future is endless

Like in this picture (I showed it before), the horizon and the future are endless.
Still this picture is my absolute favorite, as every time I look at it, I adore it more.

The story behind it was sad, as the old man died a short time later, but the little girl is growing up, day by day, living in the USA nowadays.
And I am sure that mother and father will always remember dida, his father, pictured at a unique moment, walking with his grandchild between grapes and olives.

People come, people go, and so do the grapes and olives, year after year, in an endless system we call nature.
To be sure each newborn kid can grow up and enjoy this unique natural country, it's worth to take care of it.

For the sake of nature, views like this, and the future !

blogconnections

Writing for the sake of writing, like eating when hungry, that's what I do in this blog.
I like to show people by doing so, about the life behind the touristic curtains of the Adriatic coast, with a picture and a couple of words.
Neither artist nor writer, just for the fun of it.

Tourists come to Croatia and go again, one week, ten days, some even for three weeks, their color changed, camera stuffed and pockets empty they leave for home, for another year till next holiday, next country, next sunburn.

With the intension to inform, entertain and sometimes touch people's heart, I fill my pages with words, English words, as being a Dutchman my Croatian is just to little, and as the world does hardly understand Dutch, I prefer to use English (because my Spanish and Chinese, the two other world languages are zero to none).

Having said so, I once in a while get reactions from around the world, from people that are somehow connected to Croatia.
A holiday, familyties, even some other Dutch that decided like us to live in this fantastic (pure) country.

Recently I started to stuff the blog again after receiving a mail from Romania.
"What's up in Croatia, with no news, no new blogs, no simple stories".
Well folks,, we simply where busy in Holland (The Netherlands, Nizozemska, Pays Bas), preparing to finally live permanently in Dalmacija, and so we had to pack, organise and fill out a mountain of papers to become legal inhabitants of Croatia.

Just two weeks ago we returned, and in the middle of boxes, had to get things organised overhere, and even much more important, had to plant potatoes and lots of other stuff, to have the very best food later on from our own garden.

So, because of the warning :-) I got from Romania, I sat down again, to write my little things about little life.
Not being my writingcorner (we don't smoke inside our small house), and besides, I use modern technic stuffed in a laptop, I took the liberty to show you a REAL writers table, with vitamins, sigarets, coffee and genuin ink and pen.

Some do it professionally, for the sake of literature, I am just a pebble on the beach, the gigantic Internet Beach, visited by all virtual tourists around the world.
Between them all, I have my little peace of land, just like the peace of land we have in Dalmacija, near Omis, half an hour from Split, in Croatia.
"Ja volim Hrvatska", that's all, no less, much more.

you never get a second chance

One never get's a second chance to make a first impression.







As far as confrontations with bears go, I hope that's not the truth.
Well, I might just try, as the rumour goes one has been spotted in our neighbourhood.

In Podaspilje, a small village just five kilometers away, it says a bear (medo in Croatian) was seen.
And then, asking about it, one of our hunting neighbours told me, also two others were observed near Zadvarje, a small town about fifteen minutes away.

A stunning idea, on the other hand, I hope I get a chance to take a picture when I happen to meet one, as apart from dancing bears (horrible thing from the past in the country *), bears are other than snakes, as with snakes I know how to do (watch and take some extra steps around them).

Still the rumour is a rumour, and since our cats are masters catching mice, it better be a rumour, cause it's nice to see a cat show up with a mouse, but in case of a bear, you never know who's gonna show up with what.

With Biokovo and Mosor Mountains nearby, and even Omiska Dinara large and wild enough, I would'nt be surprised to read about it in the "reliable" newspaper here, Slobodna Dalmacija.
And as there are three protection programs in Croatia, for wolves, linx and bears, it just might happen to be true.

Being the worst dancer you can imagine, I hope that in case of a confrontation the bear still thinks it takes two to tango.
At least than I have a chance to say "no thanks", or in Croatian "ne hvala", as I don't know what language bears speak.

*)
In the past some people in some Balkancountries mistreated bears by teaching them to dance.
Ring through the nose, a hot plate burning the feet, that sure makes you dance after a while.
Never ever give those terrible people money or take pictures, as after you have your picture taken, they take your money !!!!!
And apart from that, it's a bad habit that must stop, the sooner the better.

dalmatians, the singing people

One Dalmatian working on his land sings, two Dalmatians have a glass of wine, beer or rakia, and sing, three have a glass, something to eat, and sing.
And when they gather for some reason, Dalmatians sing even more !

Singing is in their blood, its a tradition going back ages and ages, some of it very crude, with hardly a melody, more the type of speaking-singing, where the lyrics tell a story (like newspapers and internet today).

And than there is klapa, a famous type of singing, sang by groups of people, at any moment, a feast or even a competition.
Omis, our shopping town is famous for its klapa festival in summer, a very serious and high quality gathering of many groups, with each and everyone performing at it's very best.

The songs are mainly romantic, about fisherman, seagulls and the sun over the Adriatic, and of course about girls, romance, lost loves and waiting ones.

This picture was taken at the baptising of our best friends son Josiph.
And of course, here was singing too, and great food, drinks and good company.

Stop talking, start singing !!!

some cats stay, others go

Not only for cats this title goes.

We left Holland two weeks ago, after a pile of paperwork to get a residence permit for Croatia.
And yes, after three visits to the Croatian Embassy in The Hague with loads of papershit, stamps, translations (and a lot of stress) all those papers where finally accepted, and sent to Zagreb, the capital of Croatia.

Now we must wait, with great confidence, for the very moment our documents are accepted, and we can call ourselves residents of this great young country.
Still we will be Dutch, with cheese in our blood, with Dutch passports, as we are Europeans, and Croatia will be part of Europe soon (I truly hope for Croatia).

When we left last autumn, we took care that the cats around our place where taken care of.
Being straycats, they give us a lot of joy, so a bit of care in return is the least to be done.

We left a load of catfood at our best friends place, and asked him to feed and care of them, which he did excellently.
Nevertheless some cats went away like we did, some stayed, and being f*ck*ng cats, two of them are now with young kittens.

Part of our rural life around our place, we once again will take care of our regular visitors, those staying are welcome (if they behave), the others are fully free to leave to whatever place or country they like.
In return they take care of a mouse once in a while and if a snake should occur, well you (mostly non venomous) sliding nonlegged creatures, BEWARE of the CATS !!!!

And for us, after some Dutch friends visited us during their spring holidays, we started to get ready, planting potatoes, and putting many different seeds into little containers to be planted as soon as they show worth the treatment from sun and soil.
And we will happily harvest and share whatever grows, all of it pure vegetables and fruits with marvelous taste.

Feel free to visit us here, and if hungry, just walk into our garden and pick some of it !
Good life is shared life, as goes for cats as well as friendly humans.

And to those who had to wait this long to read about our daily life, sorry folks, sh*t happens, but from now on, between cutting gras and reading a book, I'll keep you posted about Svinisce, the hidden treasure.

ps. Just today I learned that the name Svinisce, comes from S vinisce, meaning " from the wine fields", my neighbour told me, and as far as I understood it, the story sounded well enough to believe, and than we drank a glass.

with or without a bike, a great website

Scrolling the internet for interesting information about Croatia, I found a beauty I like to share with you.

Regular visitors of this blog know it's about our life in Svinisce, but not only that.

Even more important is that I want you to feel what we feel, in the middle of a fantastic country, where nature is amazingly pure and breathtaking.

And again and again I tell everybody with ears, eyes and a heart to enjoy the Adriatic, as for sure the coast is fantastic to spend time during holidays, but.......

BUT......to get the real feeling of Croatia, you'll have to leave the beach at least one time, as once you get to know what's behind the coastal mountains, you're addicted.
As when you get up and going, Croatia is so much more, so much you should experience, at least once !

Try a visit to www.takeadventure.com as it's a perfect introduction to the most fantastic sceneries.
The website is in English (and Croatian), produced by a mountainbiker called Miroslav, and of superior quality for sure.

It's people like him who open my eyes and heart time after time, and while I discover my own bit of Dalmatia, they lead me into new perspectives, locations, panorama's and the best information about all the natural beauty of Croatia, Dalmatia and its Zagora (the hinterland).

An amazing country indeed, that grabs you by the balls (if you have them), as with or without, it gets to your heart, once you get to know it a bit better.

Go go go, go and get the real feeling, just behind the Adriatic coast.
(And for mountainbikers, you could'nt find a better guide !)

First day of 2011

The first day of 2011.

Don't try to remember your wishes, make them happen !!

Happy Newyear
Sretan Nova Godina
Gluckliches Neujahr
Gelukkig Nieuwjaar

omis, adriatic and cetina river

A great overview of Omis, the town left and right of where the Cetina River enters the Adriatic.

However the picture was "stolen" somewhere from the internet, I just could'nt resist publishing it myselve.
It truly is a most fantastic location, however it's time the town of Omis starts to pamper it's chicken with the Golden Eggs.

Still a real boulevard is missing, a footpath along the Cetina also is not there, some spots in and around town look like real dumpyards and tourists have to look for the major tourist office promoting the town in a hidden street.

And however I am not a "big-tourist-thing-person", an investor building a "skilift" would not only add good money to his own pocket but also to the attractions in Omis, with it's amazing location at the Canyon, it's Fortica (castle ruin), the Adriatic and the views to enjoy over canyon, town and sea in one simple ride up and down.
And if there would be a terrace on top of Omiska Dinara, well, that would be just stunning to have a drink, a moment of pure delight, in the most clean and natural surroundings you've ever experienced.

Still, without doubt, it's one of the special locations, Croatia is having a lot of, with or without iniatives to make it a true miracle.

a secret to share

Don't go looking in shops, as you won't find this wine there.

I happen to have a friend (friend of my best friend Andelko) who makes THE best wine (and Andelko the second best).

Especially his red wine (crno vino) is an absolutely fantastic wine, with rich flavours, a perfect balance between sweetness and acidity, and has an amazingly deep red colour in your glass.

And most important, it's like a BOMB of taste going of when you drink it.


Be carefull however, you innocent experienced winedrinker, as like all bombs, it knocks you down in no time.

Lero, the man producing this excellent wine, is living close to our house in Svinisce-Modris, and to make things easy in case you need him, just ask, as everybody knows where he lives.

I still have to check out how he does it, but I know his variety of grapes is so special, that from the Institute in Split some scientists came to write a report and take samples of both his wine and his grapes.

In the world of winemaking, they discovered that the Californian Zirfandel originates from the Croatian Plavac Mali, and it would be a surprise to me that Lero has that specific grape, and a couple more that may rock the winemakers world even a bit more.

Time will tell, and in the meantime I enjoy my glass of Lero's wine, for which I made a label to honour him and his fantastic product.

Zjiveli Lero, i puno hvala !

ps. he sells it for about 25 kn./ltr. (a bargain for such quality) but please don't buy it all will you !!!!!

three neigbours, three friends

Three friends sitting in the shade.

From left to right:

Dr.Kilo.
in his most active pose, so if you see him active, call hitno pomoc (first aid) as there is something wrong.
Sometimes he loudly blows the alarm, why, nobody knows.

Mate, Hasan or Lambik.
his original name is Nikola, but I gave him many nicknames.
Our best friend and advisor on a thousands things, and proving to be like a good wine, a pleasant person getting more pleasant year by year.

Lero.
Looks like a jockey, and if he had a horse, he would be riding it too (but he has'nt got one).
A super friendly guy, expert in nature, a more than excellent winemaker (the very best of our valley), and as well a fantastic singer as a dancer (ask my wife).

Just a picture of three neighbours, three friends, three reasons to like Svinisce as a place to live.

life was so beautifull

Take it easy (sve polako), in the middle of silent nature, and still close to all Adriatic delights.

The beaches of Omis, the sparkling water of the Cetina river, the medium high and high mountains of Mosor, Omiska Dinara and Biokovo just within reach, all of that within a ten minutes drive, that must be like paradise, AND IT IS !!!!

Everything grows like hell, pure organic food is so normal here, if you help me I help you, or we just sit together, have a drink or some grilled food, as life is beautifull in paradise.

Picking grapes or olives together, cutting the sides of our little villageroad, a wall to be built, there's allways a good reason to enjoy company during work or after it, and if there is'nt one, we'll enjoy being together anyway, as life is so good here.

Tuesdays, from the market in Zadvarje, the fresh grilled piglet (younger pig), is taken back, crispy and warm, and however in the morning still, a slice of good bread and a glas of something, and the day turns into a superday.

And what about the freshest fish you can imagine, direct from the boat to the market (be there in time), driven up to our village, a small fire made from dry grape-cuttings, quick, easy, and more than fantastic to eat.

Still there are a million reasons to express our love for our Croatian (oprosti, Dalmatian) life, still we had to get to Holland to organise a couple of things, as quick as possible, as Nizozemska is not our home anymore; "Hratska, ja te volim ".

As once you tasted the Dalmatian Paradise, why even think about Holland, crowded, noisy, stressed, artificial, overly organised, great for summertourists (but they'r smart, they stay only a couple of days).

And even now the winterseason comes closer in our little part of Dalmatia too, SO WHAT, when a woodfire is burning, the young wine is drinkable and people have time to sit down for a game of trentun (31 cardplay) after a walk in the snow (that stays only short here).

Give me snow on Mosor in the morninglight, give me a howling bura in the night, give me a hot stew of potatoes, cabbage and pursut, and keep Holland with its wooden shoes, windmills and Rembrandt.

So, hvala za svi u Svinisce, thanks to all friends and neighbours in Svinisce, the BEST place to live.

Leave me a note in the guestbook, right side of this weblog, below the weatherforcast, if you feel the same.

ps.

picture taken from our little hidaway towards our old caravan/trailer/kamp kuca/, looking at our recent guardenhouse/workplace.

do the hop

Every time when I see this bird in Croatia, I feel a lucky person.
It even makes me do a dance from "those days long gone", called "do the hop".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99k-d5gwQhw&feature=related

The more unspoiled, the bigger the chance to see one (or two).
It's official name is "Upupa Epops" (member of the family of Upupidae).
Don't laugh about that familyname, pronounced as Youpoopiday.

Just say hop (or hoppa) and even in Croatia most people know what bird you saw.
Ok, in case you did laugh, that will stop soon when you smell it in a close encounter.
The smell is not as fantastic as the looks, so stay away from these birds and their nests.

Anyway, like I said, this is one of my lucky moments in Croatia, as when I go into nature (prirode) and happen to see this bird, I am delighted, such a beauty !

This is a typical whitness of the natural quality that is still common in Croatia, as from many countries it has disappeared because it needs clean nature, without pesticides and monocultures.
It feeds on insects, the bigger the better, and those insects are available in the pure natural Zagora, the hinterland behind the coastal mountains of the Adriatic.

One of the many reasons why I love to live life in Croatia/Dalmatia soo much.
The hop.

things that will never change

grapes, olives, fields between mountains, and an old man walking with a little girl.

a whole story in a simple picture, so why use words ?
the answer is warm and simple.

grandpa recently passed away, and the young little girl has still a long way to go, with many moments to remember still to happen.

so what you see is a mix of history and future, a little girl and her grandpa, walking between grapes and olives in beautifull Croatia.

for the whole story, please go to the excellent weblog called:
http://croatia-eolivas.blogspot.com

"dida", grandpa in croatian, and "baka", grandma, play a very special role in croatian familylife, even more than in many western countries.

one day Beli, the little girl in the picture, will remember this very special simple moment, walking hand in hand with that special person called Dida.

Croatia is a marvelous country, nature is pure and unspoiled on most places, and what's far more important, social- and familylife here are much more intense than in our "run for the money"-western society.

soon Croatia will be part of Europe, which is a good thing for the future of all, even for Beli.

but some things will never change in beautifull Croatia.

my message to her is to remember this walk with Dida on that day, together in the fields, and take that warm social feeling she experienced with Dida and Baka into her own wonderfull future.

never trust a first impression

sometimes pictures or first impressions do not tell the real story.
this picture for instance shows Nikola (Tafra), one of the special people that live in our little community in Modris, part of Svinisce, a chain of little communities.
at first when you meet him, he seems to be a bit a difficult man, but I told you:

never trust a first impression !

like drinking a wine, you should give it some time (or glasses), and slowly allow yourselve to get used, which we did.

Nikola, Mate for his friends, is one of the best people to have around, always willing to share, help or to invite you for a glass or some food.
and of course, wine (white), orachovic(wallnut booze) or travarica (herbal booze) are home made, and so is most of his food, grown by himselve on the field next to ours.

for a man that lost half an arm and an eye, covered with scars (from playing in his young years with one of those "nice" post war presents called grenades (a German one this time) , he is the best example of a survivor, an amazing character in every way, and a friend to pamper as you have the luck to know him better.

I could tell about many examples proving what I mean, but again, like in all my little stories about Svinisce, you'll have to believe me, or better, come and experience it all yourselve some lucky moment.

and no, that's not his monkey on his shoulder, it's his young white cat, hiding for his little black dog.

a perfect friend, to me, to us, and to his other cat and his various chickens.
hvala Mate, ti si moi priatel !

ps.

if you have the chance, tell the representatives in your government that however wars are terrible they stop.

landmines however NEVER stop, so tell your government to stop using, selling, buying, producing those horrible things.

bullits are terrible, grenades even worse, but landmines are an absolute nightmare, as the wound and kill long after war is over !

(just imagine it's your kid, relative or friend).

and still there are Split, Trogir and much more

there's a thousand reasons to love Croatia (and a few lesser qualities I just accept), which you should know.

old towns like Split, Trogir, Dubrovnik, each worth a long walk and lot's of oh's and ah's.
and than there is the Adriatic Sea, with the bluest, cleanest water, touching a most fantastic Dalmatian coast on hundreds of islands and beaches, sandy or rocky, but all inviting for a swim.

but what most people never see (ignorent or blind) is what we call Zagora, the hinterland, just behind the coastal mountainridges.
there you''ll experience a natural beauty that is amazing, pure and original.


if you wonder why Romans, Turks, Austrians, French, Italians and Germans tried to get hold of all this in ancient times, well, I know why and if you look at this picture, you know why too.

follow the Cetina river upstream, coming from Trilj, stay on the right side(!!!!) and keep going till you reach the beginning of this river, a deep blue clear phenomenen, where the water of the river pops up out of nowhere from under the mountains that surround you.
at first it's a little stream, quickly entering the highlind where it's like it's looking where to go, finally deciding to head for the Adriatic.

from beginning to end this river has a different character, sometimes dreamingly calm, a couple of times blocked by powerplants, and closer to the sea, carving itselve through rocky canyons, where daily many hundreds of tourists spend a day rafting down the rapids.

and however we live very close to that canyon, and to the mouth of the river at Omis, I love the upstream part even more.
never a dull moment, especially in the Dalmatinska Zagora, and most certainly following the Cetina from end to start.

(p.s. thanks Frans, for this fantastic picture)

shut up, just look

sometimes it's better to shut up and look, just look.
this picture, shows one of those moments that make svinisce special.

so for once I shut up, and I hope you do the same, for just a moment, and try to imagine the total pureness we know here so well.

no words, this is SVINISCE at it's best.

why pigs look so happy

a bit morbide it looks, you might say, and I totally agree.

however, we civilised people (at least the meat eating part of us), make our daily trip to the supermarket, buy ourselves some chops, a steak or a chicken, and however nice it may taste, the thing is dead.

but our "friends" in the foodindustry take care of us poor souls, and take away the head, puts it on a nice (/horrible) peace of plastic, with sometimes even a "pamper" under it, and we remain innocent, as this is meat, and not an animal anymore.

come on folks, accept that you're meat eaters, from head to tail, and face the fact you are an omnivore.

the vegetarians among us do not tell the greengrocer to take the leaves of the carrots, (or do they ??), so why are we meateaters so ignorent that we face our food preferably without the proof of it's original status, from head to tail and back !!!!!

here, in lovely Croatia, I had the honour to be invited to the diner after the baptising of our best friends first son Jospih Frane.
and with me, a whole group of family, friends and neighbours where there to celebrate this special moment.
and what does a Croat do when he joins with his dear ones, he organizes food and drinks (and starts to sing).

the food was absolute top quality, with four roasted lambs and two young pigs, all of them cared for during their life, and even more cared for them during those roasting hours at the end of it.
on large tables they were served with the finest examples fruits and green/red stuff (salads, tomatoes, olives), and boy did that taste !!
and between all those delights, there were the heads of the animals, roasted like tourists after two weeks of beachfun at the Adriatic.
hvala Bogu (thank God) Croats still respect the whole animal, fish or vegetable, so when you order a fish in a restaurant, you get it all, and in shops the vegetables are still in their original state, and NOT cut, sliced, washed, cooked and packed like those idiots in my homeland (Holland) do in supermarkets reducing the quality and increasing the profit.
a carrot has leaves, a fish has a tail, and animals have heads, so show it like it is, and don't be a hypocrit when you eat it, being vegetarian, carnivore or omnivore.

and for this marvelous dinerparty, there was a lot more, like a variety of cookies and for desert the VERY BEST tiramusi I ever tasted, but I had committed myselve to "a little to much" of that delicious roasted pig.
respectfull to the animal that gave it's life for my pleasure of eating it, I ate and drank close to "the point of no return".

and than we sang, till the sun came up again over the Adriatic, deep down below us, in Gornje Podstrana.

talking about my generation

it was the famous english rockband The Who that once had a song called My Generation.

with grandma Mika on the left and my wife Nives on the right (and one of our "wild" cats, called Sporky crossing) two generations are having a chat on the steps to our terrace.

grandma must be in her eigthies now, but still takes care of a million things in the household of our best friends Anjelco and Susana.

taking care of the house, feeding chickens, picking eggs, than going to the land to water the plants when needed, and later in autumn, when a couple of pigs are behind the house, she prepares their food, all homegrown on their own fields.
and than, when time has come for those pigs to become the famous prsút (salted, smoked, dried and matured ham, famous in Dalmatia) she daily takes care that those hams, panceta, sausages and more, hanging in the "black" kitchen, get their daily amount of smoke to conserve the meat and make it to the very best you'll ever know or eat.

grandma's in Croatian families are MOST important and highly respected, as they keep the "wheels turning" while kids are in school and parents are working.

and when anybody comes home for lunch or supper, it's their, as she cooked it already for each and all.

still life is not always easy here, but life of grandma and her late husband (named "Truman" after that famous American president, worked like hell to keep the family fed, and did it all by hand, with no motormachines, no electricity, water from the well and long walks up and down the mountain to Omis and back, as there simply were no roads, no cars, just legs and pure character.

her knowledge , and that of all Croatian grandma's, their experience and endurance are the best examples of how to live and survive in this marvelous country beheind the coast.
for that reason it's nice to see that my wife gets some experiences handed over in a friendly chat between two generations.

and for all of it, grandma Mika (and her generation) deserves all respect you can give to her (and all grandma's), living under rough conditions we do not even know of and never will.

about that little cat crossing, well, she owns a place between them on the picture, as she gave bearth to at least three kittens a couple of weeks ago.
and for cats times never changes, they will never know about the "benefits" of cars, airco's, tv's and washingmachines, they just pass their skills on to their kittens, century after century, from the days of Cleopatra till somewhere far into the future.
generation after generation.

and we just talk about it, as this is my and my wifes generation, from overorganised and crowded Holland, happy to be living in Croatia today.

one plus one expat makes three

there he is, the newborn boy called Josiph (Jozef) Frane, the son of Mark and Kika Geurts.

living in Croatia these two Belgian folks (our best friends) are the proud parents now of a little boy, recently born in Stari Podsdrana.

we live a quiet retired life, they are doing a great job, working with their sailing club (catamarans, windsurfboards) and hosting young folks for the (non profit) social tourism organisation called JEKA.
groups of young kids from many countries visit Croatia to have a week of our best Croatian delights, being the sea, nature, adventure, and a closer look at other people living in another country.

this weekend he will baptised in the ancient catholic church, high on the slopes over Podsdrana.
young life/old church, Croatia/Belgium, the very best of both, combined in a young kid growing up in a beautifull country, with loving parents to care for him.

welcome to the world Josiph Frane, welcome to Croatia, and have a fantastic life here.

yes we can (build walls)

the chinese did it, the germans did it, even the israeli's do it, so why not me.

the dalmatian landscape is showing small walls allover the place, most of the time just to get rid of stones in the fields, and as it your patch, it's logical that those stones are put at the borders of it.

also walls are needed here, as the land is never ever flat (like my home country Holland), and when you want to have a flat peace you better build a wall to create a terrace.

needed or wanted, those walls are nicer to see than grey concrete.

reason for me to build my first ever traditional stone wall, to hide the concrete of the drive from section one to section two of our ground here with a difference in heigth of about one meter.

and as there is a first time for everything, like I said to many virgins (when I was young), this was the moment to put myselve to the test building a little wall covering that concrete, making it look natural and charming.
so with great pride I tell the world that I did it, and I am proud of it.

and however once it was an ugly thing, the chinese have a reason to be proud as well, as their wall can be seen from out of space, however I wonder if that will ever happen to my wall on Google Earth.

glad that the united germans broke it down, my advise the israeli's is: get rid of it, there's no reason to be proud of that wall at all.
history will tell I am right, and let's hope my wall stays for centuries to come.