Christmas Pickle

December 05, 2025

After a nearly two-hour bus ride our tour arrived at Neuschwanstein Castle today. The castle is a 19th-century palace on a rugged hill of the foothills of the Alps in the south of Germany above the incorporated village of Hohenschwangau and the narrow gorge of the Pöllat stream. Since 2025, the castle has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, “The Palaces of King Ludwig II of Bavaria”. According to Guinness World Records, it is the tallest castle in the world at 213 feet (65 meters). Walt Disney used this castle as a model for Disneyland. When we arrived on site there was snow on the ground and the castle was shrouded in fog. The walk to the castle began with a 30-degree incline that took me 30 minutes to navigate. After a brief rest we began the last 15 minutes of the walk that shifted to a 45-degree incline. When our appointed 5-minute entry slot arrived we began a 25-minute tour that took us to the top (fourth) floor. Although the trip was tiring, it was well worthwhile. As our tour continued to Oberammergau our guide told us of one of the Christmas traditions celebrated by her family while growing up, the hiding of the Christmas Pickle.

When I went online, I found Christmas pickle (Weihnachtsgurke) is a game of hiding a pickle shaped Christmas ornament among the branches of the tree. While supposedly a centuries-old German Christmas tradition, most Germans have never heard of it, but it is beloved by many families in the US and UK. After decorating their tree on Christmas Eve, the parents hide a pickle ornament among the branches. The first child to find the pickle on Christmas Day receives an extra present or good fortune for the coming year. In some stories, the pickle-hiding game is a centuries-old German tradition that has been passed down through generations. In others, a captured German-American soldier was saved from starvation on Christmas Eve during the Civil War by eating a pickle. Other people believe the tradition is related to St Nicholas resurrecting three boys who had been murdered and hidden in a barrel of pickles. Anyone familiar with traditional German Christmas will see some flaws in the story. Germany celebrates the arrival of St. Nicholas on December 6 rather than Christmas Eve and children open their presents on December 24, not Christmas Day. The biggest problem is that few in Germany have ever heard of it. A December 2016 survey by YouGov found only 7% of Germans had heard of Weihnachtsgurke, and only 6% of families practice the custom.

Our guide pointed out a souvenir store where we could buy a Christmas Pickle. I toured the other shops before deciding to get a Christmas Pickle for my son and his family as a nice way of sharing a German tradition as we are of German descent. When I asked the cashier where I could find a Christmas Pickle, her response was, “Was is pickle, I do not know this word.” I broke out the translator on my phone and typed in my request, which was displayed on my screen in German. “Ah, gerken!” Then she showed me a wooden pickle for 24 Euro. She saw the look on my face and told me to wait while she found a cheaper version upstairs. While I waited, I Goggled “Christmas pickle” and found this was not a German tradition, but an American tradition that has only recently spread to Germany. When I shared this information with the clerk, she told me she only keeps the Christmas pickle for tourists. I did not buy a Christmas pickle for my son and his family.

THOUGHTS: When my guide asked if I found a Christmas pickle I just laughed and said I had. I knew nothing would be gained by telling her what I had learned. I have found that traditions come from all sorts of origins, and the origin is not as important as the joint celebration it brings to a family or community. Sometimes it is better to just keep your traditions alive (no matter where they come from) to bind us together in a shared belief. Act for all. Change is coming and it starts with you.

Glockenspiel

December 04, 2025

Our walking tour of Munich was timed so the first section of our walking tour would arrive in the city center in time for the sounding of the bells at noon. On arrival our guide asked if we had seen the bells of the Ankeruhr clock in Vienna (what?? must have missed it). This unusual Art Nouveau work was created by Franz von Matsch in the period between 1911 to 1914, and Franz Morawetz the court clockmaker had made the clockwork mechanism. Although the city square was the site for the largest Christmas market in Munich, the bells had nothing to do with the markets. The bells and figures were added to the town hall in 1908 and consist of 43 bells and 32 life-sized figures. The mechanism is powered by solar power and is only semi-automatic, as it needs a player to turn the levers at the exact right times 364 days a year. The glockenspiel at Munich is the largest in Germany and the fourth largest in Europe.

When I went online, I found glockenspiel is a percussion instrument that originally consisted of a set of graduated bells, and later a set of tuned steel bars (a metallophone). These are struck with wood, ebonite, or even metal hammers. The bars are arranged in two rows, the second corresponding to the black keys of the piano. The name glockenspiel is German (“bell play”) and refers to the sound of small bells. The very first instruments to carry this name did indeed consist of a set of small bells which were played either by a group of musicians or struck by means of a complex mechanism. At the end of the 17th century steel bars began to replace the bells. Initially they were only a substitute for real bells, but this arrangement of metal bars soon developed into a musical instrument of its own and retained the name “glockenspiel”. Like the xylophone, the glockenspiel is a great favorite with children. Carl Orff used it from the 1930’s for his Method. The children’s instruments have a smaller range, are tuned diatonically, and have bars resting over a frame like a trough. Lower-pitched glockenspiels have short resonators and are generally known as metallophones.

The glockenspiel of the Munich New Town Hall (Neues Rathaus) on the central square (Marienplatz) attract huge crowds every day for reenactments of two events from Munich’s city history. The first is the wedding of Duke Wilhelm V and Renate of Lorraine, in February 1568 when a jousting match in honor of the bride and groom took place on the square. The Bavarian knight (of course) triumphed over his opponent from Lorraine. The lower floor shows the famous Coopers’ Dance (Schäfflertanz) is a guild dance of the coopers (Barrel makers) originally started in Munich. Early documented cases of Schäfflertanz are dated by 1702 when the Münich magistrate approved the performance of the dance as a well-established tradition. For a long time the date 1517 was prevalent in the literature originating the legend that the tradition started after the 1517 plague to revive the spirits of the people “to lure them out of their houses”. There are no records of any plague in Münich at this period. Still, the 500th anniversary was celebrated in 2017. There is no clear indication of the origin of the seven-year cycle, but since the early 1800’s the custom has spread, and it is now a common tradition over the region of Old Bavaria.

THOUGHTS: We waited in the city square to see the glockenspiel along with a select group of 3000 of our closest friends. We had been told the figures did not move until the third song. First came the church bells (always the priority) followed by a introductory number. The third number set the first group of jousters in motion and the fourth featured the dancing coopers. The finally was the cock crowing three times. Our guide had warned us that time had not been good on the crow mechanism and he was right. It sounded more like the honking of a goose. It felt good to join others in a century-old tradition. Act for all. Change is coming and it starts with you.

Sound of Music

December 03, 2025

We decided to go on the Danube tour because Melissa wanted to see the Christmas markets. My sister and her husband had gone on the Danube tour several years ago in late November and told us when they took the extension the Christmas markets were already in full swing. We booked a tour that left on the 25th of November (two days before Thanksgiving) and ended on the 1st of December. We arrived two days early to overcome the jet lag that can accompany overseas travel (and did for us!). That also meant we did not have to plan anything for Thanksgiving, a meal that is always difficult for two. A (somewhat) traditional meal was served on the ship with turkey (sliced white and dark meat), mashed potatoes and stuffing (sort of), and cranberry sauce with pumpkin pie for dessert. I have had potatoes and stuffing at other meals on board and while ok, the consistency is much different than I am used to in the US. The extension included four days before we fly home on December 6th. I noticed the extension was called the Sound of Music Tour, but I was not ready for what that entailed.

When I went online, I found the Sound of Music is a 1965 musical film (Rodgers and Hammerstein) based on the 1949 book by Maria von Trapp. The story is set in Austria on the eve of the German annexation (Anschluss) and tells the story of Maria who takes on the job as governess of the large family while she decides whether to become a nun. She falls in love with the seven children and eventually with the widowed father, Captain von Trapp. A former submarine captain, he is ordered to accept a commission with the German navy but opposes the Nazis. The captain and Maria decide on a plan to flee Austria with the children. The family left by train to Italy, then traveling to London and the US. The film version made the escape more dramatic by having the family hide in the cemetery before escaping over the mountains to Switzerland on foot. Many of the songs have become standards, including the title song, “The Sound of Music”.

Our Sound of Music tour started with a panoramic coach drive through the mountains. At every stop and turn we were told about how the movie had used such and such location for filming, even though it had nothing to do with the von Trapp experience. The scenery was amazing and at one stop I saw several dozen lake trout, all about 18 inches (45 cm) long, swimming along the shore (that was not included in the musical). As we passed several locations the guide played appropriate songs from the movie over our bus sound system. Many of the guests sang along, some becoming very animated. On arrival in Salzberg we saw the façade of the villa used in the film (not the von Trapp villa) and the gazebo used in the film (“I am 17”). The gazebo was from the film but not the von Trapp villa and had been moved several times because tourists were harassing the owners. The tour continued the following day as we passed four or five Salzberg sites used in the film but were far removed from the family. The church where the couple were married is still an active convent.

THOUGHTS: While the tours were focused on the Sound of Music, we also passed the birthplace and several residences of Wolfgang Motzart. These were of keen focus in Vienna but seemed of only passing interest (to our guide) in Salzburg. We did get to the cathedral of St. Peter and its large Christmas market. They had amazing pretzels. It was interesting to see many Chinese tourists poising and dancing and singing the screenplay of the movie as they passed through the film locations. Like so many things, we give the customer what they want (or we think they want). When telling the difference between reality and what we would like to be, the facts seem to be harder to discern. Act for all. Change is coming and it starts with you.

Vienna

November 28, 2025

Yesterday we continued our trip along the Danube River to Bratislava, Slovakia. Bratislava is the capital and largest city of Slovakia. The city has deep historical ties to Hungary and served as its capital and coronation city for centuries and is now the capital seat of Slovakia. Bratislava borders both Austria and Hungary, making it the only national capital in the world to have land borders with two other sovereign states. After the Ottoman conquest in 1526, Bratislava (then Pozsony) became the capital of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1536 until 1783. Eleven Hungarian kings and eight royal consorts were crowned in the city’s St. Martin’s Cathedral. “Bratislava” was adopted as its name following World War I (1919) after it became part of Czechoslovakia. After an afternoon walking tour of the city and a lively evening of entertainment (dancers and operetta), we departed Bratislava late last night and continued our way up the Danube River toward Vienna.

When I went online, I found Vienna is the capital and largest city (2 million inhabitants) of Austria. Its larger metropolitan area has a population of nearly 2.9 million, representing nearly one-third of the country’s population. Vienna is the cultural, economic, and political center of the country, the fifth-largest city by population in the European Union, and the most populous of the cities on the Danube River. The city lies on the eastern edge of the Vienna Woods (Wienerwald), the foothills of the Alps that separate Vienna from the more western parts of Austria. The city sits on the Danube and is traversed by the Vienna River (Wienfluss). Although surrounded by Lower Austria, the city lies 31 miles (50 km) west of Bratislava, Slovakia, 31 miles (50 km) northwest of Hungary, and 37 miles (60 km) south of Moravia (Czech Republic). The Romans founded a fortress (castrum) at the site in the 1st century CE called Vindobona, which was elevated to a town (municipium) with Roman city rights in 212. In 1155, Vienna became the seat of the Babenbergs (976 to 1246) and was granted city rights in 1221. The Habsburgs succeeded the Babenbergs during the 16th century and Vienna became the seat of the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire, a position it held until the empire’s dissolution in 1806. With the formation of the Austrian Empire in 1804, Vienna became the capital of the Austrian and all its successor states.

Our morning in Vienna began with a panoramic (bus) tour of the major sites of the city followed by a walking tour of the interior. This tour took us from the old city gates (no longer in existence) toward St. Stephen’s Cathedral. We had toured St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Bratislava, but this was named for Stephen I, the first king of Hungary reigning from approximately 1000/1001 until his death in 1038 CE. Although his parents were baptized, he was the first of his family to be a devout Christian. Stephen led the Church in Hungary to develop independently from the archbishops of the Holy Roman Empire and encouraged the spread of Christianity by meting out severe punishments for those ignoring Christian customs. He became the principal patron saint of Hungary. St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna is named for the first martyr of Christianity according to the Acts of the Apostles (Chapter 6). During the modern era, Vienna has been among the largest German-speaking cities in the world and host to major international organizations. In 2001, the city center was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

THOUGHTS: One excursion in Vienna is a concert by the Vienna Residence Orchestra that features some of Vienna’s most beloved music, including Strauss waltzes and Mozart’s The Magic Flute. This is a bucket list for Melissa I am grateful to share. Sharing each other’s expectations and hopes bonds relationships. The more the better. Act for all. Change is coming and it starts with you.

Locks

November 27, 2025

One of the smarter things Melissa and I did on our Danube River trip was to fly into Budapest several days prior to our embarkation date. Still, we were not prepared for the toll the trip would have. We were both so exhausted that we struggled to make it through our first dinner and suffered cramps the first two nights from being on the plane (not moving enough). Our embarkation point was close to our hotel but did not relish the thought of dragging our luggage along the banks of the river. We were able to secure the hotel car (for a small fee) to drop us in front of the ship on Tuesday. The next two days were spent exploring the sights of Buda, the hilly south side, and Pest, the flat north side of the river. I had exchanged 50 Euros into 17,450 Forint thinking there would be shops who would not take foreign currency but everywhere took both Euro and credit cards. Since Forint is not excepted anywhere but Hungary, the maid and guides were tipped with Forint. On the last day in town, I took a final walk to the Christmas market to spend my last 2000 Forint (5.26 Euro). I watched from the sundeck as we pulled out marveling at the breadth and power of the Daube. It was hard to fathom that tomorrow we would pass through several locks that would raise the ship 60 feet (18.3 m).

When I went online, I found the Danube has a series of locks to allow river passage associated with the 18 river power plants (from Kelheim to Sulina) that generate energy from the dams. These locks are of either one (4) or two (14) chambers that can allow simultaneous locking of vessels travelling upstream and downstream. The steep gradient of the Upper Danube (Kelheim and Gönyu) has 16 power plants with locks, while the Middle and Lower Danube has only 2 locks situated at the Iron Gates, a gorge forged by the Danube through the Carpathians, which forms the border between Romania and Serbia. The Iron Gate locks are also the largest on the Danube. Iron Gate I (river km 942.90) and Iron Gate II (river km 863.70/ 862.85) each have two lock chambers which are 1017 feet (310 m) long and 111.5 feet (34 m) wide, located on the right bank and the left bank. The lock chambers on the right bank (Djerdap I and II) are maintained and run by Serbia, while those on the left bank (Portile de Fier I and II) are maintained and run by Romania.

When I woke up this morning, I opened the curtains of our stateroom and was surprised to see the banks of the Danube only 20 yards (18 m) away as this was such a contrast to the massive river channel we had left in Buda pest. While the banks did widen some as we continued upstream, they never reached the distance of the previous night. When we arrived at the first lock (Gabclkovo) we squeezed into an area 111.5 feet (34 m) wide and 902 feet (275 m) long. We were nearly pressed against the side of the lock, with a wide berth on the right hand (starboard). Once we began to rise, a new friend and I went to the observation deck to watch the process. That was when I saw another small cruise ship situated beside and slightly behind our larger craft. At least now our proximity to the side of the lock made sense. As the lock opened, we sailed into the Dunajsky canal that connected us back to the river. We were on our way to our second destination city of Bratislava.

THOUGHTS: Locks are designed for boats and not for migratory fish and can act as a barrier to migratory fish. The lock can also be modified by adapting operation protocols to guide fish through a lock with a series of controlled water-level changes that mimic a fish lift. The effectiveness of an adapted lock depends on sufficient attraction flow and careful timing to ensure fish enter and move upstream successfully. Under standard operation, the area near the lock is calm, making it difficult for fish to find the entrance, and less than 1.5% of fish may use the lock. The impact on ecosystems along the Danube has been partially mitigated through various national and international agreements and national parks. It takes planning. Act for all. Change is coming and it starts with you.

PS: For my American followers, Happy Thanksgiving!

Forint

November 24, 2025

Melissa and I both finally got to sleep last night and woke ready to see some sights of Budapest. We checked with the concierge at the front desk about what to see and were given a map which he marked with possible locations. The first thing I wanted to do was check the location of our tour line’s port. We have heard at times there may be more than one point of embarkation. We set out using my phone map app knowing it was only 650 feet (198 m) to our location. We got closer and then the distance began to increase as I had made a wrong turn. It turned out it will be an easy trip tomorrow, but I am glad I checked before dragging our luggage around Budapest. I made several purchases last night using Euros and received sighs, and calculators, so I decided I should convert some of my US$ to Forint, the official currency of Hungry.

When I went online, I found the forint’s name comes from the city of Florence, where gold coins called fiorino d’oro were minted from 1252. In Hungary, the florentinus (later Forint), also a gold-based currency, was used from 1325 under Charles Robert, with several other countries following Hungary’s example. Between 1868 and 1892, the Forint was the name used in Hungarian for the currency of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, known in German as the Gulden. It was subdivided into 100 krajczár. The introduction of the forint on 1 August 1946 was a crucial step in the post-World War II stabilization of the Hungarian economy and remained relatively stable until the 1980’s. Transition to a market economy in the early 1990’s resulted in inflation, which peaked at 35% in 1991. Between 2001 and 2022, inflation was in single digits, and the Forint has been declared fully convertible. In May 2022, inflation reached 10.7% amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine and economic uncertainty. As a member of the European Union, the long-term aim of the Hungarian government may be to replace the forint with the euro, although under the current government there is no target date for adopting the euro. Currently 1 Euro equals 382.45 Hungarian Forint.

When I checked with the concierge desk I was told to go to a bank or exchange station to convert my currency to forint. We had decided to go to St. Stephen’s Basilica which was only a few blocks farther and (sort of) in the direction of the cruise dock. As we approached, we saw a Christmas market in full swing on the streets surrounding the church. We knew there would be shops, and after last night’s experience I wanted at least some forint for a purchase. We found an exchange shop not far from the market. It turned out they did not know how to convert US$ into Forint (?) but it was easy to convert with Euros. We had prepared our credit card with our trip as they accepted foreign exchanges (no fee). Armed with nearly 17,000 Forint (50 Euro) we were ready to face the markets. We browsed the shop and food venders on our way to the basilica, deciding what to eat on our return. When we arrived at St. Stephens, we were both cold and decided to see the exterior rather than the tour. We then stopped for a large Hungarian sausage, potato cake, and stuffed cabbage. None of the shops took cash, so we used our credit card. Now what to do with 17,000 Forint.

THOUGHTS: After we got back to the hotel with my Forint in hand (and tons of food) we laid down for a rest before taking off again. This time it was my foot that woke me up in pain. I decided to go back to the shop I visited last night and buy some Gatorade (or facsimile) with my forint. I bought 3 Gatorades, orange juice, and a bag of chips for 4500 Forint. When we went to Greece we came home with 450 Euros. We did not mind as we knew the Danube trip ended in Germany so it would be spent. We still have another day and a half to spend our Hungarian forint. Many charities, airports, and airlines collect leftover currency for donations. I saw a donation bin in Munich but did not understand what it was for, until now. Act for all. Change is coming and it starts with you.

Holiday Travel

November 23, 2025

Melissa and I decided to go two days early for our trip up the Danube River and set our flights to arrive on Sunday prior to embarking Tuesday afternoon. Our 11:30 am flight meant we began our trip taking the kids for boarding on Friday evening. Loki has recently become frantic with visits to the Vet and again became frantic as we dropped him off at the kennel. I watched as he got past the first door and by the second he was straining to get inside. That made me feel better about leaving the kids for an extended visit. Saturday began with a 1-1/2-hour drive to our connecting airport, a two hour wait for the plane to depart (customs was a breeze), and another 1-1/2 hours to arrive in O’Hare. Since we had a 4-hour layover, we proceeded to the airlines lounge. This was a first for us and I was pleased with the comfort, food, and drink offered for free (for members). We sat as a steady stream of people came in and out, while another steady stream was turned away without the proper credentials. We had planned on early travel as flights in the US have been disrupted by the government shutdown, but our greater concern was the potential crush of holiday travel.

When I went online, I found US airlines are predicting another record Thanksgiving holiday travel season. Airlines for America, a lobbying group representing the largest US carriers, predicted Thursday that airlines will carry more than 31 million people between Friday, November 21, and Monday, December 1. The busiest days are expected to be the Sunday after Thanksgiving (30th), with about 3.4 million people flying, and the Monday after Thanksgiving (31st), with around 3.1 million passengers. The airlines have expressed relief after the longest-ever government shutdown ended November 12th. Shortages of air traffic controllers delayed and canceled flights, disrupting travel plans for some 6 million people. The industry is pushing lawmakers to pass legislation to ensure that air traffic controllers are paid in the event of another shutdown. The latest bill only funds the government through January, so industry members are hoping to avoid a repeat of the closure just before winter break and spring break seasons begin.

We arrived at our hotel in Budapest after 20 hours of holiday travel. This included two drives (car 1-1/2 hours and taxi-1 hour), two layovers (6 hours), two short hops (O’Hare – 1-1/2 hours and Budapest – 1 hour), and an overseas flight to Munich (9 hours). We were tired but thankful the trip had been relatively easy. We had purchased economy plus (for legroom) on the overseas flight. I got up several times to go to the restroom (actually to stretch my legs) but it was still uncomfortable. We were both exhausted when we reached the hotel and after check-in decided to eat in the hotel bar. We ordered a cheese and meat plate along with a variety of humus dips. I was so tired during the meal I almost fell asleep. By the time we went to our room it was 5:00 pm local time, but we decided it was late enough to go to bed.

THOUGHTS: You have got to love holiday travel. I went right to sleep but woke with horrific cramps in my left calf. Apparently, I had not moved enough on the flight. I looked at my watch, and it said 8:20. Even though the blackout curtains were pulled it seemed like there should be morning light coming through from outside. That was when Melissa told me I had only been asleep for an hour. Since I was wide awake, I wondered how I was ever going to get through the night. Then I realized in my new time zone it was still early. I putzed around for a couple of hours and then went back to bed. Even as I bemoaned the difficulty faced arriving at my trip destination, I realized how easy it was compared to earlier travelers. It took four to six months to cover the 2,170-mile (3,490 km) to traverse the Oregon trail by wagon and 20,000 to 30,000 people died (1 in 10). I guess cramps are not all that bad. Act for all. Change is coming and it starts with you.

Acropolis

February 13, 2025

One of the reasons we decided to take our Greek Cruise was because it marked off so many of my bucket list items. That included the Mycenean Palace of Knossos and the isle of Santorini. Regrettably we were not able to see the island because of the current earthquakes. Our follow up tour includes two more of my bucket lists, the Oracle of Delphi (tomorrow) and the Acropolis of Athens (today). Melissa knew that our visit to the Acropolis meant a good hike uphill, and she was tentative at the least. On arrival by bus, we began the slow assent that wound from the parking lot to the entrance gate. By the time we reached the entrance we could see the Parthenon towering 490 feet (150 m) above us. Melissa looked at the steps up to the Acropolis and then looked at me and said, “Well that ain’t going to happen is it”.

When I looked online, I found the Acropolis of Athens is an ancient citadel located on a rocky outcrop above the city of Athens, Greece. During ancient times this acropolis was more properly known as Cecropia, after the legendary serpent-man Cecrops, the supposed first Athenian king. The word Acropolis is from Greek ἄκρον (akron – “highest point” and πόλις (polis – “city”). The term is generic and there are many other acropolises in Greece. The site contains the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural and historical significance, including the Parthenon. The entrance to the Acropolis was a monumental gateway (the Propylaea) and to the south of the entrance is the tiny Temple of Athena Nike. The Parthenon or Temple of Athena Parthenos (Athena the Virgin) stands at the center of the Acropolis. East of the entrance and north of the Parthenon is the temple known as the Erechtheum. South of the platform that forms the top of the Acropolis there are the remains of the ancient (remodeled) Theatre of Dionysus. A few hundred meters (320+ yards) away, there is the partially reconstructed Odeon of Herodes Atticus. All the valuable ancient artifacts are situated in the Acropolis Museum, which resides on the southern slope of the same rock.

Despite her trepidation, Melissa decided to attempt the climb up the steps to the Acropolis. Our tour guide took off for the top, dragging the climbers along with her. The program guide stayed behind with the rest of us stragglers. She told us not to worry, the others would have to wait for us because she was the one who had all the tickets. We were able to wind our way up to the top, past the huge gateway (Propylaea), and then up the final steps to the top of the Acropolis. The Acropolis towered over the city of Athens down below and the Parthenon stood dwarfing everything else on the site. As we marveled at both the size and magnificence of the building, Melissa told me the effort to reach the top had been worth it.

THOUGHTS: The trip to the Acropolis of Athens checked off another of my bucket list items and became an instant favorite for Melissa. I know when looking back on this day, the struggle will become an integral part of the story for why the trip was worthwhile. Like most worthwhile things, it required determination and effort to achieve the goal. Our world faces a monumental struggle to overcome the effects of both climate change and indifference. The result of our (continued) indifference results in the wild swings in weather patterns (wildfires and record snowstorms, hurricanes and floods along with draughts). Hopefully we will be able to look back and say the struggle was worth it. Act for all. Change is coming and it starts with you.

Medieval

February 09, 2025

When we arrived in Rhodes I was not prepared for the abrupt shift in focus (time and culture). The Greek sites we had been touring dated from the Classical – Hellenistic – Roman eras, or the 1000-year period from 600 BCE to 400 CE. Rhodes seemed to jump forward another 1000 years to concentrate on the later times of the Crusaders (14th and 16th centuries CE) and the Ottomans who controlled the island and city until the early 20th century. Our tour of Rhodes featured this Medieval history.

When I looked online, I found the history of Europe known as the medieval period, or Middle Ages, lasted from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, and was similar to the post-classical period for global history. The medieval period began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and transitioned into the Renaissance (Age of European Discovery). The period is marked by population decline, counter-urbanization, the collapse of centralized authority, invasions, and mass migrations of tribes, which began in late antiquity and continued into the Early Middle Ages. The large-scale movements of the Migration Period, including various Germanic peoples, formed new kingdoms in what remained of the Western Roman Empire. Although there were substantial changes in society and political structures, the break with classical antiquity was incomplete. The Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman) survived in the Eastern Mediterranean and remained a major power. The Roman Empire’s law code (Corpus Juris Civilis) was rediscovered in Northern Italy in the 11th century and most western kingdoms incorporated the few extant Roman institutions. Monasteries were founded as campaigns to Christianize the remaining pagans across Europe continued. The Franks, under the Carolingian dynasty, briefly established the Carolingian Empire during the latter 8th and early 9th centuries. I The medieval period covered much of Western Europe but later succumbed to the pressures of internal civil wars combined with external invasions from the Vikings (north), Magyars (east), and Saracens (south).

The island of Rhodes stands at a crossroads between Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, which has given the city and the island many different identities and cultures. The island itself has been inhabited since the Neolithic (stone) Period (4000 BCE), but Rhodes became an important trading post for shipping between Constantinople and Alexandria during the Byzantine Period and the European Crusades to the Holy Land. The Knights Hospitallers captured and established their headquarters on Rhodes when they left Cyprus in 1307 and remained on the island for the next two centuries. The Ottoman Empire expanded rapidly after the fall of Constantinople in 1453, and the Knights defense of the island in 1480 halted Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror from the invasion of the Italian peninsula by Ottoman forces. Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent led a second Ottoman Siege of Rhodes in 1522 but after a spirited defense the Knights were allowed to depart on January 1, 1523. New buildings were constructed during the Ottoman era, including mosques, public baths, and mansions, while the Greeks were forced to abandon the fortified city and move to new suburbs outside its walls. The tours of Rhodes were not like the ruins we had visited, but of intact buildings for continuous occupation for the last 1000 years. A different tour, but very interesting.

Thoughts: Disembarking our ship, we approached the Medieval city through one of the smaller side gates. We then wound our way up hill from the harbor to the Palace of the Grand Masters(fortress) at the top of the citadel. The stone-lined streets were the same as the crusaders and Ottomans trod for the last 1000 years as they wound toward the top. You find a sense of longevity and continuity in Europe that does not exist in the US. This also illustrates the transitory nature of human rulers and kingdoms. Both are good reminders. Act for all. Change is coming and it starts with you.