A Few “Lesser Known and Obscure” Facts I Learned While In South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana

Bottom line: Getting back to your roots can be a spiritual experience!

Sunset from Hwange

National Park, Zimbabwe.

Janet and I recently joined a Smithsonian Journey to South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana, places we'd never been. Though a short trip in duration, our itinerary kept us busy as beavers, and we were filled with great memories of encounters with a wide spectrum of wild animals ... up close, that is. In addition, we were treated to three lectures by Dr. Robert Schrire about South Africa's apartheid past, it's current political environment and potential future. And, it should go without saying, we took necessary precautions against illnesses, for example by dosing ourselves with a generic version of malarone to ward off malaria.

Thursday, Oct 2 (Cape Town, South Africa) – We spent a "free day" before our tour activities began in earnest by touring several nearby wineries.

Friday, Oct 3 (Cape Town) – After an orientation meeting, we toured the peninsula south of South Africa's "mother city".

1) Cape Town was originally establish in 1652 as a "rest and resupply stop" by the Dutch for ships rounding Africa's southern cape.

2) The Chinese were visiting and charting that shorelines as early as 1421!

3) Along our drive, we learned that one of the local wines is named "Splattered Toad", originating from toad road kill, a result of migrating creatures crossing roads during egg-laying season.

The tip of the Cape of Good Hope.

4) Originally named Cape of Storms by Bartolomeu Dias in 1488, the cape was renamed by King John II of Portugal in order to encourage the poor wretches rounding Africa on the ships.

5) Ironically, the Cape of Good Hope is not the most southern tip of Africa. Cape Agulhas, east and 34 miles farther south, owns that distinction, and many ships mistook the Bay of False Hope as their route of passage to Europe.

False Bay (distant left) and Cape

of Good Hope (below the right peaklet).

6) South Africa has eleven official languages, respecting the various tribes and subsequent immigrants, such as the Dutch descendant Afrikaners, and the English. Remember the Boer War between England and the Dutch settlers? (Though apparently, there were two!)

Headed back to Cape Town via the western side of False Bay, we stopped at Boulders Beach to view a colony of African Penguins.

One of the many penguins at the

colony approaches viewers without

concern. (BTW, that's sand, not snow!)

Saturday, Oct 4 (Cape Town) – We headed to Robben Island via ferry from Cape Town Harbor.

Cape Town Harbor

and Table Mountain.

We toured Robben Island, used as a prison location and leper colony off and on from1683. A former political prisoner provided us a guided tour of the facility, including Nelson Mandela's cell.

Nelson Mandela's cell.

After returning to Cape Town, clouds obscured Table Mountain, so we drove to Signal Hill, adjacent and lower, though clouds hampered panoramic views from there, as well.

A portion of Cape Town from the

flank of Signal Hill. (Our hotel,

pink, is roughly centered.)

Sunday, Oct 5 through Tuesday, Oct 7 (Kapama Private Game Reserve) – We flew to tiny Hoedspruit airport near Kapama Private Game Preserve. And, while staying at the lodge, we were treated two "Game Drives" daily, several hours each morning and each evening. And, we started living an African wild-game National Geographic documentary, rather than watching one on TV!

Riding in specially adapted jeeps during our six Game Drives, we witnessed a multitude of animals.

7) We were warned to remain seated (as well, by no means leave the vehicle), and if we didn't yell or make wild gestures, the animals would consider us as part of the jeep ... and, that the animals, having never been threatened or harmed in association to the jeeps, would not react with alarm or fear. And, so it was!

A stately male Cape Buffalo.

A leopard!

Family herds commingle at a waterhole.

A male lion heads for a snack.

Same lion snacks on a giraffe.

Hippos in their element.

8) Except to eat, hippos do almost everything in the water, where they keep cool, and protected from predators and the sun's harsh UV-rays.

Warthogs, eating what?

I couldn't determine what they were so interested in!

Several giraffes, in no hurry.

11) Giraffes browse on the straight thorns of Acacia trees, which are modified leaves. (We were warned not to feed a giraffe as the tongue could rip the skin from your hand!)

12) Giraffes have the highest blood pressure of land animals ... 220/180 mmHg when standing, but can rise to 330/200 mmHg when drinking water. Gotta move that blood up and down a long neck!

A Red Hornbill.

Vervet Monkey with baby perches

on the roof of our resort lodge.

We saw no African wild dogs, though they do roam into the preserve as they have an expansive range. As well, they are the rarest (most endangered) of the land animals there.

13) Though not the fastest of land animals, reaching a speed of 70 kph (43.5 mph), wild dogs have considerable endurance and tire their prey prior to attack, figeratively running them into the ground.

Though we didn't see the termites, their mounds are indeed impressive.

Active colony termite mound.

14) Termite queens can live up to 50 (fifty) years!

Wednesday, Oct 8 (Johannesburg) – After flying to Johannesburg, we drove to an impoverished township Kliptown, located in Soweto (short for South Western Townships). On the way to Kliptown, we stopped for lunch, where I enjoyed a locally brewed beer.

Houses in Kliptown (Soweto).

Then, we were driven to Pretoria for an overnight stay, originally to board the Rovos Rail train the following morning. That plan got "derailed", however, as a train mishap along the line blocked the track. (More on this later.)

Thursday, Oct 9 (Pretoria) – After our overnight in Pretoria, we visited the Rovos Rail Station.

Panorama of the Rovos Rail "Capital

Park Station" (Maintenance Yard far left).

Johan Vos, owner of Rovos Rail, gives

us a tour of the Maintenance Yard.

He explained that he purchases dilapidated train cars and refurbishes them in the style of former luxury-travel glory-days. Following our guided tour, we had lunch at the station. Then, we boarded buses, rather than the train, and were driven to Louis Trichardt, some 234 miles "up the line" in order to by-pass the blocked rail section.

Janet and I ready to board

the train in Louis Trichardt.

Our original compartment, more of a cubicle, would've likely resulted in "murder on the Rovos Express", as Janet and I later joked to others ... and, as luck had it, we upgraded to a larger compartment.

Janet in our compartment upgrade.

We settled in for our three-day train ride, rocking and rolling, as well as jerking forward and backward without prior notice, when the train stopped and started. Such are the joys of train travel in some parts of the world! Regardless, we soaked in the train's Victorian/Edwardian ambience of luxury as best we could.

The more regal of the two dining cars.

Janet poses in the

Observation Car (aka bar).

Friday, Oct 10 (Rovos Rail) – The train rumbled along as we crossed the border into Zimbabwe, near Beitbridge,

15) then traveled one of the longest straight stretches of track in the world, 114 km (71 miles).

Saturday, Oct 11 (Rovos Rail) – Our train stopped at Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, and we enjoyed another Game Drive, observing more animals.

An infant baboon tentatively

explores the world.

Grazing Wildebeest.

Jackal. On the hunt?

Two Zebra leave the waterhole.

After our Game Drive, we re-boarded the train for Victoria Falls ... and, sometime in the night, I developed a case of "Montzuma's revenge"!

Sunday, Oct 12 (Victoria Falls) – We disembarked the train at Victoria Falls Station, and checked into our hotel. I informed our tour guide, Tina, of my malady. She suggested the cause was a side-effect of my malarone medication, and gave me several carbon pills to take, which I did. (Janet had similair symptoms, though I'll not ellaborate further!)

The Rovos train awaits it's next

passengers at Victoria Falls

Station across from our hotel.

Though feeling weak from lose of body fluids and sleep, I soldiered onward as we took a walking tour of nearby Victoria Falls, which provided us gorgeous views.

15) The falls borders Zambia and Zimbabwe,

16) and is just over a mile wide when the Zambezi River flows in abundance.

The falls from the Zimbabwe

side at the end the drier season.

Monday, Oct 13 (Chobe National Park, Botswana) – Feeling much better, I'd once again prevailed over Montezuma. By bus, we were driven to the border check point, then walked through "no-man's land" into Botswana. In Chobe National Park, we climbed into a jeep for another Game Drive, then later boarded a boat for a ride on the Chobe River to see the wildlife from a diiferent perspective.

A "journey" of giraffes

cross a Game Drive road.

17) Our game driver told us when stationary, they're referred to as a "tower"!

The Chobe River from

our Game Drive jeep.

A "committee, venue, or volt"

of vultures. (Take your pick!)

I prefer committee. Maybe, it's my suspicious nature, but I think they were conspiring!

18) If those vultures were eating, they'd be called a "kettle"! (Who thought that up?)

A male African Sable (antelope).

I always thought sables were smaller furry things! Aside from that, we saw animals I'd not previously heard of, such as Kudu, Tsessebe, Puli and Red Lechwe (all ungulates), not to mention the numerous winged critters.

Tsessebe headed away from the river.

19) We were informed that Tsessebe are among the fastest land animals, reaching speeds up to 56 mph, as opposed to cheetahs at 70 mph.

Guinea Fowl (aka Chobe Chicken).

Our game driver told us Chobe Chickens are tougher and not as tasty as our more common American tamed fowl of that name. (I took his word for it!)

A male Kudu checks us out.

(Impalas graze behind him.)

An Openbill Stork (African

variety) looks for a meal.

Chobe National Park proved to be a birder's paradise. I couldn't keep up with all the names of the birds we saw, much less snap photos of them.

An elephant snorkels across the Chobe

River in search of greener pastures.

We spotted two hippos grazing in the morning, which they sometimes do in order to beat the other grazers to the best stuff. Competition, you know!

Two grazers, unconcerned

about our presence, munch away.

20) Hippos graze on short grass,

21) can travel up to 6 (six) miles per outing,

22) and, with tusks instead of smaller teeth, they use their specially adapted lower lip to graze.

A mother crocodile guards

her egg nest on a small island

created by the Chobe River.

Soon after I captured this photo, another boat approached her to within several feet, and she didn't flinch! Our boat guide said she wouldn't move unless her eggs were threatened.

After our day's excursions, we were treated to local entertainment during dinner at our hotel.

Our evening's dinner entertainment

at Victoria Falls Hotel.

Tuesday, Oct 14 (Homeward bound) – Our African safaris come to a close, we flew to Johannesburg, then home via Dubai, arriving early evening Wednesday our local time.

I thoroughly enjoyed our safari adventures in Africa, found them informative, enlightening and enriching. I'd recommend travel there to anyone, particularly near the end of the dry season. (Hint: fewer mosquitoes and less tree leaves to obstruct spotting animals.)

May you enjoy your adventures and walk in beauty.

A Few “Lesser Known and Obscure” Facts I Learned While Visiting Hawaii, French Polynesia and San Diego

Bottom line: Build great memories; expand yourself to fit our glorious world; connect to others (animals included); gain greater appreciation for famous adventurers of our past.

Sea Turtle feeding in shallow water of Hilo, Hawaii.

Janet, my wife, and I recently returned from a 32-day ocean cruise from Los Angeles to parts of the South Pacific.

1) Our cruise stopped first at Hilo on Hawaii (the island). We enjoyed our one day on terra firma after five sea-days, despite some early morning light rain.

Looking across Hilo, Hawaii towards

Mauna Kea's snow-cap and telescopes.

2) Hilo is reputed to be one of the rainiest cities in the US, if not the most, averaging 15 feet of rainfall per year. Whereas, the leeward Kona Coast, on the other side of the island, receives 15 inches per year.

3) With all that rain, and the rocky lava landscape of Hilo, waterfalls are abundant. Rainbow Falls is one such example, though a rainbow isn't always visible.

Here's Rainbow Falls?!

4) We visited the Pana'ewa Rainforest Zoo and Gardens where I discovered some useful information in the men's bathroom (I guess, we men and boys need to know this!), which I share here for your edification, as well.

5) Somewhere along the way I heard that Hawaii, the island, has three colors of sand beaches: black, white and green. Imagine a green beach! We didn't see it, however.

6) The following day, we arrived at Maui. During a bus tour, we learned that the pineapple and sugar cane industries of old were decimated by international competition. The islands now depend upon tourism. Of note: Lahaina is making a recovery, though slowly. Tourist traffic is not allowed in the historic downtown, though we did see portions of "greater" Lahaina.

Sunshine on Kahulua as we depart Maui.

7) On to Honolulu, Oahu, we toured the USS Arizona Memorial, where 1,777 crewmen died. A second battleship memorial, USS Utah, lies on the opposite of Ford Island, where 64 crew died. The Missouri faces the memorial to symbolize standing guard over the Arizona, as well as creating bookends of our war with Japan (beginning and end), since the Japanese surrender was signed on Missouri's deck.

USS Arizona Memorial (right); USS

Missouri (left) faces the Arizona.

8) The following day, we arrived in Kauai, and visited the Kilohaha Plantation. Established in 1986, it now is an elegant tourist destination with a historic railroad, a collection of local animals, restaurant and performance pavilion.

Hawaiian dance performance

at Kilohana Plantation, Kauai.

We "sailed" southward toward French Polynesia later that day, and over the following six sea-days we crossed the equator.

9) The "shellback" of the ship's crew (those previously having crossing the equator) judged the "polliwogs" (those crossing the first time) during a King Neptune Ceremony. All, as you might expect were told, "Bow to, or kiss, the fish. Then, jump in the pool."

The Cruise Director (far side) officiates as the

Assistant Cruise Director, polliwog, kisses the

fish before heading into the pool.

Janet and I dove into a variety of activities on board during our sea days, wanting to make the most of our time aboard, which passed quickly. We listened to numerous lectures of interest, joined in Team Trivia Quizzes and Baggo competitions, and attended the evening musical performances, aside from binging on food and drink, of course.

From the various lectures, we learned some interesting tidbits.

10) The Tahitian alphabet contains thirteen letters (five vowels and eight consonants), though uses glottal stops and macrons for long vowels.

11) The vanilla plant in Tahiti requires pollination by hand, since its pollinator bee no longer lives there. That pollinator still lives in Mexico, however, but I doubt the bees made a conscious choice in that matter!

12) Polynesia contains a diverse collection of more than 1,000 islands within an imaginary triangle bounded on the southwest by New Zealand, on the north by Hawaii, and the southeast by Easter Island. French Polynesia lies within triangle.

13) More than 800 species of fish live around the French Polynesian Islands.

14) Parrot fish do not have a fixed gender.

15) The Tahitian black oyster produces the famous black pearl after being seeded with a small Mississippi River stone.

Unfortunately for us, we arrived at Bora Bora simultaneously with a storm. Needless to say, that threw a bucket of water on the proceedings!

A less-than-ideal view of Bora Bora!

Our planned Bora Bora shore excursion cancelled, Janet and I rode to shore on a ship shuttle, though she returned to the ship immediately, when learning additional shuttle service had been suspended.

Local musicians perform at the welcoming

point/shuttle dock, while Janet poses

moments before abandoning ship, err, land?

I, however, being more adventurous, ambled along the main street over the next hour-and-a-half as the rain slackened, chatted with several shop owners, mostly selling pearl jewelry, perused the local grocery, paused at the protestant church to listen to the parishioners sing a Polynesian hymn. (The church provided the lyrics on an elevated screen!)

Finished with my foreshortened investigation of the local culture, I meandered back to the shuttle landing and listened to the live local music, until another shuttle arrived. (I knew the ship's crew wouldn't abandon those of us still ashore!)

That evening, we proceeded to Papeete, Tahiti, by-passing Moorea, which would also require shuttle service ... in the storm.

16) The first of our three days in Papeete, Janet and I hired a tour around Tahiti Nui, which is the larger of two conjoined land masses comprising Tahiti. Locals call the smaller, Tahiti Iti.

Janet poses on Matavia's black sand beach.

Note her improved disposition since Bora Bora!

17) Captain J. Cook made his 1769 observations of Venus's transit of the sun just yards from the beach.

Marker to Cook's Venus transit observations.

Further along, we stopped at Fa'aruma'i Valley, where three watersheds each have a falls.

We, intrepid travelers, pose at one such falls.

Here's a second falls.

We took a local walking tour of parts of Papeete during our second day in port.

Pepeete Town Hall.

Back on the ship that evening, Janet and I attended a local Polynesian dance group performance.

"O Tahiti E" performs.

I loved their costumes!

A solo performance. I admired

her commitment to the tattoo!

With an additional, unplanned day in Papeete, Janet and I took a ferry to Moorea, then hired a tour guide to sightsee.

Belvedere Lookout, 820 feet elevation, provides a spectacular view of Cook's Bay (right) and Opunahu Bay (left) with the sacred Mont Rotui between.

Janet and I pose at Belvedere Lookout.

We crossed into the mountainous interior—all "newer" volcanic islands have that distinction—through shallow, following streams, lush rainforest, cultivated fields, past sacred sites to Opunohu Bay.

Back at beach front in Opunoha Bay, Fare Tutava (restaurant) served up two great smoothies. Afterward, we ate the flower blossom garnishes!

Loving my fruit smoothie

with flower blossom garnish!

The restaurant also had a number of colorful, Tahitian themed women's bathing wraps for sale.

Women's bathing wrap with manta ray design.

Then, we drove the narrow, winding concrete "road" to Magic Mountain Overlook. (No, not related to the Magic Mountain in southern California!)

A pano of Opunohu Bay from

Magic Mountain Overlook. Note

the azure colors of the lagoon.

Viking Neptune docked in Papeete, Tahiti.

That evening we sailed for Nuku Hiva, Marquesas Islands, and after two sea-days, we anchored in Taioha'e Bay.

A pano of Taioha'e Bay, Nuku Hiva.

(No, our ship hadn't gotten bent!)

Janet and I arranged for a tour of the island. We stopped at numerous locations, including scenic overlooks and sacred ruins.

Our local guide, Ma'u, with our ship

anchored in the harbor. Note her leg tattoo.

18) We drove to Taipivai Bay, and visited the village where Herman Melville was a "guest-captive," according to his fictionalized account in Typee. (Quite inspirational for me, the visit and the book!)

A pano of Taipivai Bay.

Plaque commemorating

Melville's "visit" and writings.

After Janet and I bid Ma'u goodbye, and before we returned to our ship, we hiked a short distance to the "Tiki Tuhiva" sculpture overlooking the village and bay.

The "Tiki Tuhiva" sculpture.

That evening, we sailed away from Nuku Hiva, headed for San Diego.

Nuku Hiva during sunset.

Seven sea-days later, we arrived in San Diego Harbor, renowned for US Naval presence.

19) We toured Balboa Park, which contains numerous beautiful buildings, including eighteen museums, all within easy walking distance.

This elegant building serves as the park's

Visitor Center and the Prado Restaurant.

20) Returned to our ship, I walked a short distance to, and toured, the USS Midway, the last diesel powered US aircraft carrier.

21) Here's the "Unconditional Surrender Statue," aka "Kissing Statue." Incorrectly, the sailor reputedly kissed a nurse, though she was a dental hygienist in actuality!

The oversized statue with USS

Midway (background).

That evening, we sailed away to Los Angeles, where Janet and I disembarked the Neptune the following morning.

We'd sailed 8,885 nautical miles (10,225 statue miles) during our trip, and experienced twenty-one days at sea. As a result, I gained a deeper appreciation, if only a hint, of by-gone sailing in the South Pacific, and the experiences of the likes of James Cook, Herman Melville and Paul Gauguin, to name only a few. Plus, I took advantage of a loaner copy of Melville's Typee, which I thoroughly enjoyed, though his complex sentence structures make it a difficult read.

Of course, wouldn't you know, I developed severe cold symptoms upon our return home, though Janet's course of infection preceded mine by a few days.

I thoroughly encourage you to travel, travel, travel! Consider spending your money and time traveling and building memories, rather than on material goods. I yearn to return to the South Pacific even as I complete writing this.

Walk in beauty.

(PS - your feedback is welcomed.)

A Few “Lesser Known and Obscure” Facts I Learned While "River Cruising" Budapest to Amsterdam (+England)

Bottom line: Though the best laid plans often go astray, the travel remains a worthwhile learning adventure.

Panoramic view from the Fisherman's

Bastion in Buda looking towards

Pest at nightfall. (Note the well-lite

Hungarian Parliament building across

the Danube.)

Janet, my wife, and I still enjoyed our recent trip to Europe, including England, primarily through central Europe despite Danube flood levels. Janet and I spent time in Budapest before we boarded our river cruise ship. The itinerary called for a river cruise up the Danube from Budapest on the Viking Bragi, transition to and sail along the Main (pronounced Mine), then the Rhine to Amsterdam. However, heavy rain in the upper Danube region prevented cruising upstream beyond Bratislava, where our ship moored alongside eight other river cruise ships in safe anchorage. From that stationary point, we were bused to cities on the itinerary upstream along the Danube, spent two nights in Bad Griesbach at the Hotel Maximilian, then transitioned to a sister ship, Viking Skadi, for the downstream leg along the Main and Rhine rivers. Despite the Danube's condition, we visited every city on the itinerary! After spending two additional days in Amsterdam, we flew to England, where we drove to Highley to visit a friend.

1) Budapest (Hungary) is two cities. Buda meaning water (for the hot springs) and Pest, pronounced Pesht, meaning flat.

2) Learning Hungarian for an English speaker proves quite difficult, we were told. The language has forty-four letters with 14 vowels. Just pronouncing Hungarian names provided ample challenge for me.

3) As usual I enjoyed viewing the fine art in the museums, pinching myself at times, though growing overwhelmed by the sheer volume of art work. Talk about the immensity and complexity of history!

"The Great London Fire" (1666)

by Lieve Pietersz Verschuier in

Budapest's Museum of Fine Arts!

3) My memory of Bratislava (Slovakia) is over-shadowed by our mooring situation, crossing and re-crossing eight river cruise ships, and the bus drives in and out of the cargo facility past shipping containers.

Disembarking the Bragi for a bus ride.

(Thankfully, the water level here never

got higher and had disappeared when

we returned later that day.)

4) We attended a classic music concert in Vienna (Austria). What could be more apropos? Johann Strauss I (the Elder), a native Viennese had three sons. He and his sons wrote music and conducted! One grandson, Johann Strauss III, also became a famous musician. Together, they wrote over one-thousand pieces. (No photos allowed of the performance.)

5) In Melk (Austria), we toured the abbey. Originally a royal palace, it was presented to Benedictine monks in the 11th century. Ninety pounds of gold has been used on the church statuary, etc. We didn't get inside the church, however.

Melk Abbey church entrance.

5) We discovered Passau (Germany) flooding has been frequent, at least on a historical scale.

Passau flood levels marks. (And this

building stands some feet, maybe ten,

above the current Danube River level!)

6) We witnessed the art work of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Passau. Everywhere I looked, I saw exquisite craftsmanship as evidenced by extravagant artwork.

St. Stephen's Cathedral ceiling.

7) Regensburg (Switzerland) hosts the oldest sausage kitchen (likely in the world), it's building erected in 1135 CE.

Regensburg's Historische Wurstkuche.

8) Nuremberg (Germany), aka Nurnberg, known for the post WWII Nazis war crime trials, sports Kaiserburg Castle, dating to the Middle Ages.

Kaiser Castle visitor's ramp, which I

suspect didn't exist in the Middle Ages.

9) Here's the Kaiser Castle entrance during the Middle Ages. Imagine storming that door with you're back exposed to arrows!

Kaiserburg entrance during the Middle Ages.

10) Bamberg (Germany) is the home of rauchbier (smoked beer), made by drying malt over an open flame in a smoke kiln, which imparts a smoky character to the malt. (A more distinctive flavor than that of Guinness in comparison.)

Author savors a rauchbier with pretzel. (Yum!)

11) One of the more extravagant structures I've visited is the Wurzburg (Germany) Bishop's Residence, a baroque palace, built around 1730 CE. Opulent would be an understatement. Built for ONE person, the bishop at that time, to impress people of his power.

Ceiling of the "Grand Staircase

Entrance." (Impressed? I was.

Note the corner plaster statuary

which blends into the fresco.)

The Mirror Cabinet ceiling.

A panorama of "The Mirror Cabinet" at

floor level. (Cabinet? Somebody's definition

has changed!)

12) Occasionally, a builder/owner cheats a little to gain floor space, though I suppose it was legal to do! Such was this case in Wertheim (Germany).

A house in Wertheim, Germany.

13) We sailed past twenty-one castles along the middle Rhine, according to a map I'd received.

Mouse Tower, built on an island as a

shipping signal station. (Legend says

it's name derives from mice eating a

bishop imprisoned there.)

14) We toured the Marksburg Castle in Kolblenz (Germany). The dining room door opens to a privy and locks from the dining room side only. Left open during privy use, the door was closed and locked at night to prevent intruders entering through the hole.

The castle's dining room with attached privy.

15) Cologne (Germany), Koln in German, was all but destroyed by bombing during WWII. The cathedral remained mostly untouched, however.

Cologne Cathedral. (Note the dark

coloration, which can't be cleaned

as limestone is too soft.)

16) About ninety-five per cent of the windmills in Kinderdijk (Netherlands) pump water, don't grind grain. Netherlands has an extensive water management/control system.

Kinderdijk Windmills. (Note:

they're idle at the moment.)

17) Families live in the windmills in order to run and maintain them, much like lighthouse operators.

Windmill multi-purpose living room.

18) Everyone slept in a sitting position to prevent Satan mistaking them to be dead and take them.

Windmill bedchamber. (Note: there's

little opportunity for an adult to

stretch out prone to sleep.)

19) An early form of industrial footwear, wooden clogs were used to prevent injury to the feet while operating the windmill. Wood was easy to carve, offered good protection from crushing injuries, and, if the clogs wore out, they could be burned as fuel for heat!

20) Amsterdam (Netherlands) is twenty-one feet below sea level! Or so we were told. Canals crisscross the city, much like Venice (Italy). A local told us, "If you like rain, don't visit Amsterdam."

One Amsterdam canal on a rainy day.

21) While in Amsterdam, Janet and I toured the Anne Frank House, Van Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum. Once more, I felt overwhelmed at the volume of artwork, the history and talent, far too much to absorb and appreciate in a short time. (Note: no photos allowed in the Anne Frank House.)

Vermeer's "The Milkmaid."

Van Gogh's "Blue Lillies."

22) To take fuller advantage of our time in Europe, we flew to London (England), then drove to Highley to visit a friend, David. The three of us visited The Engine House Museum and Education Center in Highley. (Eat your heart out, Sheldon Cooper!)

Janet and David pose next to one

of many locomotives in residence.

23) Janet and I couldn't pass up a London museum visit, of course.

Monet's "The Thames below

Westminster"at the National Gallery.

Thus, endth our trip!

Walk in beauty, fellow earthling.