For Sale People of Other Lands Viewmaster WORLD Reels Viewers and More by MrViewmaster

Famous World Cities

(Some of the scenes in this reel are also found in VIEW-MASTER packets giving fuller coverage of the subject.)

Everyone dreams of taking a trip around the world some day.
Meanwhile, the stereo camera's magic can enable us to do the
next best thing: go around the world in imagination. In these next
scenes, we visit seven of the world's great cities.

1. LONDON: THE CEREMONY OF TROOPING THE COLOR

We are in London—city of history, haunt of Shakespeare and
Dickens, world center of trade, seat of royalty!

Dear to the hearts of the British is the traditional pageantry of
the court. In the ceremony known as Trooping the Colour, Her
Majesty Queen Elizabeth II arrives on horseback to inspect the
Guards. Slowly she rides down the long rows of red-and-black-clad
Guardsmen standing at stiff attention. At the end of the inspection,
the flag is carried slowly before the various regiments.

2. PARIS: THE EIFFEL TOWER

"A woman's town, with flowers in her hair." Thus Paris has been
described—the magic city of sidewalk cafes; of helter-skelter traffic;

of wide, tree-lined streets; of fashion, art, and beauty.

Best-known of Paris' trademarks is the Eiffel Tower, a graceful
network of resilient steel that soars 984 feet into the sky. It is named
for its builder, Gustave Eiffel, who erected it for the Paris Exposi-
tion of 1889. The tower adjoins the fountain-decked Champ de
Mars Park, a favorite retreat of Parisians.

3. ROME:THE COLOSSEUM

Fabled Rome, ruler of the ancient world, and still a great city!
Grandeur surrounds us as we walk her streets.

Before us stands the Colosseum, famous arena where gladiators
once fought to amuse emperors and their court, and where the
early Christians were killed by wild beasts to satisfy the blood-lust
of the crowds. Completed in the latter half of the First Century
A.D., the Colosseum stood in good repair for 500 years; then
the Romans began to use its stones for other buildings. This vandal-
ism continued until the mid-18th Century, when Pope Benedict
XIV ordered the building preserved from further destruction.

4. MOSCOW: RED SQUARE AND LENIN'S TOMB

Moscow's Red Square—more than half a mile long and 450 feet
wide—is the center of the city's public life and the scene of mas-
sive parades of Russian armed might. Lenin's Tomb, a modern
structure of warm-toned granite, stands on Red Square in front of
the Kremlin. Russians stand in line for the privilege of passing
before the glass case containing the embalmed body of Lenin.

In the distance at left is the Church of St. Basil, dating from
1679. Its nine cupolas, each different in design, signify the blending
of the separate Russian peoples into one czardom in the time of
Ivan the Terrible.

5. RIO DE JANEIRO: CARNIVAL DANCERS

Rio de Janeiro—its very name conjures up a vision of tall moun-
tains, long sandy beaches, and the carefree enchantment of the
Carnival! Rio is a city that blends an aura of excitement with an
air of happy relaxation.

Carnival is an annual festival held before Ash Wednesday. Since
Rio is in the Southern Hemisphere, this occurs in the autumn
rather than spring. Everyone dresses in colorful costumes, and the
streets are gay with dancing, parades, and song.

6. MEXICO CITY: UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

Mexico City, where the old and new stand side by side, is a city
of vigor. Situated at an altitude of 7,000 feet in the tropics, it has
a climate of perpetual spring.

In the suburb of University City lies the modern campus of the
University of Mexico. Around the four walls of the 12-story Library
spreads a huge mosaic mural—more than one acre of art—that
depicts the history of culture and education in Mexico. It is the
work of Juan O'Gonnan, painter and architect.

7. BANGKOK, THAILAND: EMERALD BUDDHA TEMPLE

Bangkok, a storybook city of Oriental splendor, is a melting pot
whose streets teem with people of Thailand, China, and India. It
is a city of palaces, great images of Buddha, monks in yellow robes,
and temples hung with brass bells that tinkle in the breeze.

From outside the walls of the Grand Palace, the graceful spires
of Wat Phra Keo—the Chapel of the Emerald Buddha—are visible.
Located inside the Grand Palace, it is the most sacred temple in
Thailand, and the place where the King worships. Its courtyard is
decked with painted stone serpents and great statues of demons.
Thai people walk barefooted here, as they do in all holy places.

The human race is capable of astonishing diversity; yet, the more we see of the world, the more we realize how much the people of various cultures have in common. They all love fiestas, parades, and celebrations; they all take pride in their national styles of dress; they all express their religious fervor through some type of , ritual. And each nationality has its dances.

1. MEXICO: FLOATING FIESTA, LAKE XOCHIMILCO Xochimiico, just southeast of Mexico City, is a favorite recreation spot for residents of the capital. This lake is dotted with little islands, each a garden of flowers. Aztec Indian boatmen pole their flower decked boats through the water, calling to one another in their ancient language. On Sundays, families come to the lake to picnic on the boats. Indians on other boats sell food, drinks, and flowers. The islands are called "floating gardens," and in ancient Aztec times they actually did float; they were made of large rafts covered with soil. Now, however, they are anchored to the bottom of the shallow lake.

2. AFRICA: THE FAMOUS WATUSI DANCERS In east central Africa, in the tiny countries of Rwanda and Burundi, a tall, stately people called the Watusi once reigned supreme. The men are from 6 to 8 feet tall. In this land of green volcanic peaks, blue lakes, and mist-shrouded valleys, they tended their cattle, ruled over the neighboring tribes, and danced. The dance of the Watusi warriors has seldom been equaled for grace, color, and sheer excitement. Today, it is seldom seen by tourists. Conquered by their former subject tribes, the Watusi have been scattered, and many of them have been driven into exile.

3. INDIA: DUSSERA FESTIVAL IN MYSORE Early autumn heralds a 10-day Hindu festival in many parts of India. The Dussera celebrates the close of the rainy season and the legendary triumph of Shakti, goddess of life and death, over the forces of evil. After nine days of prayers and devotions, the image of the ten-armed goddess is cast into the water. At Mysore, in southern India, the Maharajah, or local prince, presents himself on the final day of the festival to receive his followers' homage and offer his own tribute. Here, riding the royal elephant, he parades, flanked by soldiers and musicians.

4. GUATEMALA: INDIANS PRAY ON CATHEDRAL STEPS Guatemala, Central America, is a little country of great scenic beauty. High in its central mountains is an Indian village with the tongue-twisting name of Chichicastenango—which visitors call "Chichi" for short. Its Sunday markets draw as many as 5,000 Indians, descendants of the ancient Maya tribe. Up the stone steps of the village church—Calvary, built in 1618— the Indians go, kneeling, saying their prayers, and swinging censers that fill the air with fragrant smoke.

5. INDONESIA: TEMPLE DANCE BY YOUNG GIRLS OF BALI Bali, "the Paradise of the Pacific," is an island of gorgeous scenery, exotic music, and graceful, golden-skinned people. Here, the dance is as much a part of daily life as the Hindu religion. The various traditional dances are based on mythology. We are watching four young girls dancing a Lcikon, or ballet, in which they enact both male and female roles. The costumes show that the two on the right, wearing trousers, are taking male parts.

6. ASIA: OKUNICHI FESTIVAL, NAGASAKI, JAPAN Japan is a land of festivals. Starting with the one held on New Year's Day, when all debts must be paid, they follow one another in gay procession. Most festivals are of a religious nature. A portable shrine of the deity being honored is usually a part of the street parades. The god receives a bouncing ride along the street at the hands of his bearers. This "snake dance" is a feature of the Okunichi festival at Nagasaki, in southwestern Japan.

7. EUROPE: TRADITIONAL COSTUME, VOLENDAM, HOLLAND Now we are in Volendam, a village north of Amsterdam. The walk home from church on Sundays in Volendam furnishes a fine opportunity to see the old Dutch costumes. The Volendam costume, with the peaked cap for women, is the one most familiar to foreigners, and is often mistaken for the national dress of the Netherlands. Actually, each village that clings to the past has its own traditional costume. To those who know, a woman's costume tells where she is from and whether she is married or single, Catholic or Protestant.