Flamenco!

Belinda, John and I attended a Flamenco show.  On our walk to the show, we had the lively discussion, is it a Spanish tradition?  We went down that rabbit hole about what is Spain, after all?  On their own historical timeline, they were only recently united by the marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella in the 15th century.  Venus can accomplish more than Mars in the matters of state where monarchies are the form of government.   But I digress.  Flamenco is a phenomenon from Andalusia and its roots are tangled with gypsies, Muslims and the Reconquista.  It is said that the Romani people (known as gypsies, likely descended from the Punjab region of India/Pakistan) contributed quite a bit of their cultural essence to the flamenco dance and music.  They were in Andalusia, specifically Granada in the final days of the Reconquista as the caretakers of the horses for the Christian Cavalry during the 15th century.

The guitar was beautifully played, and the chord progressions and mode could be easily recognized as flamenco style music.  What we were not expecting was the piercing singing that sounded like a Muslim call to prayer.  That got our attention.  The dancing was a cross between what we expected of flamenco with exaggerated arm movements and frilly costumes, but it also contained a vigorous tap dance/ stomping component.  It was loud, rhythmic and flamboyant.  Touristy venue, but worth an hour of pre-dinner time to experience it.  One drink each included...no pictures or video permitted.

Last Train to Córdoba

A field trip to Córdoba by train from our base of operations in Sevilla was in order to cement our learning and timelines for the various civilizations that inhabited the Iberian Peninsula.  For the record, we like trains.  What a nice way to travel, as long as you don’t have to hang out in train stations for long.  This was the last dose of Roman study for John before he has to write his responses to the learning objectives from his Western Civilization class on Google Docs.  We did a speed tour of the Roman ruins, taking delight in how much of the original Roman city outline was preserved (or fossilized, as our guide loved to say).  While the outline was preserved, not so the interior.  The traditional Roman, orthogonal grid street layout has been bastardized over time, creating a maze...just like other ancient and medieval cities. Our guide helped us determine subtle differences in architecture that revealed whether the ruins were from the Roman Republic or the Empire time periods.  Having an archeologist at our disposal was a unique opportunity to learn.  So much information was hammered into us, it was a good thing we were in round 6 on this subject matter.

The list of Roman scholars, Jewish philosophers and Muslim poets, mathematicians and scientists that studied here is long and distinguished.  Cordoba was one of the first cities taken by the Muslims during the invasion in 711.  The Visigoth succession uncertainty and lack of unity, coupled with the element of surprise as to numbers and capability of the invasion force made it a relatively short fight. Peaceful coexistence and learning were enjoyed in exemplary fashion during the early part of Muslim rule- up until the 11th century when the Muslims started fighting each other in civil wars.  In Córdoba, the burning of irreplaceable archives occurred during infighting among Muslims over which ruling family would be Caliph, Emir or Sultan, etc during various reorganization activities.  Cordoba was retaken by the Reconquista (1236) by Ferdinand III of Castille, some 250+ years before Ferdinand and Isabella would take Granada.  The 3 religions would coexist under christian rule with only a change to who would tax whom and and by what premium.  We visited a synagogue, a cathedral and a mosque.  In fact, the entire story can be told in those surroundings.

Roman burial towers, right outside the central gate to the city.  What you see is an archeological reconstruction technique called Anastylosis which uses as much of the original material as can be found to reconstruct an artifact or structure, and modern, contrasting materials are used to ensure structural integrity and compete the shape.  

Chariot rut from 200 years before Christ was born...John asked the question I was thinking...this road looks less smooth than the random countryside, these cobblestones would not make for a comfortable ride.

The Cathedral bell tower was placed on top of the minaret after the Reconquista.

Example of a Roman column and "Wasp nest" capital, recycled as a carriage wheel deflector on the corner of a medieval home.  The capital is easiest indicator of Roman, Visagoth or Muslim design/construction as the tools and methods used by each were different.

The Cathedral was a mosque, and many architectural features remind us of what it once was.  The mosque was expanded two times before it was turned into a cathedral, it is immense inside.  in some areas, if you look only at the arches and columns, you feel like you are still in a mosque.  It is that big.  If you then wander toward an altar, or the choir, you can't miss that you are indeed in a cathedral.

The refurbishment and transformation of the darker, 9th century Muslim design into a 16th century Renaissance masterpiece of a definitive, major alter and transept.  The theory of the case was that the new light of the new testament would bring the people out of the un-enlightened state to the glory of the church.  A classic quote from Charles I of Spain, later Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire said it all, "We are destroying something uniques and we are constructing something that can be seen everywhere."

This alley and courtyard is called flower street...for obvious reasons.  

An edgy cross.  Crucifixion was an edgy process.  Christianity was an edgy subject during numerous administrations in Córdoba.

John and Belinda look at the bridge on the path of the original Roman road leading out from town center.  Belinda said goodbye and we miss her already.

Acorns in Aracena

Elana came out to greet us, and welcomed us to her family farm in the Sierras de Aracena.  She was immediately curious as to why we signed up for this experience.  3 gringos with nothing better to do? Bored with the cathedrals and the alcazars?  When she found out that it was, in fact, a school day for John, she sprang into action.  She has a master’s degree in outdoor education, excellent training for just such an occasion.  She took responsibility for Spanish language, farming, flora and fauna subject matters.  As we all threw feed for the chickens, geese and pigeons under the watchful and curious Billy Goats and the incessant crowing of the rooster, John asked why the geese and pigeons were there.  It turns out, just as in the old days, the geese are the general alarm for foxes…who try to catch a chicken, normally at siesta time.  The pigeons are pawns for sacrifice to the eagles so they don’t take the chickens.  Elana manhandled a wheelbarrow full of alfalfa and we went off to see the old girls and the boar that “manage” production.  The breeding pigs are not sacrificed in ham production.  We all threw the greens over the fence to meet the pigs first hand under the best of circumstances.  The boar had just arrived this week, and the dynamics of social structure were playing out.

After gestation, birth and weaning, the little piglets run around and feed on grass and acorns.  There are different grades of jamón Ibérico, as regulated by the Spanish government:  Black, red, green and white label.  This farm operates with only the highest quality standard– the black label for pure-bred Iberian black pigs and fed on acorns only (no grain/cereals).  The oleic acid from the acorns makes the meat taste very specific, and the fat is good for you- like avocado or omega 3 from salmon, so they say.  All I know is that we have seen a lot of ham legs in markets and restaurants, and we have tried many slices.  Glad to hear it is good for us!  Heart healthy pork.  Yessiree. 

The rules are very strict, each pig requires at least 1 hectare (2.47 acres) of land to roam and eat.  Elana says that because rain was scarce this year, acorn production is less, so they are running fewer pigs this year.  In good weather years they could run 80 pigs on their farm, but today they are only planning for 35 pigs in the final stages of weight gain.  There are two kinds of trees producing acorns on their farm.  The first kind look like live oaks that you see in Texas Hill country and Houston.  The second kind is the cork tree.  The cork tree is important for Iberian black pigs, as they don’t drop their acorns until January and February, and these additional feed months are required to get the pigs up to weight.  They also allow cork harvesting of their trees, with some caution.  The cork can be harvested without damaging the tree, in theory every 7-9 years—truly sustainable production.  After 40-80 years to get a good tree producing acorns of good volume and size, one wrong move with the axe and you could lose a tree.  The trees are the secret to the whole operation.  The trees you plant are for the next generation and the one after that…kind of like running the commercial aircraft engine business :).

While the main feed is acorns, I can tell you that they also snack on alfalfa, dried peas and pumpkins.  It is an organic farm, and the pumpkin is used as an anti-parasite to clear the pigs’ intestines.  We picked 3 pumpkins that John, Elana and I carried back up the hill from a "sincere pumpkin patch" and heaved them over the fence, the piggies loved them.  Elana said that her grandmother used to give her a spoonful of a pumpkin slurry when she had a stomach ache—but she would neither confirm nor deny that she stopped complaining for fear of getting another dose of the unpleasantness!

It is a challenging cash flow business, even compared to other agricultural pursuits. We visited the cellar where all the hams (back legs) and shoulders (front legs) were hanging.  We were looking at roughly 4 years of WIP (work in process) in the hanging/curing stage.  This amount of inventory looked like 100-150,000 euros at retail based on the hams alone. Roughly 1/4 of the total will rotate out for sale each year.  Intermediate cash flow comes from the pâté and sausage (chorizo, Salchichón, etc.) production that doesn’t require as much aging time, months instead of years!

John and Elana became fast friends as did John and their two dogs, Jamba and Morita.  The lunch was a real gift.  Elana’s father sliced the jamón, and it was truly the best we had in all Europe. I even liked the pâté.  The different kinds of sausage as well as cured loin were fabulous.  The pumpkin soup was nice.  And we thought we were done…then Elan’s mom brought out a filet of some sort, I think it was shoulder.  It was fabulous.  Our sampling laboratory turned into a gourmet feast, our great intentions of study turned into gluttony!  We were very satisfied.  Poor John still had a Spanish lesson to tend to when we returned to Sevilla.  Belinda, John and I all had a good siesta during the car ride back to town.

Elana explains about the trees...how important it is to develop staggered ages of trees in close proximity...not patches of same age trees like commercial forest production.  You can see the range of ages behind her, 1-2 years, 10 years, 50 years and over 100 years all in the same photo.

John, Belinda and Elana feed the production team!

The most important natural resource on the farm.  Healthy trees producing acorns.  See the slice of cork taken from a 200+ year old limb that fell in a wind storm.  Cork cells were first observed by Robert Hooke in the 1660's with his compound microscope.  As a materials scientists, we also know that he is responsible for Hooke's Law that says the elongation of a spring (or a solid body) is proportional to the applied force...or as Hooke said in the 17th century "ut tensio, sic vis."  Obviously this is true up to the limit where permanent damage occurs to the material.  As it turns out, cork demonstrates some interesting behavior as it relates to lateral strain when tension or compression is applied-- it doesn't get any thinner or thicker !  That's right, Poisson's ratio is near zero.

Jamba and a pig discuss the hierarchy and their own reporting relationships.  They did not come to an agreement before the meeting broke up.

Elana's father slices the jamón with a very sharp, very flexible knife.  The tags on the hoof area are black (the highest standard), but you can also see a green one.  They use that one to denote "organic", but are considering changing the color because it also represents a lower quality grade of pig.  We saw many different set-ups for holding the ham, which is very important for producing the thin slices and not wasting any meat.  Some looked like bench rest shooting vises or x-ray diffraction goniometers.  This one is more modest, and his expertise is high.

After a wonderful meal at their house.  We are thankful for our new friends in Andalusia.

Tapas and Holy Week

We planned our Sevilla itinerary before we had the good news that Belinda would join us for the week.  We were able to modify all arrangements for 3 people, but she would have to put up with our original plan of attack.  One of the things we decided to do, in the category of – “why not,” was a Tapas exploration, which promised to take us to some places we would not ordinarily go into…and put food in front of us that we wouldn’t normally order!  Not necessarily good things in the absolute, but we were optimistic!  We were also unsure about the timing…should we eat breakfast at 8am if we are starting a tapas pub crawl at 10:15am ?  Answer- yes!  First stop was at a bar, in an alley that we would not have gone down…check!  It was a dive, full of office workers on their “second breakfast break.”  Since lunch is not until 2 or 2:30pm, you need a little something to keep you going.  Our host ordered “pringá” which is made daily for the owners two bars by a little old lady who won’t share her recipe.  The owners are nervous about continuity of business.  It was melt-in-your-mouth good!  We will go back for an additional, second breakfast.  

A local church rang the noon bell and our guide said, bueno, now it is perfectly acceptable to drink alcohol at our next stop.  We went to this hole-in-the-wall bar that commemorates the Easter processions year-round.  The owner and his brother Nacho love the processions so much, they each belong to 3 different brotherhoods that each do a procession from their local church to the Cathedral of Sevilla.  Some processions can take over ten hours to complete.  Carrying the heavy float.  Performing the Saetas.  Walking the narrow streets.  Entering through the church door on your knees so the float will fit.  Even our guide who is originally from France joined a brotherhood and is a penitentes (capirote) in the procession of her brotherhood.  Don’t be alarmed at the costume!  Arguments sometimes occur about which brotherhood’s virgin is “better.”  Kind of like football in the UK, it can turn ugly!  Back to our tapas bar, we had a nice drink called a tinto de verano (summer red) which was made with red wine, lemon soda from plastic 2 liter bottle and big ice cubes along with a pork sandwich.  We were treated to a video from last year’s procession of our guide's brotherhood.  It was hers only by chance, the video runs in a continuous loop of all the processions, carefully timed so as not to run into each other in the madness of the crowds and the narrow streets.  Our peak moment of the experience was when Nacho lit the incense and started swinging the silver pot like a pendulum from the ceiling. 

You can study a little more about the Andalusian Semana Santa rituals on this link.  Sevilla is the most intense, but Corduba and Granada participate as well.  It was interesting to me that those involved said—it is not that religious, it is mostly tradition and ceremony.  Hmmmm.

https://www.catholicsandcultures.org/spain/semana-santa/processions-seville

Last stop was one of the 15 cloistered convents still active in Sevilla.  It was built in the Mudéjar tradition—Muslim materials and architecture for a Christian purpose.  We went to the convent to order a box of candies, made there.  A nun from Kenya answered the buzzer.  Many of the recipes are Muslim in origin, as the first nuns in the convents did not bring any craft with them, but hired the residents of the territory, the Muslims, to share recipes and teach them.  So, the candies are big on orange and almonds, dates and honey.  We were escorted to the finest gelato place in all of Andalusia, the guy even made a special flavor for Obama.  How did our guide know how much John likes gelato?  We were full, and uncertain whether dinner would really be necessary, just 5 hours in the future.  Somehow, it was :).

Belinda watches a procession on the video screen between bites of pork sandwich.  She bravely cast aside her food allergies and is toughing it out this week in the name of cultural experience!

Check out the swinging incense pot in the middle of the frame.  We were treated to a large dose, and should be good for a while!

Well what do you know about that...the visual aid our food expert used to explain the fusion of foods, spices and culture as a layer cake.  And she said she likes to think of the icing representing the Jews, as the Sephardic Jews were here as a distinct culture contemporary with the Moors and Christians.  Forgive me for a moment on terminology-- I am using "Muslims" to represent the invaders from Africa, and the residents of Iberia who became Muslim...as there were a few Arabs, yet mostly Berbers from the Maghreb in the invasion.  Moor is an acceptable, but not very descriptive term that can mean a variety of peoples.  We mean the same thing in this case, though. 

Off the Grid

We had a love/hate relationship with Málaga.  Our hotel was a very nice property, but the top two floors were under construction.  Jack hammer.  Pick axe.  Right above us.  In a comedy scene straight from Fawlty Towers, the manager offered us another room, as if 10 feet this way or that way would defeat the massive, grinding, structure borne noise emanating from heavy equipment above.  Good thing we had plans during most days!  John’s studies suffered a little, but he was more than willing to put on head phones and play video games. 

Sitting in the parking garage, trying to figure out how to extract ourselves from the form fitting parking space, John plugged my phone into the USB of the car and started to program our next destination.  We were treated to Abacab by Genesis at high volume for the 7th time…alphabetically, it is the first song in my itunes library.  That is how we start every new leg of the trip now!

I congratulated John-the-navigator as we exited Málaga with zero unplanned u-turns.  He said, “not so fast, we still have to get to our next hotel…the cities are the hard part.”   We enjoyed a drive through the coastal countryside with a consistent view of the Mediterranean Sea to our left.  We even saw the Rock of Gibralter!  As we approached the mountainside where our hotel was located we switched to the analog directions given by the hotel-  find a specific public parking lot and then call for a taxi to take us within 100 meters of the hotel, then hoof it with all our belongings through the narrow streets.  Well, that didn’t work.  Once we started winding our way into narrower and narrower streets and steeper inclines, I knew the GPS was taking us the shortest way, but not the smartest way.  John said, “all you have to do is make it from here to there on the smartphone.  In order to do that we had to drive the wrong way on a one-way street and through what looked like a restaurant patio serving lunch!   We started to give it a try, but sanity prevailed and we decided to back out, literally.  I asked John what his recommendation was, and he said, “let’s try to go around the mountain instead of over it, and he expanded the scale of the map to find a route.  As we tried to wind our way back out and down the mountain, and the streets were getting narrower again, I said to John, “are you sure you have a plan, son?”  He was confident...and it worked.  Good job, John.

Vejer de la Frontera happens to be a beautiful, whitewashed village on a mountain side.  The kind of place where you can get lost if you need to.  Seriously, I added it to my list of places that you could go off the grid and “they” would never find you. 

John and I took a cooking class from two ladies, a local from Vejer and an expat from Scotland.  It was a great way to experience the culture and to learn about the culinary preparations of what we were experiencing.  Atún rojo almadraba is the wild tuna caught on either side of the Straits of Gibraltar and served locally.  We tried all kinds and even made a salad with the tinned version. John liked it all, except for the “tuna jerky.”  We prepared fresh granadas (pomegranates, not grenades and not the city), baked a cake of almonds, orange and lemon; made meat balls of pork- albóndigas de cerdo and carrots with cumin and parsley.  The host was a sherry expert.  I did not know sherry was a Spanish thing, I always thought it a British libation.  It turns out that England’s Sir Francis Drake (whom the Spanish consider a pirate) surprised and destroyed more than 30 ships of the Spanish Armada at Cadiz (near Vejer) in 1587 and made off with 2900 barrels of sherry.  Ever since then it has been fashionable for the Brits to drink sherry as a sort of spoil of war.  But I digress…neither John nor I was fond of the sherry.  The food that we made was out of this world, if we do say so ourselves.  While the local chef kind of demonstrated making a tortilla, she didn’t share all the steps with us, so we may not be able to reproduce it.  A Spanish tortilla is not flour or corn like in Mexico, it is a crispy, tasty, potato and egg omelet-type contraption that tasted like a french fry cake.  Nice.

During our stay in Vejer, John befriended the cat of a tapas restaurant we liked.  He named him Christopher (Columbus).  He labeled me as heartless because I wouldn’t adopt him as a travel companion.  John misses the family dogs. 

Halfway from our hotel (under the bell tower) to the hosts house for cooking class.  There was no need for an alarm clock, the bells sounded like a car accident with some semblance of a melody right outside our window.

standing on our balcony, you can see why we had to hoof it !

John and Annie work on the carrots and Pepe prepares some jamon for appetizer.  I act busy off camera and try not to get in the way.

Layers of Vejer.  Annie said that instead of washing the white buildings, they just apply another coat of paint or "white wash."  Eventually, the plaster may let go from the weight and reveal many cycles of improvement, or layers of time.

John befriends Christopher and sends snapchat to that effect.

More Layers

I remain in awe-- the layers of civilizations, the cooperation and the conflict, the necessity and practicality counterbalanced by eventual rejection in favor of fanaticism.  John and I made our way through Málaga and Ronda, trying to learn as much as we could about the history of each and enjoy the culture that each had to offer.  I kept telling John that gelato was not culture.  He likes Oreo gelato…a lot.

Málaga is the birthplace of Picasso, and John was grateful that we made quick work of the museum there, reserving most of our time for inspection of the Alcazaba.  This fortress' sole purpose was to defend the port and hold the lands won by the Moors in the 8th century.  It was built on the hillside right next to an ancient Roman theater dating from the 1st century BCE.  Underneath the city you can find Phoenician ruins from 7th century BCE coexisting next to Roman ones.  This place we roamed experienced Carthegian rule, Roman rule, Visagoths, Byzantium, Umayyad Muslims, Ferdinand and Isabella, yes, the Spanish Inquisition and recent destruction during Spanish Civil war bombardments in the 1930’s.  Yet today, the city looks like a cross of the nicer parts of Miami, Rio and LA.  Complete with orange cones traffic barriers and lots of police.  Málaga wins the prize for the most difficult navigation (one way roads and roads closed due to construction).  We even had to go thru a gate and communicate with central command to get authorization to drive on the pedestrian streets to get close to the hotel, only to be told that the parking was being renovated so we had to navigate back out to public parking garage.  At least we could drop the luggage!  I rubbed one of the rims trying to avoid a building and line of parked motorbikes…good thing we took the insurance this time!

On our day trip jaunt to Ronda, John honed his navigation skills even further.  He is becoming quite the reliable first officer.  We were supposed to meet our guide at the Bull Fighting ring.  Easy, right?  It is a big place.  Although Málaga is considered one of the oldest cities in Spain, Ronda has art from of Celtic tribes occupying caves nearby in the Neolithic Age.  We saw the cliffs from a distance but did not have time or energy to investigate.  We were told about the local wine business, which was quite prolific in Roman times, then dormant, but is now experiencing a renaissance.  The wine in Roman times was terrible to taste, but had the required amount of alcohol and was used primarily to encourage the garrison to get ready to fight.  Thus, it was called “fighting wine.”  The new varieties and vintages are said to be much better! 

We spent quite a bit of time investigating a church that they call a cathedral, though there is no bishop.  It was converted from a Mosque after the Reconquista. The craftsman that did the work were “locals,” meaning that they were Mulsims.  That is because the conquering and then occupying forces were knights- professional soldiers, so they had to hire, cooperate and work with the Muslims to get anything accomplished.  The Christians were forbidden to loan money-- for that was termed usury and forbidden, so that role was left to the Jews, who were only forbidden from charging other Jews interest.  The King had a special place in his heart for the Jews over many centuries, as they paid taxes to him, not the catholic church.  Alas, eventually the Jews were expelled as well as the Muslims. 

Spain is an interesting place of appearances.  Numerous guides mentioned that although more than 70% claim the Catholic Faith as their religion, less than 8% practice it.  The Cathedrals, Basilicas and churches are all magnificent.  And the bells are loud.  What is the fascination with pork?  You can tell a traditional bar and tapas place by the hams hanging in the window.  Nowadays, that is just tradition.  But back in the 16th century, that was to show that the proprietor was definitely not Muslim.

One of the inner walls of the Alcazaba in Málaga.  The Muslims archways are clearly Arabic in nature, the recycled Roman columns are more decorative than structural.  This is one of few passageways that went straight through, most have 90degree turn to create fatal funnel for invaders. 

One of many defensive towers on the second of three walls.  One of the reasons this citadel was considered impenetrable.  Ferdinand and Isabella conquered it after the longest siege of the Reconquista in 1487...by cutting off water and food.  Apparently, there are two types of trees in Spain-- Olive trees and other trees.  While those are "other trees," John and I have seen many, but not all of Spain's 384 million olive trees on our journey.

The remnants of the minaret from the central mosque became the bell tower of the "cathedral."  Ronda is known for its decorative iron works.

These 3 Abrahamic religions of the book have worked together successfully during periods of cooperation and harmony on the Iberian Peninsula, though most of the time they were in conflict.

another spiral staircase, and another race to the top !

This is the "new bridge" built in late 1700's.  The mid-span contained a jail...escape was not an option!  Ronda is like the Twin Cities...only smaller.  Town homes for families descended from the knights on the right, bull fighting ring and hotels on the left.

Get Your Mind Right!

By now, most of you know about the new job waiting for me when I return from this adventure with John.  I am still consulting for my prior company until the end of the year, so I ritually check the daily sales report and stand ready to receive calls and dispense advice or ask more questions at the very least!  The point about the new job is an important one.  I am thankful that the new company is willing to wait for me to complete these two, important family and business commitments.  However, it is in my nature to engage and prepare immediately.

I wanted to think about my next career step, with serious contemplation, between Sevilla and Salzburg, with an epiphany somewhere in Bavaria and full action plan vetted by Vienna, or Gdansk at the latest.  Well, it didn’t work out that way.  I had signs that this opportunity was too good of a match to pass up.  I truly believe I can help this company, especially its people—so after lots of intense dialogue with many mentors, advisors and friends, Belinda and I decided to move forward.  Now I need to replace, surgically, the planned contemplation time with the prep time and not let the prep time usurp the main mission at hand, which is the education of young John. 

As many of you know, I often call John, João, which is John in Portuguese leftover from my time in Brazil.  We are calling him Juan here in Spain after seeing a Vueling airplane named after him!  He is soaking up the history of Spain: the many layers of civilizations, the religious conflict overtones, the current events, the culture.  I love answering his questions or Googling to figure out what the options are for the truth.  Then we try to figure it out together.

Funny story-- we wanted to go to this specific, but small restaurant in Granada.  We wanted to sit inside, because everyone was smoking outside.  The hostess asked our name for the waiting list, and I did what I always do in Latin countries without thinking about it, I said, “Carlos Castelo.”  When we were walking out to get John a gelato dessert before dinner, John said- “what did you say?”  And I told him the story that that is the name I used in Brazil (except at Embraer of course) and it is a simple translation of our family name origin “Blenkinsopp” which was a castle on the border of England and Scotland.  I therefore said—nice to meet you, Juan Castillo (Spanish version).  The purpose of speaking is communication, and I have found that our name is difficult to get right in some countries.  In Switzerland and Austria, I might as well say "Blankenstein," anyway, because that is what they will write down!  Why make it difficult?

John has completed our 4th book, the one on Magellan, and is halfway thru my list of questions which he deemed too complicated, and said that I am one of those teachers everyone tries to avoid!  We are almost done with Chapter 5 in math (test coming up soon), and he has designed a glider using a simulation program from his brother Ben’s engineering class.  He returns to Spanish classes starting this weekend.  Busy, but he still finds time to play video games and watch youtube! 

I am leaning into the motto of my strength and conditioning coach to focus my energy on the education of Juan the Young: Get your mind right.  Attack.  Finish Strong.  I know this will help me stay the course, remain focused, yet accomplish enough preparation to lead a new team in January. 

Air Force Juan !  Unfortunately, we did not fly that A320.  We flew a sister aircraft, didn't catch her name, but it could have been "Vueling Me Softly", "Vueling the World", or "My Name is Ling.  Vue Ling".  Among others...

Layers

We set out for Alhambra, a fortified city (or luxury gated community) where the 1% lived in the last years of Muslim rule over the land they called Al-Andalus.  At their peak, they ruled over the entire Iberian Peninsula, having taken it from the Visagoths in the 8th century.  Granada’s location was strategic for trade, agriculture and natural spring water.  I was struck by the fact that the facades, courtyards, walls and gardens of Alhambra were not exceptional in their beauty, externally.  Muslim tradition dictates that the outside (of a person or a structure) should be modest.  Extravagance is reserved for what is inside.  Real beauty is the kind found on the inside.  Indeed.  We saw amazing examples of art, poetry and mathematics embedded in the décor, as well as ingenuity in the structures.

The extent of the accomplishments of the Moor Civilization is astounding, both for its achievements and its subsequent loss by Europe.  When Ferdinand (Count of Barcelona, King of Aragon, etc.) and Isabella (Queen of Castille, etc.) joined in holy matrimony they proceeded to reconquer the lands and form a united Spain, achieving victory of the Reconquista in 1492.  They occupied the Alhambra and proceeded to modify the architecture and art, inserting Christian symbols into the previous designs.  There is even a grand, yet unfinished palace commissioned by Charles I of Spain (later Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire).  Ferdinand and Isabella promised religious tolerance, but within 6 months mandated conversion or expulsion for the Jews and the Muslims.  Many muslims, including the last Emir, relocated to the Alpujarras region just on the other side (Southern) of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Who were these Moors/Muslim inhabitants of Spain at the time of the Reconquista?  Our guide said the funniest thing, and it made sense.  “By that time- they were from here.  They were locals.  After 700+ years, you have a right to say you are from here.” 

John and I followed the Emir’s path from Granada to the Alpujarras region with the intention of making a trek through the beautiful mountains and white washed villages with a promise of a nice lunch at the end.  John looked a little green around the gills by the time we wound our way to the top of the last mountain curve, so he was happy to get out of the car and subject himself to the next challenge.  We started up high at the village of Capileira, hiked down to the river, then back up to the next lower village, Bubion.  We then hiked down some more, then over some thankfully flat land, then straight down to Pampeneira for lunch.  Although our watches recorded strides of different calculated length, John had 15,000 steps and I finished the day at 13,100.  The lunch was indeed magnificent. John earned a gelato for his determination and academic and physical attention span.

The Sultan's summer palace...aka Man Cave !

This appears to be the building where the Emir/Sultan held court...wait until you see the inside.

the central dome...Gaudi took some cues from what he saw in Alhambra.

they demonstrated that shapes other than regular polygons can fill space - the Alhambra Bone.  Many designs used variations of the golden ratio.

The summer palace from across the river...we would travel to the other side of the snow-capped peak to hike in Alpujarras region.

I can't remember if we walked down from this village, or up to it ! 

Juan and Frederico in the home stretch

Sometimes you just know what's going to happen...

We arrived at the Granada airport, collected our bags, including the overweight roll aboard with all the textbooks and charged out the door to the taxi stand...and joined a crowd of people jockeying for position with only one taxi in sight.  The taxi sped off and John and I looked at the 12 people in front of us and 20-30 people behind us and the quiet terminal, the quiet street and complete lack of any other taxi clues.  We waited 20 minutes, and one taxi arrived.  We were kidding saying “call your friends back in town!” 

So there we were, looking at an empty street again.  John and I discussed the matter and concluded—we could call the travel agent in Madrid and ask for help…but if we do that, the guy will be 30 minutes away and then all the taxis will arrive immediately thereafter.  If we don’t call, we will be stuck here forever.  Being a fan of the “known,” we called for help, and Cristina found a driver who was 15 minutes away maximum (sure).  We went into the terminal to get a coffee and no one was behind the counter.  After flagging down the coffee lady who also had sour cream and onion Pringles for John, we meandered back outside.  Sure enough, 9 taxis came flying around the corner in formation like it was Daytona Speedway, Turn #1.  By this time, everyone else had given up and gotten on a God-forsaken bus for the long way to town.  The front 3 taxi drivers got out and started yelling at the guy we saw early in the process, and John was able to translate part of the conversation—“what happened to all the people…poof?”  We eventually got to the hotel, don’t worry :)

Taxis to the rescue, but alas, the people are gone...and John and I await our driver.

La Sagrada Familia

Antoni Gaudi claimed that God was the best architect and nature shows us how to design- it is up to us to observe.  That is why you see spirals, fractals and parabolas in his life's work, La Sagrada Familia.  No one in their right mind would specify those shapes to the craftsman!  The ceilings above the naves remind us of multiple canopies in a forest.  The stained glass has colors from all 4 seasons, the twelve towers each represent a disciple and the three facades represent the birth, passion/death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The outside walls are liberated from load bearing to allow for maximum light penetration.  The transept pillars at the crossing are adorned with homages to each of the 4 gospels. 

Work was begun in 1882 by a different architect- and you can see the choices of classical gothic design in the crypt.  All of Gaudi’s contributions are above ground and represent neo gothic or modernisme form.  You have to see it to believe it.  But if you want to see the finished project- you should wait until 2026.  That is the scheduled completion date. 

The east facade, 5 large cranes in action, spending $80M this year, then $40M per year...money raised by private foundations and selling tickets.  John and I each donated one ticket !

Pillars dedicated to Mathew and Mark in the transept, looking West.

John did an absolute fantastic interpretation of his namesake's pillar.  He saw something that I did not, the cross near the base.

My effort for John's pillar...Joan is John in Catalan, I later found out that Joan of Aragon was not well liked by the locals, he was an outsider...

Romans, Visagoths, Middle Ages and more. No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!

John likes Monty Python. Who doesn't?

We spent the better part of a day in Tarragona, a modern-day coastal city in the Southeast of Catalonia.  While it appears prosperous and relevant today- active port, industry, tourism...a city is best remembered for its golden age.  The golden age of Tarraco, the Roman provincial capital of Hispania Tarraconensis that preceded modern day Tarragona, enjoyed its golden age in the second century of the common era.  That happened to coincide with when things were going quite well for the Roman Empire itself.  Tarraco population peaked at 60,000 in Roman times, descending to 1/10th that size in the middle ages.  It was not until the middle of the 20th century that the 60,000 level was reached again.

The process of investigating ancient Roman ruins and the civilizations that came after always started with the same first step.  Find a small coffee shop.  Buy a Coca Cola for John (can’t find Pepsi) and an espresso for me, and get our minds right for discovery.  Our guide, Susana was most patient with us.  We walked around the 4 different platforms of the Roman city.  The highest being that of the temple, then the forum, then the circus where the chariot races were held.  John and I could not agree on what was more dangerous- the chariot races or the gladiator battles.  We walked down to the amphitheater at sea level…a practical arrangement so that the wild animals could be brought directly from boats at the beach thru tunnels onto the competition floor.  John yelled—“Are you not entertained?”

Civilization level recycling was evident in that the Romans built a church on the floor of the amphitheater to commemorate Christian martyrs that were persecuted and burned prior to Christianity becoming the official state religion. After conquering most of the Iberian peninsula, the Visagoths built a rectangular basilica design church in the very same spot- negating the Latin Cross architecture favored by the Romans.  It was not used for 500 years while the Muslims were in town, but then became a convent and then a prison.  You can see the outlines of different designs and different uses. Even grave stones with Roman inscriptions were used indiscriminately as structural members.

Susana promised not to torture John with endless facts and figures!  In fact, she did a wonderful job with the balance of information and fact fatigue.  I did make her share more about Roman history and the architecture of churches over lunch.  It cost me a gelato for John which he enjoyed overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

A tunnel connecting the preparation rooms for the chariots and the horse teams to the circus

We stood at the level of the circus, looking down at the amphitheater...and thought, what a great day for sailing on the Med !

We are on the amphitheater floor, looking parallel to the nave of the church.  The walls to the left are likely of the convent.  The tunnels to the right lead to the beach.

Are you not entertained ?  Actually, John is quite tired of Dad pictures.  But he rallied because lunch was next stop.

Blue Estelada or Red Estelada?

Whether you are talking to a driver, a guide or a waiter, the subject of Catalonia Independence enters the conversation.  Most everyone tells us that their regional government is crazy to pursue this approach- yet what we see in the streets tells a different story...mass appeal for independence, or at least mass protest to perceived infringement of rights.  This crisis has created uncertainty for the region and is driving out companies and limiting investment and tourism.  In the same breath, all blame the Spanish central government for not entering into a dialogue before the actions polarized the sides so completely.  It is an obvious case of extreme positions, resulting from elected officials with extreme mandates from their power bases and lack of desire to compromise.  Sounds all too familiar.

When we walk around, we see the Blue Estelada (white star on blue background), the symbol of the independence movement and the “even more extreme” leftist red Estelada hanging from balconies or draped on peoples’ backs.  The original Catalan flag, the Senyera, may be one of the oldest flags in existence (four red bars and 5 gold).  It could be as old as the 9th century coat-of-arms of the Count of Barcelona, but is at least as old as the 15th century when the Count of Barcelona was also the King of Aragon.  The bars were oriented vertically on their shields.

Yesterday there was a planned rally on Las Ramblas where many Catalan speakers gave their reactions and call-to-action after the Spanish central government declared that they will take over some responsibilities of the Catalan government.  There was a later, spontaneous demonstration at the Catalonian Regional Government building that John and I happened to be walking by.  See what we saw…

This crowd formed spontaneously, as many decided to march from Las Ramblas to the main Catalan government building to watch a broadcast on their iPhones 

A hush fell over the boisterous crown when the broadcast started, punctuated with periodic applause.  Blue estelada or red estelada, it feels like there wants to be an estelada...too difficult to go backwards, except by force.  That may be the answer.  And we were there...but not for long. 

Mediterranean (edible) Botany

Yes, that is a thing.  Combine a Jeep 4x4 with an aggressive driver and an expert Botanist/amateur geologist and you have a full day.  We left Barcelona for the Plains of Girona.  We were informed that Spain is like the world in miniature form…every climate and every topology and soil composition is found here.  I am not sure that is exactly true, but I have to admit we saw a lot of diverse flora, topography and climate.  We drove about 500km today, and much of it on back roads with locked hubs and holding seat belts in crash-lock, wishing for a 5-point harness.  John looked a little green around the gills once or twice…nothing that rolling down the window couldn’t cure!  Good thing Moses was not with us, or he would have emptied his stomach multiple times!  We started the lessons on a mountain top called Sanctuari dels Angels…God knows where we were exactly.  Our botanist, Evarist, specializes in edible plants and consults with many regional chefs on gastronomy and gathering.  On our first stop we gathered white mustard, wild carrot, chestnut and tree strawberry.  Instant salad.  John liked the white mustard.  The white flower has 4 pedals with the symmetry of a cross, which indicates it is edible (I caution the reader that I do not intend to put this into practice as a policy with any regularity).  The first taste of this flower was of cabbage…then radish…then spicy mustard…then wasabi…then sneezing…with a mustard finish.  John went back for seconds and thirds!  We found mushrooms and mint, and took a detour to investigate a basin containing 5 extinct volcanoes.  Our first clue we were getting close to the volcanoes was some lone black "bricks" in the houses and churches on that hill side.  The pumice stands out next to the sedimentary stone.  We found many aromatic herbs like rosemary and thyme nearby, but the guide did not get my Simon and Garfunkel joke.  Perhaps my timing was off. Two picnic lunches (or maybe the first was second breakfast) kept us in good spirits and attentive to the lessons!

The incredible white mustard...with an avalanche of flavors.  And nearly zero calories!

Looking down over the town of Girona...we were on the peak between two waves of fog.

John swings for the fence...just trying to knock down some chestnuts...Botanist struck only once, thank goodness they have national healthcare program

John imitates the paraglider...not too close, son, you aren't wearing a parachute :)

that's better...

What, peasant bread ?  That will have to do.  Lunch by a slow moving stream.  Calls started coming in for me, so John and the experts went foraging...no mushrooms in sight, but they fashioned an atlatl out of bamboo and John proceeded to launch projectiles...

A Teenager

Happy 13th Birthday, John!!  I could have planned better…I admit.  Instead of a big sleep-in and videogame fest, we went to see the Picasso museum, and then took a modernist architecture trip to the Barcelona Palau de la Música (this was a merciful pivot from going to another art museum…I could see that he really did not want to investigate Joan Miró).  We then followed this one-two punch with a two-hour Spanish lesson.  When asked what he liked most about Picasso, he told the Spanish teacher the blue period.  He was either feeling sorry for himself or he chose the easiest thing to say in Spanish!!  The team at the hotel sent a beautiful birthday cake and festive drinks to the room to cap off the day.  Quite nice.  Everyone in the entire hotel said happy birthday to John for two days, just to be sure.

External columns of the Palau...designed by modernist architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner, in the modernist Catalan style made famous in the extreme by Gaudi

John in front of the Catalan Parliament building...where there are many goings-on at this very moment.  The reporters are in the background, awaiting one of their many stories.

We ate the whole thing...before our dinner!  Happy Birthday, John.

Le Vent d'Autun

This wind has been blowing for a few days.  My calibrated gauge says ten knots.  It comes from the South and therefore the TLS flights depart high over us all day.  Most are commercial, but a few are delivery or test flights.  This wind can bring warm weather or cold/rain.  We were lucky.  It is also called the wind of fools, because it is said it can make you crazy if you stand out in it too long.  I don’t know why!  We tried it anyway.

Sunday in Toulouse is a familiar ritual for our family with our host.  We get up in a lazy way, have some coffee and venture to the market near the city center.  William and I did this with our hosts when he was on an informal exchange here 4 years ago.  The smells and the sights are always extreme- beautiful, offensive, different.  We picked up some fish for a light lunch, and some côte de boeuf for a heavy dinner.  There always has to be bread for the French…and the German heritage of our hosts requires potatoes.  Lots of carbs for me!!  And John loves the bread.  A vendor of dried meats and other exotic animal parts offered us a taste of a special ham.  She said it was cured by le vent d'autun exclusively.  They cure it in the wind-- if it blows they cure it, of not, they wrap it back up and put it in cold storage.  I am not sure if this was a marketing gimmick or not, but it tasted good!  We got yelled at by others in the line for talking too much and buying too little.

John worked on a math test for Chapter 4 (one down, two to go) and then on a few more chapters of navigation.  He finished reading his second book in preparation for our tour of the A380 final assembly line.  I offered to help the daughter of our host with physics, but received polite rejection. I miss the evening physics challenge with Benjamin back in Louisville!  John and I watched the Northeast Christian Church before dinner with a crowd of friends, some local, some not!

The next day we had a date with a very large aircraft.  We left early for our appointment with great anticipation.  John’s navigation skills (with iphone) and crew contributions have grown immensely since Scotland.  He can describe the maneuver required and give warning in statute miles or kilometers.  Still working on nautical miles.  We arrived at Airbus with 45 minutes to spare, thinking we would get the lay of the land in the museum prior to the A380 tour.  As we approached the building, I remembered we needed our passports.  As John looked at the others in the line, he said yeah- we need our passports.  We tried my driver’s license, no dice.  So we said- hold our place, we will be back asap.  We jumped in the Audi TT and we raced back to the house to get passports and returned with 3, yes only 3 minutes to spare.  I am sending electronic copy of my passport to our host in case we set off multiple speed trap photos…they cannot afford the additional points.  I don’t think it is an offense where extradition is likely.

Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and personable.  He explained many facts and figures about the industrial approach to fabricating the sections of the A380 in Spain, UK, Germany and France including the transportation of the sections by barge and by truck through the very small towns in the middle of the night for final assembly in Toulouse.  We saw an Emirates aircraft inside the final assembly line with my old team’s Engine Alliance GP7000 at the pylon and engine hang station.  While outside admiring the huge aircraft at various stages of completion post paint, an A350-1000 test aircraft took off and executed a hard right bank and climbing turn, as if we were at our own private airshow.  John and I toured the museum of aviation history and went head to head on a challenge to fly an airplane simulator for accuracy through defined air gates.  After describing to John how the side stick controls pitch and roll and the pedals control yaw, he proceeded to clear 9/10 gates.  I started sweating. After trying my best, I could only achieve 8/10.  John earned the aviator crown for the day.

We had a small celebration for the family decision to accept a new job, then I received an e-mail that the train from Toulouse to Narbonne would be canceled due to the all-too-familiar French labor strike.  But don’t worry, it was not wide-spread.  Just our train!!  We adapted and over came with the help of our host— driving to Narbonne, with a stop in Barges.  Barges reminded John and me of a South-of-France version of Poquoson, VA.  We immediately recognized the smell of low tide in the lagoon.  We enjoyed this quaint little town and had good thoughts about a rumor of a train to our next destination.  We signed the steps with the black magic marker, leaving our deepest thoughts for the next owners of the flat.  Steak frites outside the Narbonne station fortified us for the train ride southeast.  Departed Occitania for Aragon.

at the market...avec du pain.  Toujours avec du pain.

Study hall in Toulouse...pre algebra test...or Europa video game ?

On to the Kingdom of Aragon.  Reading about Magellan, the Portuguese who signed on to sail for the glory of Spain

La Ville Rose

We arrived at rush hour, and we were reminded how vibrant and alive Toulouse is today…the aerospace center of France, Europe even. It has been central to commerce and government since the 5th Century when it was the capital of the Visagoth kingdom.  We stayed at the home of close family friends situated in the hills south of the city, on a ridgeline that was actually the site of the first settlement of Celts predating Roman times.  Since the Romans conquered the entire countryside, they were less interested in the defending their ground, and were more interested in the Garonne River as part of a trade route between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean.  So, they built a city in the valley alongside the river.  The colors of the terra cotta roofs and the pink granite and brick combine give the city its nickname.

We achieved 10,000 steps in that city on multiple days.  John and I took a self-guided walking tour past the Place du Capitole, Les Jacobins, the misery factory (my friend’s primary school), and through some very narrow streets and some very old buildings and city squares.  John says that he likes the friendly dogs waiting for their owners outside the shops, but he does not like all the smoking outside the shops.  Life is full of tradeoffs.

What luck!  We appropriated a convertible (Audi TT) to drive into the countryside on a sunny autumn day.  The hills and fields east of Toulouse took on a Mediterranean feel as we made our way to Carcassone.  Famous for its walled city that withstood sieges, it was an important fortification on the border between with France and Spain, until that border was moved in 1659 to the Pyrenees. It is funny to me that all this talk of France and Spain goes on today, while throughout the centuries, at many times, the regions were either more important, or had at least visions of grandeur.  Occitania, Aragon, Aquitaine, Catalonia...Let’s see where it all goes, I feel like we are in for more of this, not less!  John and I walked around the entire city wall. Exercise, Observation, Discussion!

We decided to drive through the very small towns in the countryside along winding country roads…with one-lane bridges and construction.  Good brakes were essential!  As we made our way from the tourist attraction of Carcassone to the thoughtful, quiet outpost of Chateau Queribus (one of the 5 sons of Carcassone), we were spirited all of the way back to the 13th century.  It was a steep, sunny, dry climb on foot to the top of the mountain.  The fortifications and view were equally breathtaking.  John and I could imagine we were on guard duty, waiting for the Albigensean crusaders to assault the fortress.  The slits in the wall were aligned perfectly with approach paths and intersections.  I used to think all the crusades were aimed at recapturing the Holy Land from the Muslims, not so.  This one was authorized by the Pope against the Cathars in the south of France—Tououlse, Carcassone, etc.  These Cathars, called Les Bons Hommes / the good men at that time, had a very tough go of these crusades.  Most were wiped out for their heretical views that the good God created the spiritual world and the evil one created the physical.  Engulfed in these stories, we walked to each defensive position and looked out at the surrounding beauty.  We pushed the “home button” on the car navigation system and hoped that it was programmed properly :)

Driving slightly over the speed limit and taking a picture...in a semi deserted approach to a very small town with very narrow streets.  It is said that Napoleon planted the sycamores to shade the marching Imperial Army.  These did not look that old.

We saw these  ruins at a sharp turn in the small town of Padern, and thinking it was Queribus, we took this picture. As it turns out, this was Chateau Padern, another Cathar castle but not a very important one.  It commands quite a view and held quite a position.

Looking over the ramparts from the outer wall of Queribus...I think this was facing North/ Northwest.

Sitting in the window of the main residence area of Queribus, one dash away from the keep.  Facing Southeast, this perch is safer than it looks...really :)

Birds of Prey

“Why are they tied up?” asked John.  “That is sad, they should be flying around free.”

“Birds hate to fly,” said Stuart the master falconer. “It uses too much energy and they could stay put, or even run 200 yards and expend less.” 

That explains why my Dad and two uncles had to send me into the brush to kick up the quail or grouse to encourage them to fly after the dogs pointed them when I was little! 

We met Albus, a 13 month old Golden Eagle that weighed 7+ pounds with a 6 foot wingspan and Elsie that weighed 11 pounds and had an 7.5 foot wingspan—these two were a bit big and unwieldy for a rookie.  Also, neither of them is quite back into hunting shape after a year and a half holiday living on free range and eating as much as they want.  It takes time to “man-up” and get them used to working with a human partner again. 

There is a very strict program to determine what the best flying weight is for each bird.  We looked at the results for the morning weigh-in of the Harris Hawks and Stuart explained that the closer the bird is to target weight, the better it should fly.  Too light, not enough energy.  Too heavy…no desire to move (fed up).  John was led to believe that he could choose his own bird, but it didn’t work out that way!  John picked Heather for his lesson partner, but Stuart said “no—too easy.  Predictable AND boring.  She will sit there, fly when you tell her and come back, lesson over.  He said let’s try Montana, she is a right mess.  Hasn’t flown in months, is overweight, and you really don’t know what’s going to happen.  It might be something truly beautiful, or it might go horribly wrong!  John, you are a stout lad and up to the challenge...and beside, she was born the same year as you.”  We think he planned that all along.  John put on the glove, left hand, of course, to keep his sword arm free.  Stuart brought Montana out and a ruckus ensued—we weren’t sure if she was glad to meet us or telling us off. 

Out on the practice range, John got the hang of launching her into flight and recovering her with raw chicken on the glove (yes, mom, hands were washed after).  She was testing John a bit as she thrashed about and tried to carry him off a couple of times!  Stuart praised John’s fortitude, saying lesser guests would have let go.  “Keep a tight fist, and keep her under your thumb, John!”

John was then promoted from trainee to hunstsman, so up went Montana into a tree.  She turned on the branch, looked at us, and shook her tail—the hunt is on!  We looked for rabbits in the bushes, and Montana would then fly over us into another tree ahead and repeat the ritual, complete with tail shake.  We would then walk under, and on ahead.  If there were no trees, tennis court fences would do.  They prefer a high perch, you know.  When enough iterations of the hunt sequence were complete, Stuart pulled the rabbit decoy out of his bag and threw it on the lawn.  Montana swooped down with a graceful sort of violence.  She covered the kill with her massive wingspan and ate until distracted with more food.  To get the rabbit back in the bag and reward her for a hunt well played, he gave her a large portion of a baby chick.  So much so, that we were concerned she wouldn’t get the whole thing in.  She managed!  Stuart believes they will raise Montana’s target weight if they get a few more positive data points like the session with John.

John and Montana bonding before the action starts

Montana returns to John when called...and fed.

Job well done, full payout of incentive compensation, as agreed after catching the rabbit...amazing that she can get that whole bird down.  She will hunt rabbit, fox, small deer, or pigeon.

Boys of prey...nice shooting, John.

The Highlands

What they say about Scotland is true…if you don’t like the weather, wait 5 minutes, it will change.  We saw the weather evolve in series-- sun, then rain, then back.  What we did not expect was parallel weather patterns!  At one point on the road between Inverness and Perth we had sun, rain, wind and fog all at once with intense rainbows.  We were just missing sleet and snow. Speaking of driving in Scotland…Look right, drive left and give way at the ‘round-a-bout, I keep telling myself!  I thought we would save a couple of pounds and rent a car with a manual transmission—not a disaster, but I find myself busier than I want to be, driving on the wrong side of the road and fumbling with the door handle where I expect the gear shift to be.  We tried crew resource management (CRM) like we are taught in Airline Transport Pilot school, but John only liked to shift gears in calm settings…not as useful to me :).  As we wound through the Highlands, I was reminded about a former competitor relentlessly!  As many of you know, the  naming policy for Rolls Royce jet engines is/was famous landmark rivers in the UK.  We crossed the Tay, the Spey and the Avon, only missing the Trent (ignoring their inexplicable departure from their own naming convention for the RB211, Dart, Olympus and Merlin models).

We stayed in a small hotel on the River Ness in Inverness and enjoyed a deep dose of Jacobite Rebellion history on the Moores of Culloden.  Poorly prepared, at 2/3 strength and exhausted from a failed night ambush attempt, long march and literally bogged down in the field, the Jacobite Highlanders were no match for the light and heavy cavalry and disciplined musket fire from the King’s own troops. It was the beginning of the end of that particular round for Scottish Independence, and it was the last land battle on British soil.  John and I tried to tour The Glenlivet Distillery the next day, but they said no children allowed, even as I declared we were on an important school science project and a distillery tour was required by our special curriculum, as approved by the Commonwealth of KY!  But alas, company policy prevailed and we were turned away.

Still barely in the Highlands, we met a dear friend and local business magnate and his family for lunch.  John got along famously with the Laird’s three daughters and I enjoyed talking business and sharing family stories.  John is still smarting from his defeat in air hockey.

A touring day was next-- Deanston distillery (children allowed, but no tasting, only smelling!), the William Wallace Monument and Stirling castle.  As I type this, John is writing an essay on the process for making single malt whisky.  I learned that scotch is rubbish and a good single malt whisky is like a fine wine…new critical terminology, good to know ! 

If you’ve seen the movie “Braveheart” you know much of the story of William Wallace and his fight for freedom of Scotland.  The monument was built where it is thought he and his men camped on the summit of Abbey Craig.  A craig is a sort of “intrusion” of high ground into a valley, with flat land, or gentle grade behind it…and this one has a commanding view of the valley and the River Forth.  Good choice of ground and splendid timing of attack ensured victory for the Scots at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297.  We made our way to Stirling Castle, where Scottish Kings and Queens were crowned and educated over the centuries.  Castles are not built…they evolve, as our guide said-- this strategic craig was probably fortified in the 9th or 10th century.  And it was transformed into its own factory/city over centuries, with outer defenses, mid defenses, inner defenses, keeps, chapels, royal residences, banquet halls added as money and peaceful times allowed. 

John the Scot guide was an absolute trip- quick wit and full of historical tales (some of them true).  He treated John like a young adult.  John wanted to be sure that we tipped him well, so he pulled out a 20 pound note from his own wallet at the end to show me his intentions.  John said if we come back, he would like to see John the Scot again.  Bravo, young John.

So much for Scottish History…back to pre-algebra, reading and writing.  Although, trust me, you can only spend so much time on the distributive property.  John is finding his stride in this business of travel and meeting of people.  Relationships can last a lifetime if you want them to.

At the Fraser Clan burial site on Culloden Moore

At the 15lb cannon battery on the outer defense of Stirling Castle.  The William Wallace Monument can be seen in the distance.

A grand day for a brochure photo, 5 minutes of sunshine for all to enjoy.  

Rejected Takeoff

In the airline industry we call it an RTO…a rejected takeoff.  In this case we were T-3 days to takeoff and life got in the way of departure...I stood on the brakes and deployed the reversers.  I found myself a candidate for a unique job opportunity, no matter how I tried to postpone or avoid it!  I therefore had to report to NYC for grilling sessions with Board members, employees and even shareholders.  John and I discussed the matter, and we came up with a solution where everyone wins.  I engage in discussions with an important company, he enjoys a few days of Fall break with his friends, we pack in a civilized fashion over the next few days and we miss a few cold, rainy days in Scotland. Don’t Panic.  Solve the problem and move along.

Logistics—CHECK…flights rebooked…huge change fees…Darn those airline pricing schemes !

Curriculum—CHECK

Pack-- PARTIAL CHECK…clothes and school supplies in piles near bags (it'll never fit !).

Rewind and Restart countdown…T-3 days.

One question (of many) we received was why did we buy the URL “navigating by the stars”?  Well…John wanted to study explorers and colonization while we are in Spain and Portugal and I have always been intrigued by both the night sky and the non-Euclidean geometry of the planet and the stars, but I never took the time to learn more.  Plus, we needed a cool math subject to tie in with the history.  So...we bought a sextant, and I have been studying how to find latitude and longitude by using celestial bodies and their relative angle to the horizon in preparation to teach John.  The concept is easy, the details are not.  You might say, in this day and age of Google Maps, who needs it?  That’s really not the point.  The fact that the explorers understood enough about geometry, trigonometry and global/celestial positioning makes it interesting to examine their capability and ask ourselves, would we embark upon this journey with such a fragile understanding of where we are and where we are going ?  They had a pretty good handle on latitude, but they could not determine longitude at all for goodness sake!  While we depart on our voyage with excellent time pieces, computers and satellite phones to mark our position to the city block or the planetary minute of angle, we will carry with us the task of navigating by the stars because it is part of the history of discovery.  We seek wisdom by learning about things that made a difference in our world.  

wis·dom- ˈwizdəm/noun:  the soundness of an action or decision with regard to the application of experience, knowledge, and good judgment.

And by the way, there is a great song called “Navigating by the Stars at Night” by Mike Doughty.  Check it out :).

Where is the horizon?  And what do you mean solar noon, I thought noon was 12pm !

Preparation

This whole thing started last year when I said to John, my youngest son, “How would you like to study history where history happened ?”  He said, “sure,” but later balked at taking an entire school year away from friends and family (friends mostly).  Fast forward to a summertime decision to step down from company leadership, and voila, we have travel school planned for 77 days in 8 countries.  All logistics are squared away except the last country (Greece).  The curriculum outline is complete, I have read 3 of the 9 books and studied the pre algebra chapters.  I desperately need to complete preparation for music theory and mathematics of navigation.  OK- I admit it, those are two subjects I want us to study !! (download curriculum here)

The principal and the teachers are supportive, the family is sort of on board...and I think that planning this adventure saved me from the fate of boredom and restlessness between knowing that it is time for me to leave the company, yet not knowing what my next calling is.  There are things that I want to teach John, there are things I want him to discover for himself and things I want us to learn together!  Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting, get understanding...Proverbs 4:7).  And Don't Panic !

John and Moses in Carmines Cove