Under the Maple Leaves
The Eighth Wonder!
“If the ladies stop talking for a moment, we’ll have a wonderful chance to hear the roar of the Falls!”- this and similar jokes are much more familiar to the world-wide population than the natural phenomenon mentioned in it. Niagara Falls is a myth everybody heard of, while millions have seen colourful postcards devoted to it or even visited the famous site itself. They were taken into deep tunnels running behind the Falls and almost brought amidst the whirlpool itself by the “Maid of the Mist” (and the mist is so thick as if the whole mass of this perfectly chilly water were boiling day and night). A platform was built to suit those preferring to socialize and take pictures- and nobody is allowed there without a wet-resisting cloak because the platform is more soaked with water than a low ship deck. The Falls have for decades been viewed from every possible angle, and yet I had a fleeting impression that they had remained as new and misterious as ever. They struck me as a Rapidly Motionless Wall that- unlike the famous Phoenix- breaks apart every single second and gets instantaneously rebuilt out of water. Like the notorious axe used as a pretext to cook a soup, the Waterwall started a whole branch of tourism on the shores of the Niagara River. Right near it there arose a new pulsating entertainment district- with a casino and a couple of interactive museums, numerous rides and restaurants. Along the 30-kilometre main road covered by a string of local shuttles, there are scattered parks hosting both natural (Butterfly Conservatory and Botanical Gardens) and man-made pearls (Floral Clock, Fragrance and Lilac Gardens). Luxurious hotels have been built all over the little town bearing the famous name of Niagara Falls. Even the river itself was made to provide another attraction- the so-called White Water Boardwalk. A 300-meter long wooden bridge runs parallel to the river edge, and there is a forbidden access to water proper. A nice psychological move- everybody is eager to jump over a low warning sign and feel hirself a bit of an adventurer! In short, every effort has been made to lure as many tourists and fool them out of as much money as possible. And frankly, there would have been nothing wrong about this strategy had it only been built on using some other “axe”. As it is, everything is getting dwarfed in comparison with the great Falls that smile indulgently at all the fuss around themselves. They know that they had been there long before and will remain there for the eternity after every product of human imagination and/or greed has been created and gone. And that’s what makes them a true wonder, the Eighth Wonder of the World.
THE NEW BABEL.
“…and they came to Babel from all over the world and decided to build a tower that would reach the sky-pod. And the tower was growing rapidly, and God saw it growing, and He became very angry. He decided to punish the daring builders and He mixed up their languages, and they were unable to understand each other anymore…”
That’s a renown Bible story that took place many centuries ago. Since then many changes have occurred, and God has minded those changes and questioned His own decision and reconsidered. He brought people from all over the world to the new Babel, but this time the language curse was lifted and reversed. In addition to all those languages the newcomers already had, He gave them a common language, and they learned anew how to understand each other and build. They built the highest tower in the world, but this time He blessed their work because they promised Him to leave enough space between the top of the tower and the entrance to His upper kingdom.
And they built more towers, and skyscrapers, and houses- and step by step, they built a country. A big country that bears a name of a Little Village or, as it sounds in one of the local dialects, “Canada”.
“If the ladies stop talking for a moment, we’ll have a wonderful chance to hear the roar of the Falls!”- this and similar jokes are much more familiar to the world-wide population than the natural phenomenon mentioned in it. Niagara Falls is a myth everybody heard of, while millions have seen colourful postcards devoted to it or even visited the famous site itself. They were taken into deep tunnels running behind the Falls and almost brought amidst the whirlpool itself by the “Maid of the Mist” (and the mist is so thick as if the whole mass of this perfectly chilly water were boiling day and night). A platform was built to suit those preferring to socialize and take pictures- and nobody is allowed there without a wet-resisting cloak because the platform is more soaked with water than a low ship deck. The Falls have for decades been viewed from every possible angle, and yet I had a fleeting impression that they had remained as new and misterious as ever. They struck me as a Rapidly Motionless Wall that- unlike the famous Phoenix- breaks apart every single second and gets instantaneously rebuilt out of water. Like the notorious axe used as a pretext to cook a soup, the Waterwall started a whole branch of tourism on the shores of the Niagara River. Right near it there arose a new pulsating entertainment district- with a casino and a couple of interactive museums, numerous rides and restaurants. Along the 30-kilometre main road covered by a string of local shuttles, there are scattered parks hosting both natural (Butterfly Conservatory and Botanical Gardens) and man-made pearls (Floral Clock, Fragrance and Lilac Gardens). Luxurious hotels have been built all over the little town bearing the famous name of Niagara Falls. Even the river itself was made to provide another attraction- the so-called White Water Boardwalk. A 300-meter long wooden bridge runs parallel to the river edge, and there is a forbidden access to water proper. A nice psychological move- everybody is eager to jump over a low warning sign and feel hirself a bit of an adventurer! In short, every effort has been made to lure as many tourists and fool them out of as much money as possible. And frankly, there would have been nothing wrong about this strategy had it only been built on using some other “axe”. As it is, everything is getting dwarfed in comparison with the great Falls that smile indulgently at all the fuss around themselves. They know that they had been there long before and will remain there for the eternity after every product of human imagination and/or greed has been created and gone. And that’s what makes them a true wonder, the Eighth Wonder of the World.
THE NEW BABEL.
“…and they came to Babel from all over the world and decided to build a tower that would reach the sky-pod. And the tower was growing rapidly, and God saw it growing, and He became very angry. He decided to punish the daring builders and He mixed up their languages, and they were unable to understand each other anymore…”
That’s a renown Bible story that took place many centuries ago. Since then many changes have occurred, and God has minded those changes and questioned His own decision and reconsidered. He brought people from all over the world to the new Babel, but this time the language curse was lifted and reversed. In addition to all those languages the newcomers already had, He gave them a common language, and they learned anew how to understand each other and build. They built the highest tower in the world, but this time He blessed their work because they promised Him to leave enough space between the top of the tower and the entrance to His upper kingdom.
And they built more towers, and skyscrapers, and houses- and step by step, they built a country. A big country that bears a name of a Little Village or, as it sounds in one of the local dialects, “Canada”.