Travel 2014
This page has mostly photos of general
interest, while specific events have separate pages
Unusually, the year started with 8 weeks without traveling, except for a
short visit to my wife Martine in Strasbourg. Then in late February I went
to the Netherlands for 8 busy days, and in
mid-March two weeks in India accompanying an EPFL
course (more photos on separate page). April started with a week in Ireland
for a PERL meeting (separate page)
and some Baha'i talks. At the end of April I made presentations at a
week-long Bahá'í Spring Camp (see separate
page) in La Chapelle d'Abondance, a village in
the French Alps, followed the next week by the ebbf - Ethical Business
Building the Future - spring event near London (separate
page). June began with a week in Shanghai, China, to attend the second
Global Research Forum on Sustainable Production and Consumption at Fudan
University (separate page), followed
the next weekend by a meeting of the Triglav Circle
in Montézillan, a village in the Jura Mountains behind Neuchatel,
Switzerland, and the following weekend an Ethics Expo in Mantova,
Italy, where I was treated to a guided tour of the historic center of the
city and a boat tour of the adjacent lakes (separate page).
In early July I crossed to the other side of Switerland to contribute to an
International Peace Seminar in Walenstadt (see separate
page for more on the seminar). In late July I flew to California
to join my brother Greg and his family on vacation (separate
page for family pictures), then went to Toronto
for the Association for Baha'i Studies and International Environment Forum
joint conference, before going to Quebec for two
weeks with my son Alex and family, including the Quebec
Baha'i Summer School 14-17 August (separate
page). The beginning of October was the ebbf - Ethical Business
Building the Future annual conference in Barcelona, Spain (see separate
page) as well as an ebbf Governing Board meeting. Toward the end of
October I went to Belgrade, Serbia, for an ECPD
International Conference (see separate
page). I went to visit my brother and his family in Sofia,
Bulgaria in late November over Thanksgiving. The year ended with the Swiss
Baha'i Winter School in Einsiedeln, Schwyz (see separate
page).
The Netherlands
The trip 19-27 February started with two days visiting my old friends Sylvia
and Onno Vinkhuyzen, where I gave a seminar on international sustainability
governance for Sylvia's department at the University of Wageningen, as well
as an evening talk on coral
reefs and a morning talk on the artist Mark
Tobey, before we went to the European
Bahá'í Conference on Justice at the de Poort conference centre. The
conference on "Holistic Justice: Coherence
and Service in Balanced Lives" was co-sponsored this year by ebbf
- Ethical Business Building the Future. When the opening keynote
speaker from ebbf fell ill and was unable to travel, I had two hours to
prepare a replacement talk on "Holistic
Justice: Coherence and Service in our Economic Life".
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Maja Groff, one of the conference organizers; Wendi Momen's keynote:
"Shared Prosperity: How Does that
Work?"
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The audience
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Rod Rastan, Naseem Kourosh and Dan Wheatley on International Criminal
Court; Kit Bigelow on "Feminine Aspects of Justice"; Hooshmand Badee, Dan
Wheatley and Naseem Kourosh on the Defense of the Bahá'ís in Iran
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Ismael Velasco gave a theatrical performance "The Moth in Flames"
I also chaired the closing plenary panel on global governance, with
Jean-Pierre Méan speaking on corruption, and Sylvia Karlsson-Vinkhuyzen on
international environmental governance.
After the conference we had an IEF working meeting preparing a briefing note
on climate change, before I was driven to Rotterdam for four intensive days
at Refresh Interactive, a company run by ebbf members Oscar Rosa and Sjoerd
Luteyns, to help them complete an approach to helping companies "find their
soul" by applying Baha'i principles to define a higher purpose and transform
their structure and management.
Sjoerd, me and Oscar
There was also time for Oscar to drive me to Amsterdam for an evening
discussion on science and religion with some university professors and
students.
India
I was in India for the second half of March accompanying an EPFL course.
After a few days in Bangalore, the 24 participants from 20 countries in the
course on Management of Development Projects (see separate
page) made the 4-hour bus trip to the village of Chennakeshavapura (CK
Pura) in a semi-arid region of Karnataka State, where we stayed with the
villagers and worked on development projects responding to local needs. The
village has about 300 households, both Hindu and Moslem, and some low caste
tribal shepherds nearby. Life is difficult. In most families, someone has
migrated to the town or city. This was my third visit to the village (see 2010
and 2012).
Village of CK Pura
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Main gate to old village fortifications;
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Women processing tamarind and oil nuts
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A large tamarind tree; an abandoned house; stone fencing
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Village streets
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The village Hindu temple; a giant cart for the recently-completed
procession with the village goddess, held every 24 years
The goddess is still being moved from house to house
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Procession with drums and the goddess
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School children; a class under a tree in the school yard; the new
village water purification plant
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The municipal government building; water tank; microcredit bank
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A memorial to those who defended the village; cellphone towers;
villagers come to see us off
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Village livestock; old and new forms of transport
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Views of the village from the roof of our host's house
Agriculture and irrigation around CK Pura
With low and irregular rainfall, rainfed agriculture is risky, so for
hundreds of years, tanks (reservoirs) have been built to hold runoff in the
catchments, and deep wells dug to reach the groundwater. Borewells are now
also used to bring up groundwater, but the resource is limited.
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The village is next to a large tank (reservoir) that catches
rainwater, but empties in the dry season
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Below the tank bund, fields are irrigated from wells and boreholes;
there are sacred symbols at the spillway and next to wells
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The wells are deep and hundreds of years old
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When the electricity is on, farmers irrigate their fields; sacred
symbols
by the well
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Channels bring the water alongside the fields
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The farmers open and close breaks in the channels to bring the water
to their crops
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Before there were pumps, water was raised in bullock skins pulled up
by animals, and directed to the fields in stone-lined channels
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Cloth drying in the sun with CK Pura in the background; sacred
objects by a well
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Washing clothing, with the tank bund behind
Laundry drying
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The tribal shepherds store their hay on rocky outcrops, and use thorn
bushes for fences
Timapamabeta Hill
Early one morning we hiked up one of the granite hills near CK Pura to get a
better view of the countryside. We could not go to the top as there are
bears living there, and we saw recent droppings.
Views from the hill
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A low-lying reservoir below the hill; rice cultivation with the water
from the reservoir
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Timapamabeta Hill; the hill is mostly bare granite with large
boulders
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Shepherds burn off the vegetation to encourage grass; the view in the
morning sun was beautiful
Lepakshi Temple
On the way back from CK Pura, we stopped at the Virabhadra Swamy Temple in
Lepakshi, constructed in 1538, but never finished. The previous MaDePro
class had also visited the temple in 2012.
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Temple entrance
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The guide explains the outer colonnade where pilgrims used to stay
during their visits
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The temple walls are engraved with the full story of the temple gods
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Footprints and an image of the founder of the temple are engraved in
the rock
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The unfinished part of the temple with gods and godesses on all the
pillars
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Shiva as an elephant, and its rat transporter; carvings in the temple
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Snakes protecting a sacred stone; the temple was left unfinished when
work stopped after the architect was unjustly punished
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Wall marked by the plucked-out eyes of the temple architect; carvings
of the gods; plates in the stone where the carvers ate; other parts of the
temple
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Places to worship; a giant footprint of a god
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Entrance to the dance hall before the inner temple; a suspended
column in the dance hall does not touch the ground
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Entrance to the dance hall; dome over the centre; entrance to the
inner temple from the dance hall
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Sculptures of dancers and musicians in the dance hall
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Paintings on the ceiling of the dance hall
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Paintings on the dance hall ceiling; giant bull at the entrance to
Lepakshi, originally part of the largest temple circle
Ireland
This was my first visit to Ireland on 2-8 April, starting in Sligo for a
PERL meeting (see separate page) and
continuing on to Ennis, Limerick and Dublin for lectures organized by the
local Baha'i communities. There is unfortunately no opportunity to take
pictures when you are the featured speaker, but I did capture a little of
the Irish countryside.
Sligo
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Centre of Sligo, view from hotel; Glasshouse Hotel; Garavogue River
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downtown Sligo on the Garavogue River
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View from St. Angela's College, Lough Gill, where the meeting was
held; countryside near Sligo
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Irish coastline near Sligo
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Markree Castle
Markree Castle, not far from Sligo, has been in the same family for 400
years.
Grounds of Markree Castle
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Markree Castle, now run by the family as a hotel
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Entrance stairs and ceiling; the main hall
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Stained-glass window of Cooper family history; harpist in the main
hall; hall ceiling; the dining room
The Irish countryside is certainly green, helped by the frequent rain. I
snapped some pictures as we drove along.
Glimpses of the Irish countryside
Glimpses of the Irish countryside
Irish countryside near Cliffs of Moher
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Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare
view inland from Cliffs of Moher
La Chapelle d'Abondance,
France
On 27 April-3 May, we had a Baha'i Spring Camp in La Chapelle d'Abondance, a
ski resort in the French Alps of Haute Savoie.
Each afternoon during the Spring Camp (weather permitting), we went for a
hike in the mountains surrounding the village. Photos of the mountains on
these hikes are shared here. Pictures of the Bahá'í
Spring Camp, including the hikers, are on a separate
page.
Valley and waterfall above Chatel
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We hiked up the side of the valley above a waterfall
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Waterfall; alpine meadow where some chamois came down to find spring
grass; a chamois
(photo Della Marcus)
Up the valley behind the Lac des Plagnes, above Abondance
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Lac des Plagnes
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The high valley; valley meadow; remains of an avalanche
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wildflowers, including spring crocus
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stream running down the valley; the lake
From Pas de Morgins down to Morgins, Switzerland
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little lake at Pas de Morgins, heading down towards Morgins
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Pas de Morgins, border between France and Switzerland
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Morgins and its church bells; me with Alex Cabon in Morgins (photo
by
Alex Cabon)
England
For the ebbf event at Selsdon Park near London, 7-11 May 2014, see the separate
page.
Shanghai, China
On 5-12 June 2014 I went to Shanghai, China, to participate in the Second
Global Research Forum on Sustainable Production and Consumption (GRFSPaC) at
Fudan University (see separate page).
Shanghai is a city of 24 million people, three times the population of
Switzerland, and it just seems to go on for ever. I had no time to see the
traditional sights like the Bund, but cities have never been my major
interest. I much prefered the green gardens at the university. Below are a
few cityscapes and the lovely green campus of Fudan University.
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Shanghai: endless downtown, construction everywhere
Shanghai cityscapes on the way to the airport
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Fudan University campus buildings and gardens
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One of the main buildings where our conference was held
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Statue of Chairman Mao facing the main gate; a traditional Chinese
gate and entrance in the wall to the Chinese garden
Fundan University Chinese garden
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Beautiful Chinese garden
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For more pictures of Fudan University and its gardens, see the separate
page.
Montézillan,
Switzerland
The Triglav Circle held its 2014 meeting at a biodynamic farm and hotel in
the village of Montézillan in the Jura Mountains above Neuchâtel,
Switzerland. The theme of the meeting was "The Role of 'Nature' in the
Politics of the Environment". For a report of the meeting, see https://iefworld.org/node/684.
My presentation was on "Religion and Traditional Cultures as Sources of
Knowledge about the Role of Nature", and a paper including those materials
on "Healing our Relationship with
Nature" is at https://iefworld.org/ddahl14c.
The Triglav Circle in deep discussion
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Blanda Anita, Dirk Stryker, Philippe Roch; Jacques Baudot, Peter
Baas, Barbara Baudot; J. Baudot, Oliver Smith, Ed Dommen, B. Baudot
We visited the biodynamic farm adjacent to the hotel where we met.
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The main barn; rich pastures; cow and calf in the barn
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The owner explains biodynamic farming; the cheese-making room
produces a variety of cheeses; the milking room
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Visit to the barn; biodynamic agriculture uses various naturel
treatments and soil conditioners
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The farm has pigs and horses as well as cows
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Two small calfs; the pigs seem quite contented until they become
organic ham and sausages
Mantova, Italy
I spent a lovely weekend on 21-23 June 2014 in Mantova (Mantua), Italy, in
the Po Valley of Lombardy between Milan and Venice, where I was invited by
ebbf friends to contribute to their first Ethics
Expo with a variety of lectures in different locations around the
city. See their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ethicsexpo.
In addition to the Ethics Expo, where I gave the closing lecture Sunday
evening on "Ethics for a Sustainable Economy", some local Baha'is took me on
a guided tour of the historic centre of Mantova (Mantua), a city that goes
back at least to Etruscan (pre-Roman) times. I was also treated with some of
the other lecturers to a boat trip along the lakes adjoining the town (see separate
page for more pictures).
The old centre of Mantova
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The Piazza Erbe in the centre of town has the Basilica Sant'Andrea
(begun 1472) on one side and the Clock Tower and Rotonda de S. Lorenzo
(1083) on the other
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Basilica Sant'Andrea with 18th century dome
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Clock Tower with astrological clock; Casa del Mercante (1455);
interior of Rotonda de S. Lorenzo (1083)
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Piazza Sordello, with Palazzo Ducale (Gonzaga's residence); 13th
century Duomo (cathedral); Palazzo Bianchi (Bishop's residence) and
Palazzo Bonacolsi
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Palazzo Ducale and its gardens
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Church of Santa Barbara in the Palazzo Ducale, and its bell tower
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Inner courtyard of the 500 room Palazzo Ducale; painted ceilings
under the arches; passage way through the Palazzo
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Castello di San Giorgio (1395-1400), part of the Gonzaga's Palazzo
Ducale
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Castello di San Giorgio; lakeside facades of the Palazzo Ducale
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Lakeside of Palazzo Ducale
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River connecting the upper and lower lakes through the town; Piazza
Martiti di Belfiore, showng old town level
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A main shopping street; courtyard of my hotel; gate to a park next to
the hotel
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My hotel; views of Mantova
Boat trip on the middle and lower lake and Mincio River
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Departure near the castle; Lago di Mezzo (middle lake); paper factory
across the lake (architecturally famous)
Mantova skyline from the Lago di Mezzo
Walenstadt, Switzerland
On 2-6 July, I was invited to participate in the 10th International Peace
Seminar in Walenstadt on the beautiful Walensee in eastern Switzerland. The
theme of the seminar was "What Heals? - On Personality and Relationship"
with presentations by a number of distinguished psychotherapists, as well as
perspectives on justice, music, and my own presentation on "Healing
Our Relationship with Nature". For more pictures and a summary report
of the seminar, see the separate page.
Walenstadt and the Walensee
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The Walensee from my hotel room
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views of the Walensee and surrounding mountains
California
In late July I went to California to join my brother and his family
vacationing on the Monterey Peninsula. We enjoyed the beauty of Point Lobos,
and hiked to redwood groves up Carmel Valley and in Garrapata Canyon on the
Bug Sur coast. See the separate page
for family pictures.
Point Lobos is a rocky headland with pine and cypress forests separating
Carmel Bay from the coast down to Big Sur. We visited the northeast part of
the park with small coves and views across to Carmel and Pebble Beach. There
were sea otters and seals near the shore. Sometimes the fog rolls in and
blurs the outlines in soft grey light. Other times the sun brings out the
colors.
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North shore of Point Lobos
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Sea otters
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Heron and seals
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North shore with fog creaping in
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Cove with seaweeds
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Beautiful red of the poison oak
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Views of Pebble Beach from Point Lobos; Carmel Bay and Carmelite
Monastery
Garland Park in Carmel Valley has trails up to a ridge and down into a small
redwood grove and valley bottom.
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Looking down on the redwoods from the top of the ridge; dry streambed
in the bottom of the canyon
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In the redwoods
Garrapata Park in Big Sur also has a trail up a canyon to another redwood
grove.
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Trail up the canyon from the coast through scrub-covered hillsides
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The lower canyon; looking back towards the sea; wildflowers
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Further up the canyon
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Redwood grove in the bottom of the canyon
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In the redwoods
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Regrowth from an old cut stump; regrowth from a fallen tree
Toronto - ABS/IEF
Conference
The Association for Baha'i Studies - North America held its 38th Conference
in Toronto, Canada, on 7-10 August 2014, and partnered with the
International Environment Forum for its 18th Annual Conference. I
co-facilitated a workshop on Environmental Studies on Friday, spoke on
Natural Sciences and Society in a plenary panel on Saturday morning, gave
another talk and spoke on a panel for the IEF session on Saturday afternoon,
and then chaired the IEF Annual General Assembly, so it was a long day. For
a full report and the presentations and written texts of these talks, see
the IEF web site.
Quebec
After the ABS/IEF conference, I spent two weeks in St. Romuald, Lévis,
Quebec, with my son Alex, daugher-in-law Mahalia, and grandchildren
Benjamin, Alie, and recently arrived Nalah, as well as step-grandson
Jérémie. It was good to have time with all the family (see separate
page for family pictures). We went for four days to the Quebec Baha'i
Summer School (see separate page).
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Parc du Bois-de-Coulonge in Québec, with views of the river from the
heights of Québec; Alex looking over the St. Lawrence River
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Quebec City across the St. Lawrence River from Lévis
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Quebec City across the river at night
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Forest, river and beach just above rapids withing walking distance
from Alex's house
Barcelona
The ebbf - Ethical Business Building the Future annual conference in
Barcelona, Spain, discussed "How to create a just workplace?" (see separate
page)
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Conference hotel; networking during the breaks; ebbf Governing Board
re-elected
Belgrade
The last weekend of October, I went to Belgrade, Serbia, for an ECPD
International Conference in the CIty Hall (see separate
page). The last day I had time to visit Belgrade Fortress at the
confluence of the Danube and Sava Rivers. For more photos of Belgrade, see
the 2012 and 2013
ECPD conferences.
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The National Parliament across Pionirski Park from the City Hall;
Republike Square and fountains
A main shopping street, Knez Mihailova
Belgrade Fortress
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Belgrade fortress at the confluence of the Danube and the Sava
Rivers, with walls and towers surrounded by gardens
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The fortifications, and the entrance to the restaurant where we had
lunch
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Gates, walls and towers in the fortress
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Views of the Danube and Sava rivers from the fortress ramparts
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The Sava River, and new Belgrade from the fortress, with the Statue
of the Victor (right)
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Fortifications, and a traditional house on the grounds
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The military museum in the fortress
Sofia, Bulgaria
My trip to Bulgaria in late November was mainly a family visit to my brother
Greg and his family. We went for a couple of days to his wife Emi's village
of Krupnik in the south where they have a house, and could help his
mother-in-law prepare for the winter. In Sofia, I gave an environmental
lecture on coral reefs at the Russian lyceum where his daughter Joyce
studies ballet, and another lecture on climate change and the energy
challenge at the American College where Gregory and Mina study. We also went
to a beautiful Russian ballet on ice. We celebrated the American
thanksgiving with three roast turkeys and pumpkin pie for a lot of guests,
and the twins' sixteenth birthday with another party. There was no time for
sightseeing, and not much to see anyway in urban Sofia, so my pictures are
just of the family events.
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Thanksgiving dinner: the guests waiting; preparations in the kitchen;
the young people ate first
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Birthday party for the twins, Gregory and Joyce
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Preparing the birthday cakes
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Lighting the candles; Gregory and Joyce, a happy birthday pair
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Trick candles kept relighting; Joyce and Gregory at sixteen
Einsiedeln, Swiss
Baha'i Winter School
The last weekend of December, 150 Baha'is and their friends from all over
Switzerland gathered in the village of Einsiedeln for a Baha'i Winter
School. See separate page,
and also the schools from previous years in Einsiedeln in 2012
and 2013.
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