More Travel Shots

This morning, I received lots of news from Montana.  Lately, the news from my home state has brought more lumps in the throat than joy.  Some of my long-time friends and acquaintances have had the misfortune to lose spouses just in the past couple weeks.  Unfortunately, beginning in December 2011, the past couple months have seen more people of my generation depart from this life than has formerly been the case.  I want this to STOP!  Given the time of our lives, the pace will likely accentuate over the coming months and years, but not yet, please! To add to the general gloom, one of my dearest aunts, who was like a second mother to me, particularly during my very trying adolescent years, has been diagnosed with esophageal cancer.

So, along with the very bad and the sad news, it was refreshing also to receive news of my visitors' safe return to the US after their time in Italy, which they also enjoyed.  Because Friend K kindly sent some shots of our outing to Gruyeres and Montreux, I am taking the liberty to post some of them here as well.

First, here's a snap of the signs along the highway as we turned up towards Fribourg canton to visit Gruyeres,

followed by a typical "tourist-y" shot outside the cheese museum.

Next, there's a glimpse of me with Friend T, posing in front of the small chapel in the center of Gruyeres,

followed by Friends T & K perched on the ledge of the small walkway around the castle.  I'm not sure how I managed to catch the streak of light.  My photoshop "skills" aren't up to "disappearing" it.

Here's the entrance to the H. R. Giger Museum, unfortunately closed during this "off" season period.  It's quite a surreal place, just as one would expect from the Oscar-winning designer of Special Effects for the film Alien.

This is the Montreux lakefront we spent time sauntering along,

and Friend K takes her turn with Freddie Mercury!

Nice memories!  Good friends!

Riviera Rock

Nearly two weeks ago, I was delighted to welcome some visitors from my home state of Montana who spent a couple days with me.  They arrived by TGV from Paris, where they had visited another transplanted Montanan.  They left from here, also by TGV, bound for Florence and thence to Rome.  They have since returned to Big Sky Country, probably still bowled over by some of the European "sticker shock" caused in part by the decline of the USD's purchasing power in recent years.

This meant that I was able to spend time not only in catching up generally with these long-time family friends, but in doing some touring myself, as I chauffeured them to see a few sights in the area.  Because their time here was short and also because the United Nations in Geneva happened to be closed to visitors - exceptionally - for most of the time they were here, they did not tour that institution.  But we did visit nearby Gruyeres, always a popular sight with the "ambiance" that visitors anticipate when they think of Switzerland: small Heidi-like hamlets surrounded by Alpine pastures, with lots of cows, leather, wooden handicrafts and cheese.  Of course.  They duly toured the cheese factory near the village.  Inspired by their factory visit, nothing would do but to purchase the most aged and smelliest version of cheese.  The cheese accompanied them on their trip to Italy.  Together with a fresh baguette, smoked sausage and beer, it served as lunch for them on the train journey.  I am sure that the pungent aroma remained with them for some time after that.

On the return trip from Gruyeres, we decided to stop in Montreux for a short stroll along the lakefront of this lovely part of the beautiful Swiss "Riviera."  After purchasing sandwiches, beverages and snacks at a local grocery store, we stopped to have a picnic lunch near the three-meter high statue erected to the memory of late rock music great Freddie Mercury in 1996.

Characterized by some as one of rock's greatest all-time entertainers, Mercury is remembered for his extraordinary vocal range, described by one biographer as "escalating within a few bars from a deep, throaty rock-growl to tender, vibrant tenor, then on to a high-pitched coloratura, pure and crystalline in the upper reaches."   From 2003 on, fans have been gathering from around the world to pay tribute to him as part of the "Freddie Mercury Montreux Memorial Day" usually held on the first weekend of September.  As we watched, small groups of visitors stopped to have their photographs taken in poses with the statue.  Some left memorial tributes as well.

Strolling along further, we met this more whimsical group, typical of the topiary one often finds along the Montreux lakefront, still perky, although showing some effects of the winter cold.

And yes, those are indeed palm trees behind the group.  My visitors were astounded to see them.  This may be Switzerland but our lake microclimates are conducive to the growth of palm trees.

Optimism, Opulence and Ostentation

Along with being the month of the Spring Solstice, March - at least in 2012 - is showing welcome signs for a recovering global economy.   The Euro, much to the dismay of those so-called experts who have been predicting the demise of that currency for months - if not years - and who even now are continuing their scare tactics, has found tentative footing, at least for the moment.  It appears that naysayers have all along underestimated the commitment of the European Union to a currency alternative to the US dollar that is neither the pound sterling nor the Swiss franc - nor any other Western European currency.

There is even some optimism in the US as consumer confidence has risen.  More importantly from my own selfish perspective, the US dollar appears to be trending upwards, albeit very slowly, towards parity with the Swiss franc.  Because my routine monthly receipts, i.e., pension and Social Security benefits, are US dollar-based, this is very welcome news.   So there is reason to view the financial glass as half-full rather than half-empty.

While Switzerland has, for the most part, escaped the financial ravages and cataclysms that have hit some of its European neighbors very hard, it has suffered significantly from a high-value franc that has cut down on foreign visitors from whom it would otherwise have received tourism income, especially with all the wonderful snow this year.  Still, there are at least two events held in March that go far beyond a merely optimistic outlook for the economy.  Both bring in well-heeled international visitors in high numbers, even if only for a day or two.  One is the annual International Motor Show, held in Geneva from 8-18 March 2012.  The other is Baselworld, held in Basel from 8-15 March 2012.

There will be several luxury vehicles featured at the auto show.  But excellent news, including good news for the US's General Motors, is that the Opel (Vauxhall) Ampera/Chevrolet Volt has been selected "2012 Car of the Year."   One of the key points in its selection over the other nominees was that the Ampera/Volt is a "family car," which incorporates "innovation and value for money but also safety, quality and design as well as environmental aspects."

Baselworld, on the other hand, is billed as the world's top watch and jewelry fair.  As one might expect for a country best-known for cheese and watches, the Swiss watch industry is well-represented there.  But rather than concentrating on watches that might appeal to familial or jewelry basics, opulence is on ostentatious display everywhere.  There will be no watch equivalent to an Ampera/Volt for autos selected as "Best in Show" here.  The idea is to attract the wealthiest buyers from around the world.  It is thus no surprise to see that great efforts are being made to attract customers from Asia.  These efforts have been successful in Switzerland's case, with Hong Kong and China being among its top three markets.  Switzerland is also successful in the United States, with the US accounting for its second most significant market in 2011.  It is clear that at least some in the US are doing well financially, even if most there are still performing high-wire budget acts without many of the social safety nets that characterize the preponderance of the world's most industrialized countries.

So as we drift generally towards Spring, I am optimistically hopeful that these positive economic trends that have begin to sprout with the crocuses will bring well-being for all, rather than mere opulence and ostentation for a very few.

International Women's Day 2012

Today, 8 March, is International Women's Day.  I loved this design from HennaMehndi in India and am reposting it here because it is a reference to henna as often used by my "sisters" in Morocco (and elsewhere in the world) as well as a beautiful design that celebrates women everywhere.

Although IWD is being celebrated in different ways around the world, information about events in specific countries may be found at the International Women's Day site.  A troubling and mysterious footnote here:  while using Chrome, my usual browser of choice, this morning, I found that the IWD site was blocked. !!!! I had to find the link on Internet Explorer.  So I hope that it works.  What mysterious little gremlins have been at work here?  And why?  Hmmm ....

In January, Swiss women in the tiny hamlet of Fahrwangen celebrated a centuries-old tradition where their "equality" was effectively demonstrated in a documented way.  As described in this video courtesy of Swiss Info, during religious infighting (heavy sigh here!) in 1712, the women marched into the woods, making so much noise that they gave invading forces the impression that the village was much better armed than it actually was.  The invaders backed off without firing a shot.  Thanks to the women and their courage for preventing bloodshed, they received a "reward:" one day of the year when they could command.

One day!  The menfolk's generosity was breathtaking!

It took Switzerland a long time to consider its women citizens on the same political footing as men.  Switzerland was one of the last countries in Europe to grant women the right to vote.  In 1971!  Swiss Info also has an interesting photo gallery illustrating the struggles.

Interestingly, despite this late start, a recent study by George Washington University compared the situations of women in the workplace in both the US and Switzerland, concluding that while there were good and bad points to be made about each country, there is more gender equality in - wait for it - Switzerland.  Imagine that!  

Still, even in these two industrialized nations, women - especially those in politics or who take what are perceived as political stances - are seen as fair game for those who would never dream of attacking men - or at least attacking white, heterosexual men.  Thus, in the US, the bloviator controversy continues (I sincerely hope that the very offensive offender is removed from the airwaves altogether - it should have happened long ago) and too many others egregiously attack women's control over their own bodies.  Make no mistake, these attacks are not about religious choices.  They are all - and only - about power.

And in Switzerland, Micheline Calmy-Rey, twice President of the Swiss Republic and a personal political favorite of mine, was just this past Monday hit in the face with a cream pie by an unhappy constituent.  Male, naturally.  There is video of the incident at the link.  Ms Calmy-Rey, as the admirable human being that she is, rose above this incident and will not have the man charged as is her right.

No matter how far women may seem to have come, there is still much educating to be done.  So please, celebrate today by remembering the many women you admire or who made positive differences in your own lives.

Revisiting "Under the Volcano"

Nearly two years ago, I wrote a post about the volcano in Iceland that literally disrupted skies throughout Europe with severe repercussions for global travel.  At the time, I had been enchanted to discover that Iceland has its own special breed of horses, going back to the days of the Vikings.

Thus, I was also enchanted to discover this morning that the Guardian newspaper has revisited the area through one of its roving reporters, Marcel Theroux.  By writing about his travels generally, Marcel is following in the footsteps of his father, writer Paul Theroux.  Much as I myself had, the older Theroux became a Peace Corps Volunteer in the 60s, travelling to Malawi in 1963.  Unfortunately, Paul got into trouble by helping a political opponent of the regime in power at the time escape to Uganda.  For doing so, he was unceremoniously expelled from Malawi and booted out of the Peace Corps.

I suspect that he had many sympathizers both in and out of the Corps and I confess to a sneaking admiration for his courage.  But it is true that getting involved in local politics was - and is still - a Big No-No for members of that organization.

But enough about that.  On his visit to Iceland, the younger Theroux actually hiked up to Eyjafjallajökull, the volcano that erupted in 2010 and that had caused airports across Europe to close as an ash cloud drifted towards the continent.  I remember well the eerie silence in these parts at the time.  If you check out his video of that experience, it is amazing to see nature's renaissance after the devastation.


In the meantime, the little Icelandic horses not only survived the volcano, but remain at the heart of traditional Icelandic custom.  It is also a treat to view this video of Theroux's experience of participating in a local round-up and sorting of the horses so that their owners can reclaim them after a season at pasture.


Yes.  Life.  Goes.  On.

I Am Woman

In the United States, March has the distinction of being celebrated as Women's History Month.  It is too bad that some of our politicians, and particularly some of our most loud-mouthed media bloviators, can't seem to remember that not only do women make up at least one-half of the population, but we also vote.  The last time I checked, we can also read, write and speak articulately.  Over the past weeks, we have been treated to the spectacle of GOP political candidates running as far to the right as possible to try to establish their so-called "conservative" credentials.  Among other things, these loons have been revisiting access to contraception, trying to grant "personhood" status to zygotes at the state level and holding hearings in the U. S. House of Representatives about contraception at which women were not even allowed to speak.  These politicians have totally "jumped the shark" and are continuing a headlong downward spiral in meaningful political discourse.

Today's Independent newspaper has an article describing the "best and worst places in the world" to be a woman and it's truly a mixed bag - with some surprising results.  The article is most noteworthy for the fact that neither the UK nor the US was - thankfully - ranked among the worst places in the world for women, but also because the UK doesn't lead the world in any of the 20 "best" categories, while the US leads the world in only one: the best place in the world for a woman to be an athlete.  The mind literally boggles.

Scandinavian countries are as a group the most women-friendly in the world, with Iceland the best place for women overall, taking into account politics, education, employment and health indicators.  Norway won out as the best place to be a mother.  Sweden was first in two categories: best place for a woman in the arts and best place for a woman's right to choose.  Denmark was the best place for a woman to have more leisure time.

So, this begs the question: why can't all countries - including my own - aspire to imitate the Scandinavian countries, whose economies are also booming and whose quality of life is very high?

I, for one, have never had a satisfactory answer to that question.  But I will keep on asking it.  Perhaps, one day, I will no longer have to.

Ride 'im, Cowboys!

When Prince Tyger was much smaller, he had a bouncy toy horse that he loved to ride.  Unfortunately, by the time that little Prince Lightning made his entrance into the world, the toy horse had been recycled to another family.  To help redress the situation for her second bouncy boy, Sweet Momma H found a bouncy toy dog.  Even if the dog doesn't carry quite the same cachet for "cowboy" purists, the dog suits these bouncing boys just fine.  Here, for example, Prince Tyger demonstrates how one should straddle in preparation for bouncing.

And here, he's telling Proud Grandmom just how much he loves to bounce.

When it's little Prince Lightning's turn, he's not too sure about the experience - this ride is fairly slippery.

And his legs aren't quite as long as Prince Tyger's.

It's a good thing that there are ears to hold on to.

But hey, he's mastered enough to multi-task,

so it's time to dismount.

For now.