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.
Posts tagged ·
Hindi
·...
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!
Pimsleur Urdu is now available in the Basic (10 lessons), Conversational (16 lessons) and Level I (30 lessons). According to AboutWorldLanguages.com:
Urdū belongs to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family. It is spoken as a first language by 11 million people in in Pakistan and by 48 million people in India. It is also spoken in urban Afghanistan, in the major urban centers of the Persian Gulf countries and Saudi Arabia.Urdū is also spoken by Pakistani immigrants in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Norway and Australia. The worldwide population of speakers of Urdū as a first language is estimated at 60.5 million people, and together with second-language speakers, the number is 104 million (Ethnologue).
Hindi vs. Urdu
The name Hindi is of Persian origin. The Persians used it to refer to the Indian people and to the languages they spoke. Scholars postulate that Hindi developed in the 8th-10th centuries from khari boli , the speech around Dehli which was adopted by the Moslem invaders to communicate with the local population. Eventually, it developed into a variety called Urdū (from Turkish ordu ‘camp’), characterized by numerous borrowings from Persian and Arabic, which became a literary language. In the meantime, the language of the indigenous population remained relatively free of borrowings from Persian and Arabic, and instead borrowed words and literary conventions from Sanskrit. This language became Hindi.
As a result of these different influences, Hindi is written in the Devanagari script and draws much of its vocabulary from Sanskrit, while Urdū is written in the Perso-Arabic script and draws a great deal of its lexicon from Persian and Arabic. The two languages also differ in a number of relatively minor ways in their sound system and grammar. Both Hindi and Urdū have been used as literary languages starting in the 12th century. Under the influence of English, Hindi and Urdū literature flourished starting in the 18th century.
Hindi and Urdū have a common colloquial form, called Hindustani. Hindustani never achieved the status of a literary language, although Mahatma Ghandi used it as a symbol of national unity during India’s struggle for independence from England.
Status
- Pakistan
Urdū is the official language of Pakistan, along with English. It is the 2nd or 3rd language for those Pakistanis for whom it is not a native language. All government, business, media, and education are conducted in Urdū. - India
Urdū is also one of the official languages of India, and has official status in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, and Uttar Pradesh where it is used in government administration and is the medium of instruction in primary schools. Throughout India,Urdū is typically spoken by Moslems, whereas Hindi is typically spoken by Hindus. India has several thousand daily Urdū newspapers. There are Urdū schools with their own curriculum.Even though India and Pakistan achieved independence from British rule in 1947, the legacy of the English language continues to affect all aspects of society and of the educational system of the two countries, where education in English is a prerequisite for social status. English remains the sole language of higher education in almost every field of learning, and code-switching between Hindi/Urdū and English is extremely common, especially among the educated elite. English continues to be a necessity for Pakistan, a country where the majority of the people speak Punjabi, where the national language is Urdū, and where a large number of other languages are used on a daily basis.
You can find the Pimsleur Method Urdu courses at PimsleurMethod.com.
Home to approximately more than one billion people, India’s population is one sixth of the world’s overall population. India is a vast country having a rich cultural heritage and an ancient spiritual framework. This country is not an easy place to forget for its visitors. Its diversity ranges from snow capped mountains to beautiful beaches, temples, colorful festivals, lantern-lit villages and a lot more. For this, India has been considered as multidimensional.
Indians from different states use different official languages and some of them are not recognized by the central government. More than one language is even existent in one state. Like for example, Bihar which is found in east India and has three official languages Hindi, Urdu and Bengali. These three are all recognized by the central government. But Sikkim, another place in east India, has four official languages. And only one out of its four languages is recognized by the central government. Hindi is recognized worldwide as the official language of India.
India also has a rich history. This explains why there are a number of exquisite palaces, temples and monuments. Tourists in India see to it that they visit the Golden Triangle, comprised of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. The people-packed cities of Mumbai (Bombay) and Kolkata (Calcutta) are also must visits for their colorful charm. For a pilgrimage, the holy city of Varanasi and Tamil Nadu are worthy of visits. For beach bound travelers, there are the palm-fringed beaches of Goa and Kerala. For those in search of natural beauty, there are the mountains and hills of Himalayas.
Financially speaking, India is not hard on the budget. Accommodations are available for all kinds of travelers from simple backpacker lodgings to high-end hotels. If you are going to cities like Mumbai (Bombay) you need to plan well in advance. It may be difficult to find accommodations because of the many travelers to the city. For food and dining, there are a number of eateries offering delicious dishes at all prices. The country’s public transport network is also traveler friendly. All costs vary nationwide depending on seasons but be ready to shell-out more in the larger cities such as Mumbai and Delhi. Also take into consideration visiting the different tourist spots during peak season as prices may be higher during this time. Foreigners are often charged more than the locals for entrance fees to tourist site and there may also be additional charges for those who want to take still photos or videos.
In terms of food, the Indian cuisine is characterized by the use of different spices and herbs and vegetables that are locally grown. Most Indians are also vegetarians. But since India is a large country with a big population, its cuisine is also diverse and it varies from region to region. But what’s really common to this cuisine is the love for spices and a preference for cooking stews. The specialties of this cuisine are Butter Chicken, Tandoori Chicken, Chicken Tikka Masala, Rogan Josh, Malai Kofta, Chole, Palak Paneer, Kaali Daal, Chaat, Naan.
It would be fun to learn a little Hindi before you go. It will make your trip more enjoyable. If you don’t do this, English is widely spoken.