International flights into Switzerland usually arrive at either Geneva or Zurich airports. Geneva is the second most populous city in Switzerland. It is also a global city, a financial center, and a worldwide center for diplomacy. As I looked around I could pick out people from Japan, China, India, Italy, France, Germany and many other countries. Listening to them speak was a real treat … a melody of languages. Both of these airports are very convenient to traveling to Zermatt, Switzerland, a gateway to the Matterhorn. But don’t miss taking a little time to visit the azure blue lakes; Lake Geneva and Lake Lucerne with their castles. Then it’s on to the Matterhorn, Switzerland’s most famous mountain of 14,692 feet; the mountain that movies have been made about. It is located in the Penninie Alps on the border of Switzerland and Italy. In German “matte” means “meadow” and “horn” means “peak.” It is the tenth highest peak in Switzerland.
There were seven of us, four adults with three children, in our Honda Odyssey making our way towards the Swiss Alps. The morning was sunny with a few white billowy cumulus clouds making their way lazily across the wide expanse of blue. The road was very straight most of the time with a few curves intermingled. Looking out the window, we saw green fields dotted here and there with acres of yellow flowers that looked like sunflowers. The beauty took my breath away. It was so picturesque, just like in the travel magazines I had seen.
Off in the distance, I could see mountains rising up from the green plains we had been traveling through. At last I could see them … the Swiss Alps. This was the home of Heidi, my favorite childhood novel. I can still remember some of her adventures. Her grandfather lived here and cared for her in these wondrous mountains. The Heidi book is among the best known works of Swiss literature and well worth reading to your children.
As we drove into Zermatt, a beautiful, little tourist town at the foot of the Alps, we parked our car on the outskirts and walked from there. No cars or big tour buses allowed in the village. The train stops here and goes no further. This is one of the great ski and climbing centers in the world. This deep valley is nestled between two steep, sculptured mountains. The air is crisp and clean with an Alpine flavor. Summer flowers drape themselves from each building along the way. Its cobblestone streets and pathways take you back in time to a simpler way of life. It is beautiful. It is exhilarating. It is special to be here; to see this great mountain and walk the cobblestone streets of Zermatt.
The Matterhorn is truly a magnificent mountain. A dream comes true, just to be here.
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Have you ever been to Polish Town, Czech Town or Korean Village?
Sounds strange, doesn’t it. So why are there so many China Towns around the world? How about a nice Danish Roll, a French pastry or some Baklava?
Speaking of Baklava, I can almost taste the thin layers of phyllo dough, with chopped nuts in between those paper thin layers, with a little honey added. I love Middle Eastern pastries and the Balkan cuisine. Let’s have some Chocolate Bavarian from the Normandie Café, one of my favorite French pastry shops. Is it any wonder my weight keeps going up? If I add “rich buttery flaky dough that Chania Townturns pastries into a sinful delight,” my Danish for breakfast doesn’t help my weight a bit.
Sauerkraut, Danish meatballs, pizza, Thai noodles, Kung Pao chicken, sesame oil chicken wings, stir-fry, bok choy, Moo Goo Gai Pan to name a few more favorite foods that keep me thinking about food.
Don’t’ you just love to eat? When I go out for the evening or even for lunch, I seem to choose German, Italian, Chinese, French, Thai, Indian/Hindi, or a Japanese restaurant. We have any and all kinds to choose from. We can pick different countries, different foods and all within a few miles from where we live. I don’t have to go far to feel like I am in a different country clear across the world.
Every restaurant has something special about it. Different restaurants have interwoven within their walls different foods, colors, languages, customs and some great people.
Developing their recipes has taken eons of time. We now experience the best a country had to offer in taste and drink. It is like having our very own “Sunday Dinner” with them. They offer us the best they have.
I have wandered through China Townes across the world from San Francisco to New York and from Singapore to Yokohama. What an experience: the sites, the smells, the people, the food. As we walk down a narrow street together in Shanghai we look through the window and start salivating as we see some of the best food we have ever laid our eyes on. Look at those bright greens, heaps of snow white sticky rice, bowls of steaming soup and those pieces of chicken and beef, browned to perfection. I can’t contain myself. How about you? Of course we go in … are we stupid?
We would do the same thing, if it had been a Polish Town, Czech Town or a Korean Village. It is just that most of the time it is a China Town, Italian Village or a Thai restaurants. Each culture has its culinary delights; we just need to find them. So let’s just keep looking.
Lunch time … see you later!
What do you think? Is learning a foreign language an important area of study for you? Why or why not? Tell me why you are interested or not interested? Let’s compare feelings for those for and those against learning a new language. It could be our own personal survey. If you know another language what are the benefits you feel you have over those who don’t know one? Do any of you who don’t know another language feel left out of anything?
A businessman I was talking to yesterday was telling me that when he was younger he joined the U.S. Navy and had traveled to most of the ports in South America during his term of duty. He started dating a lovely girl from Peru. She spoke English and the romance carried on until they finally married. They now have two handsome boys … twins. He said, “Is it hard for someone my age (42 year) to learn Spanish?” “We get along fine until my wife’s parents come to visit, they only speak Spanish, and I would really like to be able to talk to them.”
I know how he feels. My son married a girl from Chile and her grandmother came to stay with them for quite a while. She is one of the most kindly, gentle lovely ladies I have ever met. But she spoke no English. Our conversations went something like this. I would call on the phone. She would answer. I could hear Spanish coming at me at about 100 mph, understanding nothing. She would stop. I would say “chow” and the conversation was over. Many times I wanted to be able to communicate with her … but I don’t know Spanish well enough.
I talked to a fellow the other day who wanted to know what Russian courses I would recommend for a girl from the Ukraine to learn English. They were to be married in the next month. She is coming to the U.S. and wants to be able to talk with him. I don’t know how they ever got together, he didn’t tell me that, but my thought was that it would be a good idea for him to learn some Russian himself.
An elementary principal I know told me about the Chinese immersion course they have at her school. I asked, “How do the kids like it?” She said, “They love Chinese. You can’t believe how fast they have picked it up. They spend half of their time learning in English and the other half in Chinese.” Can you imagine learning and speaking Chinese? Wow!
The state of Wyoming State Legislature is working on legislation that will mandate two foreign language courses be required and passed for anyone receiving a scholarship to their state colleges and universities. We all ought to follow this to see what happens. Apparently there are some of their state government representatives that feel this is very important for their scholarship students.
As our world gets smaller and smaller and we go places faster and faster it would be a good idea for all of us to learn an additional language or two, just so we can find the bathroom, restaurant or get on the bus.