Donovan Report Aug 30, 2012

Donovan Report Aug 30, 2012

Tomorrow the meet begins for Donovan. He has trained hard, is battling through injury and tomorrow he will see what the rest of the world and he can do.

His schedule is as follows:

Aug 31                        100 free

Sept 2                        100 back

Sept 6                        100 fly

Sept 8                        200 IM

He is best prepared for the 200 IM, but in the Paralympics anything can happen. We will be in the stands for his events as will a large contingent of  parents and relatives.

There will be TV coverage, usually limited to the events in which medals have been awarded. Helpful additional sources of news include:

The Paralympic web site:

http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/schedule-and-results

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/CDNParalympics 

Twitter:

www.twitter.com/CDNParalympics #London2012 #GoCanadaGo

Youtube:

www.youtube.com/CDNParalympics 

Swim Canada:

https://www.swimming.ca/

Berlin: A Summary

Reflections on a shopping plaza

 I am going to cop out a bit here. What follows are some photos that help to explain our time here. 

Looking up from Potsdam Square

Brandenberg Gate

Check point Charlie Instructions

The new roof to the Reichstag

Deborah,Catherine and Hugh at the top of the new dome of the Reichstag

Next door to our hotel is a fabulous chocolate shop, this is the Reichstag!

Looking up in the Tower at the Jewish Museum

Subway from the airpo

The subway from the airport was well organized and probably paid for the 5 day pass we got! This picture shows their new trains which appear as if they are 1 car !!

Knut was the first Polar Bear born in captivity at the zoo, he was immediately rejected by his mother and raised by his care givers. We have seen numerous bear statues, which may or may not be related to this factoid!

Deb with the bears

The holocaust Memorial

The history of Berlin is not complete without the Nazi era. There are 1700 stones, there are various paths through them. It is a little strange as shadows give a different light and if you are not careful you will trample little children playing tag!

Not captured in my photos are the number of cranes. Building is certainly going on !The Berliners divert services during construction as imaged here.

Diverted pipes around a construction area

What it looks like now for about 1000 M

One of the more famous depictions on the wall

The wall and it's history is everywhere. It creates an emotion with me. I am angry we in the west did very little to stop this partition. I grieve the 138 lives lost in the killing area. I wonder what kind of government keeps it's citizens trapped. The atrocity of dividing this city with concrete and guns, the desecration of landmarks such as the Brandenberg gate and Reichstag haunt. I have a difficult time keeping it all in perspective. Nevertheless it is the city's history and some images follow which offer a description , but do little to help understand.

Art on the wall

The walls path, a few meters behind the Reichstag and in front of the Brandenberg Gate

Artists rendition of a defector!

Well we are now in Berlin. The travel by Easy Jet is designed for much younger people, very inexpensive but long lines, no seats in the waiting are and cramped seats. The price very reasionable however the time from downtown to downtown close to that of train travel. Remarkably train tickets are 2-3 times more expensive. I am beginning to understand why!

After landing we  bought a discount travel card for the transit and various museums. Now, three days into our visit I can tell you it was worth it!

We have reviewed all of Deborah’s travel suggestions and visited 7/10 of the destinations!

Our day starts with a meeting in the “situation room”, usually over a cappuccino and a muffin. We decide on an attack strategy of a museum or other public display. We synchronize watches, read the map twice  and set out!

Day One: We did the the Pergamon Museum, followed by the US Embassy and Check Point Charlie. We also say the Reichstag from afar. Not bad for a few hours!

Day Two: We had coffee in the Gendarmie Square, a few blocks  from the hotel. A tribute to Berlin assimilation of religion and and a beautiful venue.

We met with Catherine’s posse and toured the Reichstag and followed up with a dinner. So nice to see Catherine’s friends from Hull, mature, articulate, directed and passionate!

Catherine spent the night with us , filling us in with all the issues of the experiences in Italy and her future plans.

Day Three. We returned to the Museum Island only after heading to East Berlin by mistake, assuming that a subway stop with “museum “ in it was on the museum island! Nevertheless, we made it to the “New” museum which we thoroughly enjoyed.

Next we took the train to view about 1,000 meters of preserved wall, with artists displays on them. Frankly some of the art was a little too abstract for me!

Day 4: We spent over 3 hours at the Topography of Terror, a no holds barred history of the SS and Gestapo. The presentation was well organized and the history a harsh reminder of the fragility of freedom. From my perspective there were a bunch of people who got away with murder, life sentences commuted etc, etc.

We then went to the Jewish Museum, a fantastic new building with no right angles. Again a lot of information and we were both happy for a cold drink at 5:30 pm.

Day 5: More touring with a stop at the History of Berlin exhibit. Consistent with all the displays here beautifully done, well organized but a long process to see it all. There was a tour of a 1974 bunker, designed for 3500 people to stay underground for 2 weeks. There were bunks everywhere, rudimentary bathrooms and food prep, and only designed for 2 weeks. There were 16 of these built, enough for 56,000 people, less than 2% of the population, first come first in. Not particularly comforting!

We also toured Posdam Square, 16 billion Euros has been invested on a site left fallow for 25 years. It is spectacular! I have no idea on the return on investment.

Tomorrow is a 0430 wake up and 0700 flight to Amsterdam. We then hop a BA flight to Heathrow. A Donovan report will follow, he swims the 100 free in 48 hours.

A positive message in art

The end of the Barge Tour

We are now in Berlin. This is the last leg of the Europe trip and we move on to London for the Paralympic games.

We successfully completed 2 weeks of biking on 2 separate tours, an estimated 350 miles, not earth shattering but this marks our third such adventure and we are keen to do another next year. The parameters of a future trip have now become more focused from our experiences.

Personally I like the challenges of navigation and thus a self guided  tour is under consideration. Deborah worries about the uncertainties and concerns it will lead to conflict, there is considerable lobbying needed here.

We last left off  when arriving in Gouda, for a change we had a couple of hours in the morning to tour the city. Some of these shots capture the spirit of bartering for cheese and certainly there seemed no problems with inventory!

Bartering for a good Price

Gouda Cheese Outlet

The Old Way

Cheese Outlet

The Water Tower

We then started on our trip to Weesteinderplassen, a lake south of Amsterdam with an historic water tower. After dinner we climbed the 206 steps to the top. It was built in 1926 and held water for the municipality up until the late 90's, it has now been replaced by a conventional pumping system.


From the tower we could Schipol, the Amsterdam airport and of course across the lake the Leena Maria.

Schipol Airport from the tower

Leena Maria from the Tower

The last day of cycling was into Amsterdam, remarkable how close the farms are to the city. The ample bike paths made the cycle quite easy, street lights did create a problem because of the size of the group. Deborah rode at the back with the emergency vest so she could be seen both by following traffic and by Pauline at the front. Our final destination was just east of the train station, very convenient as our flight to Berlin was to be an early morning departure.

We said our good byes over dinner , some in the group left shortly afterwards. In a way sad to over the cycling, but looking forward to meeting Catherine in Berlin

Gouda

Crossing a narrow canal

The group is traveling well together; for the most part we are on bike paths traveling between small towns. Last year when we were in France there was a constant warning from the riders in the rear, yelling, “ Car!!” Not his year, the warning is generally, “Bike!!” as someone in spandex powers by us. The other day as we traveled to Antwerp, men who were easily in there seventies, dressed in typical biking garb, traveling at about 40 MPH, consistently passed us. These guys all wore helmets! If you are going that fast there seems to be a code to wear a helmet, on the other hand, traveling at our speed, the use of helmets is almost mocked.

Life on the barge is very pleasant; the rooms are large and comfortable. The meals, much like last year, wholesome, healthy and well prepared. The cook is most unusual, I think his name is Minah, he speaks in broken English, and our guide says his command of Dutch, Italian, French and other dialects is equally limited! He hangs with the passengers and seems to enjoy telling his story, even if we do not understand him.

Today at breakfast he turned to Deborah and said,” lady you looked better last night with the wine.” What the hell did that mean, last night he was drinking and she looked better? She looks better when she is drinking? She looked crappy this morning?

Who knows but a topic of conversation!

At the end of each day we are usually in town by 4 pm, I then try to find an Internet site to post the blog and catch up with my Internet glucose monitoring duties. It has gone quite well except for the last 3 days.

In Antwerp, the 2 closest cafes seemed to have no knowledge of WiFi, or it’s location, yet just around the corner was a nice café with a great connection. Last night I was in a very accommodating bar that had internet but my machine would not connect. The staff even went to the trouble to link one of the bartender’s iphones to my computer; the gesture was much appreciated but unfortunately the speed horrible. After consulting a nearby music store an adequate connection was successfully used. This evening a similar phenomenon, I was assured of an adequate connection and bought a beer, in spite of all parameters being met, no connection! At the next café I documented a connection before buying a beer!

Windmills as far as you can see

How the damn things work

Today was a theme of ferries and windmills. We visited Kinderdyke, a community of 19 windmills. The pictures tell the story, it is now a UN heritage site and quite remarkable to see these formidable machines still operational.

The fleet of bikes at the 19 windmills

We are now in Gouda ( pronounced how-da ), the obligatory cheeses have been purchased , we will have extra time in the morning for touring the city.

Reflecting on this trip, I would like to be cycling more miles with fewer breaks, to arrive at our destination for lunch so there would be time for touring our destination and perhaps more dinners on our own. The concept of a self-guided tour is taking on more traction as I become more familiar with the trail system in the Netherlands, which is really quite sophisticated. The only worrisome times are in the towns, traffic can be congested, but I must say the drivers are consistently polite, providing bikers with the right of way.

We have been extremely lucky. We have had exactly 5 mins of spitting rain, the hot weather has abated and it is perfect cycling weather. The forecast for the rest of the trip is stellar.

Donovan Report

Donovan at Work

Donovan and his sister Catherine left Vancouver on July 19 to travel to Winnipeg and the Can Am meet there. It was his  last competition before the Paralympics. Unfortunately his knee stiffened and began to swell after landing. He has a torn lateral meniscus of his right knee, complicated by a meniscial cyst. He was able to race the first 2 days but when he reported swelling and unusual pain I recommended he scratch from the Sunday events. This he reluctantly agreed to and all was cleared with the coaching staff. From Winnipeg the team went to Flagstaff to train at altitude. An excellent plan to maximize London performances. His knee was problematic at the camp, and  there was a suggestion to drain the cyst, I have received 2 independent opinions not to do so, thus rest, ice and advil will continue to be the strategy.

Donovan and Catherine returned to Vancouver on August 6, and we were have our first family dinner as Hamish had returned from LA the previous day. The reunion was short lived as Deborah and I left Aug 8 for Europe, Catherine and Donovan left Aug 11 for Italy, Hamish being at home to care for house,dog and cats.

The reports from Italy are mixed. The knee continues to smoulder, but his times in practise are where they should be. As athletes near an important competition they must deal with many things.

Firstly, as the workouts become shorter, with bursts of speed, they begin to have more energy. They are like race horses, just wanting to run… but it is not time yet! The extra time and energy can often be an opportunity for doubt to creep in, but it is too late to change. I have seen bizarre behaviours from tears, to personality changes , to fixation on weight and diet. If the athlete allows these distractions to take hold,their performance will be sabatoged. It is here that support staff , coaches and trusted friends play an important role in support.

Donovan has expressed concern over minimal distractions, why he questions, is not an internet connection supported for him in Italy. It is his connection with the world, we know that other athletes have been instructed to stay off face book, and of course at the Olympics some were cut from their team when comments came into the public domain.He worries about support at London. In the past I had been there, doing the warm-ups, making sure he was at the ready room on time, minimizing travel times, optimizing meal timing and content. Catherine is playing that role now, but will not be in London

To everyones credit and with Catherine’s initiative there has been a formal mechanism set in place to define who will support Donovan in London.

Donovan will find a way for this to work in his favour. The support he has received is less than previous years, this is because he is not ranked highly, resources have been directed elsewhere. He is gone from top dog to underdog,but it is always easier to chase than be chased. He is older now, he has perspective, he is a veteran, and  this will help him meet these challenges. As he has learned repeatedly in his career, all you need is a lane in the final.

Read a great article from Gary Kingston on Donovan

http://www.canada.com/life/Weekend+Extra+Donovan+Tildesley+sees+things+differently/7142925/story.html

The Road to Antwerp

This leg of the trip will be the longest. In all about 30 miles, easy cycling over flat terrain, most of it beside the canal. The boat left at 9 am precisely and we kept up mainly by going in a straight line as the boat zigged and zagged along the river route. I estimated it’s speed as 15 knots , ours was about 8mph, the boat was well by us after our first break. Parked beside us last night was another cycle  barge group from the US. They were with VBT, Vermont Bike Tours, all decked out in matching vests. Nice group of folks, a little older than us, similar barge but they had air conditioning! We caught glimpses of them across the river periodically as they too were on their way to Antwerp.

An unusual Parking job

Before lunch we stopped at an artisans house, unique architecture, they specialized in finding fossils and polishing them into art pieces. Their alternative lifestyle is captured in the accompanying photo.

 

A few minutes after lunch we stopped as this nicely restored castle, unique with its large rooms, and staircase with multiple landings. 

From there we were a mere 10 miles to Antwerp. To cross into the city we took an elevator 100 feet down and the a tunnel which was about a mile long! After taking the return elevator up we were magically in the middle of Antwerp! 

The Tunnel to Antwerp

At the boat we learned of a mechanical issue which would require repair. Thus the complete day on the barge which had been planned was to be modified and we will bike from the sight of repairs, Moerdijik to our mooring for the night at Dordrecht.

The bonus will be about a 20 Km ride, preferable to a complete day on the boat.

Bruges

This trip is a little different than expected. We do not cycle each day. Today we walked 25 mins to the train and traveled to Bruges. For the last week Deborah and I have been in a small group going to relatively small towns. Bruge was a shock, wall to wall tourists, groups walking from site to site with guides broadcasting on their private audio channel. 

The Belfrie in Bruges

The waits were too long for a canal tour or to climb the 366 step Belfrie.Horse and carriage tours raced through the streets with speed and determination. We settled on touring a Dali exhibit, art I never really got but filled with his quotes. One being ,” I am so amazed that I can make $40,000. Before I have had breakfast.”

We also saw the Piacasso exhibit, very well done and some amazing examples of how prolific in multiple mediums he was.

I took this picture in a small museum, powerful in it’s simplicity, and for me an example of stark contrast. I wonder if the designers of this NY subway car did this on purpose?

NY Subway car

Lace the old fashioned way

This  city is a live museum with beautifully maintained churches, a market square, townhall, nunnery and multiple tempting chocolate shops. The prices reflected the clientele and we will shop more strategically.

This elderly lady was making lace by hand, non stop movement, truly remarakable

The heat was oppressive. We trained to Dendermonde, the last 20 minutes in an essentially unventilated car. The 25 minute walk to the boat ended with us remaining on deck, sipping cold beer as the temperature on the water had reached 30 degrees.

After dinner we went on a 7 mile warm-up, the bikes are not as sophisticated as last week, no shock absorbers and only 7 speed. We travel to Antwerp, about 50 K. Weather will still be hot , let’s hope for a cool breeze.

Transition to Gent

 

So on to the next leg. We had a hasty breakfast and then traveled to the train station with the Lipkin family. There was Allan, Gail, Natalia and Avital in the back seat of the van, Deb and I in the front. Thank God the Lipkins had to get on the train first! A couple of unknown rules; 2 tickets at a time, the machines do not accept credit cards. We had been warned and so both families had roles of Euros in coins of 2 euros. Wih Allan’s experience and gracious help Deb and I got tickets. We were told we needed to get off the train and reboard another at Mepkin. Imagine my consternation as I  dragged the luggage off to see the sign on the train advertising our destination,Schpol! We dragged our stuff back on and confirmed that the train was going to our stop. It was the first time that I was frustrated with the train system! In terestingly, if I had been a dummy, not asked anybody I could have made it to the airport with no one challenging me for a ticket! Clearly there is a Vancouver ethic here!

Ample Shower

We met our greeter on time and again bussed 3 hours to Gent. Very reminiscent of last year as I was concerned about the wakefulness of the bus driver. We made our way onto the boat and were resigned to a very hot evening. Supper was home made and very acceptable. Our guide a young Dutch lady whose picture says it all !

This years cabin

The barge is much bigger than last year. And the pictures show ample storage space and a roomy bathroom, now if it was only cooler.

Closets!

After dinner was a walking tour of Gent. Interesting, old and made me thing of John Maclachlan . He and wife Maureen were with us last year, I was hoping he was to join us this year but he confided that he has seen enough of Europe. I tended to agree with his strategy as we walked yet another medieval street. Then I heard the singing.

It was Leonard Cohen in concert! Outside a local cathedral with about 5,000 seats. The sound was impeccable and people were listening along the local streets as the acoustics were transmitted perfectly for blocks. We continued on our walking tour, but returned to the square to catch the second half of the show.

Paulin our tour guide

What a scene. People from 20 to 60 ambled up, sat, relined or lay on the square to listen. They could not see as the stands blocked the stage. The segui from song to song was melodic, unhurried and free flowing. Hit after hit was played to an appreciative audience. Maclachlan would have loved it, great music, great venue, free!

The Last Day of Our First Tour

Well the cycling for our first tour is now over. The days and kilometers have wizzed by. Perhaps today was the best of them all. The hotel we are in is by far the best, part of the Golden Tulip chain, called the Hotel Tjaarda. It is a little outside of the town of Heerenveen, situated in a forest. Yesterday as we cycled in , the houses were magnificent, reminiscent of Shaughnessy , although not quite as oppulant (we are in Holland after all!).

Yesterday we did have some guiding malfunction. Mike was in the lead and we had manoeuvered some early tight turns. This tour is superior to last year as all are given printed instructions for turns and mileages. You need a guide as some of the sign posts are subtle or non existent. Most of the routes are numbered so the maps we have bought are an excellent complement. For the mathematically inclined it is even more entertaining to mentally predict the time of our next major destination or turn. Our hosts are very safety conscious, the van meets us every few Km , just in case there are equipment or other issues. They communicate with walkie talkies, there are times when one would think we were on military exercises.

Mike

Mike is a Bostonian, trained as a physcology counsellor who worked in the school system, his wife Bertha , was married to an Astro Physicist, who was (is) on staff at MIT. They clearly have a loving relationship, however at times the organization chart gets blurred and initially it was not completely evident that Bertha was in charge! Mike affectionately calls her the "Duchess", and he is quite playful with their interaction.

We had just gone under an underpass and made a sharp right hand turn and were heading north, I knew we were going in the wrong direction, but as I was at the end of the pack I just kept following.

After a Km, Mike realized we were directionally challenged and backtracked. After group consultation we headed down a very subtle turn off, and after 2 Km, the Van Gogh van was there with

The Duchess

with Bertha clearly unhappy with Mike. In Mike's defence the instructions were not clear, in Bertha's opinion yes they were! This went back and forth with Mike finally saying ," You are so Dutch, you are always right and have to have the last word!"

The interchange was so natural, I certainly was not uncomfortable, I was vicariously entertained and reassured they really did not have many secrets! They are good people.



Todays trip was substantial, 56 Km. It was along quaint paths, shaded nicely; thankfully as it was very sunny and warm. The pace as always comfortable, the Duchess travels at 20 km per hour, Mike likes about 18 or so. Everyone has kept up and all have gotten stronger as the week has progressed.

This part of Holland has fewer canals, the unending fields of corn or livestock is unchanged.

Galloway Cows

We had some interesting interactions today. This lady cycled up behind us as we were photographing the Galloway cows pictured. She was talking in Dutch, and we thought she was addressing her husband who was slightly ahead, she and  switched to English and asked what was wrong with us as we were not talking to her! She was about 60, wearing a white transparent dress with underwear clearly visible. She spouted on for a while until Allan, a New York lawyer had had enough and countered with his observations of the Dutch not being too conversant! It was an International incident in the making !

She however backtracked, turned on her polite personality and bade us farewell.

I suspect she was on a day pass!

This image is of Mandela, in the middle of nowhere, on a bike path not far from the hotel. The carver was a clear fan of his and felt he had to make a monument!

Mandela Tribute

Future Olympian Skating in rural Holland

This last scene was taken with a 94 year old man in a scooter watching us. Deborah was missing her meals on wheels interactions and chatted with the chap. A little sad really as he had relatives all over the world, he was born in Holland but worked in South Africa most of his life, his hearing aid was broken and he was clearly lonely. I hope in some way we made his day better.

The Crew

Tonight is our last dinner with the group, we train to the airport to pick up the barge tour from Bruges to Amsterdam

The Point Grey Connection

Just a short and personal note. Dan Aspinall is a friend and fellow board member at Point Grey Golf Club, in Vancouver. It  is clearly one of the top 100 in Canada( although for political reasons not listed as such).

We have played together for close to 30 years, first at UBC and then at Point Grey. Our kids have gone to the same schools and we to the same church. ( I usually only am religious over difficult putts!)

Yesterday we were in Sneek( pronounced Snake), and I was told of some interesting history. Dan's father was an orpan here and as a boy sent to England and during the war to Manitoba. We are told his Dad at age 16 kissed and promised to mary his mom on this bridge. I guess it happened because Dan is amongst us ! Nice to have visited history, which has a Point Grey twist !

Some Reflections on Freisland

Our hotel in Enkhuizen had it's challenges, it was far too warm, with there being a 20 degree difference between the hall and the room. By necessity the window was open as the night progressed the chimes from the nearby church, ringing every hour were happy to visit us. It was nice to be on our way to discover the north of Holland.It was a short smooth sail from Enkhuizen to Stavoren.

It is like Quebec is to Canada. These people have their own language, pride of culture, a previous desire to separate and drive much faster. They fly their own flag without flying the National flag, every boat has the Freisland flag. The architecture is different and all of the farmhouses front on the road and then the fields spread behind them.
 Most have barns attached so they are never far from their livestock. Along the way there were some interesting sites. Like little old lady from Stavoren with her poufball dog on the back of her bike, and the horse drawn buggy reminiscent of the Amish of Pennsylvania, who in fact had their roots in this country. As we cycled it was obvious that this lush farmland was essentially below sea level, a fact that I found most worrisome, most of our cycling mates had not noticed or were not worried. Our home for the next 2 days was to be in St Nyk, the rooms were cool, no chimes to be heard, some sleep deprivation to be corrected!