Granada

Granada is a smallish Spanish city in the deep south of the country. Its crown jewel is the Alhambra, site of the remains of the great Muslim civilization that thrived there from 1250 to 1490. At one time, it held sway over much of Spain. Its troops reached as far as Poitiers in France as Muslim power moved ever north. This is a defining moment in European history.

The Alhambra now has been greatly, and sometimes controversially, restored and is a designated World Heritage site. The rather stark palace built by Charles V to mark in stone Christianity's triumph over Islam, guards the hilltop against any new incursions! Still, the visitor can summon up the beautiful life of the ancient Muslim culture of Andalusia, renowned for its architecture and refined living. There is much evidence of its advanced science, art and learning. All of that ended as the last Sultan handed over the beautiful hilltop palaces in September 1492. The subsequent persecution of Muslims has defined in many ways the Europe of today.  We have cause to reflect on history and how it repeats itself as we watch news of the millions of Muslims who would currently like to shelter in Europe as war, often precipitated by the west,  destroys their homes and families. Many times in Europe I heard intimations that Europe is not for Muslims and barricades seem to be up in defense of a Christian Europe that no longer exists except in people's minds. How will it all resolve?

Here is a taste of the exquisite lines of symmetry and the delightful decoration....

Barcelona

This large city in the north east of Spain enjoys a lovely Mediterranean climate and for a long time has enjoyed more prosperity than the rest of Spain. Its wealth is based on industry and trade and the extraordinary treasure of architecture from 1890 to 1920 is testament to a flowering of both wealth and power at that time. The city found itself on the wrong side of history at the start of the civil war and suffered a great deal as a result.

There is a strange undercurrent of political unhappiness in the city at belonging to Spain. The people see themselves as Catalan over the centuries and from time to time there is a strong expression of the desire to be an independent country. For the most part Spain has managed this tension by according the region autonomy to run its own affairs. The independence is evident every day in the widespread use of Catalan as the language of business and society in general. It can be confusing for the visitor who is trying to cobble together some Spanish for communication purposes! Beyond that, it is hard to see why in this day and age Spain would be splitting up into smaller units at a time when we seem to be removing rather than building borders, especially in Europe.

There is a lovely relaxed vibe in the city too though and the gentle climate lends itself to much outdoor sipping of coffee and wine and the cuisine is delicious. The modernist architecture best defined by Antoni Gaudi, particularly in the Sagrada Familia, still abuilding, attracts visitors in their thousands daily. What a great place for a holiday!

This was my favourite Gaudi building - La Pedrera

Ireland

I spent the first two weeks of June in Ireland. It afforded me the opportunity to visit with relatives who live there and visit the home of my ancestors. Irish people are invariably friendly and it is always a pleasure to visit.

The major reason for the timing of my visit was for the fiftieth anniversary of my completion of high school in Kilkenny College. It was an amazing experience for me to meet again all those people that I had spent six years with from 1960 to 1966. Surprisingly, almost every single person who could have returned did so. Because it was a boy's boarding school, the experience was very intense at the time. I was fairly unhappy with conditions in the school but applied myself to my studies and that provided me with the stepping stones to fulfilling many of my dreams. While I would have walked past all of my fellow students on the street after so many years apart, we quickly broke down the barriers of separation and time and had a splendid weekend talking animatedly about our school experiences. Three wonderful people had done all of the organizing over a period of more than a year and they must certainly be very proud of their efforts.

Kilkenny College has a very long history. Its first iteration was as the Vicars Choral in 1234, just three years after the incorporation of the city of Kilkenny. The college was formally named Kilkenny College in 1538. It has had several locations as the years passed. At certain times it was a school for Ireland's intelligentsia and at others languished for historical reasons as the tides of Irish history washed over it. In my day it was a small boarding school for the children of Protestants who had remained in the province of Leinster after Irish independence. We had an occasional Dubliner, banished to the country for errant behaviour no doubt! There was even one boy from colonial Africa.
The school was at that time housed in a beautiful Georgian building dating from 1712. The building has survived as the home of Kilkenny City Council but the school has moved and is now thriving in a newly prosperous Ireland in a beautiful rural setting just outside the city. Restoration has given the old school a more elegant sheen than I remember!

Latest cancer news

On Tuesday of this week, I picked up the report of my recent PET scan. For the most part, the news is excellent. All tumours except one are stable or shrinking. One of the new ones, first noted in October of last year, has grown by 4 mm since January. This is considered slow growth. It may well be that it will be stable next time I have imaging done. Most significantly, no new tumours have been identified.

It seems that immunotherapy continues to protect me. I am extremely grateful. The side effects of the recently completed treatment are receding except for bouts of fatigue. I can easily manage that! The suffering has been well worth it.

On Tuesday next I return to the storied land of my ancestors to meet the young people that I finished high school with fifty years ago exactly! This will be amazing and interesting! I will be home in Victoria on June 15. Peace and love to all readers from sunny Victoria where summer has arrived very early!

Bazaruto Archipelago

A few days of bright warm sun on perfect beaches, no one else around, warm crystal clear water to swim in - what a way to finish a celebratory month in Africa.

I am on the edge of Africa, the middle coast of Mozambique. I was last in Mozambique a few weeks after the end of the bitter and protracted war of liberation that brought Samora Machel to power in 1975. What a strange time it was as my young wife and I travelled through towns where hotels and restaurants had simply been abandoned by their owners who had decided to flee to Portugal. I clearly remember hitchhiking back from Swaziland and being picked up in the dark by Frelimo soldiers who delivered us safely to our pension in Maputo. It did not occur to us to be fearful. Youth is a strange protection. 

Vilanculos is a small fishing village 700 kilometres north of Beira. It is the access point for the exquisite Bazaruto Archipelago, a paradise of sand islands, aquamarine waters, warm ocean and idyllic balmy temperatures year round. More recently, some of the islands have become the home of uber-exclusive resorts that host the obscenely wealthy who are flown in by helicopter from the tiny local airport. 

I was able to ignore that as I walked the beaches, swam and snorkelled in the warm waters and relaxed for a few days before returning to my real life. The colours are seductive and magical. The people are gentle and welcoming. It would be very difficult not to relax here! 

The long journey home starts today.

Kruger Park

For six days I have been living amongst the wild life of Africa. Kruger Park is a very large conservation area along the eastern border of South Africa with Mozambique and the wildlife has been studied and managed for over a hundred years. It is entirely in the lowveld but vegetation varies greatly, especially from north to south. 

When I lived in Swaziland I used to bring my son here as often as possible as he loved the excitement of animal spotting. The accommodations are very simple but perfectly comfortable. They have not changed at all in the intervening years. I booked a stay in Satara Rest Camp, in the middle of the park, and Lower Sabie, on the banks of the Sabie River in the south of the park. 

Wild life abounds everywhere. Particularly if you are also interested in the colourful and varied bird life, there is always something to watch. Within a few hours, one can see the Big 5, as inveterate game chasers might say, but there is a lot more than that to see.

Last night, on a game drive, we came across a fresh kill of a large wild buffalo, hunted down by five young male lions. Before they establish their own territories, they cooperate in groups to bring down larger animals. The dead buffalo's head lay right out on the road and the lions were busy tearing into their prey. As the buffalo hide is thick there are only two entry points, the anus and the belly. The animals were in clear view as they feasted, growling as they gnawed, and we could smell the raw red meat, accentuated by digestive gases as the stomach was punctured with a loud long hiss.

For all our daily attempts to be civilized, refined and polite, it is at these moments that one comes face to face with the real story of survival. We do what we have to do to survive. We too are animals, with a strong survival urge, even as we busy our minds with all of the stuff of modern life. For many people on the planet, finding something to fill one's stomach is more important than the acquisition and hoarding of possessions and wealth. 

This has been an amazing revisit to an incredible location. Come to savour and enjoy if you can.

The Garden Route

I have just spent a week exploring this beautiful part of South Africa.  The stark cliffs, surging surf, sea mists, endless beaches, remote wilderness and cozy seaside communities, excellent food and a plethora of comfortable accommodations, make for a perfect holiday. Animals and birds abound. Local people of all colours are friendly and helpful.

  The Garden Route wends its away along roughly 200 kilometres of shoreline from Mossel Bay in Western Cape to Jeffrey's Bay in Eastern Cape. Every manner of activity is available, from hiking through serious game viewing to skydiving. One can indulge in relaxing pursuits or extreme adventure according to your energy and predilection. The climate is kind all year round and sunshine is never far away. Much of the area is under conservation and the Indian Ocean is very beautiful in all its moods.

Travel here if you can for an unforgettable holiday!