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Our two-day ticket to the Hermitage museum allowed us to
skip the long queue of the day visitors. So, at the end of our
week-long stay in St Petersburg, and on the second day of our
visit to the museum my wife and I were the first to enter. We
immediately went up to the second floor, before the arrival of
the groups of visitors. And there we stood
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alone - in the silent hall, before Rembrandt van Rijn’s large
and majestic painting of the Prodigal Son. |
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For a few minutes we just stood there, trying to grasp
something of this awe-inpiring
masterpiece:the subdued
col-ours
of the back-ground
from where the the elder son stares in wrath at his father
and brother, two onlookers to the right respectfully
observing the moving scene – and left on the foreground
with a live red cloak draped over his shoulders, and bright
light illuminating his compassio-nate
and forgiving face, the stooping old man embracing the
repenting son, kneeling before him. |
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It was then that my wife, Retha commented: “Now everything that
we expected from St Peterburg has been fulfilled!”. “Yes”, I
replied, “what a privilege to be able to be standing here.” |
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But it was not only the Hermitage Museum that fulfilled our
expectations; the whole old inner city is an unexpected treasure
and undoubtedly one of the most stunning that we’ve ever seen.
Comprising an area with a diameter of about 5 km, it has been
declared a Unesco Cultural Heritage Site. Built on a
number of islands forming the delta of the large Neva River
(the sixth largest in Europe) where it flows into the Gulf of
Finland, which - like a tongue - reaches out from the eastern
part of the Baltic Sea between Finland and Estonia for a taste
of Russia, St Petersburg is sometimes referred to as the “Venice
of the North”, due to the number of canals flowing from the
river through the city. |
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St Petersburg, the world’s most northern city with a population
of more than 1 million, and once the capital of one of the
world’s great empires, and seat of the Russian Tsars, suffered
greatly after the October 1917 revolution. Power shifted to
Moscow under the Soviet supremacy and the city began to fall
apart: spacious apartments were divided to create space for
working families, churches were turned into offices, artworks
were sold abroad for much-needed capital, names of streets and
places were altered, the city itself became known as Leningrad.
And during the seige of the city from 1941 – 44 the degrading
continued.
However, since the end of the war a new purpose of recreating
the city’s original charm gradually awakened. Since 1970 a
number of new projects were completed, but it was only since
1991, when the citizens voted to restore the historic name “St
Petersburg” that the restoration gained full impetus. And when
political power in the Kremlin passed into the hands of a native
St Petersburger, namely Vladimir Putin, on 31 December 1999 the
city truly started receating its former glory. |
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The city’s resurrection is echoed by the many grand palaces
shining again, religious ceremonies being performed in preserved
or restored churches, the millions of visitors to the museums
such as the Hermitage, and the sounds and sights to be heard and
seen in its many theatres.
It is not possible to describe even a portion of what is to be
seen or experienced in this amazing city. You can walk in any of
its many streets or along the embankments of the canals, and you
will eye something worthwhile – a statue, a monument, a church,
a palace, a bridge, the hustle and bustle of people ...
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Hopefully it will suffice to just describe some lasting
impressions of our week-long stay in this marvellous and lively
city:
We were lucky to visit during the time of the so-called White
Nights - between the end of May until the beginning of July.
At 60º N St Petersburg is just outside of the Arctic Circle;
therefore, you don’t experience the midnight sun, when the sun
never sets below the horizon. However, at night-time the sun
just dips below the horizon, whilst the earth’s atmosphere
continues to diffuse the sunlight, creating a sort of
translucent twilight, never really becoming dark. During
midsummer, the city’s streetlights never even need to be turned
on! |
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These white nights have a special and unique atmosphere. What
could be more romantic than to walk along the banks of the
city’s waterways late on a balmy summer night in almost
daylight! During this time (from 21 May – 21 July of this year)
the city becomes alive with the International Stars of the
White Nights Festival, annually taking place since 1993.
Focussing on the masterpieces of the world’s music, numerous
operas, musicals, and ballet performances are presented in the
city’s theatres, as well as open air concerts on the squares and
in the parks. Top international performers and orchestras
participate. Tickets can be bought beforehand through the
internet, and will be delivered free of charge at your place of
stay – even at a cruise ship.
We attended an outstanding performance of a programme of Russian
folk song, music and dances called Feel yourself Russian
in the magnificent 19th century Nikolaevsky Palace. Guests were
welcomed with a glass of champagne. During the interval more
champagne as well as tots of vodka were served to be enjoyed
with dainty delicacies. On another night, at the impressive
Mariinsky Theatre,
we were lucky to hear the world-famous soprano, Anna Nebtrenko,
sing one of the main roles in Bizet’s opera Carmen.
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What can I say about the architecture? The city is impeccably
designed along the banks of the rivers and canals. Most of the
buildings are only four stories high, but thanks to a number of
dominating high-rise structures – some of them with golden domes
or towers - the skyline gains an especial charm. Three famous
churches are to be seen from far away: the Cathedral of the
Resurrection (the Saviour-on-the-Spilt-Blood), the
St Isaac’s Cathedral, both now museums, and the SS Peter
and Paul Cathedral inside the fortress on the island in the
Neva River, where the first foundations of the city were laid.
The striking Russian Style Cathedral of the Resurrection with
its multicoloured domes, erected on the spot where Tsar
Alexander II was murdered, gives the impression of a precious
piece of jewellery. It is almost impossible to take in the
multiple variations in its design and the detail of its
ornamentation. The interior is just as magnificent: every square
centimetre of the walls, the chapels and the ceiling is covered
by colourful mosaics– the largest in the whole of Europe - of
biblical scenes. |
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The St Isaac’s Cathedral, the largest in Russia, overwhelms one
with its sheer size, outside as well as inside. And when you
climb the stairs up to the base of the dome, the views over the
city are stunning. However, the highest structure in St
Petersburg is that of the 122.5 m golden-clad tower of the SS
Peter and Paul Cathedral, with a figure of a golden angel with
spread wings on its spire, holding a cross in one hand, blessing
and protecting the city. |
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The many parks with their lush lawns, cool
shades and flowerbeds invite your tired feet to a rest on
its strategically placed benches. At this time of the year
most plants are in full bloom, especially the thousands of
striking and varied tulips. You even find large beds of
tulips next to the busy main street, Nevski Prospect.
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The buildings lining this busy 4½ km long, six lane street has
an uninviting look from the outside, with no large advertising
boards or neon lights. But when you do enter, you are quite
frequently amazed by the large and luxurious offices, shops and
arcades – from up-market shops like Zara, or fashionable
boutiques, jewellers, book- or specialist shops. Restaurants
abound, where you can enjoy typical Russian cuisine, or sit
outside at a table enjoying a beer, watching the elegantly
clothed pedestrians rushing past. |
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What immediately strikes you with regard to the locals, is that
almost everyone is dressed smartly – the longlegged blondes in
high heels wear short, fashionable dresses (almost no jeans are
to be seen), so that the women in the rush-hour metro or on the
streets look as if they are dressed for the theatre. The men
are equally elegantly dressed in long trousers, with shirts and
jackets. Therefore, when my wife and I, smartly dressed in
evening dress and dress suit with bow tie, took the bus to the
Mariisky Theatre, no one even blinked an eye!
The people on
the streets are helpful in assisting you, when asked for advice.
And when
you get to know them a little better, such as the staff at our
small hotel, you find them warm and friendly. |
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But the moment they are in a position of authority, even as
assistent behind a counter, or official at a museum, they become
formal and sometimes even rude. They never ask you to do
something, like not stepping outside a line on the floor, but
tell you in no uncertain terms and in an unfriendly tone, to
refrain from what you are doing. |
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Our most unfriendly experience was at the airport when departing
from St. Petersburg. A stoic, unsmiling officer just insisted
that we dispose of our six small plastic bottles of 100 ml.
each, filled with shampoo and other toileteries, although we
arrived with it, and are internationally allowed to carry it
with you in your hand luggage. No reasoning or pleading could
persuade her to reconsider this beaurocratic decision. But if
you take into consideration the history of suppression of the
Russian people during the Soviet regime, you can in a certain
sense understand that this type of attitude will take some time
to wear off.
But this is the only negative experience of our visit to this
remarkable city. If possible, we would like to go back someday
for another week or two, just to again savour the special
atmosphere of the city established by the remarkable reformer
Peter the Great – a city whose future could be as golden as its
illustrious past. |
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- Manie Wolvaardt
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For half a century, a crowded bookshop on the Left Bank of Paris has
offered food and a bed to penniless authors - the only rule is that
they read a book a day.
I first met George Whitman in 2007 when he hit me over the head with
a book.
(In Paris for the Rugby World Cup 2007, my son Johard and I stayed
at the
Le Notre Dame Hôtel,
at Quai St
Michel, a gemlike hotel around the corner of the bookstore
overlooking the Grand Dame, the Notre Dame Cathedral.)
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www.shakespeareandcompany.com |
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Standing on the pavement outside the English-language bookshop
Shakespeare and Company, I was talking to George's daughter
Sylvia, when a copy of Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London whizzed
down from the third floor of the building. Direct hit - but intended for
Sylvia, not me. |
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What does a man have to do to get some attention around here?
I looked up, and there was George, 93, leaning out of the window in
his pyjamas, taking aim with another volume.
Sylvia took my arm and checked my head.
Do you want to come up and meet Dad? |
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We
pushed our way through the crowded shop, Sylvia stopping every two
seconds to answer a question or help a customer. The books are piled
over two floors - the ground floor deep and open, stacked with new and
in-print titles, the upper floor a warren of second-hand volumes,
anything from Gibbon to Hemingway. There's a library space for sitting
and reading, it's a place for the browser. You pass the time here, in
the company of books.
Perched above all this, like an old eagle, is George Whitman. He used to
sleep on a mattress in among the books, but along the way he managed to
buy the apartment upstairs, and now he lives his book-lined life with a
bed, a sink, a bath, a table and an ancient stove, the stewpot steaming
up the windows and fogging the view across to Notre Dame. George likes
cooking for his family – Sylvia is his only daughter.
After the war, I was living in a hotel on the Seine, very cheap in those
days, and the landlord wanted to get us out so he could make more money
- he bolted all the locks on the doors. But I figured this was a good
thing, as now anyone could come and go, in and out of my room, and
borrow books. I always had a pile of books. I'd come back from my
errands and my room would be full of people I didn't know, reading my
books.
George's first bookshop was on a barge, but the books got damp. Then,
with an inheritance of $500, he was able to buy the boarded-up grocery
store that became the first part of the jigsaw of buildings that is now
Shakespeare and Company. For 10 years the shop was called
Le Mistral. George has always loved the idea of people blowing in from
around the world; people, ideas, energy, excitement. George believes in
lending and borrowing books, not just selling them.
Way
back, in 1913, the original Shakespeare and Company was opened by a
young American called Sylvia Beach. Her shop in rue de l'Odéon soon
became the place for all the English-speaking writers in Paris. Her
lover, Adrienne Monnier, owned the French bookstore across the road, and
he and Beach ran back and forth, finding penniless writers a place to
stay, lending them books, arranging loans, taking their mail, sending
their work to small magazines.
Hemingway was a regular at the shop, and writes about it in his memoir A
Moveable Feast. His spare, emotional prose makes a poignant story of
those early days, when material things weren't so important, and if you
could get time to read and write, and live on cheap oysters and coarse
bread and sleep by a stove somewhere, then you were happy. It was
Hemingway, as a major in the US army, who, at the liberation of Paris in
1945 drove his tank straight to the shuttered Shakespeare and Company
and personally liberated Sylvia Beach. No one that I ever knew was
nicer to me, he said later, rich, famous and with a Nobel prize.
But
after the war, Beach was older and tired. She didn't reopen the shop
that had been forced into closure by the occupation. It was George
Whitman who took over the spirit of what she had made, but not the name
- until 1962, when Beach attended a reading by Lawrence Durrell at the
bookstore and they all agreed that it should be renamed Shakespeare and
Company. George took in the poets Allen Ginsberg and Gregory Corso.
Henry Miller ate from his stewpot. Anaïs Nin left her will under
George's bed, and there are signed photos from Rudolf Nureyev and Jackie
Kennedy.
George opened his doors midday to midnight, and the deal then is the
deal now: sleep in the shop, on tiny beds hidden among the book stacks;
work for two hours a day helping out with the running of the place; and,
crucially, read a book a day, whatever you like, but all the way
through, unless maybe it's War and Peace, in which case you can take two
days. George still reads a book a day, and gets very cross if he hears
that anyone is wasting his time. You can be bawled out of Shakespeare
and Company just as suddenly as you are invited in. The spirit of the
place has to be honoured, and there are no exceptions.
At
any time there are six or more young people from the compass points of
the world, reading, talking, thinking, boiling spaghetti in the kettle,
running across the road to the public showers, stacking, carrying,
selling, stock-taking, and all in a spirit of energy and enterprise that
is not to be found in any chain bookstores. They stay for two weeks or
two months, and some just sleep outside on a bench until there's room
inside. If you are a published writer, then you might be able to stay in
the tiny pod of the writers' room, and huddle against an ancient plug-in
radiator and not worry too much if the electricity goes down and you
have to abandon your laptop for a notepad. There was no running
water, no electricity when we started,
George says. It didn't matter. That stuff doesn't matter. Books,
people, ideas, that's what matters.
Thousands of people have come through his doors, slept in his shop,
eaten at his table, and many of them still write to him, or return. The
values, the ethos and hospitality don't change, but the shop goes
forward with the times. In 2006, aged 92, George retired, and his
daughter, named after the original Sylvia, took over. She was 25 - the
age difference tells you a lot about George, his appetites and his
energies. Sylvia lived in the shop until she was seven; then, after her
parents' divorce, she went with her mother to be educated in England. It
wasn't her intention to take over the shop, but she was drawn back in,
and she has made it her life.
When
I first arrived, we didn't even have a phone and Penguin was threatening
to cut us off for not paying their bills, so I had to run round St
Michel looking for a pay phone and ring Accounts in Essex.
She
adores her father, and is committed to carrying on his legacy - but in
her own way.
Dad
was furious when I took out one of the beds and installed a computer.
When I told him we were going to start a literary festival and a
publishing business, he said: Who's gonna cook for all those extra
people? |
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Every Monday night at Shakespeare and Company, there's
a free reading by a published writer, while writers-in-progress, (as
George would call young hopefuls), can meet in the library to read
their work. While there are plenty of readers who are not writers,
there are no writers who are not readers, and one of the great gifts
of this extraordinary bookshop is to keep writers and readers on the
same creative continuum. Writers are not reduced to small-time
semi-celebrities, and readers are not patronised as consumers.
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As
Sylvia rightfully says, We sell books for a living, but it's books
that are our life.
-
Johann |
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ENCHANTING FARES TO EUROPE |
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(ALL INCLUSIVE OF TAXES, SERVICE
FEES ETC Sales Period until 30 08 2010)
TRAVEL PERIOD 01 10 2010 until 31 03 2011
|
EX JOHANNESBURG |
TO FRANKFURT DIRECT |
R6310.00 |
|
EX JNB |
TO PARIS, LONDON, MUNICH, OSLO, ROME, EDINBURGH,
DUBLIN, BRUXELLES, COPENHAGEN, AMSTERDAM etc. |
R6790.00 |
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Restrictions apply; subject to availability |
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Spontaneous
feedback comments received during the past month from some customers |
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Tessa,
Many thanks!! What a
fantastic trip we had! I am full of memories and I have yet to download
my photos. If it’s okay, could we suggest you to any friends of ours who
might be convinced by our enthusiasm to travel in South Africa? And if
we get the chance to come again – now I am dreaming of that – could we
contact you again? It was a great pleasure to meet you during the FIFA
World Cup. And I know that Joseph really appreciated meeting Yolandé as
well. Sharne is just fantastic! . . . what great memories of SA’s people
and places I have.
All best
Mary Boatwright
Professor of Ancient History - Duke University Durham
USA
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Dear Sure
Etnique Travel
Thanks for you welcome
note! On the last eve of our fine and exceptionally well-organised
Travel agent-supported tour, we paused a moment (in preparation for
the return journey) and embraced the MANY fond memories collected during
our journey. Tessa, this tour will always remain as a top-of-the-list
experience! We owe so much of this pleasant time abroad to your personal
involvement and extra mile-touch in setting up all of the
logistical arrangements. We do intend to make a dedicated visit to our
office and share the experience. It has been a very well organized tour
and your support and hard work is indeed MUCH appreciated. THANK YOU so
much! Also, please do present my sincere appreciation for Johann who has
put a GREAT trip together for us. After the Italy trip we all are
suffering of “post-travel depression”. We will stay in touch about a
visit with your guys.
Regards
Francois Louw
President
Seventh-Day Adventist Church Southern Africa Union Conference
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Dear
Johann and Etnique personnel
We would like to take
this opportunity to thank you one and all for assisting in making our
Europe trip such a memorable occasion. Firstly Johann, we would like to
compliment you on your personal choice of hotels selected. They were
conveniently located and of highest standard. Secondly, I have to
compliment you on the compilation of the book containing not only copies
of all our travel documents, but also valuable maps and suggestions of
interesting things to do at the different venues. The maps were so
helpful in locating the hotels and the sites around it. I have traveled
extensively and this was a first for me; congratulations and keep up the
good work. I spent hours studying and using it with great success. We
wish you all well and will be back for you to assist us in our next
venture.
Kind regards
Julia, Jacques, Ingrid, Caitlin and Abigail van Wyk
JGL Forensic Bloemfontein
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Hello Nerina
I would just like to
thank you for the wonderful job you did in organizing everything for my
trip to Sweden and Germany. Everything went so smooth, no problems, no
delays … Thank you so much. You really made the trip an experience for
me with only fond memories!! Will be traveling in November again to
Namibia, so I will contact you as soon as I have my dates.
Kind regards
Marlé Vosloo
Health and Environmental Sciences
Central
University of Technology CUT
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Roan,
Baie dankie
vir jou hulp. Ek wil tog ook dankie sê vir die ongelooflike diens wat
julle lewer. Dis net ‘n plesier om saam met julle te werk.
Groete
Annemie Botha
Rossouws Attorneys / Prokureurs
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Dear Tessa
We had a heat wave in
Prague, could not believe it was cold in Bloem. Beautiful city! Lots of
walking. We arrived Safely. Except for the TV that did not work when we
cam back - Air France was great - specially the upper deck - thanks for
that one!! Thanks for you help. Everything went smoothly.
Prof
Hendrik Swart
Head of Physics Department -
University of Free
State
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Dear Tessa
We drove Jonathan to
Johannesburg on Saturday and he arrived back in Switzerland without any
trouble. We had a great 3 weeks with him and he is raring to return! I
am glad you were able to meet him briefly in the stadium. Thanks once
again for the perfect travel arrangements!
Best wishes
Prof Andrew Marston
Organic Chemistry -
University of Free
State
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Hi Tessa
Thank you for the nice
welcome and the arrangement for a wheelchair. I would not have managed
without it because the walking distances were long. We had a wonderful
time with family and friends. Delta was so good and we hope that even in
future we shall travel with them although the flights were very long.
NOT SOMETHING OF THEIR DOING of course.
Thank you once more.
Lindy Gill
Morija Printing Works Lesotho
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Hi Nerina!
Just to say thanks for
stressing with me and helping me to make Pastor Nyretta’s trip
memorable. She’s back safe and sound so looking forward to the next
adventure.
Tsidi Gude
Manager Revival Arts, Music CRC
Bloemfontein & Pretoria
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Hi Tess
How can we ever thank
you for your real kindness and help in making our trip to Oz so smooth
and well planned, no hitches. Please know that it is really appreciated
and you are a very special person. Hope you well and healthy.
Regards
Gill, Les and Gavin Greenstone
Bloemfontein
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Tessa
Jy is 'n
ster!
Thank you for your patience and assistance.
We have GREAT appreciation for your assistance.
Have a
nice day
Prof. Johann van Staden
Department
of Education -
University of
Free State |
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A
dream of many years became a reality when
Francois and Almarie Louw
from Bloemfontein, recently visited Verona in Northern Italy. In
the Museo di CastelVecchio is the masterpiece painting by
Cianfrancesco Caroto (1480 – 1555), called Portrait of a
child with a Stick-Figure Drawing or simply Boy with a
Puppet.
Parents
Epic Journey to
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The
uniqueness of the subject, for the presence of the
stick-figure-drawing, which is proudly displayed by the boy,
makes this small picture an important historical document. The idea
derives from Leonardesque models which Caroto had
opportunity to see during his sojourns in Milan, where Leonardo
da Vinci had worked for long periods and made a lasting
impression. Whether or not the drawing had an allegorical
significance is lost on us today; all the same, the image of the
child captures the immediacy of the moment. This capacity to convey
a fleeting expression that reveals the psyche of a person is a
lesson Caroto has learned from Leonardo.
So,
what is so significant about this painting?
Dr.
Harry Angelman,
an English pediatrician, first described a medical condition, now
known as Angelman Syndrome, in a paper published in 1965. He
had observed several children who had similar features: unusual
happiness, severe mental delay, no speech, a marionette-like gait,
seizure disorder, and similar facial appearances. Dr. Angelman
initially called this disorder "Happy Puppet Syndrome"; its
name was eventually changed to Angelman syndrome. The link
between Dr Angelman and the Painting by Caroto is decribed in some
personal correspondence of 1991 by him:
The
history of medicine is full of interesting stories about the
discovery of illnesses. The saga of Angelman's Syndrome is one such
story. It was purely by chance that nearly thirty years ago three
handicapped children were admitted at various times to my children's
ward in England. They had a variety of disabilities, and although at
first sight they seemed to be suffering from different conditions, I
felt that there was a common cause for their illness. The diagnosis
was purely a clinical one, because in spite of technical
investigations, which today are more refined, I was unable to
establish scientific proof that the three children all had the same
handicap. In view of this I hesitated to write about them in the
medical journals. However, when on holiday in Italy I happened to
see an oil painting in the CastelVecchio museum in Verona called . .
. a Boy with a Puppet. The boy's laughing face and the fact that my
patients exhibited jerky movements gave me the idea of writing an
article about the three children with a title of Puppet Children. It
was not a name that pleased all parents, but it served as a means of
combining the three little patients into a single group. Later the
name was changed to Angelman syndrome. This article was published in
1965, and after some initial interest lay almost forgotten until the
early eighties.
The
first reports of AS reached the US in the early 1980's and the
University of Florida became one of the first important centers of
AS research under the direction of pediatrician Dr. Charles
Williams. To date, there are four different genetic confirmations
for AS that can be determind by genetic testing.
The
Louw’s 19-year old son, Charel Francois, has been diagnosed with
“Happy Puppet Syndrome” and he is their Angel. Visiting the
painting in Italy was indeed an epic journey for the parents,
which created an opportunity to embrace much emotions, experienced
by all parents who are blessed with the challenges of an Angelman
child.
The Louws, who’s memorable personalised journey to Verona was
organised by SURE Etnique Travel, got special permission from the
curators of the museum to take a number of photo’s and also a small
video.
(Read their letter elsewhere in ETCETERA) |
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10 Nights
from
R9 450
pps
This package includes:
Return airfare on Thai Airways including
airport taxes, 10 Nights accommodation at Kata Beach
Resort and Spa, breakfast daily & return shuttle
airport transfers. |
10 Nights from R8 280 pps
This
package includes:
Return airfare on Thai Airways including airport
taxes, 10 Nights accommodation at Seaview Patong,
breakfast daily & return shuttle airport transfers.
PLUS! Welcome drink on arrival, 10%
discount on food & beverages, 1 Dinner per person &
THB200 per person Samunpri Spa voucher. |
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10 Nights from R7 300 pps
This
package includes:
Return airfare on Thai Airways including airport
taxes, 10 Nights accommodation at the Sunset Beach
Hotel, breakfast daily & return shuttle airport
transfers.
PLUS! One set dinner & one Thai
massage per person. |
7 Nights from R7 220 pps
This package includes:
Return
airfare on Thai Airways including airport taxes, 7
Nights accommodation at Andaman Cannacia, breakfast
daily & return shuttle airport transfers.
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Amari
Coral & Phi Phi Island 4* |
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7 Nights from R10 140 pps
This package includes:
Return airfare on Thai Airways including airport
taxes, 3 Nights accommodation at the Amari Coral
Beach Hotel, 4 Nights accommodation at Phi Phi
Island Village, breakfast daily, all transfers &
return ferry from Phuket to Phi Phi Island.
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4 Nights from R7 190 pps
This
package includes:
Return airfare on Thai Airways including airport
taxes, 4 Nights accommodation at the Vie Hotel in
Bangkok, breakfast daily and return airport
transfers. |
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4 Nights from R6 080 pps
This package includes:
Return airfare on Thai Airways including airport
taxes, 4 Nights accommodation at the Bangkok Cha Da
Hotel, breakfast daily and return airport transfers.
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4 Nights from R7 450 pps
This
package includes:
Return airfare on Thai Airways including airport
taxes, 4 Nights accommodation at the Amari Watergate
Hotel in Bangkok, breakfast daily and return airport
transfers. |
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Ryanair to pay libel damages to the founder of rival carrier
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LONDON
- Irish budget airline Ryanair has agreed to pay libel damages of 50,100
pounds ($64,200) to the founder of rival carrier easyJet after running
advertisements picturing him with a long Pinocchio nose. The settlement
was announced in court Thursday. Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou sued Ryanair
because of ads which accused him of suppressing weekly reports on
easyJet's on-time performance. One ad, which showed Stelios with a long
nose, called on him to "stop hiding the truth."
Stelios is no
longer in management at easyJet, but is a non-executive director and
major shareholder. When Stelios protested, Ryanair ran more ads
proposing to settle the issue by a sumo wrestling match or a footrace. |
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TIC CASE FILE |
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Cancellation and Luggage Claim
Travellers:
Joan and Paul
Location:
Johannesburg
Total claim amount:
R75 993 |
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As Joan and Paul were leaving their home in Johannesburg to travel to
Italy on holiday, they were hijacked in their driveway. The hijackers
took their car, along with their tickets, passports and luggage, which
meant that the couple missed their flight from OR Tambo. Fortunately
they had taken out a TIC policy which covered their journey from the
moment they left home to travel, to the point of embarkation. Joan and
Paul claimed their cancellation costs as well as loss of luggage
expenses.
Although your clients pay their premium based on the duration of their
journey, cancellation cover becomes effective as soon as they have
purchased their travel insurance policy. If a journey is cancelled as a
result of a traumatic event before their departure, TIC will reimburse
your clients for travel and accommodation arrangements.
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Germany
to charge €26 departure tax |
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AIRLINES have voiced their concern
after a draft version of the German government’s planned departure
tax was published during July. According to the draft bill, a tax of
€13 will be charged per person for short- and medium-haul flights
while €26 will be charged for long-haul flights for passengers
travelling out of Germany. |
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Connecting passengers and private flights
will be excluded from the tax. A family of four would have to pay €104
extra when flying from Stuttgart to Rostock on a family holiday while a
family of four flying the same distance in a private jet would be
exempt.
Leading German
carriers have expressed fears that the tax will force customers to use
other airports close to the border in neighbouring countries. Lufthansa
estimates that the tax could reduce passenger numbers by up to 5%, which
could cause 10 000 job losses. Meanwhile Air Berlin has criticised the
fact that the tax is at a flat rate with no regard for the class
customers travel in.
Plans to introduce an
environmental tax for air transport were first announced in early June
to help bolster government funds and act as an environmental levy on
airlines. The tax is expected to come into play on January 1, 2011, and
will be cut in 2012 when a carbon-emissions trading scheme that forces
airlines to buy environmental safety certificates comes into effect. |
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STILL LIFE FESTIVAL ON THE AUTOBAHN |
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BERLIN –
Germany's autobahns are renowned for average speeds well in excess
of 80 miles (130 kilometers) an hour. But the average dropped near
zero recently as tens of thousands of people sat at a 37-mile table
for a cultural celebration titled, appropriately enough, "Still
Life."
Cars were strictly verboten.
"Attention on the A40,"
a radio traffic report warned. "There is a 60-kilometer (37-mile)
closure between
Duisburg and Dortmund due to
the longest table in the world."
A festival spokesman said an
estimated three million people turned out amid fine weather, one
million of them with their bicycles, to celebrate on the highway
between Dortmund and Bochum, in western Germany. Tens of thousands
sat at the table, which was made up of 20,000 individual tables,
spokesman Oliver Haenig, said. |
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The highway, which
crosses North Rhine-Westphalia state, is normally one of Europe's
busiest. The event was part of a wider cultural festival celebrating the
Ruhr region. It was chosen by the European Union this year as a European
Capital of Culture 2010 — the first time the distinction went to an area
rather than a city. Germany has no general speed limit for its famous
autobahns. Cars often speed up to 125 miles per hour or more.
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THE NAKED TRUTH AT AIRPORTS!
A funny thing about…
airports and strip searches is that the latter are now entirely possible
without you so much as having to shed a sock. Much has been written
about the frankly disconcerting invasion of privacy associated with the
introduction of full body scanners in airports.
Love ‘em or
loathe ‘em, they’re being rolled out faster than one would expect the
rapid roll out of a sudden cure for obesity (incidentally, I do hope
one’s developed soon… I want to look my best if I’m going to have to
bare all for my
TSA friends). The whiz
kids who built this technology to nab passengers carrying weapons
through airport security clearly had a sense of humour as the scanners
go above and beyond the call of duty, revealing far more than the odd
concealed gun, knife or nail-clipper. The sample pictures tormenting me
on news reports are in fact so detailed, it will be pretty much be like
queuing to take all your kit off for a complete stranger.
But yes, it
could have been a lot worse...
I
particularly liked a
TSA official’s comment
in 2008 (back when we were first told we’d have to bare all our bits at
airports) that these full body scanners were “not as invasive as some of
the other equipment” they had at their disposal. I shudder to think what
could possibly be more invasive than having last week’s donut binge (I
was feeling a little self indulgent) on full display for 10 of my
favourite new TSA friends.
Worse still
is the realisation that now, not only do I need to spend a week starving
myself before gala dinners to fit into that little black dress, the same
preparation will likely be required for any trip taking me through
airports equipped with this ‘advanced’ technology. Good news though, as
I read with interest this week that there are other whiz kids out there
who’ve applied their mind to how prudish passengers like me can get
through these scanners with just an inkling of modesty.
Enter
‘Flying Pasties’ (www.flyingpasties.com
) promising to “give me back my right to privacy while respecting
security”. Of course, I’m an immediate fan! Flying Pasties (rather
unfortunate name?) are designed to obscure the most private parts of the
body and their “unique ease of removability” means when you are found to
be unco-operative by trying to cover up, you can simply take them off
for examination. Goody…
Oh, lest I
forget. If you’re a trend-setting Flying Pasties wearer, you could
choose to have your own design made. “Designing unique pasties is easy
and fun!” say the inventors. So if, like me, you find the threat of a
further roll-out of full-body scanners to sports stadia, railroad
terminals and random checkpoints vaguely terrifying, get your colouring-in
pencils out now!
-
Natalia Thomson
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