Holland – Late Blooms

Don’t tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you traveled.” – Mohammed

Most of us are fortunate to be able to travel today to many parts of the world. It’s fascinating to meet people, both young and old, who have wonderful stories to share about places they have visited and adventures they have had. As one who likes to travel myself, I always tell anyone who says they’re off to some place to “take lots of pictures.” To have the experience of being in a different place is unsurpassed joy but we also need those images so that when we’re back home, we can relive those moments in a different way – hopefully with happy memories.

The faraway place that you see in the above collage is Fiji. “Fiji FEE-jee, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about 1,100 nautical miles northeast of New Zealand’s North Island.” (Wikipedia) I enjoyed the many different aspects of Fiji. While the beaches are unspoiled and Fiji is a popular tourist destination, there is poverty and political unrest there as well. That’s all part of the learning that comes from visiting another country. We see everything for ourselves.

This post is called “Far Away Places” because I fondly remember singing this song in our Glee Club at school and some of you may remember it too. Here are the lyrics along with some other collages of faraway places I visited and was reminiscing about.

Far away places with strange soundin’ names
Far away over the sea
Those far away places with the strange soundin’ names
Are callin’, callin’ me

Rome is the capital of the Italian Republic. It is the most populous and largest municipality in Italy and is among Europe’s major capitals in terms of the amount of terrain it covers. HISTORICAL AND ARCHITECTURAL RICHES It is the city with the highest concentration of historical and architectural riches in the world. Its historical centre, outlined by the enclosing Aurelian Walls, layering nearly three thousand years of antiquity, is an invaluable testimony to the European western world’s cultural, artistic and historical legacy and in 1980 it was, together with the Holy See’s property beyond the confines of the Vatican State as well as the Basilica of St. Paul outside the Walls, were added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List . Rome, the heart of Catholic Christianity, is the only city in the world to host an entire foreign state within its confines, the enclave of the Vatican City, and it is for this very reason that it is often referred to as the capital of two States. Over 16% of the world’s cultural treasures are located in Rome (70% in all of Italy). — Rome is the capital of the Italian Republic.
It is the most populous and largest municipality in Italy and is among Europe’s major capitals in terms of the amount of terrain it covers.
HISTORICAL AND ARCHITECTURAL RICHES
It is the city with the highest concentration of historical and architectural riches in the world. Its historical centre, outlined by the enclosing Aurelian Walls, layering nearly three thousand years of antiquity, is an invaluable testimony to the European western world’s cultural, artistic and historical legacy and in 1980 it was, together with the Holy See’s property beyond the confines of the Vatican State as well as the Basilica of St. Paul outside the Walls, were added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List .
Rome, the heart of Catholic Christianity, is the only city in the world to host an entire foreign state within its confines, the enclave of the Vatican City, and it is for this very reason that it is often referred to as the capital of two States.
Over 16% of the world’s cultural treasures are located in Rome (70% in all of Italy). (turismoroma)

Goin’ to China or maybe Siam
I want to see for myself
Those far away places I’ve been readin’ about
In a book that I took from the shelf

Holland? Or the Netherlands? And what’s the difference between the two? The Netherlands is often referred to as Holland. Nevertheless, the official name of the country is the (Kingdom of the) Netherlands. The Netherlands consists out of twelve provinces. Two of them, North and South Holland, are the two provinces that together make Holland. Due to the maritime and economic power of these provinces in the 17th century, the Netherlands became known worldwide as Holland. To make matters even more confusing the inhabitants of the Netherlands are called Dutch. Internationally, ‘Holland’ is often used to indicate the Netherlands. Holland is also the brand that is used to promote business and leisure trips to the Netherlands. We have chosen Holland as brand name because Holland is internationally well-known, popular and an accessible name for our country. Furthermore Holland stands for all our country’s positive elements, the elements that attract foreign leisure and business travellers. Holland also sounds more hospitable than the rather official ‘the Netherlands’. (holland.com)

The Holland collage was made using Holland postcards that I photographed in my garden in Toronto. National dress is worn in Holland at folkloric events. It was fascinating to travel in Holland and to visit the Gouda cheese factory in the City of Gouda. I grew up eating Gouda cheese. Another favorite spot in Holland was the fishing village of Volendam. It was nice sitting near the water eating pommes de frites and fish.

I start gettin’ restless whenever I hear
The whistle of a train
I pray for the day I can get underway
And look for those castles in Spain

India's Golden Temple was one of the highlights of my visit there. "The Harmandir Sahib, also Darbar Sahib and informally referred to as the "Golden Temple", is the holiest Sikh gurdwara located in the city of Amritsar, Punjab, India. The city was founded in 1574 by the fourth Sikh guru, Guru Ram Das." (Wikipedia) — India’s Golden Temple was one of the highlights of my visit there. “The Harmandir Sahib, also Darbar Sahib and informally referred to as the “Golden Temple”, is the holiest Sikh gurdwara located in the city of Amritsar, Punjab, India. The city was founded in 1574 by the fourth Sikh guru, Guru Ram Das.” (Wikipedia)

They call me a dreamer, well, maybe I am
But I know that I’m burnin’ to see
Those far away places with the strange soundin’ names
Callin’, callin’ me

New Zealand was a fascinating place to visit. This collage shows the Hot Springs at Rotorua where there is also a Maori Village. "The volcanic zone of Rotorua and Taupō is famous for its mud pools that bubble like porridge, geysers spurting steam, and cascading terraces, which form as minerals from the hot springs precipitate on the rocks. Whakarewarewa has 500 hot springs and seven geysers. New Zealand’s largest geyser is Pōhutu, reaching 20 metres or more. Thousands of people visit every year. The only other place where you can see such big geysers is Yellowstone National Park in the USA. (teara.gov.nz) — New Zealand was a fascinating place to visit. This collage shows the Hot Springs at Rotorua where there is also a Maori Village that I visited.
“The volcanic zone of Rotorua and Taupō is famous for its mud pools that bubble like porridge, geysers spurting steam, and cascading terraces, which form as minerals from the hot springs precipitate on the rocks. Whakarewarewa has 500 hot springs and seven geysers. New Zealand’s largest geyser is Pōhutu, reaching 20 metres or more. Thousands of people visit every year. The only other place where you can see such big geysers is Yellowstone National Park in the USA. (teara.gov.nz)

I pray for the day when I’ll find a way
Those far away places to see
Those far away places with the strange soundin’ names
Callin’, callin’ me
Callin’, callin’, callin’ me

Barbados has it all: beach resorts from humble to grand, smashing nightlife, a Unesco World Heritage capitol, Bridgetown, a beautiful interior dotted with gardens, wild surf on the lonely east coast and a proud and welcoming populace. (Lonely Planet) — “Barbados has it all: beach resorts from humble to grand, smashing nightlife, a Unesco World Heritage capitol, Bridgetown, a beautiful interior dotted with gardens, wild surf on the lonely east coast and a proud and welcoming populace.” (Lonely Planet)

I did step on to many sandy beaches in Barbados and it was heavenly! There’s a lot more to “Bajan life” though than just beaches. Travel has a way of opening us to a greater awareness of the world around us and the people that inhabit it. It’s an education all by itself. These are some of the faraway places that I was fortunate to visit and I hope you enjoyed your visit with me.

“One must travel, to learn.”
― Mark Twain