Past POIs - Haskell Free Library [Vermont / United States of America, Quebec / Canada]

Yaa, the location is a bit weird, but it is actually true! Welcome to Haskell Free Library and Opera House, a building founded in 1901 that is actually built on top of the border of United States of America and Canada.

Source: Haskell Library Facebook

Construction started in 1901 and ended in 1904 after a series of delays with an estimated total cost of $50,000 (over $1,000,000 after inflation). This library and opera house was built by the Haskell family as a source of income which was never fulfilled but has become quite the tourist attraction for people in the know.

Me walking out of the USA entrance.

You are free to visit the library during its regular hours, however, do note that there are law enforcement officers that make sure that you come and go from your country of entry into the Haskell Library. While we were there, there was no issue, but there is a note on their website, so I would take their word for it and make sure to follow the rules.

Me with one foot in Canada, one foot in USA.

The library is divided into three areas based on where things are geographically. The main door is in the United States of America, the circulation desk and all the books are in Canada, and the reading room is international. While we were there, we talked to some of the librarians for a bit of history behind the building, bought a coffee and just relaxed in the reading room for a bit while taking pictures of us being between two countries (there is tape on the floor that marks the border).

Tours of the opera house are available starting mid-May and ending in mid-October, check their website for details. It says that it is roughly 25 minutes long with a suggested donation of $5. Since we came during the winter time, we didn't get a chance to do the tour.

Us with one foot in USA and one foot in Canada.

The opera house actually sounds quite interesting. It is on the second floor of the building and is the only opera house that is split by an international border where the seats are in United States of America and the stage is in Canada. I'm not sure if it is included in the tour, but the website says that in the dressing rooms, the walls are covered with signatures from generations of performers that have performed at Haskell.

You can find out more at Haskell Free Library and Opera House.

Come back next Friday for another Past Point of Interest!

Past POIs - Széchenyi lánchíd [Budapest, Hungary]

It seems that in Europe, there are a lot of famous bridges there, moreso than bridges here in North America. Aside from the Brooklyn Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge, I'm not sure that I can say that any others really stick out to me as must see attractions (people, it is just a bridge...)

When you visit Budapest, I would say that odds are, you will stumble across this bridge since it is the main suspension bridge that connects Buda (west of Danube River) with Pest (east of Danube River) spanning across the Danube River. It is called the Széchenyi lánchíd or Chain Bridge, named after a Hungarian politician István Széchenyi who brought this bridge to life in 1849. The bridge was the first permanent bridge connecting Buda and Pest, is used by both vehicles and pedestrians.

Unfortunately, due to World War II, the bridge was actually completely destroyed with just the two stone pillars remaining. After the war ended, reconstruction of the bridge started in 1947 and ended in 1949 bringing it back to its original form.

When you cross the bridge, there is a tunnel on the Buda side which goes through Buda Hill under the Buda Castle and out to the other side. This tunnel is almost exactly the same length as the bridge leading to talks about people thinking that the Chain Bridge can be moved into the tunnel if it rains (which sounds really silly).

When you are on the Buda side of the bridge, make sure to look for the 'Zero KM stone'. We did see this on our trip, but we didn't know what it was while there. This is the marker used to calculate distance, like in Canada, there is a 0 km spot (it's in B.C.)

While I still believe that it is just a bridge, its importance cannot be understated.

Come back next Friday for another Past Point of Interest!

Past POIs - Austrian Parliament Building [Vienna, Austria]

During our Europe trip in 2015, we visited the Austrian Parliament Building (which I labelled as Vienna Parliament in prior posts) and it was quite the surprise stop for me in Vienna. We stopped here in time for the public guided tour which at the time was 5,00 € and lasts roughly 55 minutes, available in both German and English. You are given a headset to use and feel free to bring your own headphones because you can use your own headphones with the headset.

Yup, inside parliament!

Construction started in 1874 and was completed in 1883 with the design of almost everything by Theophil Hansen. The building is designed with a Greek style in mind and not only did Hansen design the building, he was also responsible for the statues, paintings, furniture, light fixtures and other items! And yes, the fountain that is out front is also by Hansen as well, although it was built later with construction beginning in 1898 and completion in 1902.

Fountain outside parliament with parliament in the background.

This parliament building is where the President of Austria gets sworn-in and where the state speeches takes place. During World War II, it sustained heavy damage, however it has since been restored to its original state. But, you will notice that some things are not perfect and it is a remainder of what happened in the past. One such area is in the Colonnaded Hall, where you will notice that the columns aren't all of the same stone and they are patched where they were damaged.

Yup, this is inside parliament!

When I did research on the site, I'm glad that we made it when we did. Starting in 2017, they will renovate the parliament building to deal with issues like leaky roofs, ventilation and electrical system upgrades. This also includes removing building damages and repurposing unused spaces which means that the Parliament Building that we saw, may not exist in the future. Looking at the concept images of this makes it look very modern and it loses, in my opinion, what wowed me when I visited. However, it is entirely possible that these modern looks are in separate areas. You can read more about it here: Austrian Parliament renovations.

Yes, this is actually inside the parliament building.

While I could write about all the places that we saw, I will comment about the one that struck me as the most awe inspiring. I think that this is likely due to my expectations (which was, oh, a boring government building), when I walked in and saw the Colonnaded Hall, I felt like I was transported back to Italy where I saw the Pantheon. As you enter, a hall opens up at 40 m by 24 m where you will see 24 Corinthian marble columns which weigh a staggering 16 tons EACH. These columns support the ceiling and the glass roof above. If you come during the day, it is so well light, it was beautiful.

Colonnaded Hall.

If you are here, definitely try to plan to take a tour here. I don't know if there is a space limitation, but when we went, we just walked to the visitor center and just paid for the next available tour. You can check on their website when the tours are. Oh, and oddly, like most places that we visit, this is also a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Come back next Friday for another Past Point of Interest!