey Marina and the Aquarium, there are tons of things to do and experience. It is certainly has the potential for a great romantic weekend getaway.

My only personal drawback is the memory of a great day in the 90’s wandering through antique and second-hand stores discovering treasures of the early 20th century. All of that is gone now. Sometimes I wish progress was not so destructive in turning quaint, off the beaten track, tourist friendly environments into themed mega-shopping malls filled with chain restaurants and t-shirt shops. There is a sense that part of California’s amazing history is slipping away, and no one seems to be noticing.

But do not pay attention to me, go experience beautiful Monterey and Cannery Row for a magical day filled with history and shopping fun for yourself.

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