JOAN, MY VIEWS.: Zurich

Showing posts with label Zurich. Show all posts

Thursday, July 24, 2014

When In Rome.......

Rome is one of the premier tourism destinations in the world, welcoming some seven to ten million visitors each year.

This is not only because that empire stood supreme for over 2 thousand years as slowly

what was a small Latin city eventually dominated most of the Mediterranean but also because all their ancient rulers appear to have had such a love for the arts, magnificent architecture and a burning desire to build impressive structures in which to worship their various gods over those centuries.

We the modern people, should be eternally grateful that so much time and effort has been taken by successive Italian governments and world bodies like UNESCO to uncover and preserve the magnificent treasures and establish so many museums for the education and enjoyment of all of us.

Cars take over some sidewalks in Rome

Unfortunately though, because of the heavy traffic into the city plus the a permanent population hovering just under three million people, the local authorities seem unable to cope, so the city is quite dirty and covered in graffiti and the absence of parking areas (despite the large numbers of scooters in use and some of the smallest cars you will see in any city) has led to some sidewalks being used for parking, thus leaving pedestrians limited spaces to maneuver.

I had been to Rome once before, but that was such a long time ago, that I had forgotten how magnificent those ancient structures were and the wealth of treasures that had been preserved in one city for the world

to enjoy.

The beautiful river Tiber

We had arrived in Rome this time after sailing in to the port of Civitavecchia, the third busiest port in Europe and from the area came into view it was like going back into history.

Then it was time for an comprehensive but a little exhausting. bus and walking tour but I would not have missed it for anything as walking around the streets and admiring the ancient treasures felt at times as if one was actually there in the glory days!

In fact, I dare say that as I stood in the magnificent Colosseum, which in 2007 was voted one of the new seven wonders of the world by the New 7 Wonders Foundation based in Zurich, Switzerland, you could almost feel the horror and imagine the screams that must have echoed as the Roman elite watched in enjoyment as lions attacked and tore apart their slaves in what was a brutal but popular form of entertainment at the time.

However, this Colosseum which has an oval shape is over two thousand years old with a most impressive design and architecture.

The Colosseum

While most of the archaeological treasures are black with age, it was quite interesting to learn that they had all been made from the white marble which is found in such vast quantities in the Italian hills.

Then there is the River Tiber.

I remember as a child hearing about this great river, the third largest river in Italy, on whose banks legend has it, Rome was established in around 753 Bc.

That river also played such an important role in developing trade and commerce for the city and during the Punic wars, that actually seeing it brought back all the exciting stories I had heard. And learning and seeing the evidence of how modern these ancient people had been in their thinking that they had actually developed things like running water and a well established sewage system so many centuries ago.

Then there is the Vatican and St. Peter's Square.

I still remember it vividly from the last visit but my greatest regret was that on this trip I was unable to go inside the Sistine chapel, for the lines were too long and there was no where to shelter from the rain which was coming down in torrents.

I say my greatest regret, for I remember clearly that inside that chapel lies one of the most magnificent visual experiences one could enjoy.

For the ceiling there will remain one of the most renowned artistic masterpieces for centuries to come and one cannot even conceive the great challenge that it must have been for the great Michelangelo as he lay on his back on the scaffolding from 1508 to 1512 to try and recreate through art, the creation of the world as the Catholic church preaches it.

Thank heavens I did get the opportunity to go inside years ago on my first visit, although I have no photographs and cannot remember if it is because photographs were prohibited or it was just because it was the olden days, and I had run out of film! I had however actually hoped I would have gotten the opportunity to capture it on film this time, but no such luck.

St. Peter's Square

One place I had always wanted to go in Rome was the Trevi fountain which is probably the most famous fountain in the world and one which played such a huge role in one of my favorite old films "Three coins in the fountain."

As fate would have it though, although I did visit the site, I couldn't throw my coins in or even get a good look, for it was being refurbished.
Despite this one disappointment however and not being able to get into the Sistine chapel, this visit to Rome was an absolutely amazing experience and something I really hope I can do again for in my book, this city is the architectural and artistic centre of the world.

JOAN WILLIAMS, moderator of Joan Williams on Line broadcast on POWER 106, describes herself as an unapologetic addict to the Jamaican outdoors. A foundation member of FUN AND THRILLS ADVENTURE CLUB, she explores the island at any given opportunity cycling, hiking or swimming with that group, family, Jah 3 and anyone else who will have her. In 1995, she published the popular TOUR JAMAICA and the 4^th edition is now an ebook available at;

http://www.amazon.com/Tour-Jamaica-Joan-Williams-ebook/dp/B00EJWCSHS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389464644&sr=8-1&keywords=tour+jamaica+by+joan+williams

Contact; gratestj@gmail.com

joan williams

Joan Williams BSc, is a retired radio talk show host who was educated in Canada, USA and Jamaica. She has traveled extensively in the USA, Africa, Europe, Asia, Latin American and the Caribbean and enjoys blogging about her travels. She has written several books which are available in paperback and ebook format at Amazon.com. Her autobiography is entitled "Looking back...... the struggle to preserve our freedoms." (Now an audiobook at Audible). Apart from writing and travelling, Joan is a committed grandmother, hiker, cyclist and outdoor lover. Link: https://youtu.be/0H4JzQPRDks

Saturday, July 19, 2014

Finding Marlis

I suppose you suspect that I got the title from finding Nemo and the answer is yes, but that is where the similarity ends.

Marlis is a wonderful Swiss woman who along with her husband spent many years as a volunteer family hosting teenagers registered in an international exchange program from countries as far removed as the United States to Zimbabwe Thailand, south Africa and of course Jamaica

Although we had only visited Switzerland once and very briefly too, my young daughter had been overwhelmed by the beauty of the country and when she got an opportunity to go on the one year high school exchange program ( a few decades ago) Switzerland was her first choice. That was how she met Marlis who became more than a mother to her, not only in looking after her welfare for a year, but teaching her great things including (horror of horrors) jumping out of a plane in the sport of sky diving.

Among Marlis' other interesting attributes too was her hobby, training dogs to rescue injured people and take them to safety.

For decades therefore I have heard about Marlis and what a wonderful person she is, so when we recently decided do go to Europe for a vacation, visiting Marlis became a must and it turned out to be a great decision.

To get to Solothurn from Venice we took a train to Milan, then Milan to Zurich then another to the final destination.

Actually, I have never traveled by train in Europe before and believe me it is a wonderful experience which I hope to repeat time and time again, due to the sheer efficiency of the integrated system. Also, the landscape was absolutely breathtaking in parts, what with the numerous well kept vineyards and mountains from Venice to Milan.

However, I now wonder if it is possible to travel through Italy without some mafia influenced person trying to take advantage of you.

We had an interesting experience as we were about to board the train from Milan to Zurich. As I tried to put my quite bag on the train, a huge man (built like a bouncer) assisted me to lift it. I was a bit impressed by his "gentlemanlyness" but became overwhelmed when not only did he lift it in but took it down the corridor and stowed it in the luggage section. Then although he did not have on uniform, he did the same for the other two members of my party! It was only when he finished that the real motive became clear, for m,y son in law, thinking he was being generous, offered him a 3 euro tip, only to be menacingly told, he wanted 5!
Quite a shakedown.

Anyway, once started the journey to Zurich the incident was quickly forgotten as we started travelling through a series of pristine valleys that were absolutely to die for. It was as if we were forever accompanied by huge, calm blue lakes dotted with the sails of fun lovers on both sides of the rail and overpowered by the unending range of variegated mountains of different shades and sizes. It left me concluding that it is probably the sheer beauty of the Swiss landscape plus of course the famous Alps, which accounts for that country being such a popular tourism mecca, for from my perspective, it couldn't be the weather!

At Solothurn there was Marlis patiently waiting to take us to her small colorful hamlet (population 300) nearby where tastefully laid out agricultural fields with potatoes, sunflowers and vegetables beside the green pine treed mini forests, gives the place the look of a photograph that had been that had been photoshopped!

A homely gem

Not only is the area beautiful, but it is very central, only half hour from Bern (capital of Switzerland) and one could even see Matterhorn (in the Alps) clearly from there.

The hotel that she booked us at too was a homely 138 year old gem which had once been a farmhouse. The only possible drawback there was that it was right across the road from a church whose bell tolled from 8.45 to 9 am on a Sunday morning but then I have very little sympathy for people who like to lie around in bed!

The church across the street

What was interesting though is that although the bell tolled forever, the church remained closed (the Sunday we were there) for the Swiss, we were told, tend not be very religious people,which is probably why they are so peaceful, giving the country such a low crime rate! (Incidentally, the largest church in Switzerland was built in 1893 and is still in operation in Bern but more as a tourist attraction than a place of worship.) It is interesting also that although Switzerland has had both internal and external peace for years, they take no chances and since 1990 it was legislated that every house built must have a bunker!

Although the weather had deteriorated quite a bit since we got there, the next day Marlis and her friend Rene were early to take us on a tour of Bern (established in the 1700's) which is not only absolutely beautiful with its historic buildings but it is modern and orderly as well, to the point that from the main road, you can tell if the underground parking lots have space without having to bother to enter, as the flashing board outside has all the information you could need. (Boy don't they think of everything?)

Yup, Marlis turned out to be everything my daughter had been telling me for years thus meeting her brought a wonderful European tour to a magnificent and memorable end.

Also, after visiting Solothurn, Bern and Zurich this trip, I am reminded that Switzerland is still a charming place to visit, although socially, women seem to be still under the thumb of the men, for can you believe that up to 2014 there is still no law to guarantee equal pay for men and women who do the same job?. But then, I said the place is charming, not paradise on earth!

Memories.... A pictorial memorial of old Bern