Saturday, July 23, 2016

Viva Italia

A toast to Italy
With my school responsibilities completed, and now officially (re)retired, Bob and I decided to take one last trip in Europe before we returned home to Canada. In search of warm weather and sunshine, having experienced very little of both for months, we chose to go south. The main focus of our trip was Tuscany, with a few parts of Northern Italy thrown in. This was a busy ten days full of stunning sights, so I will be publishing several blog posts about this vacation. Each will cover about two days of touring.
Beautiful Tuscan countryside
Sun, heat and lush vegetation
We first traveled by train, having booked passage to Milan where we had hired a car. This was in order to save money since car rental is much less expensive outside of Switzerland. Unfortunately, our trip did not begin well. On the first leg, from Neuchâtel to Bern, our train experienced brake problems and ran an hour late! (Yes, a Swiss train did not run on time. I did not think that was possible.) As a result, we missed our connection to Milan.
First time, first class.
Fortunately, we caught the next train and were ushered onto a first class car for this leg of our journey. We made it to Milan an hour later than originally planned. Then began the hunt–and wait–for our rented car–another two hours. Eventually, we hit the road, stopping for lunch at 3:00 p.m.–much too late for my taste.  In short, it was a rocky start to our trip.
Riomaggiore from above
Undaunted, we headed to the Cinque Terra region where we had booked a place for the night. As we neared Volastra, our destination, we found ourselves at a roadblock! Somehow, I managed to convince the man who appeared to be in charge to let us through. (Later I learned that landslides in the region has closed several local roads.) Thus, we conquered the last obstacle of our first day.
One view of Manarola
My favourite picture of Manarola. Gorgeous light.
Steep rock face below the town
Bob heads for the water in Manarola
Volastra is a tiny hamlet perched above Manarola, one of the five villages that comprise Cinque Terra. There is a regular shuttle which descends into the picturesque village below, so as soon as we could, we boarded it. We wanted to take advantage of the light of the early evening. Manarola shone for us, so much so that we took photo after photo–many very similar, as you can see.
Sunset view from Volastra
The same view in the morning: Corniglia is in the foreground.
The next morning, we expected to explore more of the villages that make up Cinque Terra, but a one day train strike impacted that plan, as well as the knowledge that the road we had taken the evening before would definitely be closed all day. We would have to take a detour. And so, our visit ended up being to Due Terra, only two of the villages.
The view from our lodging towards Manarola
Approaching Corniglia
We headed west to Corniglia; it was fun to explore it. Like all the Cinque Terra villages, it is mainly a pedestrian area, with narrow streets, and many lookouts to the sea.

Looking back towards Volastra and Manarola
Typical street in Corniglia
We spent about two hours wandering the streets of Corniglia, and finding new vistas towards the sea. I enjoyed the shops, the flowers in full bloom, and the warm colours of the place.
The sleepy main piazza.
Posing in the main piazza. 
While we were there, we were intrigued by a helicopter which made several trips to the town from an area above it. It was delivering construction materials. Clearly, it takes some ingenuity to make things work in these coastal villages.
Swimmers in a lagoon below the town.
The helicopter makes a delivery
We left Corniglia at lunch time, and followed winding roads towards the highway. We realize we did not see enough of Cinque Terra, but time and circumstances were not on our side, and we had other places to go.
Exploring Lucca

Another view of Lucca
Our next destination was Lucca, a city in Tuscany known for its Etruscan and Roman roots. It was the first of many wonderful destinations in the region that we were able to visit over the next five days.
One of Lucca's charming piazzas. The statue at the back honours native son, Puccini.
Part of Lucca's wall.
On entering Lucca, we first noticed the wall surrounding the old city. This Renaissance fortification speaks to the legacy of city states that once constituted the political makeup of Italy.  It is possible to walk on a pedestrian promenade on the walls today, (although we opted not to do so).
Close up of the façade  
San Michele in Foro
Instead, we wandered the cobblestone streets of the city for the next three hours. We had picked up a map at tourist information, and soon knew which were the highlights to seek out. The first of these was the San Michele in Foro Church, with its Romanesque interior and its intricate façade.
Standing in the amphitheater

View from a café.
Another must see was the Anfiteatro Romano (Roman Amphitheatre) which has been transformed into a large piazza but still retains the shape created by the Romans so long ago.
Guinigi Tower
Tower, blue sky and church in Lucca
Like most Tuscan cities, Lucca is also known for its towers, symbols of wealth in the past. The higher the tower, the more powerful the family. The oak trees on top of the Guinigi Towers made it seem even taller.
Statue outside Music School
Duomo di Lucca
By the time we arrived at the Duomo di Lucca, it was closed, so we only were able to view its exterior. The campanile was covered in scaffolding, however, so I did not include it in the photo.
Bicycle on a quiet street
More bicycles
Everywhere in Lucca, we saw bicycles. Its pedestrian area is quite large so many tourists opt to get around on two wheels. In fact, a pair of English tourists asked us for directions before peddling off into the town.

A ruined tower in Serravalle Pistoiese
There was a local festival going on in Serravalle Pistoiese
Having visited the major attractions of Lucca, we headed back to the highway to find our way to our accommodation for the night, Agriturismo I Pitti, just outside of a small town, Serravalle Pistoiese. It would be our little piece of paradise for five nights. I have much to say about this stay, but I will save it for another post.







Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Reasons to Celebrate

A reason to celebrate.
In the last month of the school year, there was lots to celebrate at NJC. This is the case at the end of every school year, of course, but 2016 was indeed a special year for several reasons.
The legends of tennis and I pose at the French Open. 
Firstly, I was thrilled to celebrate two years of excellent health in Europe by asking for a day off, which Bill generously gave me. My reasoning was that I had not been sick–not once–and friends made me a very tempting proposition. In the winter, Sally and Don had suggested we meet in Paris to spend a day at the French Open. I had never been to a major tennis tournament, and was immediately intrigued. Ideally, we could have attended on a weekend, but I had school commitments then, and could not get away, so we chose to attend on a weekday instead. Getting tickets was a bit of a challenge, but I was able to secure decent seats for the first Tuesday of the event.
The line up to enter the grounds.
That turned out to be good planning, since that day was dry, while most days of the French Open were interrupted or cancelled due to heavy rains. From Monday noon, until Wednesday noon, Bob and I were either in Paris or in transit.
Sally and I at Philippe-Chartrier Arena.
Tennis stars in on "la terre battue": Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Angelique Kerber, Jo-Wilfred Tsonga
I enjoyed my day at the French Open. I saw many of the game's biggest stars play, including both world number ones, and I spent quality time with friends. It was weird, though, to be in Paris and not be exploring Paris. That was left for Bob, who did not join the rest of us at Roland Garros.
The tension mounts in the ping-pong finals.
Competitions of a lesser nature were the focus of our final weeks at school. In the school's annual ping-pong tournament, Taylor met Jake in the finals. Theirs was a very close match, with Taylor pulling off the victory by a hair. As a result, he will have his name engraved on the school's trophy for posterity.
Some of my team.
In advisee trivia, my group took on Bill's in the finals. No doubt, superior coaching led Billinghurst's Bests to the championship!! I was very proud of their commitment to the competition and their teamwork.
Thunder, Will, Emma and Harris in The Day Billy Lived.
Taylor, Jon and Nicolas play brothers in Wake, a play by Woburn grad, Rachel Blair.
Another cause of celebration were the drama performances that were mounted at the end of the semester. My students had worked very hard to rehearse and produce five plays. These shows constituted their final exam, and I was very proud of their efforts. The rest of the student body, who made up their audience, were well entertained.
Grace, Malcolm, Jessica and Jake in God of Carnage.

Sasha, Ashley, Brianna and Jeremy in Bittergirl

Sam, Laura and Alex in The Comfort Women, another play by Rachel Blair.
The biggest festivities were saved for two very formal events. The first of these was special indeed–a gala night marking the 60th Anniversary of Neuchâtel Junior College. Months of organization had gone into preparations for this evening.
Students in the audience.
Luckily, the weather gods smiled upon us: it was the warmest and sunniest day we had seen all year. All students and staff got spiffed up for the big night which was divided into two separate events in two venues.
The string quartet

Ambassador Jennifer McIntyre
We gathered first at Aula des Jeunes-Rives for the official ceremony marking our anniversary. There, a string quartet set the formal tone of the event. There were speeches in both English and French, the most notable one being an address by Canadian Ambassador to Switzerland, Jennifer McIntyre.
Jon and Connor meet the ambassador. Like Jon, she is a native of Cape Breton.

Emma and her pension madame.
Afterwards, we socialized over wine and aperitifs. As well as the school community, the event attracted the special people who house our students, the pension families. These men and women are a big part of the school's success; some of them have taken in students for as long as 20 years! Others provide room and board for up to four students every year.
Adrienne, Grace, Maddie, Rebecca, Rachel and Megan strike a pose. 

I pose with colleagues Christine and Patti
The pace of the evening was leisurely, so there was lots of time to pose for pictures before we all headed to Espace Fachinetti for the second part of the evening. Here we had a feast!
Love this presentation
Colleagues Terry and Aaron at dinner.
The venue was Neuchâtel's version of "Windows Restaurant" at the Rogers Centre, only our tables overlooked the local soccer field, rather than a baseball diamond.
Our table at the Espace Fachinetti
Singing at the Anniversary event. 
After several delicious courses of fine dining, there were three performances. Emma read her speech from the NESDA competition; Raphael played the piano; and the staff band performed. Afterwards, the party went on into the wee hours of the morning with a dance. It was quite a party!
Will, Jared, Kieran and Harris don their graduation garb. 
Three weeks later, we celebrated again. The final day of the school year had arrived: graduation. The Swiss do not have much pomp and circumstance to mark the end of high school, so our big day strikes the locals as very special indeed. We certainly put on quite a show.
Processing in the rain
Walking down the coloured street
Firstly, staff and students must don academic gowns at the school. Then, traditionally, we march through the town. This year, we headed to the beautiful Collégiale church, a different site than last year. It is perched above the town next to the castle.
The Collégiale Church
What a great place for photos!
Jenny, Lauren, Sam, Jamie, Rachel and Nicole pose proudly.
Of course, just as we were leaving, it started to rain. Par for the course this spring! Many of our group hopped on the bus, but I kept going.  By the time, we arrived at the church, the rain had stopped and it was time for photos. Parents, grandparents and siblings had come for this grand occasion, so I was pleased that we had some good weather.
My view from the front.
One last performance for the staff band.
Then, just as it started to drizzle again, we processed into the church and took our seats. There were so many guests that the Collégiale was absolutely packed for the ceremony. As in all such occasions, there were many things to celebrate: subject prizes, academic and leadership awards, and entrance scholarships.
The graduates with their diplomas
The teachers
After the ceremony, it was time for more photos, with and then without the academic gowns which were sent by car back to the school. The teaching staff posed together too, right after the students took their group pictures.
Arriving at the Hôtel du Peyrou

The boys celebrated by dipping into the fountain.
A sunny walk downhill followed, as we made our way to the beautiful Hôtel du Peyrou for a reception. Here we were treated to delicious food, and said our goodbyes.
Outside the Hôtel du Peyrou

Our last day together
The reception at the Hôtel du Peyrou was a lovely way to wrap up the year. We mingled under blue skies, and cleared out just before another rain storm arrived.
Time to go before this storm breaks!
For me, there was one other reason to celebrate in June: I had arrived at the end of my teaching career. After 40+ years in the classroom, it was time to retire for good. No regrets. What a way to finish too: with two years in the centre of Europe! Yay me!
Flowers for the retiring teacher.