Did You Know ... ? Muhlebach boasts Switzerland’s oldest village center, with houses from the 14th/15th centuries. The Nestle company was founded in Vevey on Lake Geneva, where it is still headquartered. Gruyere is the traditional choice for cheese fondues and French onion soup. Daniel Peter, cofounder of Peter, Cailler
Did You Know ... ? The Rhine and Rhone rivers originate in the Swiss Alps within 15 miles of one another. Early ski racers were dairy farmers skiing on summer grazing grounds; the Swiss still cheer skiers with cowbells. Jungfraujoch, at 11,333 feet above sea level, is the highest train
Did You Know...? Blackbeard’s Castle is the Caribbean’s only 17th century fortified tower (and never saw a pirate). Impressionist painter Camille Pissarro was born on St. Thomas (1830) to a French Jewish father and Creole mother. Coral World Ocean Park has an underwater post office box. The 99 Steps, made
Did You Know...? The island is dotted with the remains of 54 sugar mills. Point Udall, St. Croix, is the easternmost point of the U.S. Alexander Hamilton held his first job, as a child, on St. Croix. Buildings in Christiansted’s historic area must be painted in colors used by the
Did You Know ... ? The 15th century Scottish Parliament tried to stamp out golf because it interfered with archery practice. St. Andrews had set the golf round at 22 holes but eliminated its own shortest holes, producing the 18-hole game. Dunfermline was Andrew Carnegie’s birthplace (1835) and site of
Did You Know...? Sherry, a Spanish wine, takes its name from Jerez de la Frontera, sherry being the Anglicized version of Jerez. At least 100 Spanish towns, besides Pamplona, celebrate their saints by running with the bulls. Peru’s conqueror, Francisco Pizarro, was born in the village of Extremadura’s Trujillo (c.
Did You Know...? The worst earthquake in Europe’s recorded history destroyed Sicily’s Messina and killed an estimated 100,000 (1908). Opera composer Vincenzo Bellini was born in Sicily (1801) as was the dramatist Luigi Pirandello (1867). Sicilian poet Giacomo da Lentini is credited with creating the sonnet form, in the 13th
Did you know ... ? The Ciarraighe Celtic people gave their name to County Kerry. The first transatlantic cable station was located on County Kerry’s Valentia Island. The movies “Ryan’s Daughter” (1970) and “Far and Away” (1992) were shot in County Kerry. Fungi, a Dingle Bay resident since 1983, has
Did You Know...? Quebec is twice the size of Texas, three times the size of France. Sixty percent of Quebecois speak only French; 80% have French ancestry. The snowmobile was invented in Quebec, by Joseph-Armand Bombardier. The world’s largest caribou herds (close to 1 million) roam Nunavik in Arctic Quebec.
Did You Know? Medieval popes planted the Chateauneuf-du-Pape vineyards. Van Gogh was in Arles when he lost an ear, whether intentionally or by accident. The Val d’Enfer (Valley of Hell) was reputedly the inspiration for the setting of Dante’s “Inferno.” Artist Paul Cezanne was born in Aix-en-Provence (1839); novelist Emile
