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Wednesday,
June 13, 2001
On Tuesday, we went
on our day trip to Geneva, in neighboring Switzerland.  Near
the Swiss border, we stopped first outside the town of Reignier,
where we saw the ancient dolmen which bears witness to
the presence of peoples in Europe thousands of years ago. These
structures, which are found from Malta to Denmark, are often associated
with druids and Celtic legend, though they are in fact much older,
dating perhaps 5,000 years to the latest centuries of the Fourth
Millennium B.C.E.. It is believed that dolmens were funeral chambers,
and were originally covered with earth, forming structures called
tumuli.  In
the intervening millennia, the earth has eroded away (or been
removed by treasure hunters as long ago as Roman times), so that
at present only the stone chamber remains. There are very few
dolmens to be found in Savoie any more: zealots during the Counter-Reformation
destroyed nearly all of the "fairy stones" in this area,
though hundreds more dolmens can still be found in other areas
of France such as Auvergne or Bretagne, as well as in Cornwall,
Scotland, Ireland and England.
From Reignier we entered
Switzerland and began our visit of Geneva's Vieille Ville.
 
We climbed the steep Grand-Rue to the
cathedral which dominates the old city. Originally founded in
Gallo-Roman times, the cathedral was rebuilt several times and
remained the center of Catholicism in the area until 1536, when
the citizens of the Republic of Geneva voted to adopt the Protestant
Reformation, inviting the French theologian Jean Calvin to Geneva
in the process. It is at this time that were passed the very first
laws establishing free public schools, so that the children might
learn to read the Scriptures. The entire Western world, with its
tradition of democracy and public education, finds its modern
roots in Geneva two hundred forty years before the American Declaration
of Independence.
After the history lesson, we climbed the hundreds of steps to the top of the cathedral's tower.
The view from the top was spectacular;
the air was so clear that we could see Mt Blanc in the far distance,
and even the two acrophobics in the group agreed that the climb
into the belltower was well worth the effort. The photos below
show Glenn and Kendra inside the belltower (whose bells rang noon
as we visited), and seven of the students on the balcony of the
high tower.
 
We took a couple of hours for lunch
and shopping in the famed Rue de Rive, where we saw shops filled
with chocolates and watches ... After lunch, we went to the United
Nations compound. As we waited for the tour to start, the students
relaxed  (as
Glenn took a catnap). We then took the tour, some students following
the French-speaking guide, the others, the English-speaking guide.
We toured the buildings, which include the old League of Nations
building, and learned of the structure of the UN organization,
many of whose important divisions are located in Geneva, paradoxically
perhaps, since Switzerland is one of only two countries on Earth
that does not belong to the UN. The students were for the most
part shocked to learn of the United States' checkered record (not
paying its UN dues, not signing the Landmine Treaty, not signing
various parts of the Human Rights and Children's Rights Charters...)
and started to understand why the US is not always seen, in the
rest of the world, as the shining beacon that it thinks itself
to be.
The image below shows a conference
room which has been the site of many treaty signings. Its walls
and ceiling are covered with allegorical paintings made by the
Spanish artist José Maria Sert in the 1930s.
From Geneva, we headed
back across the border into France. On the road back toward
Annecy, we stopped at the spectacular
Pont Charles Albert, a suspension bridge built in 1839 across
a 450-foot-deep river gorge.
 
The picture above right
shows Jenn Hudec, one of our acrophobics, inching her way to
the railing, to the encouragement and cheers of the other students.
The view from the bridge
is impressive, even to those who do not suffer from a fear of
heights. Bianca walked to the middle of the bridge but chose
not to stand by the railing. On the other hand, Christina, showing
greater confidence in the architect's competence, chose to do
some handstands and flips the likes of which are certainly not
often performed on the bridge.
Wednesday morning, class
as usual. At lunchtime, Brian and Jeannette took advantage of
the still-nice weather to try hang-gliding.
After a quick lesson in the art of
takeoff, both enjoyed the dramatic run down the ramp and flight
2000 feet above the lake.
We've also received the pictures
from last week's flights; to see some images, please click on
the name of the student:
Glenn,
Tony,
Emil.
Unfortunately, the camera did not function during Kendra's flight,
so that we have no pictures of Kendra snapped from the wing.
Plan for the rest of the week: Thursday,
class as usual. Friday, more classes, and a field trip in the
afternoon.
Next
report to be posted Saturday, June 16, 2001
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