For Black History Month – Southern Civil Rights Sites – Part 3

We take a break from travel stories because it’s Black History Month and because our racist president just couldn’t help himself when he decided to post yet another disgusting video that depicts the Obama’s as apes…par for the course for this White supremacist whose rise in national politics was fueled by birther lies he directed at candidate Obama…that were sustained far too long by our ignorant, bigoted fellow Americans.

I am obliged, in a time when White supremacists are either erasing or rewriting history, to remind MAGA that the real, actual, verifiable history MUST be known by everyone. Don’t fall for “They’re trying to cancel Our Heritage” nonsense. Trump’s dictum even has the word ‘TRUTH’ in its title. This WAS your heritage. You can repudiate it, like the country did when we outlawed doing things you thought were right. Or you can own it.
  

The Legacy Museum

Montogomery, Alabama (25 May 2024)

Last year, our Black History Month reports from the Great Sweaty Drive-away of 2024 included posts from Selma and Tuskegee, Alabama. These preserved sites are stark reminders of what citizens endured to have the right to vote or go to school or eat at a restaurant…during my lifetime. This is not ancient history. We watched it happen on television. As the tacky TV commercials say, “But wait, there’s more.”

Brian Stevenson is an amazing crusader for justice. His non-profit, the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), is headquartered in Montgomery. The capital of Alabama was one of the major slavery centers in the South…before it became one of the focal points of the Civil Rights movement.

As a public interest lawyer, Stevenson has argued cases before the Supreme Court. His tireless efforts overturned wrongful convictions and reduced the harsh sentencing that was a trademark of the post-Civil War South when the accused was guilty of nothing ther than being Black. It often takes years but EJI has worked to release hundreds of innocent victims of that system…the one that the ‘Don’t Erase Our History” crowd would rather you not learn in school.
  

The Legacy Museum

Montogomery, Alabama (25 May 2024)

The Equal Justice Initiative has also developed three outstanding facilities that support the organization’s mission. The Legacy Museum displays the history of slavery and racism in America. Photography was not permitted in the Museum, but I can attest to the powerful message in the displays that include vocal recordings from cells very much like the actual slave markets that once existed in the streets of this neighborhood.
   

National Memorial for Peace and Justice,

Montgomery, Alabama (26 May 2024)

Opened the same day in 2018 as the Legacy Museum, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice is a short distance away. One must be prepared for an ugly truth as the site conveys its message in many ways. The format of the Memorial is based on the extensive research the EJI conducted to document the 4400 racial terror lynchings that occurred from after Reconstruction to well into the twentieth century (1877-1950). There is a suspended brown steel rectangle for each of the 805 U.S. counties where a lynching has been documented. Engraved on one side are the names of the victims and the dates of the murders.
   

Nkyinkyim [2018] by Kwame Akoto-Bamfo,

National Memorial for Peace and Justice,

Montgomery, Alabama (26 May 2024)

Before you get to the pavilion with the suspended ‘boxes’ (reminders of coffins), you confront a sculpture of six people. Three men and three women. One carrying an infant. They are all shackled and chained to each other. They all express the horror and fear that comes when a force you can’t control puts you in chains and ships you to the other side of the world. This one figure stands taller than the other five and, instead of anguish, appears more willful and defiant…a future runaway or revolutionary perhaps.

The layout is extensive…805 counties after all. In walking around all four sides of the installation, the rectangles go from the floor to well over everyone’s head. One is reminded that being ‘strung up’ was part of these events.
   

National Memorial for Peace and Justice,

Montgomery, Alabama (26 May 2024)

To one side of the Memorial, the same coffin-like rectangles are laid out for closer inspection. While some of the counties had but one victim, there were others (here in the foreground) where the practice was far too common.
   

Raise Up [2018] by Hank Willis Thomas,

National Memorial for Peace and Justice,

Montgomery, Alabama (26 May 2024)

The sculpture depicts the reality of Black men in the face of law enforcement. Beyond it is an array of placards with more detailed descriptions of specific murders. It becomes almost numbing after a while. But that’s our history, Mr. President.

Then there is the ‘snowflake’ excuse…we don’t want to upset our delicate sensibilities by dwelling on the ugly parts and shaming our poor delicate citizens. It’s not about shaming anyone. The lesson should be the that we recognized (eventually) the atrocities we committed were wrong…and tried to make it right. THAT is what made America great.

The final EJI property is a sculpture park that we visited before its official opening. That meant that photography was also prohibited. I did sneak a few shots but need to wait for the statute of limitations to clear me. I’ll post them next Black History Month.

Adriatic Cruise Chronicles – Lake Bled, Slovenia

The one day we ventured outside Ljubljana was to visit one of the most picturesque spots in the country. Our hotel was a short walk to the main train/bus station. We got a bus ticket to Lake Bled and after the 1.5 hr. ride (including a few stops), began a leisurely walk around the 6 km (3.7 mi) perimeter.

Lake Bled, Slovenia (25 October 2025)

Lake Bled may be Slovenia’s most popular attraction and this perfect autumn Saturday brought out many people. The national rowing organization is headquartered here and multiple world championship events have been staged on this course. You can see one of the rowing lanes on the mirror-smooth lake here. Slovenia has placed several Olympic medalists in the sport.

St. Martin’s Church, Bled, Slovenia (25 October 2025)

St. Martin’s Church is in the town of Bled and was completed in 1905. To the left of the altar is a fresco of the Last Supper.

The Last Supper by Slavko Pengov [1930]

St. Martins Church, Bled, Slovenia (25 October 2025)

The painting was done in 1930. A sign of the times will note

that the artist chose to portray Judas as Vladimir Lenin.

Blejski Grad (Bled Castle), Lake Bled, Slovenia (25 October 2025)

Bled Castle is another popular attraction. On this high promontory since the 11th century, it housed royalty and bishops for eight centuries. Imagine the effort it must have taken to move all the building materials to this location.

Pletna Ferry, Lake Bled, Slovenia (25 October 2025)

We saw no motorized craft on the lake. The traditional boat is a wooden ‘pletna,’ German for ‘flat-bottomed boat.’ They are used primarily to ferry people to Bled Island and the church there…20 Euros round trip.

Bled Island (25 October 2025)

Bled Island features a Gothic pilgrimage church dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. Originally, the site was occupied by an eighth-century Slavic pagan temple.

Bled Island (25 October 2025)

Today, it is a popular wedding venue and tourist destination. At the center of this shot is a 99-step stairway from the water’s edge to the church. Tradition has it that the groom must carry the bride up all the steps if they want to marry in the church.

The perfect day ended in a classic ‘record scratch’ moment. We were half a kilometer from completing the walk around the lake when we came to a major road work area that eliminated all walking in that direction. We were foot-sore and tired and lacked the energy to go back around. Fortunately, after failing to find taxi service, a kind hotel concierge told us that buses came this way AND the one that stopped for us returned our sad bodies all the way back to Ljubljana. Nice save.

On to Zagreb, Croatia next.

Adriatic Cruise Chronicle – Ljubljana, Slovenia

Having taken a memorable vacation with Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) in 2024, we booked another small boat tour in late 2025. The sailing part would be on the Adriatic Sea, the body of water that separates the Italian peninsula from the Balkan peninsula. Before sailing the Dalmatian coast from Croatia to Greece, we booked an earlier flight to spend a few extra days in Slovenia.

With the exception of a day trip to Lake Bled, featured in the next post, we stayed and noodled around the charming, walkable capital city of Ljubljana.

Ljubljana, Slovenia, View from Castle Hill (24 October 2025)

Slovenia is a small central European nation. New Jersey is bigger. It was part of many empires and then Tito’s Yugoslavia before declaring its independence in 1991. Ljubljana (“Loo-blee-ana”) is a delightful city within sight of the Julian Alps.

Ljubljanica River (26 October 2025)

Our hotel was a few blocks from the Ljubljanica River which is the hub for shopping, eating and people watching. Restaurants line both sides of the river.

Castle Hill, Ljubljana, Slovenia (26 October 2025)

This was a typical first day in Europe, meaning the day before was busy getting ready for an overnight flight that involved NO sleep, a second flight from Amsterdam after a four-hour layover and immediately hitting the streets after checking into our hotel. One needs to stay awake and active to quickly adjust to the new time zone.

Later in the day, we decided to walk up ‘Castle Hill’ to see the medieval fortress and view the city from above. This stunt certainly ensured that we would have no trouble getting to sleep that night. Only after we were most of the way up did we see a funicular that effortlessly glided folks to the top. We rode down, giving our legs a much-needed reprieve.

Castle Hill Funicular, Ljubljana, Slovenia (24 October 2025)

 

On the Dragon Bridge, Ljubljana, Slovenia (26 October 2025)

Dragons are everywhere in this enchanting city. The Greek hero Jason is said to have killed a dragon when he passed through this area after stealing the golden fleece. The beast has since become the symbol of the city.

One of the river bridges is called the ‘Dragon Bridge’ because there are four of these big boys on each corner. Smaller versions decorate the streetlamps.

Dragon Magnets, Ljubljana, Slovenia (26 October 2026)

The morning after the Lake Bled excursion was a Sunday and we wandered the less busy city streets.

Sunday Entertainments, Ljubljana, Slovenia (26 October 2025)

It wasn’t long before people filled the popular places. On one of the bridges, we paused to enjoy a lively band that played everything with a rocking beat.

Ljubljana is a charming, easy city. While I appreciate that I’ve seen the major historic European capitals like Rome, London and Paris, they are now too crowded with visitors. Getting almost anywhere is a hassle. The Slovenian capital was the perfect way to begin our Eastern Europe adventure.

Passed Vice Presidents - # 33 – Henry Wallace

  

Grave of Henry Wallace (21 July 2025)

Served under Franklin D. Roosevelt

20 January 1941 – 20 January 1945

Preceded by # 32 – John Nance Garner

Succeeded by # 34 – Harry S. Truman

Born – 7 October 1888

Died – 18 November 1965 (age 77)

Buried – Glendale Cemetery, Des Moines, Iowa

Date Visited – 21 July 2025

This past summer, we drove to Wisconsin for another Ripley family wingding. When it was time to return, Beck reminded me that the ‘Field of Dreams’ movie site in Iowa has long been a bucket list item for her. What the heck. It’s just four or five hours further from home. Once there, I decided we’re too close not to go a few more hours further west to pay my respects to one of our vice presidents.

Central Iowa – 2025 (20 July 2025)

Tall corn and wind turbines as far as the eye can see.

Late afternoon western light makes everything stand out.

Henry Wallace was quintessential Iowa. He entered this world in 1888 in the rural town of Orient (1880 population - 31). He graduated from an ‘Ag’ college and wrote his family’s farm journal. He founded a successful hybrid corn company and like his father before him, served as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. That post was during FDR’s first two terms (1933-40). Wallace was a Republican for decades up to that time, but he became such a strong New Deal proponent and loyal FDR guy that the president insisted he be his running mate for that unprecedented third term. The decision not to continue with the incumbent VP, John Nance Garner, was made easier given ‘Cactus Jack’ had opposed a number of Roosevelt’s positions and challenged him for the presidential nomination. Although they did not carry Iowa, the ticket defeated Wendell Wilkie in a landslide.

Vice President Henry Wallace

Official Portrait – 1940

(from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_A._Wallace

Come the 1944 election, conservative Democrats (you don’t hear those two words together anymore) wanted a change and replaced Wallace with Harry Truman. We must remember that the old South was represented by segregationist Democrats and they were not happy with Wallace’s liberal views on race relations. Appreciating Wallace’s loyalty, FDR offered him any cabinet position he wanted except Secretary of State. He chose Commerce, figuring it would play a significant role in post-war activity. It took only a year until he gave a speech that ticked off all sides on the issue of dealing with Soviet Russia. President Truman asked for and received Wallace’s resignation in 1946.

Footstone of Henry Wallace Grave,

Glendale Cemetery, Des Moines, IA (21 July 2025)

We had to clear the turf around this marker.

‘Perpetual care’ can do only so much.

The next presidential election was the famous one where Republican Thomas Dewey was widely expected to defeat Truman but didn’t. Complicating the 1948 choices were other parties on the ballot. The racist Dixiecrats bolted to protest Truman’s racial accommodations. Strom Thurmond carried four states that still believed White supremacy was the most important governing principle. Taking votes from the other end was Henry Wallace heading the Progressive Party that opposed the administration’s Cold War policies.

By 1950, he left the Progressive Party and eventually returned to the Democrat fold but no longer served in governmental positions. He died of ALS in 1965 and is buried in Glendale Cemetery in Des Moines.

Wildflower Scattering Garden

Glendale Cemetery, Des Moines, IA (21 July 2025)

Glendale Cemetery is as diverse a burial ground as one can find. It has Catholic, Masonic, Jewish, and Islam sections as well as areas for Tai Dam (Vietnamese) and infants. The section pictured above is a wildflower garden where ashes can be scattered. The people who have done this are recorded on these abstract obelisks.

River Cruise Diary – Lyon, France – Day 2

Cathedral of St. John,

Lyon, France (26 April 2006)

Our second day in Lyon was one with no organized plan. We were on our own to wander and explore whatever appealed to us. Of course, for me, that meant getting inside the city’s grand Gothic cathedral. The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, completed in 1480, was begun three hundred years earlier.

Cathedral of St. John,

Lyon, France (26 April 2006)

Cathedral of St. John,

Lyon, France (26 April 2006)

Although it has some Romanesque features, the church has retained a consistent Gothic appearance despite the three-century construction period.

Place des Terreaux, Lyon, France (26 April 2006)

The Place des Terreaux has existed since the 13th century. It fronts the Lyon City Hall and was the site of beheadings during the French Revolution. A notable feature of the square is the Bartholdi Fountain.

 

Bartholdi Fountain [1892],

Place des Terreaux, Lyon, France (26 April 2006)

Frederic Auguste Bartholdi is the French sculptor who created our Statue of Liberty. His Lyon fountain depicts a feminine ‘France’ riding a chariot of natural elements and controlling the four great rivers of the country with reins made of water weeds.

 

Beaux Arts Museum, Lyon, France (26 April 2006)

Also facing the Place des Terreaux is the Fine Arts Museum. Formerly a Benedictine convent, the museum building dates to the 17th century.

Beaux Arts Museum, Lyon, France (26 April 2006)

A ten-year restoration of the museum ended in 1998. It showcases collections from antiquity to modern times, making it one of the most important museums in Europe.

Fontaine des Jacobins, Lyon, France (26 April 2006)

We wandered into another square, the Place des Jacobins, a French name for followers of St. Dominic. Dominicans occupied buildings on one side of the square since 1296. The Jacobins fountain grew in fits and starts from 1856 to 1885. It is dedicated to ‘Art’ and features a French sculptor, engraver, architect and painter from different periods.

Siren [1884] by Eungene Delaplanche,

Fontaine des Jacobins, Lyon, France (26 April 2006)

Personally, I prefer the wet nymphs that surround the lower pool.

Cathedral of St. John,

Lyon, France (26 April 2006)

From Lyon, we left the Rhone to move up its tributary, the Saône River. We were all up on the top deck to enjoy the illuminated buildings as we sailed away from the city into the night.

Low Bridge, Lyon, France (26 April 2006)

As you can see, the sun deck awnings were taken down because some of the bridges left little room to spare. The larger river boats are unable to navigate this channel, so tours no longer continue up the Saône. I’m glad we took this trip when we did.

The final cruise stop will be in the town of Chalon sur Saône.

River Cruise Diary – Lyon, France – Day 1

The Symbol of Lyon (25 April 2006)

In ‘Vieux Lyon’, the Old Quarter, one can find one of many

lion statues. This one is in front of the House of Counselors,

now the Museum of Miniatures and Cinema Décor.

On Tuesday, 25 April, we sailed to Kilometer 0, the end of the navigable Rhone River and its confluence with the Saône River, where we would sail further the following evening. We had covered 282 km (169 river miles) in four days.

We boarded a bus for a tour around the city and to a neighborhood that dates back 2000 years when the Roman settlement called Lugdunum became the capital of Gaul. After the Empire collapsed, the city continued to thrive, given its location on two rivers that were the main trading routes of the day. The connection to the sea, Italy and the east enabled Lyon to weather the Dark Ages and attract diverse talent that contributed to the Renaissance and modern development. The city that was the hub of French resistance during WW II is now the country’s third largest and the center of French cuisine.

Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière,

Lyon, France (25 April 2006)

Our first stop was the 19th century Fourvière Basilica. After the solid, dark and ancient Romanesque churches and a few threadbare Gothic chapels, it was the first grand, gaudy church we saw on the trip.

Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière,

Lyon, France (25 April 2006)

A blend of Romanesque and Byzantine architecture, the building has four towers that earned it a nickname - the upside-down elephant, because it can be likened to the beast with four legs pointed upward.

Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière,

Lyon, France (25 April 2006)

Completed in 1884 with private funds, the grateful faithful wanted an edifice dedicated to the Virgin Mary, who they credit with saving the city from the Black Plague in 1643, a cholera epidemic in 1832, and the invading Prussians in 1870.

The Wall of Weavers

Lyon, France (25 April 2006)

Lyon is also known for its outdoor murals. Here is ‘Les Mur des Canuts’, the largest mural in Europe. ‘Canut‘ means ‘weaver.’ It depicts ordinary life in this neighborhood in the 19th century, when half of Lyon’s working population was employed by the silk industry.

This Old House,

Lyon, France (25 April 2006)

A building of no particular significance has this sculpture.

It essentially says the house dates to 1684…pretty cool

since nothing around my neighborhood is older than 1975.

The lion statue at the top and this decorative installation are in the old quarter of Lyon. ‘Vieux Lyon’ is at the foot of Fourviére Hill and dates to the Renaissance period. In the 1950’s, the neighborhood was in poor shape and the yay-hoo mayor at the time wanted to demolish it all to build an expressway. Fortunately, saner minds prevailed, restoration progressed, and it is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Nightfall on the Rhone

Lyon, France (25 April 2006)

The French like to light up their monumental buildings and bridges at night. The city is known for its Festival of Lights, a four-day December celebration of all the times the Blessed Virgin saved the populace. The upside-down elephant Fourviére Basilica is in the distance.

The next day will bring more touring and free time to wander Lyon on our own.

River Cruise Diary – Scenes on the Rhone River

Old Suspension Bridge on the Rhone (24 April 2006)

Now that we’ve returned to presenting this trip, I want to see it through to the end…no more gaps in the posting. At the time, my transition to digital photography was barely a year old and this trip produced some favorite images. Before we arrive in Lyon, here are some impressions of the river between the ports of call.

One thing that has changed with Grand Circle in nineteen years…our itinerary is no longer offered. The cruise line replaced the ‘Chardonnay’ (43 passengers; see below) with a larger vessel, which I suspect cannot navigate the smaller Soane River. The current tour sails to/from Lyon in the north and Arles in the south and flies people into Lyon and Toulouse (not Nice). When we took the trip, after Lyon, we sailed another day up the Soane and ended with three nights in Paris…much better.

The ‘Chardonnay’ Docked in Lyon (25 April 2006)

Our charming old boat was first built as a commercial river boat in 1956 and converted to a passenger vessel in 2000. Designed for the river and its locks, it is 262 feet long, just 28 feet wide, and sits less than six feet underwater.

 

One Way to Enjoy the South of France,

Rhone River (23 April 2006)

Isn’t this so much better than being on a floating city with 4000

strangers out at sea with nothing to see but water and the horizon?

It was so delightful to sit in the Jacuzzi, soak in the sun, adult

beverage in hand and watch the beautiful French countryside scroll by.

There are two decks of cabins. Under this sun deck, the upper deck cabins have large windows while the lower deck cabins have round port hole views. Looking ducks in the eye confirms that much of you is below the water line.

A Porthole to the Rhone (27 April 2005)

The replacement boat accommodates twice as many passengers, is 76 feet longer, but has the same width…remember that all vessels can be no wider than the locks they must navigate.

We were fortunate to have warm, sunny days the entire week. They said that the week before, there was so much rain that the high water levels required the passengers to be bused to each town on the route. Passengers ate and slept on the moored boat, but there was none of the wonderful, leisurely, scenic travel. Major bummer. Some river cruise they paid for...

Dawn in the Nuclear Age, Saint-Alban Nuclear

Power Plant, Rhone River, France (25 April 2006)

With respect to flow, the Rhone is France’s largest river. This makes it a favorable location for power generating stations. Four nuclear power plants with a total of fourteen generating units were built along its banks.

Cooling Towers at the Cruas Nuclear Power Plant,

Rhone River, France (24 April 2006)

Completed in 2005, this mural project added an

environmentally themed image to the cooling tower.

France should get some props. Twenty-five years ago, in the eyes of some, they were pariahs…all in on nuclear power. Now that global climate is the next existential crisis, fossil fuels, even natural gas, are the bogey men. Importing Russian oil and gas is also problematic. It’s not so bad that the nation generates two thirds of its electricity this way.

Into the Mouth of the Beast,

Bollène Lock, Rhone River, France (23 April 2006)

On this leg of the trip, we passed through the highest

lock and dam on the Rhone. The boat was raised 75 feet.

Inside the Bollène Lock (23 April 2006)

Some locks accommodated our boat with inches to spare on either side.

Chateau D’Ampuis, Rhone River, France (25 April 2006)

While there are industrial sites and communities on the Rhone, there are also farms, vineyards and forested stretches that make the journey feel remote and wild. Among the magnificent historic properties on the river is Chateau D’Ampuis. Dating to the 12th century, the complex was home to aristocratic families until it fell into disrepair in the 20th century. An eleven-year renovation has restored the chateau which is now the headquarters of the Guigal wine label.

In our next post, we feature Lyon.