Wait! There's More (Rwandan Adventures)

by "Flat" Cauli II
MPL Flat Feline Foreign Correspondent

When last we visited, I was completing my Rwandan travel log.  I forgot that we were waiting for photos of our huge wildlife safari encounter in Akagera National Park.  Thanks to CircMaster's friend, Carol, we now have those pictures.  Hold onto your hats!  This is more excitement than you're accustomed to, I'll wager.

Click Images to Bigify Photos

These fleet-of-hoof dudes are a kind of antelope called oribi.  They have longer faces and torsos (torsi is apparently also an acceptable plural) than their cousins, the bushbucks, which also live in the park.  I am certain that they are not impalas.  Compare photos.

1963 Chevrolet Impala Two-Door "Low-Rider"

(Not THAT Impala!)

Impala

That's better.

Real African Elephants!  In Africa!

Seeing elephants in their native habitats is so much cooler (or is it more cool?  Grammarians weigh-in, if you please) than looking at them in a zoo, although that, too, is pretty neat.

Zebra Herd (Love Those Racing Stripes!)

Some Sort of Winged Dinner (and Brood)

That winged dinner looks like an Intermediate Egret.  Hey, that's what they're called!  You can look it up.

Giraffe, For Sure

Mama (or Papa) & Youngster Giraffes

These giraffes remind moi of the ones Cauli Le Chat saw when she visited the Indianapolis Zoo last summer.  Only these are truly wild, living in their homeland.  That makes them even more exciting for us spectators to enjoy.

African Buffalo

Those horns are simply spectacular!  Great for steering, I'll venture. Actually, I don't think I would want to ride one of these fellows.  I bet they can run mighty fast and are strong to boot.  I would go flying right off in a matter of seconds!  Of course, being made of cardboard, we "flat" Caulis are prone to becoming airborne.

This was definitely one of the highlights of my Rwandan travels.  Akagera National Park is a wildlife treasury.  If you ever visit Rwanda, as I think you should, you must take time for an excursion to the park.  I was so fortunate to see so many wondrous animals in their natural environments.

Be sure to read my other Rwandan travel logs posted on this blog.  You know where to click.  And click.  And click.  And click.

Your "Flat" Feline Foreign Correspondent on the Go,

"Flat" Cauli II

Reporting for Cauli Le Chat

P.S.  Enjoy this clip (1:52) from a day trip through Akagera National Park by Lauren Vogel for the Rwanda Initiative.

Meteorological Rodentia

February 2, as my human readers learned in elementary school, is Groundhog Day.  The Washington Post wasn't about to be scooped for this year's big prediction that (surprise, surprise) winter will last six more weeks.

Right Back 'Atcha

When is the Vernal Equinox this year (in the Northern Hemisphere)?  March 20, if memory serves.  That's--let's see--seven weeks from now, more or less?  So winter will last about seven more weeks.  That's regardless of whether some dopey rodent sees his shadow.

Punxsutawney Phil Sees His Shadow

(Feb. 2, 2012)

(Click Graphic Above to Play Video)

Frankly, I think the poor fellow has a rough time of it.  He gets hauled out of his comfortable snoozing quarters before an immense crowd (can you believe how many people were there?!!), some human "handlers" interpret what he's supposedly seeing, and then the crowd turns ugly when the message is more winter.  I mean, that audience sounded downright frightening.  I was waiting for them to storm the platform and roast poor, pitiful Phil over a spit, right then and there.  It's always the messenger who gets shot, as the saying goes.

Look, I get the fact that the whole "shadow-seeing" stunt is about how harsh the remaining six or seven weeks of official winter are going to be. Presumably, that's what all those onlookers were getting steamed about.

Everybody knows that today's hoopla was simply a tip of the hat to the collective American folklore wisdom that animals are highly sensitive to changes in their environments.  But allow moi to make plain that groundhogs, like all other non-human animals, know MUCH more about their environments than people think they do.  We LIVE out there, folks, so we have to be finely attuned to the slightest environmental changes.  That includes meteorological events.

So before we begin laughing too loudly at poor Punxsutawney Phil and his ilk, we should show some respect to the groundhog's innate ability to know when to remain underground or otherwise "holed up" until warmer weather approaches.  We quadripedal mammals haven't survived for tens of millions of years longer than humans without good cause.

The more important question in all of this is:  What "Cauli" name should I bestow upon groundhogs, or woodchucks as they are also commonly known?  This requires some thought.  Okay, that's sufficient.  How about Whistle-Pigs?  Hey, I didn't even have to invent that.  You can look it up.

Go back to bed, Phil.  It's not the bad winter weather you'll be avoiding; it's all those goofy people out there that subjected you to today's torment.  But I expect you're pretty well-fed for your one-working-day-a-year gig.  So you're probably down with that.  Sounds like a fairly easy job to moi.

Here's Predicting Six More Weeks of Canned Tuna-in-Oil For Moi,

Cauli Le Chat

MPL Roving Reporter

Holiday News Beat

P.S.  "Ground Hog," by the Watson Family, was released on CD by Smithsonian Folkways (1993, 2000).  Doc Watson reminded us that whistle-pigs are fairly good eating.  Just saying.  You may also listen to the song on SoundCloud, where my Library has uploaded some of its video soundtrack music.

Kaunas Continues (More Lithuanian Adventures)

by "Flat" Cauli IV

Flat Feline Foreign Correspondent

We continue with our adventures in Kaunas, Lithuania. (If you missed my last posting, you'll want to click here to catch up. If you want catsup, that's another thing altogether.)

As we kept walking down Laisvės Alėja, I found myself very distracted with all of the interesting sites, as well as sights, along the way! First, I kept seeing stores that called themselves "Kepyklélé." Miss Shay told me that this means "bakery."  We looked into the window of some of the kepyklélés, and what we saw made our mouths water! There were so many delicious-looking breads and desserts. We were on a bit of a time crunch, however, so we didn't stop in to get anything, but before I go back home, I'll definitely be making a stop (or several) at one of these little bakeries!

Another interesting site was this statue of a man holding flowers. The flowers were real! Miss Shay told me that people put new flowers or other gifts in his arms and hand every day. She wasn't sure why they did this or really who the man was at all. So we googled him. He is a Jewish singer named Danielius Dolskis, and his statue was erected in 2007. We couldn't figure out why people give him flowers. Maybe it's just a nice tradition?

Right next to the statue of Danielius Dolskis, there was a giant Christmas tree. Usually, I am told, the Christmas tree isn't there. It's actually a fountain, but for the holidays they put a giant tree there. Even though it's not Christmas anymore, it was still a nice tree.

 

 Library at Vytautas Magnus University

Agne teaches some Lithuanian words to "Flat" Cauli IV

Finally we made our way to Vytautas Magnus Univeristy Library where we met Miss Shay's Lithuanian tutor, Agne. For the next hour and a half, we practiced our Lithuanian together.  We worked on vocabulary and tried to learn some of the verb tenses. Lithuanian is considered an Indo-European language. Here are some words I learned:  

• Lithuanian: lietuviškai
• English: angliškai
• American: Amerikos
• Hello: labas
• Bye: viso gero
• Please: prašau
• Thank you: ačiū

Viso gero! 

 

 

Your "Flat" Feline Foreign Correspondent,

"Flat" Cauli IV

Reporting for Cauli Le Chat

P.S. Thanks to my editor, Miss Shay, for helping moi type my travel log (my basketball injury is improving, but pain hurts, so better to rest my paw to avoid further strain).

Shay Laws

English Teaching Assistant
Vincas Grybas Gymnasium
Luksiai, Lithuania

P.S.  Danielius Dolskis (1891-1931) sang "Aš Myliu Vasaros Rugiagėles," which I can't translate (sorry, my Lithuanian lesson didn't get that far).  Dolskis was born in Vilnius, Lithuania.  He first gained fame as a popular singer when he performed at the Vila Rode, a popular restaurant in St. Petersburg, Russia, just prior to the Russian Revolution of 1917.  In 1929 Dolskis moved to Kaunas, continuing his restaurant-singing career.  (Americans should equate this to singing in posh, high-class nightclubs.  We're not talking the local "greasy spoon" here.)  Dolskis wrote original songs in Lithuanian, and he also translated and covered English songs.  Some of his versions were parodies, and, along with humorous monologues, he kept his audiences amused.  He recorded several long-playing (LP) records between 1929-1931, one of which you're hearing on this "music video" clip.  Dolskis is buried in the Jewish Cemetery in Kaunas.

P.P.S.  Scowl-Face says that stage singers (opera in particular) are given flowers at the end of their triumphant public performances.  Perhaps that's the meaning behind Dolskis' statue's flowers?

"The Big Kaunas" (Lithuanian Travel Log Continues)

by "Flat" Cauli IV

Flat Feline Foreign Correspondent









Hello, Mooresville Public Library friends!  It is I, "Flat" Cauli IV, again.  I'm back in Lithuania and have been off on other adventures! This week, I took a short trip to a nearby city, Kaunas, to go with Miss Shay to her Lithuanian lessons. Every week, Miss Shay takes the bus from Sakiai to Kaunas. I enjoyed taking the hour-long journey with her this week.

(By the way, how'd you like my play-on-words in the posting title?  The big "Kaunas" looks a little like "the big Kahuna," right?  Bad pun, I suppose.  Kahuna is Hawaiian, if I remember correctly.)

Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania. At one time, Kaunas was the capital of Lithuania but not anymore. The capital, and largest, city in Lithuania today is Vilnius. Kaunas is near the two largest Lithuanian rivers, the Nemunas and the Neris, so you have to cross a large bridge to enter the city. The bridges throughout the city are very interesting. Some are modern, but some are very old. Miss Shay told me that if you walk by one of the bridges on a Saturday, you'll probably see a new groom carrying his bride over it. It's a tradition here for grooms to carry their brides over at least nine bridges. Also, the newlyweds will usually leave a lock on one of the bridges. These "Love Locks" are symbols of their love that can never be broken. Miss Shay took a picture of some Love Locks that she wanted to share with you (actually, these Love Locks were found on a bridge in Vilnius, but they look very similar to what you'd also find in Kaunas.) They're very romantic.

Love Locks on bridge in Vilnius, Lithuania

River Nemunas near Old Town, Kaunas, Lithuania

(if memory serves)

Okay, back to my trip to Kaunas! Even though it was pretty cold, Miss Shay and I decided to walk from the bus station to the library where Miss Shay would meet her tutor. We walked down the most popular street in Kaunas,  Laisvės Alėja. In Lithuanian,  Laisvės Alėja means "Freedom Street." Not only is it very beautiful, but it's also one of the longest pedestrian streets in Europe. That means there are no cars on it! But you do have to watch out for bikes in the bike lane!

  Laisvės Alėja ("Freedom Street")

Kaunas, Lithuania

 Laisvės Alėja begins with a square that is the home of the Church of Saint Michael the Archangel. It was built in the 1890s and at one time served as the military church. Now it's a Roman Catholic church. Here are two pictures of Miss Shay and moi with the church in the background. 

 Laisvės Alėja stretches all the way to Old Town were you could find the Kaunas Castle, The White Swan (or city hall), and the Kaunas Cathedral. There are a lot of very beautiful, old churches throughout this city (well, throughout Lithuania in general!). Here are some pictures that Miss Shay took of the three sites just mentioned. 

Kaunas Castle

The White Swan (City Hall)

Kaunas Cathedral

There's more, but you'll have to check my next posting!  See you then!

Your "Flat" Feline Foreign Correspondent on the Go,

"Flat" Cauli IV

Reporting for Cauli Le Chat

P.S. Thanks to my editor, Miss Shay, for helping moi type my travel log (my basketball injury, you know).

Shay Laws

English Teaching Assistant
Vincas Grybas Gymnasium
Luksiai, Lithuania

"Flat" Cauli Hits the Slovakian Slopes

by "Flat" Cauli IV

Flat Feline Foreign Correspondent

Hello again, friends of Mooresville Public Library! "Flat" Cauli IV here! Sorry for my delay in posting, but I've been on holiday (the European term for "vacation") in Slovakia for the past week. I know--first I travel all the way to Lithuania and then get to go to Slovakia! What a lucky flat cat I am!

My new friend Miss Shay had been planning a trip to the Jasna ski resort in Slovakia with her Lithuanian host family.   So, a couple of days after I arrived in Lithuania, we all jumped in the car and drove straight from Sakiai, Lithuania, through all of Poland, and straight to the Low Tatra National Park in Slovakia. The ski resort is located in the Low Tatra National Park, on the northern and southern slopes of Chopok.

Miss Shay had been skiing before, but I never had, so I was a little nervous when we first approached the slopes, and I saw how steep they were! But, blinded by the beauty of the mountain and encouraged by Miss Shay and her nice Lithuanian friends, I braved the mountain and had so much fun!

"Flat" Cauli IV, Mountain Climber

"Because It's There"

(Click Images to Bigify Photos)

Here I am on top of the mountain! Can you believe that view?! The first two days that we were at Jasna, it snowed a lot, so it was difficult to see very much, but, wow, when the clouds cleared, I couldn't believe my eyes! Without the snow storms, the sky was bright blue and the clouds were sparse (of course, they were still there, but they were higher up.  We weren’t skiing through them like we were the days before).

Hold on tight!  It's a long way down

Here I am after riding the ski lift to the top of the mountain again.

Tasty Treat, Indeed!

While I had so much fun on the slopes, one of the best parts of the day was when we stopped to drink a little hot chocolate together at the bottom of the mountain. The hot chocolate was delicious (it was really thick, almost like hot pudding with whipped cream!), but it was also nice to stop and take a little break to warm our freezing toes and noses! Most days the temperature was about -3 degrees Celsius, but one day it dropped to -15! (That's only 5 degrees Fahrenheit!). This is a picture of my friends Miss Shay, Miss Marija, Miss Urte, and moi while enjoying our hot chocolate!

Bunny slope?  Not 'round here

After our hot chocolate, we were back on the slopes for more fun! Here is a picture of us on one of the cloudy days. Check out those clouds! Can you believe I was skiing through them!?  That's how amazingly high we were in the mountains.

 

 

I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about my ski trip to Slovakia.  Too bad you couldn't have joined us.  Maybe next time, for sure.

Your "Flat" Feline Foreign Correspondent on the Go,

"Flat" Cauli IV

Reporting for Cauli Le Chat

P.S.  Thanks to my editor, Miss Shay, for helping moi type my travel log (my paw is still sore from my basketball injury).

Shay Laws

English Teaching Assistant
Vincas Grybas Gymnasium
Luksiai, Lithuania