Trivia---3

Pilgrims

Lhasa, Tibet is a mecca for Buddhist pilgrims. It is a common sight to see them walking the streets twirling a prayer wheel in their right hand and fingering a 108-bead rosary with their left hand while muttering a mantra. At the Jokharg Temple people were prostrating themselves at the temple as well as around the temple square. People paid them no mind. It was also common to see monks clad in their traditional robes all around the city.

A Gorgeous U S Embassy

Canberra, Australia’s capital, is a one company town. The government owns all the land. One exception to land ownership is the ten acres the US embassy sits on. Australia deeded this land to the US for its help in World War II. The Embassy sits on the highest knoll. All of the red brick in the colonial building was imported from the United States. I’ve seen some really ugly embassies around the world. This one is a delight!

Didn’t Understand a Word

In Moscow we were trying to find a store to buy bottled water. We thought we were following the directions given to us, but to no avail. We asked a young man on the street for clarity. He decided to show us and all the way down the street he carried on constant chatter in Russian, none of which we understood. We kept shaking our head and at the end told him thank you. We did find the store and made our purchase, and fondly remember that kind man.

Magnificent Tapestry

In the great hall of the parliament building in Canberra, Australia hangs one of the world’s largest tapestries. Measuring 20 x 9 meters, it weighs 400 kilos, uses 360 colors and took 2 ½ years to complete. From a distance, it appears to be an oil painting. Only on close inspection is it evident that it is truly a tapestry—a really magnificent one!

Bosnia’s Friendship Bridge

The 1556 stone bridge, spanning the Nevetva River replaced the original wooden bridge. Serbs destroyed the bridge during the recent 1990s war. The stone for the replacement bridge came from the same quarry as the original stone.

Croats live on the west side of the river and Muslims on the east side. The city is internationally known for its Old Town Bridge. It is a symbol of reconciliation, cooperation, and coexistence of diverse cultural, religious, and ethnic communities. It was nice to see the bridge replaced looking exactly as the ancient one had.

Warwick Castle

Of all the castles, forts, and palaces I’ve visited Warwick Castle in Warwick, England was one of the loveliest. A few years ago Madam Tussand bought the castle. Her life-like wax figures made the castle come alive. I actually did a double take when I saw the maid drawing her lady’s bath. Her bending over the tub and the running water looked so real.

A FRIENDSHIP BRIDGE

A BEAUTIFUL BRIDGE

The Old Bridge at Mostar, Bosnia was conceived during the Ottoman Empire in 1566. The graceful 65-foot long, stone, arched bridge spanning the Neretva River replaced a narrow wooden foot bridge. The original stone bridge survived until the war of 1991 when it was totally destroyed. A temporary wooden bridge spanned the river from 1993 to 2004. The present bridge, an exact replica of the original, used stone from the same quarry,

Our guide said, “It is estimated that the original stone bridge would have cost 50,000 Euro to build, the replacement bridge cost 50 million Euro in 2004. The stone  is spongy and if it gets too wet it crumbles, but it can be molded when damp. The stone that fell into the river was not reusable as it had been too wet for too long. It took five years of preparation to replace the bridge but only a year to actually build it.”

 Croats live on the west side of the bridge and Muslims on the east side. The city is internationally known for its Old Town Bridge that now is a symbol of reconciliation, cooperation, and coexistence of diverse cultural, religious, and ethnic communities. There are many mixed marriages, and during the war many children had to choose between Mom or Dad.

Our guide explained, “The semi-circular Tara building on the west side of the bridge was used to store ammo and gun powder during Ottoman rule. Now it houses the divers’ co-op. The Helebija on the east bank once held dungeons on the bottom and guards on the top.

“Divers used to dive off the bridge for cigarettes. Then they dove for money. They would work in pairs, one poised to dive while the other clapped his hands to gather a crowd and collect donations. The diver would not dive until enough money had been collected.”

 Today diving is done during competitions in July, otherwise diving from the bridge is forbidden. The waters 65 feet below flow swiftly making   diving  dangerous. Today a kayak floats  under the bridge and an ambulance is on the shore to cope with mishaps and emergencies during the competition.

The bridge, now a UNESCO site is picturesque with an interesting history.