My Trip To Accra

Accra is the capital city of Ghana, on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.  It's a 13 hour journey from Detroit, with a change of planes in New York.  Quite doable.  Why Accra?  Why not?  Anyway, I've been spending time there recently, poking around shops, restaurants (there are some very good vegan ones), museums, markets, and art galleries.  I chose a decent hotel, selected a good room, then headed out to explore.  All thanks to Google Maps.  It's actually a pretty fun way to travel, at least these days.  One can even get to street level for much of the city, and march up and down the avenues.  Many stores and all museums have good websites, and restaurants often have up to date menus.  There are a ton of photos to look at, too, if desired.  I'm not sure where I will visit next.  Abidjan is not far away, so I may go there for awhile. Enjoy the ocean breeze for awhile.

 Western-influenced side of Accra.

 A somewhat more African side of Accra. 

Train journeys are also fun on Google Maps and/or Google Earth.  In fact, if there is train service between Accra and Abidjan, that is how I might travel there.  And I won't have to wear a mask!

In Tarot card news, my new card for the first half of the summer is....

 ...a winter card!  As I mentioned in the previous post, I seem to have a reverse affinity with Summer Solstice, which usually brings me a winter dream or two.  My very barren summer card this time around shows a standing stone in the midst of a snowstorm.  Now what kind of summer do you think I might have?  Well, I should mention here that Essex County, where I live, is now the only place in Canada still in Stage 1 shutdown.  Even Toronto got moved ahead to Stage 2.  Not us.  There are some problems with migrant workers from Mexico.  They live in totally crap conditions, and if one of them gets sick, they all do.  Well, a whole bunch of them are currently sick.  Federal government investigators are visiting and reporting.  Hopefully something will finally be done about the living conditions of these essential workers, not to mention their wages.  In the meantime, we are still stuck at home, except for grocery store runs and, tomorrow, a visit to a doctor for Deb.  So as far as getting outside, my summer seems pretty bleak at the moment.  No Windsor, let alone Detroit.

We received a badly needed 0.6" rain overnight, the first drop we've had in 21 days.  Things are bone dry and cracked here, but the green has suddenly returned.

I am starting on my 3rd week of a basic indoor fitness program, which includes treadmill walking, some very light weights, and some tummy work, to flatten the curve, so to speak.  After four weeks I'll decide how to continue the program, and continue to wonder if there will be any hiking this year at all.  Indoor summer training is good.  No sunblock, no flies, no traffic, no heat, no humidity. 

In movie news, Deb's weekend choice was the 1958 Italian comedy caper Big Deal On Madonna Street, starring many good people, including a small role for Claudia Cardinale.  Gassman is in it, Marcello, and some great situations, as a group of total losers, who will do anything but work for a living, set out to rob the safe of a pawn broker.  Everything that could go wrong does, but I doubt if these crooks expected anything less.  The way Gassman finally gets a job at the end is hilarious, though seeing the honest boy who loves Claudia selling popcorn and candy at the cinema is just really sad.

Big Deal On Madonna Street, now showing on Criterion.  

Film festival weekend is nearly upon us.  I have chosen Berlin Alexanderplatz.  We will watch the first segment tonight and see if we want to commit to the whole project.

Mapman Mike