Overloads

It is home to more bicycles than people, it provides over 75% of the world’s flower bulbs, it produces annually some 6 million souvenir clogs (Crocs of centuries past, as I call them) but first things first: most of us use Netherlands and Holland interchangeably but that is not correct. The country as a whole is called Netherlands, and encompasses twelve provinces, of which two make up Holland, an area that includes some of the most important cities in the country, such as Amsterdam, Haarlem, Rotterdam and The Hague. The name of the country could be roughly translated as “Low Lands”, and low it is: nearly a third of the country is below sea level and the highest point is only 1,059 ft (323 m) high. No wonder they go everywhere by bike.

When you think of the Netherlands, you inevitably think of windmills and tulips. Me, I always wanted to see endless tulip fields dotted with windmills and that is why I decided to go this past April. But the dumbo here forgot to check when tulips are harvested so when I got there, only a few fields still had blooms. But that didn’t stop me from seeing tulips: they abound in Keukenhof, a 79-acre garden located in Lisse, where more than 7 million (!) bulbs are planted every year. The average visitor spends 5 hours there…I spent 10.5 hr, in a tulip overdose that had me seeing more flowers in one day than I had seen in my entire life. I didn’t get my dream windmill & tulip field photo but it was a fantastic day, and I have a good excuse to go back. Advice if you want to visit: Keukenhof is extremely popular and tour buses arrive as early as 9 am. Go after 3 pm when buses start to leave.

No other place in the Netherlands is as popular as Amsterdam which lures visitors with its romantic canals, world-class museums, and tolerance. The city receives over 19 million visitors per year, more than the entire population of the country. Is it overwhelming? Yes, and some places have started to tackle the problem: the Anne Frank House, for instance, now only sells tickets online for specific time slots. I experienced the tourist overload firsthand when I tried to visit the Rijksmuseum first thing in the morning, only to find out that there were already no less than three tour buses at the entrance. But it is possible to find less crowded experiences: explore Joordan instead of Damrak; go to an out of the way street market and have a real stroopwafel instead of the diabetes-inducing ones sold at tourist spots. Do that and I promise that, at times, you will feel like Amsterdam is all yours.

La Dolce Vita

With roughly 50 million visitors per year, Italy is one of the top 5 travel destinations in the world. It is also the smallest of the top 5: France and Spain are about twice the size of Italy, the US and China are over 32 times bigger. Several factors make such a small country so popular: incomparable artistic and historic treasures, over 50 World Heritage Sites, more than any other country, friendly people, culinary delights, top design and fashion, diverse scenery ranging from quaint villages in the Alps to dramatic Mediterranean towns and volcanic craters, and, last but not least, its laidback vibe. In summer, there is no better place to be in Italy than by the water. With its extensive Mediterranean coast, options abound and, this time, I ended up splitting the trip between the Riviera di Levante (Coast of the Sunrise) and the Lakes.

The Riviera di Levante starts to the east of Genoa and goes past the lovely Cinque Terre to Lerici near Tuscany. This stretch of coast once lived off fishing but is now extremely popular, home to some of Italy’s top resorts, with Portofino a jet-set favorite. Yes, there will be traffic jams and busloads of tourists but it is impossible not to fall in love with the colorful picturesque villages where buildings’ façades have embellishments painted on them, most so well made that they look real. It is sophisticated, a testament to centuries of devotion to fine arts and it is inspiring to see how well Italians incorporate art into their daily lives be it in the design of everyday objects (not exactly an everyday item, but just look at a Ferrari…) or in their stylish clothes. To best enjoy this coast, go during the week and stay overnight (Camogli was my favorite).

The Italian Lakes are also very popular, not only for the sight of lakes surrounded by mountains but also for the numerous outdoor activities such as swimming, windsurfing, canoeing, rock-climbing, mountain biking, trekking, golfing among others. But perhaps the lakes are better known for the splendid villas that dot their shores. Lake Como, in particular, has attracted the wealthy for ages and you can just picture the 1% crossing their expansive villa gardens, climbing down a few steps and hopping into a yacht for yet another day of leisure. Several villas are open for visitation so you can dream of being a 1%, even if just for a little while.

But what always strikes me most when I go to Italy is how Italians have mastered the art of enjoying life. They never seem to be in a rush, take a 2-hour lunch, go for a passeggiata in the evening, stopping for a gelato or coffee along the way. And they always find time to chat. This is all part of the Italian way of life and it even sneaks into Lugano in the Italian region of clockwork Switzerland where, gasp, there was a traffic jam when we arrived. Italy has a rhythm all its own, things seem to move slower and that is not a bad thing. After all, life is not to be taken in a rush.

Wet And Wild

“Foodtopia”, “Beer City”, “San Francisco of the East”, “New Age Mecca”, “Land of the Sky” (which could also be “Land of the Sky Is Falling”, depending on how much rain falls while you are here). Asheville is known for a number of monikers and that only shows how many facets the town has. Foodies and beer drinkers will find a burgeoning culinary scene (fueled by vibrant farmers’ markets and an “eat local” mindset), and a number of microbreweries that put Asheville in the top three cities in breweries per capita. Art lovers will find a thriving arts community, with a whole district – the River Arts District – devoted to it, from paintings and sculpture to jewelry, pottery and glass. For hippies and neo-hippies, Asheville offers Friday nights drum circle, natural health stores, and numerous alternative healing and yoga clinics.

For me, it was the setting. Located over 2,000 feet (610 m) above sea level, Asheville is surrounded by the Great Smoky and the Blue Ridge Mountains, making it both a valley and a mountain town. It sits in one of the world’s most diverse areas, with landscapes ranging from deep spruce forests to meadows covered in wildflowers. A good way to get a sense of the vastness of the region is to drive for a while along the Blue Ridge Parkway that stretches for 469 miles (755 km) from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia all the way to the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina. In sections of the parkway, overlooks allow you to see the lush mountains spreading in all directions and I could only imagine how stunning they must look in fall, in fiery yellow, orange and red hues.

But the best way to get to know any place is to go take a hike. There are thousands of miles of trails around Asheville and within a short driving distance are nine of North Carolina’s eleven major waterfalls, including the highest in the Eastern US: Whitewater Falls at 411 feet tall (125 m), currently not accessible due to fire. Most of them are reached on easy to moderate hikes, and the sound of cascading water is definitely soothing. I was lucky in a way: it rained a lot during the first two days of my stay, leaving rivers and waterfalls very full. Which only goes to show that sometimes having the sky fall is not a bad thing.

Going Wild

“Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, and as vital to our lives as water and good bread. A civilization which destroys what little remains of the wild, the spare, the original, is cutting itself off from its origins and betraying the principle of civilization itself.” – Edward Abbey

Some places can’t help but leave you in awe. And as nature would have it, Utah and Arizona got more than their fair share of extraordinary scenery. In Utah, two national parks close to each other are a must: Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park, both part of a geological feature called the Grand Staircase, a string of colorful cliffs carved by water that stretch between Bryce Canyon and the Grand Canyon.

With altitudes ranging from 6,620 (2,108 m) to 9,115 feet (2,778 m), Bryce Canyon forms the top rung of the Grand Staircase. In spite of the name, it is not a canyon but a collection of natural amphitheaters filled with spires, pinnacles and arches, with hoodoos (rocks left standing by erosion) the most intriguing formations. Once you see the amphitheaters, you will understand why the Paiutes called it “Red Rock Standing Like a Man in a Hole”. At 55 square miles (142 km²), Bryce Canyon is the smallest of Southern Utah’s national parks but the most visually stunning, in my opinion. A number of trails bring you close to the hoodoos and, despite the altitude, they are not as punishing as you might think and the views make it absolutely worth it.

Further down the Grand Staircase is Zion, the “Promised Land”, stretching over 229 square miles (593 km²) in southwest Utah. Its altitude range - from 3,666 (1,117 m) to 8,726 feet (2,660 m) – creates great natural diversity: the park has over 1,000 species of plants and an abundance of wildlife, including some 208 species of birds, 69 species of mammals and 29 species of reptiles. Trails also abound, from easy 0.4-mile (0.6 km) strolls to the famous The Narrows, a 16-mile (26 km) hike where you spend 60% of the time wading in the river. And I have to admit that, though it sounds amazing, wallowing in cold water for some 10 miles (15 km) is not exactly my idea of fun.

The last rung of the Grand Staircase is the Grand Canyon but, having been there in the past, we opted this time to visit Antelope Canyon, a small slot canyon within the Navajo Nation, where it is known as “The Place Where Water Runs Through Rocks”. Though also carved by water, just like the layers in the Grand Staircase, the formations in Antelope are markedly different…the canyon is very slim, with walls that twist upward like waves, an otherworldly and breathtakingly beautiful vision. You could spend a whole day here gawking at the canyon’s curves and colors but, unfortunately, entrance is only allowed on a licensed tour. It does get crowded but it is well worth it, and the best time to visit is between 11 am and 1 pm when the sun may create light shafts within.

So there we had it: three places, all carved by water, but each totally unique. Not only was I totally captivated by their raw beauty but I was also reminded of the power of nature. It surprises, it dazzles, it soothes, and when you spend some time walking in it, it makes you move, breathe, sleep and even think better. And it is our responsibility, not to mention in our own interest, to take good care of what nature gives us.

The Past Is A Most Addictive Thing

A lovely city, it attracts millions of visitors annually with its charming piazzas, numerous archaeological treasures, outstanding museums, inviting sidewalk cafés and dolce vita vibe. This was Western Europe’s first imperial power, known as Caput Mundi (Capital of the World) and Roma Aeterna (Eternal City). At its pinnacle, Rome controlled approximately 2.5 million square miles (6.5 million km²) of land, encompassing England, all of continental Europe west of the Rhine and south of the Danube, most of Asia west of the Euphrates, northern Africa, and the islands of the Mediterranean, an area equivalent to 2/3 the size of the US.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and its early days are murky at best. Most have heard the tale of the twins Romulus and Remus who were set adrift in a basket on the river Tiber and rescued by a she-wolf who suckled the boys. Later, Romulus would kill Remus and found Rome, naming it after himself. Not coincidentally, similar stories are told about other famous figures such as Moses, the Persian king Cyrus the Great, and Oedipus, to name a few. In other words, these tales are not true or, in current parlance, they are alternative facts.

With or without wolf-fed Romulus, Rome was founded in the mid-8th century BC and, until the collapse of the Western Empire in 476 A.D., Rome went from a monarchy to a Republic to an Empire. The monarchy, where an elected king held lifetime power and final authority in all executive, legislative, judicial, military and religious matters, lasted 2.5 centuries and fell when king Tarquin the Proud (a tyrant who murdered his predecessor, usurped the throne, terrorized the Senate and oppressed the people) was either overthrown by popular uprising or suffered a military defeat.

The government system that followed, the Republic, was designed to safeguard Rome against the rule of one individual by dividing power among three pillars: two consuls, the Senate and popular assemblies. In theory, an excellent setup but, in practice, the Senate, supposed to be only an advisory body, was mostly filled with patricians (aristocrats) and wielded enormous influence. Over time, power became increasingly concentrated in the hands of a wealthy few, with a sizeable gap between the standard of living of the common people and the aristocracy. Tensions grew and the resulting unrest led to the collapse of the republic and the rise of the empire following the murder of Julius Caesar who, by the way, had taken Rome by force and declared himself dictator for life.

Octavian, Julius Caesar’s great nephew and political heir, rose to power by defeating rivals, appointing provincial governors loyal to him, purging unreliable senators and replacing them with his supporters. In the government system that he established, an emperor held power for life and had control over all aspects of government. Granted the title of Augustus or “Lofty”, he was a de-facto dictator but hid his powers behind the institutions of the Republic, which he kept in place. Luckily for Rome, Octavian was an accomplished politician and commander, and his reign was marked by decline in crime and unrest, prosperity, and advances in engineering, architecture and arts. Subsequent emperors, for the most part, were no match (just think of Caligula or Nero, for instance), and a combination of constant wars, widening economic gap between the wealthy and the masses, corruption and lack of consistent leadership eventually led to the fall of the Roman Empire in the late 5th century. Rome’s influence is felt to this day, in politics (the Roman Republic led to modern democracy, with many contemporary governments modeled after it), culture (language and architecture), religion (Christianity), engineering (aqueducts, and use of concrete). These lasting contributions are a testament to Rome’s greatness.

Centuries later, a man decided that he was destined to make Italy great again. His name was Mussolini. After founding the Fascist Party following WWI and terrorizing opponents, he became prime minister in 1922, soon dismantling democratic institutions, banning free press and other political parties, and making himself dictator. In the early 1930s, the worldwide economic depression hit Italy, bringing mounting discontent. In 1935, to divert attention from internal struggles, Mussolini pushed for a “New Roman Empire” and invaded…Ethiopia! After aligning himself with Hitler and determined “to make war at any cost”, he suffered a series of defeats in Africa and the Balkans. In the end, all he accomplished was to make Italy sink again.

Mussolini followed the demagogue’s playbook: sow fear, create an enemy to rail against, and offer oneself as the all-knowing strong leader, the one who alone can fix it. These so-called “strong leaders” have more their own ambitions in sight than the interests of their country. They promise greatness, often evoking some glorious past and scapegoating those who do not subscribe to their view or foreign “enemies”. They offer an easy answer - trust me and I’ll make your troubles go away. And we, with our short memories and hunger for quick fixes, fall for it over and over and over and over again. History shows us that believing in easy answers is one of the greatest dangers to democracy. Because, in the words of Voltaire, “Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities”.

Where The Sun Rises In The South

Canada's second largest city, Montréal started life as Ville Marie in the mid-17th century, a French missionary colony that soon became a fur trade center. In 1760, during the Seven Years' War between Britain and France, driven by commercial and imperial rivalry, Montréal fell to the British. Waves of Anglo immigrants started to come and around 1831, residents of British origin became the majority in the city. In those days, Montréal was split geographically along cultural lines: English speakers tended to live "west" of Boulevard St-Laurent while French speakers occupied mostly the "east". I put east and west in brackets because that is how those areas are traditionally known but the descriptions are not quite accurate. Using this traditional logic, the St. Lawrence river would be located in the "south" but it actually sits in the east. So whenever you see the sun rise over the river in Montréal, rejoice because it will likely be the only time you will ever see the sun rise in the "south".

Montréal grew rapidly in the second half of the 19th century and by 1860, it was the largest city in British North America. economic boom attracted many French Canadians from surrounding rural areas so much so that, by 1865, the French again made up the majority of Montréal’s population. The heavy French and British influence over the centuries led to the city's current character where 56% of its population speak both languages. The co-existence of the two cultures has not always been smooth, though: British dominance in business and finance left Francophones feeling alienated, and separatists gained strength in the 1960s and 1970s. Two referendums on French Canada sovereignty have taken place to date in the Québec province, where Montréal sits: the first in 1980 was rejected by 60% of the electorate while the second in 1995 had a much narrower margin, rejected by 51% of voters.

French and English were not the only influences - immigration from other countries such as Italy, Haiti, China created several communities in the city, with many cultures celebrated in parades and festivals. And speaking of festivals, Montréal, once known as the city of 100 steeples, could nowadays be called the city of 100 festivals. The highlight is the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, the largest jazz festival in the world that takes place every year in late June/early July for ten days. The festival's current incarnation attracts over 2 million visitors and features some 3,000 artists from 30 countries performing in 15 concert halls and 8 outdoor stages, the latter free. Compare that to the roughly four artists and 12,000 spectators in the first festival in 1980. Jazz is not my favorite music genre but the great thing about this festival is that it includes other genres such as rock, reggae and blues so there will always be an act you like regardless of your musical taste. And with so many free concerts, you will discover some great artist you had never heard of. In this year's festival, I saw a great British musician called Jamie Cullum who played a very energetic show mixing jazz, pop, rock, soul and rap. I know, it sounds like too much of a mish-mash but trust me…if he ever comes to your town, don't miss him.

Getting High

2016 marks the centennial of the US National Park Service (NPS). It may sound like a long time but national parks already existed: Yellowstone, the very first, was established in 1872, and by the time of the NPS creation in August 1916, about a dozen areas had been listed. To mark the occasion, I decided to visit a number of them in California that had been on my list for a while: Yosemite (established in 1890), Kings Canyon (1940) and Sequoia (1890).

Yosemite, the third oldest national park, covers 1,169 square miles (3,028 km²) and receives four million visitors annually, most of them in summer. Its most popular area is Yosemite Valley, not only due to year round accessibility but also because it is where many of the park’s highlights are found:
• Yosemite Falls – known as the highest fall in the US at 2,425 ft (739 m), though some argue that there are actually three distinct tiers: Upper Yosemite Falls, Middle Cascade and Lower Yosemite Falls. Regardless of whether you view them as one or three, they are impressive and it is an unforgettable sight when the waters of Upper Falls seemingly dance to the wind. To see them in all their glory, visit in spring when the falls are full; in the popular midsummer season, they become a trickle.
• El Capitan – rising almost 3,600 ft (1,100 m) from the valley floor, El Capitan was once considered impossible to climb due to its sheer vertical face. The feat was only achieved in 1958 (five years after the first Everest summit), and nowadays the granite monolith is one of the favorite challenges for rock climbers.
• Half Dome – arguably the most grueling hike in Yosemite, Half Dome stands at 8,836 ft (2,693 m) and in 1865, its summit was declared “perfectly inaccessible, being probably the only one of the prominent points about the Yosemite which never has been, and never will be, trodden by human foot”. A mere ten years later, the summit was reached by a blacksmith named George Anderson who drilled holes in the granite (!) and installed ropes. These were later replaced by the steel cables in use today on the trail’s last 400 ft (122 m). If you are in enough good shape to climb 4,800 ft (1,463 m) from the valley floor to the peak, you will earn sore muscles and the right to wear a “I Made It To The Top” T-shirt.

If you can do without the pain and the self-aggrandizing T-shirt, there are a number of enjoyable trails around the valley, some like a stroll and even wheelchair accessible, others more challenging, especially taking into account that Yosemite Valley sits at an altitude of 3,955 ft (1,205 m), with 13% less available oxygen. It doesn’t sound much but you will feel the difference if climbing only 1,000 ft (305 m). The scenery, though, will make your gasps for air worth it.

Not far from Yosemite is Kings Canyon, one of North America’s deepest canyons where the highlight is a 35-mile (56 km) drive along Highway 180 to the aptly named Roads End. The most impressive section of the road is roughly 6,000 ft (1,830 m) above sea level, twisting along soaring granite cliffs on one side and precipitous drops to the bottom of the canyon on the other. Great road to force you to stop multi-tasking.

But the big surprise came in Sequoia National Park, home to giant sequoia trees, some of the world’s largest and oldest living beings. They occur naturally only on the slopes of the Sierra Nevada in California, at altitudes between 5,000 and 7,000 ft (1,500 – 2,100 m), growing to an average height of 165 to 280 ft (50-85 m) with a 20 to 26 ft (6-8 m) diameter. Surprisingly for trees of this size, their roots are very shallow – no more than 12 to 14 feet (~ 4 m) deep, spreading over half an acre or more.

Yes, your neck will hurt when you look up at them for a while. But for such gigantic and robust trees, they feel very soft when touched, their bark almost feathery. Though seemingly delicate, this bark is key to their longevity: chemicals in it make them resistant to insect damage, disease and fire, therefore giant sequoias live thousands of years (the famous General Sherman sequoia, the world’s largest tree by volume, is estimated to be 2,200 years old) and die mostly by toppling. Their discovery in the mid-19th century spawned countless timber mills in the Sierra Nevada, but thanks to the establishment of national and state parks/monuments in the region, sequoia logging is now illegal. Some would say that they have become useless, but I’ll go with this lyric by Pulp: “Yeah, the trees, those useless trees produce the air that I am breathing”.