Diana still rests in peace this summer but almost every other place associated with the late Princess of Wales has been thronged with visitors.
Admirers of the "People's Princess" have been flocking to the palaces where she once resided, the paths she once trod and to the churches where she prayed. Naturally the list of must-do locations includes the tunnel in Paris where Diana died 10 years ago in a fatal car accident on Aug. 31, 1997.
The stations in Diana's life in London and Paris have become places of pilgrimage for tens of thousands of tourists from all over the world. Amid the hubbub, Diana's final resting place on a small island at the Spencer family seat in Althorp has remained a rare oasis of calm. Her remains are kept here in a small mausoleum that visitors can only view from a discreet distance.
PHOTOS: AGENCIES
It was not far from this tranquil spot that Prince Charles first met his future first wife. Diana's parents, the aristocratic Spencer family, had invited the heir to the throne to a hunting party at their home, a 90-minute drive from London. Four years later, Diana Frances Spencer exchanged vows with the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II at St Paul's Cathedral in London and became the Princess of Wales.
Twenty years after that initial outing with Charles, a hearse brought Diana's coffin back to Althorp. "Since then Althorp has become renowned throughout the world," said Diana's brother Charles, the ninth Earl of Spencer. He held a moving eulogy at her funeral in Westminster Abbey on Sept. 6, 1997, which included the words: "Today is our chance to say thank you for the way you brightened our lives, even though God granted you but half a life."
Ten years on and Britain is keeping the memory of Diana very much alive. Those who wish to retrace her steps can choose from a comprehensive itinerary. Althorp near Northampton is a good place to start or end a tour. The Spencer estate is open from the beginning of July until mid September.
PHOTO: AGENCIES
A small museum with many exhibits from Diana's former home in Kensington Palace is dedicated to her life as a child, a wife, a mother and as a patron of charitable causes. It offers no insight, however, into Diana's many alleged love affairs or into her life in the public spotlight during which she was a wily manipulator of the media.
Visitors to Kensington Palace in London are offered a glimpse of Diana as a vamp. It was here that star photographer Mario Testino took pictures of her for the magazine Vanity Fair just a few months before her death. The giant prints adorn two rooms at the palace that was once at the center of her universe. They show a beautiful and attractive Diana, radiating confidence.
For those Diana fans with less time to spare, it is possible to organize a compact, Diana-themed holiday too. Three or four days ought to suffice but such a trip should combine London and Paris, since any recollection of her life and times must include the place where the princess died.
Staying overnight at the Ritz Hotel in Paris is an option for the more affluent tourist but the average budget should extend to drinking a champagne cocktail at the hostelry's Hemingway Bar. Visitors can walk out onto the Place Vendome through the revolving door used by Diana and her erstwhile companion, Egyptian playboy Dodi al-Fayed on that fatal evening.
From the Place Vendome it is only a 30-minute walk to the road tunnel at Place de l'Alma where Diana was fatally injured. The Flame of Liberty that sits above the entrance is a place of pilgrimage for people from all over the world. It is worth noting though, that this memorial was actually here long before Diana met her death. The metal sculpture of a flame has been flickering in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower since 1989 when it was awarded as a gift to the city by the International Herald Tribune.
Some careless visitors even risk a brush with the police by walking down into the busy underpass and allowing themselves to be photographed in front of pillar number 13, the spot where the Mercedes limousine carrying Diana and Dodi crashed into the concrete. Officially, Paris distances itself from such tourists.
"We do not wish to profit from the death of the princess," said an official.
From the golden flame it is only a short trip on the Metro to the Gare du Nord, the main railway terminus on the northern edge of the city center. The Eurostar train takes just 2.5 hours to reach Waterloo station in central London - 20 minutes of which are spent traversing the Channel Tunnel. On leaving the station, visitors in search of Diana's old haunts should cross Westminster Bridge on foot to Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.
They can take a right turn from here into Downing Street, where the prime minister of the day, Tony Blair, coined the name "People's Princess" or a left one to Westminster Abbey where Elton John sang Candle in the Wind at a televised memorial ceremony on Sept. 6, 1997. It was seen by hundreds of millions of people around the world. The road straight ahead leads through St James's Park to the railings outside Buckingham Palace.
Ten years on, Diana is still omnipresent in London and it is virtually impossible to go anywhere without seeing her face - not just at the newspaper and souvenir shops either. Even the National Portrait Gallery in Trafalgar Square was unwilling or unable to opt out of paying homage. An exhibition of Diana photographs includes the work of paparazzi and professionals alike.
The official "The Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Walk" is marked by 90 circular plaques set into the ground to guide visitors along a route stretching 11.8km. The most essential section is from Kensington Palace through Hyde Park and past the extensive Diana memorial playground to a fountain dedicated to the late princess - the work of North American designer Kathryn Gustafson.
One building is notably missing from the Diana Walk through London, namely Harrods department store. Yet no journey in her footsteps is complete without a glimpse of the capital's central shrine to the memory of Diana and Dodi, erected by Mohammed al-Fayed in his luxury store. It shows Diana and Dodi gazing lovingly into each other's eyes as they release an albatross into the sky. A whole range of devotional items are on sale too, yet faced with so much adulation some visitors are tempted to let the word "kitsch" pass their lips, albeit under their breath.
If you go: London and Paris
Getting there: Vietnam Airlines offers economy class return flights from Taipei to Paris starting at NT$20,140 excluding taxes. To book, visit www.zuji.com.tw. Malaysia Airlines offers discount seats for two return tickets to Paris for NT$20,148, excluding taxes. To book, visit www.eztravel.com.tw. Long-haul, low-cost Oasis Hong Kong Airlines offers return tickets to London from Taipei starting at NT$17,702, excluding taxes. Visit www.eztravel.com.tw. Single tickets are recommended for those who want to combine the two capitals in one trip. The best connection between the two cities is the Eurostar express train. More than a dozen of them ply the route between Waterloo and Gare du Nord from 5:50am to 8pm every day. The journey takes around two hours and 35 minutes and tickets cost between NT$3,906 and NT$14,599.
Climate: The average summer temperature in Paris is around 25°C, while in August 30°C is not uncommon. London's weather is actually better than its reputation. August has an average of just a few rainy days and in most cases the rainfall lasts only a few hours at the most. Temperatures range around 22°C although dog days, on which it can get as hot as 30°C, are not unknown.
Currencies: Legal tender in France is the euro and the pound sterling in Britain.
Tourist Information: Britain and France maintain numerous tourist offices around the world, but probably the best overview can be obtained by visiting the following Web sites: www.visitbritain.com, www.franceguide.com, www.visitlondon.com, de.parisinfo.com/, www.althorp.com, www.hrp.org.uk/KensingtonPalace, www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/hyde_park/diana_memorial.cfm www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaround/walkfinder/walkdetails.asp?id=36
SOURCE: DPA AND TAIPEI TIMES
When the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese forces 50 years ago this week, it prompted a mass exodus of some 2 million people — hundreds of thousands fleeing perilously on small boats across open water to escape the communist regime. Many ultimately settled in Southern California’s Orange County in an area now known as “Little Saigon,” not far from Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, where the first refugees were airlifted upon reaching the US. The diaspora now also has significant populations in Virginia, Texas and Washington state, as well as in countries including France and Australia.
On April 17, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) launched a bold campaign to revive and revitalize the KMT base by calling for an impromptu rally at the Taipei prosecutor’s offices to protest recent arrests of KMT recall campaigners over allegations of forgery and fraud involving signatures of dead voters. The protest had no time to apply for permits and was illegal, but that played into the sense of opposition grievance at alleged weaponization of the judiciary by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to “annihilate” the opposition parties. Blamed for faltering recall campaigns and faced with a KMT chair
Article 2 of the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China (中華民國憲法增修條文) stipulates that upon a vote of no confidence in the premier, the president can dissolve the legislature within 10 days. If the legislature is dissolved, a new legislative election must be held within 60 days, and the legislators’ terms will then be reckoned from that election. Two weeks ago Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) proposed that the legislature hold a vote of no confidence in the premier and dare the president to dissolve the legislature. The legislature is currently controlled
Dull functional structures dominate Taiwan’s cityscapes. But that’s slowly changing, thanks to talented architects and patrons with deep pockets. Since the start of the 21st century, the country has gained several alluring landmark buildings, including the two described below. NUNG CHAN MONASTERY Dharma Drum Mountain (法鼓山, DDM) is one of Taiwan’s most prominent religious organizations. Under the leadership of Buddhist Master Sheng Yen (聖嚴), who died in 2009, it developed into an international Buddhist foundation active in the spiritual, cultural and educational spheres. Since 2005, DDM’s principal base has been its sprawling hillside complex in New Taipei City’s Jinshan District (金山). But
RSS