Kimon the Athenian

Merja sent me this nice scene from Larnaca in Cyprus, showing the monument to Kimon the Athenian. For those who are not familiar with Kimon, the next two paragraphs should tell you who he was.

Kimon was an Athenian general and statesman, a member of the distinguished Philaid family and the son of the great Miltiades, the victorious general at Marathon. Kimon first came to public notice when he tried to obtain his father’s corpse for burial. Militiades had convinced the Athens to put him in charge of a fleet which he used for his own private purposes. Returning to Athens, he was fined the enormous sum of fifty talents, which he could not pay, and so died in prison in 489. According to Athenian law Kimon was required to take his father’s place in prison until the fifty talents were paid, which it eventually was by Kallias, a very rich Athenian who married Kimon's sister Elpinike. Kimon was a passionate opponent of the Persians and met them in battle many times as general in the 470’s and 460’s BC. In the years following the defeat of the Persians at Plataia in 479 he and Aristeides gained the support of the Aegean islanders for the new Delian league. Kimon was commander of the Athenian naval contingent, and thus (since the Athenians provided most of the ships) the commander of the allied Greek navy arrayed against the Persians in the Aegean Sea. One of his earliest acts as commander was to seize the island of Skyros in 476 BC from the Dolopians, the native inhabitants (who were accused of piracy), and to settle Athenian colonists in their place. It was at this time that Kimon claimed that he had found the bones of the legendary Athenian king Theseus, which were brought to Athens with great ceremony. Shortly after this Karystos on the island of Euboia was forced to joined the Delian League, and the island state of Naxos, which had seceded from the League, was put under siege and forced to return, the earliest actions which showed that the League was no longer a voluntary association. Both actions were almost certainly carried out under the command of Kimon, who now had the most influential voice in Athenian foreign policy. Domestically, Kimon led the aristocratic opposition to Themistokles, the leader of the democratizing forces in Athens. The death of Aristeides (probably about 468) and the ostracism of Themistokles (in 470) left Kimon as Athens' most influential leader for several years.

Kimon's greatest military success was the Eurymedon campaign in 467, when he destroyed the Persian fleet on the south coast of Asia Minor. Kimon’s next achievement was the expulsion of the Persians from the Chersonese in the northern Aegean, and its inclusion in the Delian League. The combination of these various victories put the Persians permanently on the defensive. Kimon’s efforts against Persia were eventually crowned by the famous peace of Kallias (448), named for Kimon's brother-in-law and chief negotiator for the Athens. This treaty imposed humiliating conditions on the Persians, that no Persian satrap would approach within three days' march of the coast and that no Persian ship would sail into the Aegean controlled by the Athenians.

Harlingen

Harlingen is a municipality and a city in the northern Netherlands, in the province of Friesland at the Wadden Sea. Harlingen is an old town with a long history of fishing and shipping. Harlingen is served by two stations on the railway line from Leeuwarden, operated by Arriva: Harlingen Haven railway station and Harlingen railway station. From 1904 to 1935 there was a passenger service on the North Friesland Railway, freight being carried until January 1938. Rederij Doeksen operate ferries to the Wadden islands of Vlieland and Terschelling depart from Harlingen. The famous Dutch writer Simon Vestdijk was born in Harlingen and used to depict his hometown in his writings as Lahringen. The Admiralty of Friesland was established in Dokkum in 1597 but moved to Harlingen in 1645.

The town of Harlingen, Texas, in the United States is named after this city because many of the original settlers of the Texas town came from Harlingen. This pretty card was sent to me by Janneke.

Singapore By Night

Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, 137 kilometres (85 mi) north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the Singapore Strait to its south. Singapore is highly urbanised but almost half of the country is covered by greenery. More land is being created for development through land reclamation. Singapore had been a part of various local empires since it was first inhabited in the second century AD. It hosted a trading post of the East India Company in 1819 with permission from the Sultanate of Johor. The British obtained sovereignty over the island in 1824 and Singapore became one of the British Straits Settlements in 1826. Singapore was occupied by the Japanese in World War II and reverted to British rule after the war. It became internally self-governing in 1959. Singapore united with other former British territories to form Malaysia in 1963 and became a fully independent state two years later after separation from Malaysia. Since then it has had a massive increase in wealth, and is one of the Four Asian Tigers. The economy heavily depends on the industry and service sectors. Singapore is a world leader in several areas: it is the world's fourth leading financial centre, the world's second biggest casino gambling market, the world's top three oil refining centre. The port of Singapore is one of the five busiest ports in the world, most notably being the busiest transshipment port in the world. The country is home to more US dollar millionaire households per capita than any other country. The World Bank notes Singapore as the easiest place in the world to do business.

Singapore is a parliamentary republic with a Westminster system of unicameral parliamentary government. The People's Action Party (PAP) has won every election since the British grant of internal self-government in 1959. The legal system of Singapore has its foundations in the English common law system, but modifications have been made to it over the years, such as the removal of trial by jury. The PAP's popular image is that of a strong, experienced and highly qualified government, backed by a skilled Civil Service and an education system with an emphasis on achievement and meritocracy; but it is perceived by some voters, opposition critics and international observers as being authoritarian and too restrictive on individual freedom. Some 5 million people live in Singapore, of whom 2.91 million were born locally. Most are of Chinese, Malay or Indian descent. There are four official languages: English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil. One of the five founding members of the Association of South East Asian Nations, Singapore also hosts the APEC Secretariat, and is a member of the East Asia Summit, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the Commonwealth. This lovely picture card depicting a spectacular Singapore at night was sent to me by Shashi.

The Paris Opera

The Palais Garnier is an elegant 1,979-seat opera house, which was built from 1861 to 1875 for the Paris Opera. It was originally called the Salle des Capucines because of its location on the Boulevard des Capucines in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, but soon became known as the Palais Garnier in recognition of its opulence and its architect, Charles Garnier. The theatre was also often referred to as the Opéra Garnier, Opéra de Paris or simply the Opéra. It was the primary home of the Paris Opera and its associated Paris Opera Ballet until 1989, when a new 2,700-seat house, the Opéra Bastille, with elaborate facilities for set and production changes, opened at thePlace de la Bastille. The Paris Opera now mainly uses the Palais Garnier for ballet.

The Palais Garnier is "probably the most famous opera house in the world, a symbol of Paris like Notre Dame cathedral, the Louvre, or the Sacré Coeur basilica." This is at least partly due to its use as the setting for Gaston Leroux's 1911 novel The Phantom of the Opera and the novel's subsequent adaptations in films and Andrew Lloyd Weber's popular 1986 musical. Another contributing factor is that among the buildings constructed in Paris during the Second Empire, besides being the most expensive, it has been described as the only one that is "unquestionably a masterpiece of the first rank."

The Palais Garnier also houses the Bibliothèque-Musée de l'Opéra de Paris (Paris Opera Library-Museum). Although the Library-Museum is no longer managed by the Opera and is part of the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the museum is included in unaccompanied tours of the Palais Garnier.

The Paris Opera is the primary opera company of Paris, France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the Académie d'Opéra and shortly thereafter became the Académie Royale de Musique. Currently called the Opéra National de Paris, it primarily produces operas at its modern theatre Opéra Bastille which opened in 1989, and ballets at the older Palais Garnier which opened in 1875.

The Paris Opera, as well as the Paris Opera Ballet founded in 1661, are the oldest and amongst the most renowned theatre and company in the world. The ballet is the parent company of the Paris Opera Ballet school (French: École de danse de l'Opéra de Paris) created in 1713 and which shared the same residence than the ballet until 1987. The school has become a world-leading school of ballet, whose former pupils won a record of 17 Benois de la Danse awards since 1992. It will celebrate its tercentennial in 2013.This pretty card was sent to me by Maria.

Centenary of the Aero Club of France

The Aéro-Club de France was founded as the Aéro-Club on 20 October 1898, as a society 'to encourage aerial locomotion' by Ernest Archdeacon, Léon Serpollet, Henri de la Valette, Jules Verne and his wife, André Michelin, Albert de Dion, Alberto Santos-Dumont, Henry Deutsch de la Meurthe, and Henry de La Vaulx. On 20 April 1909 its name was changed to Aéro-Club de France. It was a founder member of the International Aeronautical Federation (FAI) in 1905.

The Aéro-Club de France originally set many of the regulations that controlled aviation in France. From its formation it also set the rules that have marked some of the 'firsts' in aviation: the first 1 km, the first helicopter flight, and has organised competitions, including:

the Prix Deutsch de la Meurthe, a challenge for Derigibles from 1901,

the Gordon Bennett Cup for fixed-wing aircraft in 1906.

The club published the journal L'Aérophile from 1898 to 1947, and since 1997 publishes the magazine Aérofrance. After 1945 some of its early regulatory roles were taken by other bodies. It now focusses on the promotion of aviation and certification. Attended by delegates from all over the world, the two-day FAI Annual General Conference closed with the official celebration of the FAI Centenary on Friday 14 October, exactly 100 years after the foundation of FAI. Some of greatest living aviators attended this "High Flyers’ Night" at the Senate (Palais de Luxembourg), personalities like Buzz Aldrin, Steve Fossett, Bertrand Piccard, Catherine Maunoury, Svetlana Kapanina and Valery Poliakoff. On the occasion of the FAI Centenary, the President of the Aero-Club de France, Jean-François Georges, wished to "pay tribute to the great achievers" in each air sport discipline. FAI President Pierre Portmann, elected in 2004 and a long standing French resident, is very pleased to be celebrating the FAI Centenary in Paris: "The history of FAI consists mainly of colourful and independent characters who pushed forward the limits of what can be done in the air. It’s a great privilege for us to be the heirs of these exceptional men and women who marked the history of FAI. The "dream of Icarus" is still alive, and our job is to perpetuate this dream into the future".

The six cards displayed show the evolution of aircraft from the humble “Demoiselle de Santos Dumont” 1908 to the menacing fighter aircraft “Rafale” 1998. These cards were given to me by Maria.

Life in the Countryside

There are no trains, crowds, or food stands. You won’t find any of these signature city attributes in a Cypriot village. The average traveler visits the popular attractions of a destination, soaking in local culture and history, but rarely engages with the true personality of the area. Cyprus is certainly not the exception because when you visit the city of Limassol you’ll find the promenade, the water park, and the ancient ruins, but will you truly understand what Cyprus has to offer?

The Elderly, who grew up in Cyprus, were raised during a time when villages still operated as fully functional societies. Each village had a school, a doctor, a church, and market, so everyone was able to meet their needs without having to travel to another village. People lived in one village their entire life possibly. The day in the village would begin with a breakfast consisting of cereal, eggs, fruit, and halloumi. If you’re not familiar, halloumi is a wonderful cheese that does not melt when fried, creating a deliciously unique dining experience. After, breakfast, the family would venture down to the Old grandfather’s coffee shop. Since most of Cyprus consists of mountainous terrain, walking to the coffee shop from the house was always an adventure. The roads were narrow and the cement was patch worked together over dozens of years by local village dwellers. Beautiful grape vines grew everywhere from any crevice or crack in the cement, crawling up walls and over awnings. It was and possibly still is a wonderful natural life in many parts. Merja sent me this nice card.

Aviator Roger Sommer

“SOMMER IN BIPLANE BEATS WRIGHT'S TIME”; Flies 2 Hours 27 Minutes 15 Seconds Around French Course and Makes World's Record. HE STARTS BY MOONLIGHT Frenchman Pupil of Farman, Who Designed Machine and Slept While Sommer Flew with Damaged Wing.

These then were the headlines in a French newspaper that Autumn morning in 1909 about that famous aviator Roger Sommer.

Born on 4 August 1877, the son of a felt manufacturer at Mouzon, Roger Sommer became interested in machinery, won fame at age 18 as a bicycle-racer, and built a one-cylinder 4-wheeled car. By the end of 1908 he had built his first aeroplane, a large biplane which foreshadowed Henry Farman's Type III of 1909. It had a monoplane forward elevator, the pilot seated on the leading edge of the lower wing. Sommer's design included a pair of small wings at the middle of the 4 tail-booms, with the rectangular rudder placed just forward of the biplane tail surfaces. The engine, reportedly an Anzani, was mounted below the lower wing, driving a pusher propeller mounted in the middle of the airframe; but photographs show a 50 hp water-cooled Vivinus, which Sommer knew well, since he owned a 60 hp Vivinus automobile. The machine rolled on 3 wheels.
As the third aviator at Chalons, Sommer had his hangar between Farman's and Voisin's, and his machine was tested there in the spring of 1909, achieving only occasional hops. There in May Sommer met Farman and bought one of his Type IIIs, which was delivered at the end of June; Sommer installed the 50 hp Vivinus.
On 7 August 1909 he became famous by bringing back to France the endurance record previously held by Wilbur Wright: Sommer had flown for 2 hr 27 min 15 sec. In December he sold the Farman to Daniel Kinet, since he had finished his own completely successful design: this 1910 Sommer was to undergo many alterations, and several were built in different forms; by the spring of 1910 he had 58 aeroplanes on order and 60 men working for him. Maria sent me this very interesting card.