Things That I Have Learned In Helsinki, Finland

Posted on August 18, 2014 by jaynezak

Things That I Have Learned in Helsinki, Finland

“Countries are like people: by their very existence they exalt or deflate the opinions one would like to have of themselves. When I return from Finland, I feel younger and livelier; I make great plans, I like many things in the world and, what is more, I like myself a little better.” George Duhamel

Helsinki is one of the coldest cities in the world. It does not receive sunshine for about fifty consecutive days in winters. The city has around a hundred average days of snow and a hundred and seventy days of below freezing weather. (not winter)

Helsinki has many heavy metal bands. They even have them for kids. You are never too young to rupture your eardrums.

You can take the ferry from Talinn, Estonia to Helsinki, Finland.

Helsinki’s has one hundred kilometres of coast and over three hundred islands of which many are accessible for recreational use. You can take a ferry to Suomenlinna which has one of the world’s largest maritime fortresses. The islands of Pihlajasaari and Uunisaari are good for beaches and sauna. You can go to Seurasaari Open Air Museum, or the Helsinki Zoo which is located on an island called Korkeasaari.

There are around 2.2 million saunas in Finland – 1 for every 2.5 people. Visiting the sauna is as normal to a Finn, as going to the pub is to a Brit.

A Finnish sauna is taken naked. Wearing clothes in the sauna is a big faux pas. A bathing suit counts as clothes. It’s normal to go in with groups of friends or family, drink beer and even grill sausages on the fire.

The Sibelius monument, designed by Eila Hiltunen, is dedicated to Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, which was made public on 7th September, 1967. It is made up of 600 steel pipes, plastered together in the shape of wave.

Helsinki has the highest cellphone-to-resident ratios in the world. This is odd because the people don’t appear to be that talkative. Maybe it is not so odd because the world’s leading manufacturer of cell phones, Nokia, is based in Finland. Nokia used to make rubber boots. I see the similarity (?)

The amount that you get fined for speeding on the roads in Finland depends on the amount you earn. I heard that the CEO of Nokia had some really expensive speeding ticket.

The Design Museum of Helsinki has a permanent collection of over 75,000 pieces. It is Finnish design from the nineteenth century to the present. I have always been a fan of Industrial Finnish design of the fifties and sixties and so i spent many hours there.

In 1952, the 15th Summer Olympic Games were held in Helsinki. They proved to be a milestone in the city’s history as they led to further urbanization and development of the city.

There are more women than men in Finland.

Finnish food is simple, local and organic. Being so close to Russia (we took the train to St Petersburg) there is always meat and potatoes. Meat is served well done, with blood or with a lot of blood. There is always fish because of all the lakes, rivers and the sea, Whitefish, herring and salmon are popular. I had hot smoked salmon which was weirdly delicious – so was reindeer. (Sorry Rudolph fans)

Helsinki was originally Helsinkflors which is Swedish (and apparently so were they for a time –and then they were Russian).

Swedish is also an official language in Finland. Linguistically Finnish is closer to Hungarian than Swedish. Signs are indecipherable – don’t even try.

Helsinki enjoys long days of almost 19 hours during summers. Conversely, during winters, the nights are longer with almost 18 hours of darkness. ( summer in Helsinki)

One of my favorite modern art museums is the Kiasma Museum of Modern Art. It is not just an art but a spatial experience.

Helsinki has a huge bunny rabbit problem. Very little happens in Finland which is how I know about the bunny problem. They report it a lot on the news.

The Church of the Rock was designed by the two brothers, Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen. They started their work in 1968 by exploding a rocky outcrop, which was developed as an underground church with a copper wire ceiling in 1969. From the aerial view it appears as if a UFO has collided with the ground.

Finns can drink. Don’t try to keep up. Alcohol is a food group here. Finns have long life spans unless they die of alcohol poisoning or related accidents. They will pee anywhere when they are drunk- which is why a city which such clean air can often smell bad in the morning.

Try not to mention architect Aalvar Aalto and composer Jan Sibelius when speaking about famous Finns. At least say you have heard of Esa Pekka Salonen. (being that he conducted the LA Philharmonic –I’m good)

Finns say hei for hello. It’s not rude – it’s friendly.

Oct 13 is failure day –a day to share your failure stories and learn from them. I have a lot of those days.

Because of the presence of buildings resembling St. Petersburg, many Hollywood films were shot in Helsinki, for instance, The Kremlin Letter, Reds, and Gorky Park. The city offers some picturesque streets that are reminiscent of old Leningrad’s and Moscow’s ancient buildings. (Helsinki Cathedral)

The Molotov cocktail was a Finnish invention during World War II and was used against the Russians. The Russian foreign minister Molotov claimed that the bombs they sent to Finland were food rations. So the Finns sent back a “cocktail” to go with the food.

Turvallista matkaa!,

JAZ

My Top Ten Imaginary Places

Posted on August 14, 2014 by jaynezak

My Top Ten Imaginary Places

“Captain Cook discovered Australia looking for the Terra Incognita. Christopher Columbus thought he was finding India but discovered America. History is full of events that happened because of an imaginary tale. “ Umberto Eco

I think imaginary places exist to help us make sense of our realities. Sometimes they look a lot like the world we live in. There are always recognizable characters that we know from our own lives. Sometimes the places look completely different. Always, I am transported to the world of these author’s imaginations and for this I am grateful.

1. Chocolate Factory – Willly Wonka And The Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

I was brought up on health food and was not allowed to have candy as a kid. This was my ultimate fantasy place. Wonka’s Chocolate Factory included a river of chocolate with enough chocolate to fill every bathtub in the entire country. The grass and flowers are made of candy and minted sugar. Machines can shrink you into a tiny person and special seltzer can make you float. Also, nothing really bad happened at the Chocolate Factory as opposed to other imaginary places, which look great but have witches and warlocks and pirates and monsters.

2. Emerald City, Oz -The Wizard Of Oz by Frank Baum

“The walls are green, but the city itself is not. However, when they enter, everyone in the Emerald City is made to wear green-tinted eye glasses this is explained as an effort to protect their eyes from the “brightness and glory” of the city, but in effect makes everything appear green when it is, in fact, “no more green than any other city.” Dorothy sees rows of shops, selling green articles of every variety, and a person who sells green lemonade, from whom children bought it with green pennies.” I’m talking more about the MGM version in all its1939 green, Technicolor glory with midgets and kids dancing and singing all around as munchkins. Emerald City was a happy place.

3. Narnia The Chronicles Of Narnia by CS Lewis

Narnia is a fantasy world of magic, mythical beasts, and talking animals. The protagonists are all children from the real world who go through a closet and are magically transported to Narnia, where they are called upon by the lion Asian to protect Narnia from evil and restore the throne to its rightful line. The books span the entire history of Narnia, from its creation to its eventual destruction. There is something about going through an ordinary closet and finding an extraordinary world that is very appealing to me.

4. Atlantis Timaeus and Critias by Plato.

That was the earliest reference to Atlantis which has been mentioned many times in literature as a perfect place. In this story Atlantis was a fictional island who ruled the world and suffered defeat against Ancient Athens (Plato’s perfect society). I love Greek mythology and the ancient gods give Poseidon the island. But I think it is Plato’s description of the island that captivated me not the story. It lies between “the pillars of Hercules in the Straits of Gibraltar.” It was larger than ancient Libya and Asia Minor and then it was swallowed up by the sea and vanished. I think that was my beginning of wanting to see the world and the Straits Of Gibraltar are still on my bucket list.

5.Hogwarts Harry Potter Series by A.K.Rowling

Hogwarts is ‘the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry” in the world. Its full name is the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It is located in Hogwarts Castle somewhere in Scotland. The exact location is unknown. Children with magical abilities may be enrolled at birth, and acceptance is confirmed by an owl at age eleven. Of course Hogwarts is on my list because it feeds into my over achieving sensibilities. It’s the best. There are definitely a lot of the Dark Arts people hanging around, but Harry always triumphs in the end. What House would I join? and what would I wear? I want to be in Gryffindor, but Ill probably be accepted into Hufflepuff. As long as I’m not in Slytherin, it is all good.

6.Camelot The Once and Future King by TH White

Camelot is the castle and court of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. It includes King Arthur, Guinevere, Sir Galahad, Sir Lancelot, the Holy Grail and a sword named Excalibur and sometimes a wizard named Merlin. The location of Camelot is not agreed upon since the stories are based on early French romance stories. Camelot has become more of an Arthurian vision than an actual place. It was full of high ideals, quests and medieval chivalry with occasional jousting. I think we always want our leaders to follow the Code of the Knights of the Round Table. The legend lives on.

7. Neverland Peter Pan by JM Barrie

Neverland is another one of the places that has an ambiguous location because it exists in the minds of children. It has directions like second star to the right and straight on till morning. Peter Pan, Lost Boys, Pirates, Fairies, Mermaids and Indians live there. It is best known for being a place where people don’t grow up and time is difficult to track. The only clock is inside a crocodile. The not growing older interests me at this time.

8. Utopia Utopia by Thomas Moore

Utopia is an invented island society where everything is perfect. The political system, legal system and all social and religious interactions are perfect. The word Utopia comes from Latin and literally means nowhere. Thomas Moore gave us the word for a perfect society that can never exist. As an adult living in the messy and violent world of 2014, Utopia sounds like something to strive for – even half Utopia would be good.

9. Shangri-La Lost Horizon by James Hilton

Shangri-La is a fictitious, happy land of eternal youth, isolated form the outside world in the mountains of Tibet. People are immortal and only show their age a little bit. The book says, having made war on the ground, man would now fill the skies with death, and all precious things were in danger of being lost – books, art, relics etc. It was hoped that, overlooked by the violent outside world, Shangri-la would keep them and show them later to a receptive world exhausted by war. That was the real purpose of the lamasery of Shangri La – study, inner peace, and long life were merely a side benefit to living there. We look for peace now as our world becomes more chaotic – for a place to put our history so it won’t be destroyed by the environment and violence.

10 Xanadu Kubla Khan a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

One night after an opium influenced dream and reading about Xanadu, the summer palace of the Mongol ruler Kubla Khan, Coleridge wrote one of his most famous poems. It was based on the writings of Marco Polo who said he had visited there. It created pictures in my mind of people in the world that I had never heard of – like a damsel with a dulcimer and an Absynnian maid. He joined two of my favorite things – imagination and traveling to an exotic place. It was as far away from Brooklyn as a girl could get.

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan, A stately pleasure-dome decree :

Where Alph, the sacred river, ran. Through caverns measureless to man

Down to a sunless sea.

Any more places?

Read Safe,

JAZ

Ten Reasons Why I Love Planning Trips

Posted on August 8, 2014 by jaynezak

Ten Reasons Why I Love Planning Trips

“If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.” Yogi Berra

I love planning trips. They don’t even have to be my trips. I love looking at hotels, restaurants, things to do, shopping. I don’t particularly love the logistics. But I love the itinerary. I thought about why that is.

1. Anticipation makes you happy. According to Brian Knutson, an assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at Stanford, a big part of happiness is looking forward to something. (like Pavlov’s dogs learning to salivate at the sound of the bell)

2. Everything seems possible. “I’m going to be in Thailand and my daughter is going to be in Hobart Tasmania for New Years Eve . That can’t be too far. They are both in the Southern Hemisphere. Maybe I can meet them.” (except there are no direct flights and I would have to change my mileage ticket, no easy feat these days.) “I’ll just fly straight home from Misiones, Argentina.” (three planes and five airports later). “So we will go to the Kyushu Islands and then Okinawa.” (planes, trains, buses and automobiles).

3. Buying things in a store on sale, though it makes you happy, is not as exciting as scoring a business class mileage ticket to Australia or finding the cheapest flight possible on the internet.

4. My travel agent makes it fun. (john.peterson@frosch.com) He gets just as excited as I do when it comes together. He is also into getting the best price. As soon as I find the best deal for a hotel on the internet, I tell him and he goes to work and does better. One time he called and was so excited, “I just got you breakfast included and the price down 500 yen a night.” I didn’t want to tell him that was five dollars. But he beat me again.

5. Shopping for travel is my most favorite thing. My first stop after I book my flight is Travelers Bookcase (http://www.travelersbookcase.com) to stock up on the best and most current travel books from the countries I am going to. Next,Flight 001 (http://www.flight001.com) for more packing bags and the latest and greatest travel must haves. Then Savinar Luggage (http://savinarluggage.com) to see if an even lighter suitcase has come out yet.

6. You are not packing yet. (which for me is the opposite of love).

7. I love reading about places I haven’t been to yet. I like doing the research It’s great to find some weird tour, out-of-the-way art gallery, store that sells something only they have in the world, a must eat in restaurant, a special beach or flea market. Then I picture myself at these places. I’m a complete travel nerd.

8.Though I love planning alone, the most fun is planning my Japan trips with my friend Reiko who lives there. We are both planners. No detail is too small for us to discuss in-depth for hours. Her niece Anna is a super planner and when we go somewhere together, it is always perfect. They always want me to have the best experience in Japan possible. I always do which is probably why it is one of my favorite countries.

9. There is no jet lag, flight delays, cancelled flights, broken suitcases, missing luggage, getting lost, bugs, stomach problems, illness, blisters or bad weather when you are planning.

10. The best part of planning is knowing that no matter how much you plan, as some point when you get there, you will need to be able to go with the flow and change gears. That is the secret to the perfect trip.

Fly safe,

JAZ

Floatplane From Vancouver – Conquering The Fear

Posted on August 2, 2014 by jaynezak

Floatplane From Vancouver – Conquering the Fear

“There are only two emotions in a plane: boredom and terror.” Orson Welles

My fear of small prop planes started on my very first one. I was flying from Santorini to Athens. There was a lot of seat shifting before takeoff. I was asked to move to the front. When I questioned it, the stewardess said to my friend in Greek, “We need to put the fat people in the back to equalize the weight on the plane.” My friend was American Greek so she thought that was what the stewardess said. I looked around in horror making sure that no one had lied about his weight. I believed my life was dependent on the people who had not stuffed themselves on vacation with generous helpings of moussaka, saganaki, tiropites. spanakopita, pastitsio and baklava. To this day when I go on a small plane, I wonder if I should I tell them that I gained a few pounds.

The next incident happened when I was leaving Aspen Colorado, with my very young children who had their whole lives ahead of them. It was late and the airport was very quiet and had only a few people in it. They said the plane had just arrived. We did not hear anything. Shouldn’t the airlines have told me if they were putting me on a sixteen seat prop plane through the Rocky Mountains at night all the way to Los Angeles? I asked the pilot if that plane was safe. He said, “Of course, this plane has real leather seats”. I have no idea what that means. Were the seats the most expensive piece of equipment on the plane? The good news was that I had an individual very small solo seat by the window. So did each of my very small children. This way they did not have to see me plan my own death. Did it hurt more to crash into the mountains at night than to crash in the water and drown?

After that I avoided small planes at all costs. I planned vacations into larger airports and always looked up the plane I was going to be on.

I don’t know why I wanted to take a floatplane from Vancouver to Victoria, British Colombia. Life happened and my children have made it alive to adulthood so maybe a small plane was less scary now. I thought it would be a fun thing to do with my son.

My hotel window in Vancouver faced the water and I could easily see the small seaplane terminal. For three days I counted the planes that left and made sure the same number returned. I watched the Canadian News to make sure no crashes were reported. It was all good so far but it was exhausting being the safety police.

My son and I have different meanings of the words, on time for a flight – especially when you can walk to the terminal. When we arrived, the plane was already full and we could not sit together.

I happened to mention to the man sitting next to me that I was afraid of small planes. (in case I started clutching him in terror) He told me not to worry because he had been a fighter pilot in the Air Force. He proceeded to tell me every almost crash horror story that happened to him. “After all,” he said, We are flying during the day. It isn’t like we are landing on what we believe to be an airstrip at night in bad weather, with no lights, in the mountains of India.”

The plane took off. It was so quiet. There was no bumpy turbulence or loud noise of a prop plane. This time we glided into space like a bird in flight.

It was so incredibly beautiful to look down at the Canadian landscape,

Flying at a low altitude through the clouds, i saw a completely different perspective of the world below.

The land looked dreamlike and other worldly.

It was breathtaking and relaxing. The landing was just as smooth as we cruised into Victoria harbor.

Its amazing when you find out that you can do what you are afraid to do. I learned that day to not limit my experiences because of my fears . I couldn’t wait for the flight back to Vancouver.

Fly safe,

JAZ

Who Are We Fighting? Israel, Gaza, Ukraine, Nigeria etc

Posted on July 28, 2014 by jaynezak

Who Are We Fighting? Israel, Gaza, Ukraine, Nigeria etc

“A true war story is never moral. It does not instruct, nor encourage virtue, nor suggest models of proper human behavior, nor restrain men from doing the things men have always done. If a story seems moral, do not believe it. If at the end of a war story you feel uplifted, or if you feel that some small bit of rectitude has been salvaged from the larger waste, then you have been made the victim of a very old and terrible lie. There is no rectitude whatsoever. There is no virtue. As a first rule of thumb, therefore, you can tell a true war story by its absolute and uncompromising allegiance to obscenity and evil. ” Tim O Brien, The Things They Carried

I was at a Coffee Bean in Los Angeles ordering a coffee. A woman was arguing with the cashier. She was blond with a British accent. She was angry because she wanted to put her chicken in the refrigerator while she drank her coffee. They explained to her that this was a kosher coffee shop and they could not take her food in the refrigerator. Now the reality is I don’t think any restaurant in America can put your personal food in their refrigerator due to Health Department reasons. She became very angry and yelled in my ear (I was next to her) to “Tell the rabbi to go f-ck himself.” I said that I preferred not to hear anti-Semitic comments while I was ordering my coffee. She replied quickly that I should “Go bomb Gaza.”

I don’t understand. The Palestinians know they are in the middle of a war and that Israel is targeting certain areas. Why are their children on roofs playing with pigeons? Why are they running around in the streets? Why are they not evacuating their homes and schools and protecting their children? We keep seeing horrific shots on CNN of children being killed and hurt . As a parent, I would put my kids safety first, no matter who told me to stay. Israel does not want to kill their children. They just want peace. They want the rockets and terrorism to stop. But it seems that Hamas is not protecting the people of Gaza and is more concerned with blowing Israel off the face of the earth. How do you solve that?

A passenger airline carrying two hundred and ninety eight passengers, eighty of them children, is shot down over Ukrainian air space. The bodies fell out of the plane along with toys and personal belongings. They fell on the children’s orphanage in Torez. It will be a sight those orphans will never forget, -teddy bears, dolls, those beautifully made European toys and naked bodies with their clothes blown off in the blast. The world is shocked but the war will still continue in the Ukraine.

In Nigeria it has been one hundred days since two hundred girls were abducted from their school by the Boko Haram terrorists. The International Community is horrified and it seems we can do nothing.

And what about the children in Somalia, Afghanistan, Syria? And before that in Rwanda, Liberia, Libya, Cambodia, Bosnia-Herzegovina? And World War II?

Are we still fighting the children of the world? Have we learned nothing from the past? Will innocent children always be casualties of war?

I can only feel compassion and hope that others do also. Hope is the only thing to hold onto when everything appears so dark. Life looks like a mess right now in our world. But as human beings, we have the capacity for goodness. We have the ability to think and talk and that has gotten us into trouble. We can only hope that same ability to think and discuss will help us find peace.

Fly safe,

JAZ

Travel Photos – Catching Yourself In The Act Of Becoming Something Good

Posted on July 22, 2014 by jaynezak

Travel Photos – Catching Yourself in The Act of Becoming Something Good

At times the world can seem an unfriendly and sinister place, but believe us when we say that there is much more good in it than bad. All you have to do is look hard enough. And what might seem to be a series of unfortunate events may, in fact, be the first steps of a journey.”  — Lemony Snicket A Series of Unfortunate Events

Some good advice about raising kids is “ catch them in the act of doing something good.” Most of us don’t feel good about ourselves all the time and we need to be reminded of things we have done. We don’t usually take photos when we are helping a friend or family member, creating something or facing our fears. Those are usually done without any fanfare but I found a few times where I’ve done these things ( though not the best photos) and I thought I would put them up as a reminder that change and becoming who you never thought you would be, is good.

Feeding kangaroos in Tasmania, Australia

Practicing English in Kyoto, Japan

Going On A Seaplane in Vancouver, Canada

Hiking near Bogota, Colombia

Making Jewelry in Toledo, Spain

Meditating in Bangkok, Thailand

Going on a hot air balloon ride over Cappadocia, Turkey

Buying fried crickets “chapulinas” for a snack in Oaxaca, Mexico

Driving in the Atacama Desert on unpaved roads for hours to get toI the salt flats of Northern Argentina 14,000 feet above sea level.

After school tutoring at 826LA

Ultimately the lesson is simple and powerful. If we are eager to create a world where people do their best, we need to highlight and celebrate when we face our fears, create something we are proud of and act with kindness.

Fly safe,

JAZ

Josette And Ron’s Wedding – God, America, Jamaica And Israel

Posted on July 18, 2014 by jaynezak

Josette and Ron’s Wedding – God, America, Jamaica And Israel

‘Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,  I took the one less traveled by,  and that has made all the difference. “ Robert Frost

It is not a poem I expected to be read at a wedding by the father of the groom. It is one of my favorite poems. I had to memorize it in high school. I know it well.

I hadn’t spoken to Josette in a while . She was a good friend of my daughter and they had grown up together in the dance world. Josette is a beautiful Jamaican American girl. She contacted me to invite us to her wedding. I knew she was engaged to an Israeli boy. I responded that “I know rabbis’ ha ha.” She said “Not so ha ha. I’m Jewish now and I live in Tel Aviv.” I spent that day laughing about how strange the world was and that people will always surprise you. She was having two weddings one in California and one in Israel. It turned out that you can not be married twice by a rabbi so she was getting married in California by the pastor from her church.

I’ve known her family for seventeen years. They are the most devout Christian family I know. We have never had a conversation that didn’t mention Jesus or God or praying – a lot of praying. I wrestle with God so their unshakable faith is hard for me to understand. I’m also a little bit jealous of people who have that kind of faith. I think they are happier.

I was curious how they would feel about their daughter marrying outside their race and religion and moving far away to start a very different life. Their close family and their faith was such a big part of who they were.

The families couldn’t have been more different. Jamaican Americans and Israelis from Israel. For younger Americans, racial and ethnic diversity are a part of their lives now– for their parents not so much.

It turned out that these families had more in common then one would think. They were both intact loving families. Their parents had long-term marriages and were growing old together. Both Josette and Ron talked about learning honor, integrity and kindness from their families. Their values and their belief in God made them more the same than different. I think that is what God is supposed to be about – not the separate God of individual countries and religions. There was a lot of praying and it was the first time I heard Christ Our Lord and Mazel Tov (pronounced with the accent on the zal the way the Israelis do) in the same sentence.

There was so much love in that room. Ron and Josette seem to have the same soul, the same values and the same dreams. If they change the world around them a little bit and offer some hope for the future , that is a bonus. (Oh and they both can dance) Both families seemed very happy with their new family members and they loved Ron and Josette!!.

The ceremony was beautiful. The setting was exquisite. Their Christian ceremony ring was placed on the third finger. Their Jewish ring will be the fourth finger and then they ended the ceremony by jumping the broom. This practice is common today in African-American families as a remembrance of the “mock marriage” ceremony for the slaves in the South in the 1840s and 1850s. They will be married now in the eyes of God, two religions and history.

Ron’s mother ran up to Josette’s brother’s girlfriend. “Are you coming to Israel next month?” They talked about travel plans. We saw Josette’s mom when we were leaving. I said “I can’t believe that you are going to Israel before my kids.” She replied in her beautiful Jamaican accent to my daughter. “You haven’t visited the homeland? You know that you can go for free.” (Birthright trip)

I said congratulations. We talked about how brave Josette was to make a decision to live such a different life. She answered, “that we can only pray.” (photo -Nicole Lennox Creative.)

Keep Safe Josette and Ron and Fly Safe Everyone,

JAZ

Things That I Have Learned In Victoria, Canada

Posted on July 12, 2014 by jaynezak

Things That I Have Learned In Victoria, Canada

“He’s got this thing about Canada. He says it’s like America only with health care and no guns, and you can live up to your potential there and not have to worry about what society thinks or about getting sick or getting shot.” Ruth Ozeki

Victoria is the capital of British Columbia. It was incorporated as a city in 1862. The city is named after Queen Victoria. Victoria lies on the southern tip of Vancouver Island on the Pacific Coast.

It is called the “city of gardens.” The famous Butchart Gardens opened in 1904, are only about a twenty-five minute drive from downtown Victoria.

Approximately 1,500 hanging baskets adorn lampposts throughout the City of Victoria each summer

Victoria’s Inner Harbor is the heart of the city. There are historic buildings and a lot boat and seaplane activity on the water.The Royal BC Museum and the BC Parliament Buildings are all in this area.

The food in Victoria reflects the local ingredients and flavors of the Pacific Northwest. Victoria’s rich farming regions and coastal waters yield an abundance of produce and seafood, particularly shellfish and salmon.

When someone in Victoria says oot and a boot, they mean out and about.

Fan Tan Alley is the narrowest commercial street in North America. It is located in Chinatown – the second largest Chinatown in North America after San Francisco.

You can get to Victoria via ferry. Float planes come from all over including regular scheduled flights from downtown Vancouver.

Forty six percent of people in Victoria walk, ride or use public transportation to get to work.

It’s an outdoorsy place with hiking, biking, kayaking and sailing. It is the cycling capital of Canada.

The world’s largest totem pole was raised in Victoria in 1994 as an homage to Victoria’s native history.

The architecture and tea and crumpets at the Fairmont is a reminder of the British heritage. Cuppa tea anyone?

Fly safe,

JAZ

Ten Things That I Have Learned From Watching The World Cup

Posted on July 8, 2014 by jaynezak

Ten Things That I Have Learned From Watching The World Cup

“Life is like a game of soccer. You need goals. If there are no goals in your life then you can’t win.” Unknown author

It’s not football, it’s futbol.

America was the least excited about the World Cup and Indonesia was the most excited. Brazil was in the middle.

The World Cup has weird opening ceremonies and I missed them. People were dressed as soccer balls.

These teams have the hottest players of any sport. It’s hard to pick the cutest one.

Both Germany and Brazil have made it to the World Cup finals seven times and now going for eight. Brazil has won the World Cup five times.

They said Americans would never watch soccer. More Americans are watching the World Cup than the World Series.

But there are soccer haters here. There are people who feel that World Cup fever somehow diminishes American sports. “It is a sport for new Americans.“ Get over yourselves. It’s nice to be a part of the world.

Though most South American countries have supported each other, the rivalry between Argentina and Brazil over who really has the best soccer player continues. Was it Maradona or Pele? Will it be Lionel Messi or Neymar?

Argentina is the second most buyer of World Cup tickets after the US. Twenty five thousand people traveled from Argentina (mostly without tickets) to line up to support their team against Switzerland. They are in the finals (yay).

Soccer Fans are the most passionate sports fans –especially in Latin America. The game is tied up with politics, religion, macho and national pride. I saw the Boca Juniors (Maradona’s team) play at La Boca stadium in Buenos Aires and I was hooked. It was Soccer Fans The Musical with just enough danger thrown in to make it interesting. The game was good too.

Fly safe,

JAZ

Things I Have Learned In Vancouver, Canada

Posted on July 5, 2014 by jaynezak

Things I Have Learned In Vancouver, Canada

“I’ve been to Canada, and I’ve always gotten the impression that I could take the country over in about two days.” Jon Stewart

Vancouver is named after George Vancouver, a morose sounding guy who hated the place. ( Opening to the Northwest Passage – monument to Captain Vancouver in Vanier Park)

Thirty five per cent of Vancouver’s population is foreign-born (the highest figure for a city in the world). It has the highest proportion of Asians in any North American city.

Greenpeace was started in Vancouver – just in case you thought it was started by vegans in San Francisco.

Sun Yat Sen Gardens (named after the Chinese revolutionary) were the first authentic classical Chinese gardens ever built outside of China.

Chinese gardens employ principles of Feng Shui and Taoism, to achieve harmony and a balance of opposites. Craggy rocks, for example, are juxtaposed against delicate foliage. Water is also an important element of the garden. It is an oasis of peace in the beautiful city.

Vancouver ranks third in the world as the best city to live in.

This is a great eating city. Their specialties are seafood, local cheese and fresh produce. There is excellent Asian food as well. Don’t miss the Granville Market which is an entire island near downtown filled with crafts, farmer’s market, and specialty food vendors.

The Vancouver (YVR) airport has free WiFi.

Vancouver has the highest real estate prices in Canada.

Stanley Park is Vancouver’s largest and much used park.

Set against an urban seawall there are miles of trails, bike paths, beautiful beaches, gardens, monuments, sculptures the first nations totem poles., local wildlife, food, natural, cultural and historical landmarks.

You can’t buy beer or alcohol in the grocery store.

The Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG)) is the fifth-largest gallery in Canada. Its permanent collection is about 10,000 pieces. . There are always interesting exhibitions as well and is a nice break from all the outdoor activities.

Vancouver is North America’s second largest port. (after New York)

Vancouver is the second or third largest film production centre in North America. It is second to LA in television production & third behind LA and NY in feature film production. This is due to favorable tax concessions to the industry, the year round mild climate, and Vancouver’s wide variety of locales. Most productions are American. Most Canadian productions are in Toronto.

The Twilight Saga was filmed in Vancouver.

Gastown was the first settlement in Vancouver. Today it has a lot of tourist shops, First Nation galleries, and pretty street lights. The main activity seems to be taking a picture of the steam clock.

Vancouver has the largest crime rate in Canada but still well below many American cities. This is due to the large number of drug addicts who live here.(because it is the third best city in the world to live?)

The city has less than fifty murders a year. Some of them are criminals killing other criminals. You can’t make this stuff up.

Fly safe,

JAZ