Tour the Past in Singapore
We stopped for a few days in the city-state of Singapore on our way to and from Kerala, India. In mid- November, Singapore was seriously decked out for Christmas with blue lights and “Have a Glitzy Christmas” banners everywhere. The 3 towers under construction in the picture below are gambling hotels. Singapore wants a piece of the action.
Singapore is well organized, clean, safe, and new. Some freedoms, such as free speech, are restricted. Drug traffickers get the death penalty. On the other hand, Singapore is an economic success and its 5 million multi-cultural inhabitants enjoy a high standard of living. They seem to be content. Singapore is not easy to figure out.
Look to the Past
Singapore is so modern, but there are some great museums where you can travel back in time to learn of Singapore history.
The Asian Civilisation Museum in Singapore is a treasure, with focus on cultures that had an impact on Singapore. We spent several hours viewing displays and artefacts from China, India and southeast Asia. The exhibits are well presented, with extensive information about the culture, religion and migration of Asian peoples. We didn't expect to, but we learned lots about India, our next travel destination, in the Asian Civilisations Museum. (There are beautiful Buddha statues on display, too).
The early days of Singapore are described at the entrance to the museum -the role of the British in the creation of Singapore for the 'Empire', the immigration of Chinese workers, and the brutality of the Japanese in WWII.
The Chinatown Heritage Centre
The Singapore Chinatown Heritage Centre was also exceptional. It is in an old ‘shophouse’ in Chinatown, with realistic re-creations of the lives of Chinese immigrants to Singapore. The displays are artistically and thoughtfully presented and we left with understanding of the tremendous hardships Chinese immigrants faced in Singapore, the poverty, opium addiction, disease, the struggle to survive.
Both museums added depth to our visit to Singapore. We escaped the modernity for a few hours and saw beautiful archeological displays in the Asian Civilizations Museum. The Chinatown Heritage Centre, by delving into the recent past, provided some insights into Singapore of today.
Things I loved about Lyon:
It's a great city to walk in.
Two rivers, the Rhone and the Saone, meet in Lyon. Bookfairs and cafes line the shores, and on weekends, crowds wander amongst local artisans and musicians.
Vieux Lyon has medieval architecture and narrow cobblestone streets.
Croix-Rousse is an old quarter where the silk industry once thrived.
Art. The Musee des Beaux-Arts has an exciting large collection of paintings and sculptures from all periods.
Roman History.
The Theatre Romain, built by the Romans in 15 BC, and the Musee de la Civilisation Gallo Romaine, tucked into the hillside behind the amphi-theatre were extremely interesting.
Food. Les Halles de Lyon is one of many wonderful markets in Lyon, where you can see fabulous displays of French food in all its glory. Lyon is known for its' gastronomic excellence.
A bouchon is a type of eatery unique to Lyon that specializes in pork, all parts. One of our favourite meals was at the bouchon Cafe Des Federations.
Wine (Beaujolais) is served in a 'pot', a smaller bottle or carafe. Lentils, salad, cheeses, and of course, pork, are common fare in a bouchon.
We had another delicious meal at Le Garet. Here we had a special house pear liquor and chatted with French tourists. Food is plentiful at bouchons, so go on an empty stomach.
Travel can change your daily diet. After Kerala, we crave masala dosa. From Greece it was feta cheese and olive oil. Italy, sardines on pizza, and pesto pasta. In Lyon, it was the salad, made with frisee ( or endive), hard boiled eggs, lardon (chunks of bacon) and a dressing heavy with Dijon mustard.
In Lyon, we also developed a serious romance with cheese. The fresh cheeses of France are hard to resist. Save room at the end of the meal for the cheese course.
Throughout France the cuisine was supurb.
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