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The West Coast of Sweden
The Western Archipelago can be reached
by ferry from Gothenburg and many points along the Bohuslän
coast. For landlubbers and boating enthusiasts alike nearby
Marstrand Island, and its more northerly neighbour Åstol,
are both good introductions to the archipelago.
Marstrand is the yachting and racing centre of the west coast, with
a large guest harbour, some excellent restaurants and
Carlsten fortress on a hill overlooking the island and
out to see.
Åstol is much smaller, with a smaller harbour, and typifies
many aspects of the west coast island with its charming, uncrowded
and unhurried atmosphere, just a single one shop, a B&B and a
smokery with live music; what else!
Back on the mainland, Smögen is a picture-postcard-perfect town
with Sweden’s longest boardwalk and a half-mile stretch of brightly
coloured sea huts selling lip-smacking prawn sandwiches. It also
offers a beautifully situated harbour and all the amenities of
a small Swedish town. If you are eating out – go for the seafood.
Just off Smögen lies Hållö Island with its pink granite rocks and
crystal clear waters making it an ideal place for swimming, water sports.
Explore the wildlife in the nature reserve too. Reached by ferry
from Strömstad, the Koster Islands are part inhabited and part stunning
nature reserve, and lie at the centre of 450 square kilometers
that form Sweden’s first marine national park.
Fascinating
Chile
Chile’s European heritage is pervasive,
meaning that Western travelers here are less conspicuous than in
neighboring Peru and Bolivia. For centuries, the Paris education
of many Chilean intellectuals influenced the country’s art,
music and architecture.
Important art galleries, museums and a thriving theater scene
are the result. The country’s art, literature and music have
been influential internationally. Chile has spawned the Nobel
Prize-winning poets Gabriela Mistral and Pablo Neruda and, until
the military coup of 1973, its cinema was among the most
experimental in Latin America. Folk music has been an especially
important outlet for the country’s oppressed, and was frequently
performed overseas by exiles during Pinochet’s reign.
Over 90% of the population is Roman Catholic, though evangelical
Protestantism is becoming increasingly popular. The country’s
Catholic architecture is impressive and ubiquitous, from
grandiose colonial churches to roadside shrines, some of which
are extraordinary manifestations of folk art. Spanish is Chile’s
official language, though a handful of native languages are
still spoken.
In the north, there are more than 20,000 speakers of Aymara, and
in the south there are perhaps half a million speakers of
Mapuche. The most intriguing linguistic minority is the
2000-plus speakers of Rapa Nui, the Polynesian language of most
of Easter Island’s population
This has been
Vancouver
Canada, 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
Aboriginal participation is a key element of our sustainability
mandate and is recognized by the International Olympic Committee
(IOC) for the value it brings to the Olympic Movement.
We’re working closely with our partners, including the Four Host
First Nations, to encourage Aboriginal people across Canada to
participate in as many areas of the 2010 Winter Games as
possible, be it as athletes, volunteers, employees,
entrepreneurs, artists and performers, spectators or cultural
ambassadors. In 1999, the IOC adopted Agenda 21: Sport for Sustainable
Development, which includes the objective to “strengthen the
inclusion of women, youth and Indigenous peoples in the Games.”
“One of our greatest challenges is that Indigenous participation
is relatively new to the Olympic Movement – there is no template
we can follow – no clear indicators for how we measure our
success. Indigenous participation in past Games, such as Calgary
and Salt Lake City, has focused primarily on ceremonies and
cultural programs. We plan to go beyond that, to set the bar
higher, with the hope that future Organizing Committees can be
inspired and learn from our experience.” – Gary Youngman,
Consulting Director, Aboriginal Participation