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Trafalgar

Brevynym for Episode 6: The West Country[i], the Baltic[ii], one step into Wales[iii] and the modern-day Trafalgar. A brevynym according to my brain, is a sentence that reveals a bigger story using key words of previous stories.

This episode briefly explores journeys in the past that you can click on the above to read more plus an insight to Vice-Admiral Nelson’s victory with a modern comical twist. First, let me also preface this story to give credit to my father-in-law, Ken Clark, who has journeyed on to eternal peace. In clearing out his files in the attic for my mother-in-law, we found an interesting handwritten note titled, “The Modern Day Trafalgar”. Read through the end of this episode to his fictional dialog between Vice-Admiral Nelson and Flag Captain Hardy commanding HMS Victory during the battle of Trafalgar in 1805. If you have some Naval background you may pick up some jargon, find it funny, politically incorrect in today’s world, but also revealing to the man’s talent for storytelling. Enjoy this episode as you journey with me back in time.

I believe when we go back in time, we learn how our present time is shaped by our past, giving us insight, to our future. Let me start with the West Country. From the town of Exeter in Devon through the new forest, where sheep and ponies roam free, you discover the Jurassic coast to find treasured fossils. In Exeter, St Catherine’s Almshouses was bombed during WWII and now serves as a reminder to the brave soldiers who fought for our freedom. Widdecombe in the Moor is a village steeped in history and famous all over the world for Widdecombe fair, Uncle Tom Cobley and all. Sir Francis Drake’s Buckland Abby Barn reveals Andrew Logan’s Cosmic Egg. The story of Francis Drake’s life is extraordinary from a meek farmer’s boy dreaming of being on a ship to a master commander who helped stop the Spanish invasion of England in 1588. He had previously been very successful in Spanish raids as payback for their attack on his vessel in 1567. More than two hundred years later, Admiral Nelson was still fighting for superiority of the seas. As we leave the West Country to make the connections in the Baltic area, know that we are all on our own individual journeys of life. Some roads take us to no end while others take us to a lifetime of memories and perhaps fame in the process of living.

In Belgium the city of Zeebrugge is a gateway to the medieval city of Ghent. Amazingly, this city was spared bombing during World War II, thus sparing the magnificent ancient buildings from destruction. The city is home of a 14th century belfry, St Michael’s Bridge, St Bavo’s Cathedral, and the 15th century artwork called the “The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb”. The region of Flanders was made famous from 1915 publication of poem “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae during World War I. From Belgium, next stop is Denmark traveling by sea up to the Oresund Strait separating Denmark from Sweden into the Baltic Sea to Copenhagen and a fishing village called Dragor reminiscent of Viking days. The connection between Admirals Nelsen and Hardy goes back to 1801 and the first battle of Copenhagen. It seems all history somehow eventually intersects. From Copenhagen to Stockholm to Estonia, Russia, Finland through the Baltic Sea back to Poland the connection of historical events continues. None of us are immune from events of history that shapes our existence.

Lao Tzu said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. The single step this time is into Wales. The one step reveals the superiority of ship building resulting from the dominance of British Naval might won from the victory at Trafalgar. In Bristol there is an old steel constructed ship called the ”SS Great Britain”. SS stands for steam ship and was a marvelous specimen of engineering designed by Brunel. His designs also included the suspension bridge over the Avon. His ship’s design included first screw propeller which became the standard for proceeding iron ships. It sailed many times to Australia and America before a damaged mast ended her career. She was relocated back to her construction dock after 127 years of service in 1970 and now on permanent display for generations to see. Could the advancement of modern ships have been possible without superiority of the seas? Perhaps, but technology may have been a casualty of concentrated war efforts. The overwhelming victory over the French and Spanish on 21 October 1805 gave the Royal Navy its most famous triumph and confirmed a long tradition of naval supremacy. Now that Britain commanded the seas inventors were allowed to create on behalf of commerce not war. This historic marine conflict was fought off the Cape of Trafalgar, offshore from Cadiz, Spain, with forces from Spain and France clashing with Britain. The Battle of Trafalgar made Lord Horatio Nelson one of Britain’s most famous war heroes. Now 211 years later, the day is still marked every year on October 21. Viscount Horatio Nelson who was shot and died of his wounds at the moment of his greatest victory. Prior to this famous battle, Nelson was already making his mark through many quotes that are now repeated by various leaders on or off the battle fields. Below is a summary of this famous battle.

Napoleon Bonaparte planned to invade Britain in the summer of 1805 but needed to gain control of the English Channel. He ordered the French fleet to create a blockaded at various ports, meet in West Indies and then return as one fleet with Spain to gain control of the Channel. The Spanish left for the West Indies, but Nelson pursued and stopped them in Cadiz, Spain. At the end of September, Nelson took his fleet of 27 ships, split them into two columns and planned to break through the enemy line.

On 19 October the Franco-Spanish fleet was trying leave the harbor and head for the Mediterranean, so the chase was on. By dawn on 21 October the British fleet was only 9 miles away from the enemy. By noon the HMS Victory hoisted the famous signal ‘England Expects That Every Man Will Do His Duty’ followed by ‘Engage the enemy more closely’. The two columns led by HMS Victory and HMS Royal Sovereign successfully pierced the enemy line firing into the bow and stern of enemy ships as they passed between them.

Victory was won by the skill of the brave sailors and the brilliance of Nelson. The total number of killed and wounded on both sides was about 8,500 whilst the British took about 20,000 prisoners. Nelson himself had been shot by a musket ball and died when victory was assured.

The era of British naval supremacy brought about by the victory at Trafalgar lasted for a century until Germany’s naval challenge in the first decade of the Twentieth Century.

Now that you have read a little of the history enjoy my recently discovered handwritten satire from Mr. Kenneth H. Clark

“The Modern Day Trafalgar”

Nelson-Order the signal[1] Hardy

Hardy- Aye Aye Sir

Nelson-Hold on, that’s not what I dictated to the signal officer. What’s the meaning of this?

Hardy-Sorry Sir!

Nelson-(Reading aloud) England expects every person to do his duty, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religious persuasion, or disability. What gobbledygook is this?

Hardy-A diversity policy, I’m afraid, Sir we are an equal opportunity employer now. We had the devil’s own job getting ‘England’ passed the censors lest it is considered racist.

Nelson-Gadzooks, Hardy, hand me my pipe and tobacco.

Hardy-Sorry Sir, all naval vessels have been designated smoke free working environments.

Nelson- In that case, break open the rum ration. Let us slice the main brace to steel the men before battle.

Hardy-The rum ration has been abolished Admiral. It’s part of the government’s policy on binge drinking.

Nelson-Good heavens Hardy. Suppose we had better get on with it full speed ahead.

Hardy-I think you will find that there is a 4-knot speed limit in this stretch of water.

Nelson-Damn it man! We are on the end of the greatest sea battle in history. We must advance with all dispatch. Report from the crow’s nest please.

Hardy-That won’t be possible sir.

Nelson-What?

Hardy-Health and Safety has closed the crow’s nest sir. No harness and they said the rope ladder doesn’t meet regulations. They won’t let anyone up there until proper scaffolding can be erected.

Nelson-Then get me the ship’s carpenter right without delay Hardy.

Hardy-He’s busy knocking up a wheelchair access.to the castle Admiral.

Nelson-Wheelchair access? I’ve never heard of anything so absurd.

Hardy-Health and Safety again sir. Have to provide a barrier free environment for the differently disabled.

Nelson-Differently disabled? I’ve only one arm and one eye and I refuse even to hear mention of the word[2]. I didn’t rise to the rank of Admiral by playing the disability card.

Hardy-Actually sir you did. The Royal Navy is underrepresented in the areas of visual impairment wound deficiency.

Nelson-Whatever next? Give me full sail. The salt spray beckons.

Hardy-A couple of problems there too sir. Health and Safety won’t let the crew up to rigging without hard hats and they don’t want anyone breathing in too much salt. Haven’t you seen the adverts?

Nelson-I’ve never heard such infancy. Break out the cannon and tell the men to stand by to engage the enemy.

Hardy-The men are a bit worried about shooting at anyone Admiral.

Nelson-What? This is mutiny!”

Hardy-It is not that Sir. They are afraid of being charged with murder if they actually kill anyone. There is a couple of legal aid lawyers on board watching everyone like hawks.

Nelson-Then how are we to sink the Frenchies and the Spanish?

Hardy-Actually Sir we’re not.

Nelson-We’re not?

Hardy-No sir the Frenchies and the Spanish are our European partners now. According to the Common Fisheries policy we shouldn’t even be in this stretch of water. We could get hit with a claim for compensation.

Nelson-But you hate a Frenchman as you hate the devil[3].

Hardy-I wouldn’t let the ship’s diversity coordinator hear you saying that sir. You’re on disciplinary!

Nelson-You must consider every man an enemy, who speaks ill of your king[4].

Hardy-Not anymore sir. We must be inclusive in this multicultural age. Now put on your Kevlar vest. It’s the rules, it could save your life.

Nelson-Don’t tell me health and safety. Whatever happened to rum, sodomy, and the lash?

Hardy-As I explained sir. Rum is off the menu! And there’s a ban on corporate punishment.

Nelson-What about sodomy?

Hardy-I believe that is now kept sir.

Nelson-In that case, kiss me Hardy[5].

Please click onto the below links to learn more about Vice-Admiral’s connection with Lord Nelson and his famous quotes.

Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy, 1st Baronet, GCB (5 April 1769 – 20 September 1839) was a Royal Navy officer. He took part in the Battle of Cape St Vincent in February 1797, the Battle of the Nile in August 1798 and the Battle of Copenhagen in April 1801 during the French Revolutionary Wars. He served as flag captain to Admiral Lord Nelson, and commanded HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in October 1805 during the Napoleonic Wars. Nelson was shot as he paced the decks with Hardy, and as he lay dying, Nelson’s famous remark of “Kiss me, Hardy” was directed at him. Hardy went on to become First Naval Lord in November 1830 and in that capacity refused to become a Member of Parliament and encouraged the introduction of steam warships.

England expects that every man will do his duty – Wikipedia

TOP 25 QUOTES BY HORATIO NELSON (of 54) | A-Z Quotes (azquotes.com)

[1] England expects that every man will do his duty – Wikipedia

[2] “I have only one eye, I have a right to be blind sometimes… I really do not see the signal!” ~ Horatio Nelson

[3] “Treat every Frenchman as if he was the devil himself.” ~ Horatio Nelson

[4] “You must consider every man your enemy who speaks ill of your King, and you must treat every Frenchman as if he were the Devil himself.” ~ Horatio Nelson

[5] “Thank God I have done my duty. Drink, drink. Fan, fan. Rub, rub. Kiss me, Hardy.” ~ Horatio Nelson

[i] http://alookintot.com/2018/08/25/the-west-country/

[ii] http://alookintot.com/2019/09/15/baltic/

[iii] http://alookintot.com/2017/08/10/one-step-into-wales/

Big Lies

“And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not stand.” (Mark 3:25) Replace the word house with nation, kingdom or even world the meaning is similar. Did anyone take the time to acknowledge D-Day? Yes, but sadly not enough in my opinion. Did you know during the invasion, the casualty rate was 50%? On the actual day of June 6^th, 1944, over 4,000 allied soldiers died and many of those were due to drowning trying to reach the shores of Normandy. One of those soldiers who survived to fight on was my wife’s uncle. I shared his story in my new book “A Chime in Time”. May we all pause and collectively thank those who paid the price for our freedom from the Nazi aggression. The world was certainly divided then, and I fear even today. What is the difference between Nazis and Germans? One was a political movement while the other are the people of a nation. I think we all need to understand that we should be in control of our political process in a free society. May we not fall victims of any political party’s big lie over the alternate big lie. One thing I feel is for sure and that is they all lie to win votes of those ignorant to the price of freedom. You can find books, films, etc., on big lies throughout history. First off, what is the definition of a lie? There are two definitions. One is to remain in a specific state like a person lies down for a rest. The second is to be misled or deceived by statistics, false narratives, or specific groups sharing lies to influence votes, etc.

The earth is flat. Do you believe that lie? There is a society of folks who believe that satellite photos of the earth appearing to be a sphere is a conspiracy orchestrated by NASA and other agencies. Without satellites how can we be sure the earth is not flat? Plato (427-347 BC) taught his students that Earth was a sphere but had no solid proof. Aristotle (384-322 BC) was one of Plato’s students also believed because different stars could be seen in different regions of the world. Archimedes, Eratosthenes and then 1700 years later Christopher Columbus believed the earth was round not flat. These great people were all criticized for their belief. By Columbus’ time, most educated people believed that the world was round instead of flat so why is their doubt even today? It takes sometimes many centuries and scientific development to debunk a big lie. However, there will always be people who believe otherwise.

Man did not walk on the moon. Really? I remember a teacher long ago telling me that it was a hoax again orchestrated by NASA and the political folks of the time trying to distract us from other news. Sound familiar in today’s polarized world?

In Wikipedia, there is a phrase called “Holocaust denial” which “is an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory that asserts the Nazi genocide of Jews, is a myth …” How could anyone believe this big lie when the accepted figure from historical evidence leads to an estimate of 5-6 million Jews murdered in the concentration camps. The term big lie was a German expression coined by Adolf Hitler originally claiming the Jews used the propaganda technique to blame the loss of World War 1 on General Erich Ludendorff. The Nazis used same technique against the Jews. (Big Lie on Wikipedia) Some of our political leaders today prefer to eliminate historical facts to encourage a false narrative or perpetuate other big lies. Let me leave you with a few falsities. You can decide for yourself which big lie you want to accept as truth. As for me, I would rather know the truth and the truth will make me free. (John 8:32)

Falsities as follows: 1. I did not have sexual relations with that woman. 2. Read my lips: no new taxes. 3. He is an illegitimate president, and he stole the Election. 4. He won because the election was rigged. Hint: The answer to 3 and 4 is not the same person. Let us not keep perpetuating the Big Lie.

Tick-Tock

Tick-Tock is the sound of a large clock ticking or possibly the measure of time running out. I have just released my third book called “A Chime in Time” and can be purchased online. Click onto www.amazon.com/author/terrylindsey and enjoy my journey back in time from WWI, WWII, and the Space Race. What was their purpose and how did time measure their progress achieving that purpose?

My wife and I recently joined two other couples to travel byways of North Louisiana exploring the past. It was very enlightening especially after my recent book on history and why events shape our very existence. Enjoy the glimpse of nearby areas full of history from early part of this past century all the way back to 1800BC.

Our journey started traveling up to Central Louisiana on I 49 to near Alexandria where we turned West through a beautiful drive full of garden nurseries to the Southern Forest Heritage Museum in Long Leaf, Louisiana. Long Leaf depot was built about 1906 to connect the railroad systems carrying passengers and raw material, mostly timber, to build our country. We explored the huge saw mill that is now a monument to the past expansion. That mill along with many around the area provided lumber to support housing construction and when needed, War efforts. Some of that lumber went to support the landing craft, vehicle, personnel (LCVP) known as the Higgins boat constructed during WWII in New Orleans. The Saw Mill walking and train tour along with the remnants of past wars in the museum make the trip well worth the drive.

We continued up I 49 through Shreveport and the next day drove some of the “Boom or Bust Byway” stopping at the Louisiana State Oil & Gas Museum in Oil City. Unfortunately, the museum was closed for repairs, but we did get a nice look at the outside displays. More about the bust byway later. Next stop was the Bonnie & Clyde Ambush Museum.

Imagine a young man arrested and being transformed from a schoolboy to a rattlesnake. That was the impression of one of Clyde Barrow’s inmate buddies at Eastham Camp 2 in 1930. This so-called camp was more of a hell hole. It was part of the Texas Prison System named as the worse in the nation at the time. Clyde was paroled in 1932 by the Texas Governor. The two years of hard prison time changed him forever. He could not get legitimate work because of his prison time so became increasingly bitter. He told his mother that they would have to kill him before he would ever go back to prison. Eventually, his own prophecy came true on a highway about 8 miles from Gibsland, Louisiana where he and Bonnie were ambushed by six Law Officers on May 23rd, 1934 at 9:15 a.m. Bonnie met Clyde in January 1930 and a deep intense love developed between the two. Two weeks later Clyde was in jail where Bonnie visited him often. While he was at McClelland County jail in Waco, Texas, she smuggled a gun to him. He and two others escaped. The rest of the story has been immortalized in film and pictures that you can see at the museum. Bonnie seemed to be prophetic as well leaving a number of clues in poems of their future demise.

Next stop for us was to view the journey of a German group of 300 immigrates escaping religious persecutions in 1831 led by Count Leon. They first tried to blend in with the Harmony Society in Economy, Pennsylvania, but decided to continue with some of the Harmony Society to form the New Philadelphia Society. That lasted until 1833 until they moved again this time way down South to Grand Ecore, Louisiana establishing the “new Jerusalem” society. The count died of Yellow Fever in 1934. Flood struck their settlement so the Countess Leon led her people to high ground up the Red River to settle in the hills near the modern day town of Minden. Their settlement called “Germantown” can be visited showing some of the buildings including the Countess’ cottage. From Germantown, we drove North of Minden to get back on the “Boom or Bust Byway” . We drove past Blackburn, Shongaloo, Sarepta, before stopping at Plain Dealing. Plain Dealing has a huge antique vendor’s store so we had to stop and shop before resting for the night. The next day was all about antiques and food at Jefferson, Texas. The town is full of history, but we spent most of our day seeing the old, mixed with not-so-old things, in this beautiful Texas town.

Our last stop in our journey of the past reveals an ancient past of a Hunter/Gatherer settlement dating back as far as 1800BC called “Poverty Point”. Apparently, the James Gang visited Poverty Point as well, but were not looking for a historical site rather a good hide out. Poverty Point is located near Epps, Louisiana just off I 20 between Monroe and Vicksburg. You can drive around to see the Indian mounds or hike for a few hours to see it all. Mound A can be walked up and is about 165 foot high and appears to be shaped like a bird in flight. Archeologists do not know for sure what it was. It appears to represent a status symbol to reinforce the social relationships with the community plus demonstrate power and wealth to outsiders. They think it was built after 1400BC and may have taken as little as 91 days to build. Must have been a huge dedicated work force!

This is a little glimpse of a five day trip into history in Louisiana. Imagine what else can be seen. An old clock is a mechanism to measure time one Tick-Tock at a time. A clock is made to last and may last beyond its maker. Unlike a clock, us humans are also made with precision, but cannot out last our maker. Our time is indeed limited on this earth to so many Tick-Tocks. Let us make the most of each precious moment in our lives until we become part of history. Peace to you. T

Baltic

As I write overlooking the handrail in a sunny spot, I am looking at the North Sea. This sea is calm at the moment which is more than I can say for the Atlantic. Hurricane Dorian was forming just a week earlier. When we boarded in Southampton, England on August 31, 2019 for our 14 day cruise, Dorian was a category 4. On our third day at sea, she was a cat 5 tearing up the Bahamas.

14th Century Church along the canal in Ghent — A Wow moment while slowly moving along the canal and under a bridge there it is. Intended originally to intimidate the pagans of the power of the church. Sure it worked!

We are headed to Copenhagen, Denmark from Zeebrugge, Belgium. When we left England, our first stop was Begium. Zeebrugge is about two hours from Brussels. It has been over 40 years since I spent any time in Belgium and spent most of my days in an office in Brussels. This was my first time actually seeing the country. It is not that big but full of history and object of many conflicts. We focused our day on an excursion to the medieval city of Ghent. Amazingly, this city was spared bombment during World War II, thus sparing the magnificent ancient buildings from destruction. The city was and still is predominately Catholic. The city is home of a 14th century belfry, St Michael’s Bridge, St Bavo’s Cathedral and the 15th century artwork called the “The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb”. We traveled by canal boat through the city and spent some time in the center of the old town. My father in law spent some time in Ghent during WWII. He met a family who became long friends. I can imagine him walking those same cobble paths along the ancient center. We then headed back through the region of Flanders made famous from 1915 publication of poem “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae during World War I. We drove through the small Flemish town of Ypres where modern day wind turbines contrast with an ancient church boasting a huge bell tower symbolizing past meeting present. This first stop was awesome. Next stop Denmark.

We had a great day at sea traveling up to the Oresund Strait separating Denmark from Sweden into the Baltic sea. The storm back home now reduced to cat 3, Dorian slowly turning northward. We remain vigilant for the people impacted who may never forget. We can only watch from our stop in Copenhagen. The city is like many hustle and bustle towns. Except this one is surrounded by water. We had a nice drive through Copenhagen before heading away from the city to a nice fishing village called Dragor. We had coffee and pastries before walking through the village. As you may imagine the village gets its name from Viking days. They believed in dragons, many gods and goddesses. Vikings were good tradesmen as well as seafaring warriors. They were in control so to speak. Viking King, Sweyn I Forkbeard, was king over England and Norway when Copenhagen started in the 12th century. By 1160, King Valdermar I, established the stronghold with the building of the fortress where Christiansborg Palace sits today built from ruins of bygone times. We were lucky to see the changing of the guards at the Amalienborg Palace, home of Danish Royalty since 1794. Today it is the winter home of Queen Margrethe II. The Palace is made of four French style mansions placed around an octagon shaped courtyard. Our last stop was to see the “The Little Mermaid” statue made famous in 1837 by Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tail and erected 70 years later by Carl Jacobson son of founder of Carlsburg beer. Now that is a beer story for sure!

Little Mermaid — This girl has traveled all the way to Shanghai, China to represent Copenhagen at the world’s fair. She is back now looking over the harbour in Copenhagen.

Day 5 we were at sea headed to Stockholm. The next four days we are in port at the top of the Baltic Sea. Stockholm, Sweden is another very scenic city full of bicycles, motor scooters and fewer cars. They share much of the Viking heritage with Copenhagen. These Vikings spent more time conquering the east like Russia and beyond. Stockholm is made up of 14 islands and the view traversing by the various islands to its main island of Gamla Stan is spectacular. The old town of Gamla Stan is so picturesque. Our first stop was the Viking museum where the myths are validated as true or false. Yes, they did have names such as Ragnar and Loki as in the popular TV series but not all at the same historical time. Yes, they believed a true worthwhile life was a good death in battle. We continued on our tour to view an old ship that sank twenty minutes after setting sail on its madan voygue. Why? King Gutav II wanted to add another roll of cannons against the advice of its designer. Some things do not change. Bosses always think they are smarter than the experts. This was in 1628 and the ship was the Vasa. In the 1950’s they restored the Vasa which is now a museum located in the Green island of Djurgarden not too far from the Viking museum. Note, the Viking era span from about 800 to 1100 so the Vasa sinking is unrelated. Stockholm is also home of the band called Abba. Anyone heard of them?

Our next stop was Tallin, Estonia where we saw the beginnings of Communism or at least its reminants. Our tour began through the town and one of the first signs of freedom was a UMC church. The tour guide spoke of her mission trip outside of Estonia where she learned English better and Christianity even more so. She said the population is under 20 percent Christian with the majority atheist from the years of Soviet influence. This was apparent to see old buildings not old because of age but in need of repair. Many buildings were void of any color dingy brown, dirty white or black. Contrast that with the new modern buildings of the post Soviet era. It is interesting to note the guide referred to the Nazis not the Germans and the Soviets not the Russians.

Monument of oppresion times three. Once for WWI, once for WWII, and once for victims resisting Communism who were sent to Siberia never to return.

We continued our drive to the monument of the victims of communism. This was very profound as our guide described how the memorial started with the victims of WWI and II. When the Soviets took over, they destroyed any symbolism of faith replaced with the ugly facade of communist oppression. When Estonia regained her independence, instead of destroying, they built upon the history. Now the memorial consists of two black walls built in parallel showing all the names of those who died under the regime of Communism. Many were sent to Siberia never to return. As you climb the stairs up the hill, the names seem to speak out saying never again. It reminds me of the Vietnam war memorial. In the top of the hill stands a beautiful garden with three crosses. I believe Estonia is in a place in history where they are growing in faith. They are certainly at the top on technology as originators of many industies like Skype and Ecitizenry. They have made “E”stonia a forward thinking country while remembering the past. Finally, the open theater has been the focal point of many talented artist from Michael Jackson to just last month Andre Poccelli. Here is where they sang triumphantly while the Soviets tried to oppress the people in a revolution of songs.

Next, we sailed to St Petersburg, Russia for a two day stop. Our first day started watching the news and seeing the devastation in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian made a direct hit. Our prayers go out to the people. So glad it headed up the eastern coast line delivering just glancing blows. Now, we saw the blows of Communism as we saw the oppressed conditions of a controlled society. They say socialism is just the pathway to communism. I believe it. Anyway, we started with passport control. No other country required that scrutiny as we were already on a cruise ship already cleared. The Russians do not trust anyone. I felt they were always watching. The guide through the city was dry but had a sense of humor so that made the excursion worthwhile. I got a better understanding of the difference between Russions and Soviets. Stalin was not Russian and neither was Lennan for example. We traveled through the city learning how St Petersburg was under siege during WWII. The Nazis did not want to destroy the city because of their German heritage so tried to starve them into surrender. It did not work. Many buildings were destroyed but much survived. We visited Catherine Palace that was severely damaged now restored to its original war glory. Only one original panel in the Amber Room was found. The rest were stolen by the Nazis. Who knows where they are now?All the interior of the Palace is now restored and the beauty is breathtaking. It is said that Catherine I had over 15,000 dresses never wearing them more than once and hosted elaborate balls nearly every day. No wander the people rebelled! We continued our tour with a stop at a restaurant for traditional Russian food, folk dancers and songs. We finished our first day with a drive by the Hermatage Museum, Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood, and St Isaac’s Square. We stopped at a beautiful chuch once used by the Soviets as an ice rink during communists oppression. It is now restored to its original purpose of worshipping God. Yes, even Russia is growing in faith again. Not bad for first day.

Our second day was much easier but had to go through passport control yet again. This day we spent most of time driving through the city. The big stop was at the Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood. The spilled blood was that of Tsar Alexander II who was assassinated in 1881. The church is now a museum but site of many bride and groom photo shots. We drove by the Admirlty Tower very prominate both day and night. We boarded our ship again for our next day’s adventure to Hellsinki, Finland.

We started our day with a much more friendly disembakation without passport control. Finland is independent of Russia but remain in constant fear of attack. They have under ground housing for every man, woman and child in Hellsinki just in case. The land is mostly granite rock so the whole city is built on rock. During WWII, the people saved their city by building fires on unihabited land away from the city so 95 percent of the bombs fell destroying only barren rock. Another ingenious measure was to remove all metal roofs from housing and replace with sod and sand which they placed vegetation to disguise their homes and churches. It worked! One thing I understood from this tour is that the Fins are very innovative and protective of their environment. Maybe we should learn from them as I saw no litter anywhere. Hellsinski was founded in 1550 as a way to compete with Tallin who was controlled by the Russians. Finland was ruled by the Swedes until 1808 then by the Russians until just before WWI. They are a new country but always under the fear of Russian dominance. There are a lot of old buildings but like Swedan and Estonia have a growing outlook to a brighter future. The Temppeliaukio Church, known as the Church in the Rock is awesome. It is built inside a huge block of granite rock. It has a man made roof that allows natural light in but the walls are sold rock. Very nice! We made our way back to the ship ready for a little down time as we traveled through the Baltic Sea for Poland.

On day 12, we experienced our first stormy night at sea. Hurricane Dorian continued her journey being downgraded to a bad storm up through Nova Scotia and across the Atlantic over Scotland to the North Sea finally passes over us. Finland and Russia were targets but luckily we were at sea. By the time we docked at Gdynia, the sun was out and remained very pleasant all day. The try city of Gdynia, Sopot and Gdansk make up new, untouched and rebuilt from the devastation of war. It is hard to believe that it was not the Nazis who destroyed but the liberators, so called, Soviets. The hatred between the two were evident. First the new. Gydnia is a new very busy port. We saw huge cranes, cargo ships, cruise ships and even a submarine. The port was built after the War and is the entrance to Poland’s import/export trade. Second, the untouched city of Sopot boast of beaches and some old buildings spared by the Russians. It is amazing to imagine that Hitler used the Grand Hotel overlooking the beaches as his retreat. The liberators did not touch it. Third, city of Gdansk represents the rebuilt city. Yes, there were some old buildings spared but much were destroyed. WWII started here and at one time was mostly German habitants. When the War ended, the Germans wanted to claim it but since they had no voice was put under Soviet rule. At one point, Gdansk was actually a city with no country. The Soviets were no rebuilders of peace back then and even now it seems. After the fall of the Soviet dominance, Poland was once again an indepedent country. Rebuilding of the city has been a mavelous effort to keep the appearance of ancient times. The Old Town has a Golden Gate archway building on one end and a Green Gate on the other end. In between is the 13th century merchant road lined with shops, restaraunts and chuches. In its beginning was the site of many executions. Gdansk may have been the birthplace of WWII but more important to me was the birthplace of the Solirarity Movement which played an important role in the end of the Iron Curtain. We traveled by the home of Lech Walsea who was one of the founders to the movement and became Poland’s first president. As we traveled back to our ship, the history of the past cannot be ignored. Freedom comes with a price. Thank God that he uses brave souls to pay the price. May they RIP.

It took two more days through the Baltic and North Seas to reach Southhanpton. We passed under an enormous bridge that connects Denmark to Sweden then clear sailing to Southampton.

Every journey must come to an end. This experience will not be forgotten. We got a chance to see beautiful sights and learn a little history. Hope you have enjoyed our little glimpse of this world.

Fonder

The word fond, fonder and fondness have the same meaning which is to have an affection or liking for someone or something. I think being fond of a person is a prerequisite to being in love. We can be fond of someone without falling in love. We can have an affection for a pet or a relative or an event like baseball, but that does not mean love. I believe the two words compliment each other. Why? Because, how can we fall in love with someone until we are fond of them? I believe that being in love with a person means that our individual life journey merges into one. Does that mean we are always together or can our journey take separate paths when necessary and merge again later? I think of all the military spouses who merge and divide often for service to their country. Fondness towards one another can be strengthened by planned separations.

In 1977 when I graduated with my Mechanical Engineering degree, I was ready to see the world. I did not seriously consider any domestic job offers because I had a fondness for travel. The career I chose did indeed allow me the opportunity to travel all over the world. When I first started my career, love was furthest from my mind. It was all about learning my chosen profession. My focus was on my career and that was that. I did have a fondness for the party scene, but love, no way! I found an old letter I wrote to my parents 42 years ago explaining to them that I had found a very special person. At the time, I did not understand the concept of love or even having a fondness for someone. I am amazed at how much in love I still am for that special person. We met in 1977 in Scotland and was married on March 17^th, 1979. Yes, it was St. Patrick’s Day. No, we did not even consider the significance of that date. It was a date we had scheduled randomly not aware that each year we now ask why that date? Perhaps, the British can appreciate the irony. Nevertheless, 40 years ago, I said yes and she said yes and from that point on we have lived together, raised children together and planned times of separation together. I promised her 40 years ago that we would always have the resources for her to travel back home to visit with her parents, other relatives and friends. It was not easy to find the resources over the years, but I am blessed that this was a promise kept. As I write this note, we are on one of those planned separations. Yes, even on our 40^th!

During each of the 40 years, we have been separated for at least 3 weeks or longer. In the Middle East, we planned our absence from one another during the hottest time of the year. Sometimes it was necessary for work or illness but all times it has been a moment to reflect on the blessings we have been given. I dislike the separation, but during those times, like how we are strengthened as a couple when back together? The phrase “absence makes the heart grow fonder” is so true. It is like fasting! When we fast, we appreciate what we are fasting from much better. It can be healthy for us to fast if we do not abuse our bodies by depriving ourselves of important nutrients and fluids. Likewise, I believe it can be a healthy relationship if there are planned separations. We did not consider the health aspect of separations throughout the years, but believe that absence really does make the heart grow fonder. I love my wife just as much now than when we proclaimed our vows on March 17^th, 1979. I wander sometimes what would our relationship be like without the times absent from one another. God has blessed us greatly so why wander? Happy anniversary love of my life.

Footnote: Who was the author of the phrase “absence makes the heart grow fonder”? Some credit the polyglot Anlgo-Welsh writer James Howell in 1650, observed that “Distance sometimes endears friendship, and absence sweeteneth it.” Others credit Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice 1596-1598 yet others say was an anonymous poem published by Francis Davison’s Poetical Rhapsody in 1602 as the origin of this proverb. (english.stackexchange.com)