|
“Things turn out best for people
who make the best of the way things turn out”
Newsletter 67 | May 2007
P.O. Box 13600, NOORDSTAD, 9302 E-mail:
info@etniquetravel.co.za
Tel: (051) 406 2500
Fax: (051) 436 3793
AFTER HOURS EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBER:
083 461 2561
During the last few months
we are aware of an exiting new ”vibe” in our office - as if
something stimulating and fresh has been added to our daily
activities. And this is indeed the case! Contemplating on the
reasons for this, I think it undoubtedly stems from our concentrated
efforts trying to adapt to the fast changing world of travel.
The whole scenario of the
role of a travel agent has changed dramatically from just seeking
for the best offers available, issuing tickets, assisting with the
acquirement of visas, etc. Now a travel agent must be a real
specialist, an adviser, a travel guide, someone who can offer
exceptional service to the discerning traveller.
We have joined Sure Travel,
the largest travel consortium in South Africa, with state-of-the–art
knowledge and vast experience. Subsequently we consciously enhance
our skills and knowledge in anticipation of the new world in which
we have to compete. We attend seminars, upgraded our technology,
imported new software, appointed extra knowledgeable staff,
reorganized our responsibilities, and assigned exciting new
specialist terrains to our consultants. This, together with our
formidable resources, like our unique and extensive travel library,
as well as the wide and personal travel experience of our
enthusiastic staff, led to this visible assuredness of our team that
they have been empowered to offer more than just the normal
services.
It is a rewarding
experience to be an integral part of such a unique team, and feel
that you are part of the new world of travel services - in which you
have to adapt, or undoubtedly die.
- Manie Wolvaardt
In our first
article in this series (March 2007) we included a historical site
(Petra
in Jordan),
a natural wonder (the Blautopf in
Germany),
a religious centre (Santiago
de Compostello in Spain),
and a foreign country (the tiny
Kingdom of
Bhutan).
In this article we look at two modern marvels, a less
well-known great city, and its famous cathedral and castle.
Modern marvels:
The highest as well as one of the longest cable-stayed bridges in
the world
The Millau
Viaduct in
France
|
 |
When you
near the Millau Viaduct over the River Tarn in the Massif
Central mountains of Southern France, especially early in the
morning with the mist still swirling in the valley below, you
begin to understand why about 500 000 sightseers per year come
to admire what is regarded as one of the engineering wonders of
the modern world. This bridge truly enables motorists to ”drive
through the sky, often above the clouds”, as one traveler
described it.
And that is precisely what you should do! Driving with clouds
beneath you, obscuring the valley below, creates an unreal sense
of floating to the other side. All that you see in this void,
is the traffic around you, and the masts anchoring the cables
passing by. Then you stop at the parking space so that you can
take your superb photos, and if you have enough time, wait for
the mist to disperse. If not, come back on a clear day in order
to really see the magic of this majestic bridge. |
|
|
|
|
The viaduct
carries vehicles across a 2.5 km. valley, removing a bottleneck
at the town of Millau on the highway linking Paris and the
Mediterranean. The bridge is one of the most breathtaking ever
built. Normally bridges are considered to belong to the
engineer’s realm rather than the architect. But the Millau
Viaduct illustrates how the architect can play an integral role
in bridge design. The renowned British architect, Lord Norman
Foster, who is behind the design, said he designed the bridge to
have the ”delicacy of a butterfly”. |
 |
Seven slender
piers support the roadway, rising into seven graceful pylons bound
to the bridge with what looks like cobwebs of steel. The bridge has
the optimum span between stayed columns. It is delicate,
transparent, and uses the minimum material. Each of its sections
spans 350 meters, and its columns range in height form 75 meters to
235 meters – higher than the Eiffel Tower – with the masts rising a
further 90 meters above the road deck. To accommodate the expansion
and contraction of the concrete deck, each column splits into two
thinner, more flexible columns below the roadway, forming an A-frame
above deck level, creating a dramatic silhouette.
When Pres.
Jacques Chirac inaugurated the bridge in December 2004, the mayor of
Millau said: ”Norman Foster gave us a model of art.” And that surely
is an apt description of this must-see modern marvel!
The Øresund Link
between Sweden and Denmark
Denmark and
Sweden were once linked with one another. But at the end of the Ice
Age, about 7 000 years ago, the rising sea levels severed the
dry-land connection between the two, forming what has become known
as the Øresund Sound. Politically the two lands are also separated
since 1658, when Sweden conquered Scania, southern Sweden, from
Denmark. The bridge-tunnel link across the Øresund Sound, connecting
the Danish capital Copenhagen to the Swedish port of Malmö, opened
on 1 July 2000, representing a symbolic reunion of these two
countries.
|
|
This 16 km.
long link is not only one of the largest infrastructure projects
in European history, but also one of the most impressive
man-made structures in the world. It is the longest combined
road and rail bridge in Europe, boasting one of the longest
cable-stayed main spans in the world. Instead of the one-hour
ferry trip, one is now able to cover the distance in as little
as 10 minutes on high-speed trains. However, the best way to
experience this wonder of modern times is to drive by car,
especially if you start from Malmö.
You enter the Link by way of a four-lane motorway on to the
upper deck of the 7.8 km. long cable-stayed bridge. Trains roll
across the lower deck. Although not nearly as high as the Millau,
the experience of driving high above the waves on this gently
right-curving structure is just as breathtaking – especially if
you are the passenger, and not the driver, who might be a little
afraid of taking their eyes off the road! At the end of the
bridge you reach a 4 km. long artificial island, called
Pepperholm. |
From this island
you drive into an underwater tunnel, also about 4 km. long, before
exiting along a 430-meter-long artificial peninsula at Kastrup on
the Danish coast, prior to entering Copenhagen.
|
Building
this awesome structure took five years. When it was opened
Denmark’s Queen Margrethe and Sweden’s King Carl Gustav were
among the 10 000 invited guests. Hundreds of millions of TV
viewers across the world watched the inauguration ceremony.
If you love
driving by car, and have an affinity for things extraordinary, I
would undoubtedly, recommend that you fit this into your
itinerary. The experience of driving along the Øresund Link, as
well as the Millau Viaduct will be engraved on your memories as
some of your most thrilling experiences of travelling.
|
 |
Great cities: Kracow
To me, Krakow is
one of Europe’s most enchanting cities. I agree with the travel
writer, Scott Simpson, when he described it as follows: “The magic
and mystery of Krakow lurks in every brick of its Gothic mansions,
in the echoing halls of its ancient Jagiellonian University, in the
empty spaces of its synagogues. It is in the mist that rises from
the Blonia fields in the morning and the peculiar quality of
moonlight over her cobblestone streets. It is in the whispering
murmur of the Vistula river and the secret silence of its limestone
cliffs.” (In
Krakow,
by Thomas
Cook Publishing)
For centuries
Krakow was the capital of Poland, the seat of kings, drawing great
scholars and artists from over the world. Due to their talents and
imagination a vast collection of unique historical relics and works
of art (2.3 million!) is to be seen here. Thanks to this
extraordinary accumulation of cultural wealth the centre of the city
was registered as an important site on the UNESCO World Heritage
List. The main reason for the preservation of these treasures is
that the city survived the last war unscathed, and you will
encounter a multitude of architectural monuments - estimated at 6
000 buildings and other structures. Even the modern era has had
little impact: the spires of old churches forms the city’s skyline,
not skyscrapers.
|
 |
Although no
longer the capital of Poland, Krakow nevertheless represents a
synthesis of all things Polish, where tradition entwines with
modern times wherever you go. It is impossible to describe even
a small portion of the tourist attractions, and each tourist
will discover his or her own ”magical” sight. However, I regard
the following as not to be missed. The city is best seen on
foot. Start in the
Old Town,
with Europe’s second largest medieval square, the
Main Market
Square,
in the middle (Only St
Mark’s
Square
in
Venice
is larger). You enter through Florian’s Gate (Brama
Florianska), the only gate in the remaining city walls with
fortifications dating from the 13th century. These
walls surrounded the inner city, but were replaced in the 19th
century by a green belt (called the Planty), which today
marks the border of the no-traffic zone. The square’s layout was
drawn up in 1257, and has been retained intact. Today it seethes
with life all year round, and you will be overwhelmed by the
many restaurants, bars and cafes crowding its edges, with beer
gardens and a flower market within. Surrounding the square you
will find many interesting galleries, museums and splendid
Renaissance and Baroque houses and mansions. |
Set in the
centre of the square is the imposing Cloth Hall (Sukiennice),
which replaces an earlier Gothic trade hall. It dates from the 14th
century, but was beautifully rebuilt during the Renaissance. Today
the ground floor is filled with souvenir shops and cafes, whilst the
Gallery of Polish Painting is accommodated on the upper floor. Not
far away you will see St.
Mary’s Church,
with its two soaring Gothic towers of different design. Be sure to
listen to the famous unfinished trumpet call (the Hejnal)
which can be heard hourly in memory of a medieval trumpeter
who warned the sleeping city of an invasion, but who was shot while
sounding the alarm. The hejnal is broadcast on Polish Radio every
day at noon. The pentagonal Baroque porch at the main
entrance of the church is impressive, also the main altar,
the largest medieval altar in existence, as a masterpiece of
late-Gothic carving. The exceptional number of works of art
contained within this great basilica leaves you enriched.
|
Other
attractions within the Market Square that can be mentioned, are
the Historical Museum, the lonely Town Hall Tower
next to the Cloth Hall, the domed St. Adabert’s Church in
the southern corner, its beginnings dating from the 10th
century, and the Statue of Adam Mickiewicz, a few steps
north of the church.
Dependent of
what your interests are, you can take different walks inside or
outside the Old Town, like the Royal Way, from Florian’s
Gate up to the Wavel Hill, or a stroll along the
Planty, the green ring of gardens with its numerous
monuments, around the Old Town; you can perhaps visit the old
Jewish Quarter, the Kazimierz, with its narrow
streets, abundance of markets, synagogues and cementaries, or
the University Quarter, where you will find the
Jagiellonian University, founded in 1399, the oldest and
largest of Krakow’s 17 universities, with nearly 40 000 students
and hundreds of buildings across the city. |
|
But you can also
concentrate on specific interests, like the 87 palaces, 143
churches and monastries, 43 museums or the
typical Patricien and Burger Houses (the Kamienica).
Also worth a visit are the 112 parks, public gardens and green
boulevards. But perhaps you would like to immerse yourself in
the art scene of Krakow - there you will find galleries on every
street of the Old Town an the Kazimierz, with less formal
exhibitions in many restaurants, hotels and bars.
Should you wish
to go on short excursions, a grim destination is the
Aushwitz-Birkenau State Museum in
Oswiecim,
some 50 km. west of Krakow. This is where the largest German
consentration camp was, possibly the most moving sight in Poland,
which has become a symbol of the Holocaust and Nazi war crimes. Take
note that children under 13 are not admitted and be prepared for the
strong emotional impact that the exhibits might provoke on you.
Another
unforgettable excursion is to the salt mines in Wieliczka,
15 km. south-east of the city centre, and included in UNESCO’s World
Heritage Register. Over 300 000 people yearly visit this remarkable
mine which is still in operation for over 700 years. It has a
subterranean labyrinth of tunnels, 300 km. long, distributed over 9
levels, going down to a depth of 327 metres. A part of this has been
opened to the public as a museum. You walk through an eerie world of
pits and chambers, all hewn out from solid salt. Some have been made
into chapels, even a full-blown church, with chandeliers and altars.
Others are adorned with monuments and statues - and there are even
underground lakes!
Cathedrals and castles: Wavel Hill
There are
thousands of cathedrals and palaces all over Europe, but for me the
majestic complex of Gothic and Renaissance buildings on Wavel Hill,
that forms part of the Old Town of Krakow, is unique. The
Royal Castle
was built from 1506 – 1548 by King Zygmunt I, who brought in some of
the best native and foreign artists and architects, to create this
stately Renaissance palace-cum-castle.
|
 |
The Royal
Chambers, restored in their original Renaissance and early
Baroque style and crammed with works of art, are for me the most
interesting. The most valuable are the 136 magnificent
tapestries, probably the largest collection of its kind in
Europe. In the Royal Private Apartments with its period
furniture and art, you will see how the Polish royalty lived.
The Crown Treasury and Armory contains the coronation
insignia of the Kingdom of Poland, jewels and precious weapons
and armors. The collection in the section called Art of the
Orient includes trophies of war, diplomatic gifts from
far-off monarchs and trade goods. The Lost Wavel exhibits
interesting archaeological and architectural treasures. |
The famous
Cathedral, built from 1320 - 64, was for centuries the place
where Polish kings were crowned. Almost all were buried in the
chapels and crypts, together with the greatest national heroes,
poets, four saints and numerous bishops. This was also the seat
formerly held by Archbishop Karol Wojtyla from 1963 until his
election as Pope John Paul II in 1978.
|
The roof
boasts three towers, one of which contains one of the world’s
largest bells, the great Zygmunt Bell, cast in 1522. Its
beautifully deep toll can be heard on special occasions. The
cathedral itself is a Gothic structure, but in the course of
time 18 different chapels full of art treasures were built
around it. The most notable is the Sigismund Chapel with
its gilded dome, one of the finest examples of Renaissance art
and architecture. Marble statues and magnificent silver altar
pieces can be seen. The Cathedral Treasury holds numerous
precious objects, including a 1000 year old spear, whilst in the
Cathedral Museum
various historical and religious objects collected through the
centuries can be seen. Krakow, with its numerous special sights,
is a city to be visited more than once!
- Manie Wolvaardt |
 |
|
|
|
|
Letters from our Customers: |
The following are examples of satisfied clients saying more than
just thank you.
-
“Dear
Johann, thank you for the newsletter. I read your Travel Stories
over and over again. Wonderful and amazing!! I really enjoyed your
'trip report' almost as much as you had enjoyed visiting those
sites in Japan. At the same time, I well understand how much you
are interested in Japan, that pleases me a lot. I've learned a lot
of things from you. Thank you. If there is another opportunity for
you to come back to Hiroshima, I will be honored to serve you
again. With warmest regards.”
Tateshi Okamasu - Hiroshima,
Japan
-
“Baie dankie vir jul mooi en interessante
nuusbrief. Ek geniet elke woord. Kan ek sommer nou weer sê baie
dankie vir julle moeite en hulp met ons baie veranderende planne
vanaf verlede jaar al. Nerina is regtig so gaaf en behulpsaam.
Julle diens maak dat ek verseker mense na julle toe verwys.”
Cecelia Ströhfeldt -
Bloemfontein
-
“Dear Johann-san,
thank you for giving me a wonderful newsletter about Japan! I am
fine, I've been busy teaching at the school I'm currently working
for, though. How about Johann-san and your lovely wife? It was
such a nice memory to have enjoyed touring in Tokyo, Nagoya and
Iwata! I hope everyone in the group is fine now! Best wishes.”
Yuki Hidaka - Tokyo, Japan
AUSTRALIA
USA
GENERAL
-
Liquids in hand luggage must be packed in 100ml
bottles, maximum 10 bottles, in total 1000ml, sealed in plastic
see-through bag.
-
Medication: must have a prescription or letter
from doctor and must be in original package.
|
