Boston

Boston gives the impression of an enjoyable city, with a mixture of "old" and new. Let me concentrate on the "old". Boston is proud to be the home of many "Firsts" in the United States: first public park, first public school, first university, first library, first subway/metro, first integrated church (where whites and blacks could pray together), oldest baseball park... Then, upon asking when these firsts happened, you get reminded immediately how young this country is, how little history there is. The metro clearly has an old feel to it.Still Boston played an important role in the American Revolution, and the walking tour called "Freedom Trail" gives a great account of this role.

Boston is closely related to the Kennedy dynasty. No wonder that we got to see a lot of Kennedy places, including his memorial and the "domain" on Cape Cod. In town, the walking tour included a stop at the restaurant where John proposed to Jacky.

I suppose a must in Boston is to visit Harvard. It gives a strange impression, again of this mix between the "old" and the new. Let's start here with the new: the tour guide pointed to the dormitoriums and places where Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Ban Ki-moon, Matt Damon, and John Kennedy used to hang out in Harvard. There are around 20000 students annually. I was quite impressed that, even though tuition fees are very high at around 50000 dollars a year, many students pay a much reduced amount, thanks to the huge university endowment. Still only around 7 percent of those who apply end up studying there.

As to the old, Harvard was founded in 1636. The tour guide (a female) was very precise in recollecting when women were first admitted at Harvard, first given a full Harvard degree, or got the position of President. But, when asked about the admission of black students, she could not give any answer... We got to hear some other interesting stories though. One relates to this statue of John Harvard - apparently the third most photographed statue in the US after the Statue of Liberty and the Lincoln Memorial. Among the three errors on this statue, the most unbelievable one is that the statue does apparently not depict John Harvard himself.... Indeed, all the drawings and portraits of John Harvard were distroyed in previous fires of the library, long before it was decided to build a statue. There are many theories about who the statue is, but one thing is certain - it is not a John Harvard.

The other interesting story was about the Harvard Library, named after Harry Widener. This Harvard alumni was wealthy and went on a book-buying spree in Europe in the early 1900s. On his journey back to America, the ship he was travelling in sunk - he was on board the Titanic. All the books were lost too. His mother - wealthy as well - then offered to build a library in memory of his son. She attached three conditions: 1) the exterior walls of the library must not be moved, otherwise the money she gave Harvard would go to the city of Cambridge, 2) there needed to be a room in the library where the ghost of his son could go and read books, and 3) every student at Harvard needed to learn and pass a swimming test, because she believed that had her son known how to swim, he would not have died... The last requirement was discountinued after this rule was judged discriminatory against physically-challenged students.

Let's finish with a little quizz. Look at the picture below and try to guess which two-word famous expression it illustrates...

You got it: time flies !

Switzerland - best of??

On certain special occasions, you have to show the best of your country to visiting dignitaries. That's what happened in early September when we held a work meeting in Montreux. This is probably the most scenic (well actually the second-most, after Geneva) place in Switzerland, with the lake, the vineyards, the mountains. Obviously, the weather was fantastic - some of my colleagues even swam in the lake.

Then, Switzerland is mostly associated with chocolate, excellent chocolate. So there we go and visit a chocolate factory, Cailler. The factory is more than 100 years old and still making profits - although not as much as in some recent years, because of an unfavorable redesigning of the packaging. We all learn about the history of chocolate, its content, and we wee a small production line.

Of course, the tour finished with a stop at the shop. Some colleagues almost compete to buy the most chocolates. It is certainly good for the economy!

Besides chocolate, Switzerland also has the best cheeses, with "Gruyere" being right there at the top. So, there we go to visit the Gruyere castle. After a guided tour, we have a small lunch where we taste the famous "Gruyere" cheese and listen to speeches by the local authorities. Good to hear that local politicians do speak English, have a good sense of humor, and manage to raise the level of their speech and make it appropriate for our international guests.

Then, on the way for lunch, still a typical Swiss moment with the throwing of the flag and the playing of the alphorn. I would say it is hardly possible to organise a more typically Swiss week-end than this. Still I must admit that I enjoyed it very much...

New York (not only for the US Open)

Back in New York, first things first, a stop at the 9/11 square. The Freedom Tower is almost complete, and the memorial site. Unfortunately, it is a very cumbersome procedure to be allowed into the memorial site. A closer look at the two pools will be for next time.

Of course, each time you go to New York, there are new things to see and to discover. This time, the highlight was the high line. It is a disused metro line, which runs above ground on the western side. It has been transformed in a pedestrian path, with gardens and stands. It runs through old and modern buildings, and it has certainly become a draw card. Indeed, neighboring apartment blocks mention that they are close to the high line. Furthermore, while walking there, we got to see a guy getting on his knees and asking his girl to marry him. Finally, we were interviewed by students from NYCU, who were doing a study on what locals and tourists thought about it. All in all, I have to admit that I still prefer the "ligne verte" in Paris.

The other visit was the Metropolitan museum. Of course, the arts, paintings, and pieces were very interesting and of high quality. The clearly chose quality over quantity, but it also meant that each section did not have much depth. Fortunately, there was also the bar on top of the museum, with a fantastic view of Central Park.

This year's US Open was a rollercoster: high up with the release of Monday's program, according to which Federer was planned to plan his fourth round match, and then down down, when it was announced that his opponent would not be playing after all. We were joking that this American tennis player was chickening out, but then we learnt that it was due to cardiac problems. It is difficult to accept, but indeed there are things more important than tennis. Since I could not take any picture of Federer, I hesitated who to put here. I opted for the eventual winner, Serena over Sharapova. And you should thank me that I am putting a picture and not a sound bite.

The second time at the US Open and there are still things to discover. One the ground, instead of the Hollywood stars, commemorative plaques for previous winners. It was easy to find the best one! And it seems that he could even get a new one with the mention of Trainer.

Canada

The first stop in Canada was Toronto, mostly for the tennis tournament. The most interesting picture is neither one of the winner nor of the finalist, but rather of the army of people trying to dry the court. This is a labor- and time-intensive process. Maybe they should think about investing in a cover... Otherwise, Toronto gave the impression of a huge city, with many distinct neighborhoods where immigrants would congregate by origin. There is China-town, Brazil-town, Italy-town, ... Very multi-cultural but no specific "Toronto" character. 

Second stop was the Niagara Falls. It is the third big falls that I visit after the Victoria Falls (see entry from November 2009) and the Iguazu Falls. While they were the ones with the most water volume, the main characteristic of the Niagara Falls is their over-exploitation as a touristic center. In that sense, they were less majestic than the others.

The third stop was in Canada's capital Ottawa. A small town with a very British looking Parliament building. There was a light-and-sound show but it was cancelled due to equipment problem and a change of the guard that took place much earlier than I anticipated. What we did not miss though, was the yoga and hula-hoop classes taking place on the lawn right there. I guess it is the way for Canadians to show that they are not so British after all...

Next stop, Montreal. Of course, this city is very welcoming since it is a mostly French-speaking. Talking about language, I should still acknowledge that their accent is not too bad, whereas some of their words are really funny - for my french-speaking readers, try to guess what the following words mean : un char, un chum, un breuvage. Montreal is a very pleasant European/French mix. Many pedestrian streets, many outdoor restaurants and bars, excellent bakeries. It also hosted the Olympics in 1976. The stadium (see below) must have looked quite futuristic then. And guess who opened the Games? Yes, Queen Elizabeth, as she is also head of state in Canada.

Driving further, two things struck me: 1) the state of the roads and of infrastructure is more similar to the US than to Europe, and 2) there are so many towns that are called "Saint-...". Thankfully, the GPS helped us find our way among all these saints.


Last stop, Quebec. It is probably the most charming city in North America, with cobble-stone streets, historical houses, as well as an upper and a lower town by the Saint Laurent river. It feels a bit like in Venice, with tourists representing 99 percent of the people.

Some tourists end up staying in this huge 681-rooms hotel, that can be seen in-between the two flags of the Quebec province. Actually, I might have to stay the "nation", since the Parliament in Quebec is called the "national" Parliament, and not the "provincial" one.

To finish, a little political note. The elections in Quebec are due to take place on the 4th of September, and the campaign was starting. There were posters all over the place, including this one with the chef of the Party Quebecois, the leading candidate according to the polls. 

Independence Day

What can be more patriotic than a 4th of July in the nations' capital city? Nothing! So here it goes. First, the parade (actually, first might have been to go to church early in the morning...). A lot of American flags, small and huge ones.

The parade is made of an eclectic mix of traditional groups, military regimens, miss America/pom-pom girl displays, minority communities, and mostly high-school bands representing their state. Some groups were also pulling giant air-inflated dolls, in the form of the American eagle, as well as some cartoon characters. Can anyone explain to me the link between the frog below and the 4th of July?

 All these people were parading, walking, dancing, running, biking, playing music in 40 degrees heat (100 degrees here...). Kudos to the representatives of Puerto Rico, who were giving their all to the tune of fast-paced latino music.

Second, the fireworks. But what does it tell you that there were more people for the fireworks, than for the parade? For 20-minutes long fireworks, there were quite good. It also helps with the colors that the American flag has three colors.

Still, I was surprised that there were no patriotic speech, either by the President or the mayor. Not sure if I missed them, but definitely not prominent.

"Deep" South

The USA is not only the East Coast and the West Coast, but also the South. Before the hot and humid summer, it is the right time to head to South Carolina and Georgia. First stop, Charleston.

 

It was at one stage the fourth largest town in the USA, counting the slaves. It was the hub for the South as well as a booming agricultural town, producing deer-skin, rice, indigo and eventually cotton. The wealth of the town is everywhere to be seen, with many nice houses in various architectural styles. It's pleasant to walk around, and the palm trees add to the relaxed feel.

In the South, it is also a must to visit a plantation. We chose the Boone Hall plantation. It was first built in 1790, and was actually very small. Most plantation owners had their nice house in the town of Charleston. In the countryside, main houses were still in wood, and there were often many small cabins where the slaves would stay.

The most famous element of the plantation is its "Avenue of Oaks". The ads for the plantation claim that it is the most photographed tree avenue in the world. Ok, it is very nice, but still to get a title for this... These are live oaks, meaning that they always carry leaves, even in winter. Growing on it, is the "Spanish moss", which all our guides were explaining that it was neither Spanish nor a moss.

 

Next stop was Savannah, Georgia. I must admit that I likes this town. It has lots of well preserved houses, with many original features. It is spatially organized around many green squares, as planned by its founder James Oglethorpe. It has a rich history, including with the Indian Americans. It has now a completely modernized Riverfront, where it is nice to eat and drink. And at night, several of its houses are haunted...

Yet, the most well known "Savannah moment" is undoubtedly drawn from the movie "Forrest Gump", when Tom Hanks sits on a bench, a box of chocolate on its knees and says "Life is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you are going to get". Well, below is a picture of the park where the bench was. The bench itself had to be transferred to the local museum, as visitors were too eager to carve out a part of the bench to keep as a souvenir. 

Both Charleston and Savannah have huge new bridges.

 

USA-Brazil

 
Even though the USA is not really the land of football/soccer, an opportunity to see the Americans take on the Brazilians was not to be missed. And we were 64000 to share the same opinion. It is the biggest crowd I ever saw.

The biggest crowd yes, but not the rowdiest by far. It was a good football party, with a final victory of 4-1 for the magic Brazilians. The anecdote of the evening is that one of my friend was not allowed to bring his backpack inside the stadium (American security measures...) decided to empty it and to hide it in the nearby bushes. Well, at the end of the match, his bag was still there!