Re: more people!

In article <E6FE5bL3D7eIFw5p@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Chris Townsend <Chris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Never mind China. Try the Alps.
Depends on the country.
Partly. The worst developments are in France.
Yeah, I have heard that argument. Italy isn't far behind.
We have to face the fact that Europe is developed.
Certainly. But the nature of the developments makes a difference.
France goes for ugly and visible.
This is the day-glo fluorscent thread from years back of which maybe Hal
is among the last survivors.
The Italian winter Olympic site, Sestriere,
....
Over arching all in the USA is Dizzyland and Dizzyworld.
older generation looked at the UK and heard rock and roll music and
considered it ugly noise. Ugly and visible are like grunge and goth.
They are just trying to vie for attention like the Beatles. The French
are very much shaped by their neighbors the English (among others).
I'd cut them a break.

I must admit I've never been to any Italian ski resorts. Of the resorts
I have seen the concrete blockhouse French ones are the worst, pretty
Austrian traditional chalet types the least nasty. I don't really like
any of them, which is one reason I don't ski at downhill resorts, and
there are far too many in the Alps.

Above Innsbruck, there stands a ski jump. It's left over from the
Olympic games. Calgary has one, too, but it's more outside the mtns.
I doubt the issue is purely downhill ski resorts, they are merely
the most visible examples.

I think the French would find the suggestion that are shaped by their
neighbours, especially the English, far more offensive than the idea
that their ski resorts were ugly!

I've watched Brits and French interact. The French react to almost all
pure English speakers in the same way: they bear it, because they know
where their Francs and now Euros come. The French interacting with
Spaniards, Italians, and Swiss (especially French speaking) all have
"romance" languages. They are clearly a little more weary of their
German neighbors, but they seem to realize for the future of Europe,
they have to get along. They are clearly having a harder time with
Africans. And they are not certain what to make of us Asians, but they
figure their education tells them that 1.5 billion Chinese are a force
to recon with. They know that like other elementary school exercises it
would be good idea to get a few basic Chinese phrases down, count to
ten, etc. Usually in Mandarin.


The Italians, Germans, French, and Austrians (and Lichtensteiners)
The Swiss
the Alps
and they are justly proud of their country (they apologize for the German
and Italian parts of their country {they don't have to, I like the
German parts of their country the Italian and Romansch I am touring,
I have to visit a friend's new institute in Landquart}).

I'm also aware that these names we use are modern names and these all
used to be hundreds of fiefdoms.

The future of cultural mapping will be interesting.

Tourists, including mountaineers, created the modern Alps to a great
extent. Fergus Fleming's Killing Dragons:The Conquest of the Alps is an
entertaining version of the story.

Well Whymper did his part with the Matterhorn. Thomas Cook did his part
for St. Moritz. Arnold Lund did his part for ski racing (that that I
have any interest in skiing the Inferno or taking the tobaggan on the
Gresta run).

But others deserve credit from the philosophers like Rousseau and Ruskin.
Piccard and Balmat. I used to read about all that stuff. I should go
visit Voltaire's house, but I'd rather perhaps visit a chocolate factory.

This year vacation is Norway and Iceland.

Is Scotland sovereign now?

No. There's a Scottish National Party government but Scotland is still
part of the UK (in fact there couldn't be a UK without Scotland as the
United Kingdom is the uniting of the crowns of Scotland and England).
Wales knows this? ;^)

Wales does know this :-) Wales was conquered by England in 1284 and by
the mid 1500s all its laws and legislation had gone and it was run from
London. Scotland wasn't conquered, it united with England, firstly when
King James VI of Scotland inherited the throne of England (becoming
James 1 there), and then in 1707 when the two parliaments where united.
Scotland kept it's own legal and education system.

Speaking of conquest: I just caught the tail end of the Treat Williams
remake of Journey to the Center of the Earth which apparently used NZ
for their descent. I will go see the current remake some time for the 3-D.

Wales now has an Assembly but it doesn't have the same power as the
Scottish Parliament.

I was wondering. That's why I baited it. Who knows when I'll get to
the UK again next.

I'll be looking at Switzerland next week. Across Lake Constance from
Friedrichshafen, where I'll be wandering round at the huge OutDoor show
seeing gear.
Friedrichshafen just came up in conversation about the history of the
zepplin. So I may visit it next year.

I have a spare day this year and plan on visiting the zeppelin museum.

I am slightly jealous. Next year. It will have to compete for my time
as I have to get to the chocolate factory near Gruyere (Broc).

Chocolate or zeppelins? Hm.....

Hmmm. Tough choice.

Do both. Go visit Lindt.

--
.

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