This is not a politically engaged post. I will not attempt to take sides regarding this conflict nor will I discuss the possible faults of those  involved. I will share, however, something that is important to me. This is my review of the recently published book by Dervla Murphy “Between River and Sea“,  focused on the Middle East conflict. It’s just a book It’s just a book – I thought when I took it in my hand. There is no way it concerns me. I felt I was far removed from the Middle East and I have never visited any of the countries involved in the conflict nor have I had an intention to, but I started reading and quite quickly realized how wrong I was. Dervla Murphy is a distinguished travel writer, an icon of independent traveling. Her life is an endless inspiration to all cyclists and serious travelers. In her late seventies and early eighties, she ventured into a difficult territory – a journey to Palestine and Israel.  “Between River and Sea” is her reflection on the conflict and although she has always been politically active in a variety of situations none of her previous books is as sharp, clear and on the edge of a political advocacy. Objectivity This post is not politically engaged, but Dervla’s book is. She states right from the very beginning that her heart is with the suffering Palestinians and against Zionism of any form. It might seem controversial to state your personal political views on the issue on the first page of the book, but I think this was wise – for a variety of reasons. Sooner or later the reader realizes the author’s views and if not revealed before, this can result in a loss of trust.  A declaration of belief frames the story and leaves no space for the unsaid.  People often state that they appreciate objectivity, but I sometimes find it hypocritical. Rarely, if at all, do authors and journalists make the effort to look at an issue from a variety of perspectives and I see no reason why people should avoid stating their opinions clearly. So don’t look for objectivity in Dervla’s book because you will not find it. Reality This book was hard to read and very hard to finish. It was heavy, deeply disturbing, sometimes cruel and very literal in the descriptions of harassment.  Page after page the author shows the misery of people who live in this region and what I found most difficult to deal with was their lack of hope for the future. The reality of war is horrible and we all know this, the population suffers, decade after decade. The hate grows and is passed from one generation to another.  Just like every other war the conflict between Israel and Palestine turns ordinary people into orphans, widows, widowers, and single parents. I don’t believe there is one person in the Middle East who is not affected by the loss of a relative or a friend. Living in fear destroys a healthy personality and turns children into a generation with no hope. What is this have to do with me? If you read this book it will hit you. Even if you thought you were well removed from this conflict, after reading this book you will find yourself in the middle of it. It’s because the cruelty of war leaves no one indifferent. If  you read about cruelty towards children you will become angry. If  you know about injustice, it can not be ignored. And, most of all, because the population of both Palestine and Israel are deeply marked with mutual mistrust, they need somebody from the outside to help them understand the situation. And to see hope where there is none. Although I consider this book very important I don’t think it is helpful. Don’t get me wrong. There was no way Dervla Murphy could have written this book differently. She did what she’s always done: meeting people, staying with them for a couple of days, asking difficult questions, and sympathizing with those affected most by poverty. When you are reading this book you get a feeling that the author becomes one of them, and while this is natural it results in seeing this life through their eyes only which can narrow the reader’s perspective.  It is beneficial for the book, but it does not get us any closer to the peace.  This book is excellent in showing the misery and the suffering of all residents of this land of fire. It should leave you uneasy.  

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Read the previous episode One of the evenings last week was especially enjoyable. We drove far north, crossed few little towns (Arbus, Guspini, Sanluri, Las Plassas) and found ourselves in a different subregion. The area located far from the sea differs greatly from where we stayed. Fluminimaggiore is only 7km from the shore and is surrounded by the mountains of about 1000 meter high. A new region called Marmilla was quite different. Its flatness and dryness was what striked most. Rocky hills are left in the south and the whole region is a great burnt plain. Every little hill gave us an opportunity to see far in every direction. Dried fields, olive groves, modest shruberry were pretty much all. After a few kilometres, there was a curiosity: the remains of the volcano that created a regular plain formatted about a hundred meters above the rest of the plains called Giara. Not only being volcanic makes it special: it has been formatted out of basalt few thousands of years ago which made it a surpassing in this dry land a rich reservoir of fresh water. Out of this height four different rivers have their sources and there are many natural wells. Such unusual natural conditions caused the appearance of a bronze age culture called the Nuragic civilization after nuraghe – a characteristic building remains just like the one below. Archeology The Nuragic Civilization had a few distinctive characteristics, however, most of the issues related to their social life and religion is obscure. Many of the scientific theories remain unconfirmed. They were living in a relative isolation for few hundred years and created fortifications and large villages in this area. As Sardinia has been conquered many times throughout of history by a variety of dominate groups like Phoenicians, Romans, Vandals, Byzantine Greeks just to become a playground of powerful kingdoms and duchies in mediaeval and modern times. As a result of such turbulent history, there is an exceptional mix of all elements of the past rulers. Therefore, there is plenty of archeological sites in Sardegna and I wanted to visit at least one of them. We started our journey at 16:00 but until 20:00 it was so hot I could hardly remember of what I saw. We entered an archeological site of Giara accompanied by two little local dogs. The view made us partially sad and partially fascinated with what we saw. The site looks like abandoned many years ago, there was only one wooden board with basic information about the place and the other ruins and remains were left as they were found. There was a road constructed out of basalt, few houses, and a high wall. Although the panorama was beautiful as we were watching vast plain below of a bleach colors, the place was unfriendly. A strong wind made this impression of hostility even stronger. The large part of information about the place came from Cesare, whose master thesis was based on the field archeological research he did more than thirty years ago. He was deeply touched with what he saw and shared spontaneously his own memories. I think the absence of care for this place made him very sad. He looked like a person whose mind was in the same place but trapped thirty years ago and who was trying to make sense out of what he sees. Quite unsuccessfully, I’m afraid. As the heat drained us in a few minutes, we continued our visit by car and visited a small town of Gesturi and further Barumini. A UNESCO Site A description by UNESCO is very helpful to clarify what nuraghe is: “During the late 2nd millennium B.C. in the Bronze Age, a special type of defensive structure known as nuraghi (for which no parallel exists anywhere else in the world) developed on the island of Sardinia. The complex consists of circular defensive towers in the form of truncated cones built of dressed stone, with corbel-vaulted internal chambers. The complex at Barumini, which was extended and reinforced in the first half of the 1st millennium under Carthaginian pressure, is the finest and most complete example of this remarkable form of prehistoric architecture”. First, we stopped at the main square of Gesturi when a local feast was taking place. The square was decorated with color little flags that made a loud noise ruffled by the wind. Old ladies were leaving the church with their hair covered talking in the dialect that is impossible to understand. Their local saint has had 133 anniversary of birthday and so the town was celebrating. Then, we went to visit a must-see place. The UNESCO World Heritage Place called Su Nuraxi di Barumini. Even it was 19:00 in the evening it was still hot. I could hardly understand the guide and eventually gave up. I was just hanging around in the remains left out of the biggest known nuraghe. It was similar to the experience of walking the Pompeii complex though this one was much more modest and primitive. The round houses cuddled together and crouched around the main protective tower looked like little chickens with a hen. The guided visit caught my attention when we entered the tower through a very small passage with unregular stairs only to discover the inner circulation of the air was very limited. I became pale in a second and felt really bad so the rest of the visit I spent sitting on the of the rocks. As I rest a bit I felt better and could ask some questions to the guide. A concert In front of the ruins, there was a concert of the folk music organized by a band from Sardinia. We and a hundred of other people were sitting in the dark and watching an illuminated stage. It all started with the first song by Tenores di Neoneli Orlando and Eliseo Mascia – a well-known folk band of international fame. The sound was exquisite as these men performed a throat singing. Their powerful voice was echoed by the oldest ruins in the area...

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This is a very particular museum. It has been recently opened to public and it has already gained a ‘must see’ label. I have heard enough enthusiastic comments on it to plan a visit as soon as possible. Just last week I hosted few Italian friends and it seemed a perfect excuse to finally go there. Due to heavy rain and cold weather it was an awesome idea to spend our afternoon. What this is all about? Porta Posnania (pl. Brama Poznania) is an innovative museum focused on the beginning of settlement in the area currently occupied by city of Poznan. Using the most recent electronic gadgets it takes you for a journey into deep past of the place. Basic on the artifacts found and using most recent scientific research the exhibition has an ambitious aim of familiarizing the visitors with the ancient history of Poland. The location and a building itself – a sharp modern concrete cube – is impressive. Not only it occupies space that it further reveals in front of your eyes but also participate in revitalization of long neglected area: Śródka. The cube located at the eastern bank of Warta river is connected with the oldest part of the city: Ostrów Tumski (a island where cathedral is located). The museum located on the island hosts few exhibition rooms where currently a modest display of photos takes place (pl. Śluza Katedralna). One of the photos’ authors is Erik an owner of a charming little cafe in the city center. Through a glass and stain covered bridge you enter the building and it really makes a great impression. If you are fan of modern architecture you will appreciate it. What to expect? Right at the entrance a large hall with all facilities welcomes you. After a ticket purchase you get a small electronic pocket guide with headphones with a short explanation on how to use it. Here, your adventure begins. What I like the most about these little devices was that after entering exhibition rooms it automatically gives you an overview. What my Italian friends did not like was lack of the italian language version (still, german, french and spanish seems handy). The interior of the museum is kept in black colors. There are no windows along the whole itinerary apart of the glass corridor that splits the building to two halves. I think it all helps to keep the visitors’ attention on information given. So far, so good. There are four basic parts of the exhibition focused on particular events chronologically. What is missing, I think, is a consistent narrative along the way. There are tens of designated sites where by clicking on your device you get more information about a particular artifact, building, event, etc. It is however not shown how to proceed. Picking the spots randomly you might find yourself in a chaos. Likes and dislikes Most of all this museum is like no other. Heavy usage of modern technologies makes the ancient history alive. A variety of multimedia including videos showing reconstructed workshops, settlement and fortification is impressive. Also, an itinerary dedicated for the kids and a room with child friendly objects is really nice. One of the best features in my opinion are displays showing important parallel events from all over the world. It was something that was always missing at the history lessons. Impressive illumination of particular elements was also eye catching. Although the whole experience is intriguing there are some things I did not like. Scattered narrative is one of the things that lowers the educational value of this place. You can go through the exhibition and still do not have a clue on the Poznan and Polish history. Perhaps the particular spots that contain important information should be highlighted. A distinction among basic facts, important elements of narrative and short anecdotes might be a good idea. This museum is a prove that even the most ancient history can be exhibited in an attractive way. I am pretty sure that being so modern is a huge advantage. It meets the tourists’ expectations, I think. Also a modern building in this very special place will hopefully melt in the area providing valuable meetings with art and culture. I will be looking at its activity and events organized throughout a year. A nearby area of Śródka has already experienced side effects of the recent construction of a bridge for pedestrians and the museum opening. There are at least three new coffee shops and restaurants along the street stretching from the museum towards Malta artificial lake. Few years ago it would be useless to open a cafe here but now it seemed a great idea. My favorite one is called Cafe La Ruina and I took my Italian friends there. Apart of brilliant interior design and board games to play they offer amazingly good home made cakes. The best conclusion of our itinerary! Disclosure: this post was kindly supported by City of Poznan, however, all opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.  

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