| |

A4 - Sunday, July 1, 1984 - North Shore News

Strictly

personal

by Bob Hunter

WITZERLAND, a country not much larger than Vancouver Island, has to be taken seriously as a nation because it is so well- organized, so intelligent and mature, and so clear-

sighted in its goals.

But there is another side to the Swiss psyche that defies all the stereotypes of an industrious little people busy sweeping every nook and cranny, yodelling when the urge comes over them.

The Swiss have entered the Space Age with a vengeance. Yet tastefully — as bon vivants rather than mere flinty-eyed technicians. The food, for instance, ranges from excellent curried eel, crayfish bisque and Chinese lychee to exquisite turtle soup, frog legs, calf head and veal rib-eye steak.

If you are eating a la carte, by the way, beware! No sooner will you get to the end of a stupifyingly-huge meal than an epitire replica of the meal! wil] be served all over again. A Bernese tradition, you see. Eat up!

It is a fact of life in North America that by the time we get out of school, our impres- sion of Europe is that of a fantastic boneyard. The past aay be alive — but almost nothing lingers in our minds of what modern Europe is like.

That there IS a modern Europe is, of course, a miracle in itself. Many places were levelfed so often that the only architecture is early Fif- ties glass and steel Mechanics Illustrated, if you follow my meaning.

This is particularly true of many German cities, Munich being one of the exceptions, because, there, a wisé burger- meister ordained immediately after the war that everything should be rebuilt exactly the way it was. Places like Col- ogne and Mainz, which started almost entirely all over, look like something out of bad science fiction.

The Swiss, thanks to their Strategy of armed neutrality -~ plus a fair bit of luck -- have suffered no occupation since Napoleon, and were on- ly bombed accidentally by American pilots during the Second World War. (The

\ Germans and Itahans plann

ed an invasion but got distracted )

The result as that cities like furnch, Bern and Geneva

RECENT CASES on North Shore Courts have tesulted in the following convictions and fines on dtinking driving tclated offenses Mandatory ‘lacence suspension isan addition to published penalty

NORTHVAN COURTS

Michacl Rector, 304 130 bast Queens, North Van (over OR, $500), Warren Robert Lund, 1681 Columbia St, North

have their ‘‘old city’’ quarters where buildings from the Ninth Century stand intact. Like layers of onion skin,every possible style of construction is to be found radiating outward, from gothic and neo-classical on through rococco and baroque to Le Corbusier — who lies buried, by the way, in Zurich.

On the cobbled sidestreets of Geneva, rock bands per- form at intervals, barely out of decibel range of one another. Beside the Zurichsee, a _ science fair shows children (and adults) secrets of nature that have only been learned in the last few years.

Outside the apartment in Bern where Albert Einstein first flashed on the idea of relativity, Japanese tourists take pictures of themselves beside 13th Century foun- tains depicting magic bears in armor. Indeed, it IS all relative!

There is the wonderful Museum of Time Measure- ment in Zurich, a few blocks from the church where the largest clock face in Europe is to be found — its minute hand weightng 180 pounds. In the museum, yOu-cay_ see relics of 4,000-year-old water clocks and digitals alike.

lrony piled on irony! The Swiss watch industry almost became extinct when the digi- tal dawn arrived. But now there are a zillion digital wat- ches piled up in warehouses in Taiwan, and the ‘‘in’’ thing to do in Japan is buy a Swiss watch.

You could say, perhaps, that the Swiss weren't so cuckoo, after all

Because there was never any royalty in Switzerland, there are none of the ostenta thous, sugar coated palaces such as you see tn Bavania or al Versailles Instead, there 1s the United Nations grounds on the edge of Lake Geneva, and the headquarters of the International Red Cross on the hill above

Switzerland? An extremely nice little country, bigger in many, many ways than our own If you know what ! mean

Drinking- driving

Van (over ON $asay Derek Creorge Raines 4511 Summerside Lane

North Van (over O8. $780), Johan Graham Payne, 204 120 West Se cond, North Van (over

OB, YO days), tan Prederich Hussey. no ad dress) given (over ON $500), Walter Robert Davis, litle Ronayne

Rd.) North Van (over O8, $750), Jacqueline Maric Hodgson 201% Westview Dr, North Van (over 08, $100)

LOVE SEATS SECTIONALS SOFA BEDS RECLINERS DINING ROOM - BEDROOM ACCESSORIES

FURNITURE GALLERY LTD

Included are tloor samples and discontinued items Many are in limited supply, some are one of akind Allare subsectto prrorsale Everything sold (as is’ with all sales final Because of the extremely low pooes delivery i extra Lise our cConventent creditor your bank Cards

LIVING ROOM

SOFAS, LOVE SEATS: AND CHAIRS ALL COM SPRING CONSTRUCTION MAANYEABRICSENCLUDING, LEATHERS

MANY AT 1 2 PRICE

~

HOURS MON. TO SAT 9 TO 5PM FRIDAY TILL 9PM SUNDAY, JULY 8TH & 29TH

DINING ROOM LARGE, MED , OR SMALL

REC, SALE

Ri, SALT

— $7,000 1O $25,000 $3,999 99 TO $12,999 99

J. COLLINS FURNITURE GALLERY 4240 MANOR ST. BURNABY, B.C. TEL: (604) 435-5566

BEDROOM

SINGLE, DOUBLE QUEEN OR KING, ALL STYLES

$4.999 95 10) $18 500 00 $2999 99 TO $9 999 95