TRIVIA 10

Killarney National Park

Killarney National Park is Ireland’s largest and first national park. There are several lakes in

the park, all are bird sanctuaries. We stopped at the Wishing Bridge where just beyond cattle were grazing. There are ruins of a 1458 Friar’s Abbey that was destroyed in 1664. A huge yew tree grew in the center of the cloister. Restoration of the abbey is in progress. Muckross House (1843) is at the edge of the park and has lovely gardens of its own.

Yak Candles and Incense

The city of Lhasa, Tibet reeks with the aroma of burning incense. Huge six-foot high incense burners sit outside the Jokhang Temple.

Inside the temples more incense burns as well as huge yak candles. Pilgrims bring yak wax to the

temples to replenish the candles that have a multitude of wicks.

Sweet Nuns

One day out in the Polish countryside we had lunch at a Bernadine Monastery. The nuns here feed many people each day. We enjoyed a delicious hearty soup and wonderful crusty bread. The nuns serving us were very gracious. Before we left, the nuns serenaded us with their sweet voices. I still have a vivid vision of them waving good-by standing on the steps of the front door.

Double Rush is the season when crops are both harvested and replanted in China.

Never give a clock to a Chinese person as it means death; instead give a vase which symbolizes peace.

Loch Ness

The only monster we found at Loch Ness was a topiary-carved one. It really was cute though. There is no road on the south side of the 29 mile-long Loch Ness. The longest loch in Scotland is only about a mile wide. It is however, the second largest loch in the country and the deepest.

Lion Chase

We spotted a pair of cheetahs resting in the shade of a tree. Cheetahs always travel in pairs. The cheetahs obviously had just eaten. At first we thought they were pregnant, then discovered they were both males.

Our cameras were clicking away when suddenly the cheetahs sat up with the hair on their neck standing up stiff. A quick glance revealed a lion walking across the savanna. Our driver backed up the van to allow the animals plenty of maneuvering room.

Suddenly the cheetahs split, each running in a different direction. The lion chased one. Then both the lion and cheetah stopped in a standoff. Then the chase continued.

The cheetah had outrun the lion who sat down, despaired and then slowly wandered off. Then the cheetahs got together and slowly meandered off to the shade of a tree on the opposite side of the savanna.

Pletna Ride

At Lake Bled in Slovenia we enjoyed a pletna ride. The craft is likened to a Venetian gondola. A bench on each side of the boat lets people face each other rather than sit thwart to thwart. The boat is propelled by double oars from the stern. The boatman has a specific rhythm to his rowing. It was a lovely slow ride on the small mirror-calm lake.

The wooden boats are well kept and the woodwork’s high polish glistened. Passing the boat down to family members controls the industry.

 

Happy room is the name Chinese used for a restroom. Most were clean, a couple left a lot 

to be desired. Nearly always they were Eastern –meaning a hole in the ground—with only

 one western stall if you were lucky.

Age Revered

In China age is revered, and they think nothing of asking one how old he or she is. The young give up bus seats to the elderly, offer them a chair and when needed help them up off the ground when one has been sitting there for some event. It was very nice!