POLIN: THE MUSEUM OF THE HISTORY OF POLISH JEWS

Although I expected the Museum of the History of Polish Jews was going to be a somber visit, I wanted to have the experience. Poland is a country sandwiched between Germany and Russia and has been invaded, occupied, and ravaged by expansionist nations throughout its long history. Poles have known cruelty and deprivation on a scale few countries have. The Jews suffered more.





The museum is situated on a grassy square that was the heart of the ghetto in World War Two. I approached it from the east, and found the huge modern museum is overlooked by a 36-foot high, black monument. This commemorates the persecution of the Polish Jews and the uprising in 1943 of the Warsaw Ghetto. It looks like a wall and symbolizes both the ghetto walls and the Western Wall in Jerusalem. On the first side was a bas relief of such misery, one cannot but be moved. It signifies the persecution of the Jews by the Nazis in July, 1942.

On the far side of the monument that faces the museum, is a black sculpture of the Jewish insurgents who rose up to fight their oppressors in 1943. Men, women and children are shown with guns and Molotov cocktails. These are the Heroes of the Ghetto after whom the monument is named. The irony here is twofold: some of the stone used in building the sculpture was stockpiled by the Nazis for their own monuments, and the Russians erected it in 1948. This dominating feature of the site stands on the exact spot where the first clash took place in the uprising.



The museum beyond is a vast glass-cladded, ultra-modern structure, angular and sharp. Visitors are dwarfed by it (left). I tried to imagine what the ghetto looked like from where I stood at the entrance (below). I've read quite a lot about this period in Polish history but, because the site is surrounded by apartment buildings today, I simply couldn't.












The previous day I bought my ticket online for about $7.60 Canadian. This proved to be quite a bargain; so did the audio guide at $3.30. I had to pick an entrance time that prevents lineups and staggers the flow of visitors through the displays.

The museum opened in 2013 and inside is the complete opposite to the exterior. There is not a straight line or a sharp angle to be seen. The walls curve and swoop, sometimes oppressing and sometimes freeing; at times dark and at other moments filled with light.

The image, right, is the entrance hall and the stairs lead down to the exhibits. Security is a serious business here and visitors go through the same process as they do in airports — metal detectors, scanners, bag searches, etc.

Down I went and started at the beginning of the Polish Jews' 1000-year history.

Poland had 3.3 million Jews, the largest Jewish community in the world at the time of the Holocaust. Their ancient ancestors had arrived from western and southern European persecution along trade routes and found a safe place to settle here about 1000CE. By 1500, many lived in organized Jewish communities with laws that protected them and peace from the religious wars in the west. This was their golden age in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It lasted until 1648.

The exhibits change from the medieval and later eras to exploring the Jewish way of life and the 18th century of learning and spiritual quest. They also explore the rise of anti-semitism in the Russian Empire. By WW1, a third of the Jewish population had emigrated, most to the USA.

The First World War left Germany and Russia in tatters and the Polish Jews enjoyed a second golden age. We see that cultural shift in politics and the arts, as well as daily life. It was brief.

The Nazis and then the Soviets invaded Poland early in WW2. This section of the museum focuses on how the Polish Jews experienced the myriad laws that separated and isolated them from their countrymen and women into ghettos — 600 across the nation. In 1942 the Nazis began to deport the Jews to Treblinka. In two months, 300,000 were transported from the Warsaw ghetto to their deaths. This exhibit is hard to see and I noticed several visitors in tears. Of 3.3 million Jews before the war, only about 300,000 remained in Poland, now a Communist state.

Many left for the new state of Israel. Those who stayed faced a Soviet anti-Semitic campaign in 1968 that all but eliminated the intellectuals and experts — they too emigrated.

Since the collapse of Communism in 1989, there has been a small renewal of Jewish life and this new museum has been part of it.

The exhibits put faces and names to the events in Poland for me. They tell the stories of real lives: the Jews' resilience and hope, the darkness they endured and despair. Reading took me part way there, but the excellent archival material and artefacts brought me to a whole new level of understanding.

I highly recommend putting a visit to the POLIN at the top of your list if you visit Warsaw. It was an amazing experience — so brilliantly done in every way.

The light shines in:

IMAGES:

© Photos by Pharos

All rights reserved

DAY TRIP TO TOLEDO, SPAIN

On a lovely sunny morning I was wafting along in one of those high coaches on the autoroute to Toledo. It's only an hour south from Madrid, and two friends had told me it was a must-visit town while I was so close.

San Martin Bridge looking to old Toledo

Toledo is ancient, so ancient no one really knows when it began, although recorded history in 190 BCE shows it was settled by the Romans. Other sources date it as far back as 590 BCE with Jewish residents. The town sits on a  rock in a gently rolling plain and is embraced by the River Tagus acting as a natural moat on two sides. Walls defend the land-facing sides. It is a beautiful sight from one of the bridges across the river, but Toledo's many treasures can only be discovered from inside. I wondered how out of breath I would be once I attained the top of the rock.



I needn't have worried: we used the escalators to reach to top, which are cleverly hidden in stone walls the same colour as the buildings, and so began our walking tour that lasted over two hours.

One of the narrow alleys

The narrow alleys reminded me of the old medinas in Morocco and so they should. In the 700s Toledo was invaded by the Moors who left their mark everywhere. The only difference was that many of the narrowest streets opened up into hidden squares, green with the new leaves of spring and filled with cafe tables. Fortress Toledo benefited from the art and architecture of Islam.

A large square in the old town

The spire of the Gothic cathedral

In 1085, the city was won back after a long siege. The Spanish king, Alfonzo VI fortified it further and enticed more people to make it their home. Toledo became an imperial city. In 1227, a successor began the magnificent cathedral whose spire graces the top of Toledo. The Jews, Christians, and Arabs lived here in peace together.

Later in the 1400s, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella made it their capital, endowing Toledo with many foundations. The Catholic Monarchs moved around their kingdom more than they resided here and eventually moved to Grenada causing a decline in the town.

This long history was both kind and unkind to Toledo— its fortunes rising and falling over the centuries. Today, 55,000 live here in the new town and the old, and its main industry is tourism. I feel that they have managed the onslaught of visitors quite well.

A craftsmen adds gold wire as thin as a hair

The old sources of income have
been revived such as the Damascene craft (original brought here by Arabs from Damascus) and its work of swordsmiths conducted since the Middle Ages. I also admired the ceramic artistry available in some small shops.

El Greco lived here and painted a celebrated masterpiece for the church of San Tomé in the 1500s. The Burial of the Count of Orgaz is still there today, rich in colour and symbolism. The church was built on the site of an old mosque by Alfonzo VI. Photographs are strictly forbidden.

The churches, synagogue, and mosques still in evidence proclaim the tolerance towards all faiths that Toledo has displayed for much of its existence, apart from the Spanish Inquisition period, which caused many of the Jews to flee to Morocco.

Inside the Santa Maria La Blanca synagogue

This brings us to a very curious place — a synogogue called Santa Maria La Blanca. It was a place of Jewish worship built in the 1100s by Moorish craftsmen that became a Catholic church in the 1500s. Today it still looks like a mosque. But I did find a few Stars of David high on top of some columns, but most had shells which are an Islamic symbol. The altar-piece is definitely Christian. Whatever its origins, this building is tranquil and beautiful.

San Martin Bridge looking to the new town

I walked down the cobblestoned hill towards the River Tagus and onto St. Martin's Bridge that has two fortified towers on either end. Built in the 1200s and restored in the 1300s after the bridge suffered serious damage in a war, it was most recently restored in the 1700s. The views from both sides of the river are worth stopping to admire.

The tower on the new town side of the bridge

I wished I had the opportunity to go inside the huge cathedral and even stay a night or two here. It would be well worth it. Next time, maybe?

ALL IMAGES: © Photos by Pharos 2017. All rights reserved.

JONES FALLS IN THE RIDEAU LAKES DISTRICT

Travelers must be alert to serendipity on the road. It happened to me when our lunch plans failed in Gananoque on the St. Lawrence River in the heart of the Thousand Islands. The restaurant we had chosen was closed for a private function and the only alternative was pub food, which we'd eaten too much in previous days on our vacation.

Upper lock and turning basin
from Kenney's Hotel

Nothing for it but drive about 50 kms north to Jones Falls, a place I'd never been to on the Rideau Lakes. Parks Canada operates this long canal/river linking lakes and locks that was designated a "Canadian Heritage River" in 2000 and a UN Heritage site in 2007. (More info here.)

The waterway runs from Ottawa to Kingston and visitors can take a choice of cruises of several days to enjoy the whole waterway. I've been wanting to do this for a while, but this time had to visit by road. I'm now determined to book two or three cruises back to back next year.

Jones Falls's locks, a staircase of four, were built in 1830 during the canal's construction and soon a hotel was built close by. The locks proved to be one of the greatest challenges for the builders who had to deal with a drop of 60 feet in the river. They have the second highest lock gates in the world and are still operated manually. Beside them, sits an old storehouse of local stone (now an interpretive centre open in the summer) and the lockmaster's house and a smithy further up river. It is picturesque and considered one of the most beautiful in the system.


Hotel Kenney followed soon after the locks were completed and it was here we headed for lunch.  It first opened in 1849, burned down, was rebuilt in 1877, and added to in 1888. Today it hasn't changed much since the later date, except for A/C throughout and modern bathrooms. The floors slope a bit and the boards creak as you walk through the public rooms into the restaurant. The smell is one of old wood.

Sitting at a window table watching the pleasure craft and kayaks sailing in and out of the lowest lock, I could easily imagine the older, gentler time. Ladies in long summer dresses, big hats, and carrying parasols would walk the lawns on the river's edge and enjoy afternoon tea at tables under the trees. US presidents have stayed here and Princess Juliana used to visit when she was living in Ottawa during WW2. The bar looks original, all wood, and offers a good choice of ale.

The three-course, prix fixe lunch in Hotel Kenney's restaurant overlooking the locks was all home-cooked and delicious. The menu is not haute cuisine, but reminiscent of earlier country-style dishes. It's hearty, tasty, and very reasonably priced. I had a bowl of turkey stew and my husband, fish and chips with all the trimmings that he devoured. Breakfast and dinner are also available for hotel guests and visitors.

We walked across Long Bridge to the locks to shake down our meal as the sky was darkening and warning us of a stormy late afternoon. So we drove back to Ottawa to continue our visits with family, well satisfied with the exploration and our future plan to cruise the whole system with Ontario Waterway Cruises.

Looking downriver from the locks

ALL IMAGES: © Photos by Pharos 2013. All rights reserved

GOLD MINING AND HEDLEY, BC

by Julie H. Ferguson

For years I have driven through Hedley, a small town between Keremeos and Princeton on Highway 3 in British Columbia, wishing I had time to explore it. The drive alone is worth doing in either direction—the highway follows the Similkameen River in the valley. The stretch from Osoyoos to Keremeos is even more spectacular.

Last weekend, I finally had time to stop here for a morning on a glorious May day. Hedley nestles below towering, rugged mountains, on top of which are the gold mines dating back to the early 1900s. Today, the trees were a mist of pale green and the early flowers and blossoms filled the air with their perfume. It was hot.

Gold was discovered here in 1898, which led to the inevitable boom and bust, and put Hedley on the map. Over the years four million pounds of gold was extracted worth over three and a half billion dollars in today's money. Six hotels operated here in Hedley's heyday, and no doubt many bars and other more dubious establishments serviced the miners of Nickel Plate Mine and Mascot Gold Mine. I could see bunkhouses perched high on Stemwinder Mountain about seven thousand feet above sea level from outside the Hedley Museum, my first stop.

The museum looks a bit ramshackle outside, but don't be put off by this first impression (see first image above). Inside it is a treasure trove of info, artifacts, and images. There's a tea room, a gift shop with good history books for sale, the tourist centre, and an excellent photo archive too. I was greeted by Thom (R), the president and volunteer of the Hedley Museum. He was dressed in some kind of indeterminate costume, and seemed delighted I had dropped in to see him. I soon discovered why—it was opening day and I was the first visitor of the season. When Thom learned I wrote BC history, the floodgates opened and he gave me a detailed private tour.


Opposite the museum (L) lies the outdoor section with a rusting ore bucket and other mining paraphernalia. In summer, visitors can try their hand at panning for gold, peer at the ruins of the mines through a telescope, and across the road browse in the Trading Post.

I then circled the town, sleepy in the sun, and visited the Country Market, which is a general store built in 1904. It still serves as the grocery store, liquor store, and bakery for the entire present-day population of about 2000.

Lunch is worth eating in Hedley at the famous Hitching Post Restaurant (R). Originally built in 1903 as a single storey, soon a top floor was added. In those days it roared with life, dances, music, and drunken miners. After the bust, the building served other purposes and slowly deteriorated. Today after a major renovation, the resto is a gathering place for residents and visitors. It's a friendly, good place to eat serving big portions of well-presented food with fresh ingredients. There's a choice of beer on tap and in the bottle, as well as other options—both alcoholic or not. I loved the mural, the atmosphere, and the food.

Unfortunately, the mine tours do not operate except in July and August (September at weekends only), so I couldn't experience it. It's a four and a half hour adventure run by the Upper Similkameen Indian Band who have done much restoration so visitors can safely explore the mines and tunnels, as well as the buildings. Everyone I spoke to promised it is a terrific tour. Visit www.mascotmine.com for more info.

Do stop in Hedley next time you're driving through and step back in time.

ALL IMAGES: © Photos by Pharos 2013. All rights reserved.

TOO COLD TO GOLF SO TOOK A DRIVE ...

by Julie H. Ferguson

After lunch on a sunny but blustery afternoon, we decided that taking a drive was better than freezing on the golf course with golf balls zooming off to right and left into the desert where you are not allowed to go and retrieve them.

The Legion

We headed into the West Kootenays of southern British Columbia and drove 75 kms to Greenwood. It turned out to be a gorgeous drive up and over Anarchist Mountain into a high plateau of rolling sage green hills—ranching country. Then down we dipped into the Kettle River Valley at Rock Creek, and on through Midway (not the island) and into Greenwood.

City Hall

This is the smallest city in BC with two claims to fame: Gold and copper were mined here after the first settlers  arrived in the mid-1880s, which led to several booms and busts, and the Japanese were interned here in WWII. It felt remote to me, but the town was delightful as small BC towns go. Very well kept with some lovely heritage homes.

We had a coffee and snacks in a modern/old café in the old hotel that has been spiffied up and had a good chat with the owner about the history. Fragrant coffee and home-made cakes, sandwiches, etc. with antiques spread around a more modern cafe. I was riveted with the tricycle powered by a vintage Singer sewing machine. The owner obviously has a thing about "old"—her car was vintage too.

The journey home was easy with little traffic and by the time we returned to Spirit Ridge the wind was moderating and the air was warmer.

ALL IMAGES: © James S. Ferguson 2013

FOLLOWING A BELL TO KELOWNA, BC

by Julie H. Ferguson

All the new construction in Kelowna today might give visitors the impression that this city in BC's Okanagan is relatively new. They'd be woefully wrong.

Pandosy Mission, 2010

Kelowna boasts the first European settlement in the Okanagan Valley, dating back to 1859 when Father Pandosy, OMI, an Oblate priest, built a mission. It still stands and has been superbly restored by the Okanagan Historical Society and the Catholic Church. The mission is well worth prowling around to get a feel for the times and what the settlers had to endure. The site is at 3685 Benvoulin by the junction with Casorsa and is open dawn to dusk from Easter to Canadian Thanksgiving.

In their later years

The mission's original bell led me to another Kelowna story of courage and success.  The bell acted as Rosa Casorso's traveling companion and compass in 1884 when she left Italy with three small kids to join her husband who was working for – you guessed it – Pandosy. She spoke not one word of English when her ship docked in San Francisco having sailed round Cape Horn; all she had was a scrap of paper with the address "Father Pandosy, Okanagan Mission." So did the bell ....  Rosa followed the bell on horseback, in canoes and wagons, and on foot, and eventually was reunited with her husband Giovanni, whom Pandosy renamed John.

The couple went on to establish the biggest agricultural and horticultural empire in BC's interior and the family still operates it today.

Pioneer Market in 2013

Next door to Pandosy Mission at 1405 Pioneer Road is a unremarkable building called Pioneer Market. It houses the Casorsa's history, a café, a wine tasting room, a local produce store, and a museum.

Jams, jellies, and honeys

Before I opened the door I could smell delicious aromas of homemade soup, coffee, and fresh bread. Here visitors can stock up on cakes, muffins, pies of all sorts, and comfort food. No doubt, in the harvest season, there are all the fruits from the orchards for sale too. There's also jams and jellies, honey, pickles, etc—all made in house, and perhaps to Rosa's recipes. Scattered through the downstairs are artifacts: an old stove, two ancient Singer sewing machines, and other bits and pieces from the family's past. Upstairs is the museum, though it felt more like exploring a family's attic.

Tucked behind the  market is the tasting room of Sperling Wines, formerly Calona Wines, another of the Casorso's enterprises dating from 1925 when Giovanni's son, Charles, planted the first vineyard in the Kelowna region. It still exists and produces several varieties of wine.  We tried a few, but I didn't care much for the pinot gris or chard. My husband liked the old vines Maréchal Foch and bought two bottles.

Life was tough homesteading in the late 1800s, and Rosa made it work; she not only founded a family firm but also raised nine children and cooked meals for them and twelve farmhands. I could scarcely imagine her daily life standing looking at the farm and vineyards, to say nothing of her journey from the Old World.


ALL IMAGES: © Photos by Pharos 2010-13. All rights reserved.

PREHISTORIC HOT SPRINGS IN SOUTHERN FRANCE? MAIS OUI!

I went in search of the source of the hot springs in Aix en Provence in August 2011. It turned into a journey through history with some surprises that ended with a delicious lunch in a hotel garden overlooking the remnants of a medieval tower and a Roman wall.

My quest led me through the best of Old Aix, the beginnings of which are lost in antiquity.

You can read my story at Travel Writers Tales here and in several British Columbia newspapers. Hope you like it.

Related post:  Stamp #8: Aix en Provence 

IMAGES: Photos by Pharos (Julie H. Ferguson) 2011

STAMP #2: Harrison Mills

Early departure to reach Harrison Mills, deep in the Fraser Valley (BC), for my 9:45am tee time at Sandpiper Golf Resort. Hazy sunshine all the way. Once through M. Ridge the traffic was light and the views of farms and fields gave way to lush countryside. Trees newly in leaf looked lime green and the sloughs were flat calm with almost perfect reflections.

Found Sandpiper easily and entered the estate on the banks of the Harrison River through gates and down a driveway with views of the golf course, the river, and a mountain backdrop. Whee!!! This is a little known gem deep in the Fraser Valley and the Pretty Estate Resort also includes the elegant inn called Rowena's and a fine dining restaurant, The River's Edge. More of the latter two in a moment.

Sandpiper's signature hole
© Photos by Pharos 2012

Greeted by Alan Goad, player's assistant, who gave me a tour of the estate before my round. It's been owned by the Pretty family for decades, but not turned into the resort till the end of the nineties. The huge family home is now Rowena's Inn on the River and it looks down river with spectacular views across the golf course.

 I played the back nine, which contains the four most divine holes, including the signature 15th, right along the river. The fairways were very green following our wet spring but the greens were in good shape, but challenging. The other holes I played had peekaboo views through sky-high, perfectly straight evergreens. Customer service was excellent and friendly. Not busy either. Worth the drive out for a game!

Lunch in The River's Edge with Summer Dhillon who takes care of the PR for Pretty Estate. Met the chef as well as the food and beverage manager, Sean. Both are new here and have plans to change the menu, which was good today. The Crepe Neptune, for me sans salmon, was packed with fresh prawns, mussels, and halibut in a rich white wine sauce. The restaurant has a terrace overlooking the 15th and the river, and a pleasant ambience inside. We sat beside the fireplace.

Rowena's Inn on the River
© Photos by Pharos 2012

Then a tour of Rowena's. I had already been inside one of the four cabins, which was one bedroomed, with a living room, kitchenette, and a jacuzzi bathroom. Its patio overlooks the view. What a place for a romantic getaway!! The inn is spacious and beautifully decorated and furnished with antiques, clearly with a loving eye and good taste. There are about six rooms with king-sized beds, all different. Most have that gorgeous view. The living room, drawing room, and dining room are huge. Behind the scenes is a large commercial kitchen because this inn caters for corporate retreats and weddings, and a conservatory where breakfast is served for guests.

Later I spent an hour with Judy Pickard, the coordinator of the Agassiz-Harrison Museum in Agassiz. In the old station, this is a treasure trove of history, including the railway, hop farming, the great flood of 1948, and dairying. They are just about to expand into a barn built by volunteers with recycled barn lumber. This will almost double the space for exhibits. The story of this area is rich indeed, and today is filled with friendly volunteers ready to explain it. The community spirit is alive and well here.

By the time I checked into the Harrison Hot Springs Resort, it was 4pm and clouds threatened showers; the wind was howling and the temperature had plummeted. I was given a suite overlooking the lake where wind surfers were out in force. The room is huge for one person, but I'm relishing the big desk to work at with free wireless and the view. Not sure I really need two bathrooms! This hotel has been here for over a century in one form or another due to the natural hot springs, first enjoyed by the First Nations people and later by the gold miners heading up the lake to the upper Thompson River and to the Cariboo in search of the mother lode.

The Hungry Chef is a new family restaurant about two streets back from the lake where I had dinner. Has a patio and windows right across the front. Its view is of the back of a hotel, an old cottage and a sleazy motel. Mid-week and out of season, there were ten seniors, and two families: one with two small kids and one couple with their MIL. Menu has burgers, sandwiches and wraps, pasta and pizzas. Cheap fare.

I had a "Rollo" - a pork slice on a bun with bacon and onions and a side of fries. The pork was overcooked but not by much. The fries were hot but not fresh cut; the onions were cooked but not caramelized as advertised, and the bacon was soggy.  True, it was mid-week and out of season, and may be it was the B team in the kitchen too. Not recommended, even at the price.

And so to bed.

Related articles:

• Stamp #1: Harrison Hot Springs, Bc (stampsinmypassport.blogspot.com)

A GLIMPSE INTO BRITTANY'S MEDIEVAL TIMES

© Julie H. Ferguson 2011

Brittany, located in northwestern France, stole my heart a decade ago and I’m still returning to discover more of its coastline and countryside. Visitors tend to start and stop with St-Malo, which admittedly is a must-see, but there is more to explore and enjoy.

Dinan, thirteen miles from St-Malo, is one of the best preserved medieval towns in France with two miles of ramparts, a castle, and its own river port. Visitors from St-Malo and Dinard can take a cruise all the way up the Rance River and spend the day prowling around Dinan. There's much to enjoy here as I discovered last August ...

Read the story of my first visit to Dinan here: http://www.europeupclose.com/article/dinan-france-a-brittany-must-see/#.T2qdZtkWd7K or at Reuters UK

© Julie H. Ferguson 2011

Related post with more images:

Dinan, Brittany (stampsinmypassport.blogspot.com)

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER ARTICLE!

Image via Wikipedia

This one is about a trip to Rome awhile back. St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City gobsmacked me. Here's why plus a tip to help you enjoy it more: http://www.travelwriterstales.com/vatican-city.htm