Re: more people!

In message <487bdc09$1@darkstar>, Eugene Miya <eugene@xxxxxxxxxxxx> writes
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.

The most impressive I've seen is the Holmenkollen ski jump in Oslo. You can stand at the top and look down at the postage stamp size landing area and the tiny looking arena where the spectators sit. Ski jumping competitions started here in 1892. The jump was used for the 1952 winter Olympics.

I doubt the issue is purely downhill ski resorts, they are merely
the most visible examples.

Mass tourism in general. Industrial tourism Abbey called it.

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.

Tourists are often tolerated. The English abroad can be embarrassing. I went on my first trip to France as a schoolboy. I remember standing at a train buffet and watching the English woman in front raising her voice when the attendant didn't understand her. Eventually she just held out a handful of money and said "just take what you want, it's not real money anyway". The guy carefully sorted out the right amount and she stormed off while he grinned and rolled his eyes at me. I was glad my French was passable (it's much more rusty now).

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.

It's the Franco-German alliance that drives the European Union. Switzerland of course is not in the EU.

They are clearly having a harder time with
Africans.

The main concern these days seems to be with Muslims, some of whom are African of course.

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.

Are they doing it though? They're certainly not in Britain. Here learning even French and German are in decline. We are becoming more insular.


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.

It always is. Europe has changed greatly the last few decades. Here in Scotland there is now concern because many of the Poles are going home because wages have risen in Poland and prices have risen in Scotland so working here isn't so attractive.

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.

That's in the Fleming book, late on. The dragons were all gone by then.

Thomas Cook did his part
for St. Moritz.

The inventor of package tourism. The company is still going.

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).

Arguably the inventor of modern ski racing.

But others deserve credit from the philosophers like Rousseau and Ruskin.
Piccard and Balmat. I used to read about all that stuff.

I still do. Fleming covers Piccard and Balmat. Rousseau and Ruskin turn up all over the place. Mind you, I'm in the Grand Canyon not the Alps at present, reading Harvey Butchart's biography.

I should go
visit Voltaire's house, but I'd rather perhaps visit a chocolate factory.

Now it's chocolate or Voltaire.


This year vacation is Norway and Iceland.

Great countries. I'd like to get back to both.

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.

It does sound interesting. I remember seeing one of the old versions years ago.

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.

And will it still be the UK.

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.

The zeppelins are walking distance from the tipis where I'll be staying so I guess that's where I'll go.

Most of my time there will be work.
.

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