Trivia---8

Playboy Turnaround

In the 1800s Count Szechenyi was living the life of a playboy in London. He returned to Budapest for his father’s funeral, but the frozen Danube River prevented him from crossing to the other side. He actually missed the funeral. After this life-changing event he remained in Hungary and became a leading figure of the 19^th century.

The first pontoon bridge across the river was at the mercy of storms, plus it had to be removed for ships to pass. Eventually the chain bridge replaced it.

Nazis blew up all the bridges spanning the Danube when they retreated from Budapest. The Szechenyi Chain Bridge was the first replaced and reopened in November 1949, exactly 100 years after the opening of the first bridge.

A Brothel Experience

When in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, we elected to spend a few days at a lodge across Hudson Bay where mother and cub polar bears are most likely to be seen.

We had a wonderful time and it was even more fun when we found out that the lodge was originally built in the 1930s as a brothel to accommodate the workers building the grain facility.

The rustic bunkhouse-lodge is only open a few weeks a year.

On my return, my daughter met me at the airport, and asked if I’d had a good time. I responded, “I stayed in a brothel.”

She stopped short, almost spilled her Dr. Pepper and exclaimed, “You did what?”

I got a lot of mileage out of this story and had a lot of fun with it.

A Big Tree

On my visit to Oaxaca, Mexico, we went to Teotitlan and stopped at Santa Maria del Tule to view the famous 2000-year-old Tule Tree. The Mexican cypress is said to be the largest tree in Latin America. The gnarled house-sized trunk divides into a forest of elephantine limbs that rise to 15 stories high.

It takes little imagination to see all sorts of figures in the gnarls of the trunk. Three small children, dressed in green sweaters and pants, escorted us around the tree shining a mirror on the trunk to point out various images. Then they would ask, “Do you see?” They were cute as can be and well deserving of our tips.

English Canal Boats

The canal system was first built in the 1700s. Mr. Wedgwood helped finance the system because too much of his merchandise was being broken via horse and wagon.

The canal locks are only seven feet wide. All of the locks are manual, and are operated by each boat crew. All the locks are operated by the same winch, which is given to you when you rent a boat. It is rather strenuous work to open and close the locks. The railroad effectively put the canals out of business until the 1960s when the canals and locks were refurbished. One can travel a long way on the 2000 miles of canals.

By necessity canal boats are narrow, but comfortable.

 

Paper Cutting

In Lowicz, Poland we visited some local women who do extremely intricate paper cutting. We were amazed to learn that they use the large shears that are used to shear sheep to cut the spectacular designs. A few young girls were leaning the craft. We spent considerable time with them, watching in awe as they cut away creating exquisite designs.

TRIVIA--7

Fairy Terns

The white or fairy tern was one of my favorite birds on Midway Island They are most curious and often would hover over our heads, much like a hummingbird, only quieter.

The adult is snow white with small black eyes and a long narrow beak set in its cute little face. They simply lay an egg on any flat surface with the slightest indentation; why bother with a nest! They often will choose a tree limb. The chick is born with big feet as it immediately needs to cling to its ‘home’ for dear life until he is able to fly. Mortality is high.

The white tern can lay a second egg if something happens to the first one. The inshore feeder is dependent on the lagoon for most of its food. We sometimes observed mom returning to her chick with a small fish held in her beak. She does not swallow and regurgitate like many birds. These birds frequently flew in pairs or threes and were a delight to watch.

Painted Hunting Dog

In Edinburgh we managed to squeeze in enough time to visit the zoo. We had read about the painted hunting dog, and since neither of us had ever seen one, that was primarily the incentive for the visit.

After walking around most of the zoo we still had not found the dog, so when we saw a man in uniform who we thought was a zoo employee we asked for directions. He walked us all over kingdom come, determined to find the dog for us. Chatting all the way we learned he was making his annual visit to the zoo to check on some sort of equipment. He was most interesting to talk to and generous with his time. He was as delighted to finally find the elusive dog as we were.

The dogs were good size, lean, and their multi-colored coats reminded me of camouflage. Their huge ears stood up straight like antennas. Obviously, their sense of hearing is excellent. They are endangered and almost extinct.

Garnish Islands

We did a lot of walking in Ireland, but the prettiest walk was around Garnish Island. A short ferry ride got us to the island, 34 slab steps got us to the gardens. During 1910-1913 Harold Peto planted may tropical plants and shrubs for the owner, a Belfast businessman. The barren rock island turned into a tropical paradise. A stone watch tower was the only structure on the island. The only additional buildings now are a seldom used small summer home and a couple of small sheds for gardening tools and equipment. They blend into and are hidden by the environment. All the dirt was imported by boat. The gardens include a New Zealand fernery, Japanese rockery, bonsai trees, clock tower and Grecian temple. The center piece is the Italianate garden. At one spot the 65 steps leading up to the next vantage point were wide like a grand staircase. It is a fantastic place!

Flying Fox

New Zealand’s forestry experimental station was located in a redwood forest. We walked through the lovely cool forest 
 learning that the Redwoods there grow so fast that the wood is too soft and porous for any useful purpose. The trees were only a few years old but the size of a century old tree.

In a clearing we found the flying fox, a fun zip line. Several of us climbed a rather tall tower, and one at a time stepped into a sling. Stepping off the platform we rode a cable 3-400 meters to a sudden jolting halt. It was a neat ride. The hardest part was climbing out of the sling while hanging suspended in the air. The fellows took turns running the sling back to the platform for the next brave sole.

Churchill’s War Room

Churchill’s Cabinet War Rooms have never seen daylight. Winston Churchill's underground headquarters are buried beneath the Treasury building in London near No. 10 Downing Street and Parliament. He and his cabinet ministers met there throughout much of World War II, sheltered from the German bombs and missiles that bombarded the city above.

At war's end, the doors were locked until 1984, when the complex opened to the public. The Churchill Museum opened 2005 in the old war rooms. It was awesome to stand where so much history had been made!