Much of my travel in 2011 to various meetings was not photogenically
inspiring. My return to Tours, France, 50 years after being a student
there, was interesting for the photographic comparison over half a
century, as well as for discovering some sites I did not know in the
company of people I had not seen for 50 years. The month I spent in
North America, visiting my son and his family in Quebec, and then 2
weeks in Pebble Beach, California, where I grew up, visiting with my
brother Greg and his family, not only reinforced family ties, but
allowed me to photo document some of the beautiful places that I knew
well as an adolescent. The visit to the Gorges of the Devil's Bridge in
France behind Thonon-les-Bains was a kind of pilgrimage to a beautiful
natural area visited by 'Abdu'l-Bahá a hundred years ago. From early November to mid-December I
made 5 trips in 5 weeks, including lectures in Mulhouse, France, and Madrid, Spain. At the World
Science Forum in Budapest, I had some extra time to visit museums and
photograph some of the spectacular buildings. A UN University workshop
was held in a 900-year-old Dutch abbey. Finally, I flew to Tasmania for
a weekend to attend the International Environment Forum annual
conference, which was an outstanding success. The year ended with a week-long Bahá'í training
institute in Dijon, France.
Before joining the Stanford-in-France III reunion in Paris and going on
to Tours, I had a couple of hours to stroll through the Luxembourg
Gardens in Paris in the spring. The Palais de Luxembourg, seat of the
French Senate, is at one end of the gardens. There are wide avenues
lined with trees, and more intimate areas dotted with sculptures.
For Tours 2011 and 1961-62, see separate pages
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Palais de Luxembourg at one end of Luxembourg Gardens, and the
dome of Les Invalides in the distance at the other end
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Wide avenues, gardeners at work, and sculptures in the bushes
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A small version of the Statue of Liberty, a sculpture of
Bacchus, and the bust of Chopin
My time in Quebec was essentially spent with my son Alex, his wife
Mahalia, and their three children, especially my grandchildren Benjamin
(5) and Alie (3) in St. Romuald, Lévis, across the St. Lawrence River
from Québec City.
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Mahalia, Alie and Benji at the beach, with a view of the city of
Québec across the river
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The new play house (they run a day-care centre), Benji on the
swing, and Alie in the wading pool
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Alie's first swim by herself, and Benji cleaning the wading pool
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Alie and Benji sending me birthday wishes, and on the ship to the
Magdalene Islands (photos by Alex Dahl)
In late July and early August, the Monterey Peninsula in California is
usually shrouded in fog, with sunny periods relatively rare. My
brother Greg and Emi had rented a house in Pebble Beach for a month,and
I joined them for two weeks.
There were opportunities both to walk the forest paths in the Del Monte
Forest where we used to live, and to go for excursions to the boardwalk
at Santa Cruz around Monterey Bay, the Monterey Bay Aquarium,
Fishermen's Wharf, and down to the Point Lobos State
Park and the Big Sur coastline. Emi's nephew Mitko and his daughters
were there for a while, and Greg's daughter Carrie and her boyfriend
also came down one day to visit.
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Mitko and Emi with
Mitko's two girls and Mina, Joyce and Gregory. Emi, Gregory and Greg
Dahl on a cool summer day at the coast.
Santa Cruz boardwalk
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The Santa Cruz boardwalk even has solar-powered trash bins
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Greggy (right) on the
Double Shot ride
Monterey (first capital of California under Spain and
Mexico)
We had lunch one day on Fishermen's Wharf in Monterey with my niece
Carrie and Jay, who came down from Oakland.
Fishermen's Wharf
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Monterey Fishermen's Wharf, the old Spanish Customs House, and
the boat harbor with an arriving fishing boat
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Local wildlife outside our restaurant window on Fishermen's Wharf
We also visited and said prayers at my Mother's grave
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Greg, Joyce, Emi, Mina and Gregory at my Mother's grave
Point Lobos State Park
Point Lobos, at the southern end of Carmel Bay, is one of the
most beautiful meeting places of land and sea in the world. Our family home in Pebble Beach had a
wonderful view of Carmel Bay and Point Lobos. The weather was perfect
for our visit.
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South coast with kelp-filled bays
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Jay, and Carrie Smith-Dahl on the south coast
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Beaches on the south coast. Wildflowers were abundant, including
California poppies
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South coast
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Monterey cypress (Cupressus
macrocarpa) grove and outer coast
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North shore with Carmel Bay and Pebble Beach behind
Pebble Beach
Pebble Beach, on the 17-mile Drive in the Del Monte Forest, now
has seven championship golf courses (there were 3 when I was a kid, but
I never played golf) and many more homes. The coast was only a mile
from the house, so we often went down for walks along the shore.
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The coast looking towards Cypress Point. Most of the sand dunes
we used to play on were mined 50 years ago.
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Cypress Point; coast with golf courses lined by expensive homes
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A beach, Bird Rocks, and Greggy reading a sign
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Golf course; sand dunes, golf course and coast; picturesque house from
1940s now being restored
I used to ride horses through the trails in the Del Monte Forest when I
was in high school. This time I explored some of the same trails on
foot. One trail looped through the S.F.B.Morse Botanical Reserve of
Monterey pine forest and scrub with a few redwoods and the very rare
and localized Gowen cypress.
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The first thing I encountered was deer on the trail. Some of the
area looked like it had experienced a forest fire, a real danger here.
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Monterey pine (Pinus radiata),
Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens)
and Gowen cypress (Cupressus goveniana)
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Young Gowen cypress
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Manzanita, monkey flower and poison oak added color to the
vegetation
sunset
from our living room window
Big Sur
The Big Sur coast south of Carmel along Highway 1 is steep and
spectacular, with coast redwood groves in narrow valleys.
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Big Sur coast, and redwoods in Palo Colorado canyon
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Big Sur coast and Point Sur
We hiked down an old mining trail through a tunnel to where boats used
to load the ore in calm weather.
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The canyon we walked down, abundant wildflowers, and the bay at
the bottom of the canyon
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Trees struggle for a foothold on the steep slopes, and are
twisted by the strong sea wind
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Joyce, Emi, Greggy, and Greg on the trail (Mina came later)
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The narrow inlet where boats loaded ore, and the tunnel to the
landing
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Greggy, Emi and Joyce at the landing. The creek at the bottom of
the canyon provided a little shelter.
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Mina, Joyce, Greg and Greggy by the creek
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Emi, Greggy and Greg. The redwoods were stunted, and some had
grown back from logged stumps.
The end of August was a special time for Bahá'ís in France and
Switzerland, as we commemorated the centenary of the visit of
'Abdu'l-Bahá, son of the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, to
Thonon-les-Bains and Geneva. The Swiss community held a weekend
commemoration in Geneva with nearly 500 in attendance, which included a
field trip to the Devil's Bridge, in the gorges of the Drance River
behind Thonon, which was visited by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in 1911. The French
Bahá'í Summer School, with over 500 participants, was held the same
week in Evian-les-Bains just up the lake from Thonon, where I taught a
junior youth class and gave an evening presentation on 'Abdu'l-Bahá as
an environmentalist. See the separate page on the visit to the Gorges of the Devil's Bridge.
At the beginning of September, I took the train to Bonn, Germany, for a
UNEP Global Consultation with Civil Society on Rio+20, and a UNEP
European Regional Consultation, where we also had a partial meeting of
the UNEP Major Groups and Stakeholders Advisory Group on International
Environmental Governance that I co-coordinate. This was immediately
followed by the 64th UN Department of Public Information
Non-Governmental Organization (DPI/NGO) Conference, with over 2000
participants. The Bahá'í International Community organized a workshop
on "Making the Invisible Visible: Values and the Transition to
Sustainable Consumption and Production", and I was rapporteur for a
UNEP workshop on "Assessing Stakeholder Participation in International
Environmental Governance Processes". The International Environment
Forum governing board also met with the BIC representatives to discuss
our strategy for Rio+20 next year.
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A DPI panel session, and the closing session with international choir
The European Bahá'í Business Forum held its annual conference in early
October in the fishing village of Ericeira, now a tourist centre, on
the Portuguese coast north of Lisbon. It is always inspiring to see how
business leaders are applying spiritual values to transform how
business operates and to make work more meaningful. The beachfront
hotel had both fresh and saltwater pools, and the weather was nice
enough to take a swimming break each day. We also had a meeting of the
EBBF Governing Board after the conference.
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The European Centre for Peace and Development, of the United Nations
University for Peace, based in Belgrade, organizes an annual conference on Reconciliation,
Religious Tolerance and Human Security in the Balkans, with the theme this year
the "New Balkans and European Union Enlargement". The conference was
held on 21-22 October in the beachside tourist centre of Milocer,
Montenegro, where we also met three years ago. I gave a paper on
"European Union and Global Sustainability: Issues for Rio 2012". The
conference attracts political and religious leaders and academics from
across the region and internationally.
Conference hotel
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Presenting my paper at the conference; there were opportunities for networking
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Views from the hotel, and the hotel beach
On
16-19 November, I attended the World Science Forum in Budapest,
representing the International Environment Forum. This high-level
biennial event to discuss the changing world of science is organized by
the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in partnership with UNESCO and the
International Council for Science (ICSU). It is described as the
"Davos" of science, attended by presidents of academies of science,
Nobel prize laureats, ministers and other leading figures in the world
of science, by invitation only. It met in the beautiful building of the
Hungarian Academy of Sciences on the banks of the Danube, and in the
Hungarian Parliament upper chamber. Because of a flight cancellation, I
had to spend extra time in Budapest, so I gave a lecture at the Central
European University, met with professors there, spent an evening with
some Baha'is, and visited museums, including the Hungarian National
Museum where 'Abdu'l-Bahá spoke in 1913.
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Hungarian Academy of Sciences, on the Danube, and the Ceremonial Hall where the World Science Forum met the first two days
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The final day of the World Science Forum was held in the upper chamber of the Hungarian Parliament
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Keynote speakers included Pál Schmitt, President of Hungary and Nobel laureate Yuan Tseh Lee, President of ICSU
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HRH
Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan of Jordan also spoke. Center: me in the
parliament. Right: the Parliament Building on the Danube.
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The Hungarian Parliament was completed in 1906 in neo-gothic style
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The interiors of the Parliament Building are very ornate
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The symbols of Hungarian sovereignty, including the crown of St. Stephan, are on display. The Parliament dome at night.
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Buda is on one side of the Danube, and Pest on the other
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The Chain Bridge was the first to link the two cities. A tunnel
goes under Buda Castle and a funicular railway goes to the top. The
view of Pest is spectacular.
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Views of Pest across the Danube from the hights of Buda Castle
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The Hungarian National Gallery in Buda Castle features Hungarian art
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The Hungarian National Gallery in Buda Castle. St. Stephan's
Basilica in Pest. The art nouveau Gresham Hotel facing the Chain Bridge.
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The Hungarian National Museum in Pest traces the history of
Hungary. It also had a wonderful temporary exhibit of the
Hungarian/American photographer André Kertész (1894-1985).
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'Abdu'l-Bahá walked up these stairs to speak in the Museum in 1913; a plaque across from the entrance commemorates His visit.
It starts: "The earth is one country and mankind its citizens" Bahá'u'lláh (1817-1892)
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There are lovely gardens with fall colours, and sculptures everywhere
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The Museum of Ethnography is across from the Parliament. It is
grandiose but rather old-fashioned, and reminded me of my days as a
museum curator at the Smithsonian Institution.
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There are statues featuring Hungarian patriots
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Budapest is particularly beautiful at night
The United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies and the
Copernicus Alliance (European Network on Higher Education for
Sustainable Development) organized a workshop on University
Appraisal and Assessment for Sustainable Development at Rolduc Abbey, a
900 year old former monastery in Kerkrade, The Netherlands, on the
German border between Maastricht and Aachen. I was invited as a
panelist to share the ESDinds experience with values-based indicators,
but finally ended up giving the opening keynote on value assessment in
work of higher education. The speaker immediately after was a former
Prime Minister of the Netherlands.
The Rolduc Abbey is probably the oldest institution of higher education
in Europe, founded in 1106. It has been a monastery, a seminary and a
boarding school, and continues to host a seminary as well as a
hotel/conference centre. The romanesque church in its centre dates back
to its founding.
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Outer courtyard of Rolduc Abbey, the hotel/conference centre, and the inner courtyard with cloister
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The romanesque church built 1106-1205, and its crypt with the remains of the founding monk
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Interior of the romanesque church
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The Abbey is surrounded by a green belt and forest separating it from the towns on either side
The International Environment Forum
held its 15th Annual Conference in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia on 9-11
December 2011. As President of IEF, I made the effort to fly to Hobart
for the conference, my first visit to Tasmania. The conference was held
in the Bahá'í Centre of Learning for Tasmania, a very ecological
building on the historic site of the Hobart Railway Station. I gave an
opening public lecture Friday night, spoke on a panel and led a
workshop. The conference was a great success, thanks to our Australian
members and the Bahá'í community of Australia.
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The BCL has a domed central auditorium with two radiating wings of meeting rooms and offices around a central courtyard
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Outside the auditorium is a large lobby and exhibit area
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The building uses ecological materials and natural lighting; a
central atrium preserves an established tree on the property
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There is a popular public coffee shop in the lobby
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There are beautiful designs in the dome and the flooring
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The property is surrounded by
greenspace and landscaped with native Tasmanian plants; architect's aerial view of the BCL
International Environment Forum 15th Annual Conference
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The International Environment Forum conference in the main auditorium; IEF board member Peter Adriance gave the opening keynote
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The audience came from around Australia, New Zealand, and other countries
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The breaks were a chance to meet people and to discuss the issues
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Former IEF board member Charles Boyle chaired the first day; Peter Adriance (USA) was keynote speaker, with Kevin Starke providing technical assistance
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BCL architect Stuart Hall described the unique environmental features of the building; IEF president Arthur Dahl speaking
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Second day chair Zarin Salter; keynote speaker Counsellor Tessa Scrine (Australia); panel moderator John Davidson
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Speakers Al Riebau, Australian climate scientist Tony Press and journalist Peter Boyer
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There were panel sessions with multiple speakers
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Workshops allowed for more participation. Workshop leaders
included (left): Al Riebau and Christine Muller (by skype from the
USA); (right): Zarin Salter
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There was excellent music including traditional Tasmanian themes; the Saturday evening musical programme with the Bryan band had people dancing in the aisles
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Dancing Saturday night; Ken Zemke (NZ) and his assistant filmed the conference for television
The conference was streamed live on the internet for members around the
world. For a full report and recordings of the IEF Conference, see the IEF web site
Photographs by Arthur Dahl and Corinne Podger
DIJON, FRANCE, BAHA'I TRAINING INSTITUTE
On the week between Christmas and New Year's Day, I went to Dijon for a
Bahá'í Training Institute offering intensive courses in the Ruhi Books
used around the world for study circles, children's classes and junior
youth activities. Ten different courses were offered and 190 people
including over 100 youth attended. I took Book 5 on animating
activities for pre-youth ages 11-14, the one book in the series that I
had not yet done. There were 30 in our group, and we completed the main
course and two supplementary books in 5 1/2 days. The first two
evenings there were creative workshops on music, dance, singing,
acting, and one I co-organized with Julien Garenne on environment and
infographics (using images and video to communicate Bahá'í
environmental texts). There was an evening performance on the centenary
of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's visit, an evening on year-of-service opportunities,
and a final evening presenting the results of all the creative
workshops, followed by a dance welcoming the Gregorian New Year. A few
youth stayed up all night and taught the night clerk at the conference
centre, who joined the Bahá'í Faith. Needless to say, the spirit of the
week was fantastic.
Each morning and evening programme started with devotions organized by the participants from a region.
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Devotions in the main auditorium before the evening programme
Our group for Book 5 was one of the largest, with people of all ages.
Sabine Faranpour and Mitch Tran were our tutors. Counsellor Bernard LoCascio joined us
for part of the time.
The Book 5 group
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We worked at least 9 hours a day
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We were all happy when we finished. Mehdi (in the blue sweater) declared his faith in Bahá'u'lláh at the end of the week.
The presentations of the artistic workshops on the last night brought out the amazing talents in the participants.
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Singing and slam composition
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Theatre
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Dance
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More singing
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Instrumental music
The spirit coundn't have been higher (I am on the left)
Everyone left with new skills and renewed dedication to implement institute activities in their own areas.
See also the facebook photo album for larger versions of most of these pictures: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150574086114810.449560.677254809&type=1
