1979

Greetings!

After three years with no vacation, I made up for lost time by taking two trips this year. I started the first trip (end of March) by spending a few days sightseeing and sampling the delicious cuisine in New Orleans. Found its French  Quarter a delightful and relaxing place, despite all the other tourists. It has a somewhat Mediterranean-cum-Caribbean ambiance and one has the feeling of being “abroad” rather than in the U.S. Went thru several period houses and enjoyed hearing real jazz at Preservation Hall, performed by elderly Negroes who had been in on jazz from its very beginnings. Never having paid any attention to jazz, I was amazed at how beautiful this was. A wonderful show for only $1.00!

Then I joined a Mississippi Steamboat Cruise on the “Delta Queen” paddlewheel steamboat, chartered entirely for a group of the Stanford University Alumni Association, and sailing from New Orleans, La., to St. Louis, Mo., stopping to visit lovely old Southern plantation houses and other historic sites along the way, and hearing our accompanying professors lecture on the history and literature of the South, as well as the geology and hydrology and history of the River itself (which proved to be fascinating as told by a dynamic live-wire retired Chief Geologist of the Army Corps of Engineers which has been responsible for coping with the River and its banks for the federal govt. since the overwhelmingly disastrous flood of 1928; prior to that the local citizenry had to take care of their individual segments of the banks).

The River was in a state of flood the whole time, which slowed down our course, causing us to miss several places originally scheduled on the itinerary. Trees along the banks and on islands were in many places “up to their knees” in water. One had the definite feel for the strength and “identity” of the River as a colossal and unpredictable force in nature, for which everyone in the area has a healthy respect. (The floods became serious after I got home, causing considerable damage in Mississippi.) The boat was fun it itself, and we enjoyed a visit to the Bridge watching the Pilot, a crusty old chap in the Mark Twain mold, steering his way among the swirls and eddies and barges and other shipping craft, speaking with them by radio and tooting the horn in the traditional manner. The engine room was an incredible mass of Rube-Goldberg-type machinery, noise, grease and steam, and the engineer obviously enjoyed his job as much as the Pilot and Captain did theirs. They all seemed to feel they were  having fun and getting paid for it - I believe the Captain said “It beats working.”

The boat’s “Interlocutor” (master of ceremonies and leader of the lively orchestra) lectured on the various forms of music indigenous to the South, and a steam calliope played wildly every time we set sail following a shore excursion. We were stuffed with excellent food, including all kinds of local specialties, and everyone gained about 8 lbs in weight. We were also entertained lavishly at several of the mansions we visited, by hostesses in Scarlett O’Hara costumes (and with behaviour to match). It was really like stepping back into thepast to experience a bit of that “Gone with the Wind” sort of life.

To run quickly through the itinerary, we visited “Oak Alley” plantation (sugar cane, and my first look at crawfish architecture in the form of little mud-chimneys in the irrigation ditches, quite an interesting surprise), then in the city of Baton Rouge, La., including a reception at the Old State Capitol (fantastic food and mint juleps), the Rural Life Museum (which includes examples of slave houses, school, shop, and the overseer’s house with a broad-brimmed sun hat, pistol and whip for keeping slaves in line--how’s that for Nostalgia?!). Then on to Natchez, Miss., celebrated for many beautiful old houses, of which we visited a few, “Stanton Hall,” “Rosalie,” “Longwood,” and “Melrose,” where we were treated to another fabulous reception of food and all sorts of drinks as well as the usual mint juleps, and a display of Civil War period dancing on the lawn by a group of young people in appropriate costume. Then on to Vicksburg, Miss., where the huge cemetery vividly reminds us of the terrible sacrifice involved in this decisive battle that, in conjunction with the battle of Gettysburg in the North, turned the tide of the Civil War ensuring a Northern victory. We were entertained at another reception (gasp…) at “Cedar Grove” house, which carefully preserves a cannon-ball lodged in the drawing room wall during the Civil War (that’s over 100 years, mind you) as well as a gash made in the floor by another cannon-ball, and which is neatly framed with a glass cover, the carpeting being cut out and fitted round this display. (Compare this treatment with what one normally  does to repair and cover up damage to one’s house.) The U.S. Corps of Engineers Waterways Experimental Station, also at Vicksburg, offers interesting models which are research projects concerning rivers and harbors all over the country.

Memphis, Tenn., has Beale Street, birthplace of the “Blues” music, and a visit to a cotton warehouse and the Cotton Exchange were an interesting look at one of the staples of the Southern economy. We had a concert of Blues music at an old theatre, which I left early to have a some medical attention for a fingernail smashed in the Delta Queen window-shutter earlier that morning, so I experienced some more Southern hospitality, hospital-emergency-room variety. They were most helpful and solicitous. (Memphis has a long history of dealing with riverboat casualties, as you will find in reading Mark Twain’s Life on the Mississippi)  Cairo, Ill., is a depressed area following race riots and subsequent flight of industry and continuing conflicts, but we saw an interesting 19th century house in which Gen. Grant had slept. The River had risen so high by the time we got here that the local authorities had to open the flood gates and build some special wooden steps for us to climb up over into the town.

Cape Girardeau, Mo., has a number of interesting FRENCH colonial houses; the loveliest French house, however, was nearby Pierre Menard house (nr. Ellis Grove, Ill.) referred to as “The Mount Vernon of the West.” The cruise ended at St. Louis, Mo., where I made a quick tour of the Westward Expansion Museum (underneath the “Gateway to the West” Arch right on the riverbank) and also visited the fine arts museum in the city.

Then off by train to Chicago on my own, never having “done” that city, and despite the bitter cold (our trip had progressed from about 80-85º in the South to 29-40º in the North) and biting wind off the Lake, not to mention intermittent rain, I managed to do a city sightseeing tour and a visit the Chicago Board of Trade (hub of the grain market, and just about as lively and exciting as the New York Stock Exchange). I spent TWO DAYS in the Chicago Art Institute, feasting upon the marvelous collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings (one of the world’s largest and best), as well as many other wonderful things. It was a real treat….

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NOW FOR A CHANGE OF SCENE! The next trip (June) was more or less a short-notice spur-of-the-moment dash off to another Hellenic Cruise (British group, Greek ship). I went off somewhat ill-prepared and helter-skelter but it had turned out to be one of the best trips I ever had. I had expected, too, to be jaded after having been to so many of the Mediterranean sites on 3 previous trips, but there were so many new places on this itinerary I’d never seen that it was like a “whole new bag.”

We had a the usual busy (strenuous) program of sightseeing this company offers, with lectures on the history and archaeology of the area by various British professors. The company had decided to try out a sketch group for the first time, so I joined that as I thought it would be a good way to spend time when we got to places I’d already seen, as indeed it did. Though I hadn’t done any sketching for years, it was great fun to brush up, and it also resulted in some diverting comments and conversations with local Greek and Turkish citizenry, with or without benefit of a common language. The ship, although about 22 years old and refurbished (like most Greek shipping), was more modern and spruce than the battered Turkish number we used to use. Another major difference between this trip and my earlier ones was the fact that Greece is now overrun with foreign tourists (most from Northern Europe), and the coastal ports and villages swarm with sunburnt, sun-oiled bikini/disco/swinger types. A multitude of shops has sprung up catering to visitors (even bushy fur coats bristling from every other doorway for the Scandinavian bargain hunters, in the 98º+ heat….) One could say Greece has been “ruined,” but on the other hand, all this has brought some greater degree of prosperity to a country that used to be “unspoiled” but poor. Turkey is not yet quite as touristy but even there there are signs of development of the sites, and the bleak mess of ruined foundation of Troy now have a fancy new giant wooden horse on display! We  had smooth seas and blazing heat all the way, balmy nights at sea with only a gentle breeze as you watch the moonlight ripple across the water. The food was good, especially the buffet luncheons featuring Greek specialties and lots of fresh fruit. Passengers were mostly British, with a larger sprinkling of Americans than before as well as people from various parts of the British Commonwealth.

Places we visited which I’d seen before were Olympia, Delphia, Heraklion/Knossos (Minoan gold jewelry always worth seeing again!), Istanbul (one of the world’s most architecturally-fascinating cities and it was good to see Santa Sophia again, as well as pop in to revisit old friend Alexander the Great at the Archaeology Museum, and also the so-called “Alexander Sarcophagus” built for a King of Sidon, depicting scenes from life and battles of Alexander carved on the sides).Thassos, Delc, and Mykonos...Athens… the museum at the latter has several new things since I was up there last, including frescoes (lovelier than the Minoan ones at Knossos) and other objects dug up at Akroteri on the island of Santorini.

The places on our itinerary that I’d never seen before were Corfu (rather too “European”, not very “Greek” in feeling, Santorini (astonishing whitewashed city built on rim of volcanic crater which the sea has filled so that it has become the entry harbor; a dreadful mule-ride up a steep winding cobblestone path, (alternative: WALKING up) is the only way to get to the town); Perge and Aspendos in Turkey offer an impressive Roman aqueduct near the former and the most nearly interesting Roman theatre at the latter (only one I’d seen with the back wall still on--and with the usual fantastic acoustic of that period); Bodrum (Turkey) is an attractive little harbor town with a castle-museum and the foundation remains of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus (the statuary of which is in the British Museum in London). This had been one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Tinos (Greek) is a fairly low-key island noted for a church which attracts religious-healing pilgrimages--somewhat the Greek Orthodox of Lourdes, I gather.

One of the highlights of the trip was the remains of Nestor’s palace near Pylos, where his decorated ceramic  “built-in” bathtub is still in good condition. Nestor was one of my favorite characters in the Iliad so I was pleased to see his home. The island of Samothrace was lovely--a peaceful wooded mountain-island with the ruins of the various temples associated with the “mystery religion” cult, which was visited by Greeks from all over, including Philip of Macedon, who met and fell in love with his subsequent wife Olympias at this place, in due course producing Alexander the Great. There is no harbor, and even our landing boats could not make the trip so we had to go ashore in lifeboats (which added to the novelty), and there are NO SHOPS, NO TOURISTS, ETC.--hurrah! The “Winged Victory” statue stolen by the French Consul in the 19th century, now in theLouvre, Paris, came from this island, and the French govt. generously gave Samothrace a plaster model of its statue the little island museum!

The Island of Kos was pleasant, not quite as touristy as some, and of interest as the home of Hippocrates, father of modern scientific medicine, as opposed to religious/mystical ideas of healing which were concurrently practiced at the time as well; in fact, Kos was also a center of the religious healing cult featuring the god Aesclepios. There is a giant plane tree in the center of town, its branches all propped by bits and pieces of old marble columns called “Hippocrates’ plane tree,” and it is at least the same KIND of tree as he taught medicine under in his day, but as the guide pointed out a plane tree only lives about 500 years, this could not possibly be the original.

I had been to Pella (capital of Macedonia in Alexander the Great’s day) and Thessaloniki before and in any case there are only ordinary houses’ mosaic floors as yet uncovered at Pella. But the treasures dug up from the tomb at Vergina believed to be that of Philip of Macedon last year are now on display at the museum in Thessaloniki, along with things from various other Macedonian tombs, and this was a really exciting exhibit for us to see. As of the time we were there the archaeologist had still not found any written proof that this was Philip’s tomb, but all the circumstantial evidence indicates almost positively that it is. The small marble portraits of Philip, Olympias and Alexander, the metal greaves, one shorter and thinner than the other as would be necessary for Philip with his lame leg, the royal emblem on the gold coffers, the beautifully worked gold crowns, purple robe, and other family items, plus the carbon-dating to the period when Philip was the only King it could have been at the time, all make it fairly certain that this was Philip’s grave. There is also an iron helmet and cuirass, the only examples from this period ever found.

I had a few days in London before and after the Greek trip, but not enough time to see all my friends or all the exhibits and plays I would have liked, which was quite frustrating, but nevertheless the cruise was marvelous and I can’t complain, after having two vacations in one year…!

Best wishes for a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!