MORE ABOUT AIRPORT

On my way to Churchill, Manitoba. I was meeting my New Jersey friend in Indianapolis. From there we were flying to Churchill together on a Northwest flight.

My original flight was racing down the runway all ready to lift off when suddenly the pilot slammed on the brakes! What a jolt that was. I didn’t know a plane could stop that fast. Coming on the speaker, the pilot said some kind of a red light had come on and we had no lift power, so we were returning to the terminal to have the mechanics take a look at the problem.

Parked back at the gate, the pilot said they were calling Atlanta for instructions on how to fix the problem. That really makes one feel confident !

But a little less than an hour later we were again taxiing down the runway. I actually crossed my fingers and closed my eyes as we lifted off.

Nearly everyone on the plane was making connections in Atlanta. I just figured I’d miss my plane and was thinking in my head how I was going to get a message to my friend that I had been delayed. As we started our descent into Atlanta, the stewardess announced connecting gate info. The good news was that I only had about 10 gates to go on the same concourse. Normally Atlanta is so crowded that I literally ziz zag down the concourse to avoid running into people. I deplaned quickly as I had less than five minutes before my connecting flight took off. I still think I sent off an aura that said get out of my way, because I belined it down that concourse in a straight line arriving at the gate, out of breath, just as they were about to close the plane’s door! I was the last person to board the plane---but I made it, and now did not have to worry about trying to contact my friend.

That leg of the trip was uneventful and I arrived at our Northwest departure gate first, having about 40 minutes to wait for my friend.

     When my friend and I were going to Mexico to the Sea of Cortez we 


 made arrangements to meet at  LAX and have lunch before our trip south. 


 I left early and made my connecting flight with no problem. We no more 


than reach cruising altitude when the pilot came on the speaker asking for

 a doctor.

 

      When it was confirmed that a fellow had had a heart attack the pilot


 informed us he was jettisoning fuel and that we would be returning 


to the airport. We made an unscheduled flight  somewhere so the fellow 


could be off loaded where medics and an ambulance were waiting. The 

plane refueled but I was a good three hours late arriving in LA.I hustled 


from one terminal to another and all along the way people said to me, 


“Your friend is waiting at your departure gate.”

 

  

      It seems she waited at my arrival gate as long as she could and then 


told people that when the saw an older woman in a maroon running 


suit to give me her message. I arrived at Aero Mexico gate with only

 five minutes to spare before they would let my seat go to a stand-by


 traveler. We hadn't had our lunch but we spent a delightful week 

on a deserted island in the Sea of Cortez and another few days 

traveling home on the Copper Canyon Railroad.

       When I came back from China I came through Chicago's O'Hare airport. 


Weather had closed the  airport for a couple of hours before we landed. 


After I had gotten through customs, I put my bag up on the security belt

 enroute to my connection gate. It had been a long day and I was tired and


 a bit cranky, but certainly not prepared for the nasty female attendant 


who decided she needed to open my carry-on bag, then proceed to open 


every box that I had carefully packed to see what was in them. I noted

 that the scanner had no problem with anything. After she opened the


 boxes it was up to me to repack them and eventually repack the bag. 


Maybe she was bored with nothing to do for the preceding couple hours.
 

      When she got to the two TP cardboard inserts that I had taped end to end I


 had had enough. Inside the rolls was a rolled up fragile scroll that our guide


 had made for me. I insisted that she stop right then and call a supervisor. 


Reluctantly she did and I explained the situation. By looking in the end of the


 roll she could see there was nothing of concern and she told the attendant


 to let me go. BUT I had the whole bag to repack and we all know that there 


was no way it was going to end up the neat way it had originally been. My


 two-hour transfer time  now had been narrowed down to 10-minutes!

Lastly in the summer of 2007 I had 22 flights. All went well except on


 one flight in Salt Lake City  for a three-hour delay for an engine problem.

 

Flying to one's destination these days is seldom fun and often filled with delays and inconveniences, but what delights and adventures await at the end of the passage!

TRAVEL WREATH

When traveling I like to bring home a neat souvenir of my trip. Years ago I hit upon an easy way to be able to decorate my tree at Christmas time. But finding Christmas deorations is not always an easy thing to do. Besides they are often big and breakable. My 22' rollon has limited space.

It is easy to find keychains that remind me of the trip. They are small, durable, colorful  and meaningful. When I get home I remove the keyring and in its place add a gold or red ribbon.

As the years went on and  grandchildren grown it was a really big chore to have to dig out the tree and the big box of ornaments  from years past. I bought a full green wreath with  a hanger attached to the back. On went all my keychains. During the year it hangs in the closet and mid November comes out to hang in my hallway for a couple of months.
I love being able to look at it and remember all the wonderful trips and people I've met along the way. I enjoy showing it to friends and answering their many questions. It is a big hit and fun for all.

Happy Holidays to all of you out there in blog land!

AIRPORT ENCOUNTERS

                                       Sometimes Travel can be Frustrating.

In 1971 or thereabouts. my husband’s ship was going to Hong Kong for R & R and I thought what a great opportunity for me to meet the ship there and do a little sightseeing. On the way the plane landed in Taipei, Taiwan to refuel. We all off loaded the plane into a holding room. We were there for the longest time when they finally told us we could not reboard until the lost flight manifest was found. We couldn’t leave that room or walk around the airport. It a little scary to think that we could be there a very long time, and that maybe I’d never make it to Hong Kong. But about an hour later we did reboard, and we were on our way. We never did know if they actually found the manifest or not, or if it actually really was missing, or if there was some other reason for the delay. Although late arriving in Hong Kong, my husband was at the airport waiting for me.

London’s Heathrow airport is not an easy one to get through. I’ve been through there several times and each time have had some kind of an encounter. After my first trip to Europe, we left for home via Heathrow. After my carryon had been scanned I was asked to step aside. I was puzzled as the bag contained mostly dirty laundry, but I did as asked. The tall, handsome middle-aged Brit said, “I need you to open your bag for me. Embarrassed by the contents of two-week old smelly laundry I inquired, “All right, but why?”

A dark spot showed up on xray and I just need to check it out.” So, there I stood, slowly taking out my dirty laundry putting it on the counter. He was so apologetic and kept saying he was sorry. Eventually I pulled out the two glass bowls I had bought in Amsterdam. I think the agent was delighted that my task was about over, his eyes lit up as he held the bowl saying, “This was the problem. Lead crystal shows up as a dark blob, and it could be a bomb. I’m so sorry for the inconvenience.” I shoved everything back in the bag and was on my way to the departure gate.

Another time my son and I were going through Heathrow on our way to Nairobi, Kenya. My photographer son had about 100 rolls of film in his carry-on bag. We were asked to step aside while the fellow opened every single film canister, and tipped the film out before recapping the canister! The only film that escaped was a sealed blister pack of about 24 rolls. I’m sure they were looking for drugs, and knowing that there wasn’t any, I was annoyed at the delay. But there is nothing one can do, as they hold the power. Coming home we were again routed through Heathrow. I had a walking stick that they insisted I scan, which since it wasn’t hollow I thought was pretty unnecessary.

In addition, the grommets on my son's shoes set off the buzzer, and a foil gum wrapper in my pockets also set it off, so we both had to step aside after emptying our pockets to be wanded.

Transfer time was limited, and it was a long hike from the scanner so we hurriedly gathered our things, and took off down the concourse. We hadn’t gone 150 yards when I suddenly stopped saying, “I left our airline tickets back at the scanner.” My son stayed with the luggage, as I hurried back to the scanner where they insisted I had not left any tickets, Well, I knew I had, and it was pretty easy to surmise that who ever followed me through the scanner had inadvertently picked up my tickets along with his pocket contents..

One trip coming home from Europe my trusty 22-inch roll on was really heavy when I finished packing it, and I even questioned if it would be too heavy to get in the overhead. However I had no problem getting from Budapest to Frankfort where I ran into nothing but nasty girls manning   the gate.

      Unfortunately I got in the shortest of two lines, but it turned out to be a group 


returning home. I was just about to move into the seating area when one of the


 attendants informed me my suitcase was too big to carry on. I stated it had 


done just fine on my previous flight. There was no further discussion as she

 informed me I could check it or I was not boarding the plane.

 

     I was just about to load the suitcase on the conveyor belt when I spied 


some broken down boxes near by. I was thoroughly annoyed as I had many

 gifts and new purchases in my bag that I wanted to arrive home with me. 

I grabbed a box, looked around for a couple empty chairs together and set 

about repacking my suitcase. I managed to get everything I wanted into the 


box leaving my suitcase   full of three weeks of dirty laundry which I put on 


the conveyor belt.

 

     In Houston after retrieving my suitcase and going through customs I again 


repacked my carry on taking the extra time to get everything back in the 


roll-on,then my suitcase and I strolled on to my departure gate, happy to be


 back in the US

BERMUDA"S CHARMS

                                           A Great Destination

     Bermuda is a great cruise destination, although it can easily be reached by plane. A ship provides your accommodations and meals,which on the island can be expensive---no fast food on every street corner! To avoid overwhelming the island with thousands of tourists all at once the number of ships allowed into port at any one time is limited/regulated.

      I'm not much of a big cruise ship advocate. Finding six large cruise ships in port at the same time and everything so crowded you can hardly move is most annoying. Having said that, there are a couple destinations where a cruise is most advantageous---Bermuda and Alaska being among them. Bermuda’s size and isolation has forged a continuity of place and tradition. Parliament was established in 1620. The Bermudians love pomp and circumstance, British tradition, and Bermudian history.

      Pastel colored houses with white roofs along the blush-colored pink beaches and its infamous pink Princess Hotel make Hamilton a picturesque capitol, albeit small town. Bermuda shorts-clad business men are a common sight, as well as shorts-clad policemen. It's the knee-high socks that make the outfit. Personally I like that dress code, especially now that so many places have abandoned their traditional/native dress in favor of western wear.

     Forget renting a car on the 21 square mile archipelago. Traffic has been a problem for decades and car ownership is regulated. Renting a motor bike is your only choice. Hamilton is easily walkable and pubic buses are easy to hop on to get you to your destination.

     The surrounding reefs were treacherous and although Jaun de Bermudez was an accidental arrival in the 1500s the island was not settled until 1684 when Britain claimed it as its first legal offshore colony. In 1995 the residents voted against independence and to keep the Queen as its figurehead leader.

     Its numerous days of sunshine and a warm sub-tropical climate, make the island warm most of the year with December to March being the coolest. Besides the many water activities to keep you busy, Bermuda if full of history and has many other places of interest to visit. Historic St George is a UNESCO site. St. Peter's, the oldest Anglican church still in use in the hemisphere is worth a visit as is Fort Saint Catherine or the Royal Dock Yard. Rent a bike and ride along the Bermuda Railway Trail, or ride the bus to Gibbs Lighthouse (1846) and enjoy the view from the top or stroll the Botanical Gardens. And there is always shopping.

      The picturesque Moongates are one of my favorite things to see as I know of no other like them anywhere. The history of the steel drum is interesting and there is plenty of music and nightlife for everyone. Bermuda is a great vacation destination!

LONGEST, FASTEST, OLDEST ETC

On a rainy afternoon I was thumbing through some diaries looking for something when I suddenly realized I was thumbing over some rather neat statistics, so when I found what I was after I detoured and wrote down some of the interesting facts. Good for nothing but maybe a category on Jeopardy! Enjoy.

Longest single span bridge—Sydney, Australia. 544 feet long and152


 feet above sea level. Built 1932-34

Longest tram system—Melbourne, Australia

Fairy Penguins found only in Australia

Oldest covered bridge—Lucerne, Switzerland 

 

Longest sky cable—7 ½ K5 mi Karunda, Australia from Caines

Steepest cog railway incline—48%

Longest tunnel—Furka, Swiss

Longest gondola in Europe—Swiss

Oldest building used as Methodist Church—Hawkshead, England

Longest suspension bridge—Capilano in Vancouver, Canada

Steepest funicular—Hong Kong

Largest Organ—St Stephens, Passau , Germany

Oldest restaurant Passau 1358

Largest coopery—Cognac, France at Remy Martin 

 

Oldest hospice—St. John’s, Bruges, Belguim

Oldest Medical School—Bruges 

 

Windmills—largest collection in one place—Kinderdijk, Holland

Highest palace in world—Lhasa, Tibet

Biggest clock—26’ face Zurich, Switzerland 

 

Largest painting in the world, 25 X 81 feet, is in Venice, Italy 

 

The only wave organ in world—Zadar, Croatia

Only rotating gondola –the Rotaire in Switzerland.

In North America the sun rises first at Cape Spear, Newfoundlander

The largest wine barrel—58,125 gallons—Heidelberg, Germany

Largest wine cellar—750-feet long—Wurtzberg, Germany

Largest public square in world---Tienanmen, Sq, Beijing, China.

Only winged Madonna—Quito, Ecuador.

Longest cave system—20 Km is Postujna, Slovenia

largest tree Latin America—Tule tree in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Only jaguar preserve in world—Belize

Largest tapestry 20 X 9 meters in Canberra, Australia. Lots of other big tapestries around world.

Oldest zoo at Schonbrunn, Castle, Vienna, Austria. Second oldest Budapest,Hungary.


Highest navigable lake in world---Lake Titicaca, Peru

The largest stain glass window in the world in the Yorkminster in York, England. Its 117 square 

panes represent 1680 square feet and is the equivalent size of a tennis court.

Any building in Scotland that has smoke stacks, or chimney pots as they are called, you know was 

built before 1967 when the clean air act was passed.

ANTIQUE CLOCKS

It seems every city has a major clock somewhere within its boundaries. I’ll relate a few that I’ve found interesting and have enjoyed in my many travels.

VENICE, ITALY—St. Mark Sq

This clock near the palace is several hundred years old. It strikes on the hour and the roman numerals move every five minutes. It’s fascinating to watch the little people up there strike the bell. The slowly rotating bell is struck in a different place each time.

VIENNA Anchor Clock, Ankeruhr.

Built between 1911 and 1917 it is situated at Hoher Markt, the oldest square in Vienna. The Art Nouveau designed clock forms a bridge between two parts of the Anker Insurance Company's building. The clock itself is adorned with mosaic ornaments. In the course of 12 hours, twelve historical figures or pairs of figures move across the bridge, Joseph Haydn and Empress Maria Theresa among them. Music from various eras accompanies the figures at noon each day as they all parade by. This tourist spectacle is a special kind of Viennese High Noon.

WERTHEIM, GERMANY:

The tower clock at the 1383 Gothic church is rather unusual. The tower was added 40 years later. On the town side is a normal clock with both minute and hour hands so workers would work to the last minute. But only an hour hand is on the clock facing the castle, as the rulers were only interested in the hour, not the minutes.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

There is a marvelous hanging clock in the center of the foyer of the QVC building in Sydney, Australia. Every hour on the hour loud trumpeters announce the display of a series of mechanically moving tableaux of British kings and queens. The exhibition ends with the beheading of Charles I. It is interesting to watch.

HALIFAX'S Citadel

On the harbor side of Citadel Hill is the Old Town Clock. Prince Edward, father of Queen Victoria, commissioned it in 1803. The clock on each side is a different size. The population in each direction, N,E,S,W, determined the clock size. Staring at this unusual four-sided clock all I could say was, “Amazing.”

MUNICH'S glockenspiel

Late morning we hurried to Maria Square to join a large crowd gathered to watch the 10-minute performance of the century old glockenspiel. In the tower of the new City Hall, which looks like a big Gothic church, the glockenspiel plays at 11:00 AM and again at noon. The figures in the 1908 clock are about six feet tall. The bells ring first, then the figures move around in a circle. It is over when the rooster at the top crows three times.

Departing the square for lunch I said, “ What a fun performance, but I expected the rooster to move forward when it crowed.instead of flapping its wings.” 

VANCOUVER Steam clock

The famous antique steam clock is the first built in the world. Douglas Smith was the engineer who built the clock over a steam vent at a cost of $42,000 in 1977. Ray Saunders, a well-known inventor and clockmaker designed the 16.9-foot clock. Weighing two ton, steel weights go to the top and then drop by gravity. Every quarter hour Westminster chimes are heard, and on the hour a large whistle belches from the clock. The steam pipes are all underground and also heat many of the buildings as well as running the clock.

One evening at a nearby Japanese restaurant we listened to all its chimes and whistles while enjoying a delightful dinner.

Since the city of Reykjavik is totally run on an underground steam system it would be a great place for a steam clock.

YORKMINSTER

On one wall in York, England’s Yorkminster is a charming 400 year old clock. Oak figures strike the clock every fifteen minutes. The clock movements date to 1749. The 15^th century screen is decorated with statues of fifteen kings from William I to Henry VI.

PRAGUE

On the front of the Old Town Hall in Prague’s old square sits an astronomical clock that chimes every hour on the hour from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM. The clocks shows the year, month, day and hour as well as the rising and setting of the sun, east and west, the noon and the signs of the zodiac. But crowds gather on the hour to see the 1410 clock’s animated movements. The clock was restored in the 19^th century. When the hour approaches the window opens and the apostles move by.

Flanking the clock are statues representing the values of the day. The fellow looking in the mirror representing vanity perhaps saying he who spends time before a mirror has a poor life; he who helps others has a rich life. The miser represents greed saying spend your money, enjoy life, and have fun. The skeleton representing death says, enjoy life, it is short.. I don’t have you now, but I will. Finally is the Turk soldier representing pleasure and entertainment and not such a good life under them.

This astronomical clock is the third oldest in the world and the oldest still working. The legend is that the builder of the clock was blinded when his job was finished, so he could never duplicate his fine piece of work. I have heard this same legend about other artists being blinded in at least a couple of other places.

In Prague’s old Jewish Center on the Old Jewish Town Hall is a clock with Jewish numerals and the clock runs counterclockwise. Was the builder left handed? No, he was just following how Hebrew is read, from right to left. I really don’t know a lot about the clock, other than it is unique. Above it is a smaller clock with Roman numerals.

ZAGREB, CROATIA

Wandering around the capitol city I spied a wall with an unusual sun dial clock on it. A little over a half circle in size, it was divided into 12 pie-shaped sections with a roman numeral at the end of each pie. It was a most unusual clock and I have never seen another one.

TRIVIA 13

Stalin built the Moscow subway system in 1932-35. They were to be the best and most beautiful in the world----to outshine capitalism. Each station is a museum in itself and each is different. The first station we entered was lined with larger than life bronze statues of fighting men, the protectors. Another station had beautiful crystal chandeliers and another was literally an art gallery.

Our guide said, “The subway system is closed only four hours a day for cleaning. These wheat design bronze vents change the air in the system three tines a day. Some of the system is 350-feet below ground level. In fact Stalin had an underground command post within the metro system.”

The stations were spotless and there was no graffiti anywhere. They were really beautiful,and like all subways one must act quickly to get on and off the train. The trains run often, are reasonable and the system is easy to follow and a good way to get around the huge city.

A poffertje is the Dutch equivalent of fried bread. Many countries have a similar thing under a different name. Poffertjes are about half again bigger than a doughnut hole and flatter. Dusted with sugar they are eaten warm and are yummy. It was a great treat, especially on a dull cool day!

Leads and polymyas are biologically active zones of the frozen Arctic. A polymya is an area that remains ice-free all winter. A lead is a long crack broken in the sea ice by either tidal currents or wind and may remain open for minutes to several days.

In Sydney QVC is a Romanesque Revival style area that is now a shopping center. It was used for other things until its restoration in 1984-86. The Royal Clock activates on the hour displaying six scenes of English royalty accompanied by music. The money from the wishing well near the statue of Queen Victoria benefits blind and deaf children.

In the days of English witch hunts the thumbs of a supposed witch would be tied to her toes before being thrown into the water. If she floated she was quilty and if she sank she was innocent, but either way she was dead!

In France it seems everyone owns a dog, often a small one. The dogs go everywhere! It is strange for an American to see a dog in a store, market or restaurant. I was amazed how well behaved the dogs were, even when not on a leash. Barking was noticeably absent and I began to wonder if their voice boxes had been fixed. However, one should be aware of of where one steps as the French would never think of carrying a plastic bag, never mind a super duper pooper scooper!

In Germany I marvelled at how clean the cities were, how nearly all parking was underground and how almost no utility lines or billboards marred the lovely scenery.

FYI—good to know: The Canadian one-dollar coin is called a loony because a loon is on the back of the coin. The two-dollar coin is called a toony. The smallest paper money is a five dollar bill.

When traveling one frequently has to pay to take pictures, especially in museums in the third world.

In Melbourne Fitzroy Gardens/Park occupy 65-acres. Capt Cook's cottage was dissembled in England and shipped to Australia where it was reassembled in the park in 1934. The cottage is small and stands behind Cook's statue. The park has a restaurant and a large arboretum filled with gorgeous flowers many of which were foreign to me.

TRIVIA 12

Policemen in shorts and knee hi socks, as seen in Bermuda, was a common sight. I like the look!

A road train is 3-5 18-wheelers hooked together. They are quite common in the sparsely populated Australian outback and those trucks are really long.

Mount Lofty House is outside Adelaide, in the Lofty Mountains. It is a beautiful 150-year-old mansion, built 1852-58. Originally the house was built as a cool summer home for politician, lawyer, businessman Arthur Hardy and his family. The sandstone mansion had seen many owners before it was destroyed with only the massive stone walls surviving in the bush fires of 1983. An architect bought the estate and rebuilt the mansion to its former splendor. The new mansion opened in 1986 with eight guest rooms; the next 21 rooms in the Summit Wing were opened in 1988. Our room was huge with a large sitting area and French doors that opened out onto the manicured grounds. What a gorgeous place for a quiet, restful vacation!

From Mt Lofty one descends down into the Barossa Valley, which is called a hung valley because one end of the valley is 600’ above sea level while the other end is only 150’. The valley is a well known wine producing area with many small wineries and tasting rooms and where 16 varieties of grapes are grown. We ate dinner at one of the larger wineries and were served kangaroo which is a very lean meat with only 10% fat content compared to beef’s 25%. Because it is so lean it can quickly become tough, so is best if marinated and undercooked.

In Europe the toilet is exactly that or the WC. When we were hiking in England and was nowhere near a loo and needed to revert back to nature we used the green room, a rather nice euphemism. In China on long bus rides through the countryside we’d often stop for the happy room.

In Tibet at the Potala Palace we stopped to watch people making crushed gravel from boulders. There were people at different stations, first breaking the boulder up, then hammering away to make smaller stones, then another pounding to make pebbles. Incredible!

Ten resident cats at the palace keep a mice/rat population under wraps!

China’s money is called Renminbi (RMB). The basic unit is the yuan, pronounced Juan as in 

 Spanish, which is divided into ten jiao, which again is divided into ten fen. One US dollar

 was equal to 8 yuan.

Crusty hard rolls. Impossible to eat without making a mess but ohhhh so good.
 
All through the Alps on our Alps hiking trip we noticed an unusual structure over various 
parts  of roads. Some were log enough to simulate a tunnel, but were open on the down side
 of the road and supported by posts every few feet. The mountain side of the structure seemed to be built into the mountain itself. The roof slanted ever so slightly to the valley side of the road. After inquiry I learned they allow the avalanche to continue over and past the road with the snow dumping over the side. They kept the road clear in avalanche-prone areas. What a simple solution!
 
I often have a spitze at home. I picked up the half cola, half lemonade in Austria while bikeing and I really like the combination.

               China clay, a kind of clay not a Chinese clay, is quarried, but only
 a small amount of it is sent to the china industry. It is the paper industry
 that has a big demand for it, as it is the substance that makes shiny paper 
for all those colored ads.

TRIVIA 11

Excellent Museum

There is an excellent Alexander Graham Bell Museum in Baddeck, Cape Breton Island, Canada. In 1892-93 Bell built a 37-room, 11-fireplace home he called Beinn Bhreagh on 450 wooded acres on a hillside overlooking Bras d’Or Lake. He spent the last 37 years of his life at Beinn Bhreagh and died there from complications of diabetes at age 75 in 1922.

An extensive museum sits below the hillside. There was so much I did not know about this very creative man.

A Nosy Goat

We were hiking down from Kleine Scheidegg in Switzerland when a black goat with white ankle socks decided to befriend me. He was sure I had something good in my jacket pocket, and he was quite determined to get it. He followed beside me with his nose in my pocket for some time before I could shake him off.

Temppeliaukio Rock Church

In 1969 in Helsinki, Finland two brothers won a competition to design this church that is blasted out of solid rock. Its 25-meter circular dome ceiling is covered with 13 miles of copper coil with a bull’s eye in the center. A glass skylight is between the dome and the wall. One enters directly from street level and doors are always open. The excellent acoustics are a plus for concerts.

From the outside, it looks like a bunker and indeed an air raid shelter under the building can accommodate 6000 people. It is a remarkable building.

Strictly Slovenian

Roofed hay-drying racks and intricately painted beehive panels are distinctly Slovenian. We saw the first often in the countryside and the panels are sought-after tourist items.

Delightful Serenades

In Bordeaux, France as I biked the narrow paved roads through the pine forest, frequent serenades by frogs in the drainage ditches along the side of the road were fun to hear. Cuckoos perched high in the treetops often joined the songfest. Otherwise, little else disturbed the quiet and solitude for the three days spent biking in the cool pine forest.

China's Summer Palace

 

Here we stopped in front of the unlucky rock. A long time ago the richest 


man in the country anted to move this rock to his home, but half way he 


ran out of money and abandoned     the rock along side the road. Later


 the emperor saw the rock and had it moved to the palace.But the palace 


was already built and the rock wouldn’t fit though the gate. So they had  

disassemble part of the palace to get the rock into the courtyard. It was big.

The three main religions in China are Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism

At the Temple of Heaven everything was in the shape of a square or 
a circle. The square represents the earth and the round circle represents 
heaven.

 

In Holland a polder is land reclaimed from the sea. Square towers are 


most  commonly seen in polders.