Amsterdam

Last week I had the opportunity to go to Amsterdam with Jon, who was attending the International Broadcast Conference.  Neither of us had been before and I must say I saw much more of this beautiful city than Jon did.

Amsterdam has quite a history. You can read about it by clicking here. The best way to see the city is on one of the many canal boat tours.  There are several companies that provide hop-on hop-off service. It is also a terrific city for walking or riding bikes and it has an extensive tram/train service for getting around.  I was not brave enough for a bike. My concern was I would either get hit by a car, a tram, a motorbike or simply fall into a canal. 

Among the sites I visited were the Rijksmuseum, the Hermitage Amsterdam, the Rembrandt House and the Anne Frank House.  The Anne Frank House was incredibly moving (like the Holocaust Museum in DC).  It was reverently quiet and chilling when you think about what these families endured.  Unfortunately it was pouring so I have no photos.  I skipped the Heineken Brewery tour and Jon and I made the obligatory walk through the Red Light District.  WOW!  I lead a very sheltered life.


Hope you enjoy the photos and the brief explanations.

Typical view of the city

Amsterdam is filled with streetside cafes and the cafes are filled
when the weather is good.

Holland's windmills were used for sawing wood
which made them the largest shipbuilding and trading country
in the world in the 1600s. The Dutch East India
Company, is still around today, would be the size of
Microsoft and Coca Cola combined.

The Rijksmuseum, home to the Dutch Masters, among many
others.

Locals say the canals here are 3 meters deep. the 1st meter is
water, the 2nd meter is mud and the 3rd meter is bicycles.

Grand Central Station and the electric tram lines in the
foreground. Grand Central and the Rijksmuseum are identical
buildings built by the same architect.

The Rembrandt House, one of my favorite sites.

The iconic houseboats

The Hermitage Museum Amsterdam. Another favorite
site of mine.  It had the Art of the Russian Orthodox Church on display.

Even in the fall the flowers are beautiful

The South African National Anthem and Rugby World Cup

Last Thursday was a big day in SA as the country sent their national rugby team, the Springboks, off to New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup (SA is the current rugby world champ). There was a big send-off here in Jo'burg with bands, lots of beer, and the team making an appearance, signing autographs and posing for photos.  At one point everyone sang the national anthem, which is a beautiful song.  The words, on the other hand, are another story.  But it is an interesting story, to say the least. It consists of five languages. Following is a brief history of the anthem, the anthem itself and then the English translation.  I found this information on www.southafrica.info.

Before South Africa's first democratic elections in 1994, the country had two anthems – an official and an unofficial one. The official anthem was Die Stem, in English The Call of South Africa. The unofficial anthem, Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika, was a symbol of independence and resistance to apartheid, sung by the majority of the population and at all anti-apartheid rallies and gatherings. In the official anthem of the new South Africa, the two anthems merge into one.

Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika
Maluphakanyisw' uphondo lwayo,
Yizwa imithandazo yethu,
Nkosi sikelela, thina lusapho lwayo.

Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso,
O fedise dintwa le matshwenyeho,
O se boloke, O se boloke setjhaba sa heso,
Setjhaba sa South Afrika – South Afrika.

Uit die blou van onse hemel,
Uit die diepte van ons see,
Oor ons ewige gebergtes,
Waar die kranse antwoord gee,

Sounds the call to come together,
And united we shall stand,
Let us live and strive for freedom,
In South Africa our land.

The isiXhosa and isiZulu of the first stanza, the Sesotho of the second stanza and the Afrikaans of the third stanza translate into English as follows:

Lord, bless Africa
May her spirit rise high up
Hear thou our prayers
Lord bless us.

Lord, bless Africa
Banish wars and strife
Lord, bless our nation
Of South Africa.

Ringing out from our blue heavens
From our deep seas breaking round
Over everlasting mountains
Where the echoing crags resound ...

You can click on the link below to hear the song and follow along with the lyrics.  Be sure to have your speakers on!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXKur2FAN7g