A Cheap New Age Guy Takes Flight

The Mucha Museum recently opened at Panska 7, Prague and although it’s a bit overpriced for its size (100 Kc for tourists, 50 Kc for locals, and only seven small sections) it does contain some very interesting photographs of the artist, his family and his models in the studio, as well as some fascinating studies from his sketchbook. The caf? hadn’t yet opened when I visited late April but the gift shop was with a good selection.

There is a lot of work underway to improve the walking trails on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees. The work was most apparent at stage 13: Viados to Bielsa via Pardinas. From Bielsa the trail is well marked and quite wide, but the deeper you go into the forest up the Barranco de Montillo valley the more the trail deteriorates. Indeed, it becomes nothing more than a glorified rabbit run. If it wasn’t for the fact you’re basically following a river up its watercourse, getting disorientated or lost would be a distinct possibility. I presume it will take at least another two years to complete the path.

On to Stage 15: Valle de Anisclo to Refugio de Goriz. I chose to follow LP’s preferred route into the canyon. I have to tell you that this trail no longer exists. The bluff overlooking the Barranco de Capradiza is infested with nettles over a metre high, so you can’t see the little cairns or know too much about where you’re placing your feet. Luckily for me someone had recently forced a way along the trail so I could pick out the right direction. Nevertheless, with a large backpack its a damn tricky descent. With the grassy banks eroding quickly, it will only get worse. Spanish authorities appear to keep up the maintenance on certain designated paths only. So if you want to go by any other route you will have to use skill and initiative - ironically, isn’t this why many of us go trekking?

A small, cautionary word about finding a roof to go over your head in Moscow since recent surveys list it as the most expensive place in Europe for accommodation. We were very angry to arrive tired and weary at the Travellers’ Guest House in Moscow one public holiday in June to be told by a very rude manager that he did not offer discounts to ISIC card holders. When we pointed out that his establishment was listed in the ISIC 1995 World Travel Handbook, he laughed at us. When we made a protest about false advertising, the manager retailiated by insisting that if we paid by credit card there would be a US$15 fee on top of the room costs `because that is what we are charged by the banks,’ he said. Since it was a public holiday (ie. no banks were open), we had no choice but to pay the extra money or spend the night on the streets.

To add insult to injury, the dorms were cramped, insecure and double-booked; there was no hot water so the baths were truly freezing; and the hostel travel bureau was quoting prices almost double what a foreigner would pay in a train station. We were far from the only travellers to have experienced this rip-off - the travellers’ logbook at the (far superior) St.Petersburg Youth Hostel was overflowing with similar tales about the Travellers’ Guest House. So, save yourselves money, hassle and frustration and stay at the Hotel Molodezhnaya (ph. 210 4556) at Dimitryevskoe Shosse 27 (a moderate walk north of Timiryazevskaya metro - it’s the huge blue edifice). You should get something for around US$35 a double - the same as the Traveller’s Guest House will charge for a dorm!

Cheaper rail passes that include just one-or, in some cases, a few-countries are also available. If you’re going only to France, for example, you might consider a France Railpass, which allows for three days of travel in one month for $160 (2nd Class). If you want to swing up to Britain for a few days, consider the BritFrance Railpass-shunned by ardent patriots in both countries-good for rail travel in France and Great Britain for five days within a one-month period. The BritFrance Railpass costs $280 (2nd Class).

These suggestions only scratch the surface. Passes restricted to Eastern European countries are becoming increasingly popular, and many special combo packages now allow for a joint rail pass and automobile rental option in one. Such a pass can make the normally restrictive rates of car-rental abroad close to affordable (especially if you’re willing to squeeze three or four people into a Citroen).

Desert driving requires special skills of its own. First, make sure to take at least 10 liters of bottled water for each person and for the radiator. You’ll soon find that you need to move rapidly over sand; if you start to bog down, put the car in low gear and step on the gas. Even when you’ve got more or less used to the conditions, the speed and passing maneuvers of locals will make you turn to Allah for protection. Wherever you go, make sure to take along your passport and proof of rental, as police checkpoints are extremely common.

Using Meknes as a starting point, make the short trip to the Roman ruins of Volubilis, just 33km away. Formerly a major olive-oil trading center, the city flourished under Roman rule and reached its zenith in the 2nd and 3rd century AD when it became the capital of the kingdom of Mauritania. It was the Romans who ordered the deforestation of the surrounding area to make way for grain with which to feed their hungry empire and as the surrounding treeless plains can attest, they did the job with their customary efficiency. Timing your visit to catch the archways lit by the setting sun is the perfect end to a day spent wandering the ruins and inspecting the remaining mosaics.

The Altstadt centers on the Marktplatz, a cobbled square where a mighty Hercules flexes his muscles over a fountain and where for many years punishments from beheading to imprisonment in a rotating hanging cage took place. Now tourists and locals gather not to laugh at convicts but to drink a coffee or to buy fruit in the market on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

“Why does everybody else have to like this town too?” This is the question bitter tourists searching for a room in Heidelberg ask as they encounter one booked hotel after another. It is very important to call ahead to reserve, and the tourist office is very helpful in booking rooms. Hotel-Pension Elite is a quaint Victorian place in the bustling old part of town.

Heidelberg?s buzz of tourism is without a doubt worth enduring as its stunning hillside setting, endless list of attractions, and lively nightlife can always inspire poetry and romance.

Franco’s death in 1975 ushered in democracy in Spain, but resentment over 35 years of dictatorship still lingers in Basque memory. Since the late 60s, a terrorist movement led by Euskadi ta Askatasuna (ETA; “Basque country and freedom”) demanded that the four Basque provinces on the Spanish side-Gipuzcoa, Navarra, Alava, and Vizcaya-receive complete political independence. Violence has erupted on both sides, resulting in the deaths of numerous public officials and occasionally brutal backlash by the civil guard. Nevertheless, the Spanish have granted the Basques more autonomy over the years, and a cease-fire was declared in 1998. Talks have since stalled and ETA announced in October 1999 that it would take up arms again. However, even in the days prior to the cease-fire, ETA generally chose state-related targets. Tourists rarely feel threatened and demonstrations usually end peacefully. [Note: as of January 21st the truce has come to a de facto end with the explosion of two car bombs in Madrid]

Despite all of this, exuberant nationalism has had its plusses. Basque language, music, and dance have flourished in the last two decades. Parents give their children formerly forbidden names like I?aki, Idoya, and Estibaliz. Sporadic violence has not disrupted the economic vitality of the region, one of the most industrialized and prosperous in Spain. Visitors to the Basque Country (an area no bigger than the U.S. state of New Hampshire) enjoy its resplendent green mountains and pretty beaches, besides joining the locals in a near spiritual appreciation of food and drink. These qualities overflow during the bacchanalian festival of San Ferm?n, known by everybody else as the Running of the Bulls. As a contrast to this traditional agricultural setting stand Basque cities with their finger on the millennial pulse, for example San Sebasti?n, and especially Bilbao with its futuristic Guggenheim art museum.

Make sure you know exactly what you have in your luggage before boarding a plane, and don’t carry things for other people. Some countries will not take any excuse for possession of illegal substances, accidental or not!