[ 11.2013 | Big Sur ]

in Europe, May 1^st is celebrated as ‘Labor Day’ or ‘Inter­natio­nal Wor­kers’ Day’. some coun­tries have their ‘May Day’, which is a cele­bration of labor­ers & the work­ing classes, on another date, signifi­cant to them. it was 1^st cele­bra­ted in Septem­ber 1882 in New York City, by the Central Labor Union. in Germany & many other coun­tries, ‘Tag der Arbeit’ (= ‘Day of Labor’) is a public holiday. the date was chosen to remem­ber the Hay­market affair that occured in May 1886. on this day, a bomb explod­ed at a labor demon­stration at Hay­market Square in Chicago. the demon­stration was in support of workers stri­king for an eight-hour day.

it can easily take you eight hours and more to drive down the popu­lar Highway 1 in Cali­fornia. I took the scenic State Route 1 twice. the major north-south route along the Pacific coast­line was built fragmen­tary. its first sec­tion in the Big Sur region opened in 1937. Big Sur is a lightly popu­lated area which is famous for its high cliffs and grand scenery. its name is derived from the Spanish ‘el sur grande’, meaning ‘the big south’.

sources: encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org | dol.gov | fhwa.dot.gov | bigsurcalifornia.org