ChristmasDownUnder
Personal Journey
AU C K L A N D , N e wZealand — We stood onthe sidewalk waiting forthe Santa Parade onQueen Street and took
in the crowd around us; it wasthe usual mix of families, old-tim-ers, and teens traveling in packs.One thing was different, though,
for a December activity: Almosteveryone was wearing T-shirtsand shorts. This was our firstChristmas season Down Under,where the calendar is turningthe page from spring to summerand the holidays take place be-neath palm trees and sunny blueskies.
Christmas Day traditions in-clude having a barbecue, sailingon the turquoise-tinged watersof the harbor, or playing a gameof cricket in the park. That maynot be much different than inMiami, San Diego, or otherwarm places Stateside; but we
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The Inquirer
By Gregory BaneckerFOR THE INQUIRER
W e are conditioned to feardarkness. It is a state so im-bued with disquieting conno-
tations that even as an adult, whenyour mind can logically distinguishbetween the bogeyman and the sim-ple absence of light, you still get thatuneasy feeling when it’s midnight, a
spoon falls in the kitchen, and yourgirlfriend asks you to go to see whatthat noise was.
Recently I traveled to darkness ata sensory exhibit titled “Dialogue inthe Dark.” Participants are ledthrough several rooms in completedarkness by a blind guide in order torealize the limitations of the human
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Into the darkness: Journeyingto regions where few have gone
One more week for wintervacation photo contest. N2
A closet you can stash in theoverhead compartment. N3
By Luaine LeeMcCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
B UDAPEST, Hungary —There’s an easier way tosee Europe than being
crammed into tour buses orcrowded hostels. A river cruiseis one of the most relaxing andpicturesque ways to view thewonders of the Continent up
close.While many cruise operators
prowl the waterways, one of themost comprehensive is VikingRiver Cruises, which boasts 19ships (six more next year) andexplores most of the navigablerivers in Europe, plus parts ofAsia and Africa.
Of these, the eight-day Danube
cruise embarks in the historiccity of Budapest and weaves itsway slowly down the green mar-gins of the Danube, through flam-boyant Vienna; fairy-tale townssuch as Germany’s Regensburg;the lush vineyards of Austria;and, finally, Hitler’s favorite city,Nuremberg. (Or the reverse itin-
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History, beauty along the DanubeAn 8-day cruise from Budapest to Nuremberg visits fairy-tale towns, lush landscapes.
CAROL LEIBY / McClatchy TribuneThe Viking Prestige docked at Regensburg, Germany. The ship can carry 188 passengers, offering anintimate experience compared to ocean liners. Six land excursions are included in the 8-day Danube trip.
Courtesy of the Milnes
Here come Santa Clauses: The Santa Run takes place in seven cities throughout New Zealand. For a $30 fee,each runner is given a red felt Santa suit to wear; the money goes to the KidsCan charity.
PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAIS / Associated Press
The National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse, south of the White House, and thePathway of Peace, 56 smaller trees representing all 50 states, five territories,and the District of Columbia, are lit nightly till 11 p.m. through Jan. 1. Musicalperformances are 6-8:30 p.m. on weekdays, and 4-8:30 p.m. on weekends.
Merry Christmas to all
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Christmas Down UnderKiwis and Aussies make it merry withbarbecues and sailing and lots of faux snow.
A Yearand A WorldBy Larissaand MichaelMilne
Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011 ★ Section NA
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doubt that the highlight of those cit-ies’ Christmas parades is a giant bal-loon of a kiwi bird wearing a SantaClaus hat.
We joined the crowd in cheeringthe floats featuring beach and surf-ing scenes. But when it came timefor the big guy, Santa himself, thepalm trees were just a memory. Hisfloat was covered in white with“snow”-covered trees and a castle.Even Down Under, the dream of awhite Christmas lives.
Many smaller towns have SantaParades as well. Dunedin on theSouth Island featured that oldChristmas chestnut, Snoopy andlongtime nemesis the Red Baron, en-gaged in a dogfight down the maindrag. We’re not sure what it had todo with Christmas, but the kidsseemed to eat it up.
A more recent annual event is theSanta Run to raise money for theKidsCan charity. The race takesplace in seven cities throughoutNew Zealand. For a $30 fee, eachrunner is given a red felt Santa suitto wear. Race veterans often showup in homemade outfits as elves orreindeer. The run in Dunedin takesplace on the beach with the startingline just across from the local pub.There was clearly a party atmo-sphere, but fortunately the race, if itcan be called that, was mercifullyshort so casualties were few.
A nod to the Kiwis’ British heri-tage is the celebration of BoxingDay on Dec. 26. Traditionally it wasthe time when the lords and ladiesof the manor would box up the left-overs for the servants. Today it’s away of extending the holiday by an-other day, and who wants to workthe day after Christmas anyway?Since the stores are all closed onBoxing Day, there is no waking upearly to rush to the stores at 4 a.m.for markdowns or gift returns. Whata wonderful idea, and a great treatfor retail workers.
New Zealanders also include cus-toms of the first settlers of this land,the Maori people. Christmas cardsand decorations bear Maori motifs,while many dig into a Maori treatcalled a hangi. Similar to a Hawai-ian luau, hot stones are placed in ahole in the ground, and then lamb,potatoes, and whatever else strikesthe chef’s fancy are placed on top ofthe stones to bake. A warm MeriKirihimete is wished: that’s Maorifor Merry Christmas. Not so differ-ent from the Hawaiian Mele Kaliki-maka.
Across the Tasman Sea, the Auss-ies have put a unique spin on San-ta’s flight path. Apparently it’s toohot in the outback for reindeer, soSanta is propelled by six white“boomers,” also known as kanga-roos. One bush-country resident,innkeeper Deb Wright, said, “It’s sohot that we usually have cold meatsand salads for the main meal, andmuch beer is also consumed due tothe delirious heat.” Despite the
weather, stores are decorated withsnowy winter scenes.
If all the talk of beach vacationsand barbecues is not Christmasyenough for you, visit in six months,when many Aussies and Kiwis cele-brate Christmas in July. Snow is in
abundance for ski vacations on theSouth Island and in southern partsof Australia, which in this topsy-tur-vy hemisphere is colder than thenorth.
The season is a poignant time inChristchurch this year. The city suf-
fered a devastating earthquake inFebruary that destroyed the down-town and killed 181 people. Therewas talk of canceling the annual San-ta Parade due to lack of a sponsorand the traditional parade route’sbeing closed off for safety reasons.However, a shopping center steppedin to provide funding and the pa-rade was rerouted.
More than 100,000 people, one-quarter of the town’s population,turned out for the event. We spokewith one woman, a nurse who waspreparing a patient for surgery atSt. George’s Hospital when thequake struck. “It’s certainly been achallenging year,” she said. “Butwe’ll survive and rise above it.”
The town Christmas tree was lit,and, in a new custom, visitors wereencouraged to bring gifts to placeunder the tree. They will be distrib-uted to Christchurch children whohave had a particularly difficulttime.
The international symbol of thedevastation wrought on the city wasthe heavily damaged ChristchurchCathedral. At Christmastime lastyear, three larger-than-life sculp-tures of angels were hung from theceiling. However, the quake madethe building unsafe (it will be re-built, in a form yet to be deter-mined), so this year the angels aresuspended from constructioncranes. The angels represent conso-lation, comfort, and hope. What fit-ting symbols to watch over the resi-dents of Christchurch during thisseason of birth and renewal.
Larissa and Michael Milne are travelingaround the world for a year and will bereporting in regularly about theirjourney. You can follow them atwww.ChangesInLongitude.com.
NEW ZEALAND from N1
Question: Where is EquatorialGuinea?
— Chicago TribuneAnswer below
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Warm weather,warm wishes Down Under
The Maori, the original inhabitants of New Zealand, parade on a float with a traditional waka, or canoe.
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Courtesy the MilnesThe traditional symbol of New Zealand, the kiwi bird, makes a big impression in the Auckland Santa Parade.
In earthquake-devastated Christchurch, an angel sculpture is suspendedfrom a crane in a work zone: Representing consolation, comfort, hope.Answer: The country (about
the size of Massachusetts) lieson the west coast of Africa,bordered by Cameroon on thenorth, and Gabon on the eastand south. It includes themainland territory of Rio Muniand five islands.
www.philly.com N3THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRERSunday, December 25, 2011
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