Brrrrr! It’s freezing out here! There is only one extremely long tunnel to get in or out. Look! There is only one tall building in this whole place! Where are the rest? Welcome to the tall but small, wild and wonderous Whittier, Alaska. The community under one roof! Last year, my family and I went on a vacation to Alaska. We traveled there to a little town called Whittier–a very unique community. What is a community? It is a group of people who live and work together with rules and laws to help keep them safe. A community is a place they call home. It typically has essential places and services that the people need to go about their daily lives, like a school, hospital, places of worship, grocery store, police and fire station, etc. It may also have fun places to visit like parks, playgrounds, museums, aquariums etc. What makes Whittier, Alaska very unique? The tunnel in and out Whittier is located 60 miles southeast of Anchorage, the largest city in Alaska. It is to the west of Prince William Sound; a sound is a narrow sea or ocean inlet between two bodies of land. It is nestled in between majestic mountains on one end and forests on the other. The only roadway to and from Whittier is a one-way tunnel that is two and a half miles long and shared by cars and trains. It is the longest tunnel in North America and the first ever that can withstand -40 degrees Fahrenheit and winds that are 150 miles per hour! The tunnel is open only during the day and closed at night. Every half hour, the tunnel opens one way and closes the other. You can also get to the town by sea as well as a scenic ride on Alaska Railroad. The climate Whittier, Alaska is in the arctic tundra biome. It is located north of the world’s northernmost coniferous forests. This biome has long cold winters and short cool summers. It is very windy here. The average temperature in summer is 60 degrees Fahrenheit and in winter is 25 Fahrenheit. It has permafrost grounds which means that the ground is permanently covered in a thin layer of ice. The flora are adapted to grow in these condition by being pine-cone shaped and having small spiny leaves to prevent loss of water. You may think Whittier is too cold for animals but there are so many out there! There are black and brown bears, salmon, sea lions, sea otters, humpback and killer whales and bald eagle. The Begich Towers The population of Whittier is just over 200 people. All of them live in a 14 story building called Begich Towers that was built during World War II. It was originally an army barracks built for hurt or ill people in the war. It was designed in 1953 by Anton Anderson and was completed in 1957. There is a church, school, grocery store, police station, a health clinic, and a laundromat within the building. This way, when the weather gets too cold, the residents can go weeks at a time without ever having to leave! The community is very close-knit. The Chugach people form the Native American Indian community. There are also other communities that live here. Kids can just walk up to their teachers’ apartments to get help with their homework and finish it at their teacher’s kitchen table! People can knock on their police chief’s door at any time. Kids can take an underground tunnel to their indoor playground when it is very cold outside! The wonderful sights to see Whittier has breath-taking sights to see! We went on a glacier cruise in Prince William Sound where we saw massive glaciers that towered over us. The glaciers are blue because they are so densely packed with ice that they absorb all the colors in light and reflect only the blue. You can also go kayaking, boating and back- country camping here. Whittier, Alaska is an adventurous place and fun to visit! Fact Sources https://www.whittieralaska.gov/ Welcome to Whittier, Alaska; NPR, Jan 18, 2015.
travel
Switzerland Travelogue
SWITZERLAND TRAVELOGUE Country: Switzerland Capital: Bern Main Languages Spoken: German (Swiss German), Italian, French Currency: Swiss franc (CHF) Lake Bachalpsee Switzerland is renowned globally for watches, cheese, chocolate, fondue, precision, engineering, cows, milk, etc., but its primary attraction are its skiing slopes. Though tourists flock to Switzerland in winter, in summertime the slopes of the Alps transform into some of the most beautiful hikes ever. As I am about to leave for Germany, I felt that it would only be befitting to reminisce about this gorgeous country I have enjoyed for 4 years. Switzerland has many beautiful villages, snuggled in valleys or tucked away high up in the mountains, each of them offering its own characteristics, but my top destinations are the Jungfrau region and Zermatt.: The villages of Grindelwald, Wengen and Mürren in the Jungfrau region …..— Grindelwald is surrounded by lush, green meadows and famous for its outstanding views of Mount Eiger. The Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau are the famous trio of mountain peaks in the Jungfrau region and have attracted many tourists and mountaineers for years. To conquer the northern face of the Eiger, with its vertical drop of more than 1600 metres, has always been a dream for mountaineers across the world. Just outside the village is the Glacier Canyon (Gletscherschlucht), a deep gorge with the roaring Lutschine river flowing through it. The walkway made through the gorge, though seemingly treacherous, is an experience. The gorge was once a glacier. Over the decades all the ice has melted and has left behind this gorge and the river. Here are some great hikes that you can take from Grindelwald: Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg is a fantastic hike — As the gondola drops you off at Männlichen, an incredibly beautiful panorama unfolds, the Grindelwald valley on one side and the snow peaks at eye level on the other side. After playing in the most unique play area we started our picturesque hike to Kleine Scheidegg. The route is called Panoramaweg. We completed the hike in about two hours and throughout this time we could see the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau right in front of us. First to Lake Bachalpsee — also accessible by a gondola from Grindelwald, this is also a great hike. All the way up you can see cows grazing at high altitudes and one can hear the cowbells throughout. First has loads of adventure activities, a kids play area and of course hiking options. The initial part of the hike is a bit steep and it takes about 1 hour to hike one way to the lake but is totally worth it. The glacial water lake hypnotises you with its beautiful setting amidst the snow clad Alps. While sitting in this heavenly place and enjoying picnic we heard the soothing music of an Alp(en)horn. Wengen and Murren, two pedestrian villages can be accessed from Lauterbrunnen. These villages are at a high altitude and offer fantastic eye-level views of the snow caps. Wengen has a population of 1300 year round residents which swells to 5,000 in summer and 10,000 in winter! Wengen hosts the Lauterbrunnen ski races of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup and is a very popular ski resort. Easily reached by a train ride from Lauterbrunnen, the best views are from the Wengen town church and the station. The pedestrian village of Murren is accessed by a gondola from Lauterbrunnen and then a short train ride. This 15-20 minute train ride has unparalleled views to any other train journey I have undertaken and passes through forests and snow peaks. One can also hike to Murren from Grutschalp instead of taking the train. The hike takes you through Alpine forests, a walk with the cows grazing right next to you, and a fabulous view the whole way through. Another great destination in a different part of Switzerland is the pedestrian village of Zermatt. This village is famous for its views of the famed Matterhorn peak, which is the inspiration for the shape of the Toblerone chocolate. The Matterhorn, on the border of Switzerland and Italy, is a stand-alone and a perfect pyramid shaped mountain making it a spectacle. From Zermatt, the Gornergrat railway runs up to the Gorner glacier which offers panoramic view of the glacier and the surrounding mountains. On the way it stops at a small lake, which on a sunny day offers fantastic views of the Matterhorn, which is perfectly reflected in the lake. While in Switzerland during the summer months, one must not miss the High Alpine Drive that passes through the Grimsel Pass and Furka Pass. Also a famous motorbiking route, it is only open in the summer months. The drive takes you through lakes, lush greenery, snow-capped peaks and glaciers on the way with ample opportunities to stop for picnics and photo shoots. Here are some interesting records Switzerland holds, which corroborate the fact that Swiss engineering, when it comes to mountain transport is unbeatable. Jungfraujoch — Highest railway station in Europe Pilatusbahn — The steepest cogwheel train in the world. Stoosbahn — The steepest funicular in the world. Gotthard Tunnel — The longest (16 Km) and most expensive tunnel in the world. For kids who love nature, Switzerland boasts a wide variety of unique things for kids do. Interlaken, a bustling, noisy town is outstanding if you want to paraglide and literally be ‘on top of the world’. You can paraglide here from the age of 5! Paragliding here is one of my most treasured experiences. From that height in the air you can see the two lakes Interlaken is flanked by— Brienz and Thun. Another fun experience is the Brunni Tickle Path. Here, you go barefoot around a small lake walking over different surfaces which include grass, wood, leaves, stones, cold water and even cow dung! You would want to do this loop again and again with your feet sensing different surfaces every one minute. Near the Tickle Path there is also a toboggan,
Warsaw Travelogue
WARSAW Country: Poland Capital: Warsaw Main Language Spoken: Polish Currency: Zloty Warsaw (Warzawa), is a lively, modern and bustling city lacking nothing. It is steeped in history and this only made me more eager to visit it. Warsaw survived every attempt to wipe it off the face of Earth and rose like a Phoenix from the ashes every time. It has a myriad of museums covering a wide range of topics. I chose two museums – Warsaw Rising Museum and POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews. I would love to thank these two museums for keeping leaflets which contained synopsis of the main events for handing out to tourists. These helped me in reading at leisure and understanding more. It was written in an easy to understand language as well. It helped me in writing this travel journal with accuracy. The Warsaw Rising Museum elucidates a particular event in the history of Warsaw – the Warsaw Rising of 1944. The Germans wanted lebensraum (living space) and Hitler wanted to completely deprive Poland of independence, so Germany attacked Poland in 1939 leading to the precipitation of World War 2. Executions, round-ups and mass transportation to concentration camps or forced labour became normal. The Poles were considered ‘subhuman’ and were to serve as labourers. The Germans killed all the Polish intelligentsia and destroyed their works of art. Underground state came into existence between 1939 and 1940. In 1944 it changed into the home army – AK army – which developed plans for armed defence against Germans. They were called the Insurgents. ‘The Rising’ began on August 1, 1944. Allied aircrafts dropped food, supplies, arms, ammunition and medicine but very little supplies reached the insurgents’ hands. Stalin’s airbases (Russia) remained closed for Allied aircrafts until September 11, 1944. Due to this there was shortage of food. Insurgents and civilians suffered from famine and depression and hopelessness grew. The Germans blocked the network of waterworks so therefore water to drink and put out fires started to run out. There was an order to build wells and they became the main source of water in the second stage of the Rising. Soviet air drops began on September 14 without parachutes so lots of weapons and ammunition was destroyed. Poland did everything they could but defeat was inevitable because of disproportion of forces. People lived in fear of death. The remaining forces fighting waited in vain for the Russian attack (the ‘ally’ acted like an audience). There was no longer any hope of help for fighting Warsaw as the civilians and wounded soldiers found themselves in tragic positions. The home army sent peace envoys for surrender of the city. On October 2, 1944 the agreement was signed to suspend warfare and insurgents and civilians were to leave Warsaw. Soldiers were persecuted on the way and the remaining ones were not given water for a long time. Civilians passed through a camp where they were sent to forced labour in various cities. The Germans broke the provisions of the treaty and blew up everything. Only 64 out of 987 buildings in Warsaw remain untouched. More than 18000 insurgents and 180000 civilians died in the Rising. The defeat of the Rising was also a defeat of Polish aspirations for independence. On February 1945 at the Yalta conference, USA, Great Britain and the Soviet Union decided that Poland would go under communist rule. Warsaw insurgents had to decide whether to stay in exile or to go back to Poland, under the communist rule. Poland had been a key part for protecting the Soviet Union from a foreign attack so they wanted it totally under their control. Soviet control over Poland lessened after Stalin’s death and ceased completely after the fall of the communists in late 1989, although some Soviet forces did not leave Poland until 1993. The POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews is also very engaging and traces the 1000 year old history of Polish Jews until the end of the Holocaust. It depicts their difficulties, life and their culture through many interactive multimedia exhibits. They unravel the story of Polish Jews in such a way you can grasp every word. Poland had the highest Jewish population in Europe. During the Holocaust, out of 6 million Jews exterminated, 3 million were Polish. The Nazis decimated 90% of Polish Jews. This museum has been built on the former site of the Jewish ghetto. The ghetto was a walled area in which Nazis confined Jews and then transported them to concentration camps where they were killed in ghastly and abhorrent ways. On 19th April 1943 the people in the ghetto tried to put up a brave fight against the Nazis though they knew they were doomed to failure. The rising was crushed within a month. It was an act of heroism, desperation, reprisal and a protest against the world’s indifference. There is a monument dedicated to the Ghetto rising on the museum campus. Warsaw Old Town was annihilated during the World War 2. After the WW2, it was rebuilt exactly how it was before the war. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of the superior quality of reconstruction. It consists of 2 main squares – the Old Town market square and the Castle square. We started the walk from the Barbican gate, the last remaining part of a fortress that used to guard Warsaw. The Market square has a statue of a sword and shield wielding mermaid who is supposed to to protect Warsaw from enemies. All taxis in Warsaw have a picture of the sword wielding Mermaid. On either side of the statue there were heavy black old time water pumps
