He and his friend had been traveling around Italy before taking a train to Switzerland. I met them for a weekend in Zermatt before returning to Geneva, where they stayed for a week before flying back to the United States. This post will recount some of the things we got to do during the visit.
Zermatt
I arrived in Zermatt on Saturday afternoon, where my dad and his friend had just arrived as well. We were all tired from traveling and so we spent the rest of that day in town, appreciating the view from our hotel and having a good (pricey) dinner.
In the early 1800s, mountaineers and explorers became interested in the mountains around Zermatt, which include some of Switzerland’s highest mountains. The first hotel in Zermatt, Hotel Cervin, opened in 1838, but tourism really started booming when Alexander Seiler took over as owner of the hotel in 1854. He renamed it the Hotel Monte Rosa and began buying more and more land from local farmers to build the Hotel Riffelalp. Images: Alexander Seiler, above, and the Hotel Riffelalp, below |
Edward Whymper, left, and the tragedy that befell his group, right
Images courtesy Chasing the Matterhorn
United Nations – Geneva Office
I have wanted to visit the Geneva Office of the United Nations (UN) all summer, but they only give tours Monday to Friday during my working hours. I really didn’t want to miss work just to take a tour by myself, so I jumped at the opportunity to use my dad’s visit as a reason to go.
I don’t know about you, but when I think of the UN, I always thought of the Geneva Office as the main center of activity. During the tour, however, I learned that the New York Office in the United States is actually considered the headquarters! Even though this is the case for the overall organization, the Geneva Office is the headquarters for agencies dealing with social topics, like the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Human Rights Council (UNHRC). The New York Office hosts agencies dealing more with political topics, like the Security Council.
This used to be the entrance to the Geneva Office. Too bad it still isn't, it is so pretty!
Because the UN is an intergovernmental organization that provides a space for discussion amongst nations, it is not in itself an independently operating “country” or “state.” As such, it does not command a military, but it does head a peacekeeping force made up of soldiers, police officers, and civilian personnel, who remain members of their respective armed forces. These troops are known as Blue Berets or Blue Helmets, and they monitor and observe peace processes in post-conflict areas and assist ex-combatants in implementing peace agreements. This assistance comes in various forms, including confidence-building measures, power-sharing arrangements, electoral support, strengthening the rule of law, and economic and social development.
Blue Helmets from the all-female Indian Formed Police Unit, left, and Blue Helmets from Benin, right. Photos courtesy United Nations Photo and UN Mission in Mali.
When people think of weapons that cause mass death and injury, they likely imagine a mushroom cloud signaling the detonation of an atomic bomb. But the reality is that many more people are going to be killed and injured by weapons used in everyday situations than the rare nuclear explosion. For example, the land mine.
Land mines are explosive devices concealed underground and are detonated by pressure when a person steps on or drives over them. They can remain dangerous many years after a conflict has ended, and most killings by land mines occur in times of peace. There are 78 countries contaminated with land mines and 15,000–20,000 people are killed every year, while countless more are maimed. Approximately 80% of land mine casualties are civilian, with children as the most affected age group. Additionally, land mines only cost between $3 and $30, but the cost of removing them is $300 to $1000.
Because of their indiscriminate nature—killing soldiers and civilians alike—land mines are very controversial. In 1997, the Mine Ban Treaty* was created to ban the use, production, stockpiling, and transfer of antipersonnel mines, and to require states to destroy their stockpiles and clear all mined areas as well as assist landmine survivors. Currently, 164 state parties have signed the treaty, but the United States is not one.
I repeat: The United States has not signed the Mine Ban Treaty.
This puts us in line with Russia and China, who have also not agreed to the ban.
*Full name: Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction
I’m not a big fan of natural history museums. I always feel sad for the poor animals placed on display in whatever position the taxidermist decided (at least with Body Worlds, the donors got to consent to having their bodies used this way). But I do have to give credit for the tactful and artful exhibitions displayed at the Natural History Museum of Geneva.
When I went with my dad and his friend to the Natural History Museum, we ended up spending several hours looking through all the exhibits. What was amazing is that many of the specimens came from the 1800s, so they were almost 200 years old! I know the preservative abilities of taxidermy is impressive, but what made me so impressed is that these techniques were possible even before all of our recent technological advancements.
During my dad’s week in Geneva, we also…