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!

TRIVIA---9

The Bell Concert

At a monastery in Yaroslavl, Russia, we were lucky to be there when a bell ringer was on the premises. In 1929 all bell ringing in the country stopped, and it was not until 1991 that they could be rung again.

This talented bell ringer had numerous bells of different sizes and sounds strung in a couple of rows about 6-7-feet wide. Each bell had a string attached. He produced the most beautiful music by pulling the strings, which he grasped in his hands. It was unbelievable and something I had never seen before.

The Cat and the Rat

Just as we were about to descend the stairs to the crypt in a Dublin, Ireland church I spotted a sign under a shadow box. I stopped to look at the mummified cat and rat in the frame and to read the sign. It seems in 1860 these animals got stuck in one of the organ pipes. It did not say when they were found. I guess that cat really wanted to catch that rat!

Elusive Leopards

Leopards are nocturnal animals and often people miss them completely when on safari. Early one morning, a beautiful specimen crossed right in front of our van on his way to sleep after the night’s hunt.

One afternoon we spotted a couple of leopards up on a hillside, their coats camouflaged by the rocky bush-covered terrain. The sun shining on their gorgeous coats afforded us a good view and great photo op. As we watched in awe, suddenly the male mounted the female and we knew we were watching a mating pair. Afterwards the female rolled over on her back like a contented playful kitten. Suddenly, they disappeared. Talk about exciting!

Great Idea

It seems everywhere I went in England public toilets could be found in large car parks (parking lots). We found these free-standing permanent buildings consistently clean and well supplied. What a smart idea!

Fine Point of Cigars

At a Cuban tobacco factory I learned that some cigars use full leaves, others use the tobacco scraps for the filling. The cigars are placed in special holders and then pressed for 16 minutes. Following that, the ends are cut, the final wrap applied and the ends fixed. The bands are applied elsewhere.

Because women are more precise and particular, only women remove the main vein of the tobacco leaf, splitting it in two. There is a technique to getting the vein out in one piece. Workers have a quota of 125-180 cigars a day, depending on what area they are working. This small factory produced 10,000 cigars a day, half of which are exported.

Cigars can vary within the same brand. Workers are given two cigars a day plus one box a month. Workers often sell these cigars, but we were cautioned not to buy cigars off the street.

Apples

Australia grows 250 varieties of apples, many in Tasmania. Much of the apple crop is exported to Japan.

In Labrador figgy duff is a yummy warm  steamed pudding/cake with a warm sauce .