JOURNAL 3 - Book - The Alps

7 februari 2020 - Ellensburg, Washington, Verenigde Staten

Introduction 

The Alps book cover

The author starts the introduction with how horrible it is to hike the Alps, so why even go there? Reading the introduction, the only thing coming to my mind was "Why have I never been here?". It is in Europe, I have been to so many places in Europe, but never any places like that. My family and I always went to the warm places, but never the snowy, beautiful places. I just made a goal for myself that I am gonna go there, one day... (You see what I did there, grammar didn't matter so I'm even gonna type 'gonna' and 'wanna' :) I already can't wait to see what the Alpes, and all those other snowy, mysterious places in Europe, look like in person. Also, while reading the introduction, I never really thought about how many famous people visited there to get inspired for their cultural arts. For it being so close to my home country, I never really knew anything about the Alpes, and just by reading the introduction I already learned so much. Note to self: Wondering what the author of the book s gonna talk about. 

Part One

So far, there are many details in the book I just forget about. I have a really hard time staying focused on this book. The times I get focused is when I saw that they mentioned the Rhine and Rotterdam. I mean it is interesting to know that the formation of the Alps began 65 million hears ago and that they call that baby mountains, but not that interesting either. And how did a 50 million-year-old rock end up on a 28 million-year-old rock? (Writing numbers under a 100 full out? Also not compulsory, right :). Just like Thomas Burnett I used to think mountains were dangerous and now think they are absolutely gorgeous. The last chapter in part one is about the flowers in the Alps. They are talking about the Gentian, Alpenrose, and the most famous one: Edelweiss. 

the alps gentiansthe alps alpenrosethe alps edelweiss

My personal favorite is the Gentian, D. H. Lawrence describes it as "darkening the day-time, torch-like with the smoking blueness of Pluto's gloom." Though, Edelweiss is most famous because it's so rare, not because of the way it looks, as Twain calls it the "ugly Swiss favorite." 

Part Two

Matt... you are really making us read like 100 pages of this dull book in 5 days... The only thing I am a little excited about is reading this first chapter since the name is Ötzi the iceman. I know about him, just none of the details and that seems interesting, I didn't even know he was found in the Alps (what I am assuming now). 

Wait, he is four feet tall? Can he barrow like some of my inches? (Just kidding, I'm gonna be serious again sorry). It is so interesting how much researchers can find out about somebody, even though he is from 3500 before Christ, like that he died in spring and he had a ritual punishment and that's why he was in the Alps by himself, isn't that crazy. After Otzi the book talks about ancient folks, the Cels, the Roman, and later also about the Bavarians, Slavs, Saracens and the Franks. It starts out pretty interesting but gets boring for quite some time. It talks about all the curvings and rocks, tribes, how Hannibal crossed the Alps with elephants, most of the history of the Alps before Christ. I just got a little shocked when it said that during the Punic War, soldiers had to leave their arms and legs behind in the snow...

Arrived at the beginning of Christianity, the writer starts talking about different kinds of princedoms and their palaces. One of the first examples Chateau de Gruyères. Now the castle is a very busy touristic place with a lot of souvenir shops. The next one is Chateau de Valère. I thought this one was interesting since it used to be a prison. I think it is such a waste that a lot of these castles are used as restaurants or other tourist things, rather than just be how they were and for people to walk through them see how it used to look like. The last remaining princedom is Liechtenstein. I don't really agree with the author's opinion about how it isn't important anymore nowadays. It is the last remaining princedom, it is what I think an important part of history so it should still be important now. 

I'm sorry Matt but if you think I'm gonna remember more than a lady that named her son after a Dolphin from this paragraph, you are very wrong. I was only curious about some of the châteaus that the author is talking about. So I guess I will share them with whoever is reading this too. 

Château de Gruyeres        Château de Valère              Château de Bayard                Château de Chillon                 the Castelgrande            Castello di Montebello            

Alps chateau de gruyeres Alps château de valèrechateau de bayardCHateau de chilloncastelgrandecastello di montebello

 Capella Colleoni          Hofkirche                                Kluze Fortress       Liechtenstein Castle 

 capella colleoniHofkirchekluze fortress alps liechtenstein castle

"Château de Chillon is one of the best-preserved medieval castles in Europe" (43) -- I love this château, it really gives a romantic ambiance and it makes me think of a fairytale that starts in one of those old castles. I think it is very interesting to see the differences between the castles/churches. I can definitely see the differences between the cultures that built them. 

I never knew that Switzerland hasn't even been a country for that long. However, learning the history of Switzerland, how it became a land, that's interesting, learning everything around out about the mountain and lakes passes, not so much. But then again Dena, this class is called the mountains call... 

It is kinda messed up telling someone to shoot an apple from their son's head or they will both die... I like how if he had shot his son in the head, Tell has a second arrow prepared to shoot Gessler. But of course, this story is just like any other, an ending where the hero kills the villain and happy end. 

So how long is it going to talk about how Switzerland became a country? I get that a big part of the alps goes through Switzerland and it was interesting at first, but now I don't even understand what all is going on since it goes from one story to another play to a bridge and they hate those people and that group also hates the Habsburg and back to the first play and to a different story, etc, etc. It would probably make sense if you're very interested in all of this and reading this book and I promise I'm really trying to understand, I just have no idea anymore where this is going. Next chapter, please. Doubting myself every day now if I should've taken your class ;). 

Napoleon and The French Revolution, THANK YOU. A different subject, something I'm actually interested in. Wondering why they talk about that in this book tho, soon to find out. --> so it's because Swiss soldiers died protecting the French royal family basically. I felt like this was gonna end up talking about the World Wars, and I guess I was right lol. 

I always wondered if there were actually "mountain people," if the stories I heard about them were true and why they would want to live there with none or almost no other human contact besides their group. I feel like if I was born into one of those families I might protest against my family, but then again, they don't know anything else so why would they protest. I also always just saw the Alps as mountains with snow, but apparently there is way more than that, they even have an economy with farming, mining, and industry. I feel kinda ignorant, in other words dumb, reading this book and talking about it in class. 

Part three

Sixty pages this week, the mountains experience essay, online discussion, and visiting my spot in nature. Sure, I can do all of that... easy... 

Okay, I am really upset. My blog about the whole part three did NOT save and that makes me really upset cause that took me a lot of time and now I have to write it again. I am going to do my best to write as much as I remember. Definitely a disadvantage of doing my journal online. 

Part three starts with another fairy tale. I recognized Neuschwanstein castle, I think I've seen it in several movies. I like fairy tales, sometimes, just not as much this book talks about them. I like to think that there is a bit of truth in every story, and some fairy tales just don't have anything that could've ever really happened. For example, I believe that there were dragons in the very past. Maybe not how people describe them now, giant, spitting fire, some movies, like The Hobbit, show that they can talk, but maybe in a dinosaurish way. A little smaller maybe, but a creature that lives underneath the mountain. I believe that they live or used to live there, or that people say/assume they did because they are just as mysterious as the mountains. Other movies or TV-shows I love to watch with dragons in them are Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, or Lord of the Rings. 

Then I think the next thing I wrote something about was Jean-Jacques Rousseau. I recognized his name so I searched through my old history notes from high school, which feels like a million years ago, and I found his name. He was a philosopher and brought popular sovereignty to the Netherlands, and to more countries during the Era of Enlightenment. It is interesting to learn more about him and how he grew up to become the man he became. I had no idea people became to appreciate mountains more because of him. The book talks more about romantics and poets, I had a quote from the book, so let me find it again. --> "where better to think lofty thoughts than at the top of a mountain?" (128) I chose this quote because it makes a lot of sense. Being on top of a mountain gives me a sort of rest, but at the same time, I feel like I can conquer the world. This would be a perfect place for philosophers, romantics, and poets to make up their minds or get new ideas. 

The next thing was Frankenstein, I believe. Of course, I have heard of Frankenstein, but that's it. I don't know the story or anything, just that it is a green monster. I think that after this chapter I came to the conclusion that I should have more general knowledge and watch more movies and read more books than most people have, like Frankenstein, the Titanic (no I have never seen the Titanic) and more book the author lists in the last chapter of part three. 

And I assume the last thing I wrote about was the Nazi part. I like to read about it, however, I think the rest of the class not so much. To me, it is very interesting since my country was taken over by the nazi's, for Americans I feel like they care less to read this because they had troops going to Europe to help but the whole country didn't live with the nazis. I never knew the nazi's where hiding in the Alps and where having small wars in there. I should definitely watch more of those movies the author points out in the last chapter of part three. 

Part Four 

It is funny how the chapter starts talking about trains. In the Netherlands and Europe in general, there are so many more trains than in the US. Back home, I use trains to go everywhere, here there aren't even trains everywhere. The dining express in the Glacier could be nice to some people, my personal opinion about that is that I wouldn't wanna be riding in a train while eating food, even though it goes very slow and has a beautiful view. 

Tourists can be very unpleasant people but also very nice and respectful people. It all comes to where they are from, what there own culture is, if they have knowledge about different cultures and how they grew up. Like the book said Switzerland and the Alps are kinda a "tourist playground." A lot of people don't want to be called a tourist because they have such a bad name, however, most tourists aren't even annoying or disrespectful, just a very small amount of them. I understand that Switzerland is a very popular country for tourists but there are many different countries that have more tourists and deal with them as well. I have been a tourist in many different countries and I enjoyed it and was very respectful against the natives. I would tell other people, before they go somewhere and be a tourist, read something about the country, learn a bit about their culture, and you'll be fine. Not everybody hates tourists, only if they behave wrong. 

Foto’s