A Few "Lesser Known and Obscure" Facts I Learned While In Southern & Mediterranean Europe

Bottom line: Travel provides opportunity to open one's eyes to new and different ways of life.

When I travel, I always learn new things, some surprising. That's why I relish it, even when confronted with travel delays, exposure to disease, and theft of property. But I won't dwell on the negatives my wife and I encountered during our travel to parts of southern Europe recently.

Instead, I'll share a few things I didn't know before our trip, just to wet your wanderlust whistle, if nothing else.

1) Porto, Portugal - Located near the confluence of the Douro River and the Atlantic Ocean, Porto occupies the northern bank of the river, while Vila Nova de Gaia, or Porto Gaia, occupies the southern bank. And, as the Douro River Valley has been a major wine producing area for some centuries, Porto Gaia has been the hub for Portuguguese wine production and distribution.

After the British signed the Treaty of Windsor with Portugal in 1386, they imported Portuguese wine with enthusiasm, particularly as their wine source from the France had been stymied by hostilities. In addition, per the advantageous treaty terms, the British invested heavily in Portugal's vinification industry, such as the vineyards and processing facilities in Porto Gaia.

In the late 1600s CE, port wine was invented by adding a "grape brandy" to the wine, which helped preserve the product during shipping. Guess where it's name came from.

FYI, port wine isn't a favorite of mine.

No, that’s not a silhouette of Zorro! I'm posing next to the Sandeman wine logo.

2) Portugal - The combination of the two names Porto and Gaia provided Portugal it's name (Porto + Gaia). Pronounce those quickly and you may see how that happened, particularly when foreigners got involved.

A panoramic view at sunset of Porto (center), flanked by portions Porto Gaia on each side.

3) Lisbon, Portugal - The Portuguese language is difficult to learn, particularly for school children. In Portuguese, Lisbon is spelled Lisboa, and the "i" is pronounced more like a long "e," while the "s" is pronounced as "sh." Try pronouncing Cascais using those two rules!

The Portuguese love small custard tarts or cream pastries, which they call pasteis de nata. Delicious, their cream pastries are consumed in huge quantities by the population. First made about three hundred years ago in a monastery west of Lisbon, egg yolks are a prime ingredient. Be advised, sugar, in a copious amount, is another.

Portuguese pasteis de nata.

Photo Credit: pexels-Magda Ehlers

But, what to do with all that leftover albumen? Egg whites have been used as a binding agent in a variety of ways, including in artists' paints and as a starch to stiffen collars and cuffs.

The Portuguese refer to the conquest of the Americas as "the Age of Discovery." I'll say no more about that.

A Lisbon monument to the explorers during the Age of Discovery.

5) Barcelona, Spain - Antoni Gaudi, an architect, designed numerous buildings in Barcelona in the late 19th century and early 20th. His artist architectural designs demonstrate considerable innovation, even by today standards. However, his name did not generate the term "gaudy," though is commonly associated with the term as a result of his creations.

In 1884 Gaudi worked on redesigning the Sagrada Familia, Barcelona's giant basilica, which is still under construction!

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain. Note the signs of construction.

6) Madrid, Spain - Restaurant Botin, founded 1725 CE, holds the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest established restaurant in the world. The restaurant's forte is suckling pig.

Janet anticipates eating suckling pig.

Janet and I pose in front of Restaurant Botin.

Not the original building, I suspect!

Janet and I preferred the impressionist works at the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum to the historic religious-oriented works in the Prado Museum.

Claude Monet, The Thaw at Vetbeuil, 1880.

7) Marseilles, France - The oldest city in France has retained relative independence since founded over twenty-five hundred years ago, including during Roman and Nazi German occupations.

Basilique Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde, atop the hill, overlooks Marseille.

8) Monaco - This principality constitutes the second smallest country in Europe, and covers 499 acres or .75 square miles.

Citizens of Monaco, Monegasques, are forbidden to gamble in the casinos, though can enter one, if they work there.

Casino de Monte Carlo in Monaco, made more

famous by the James Bond movie, Casino Royale.

9) Pisa, Italy - The Campanile, aka bell tower or Leaning Tower of Pisa, has companion buildings. One, known as the Baptistery, also leans. There appears no danger of either toppling anytime soon, however.

The Baptistery (foreground) and Campanile (background).

10) Pompeii, Italy - The inhabitants, who hadn't already left when the heavy blanket of ash fell during the Vesuvius eruption of 79 CE, were suffocated and burned by a pyroclastic flow, a cloud of hot, noxious gas. Once the pyroclastic flow approached from Vesuvius, those remaining in Pompeii had insufficient time to outrun it, even if they’d seen it coming. What we see today of the victims--parts of Pompeii remain unexcavated for future archeologists--are the shapes of plaster casts of the hollows created by their bodies in the ash layer that covered them.

This victim has been identified as a pregnant female of about twenty years old.

11) Rome, Italy - Ancient Romans consumed parrots and flamingos, among other things, and ate while reclining. Perhaps, that's why they purged so much?

It's virtually impossible to look around the city of Rome without seeing a religious structure, such as a Roman temple or Catholic basilica.

Look closely, you’re bound to see a church or temple somewhere.

Vatican City, confined within the city of Rome, comprises the smallest country in Europe at 109 acres or .19 square miles.

Long lines dissuaded us from entering the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Basillica.

12) The Straight of Messina, Italy – A swimmer could easily cross this gap if not for the strong currents, as it is only 1.9 miles wide. Would you guess that by examining a map?

Italian mainland (left) and Sardinia (right) separated by the Strait of Messina.

13) Corfu, Greece - The Byzantine Paleokastritsa Monastery, established in the 1220's CE and dedicated to the Virgin Mary, sits aside cliffs along a rugged coastline and overlooking clear, azure waters.

A view of the Mediterranean Sea, only steps away from the Paleokastritsa Monastery.

14) Korcula, Croatia - Some believe Marco Polo was born here, though others believe he was born in Venice. Note that Venice ruled Korcula at that time, and Marco Polo lived in Venice for a while, and so those two facts likely have confounded the issue.

Korcula, Croatia, a small, yet beautiful Adriatic Sea town.

The Adriatic Sea for all practical purposes is an extension of the Mediterranean Sea, but who’s quibbling?

15) Dubrovnik, Croatia - The city's history dates back about fourteen hundred years. The relatively unspoiled and rugged Dalmatian coastline near Dubrovnik meets pristine waters of the Adriatic Sea.

Dubrovnik, Croatia, with its old walled city (left) dating back to the Middle Ages.

16) Venice, Italy - The waters surrounding Venice are quite murky, partly due, I suspect, to the Venetian toilets that flush directly into it! So, I don't recommend swimming there.

The iconic view of St. Mark's Square, Venice, from the water.

Tourists swarmed the streets and popular sites of Venice like ants at a picnic. Venice is implementing a tourist surcharge starting January, 2023, as a result of the increased number of visitors.

Tourists on an adjacent bridge as seen from the Bridge of Sighs near St. Mark's Square.

A last view of Venice from the air.

My wife and I had a worthwhile adventure, to say the least.

The world awaits. Go forth on your own adventures and walk in beauty.

A Few "Lesser Known and Obscure" Facts (I've Learned) About Iceland

Song in a fish tank (disused fish oil tank, that is).

Bottom Line: Travel enriches the mind and spirit, in spite of any intent to the contrary.

My wife and I visited Iceland this past June, after two previous trip cancellations. Once we’d shelled out our pesos, we ran the gauntlet of COVID requirements (vaccination and negative PCR test verification) to board our Reykjavik flight. Then, during our Viking cruise circumnavigation of the island, we surrendered daily spit samples for rapid testing each morning, and as well, donned tracking devices, in order we be “notified,” if we came into proximity of anyone discovered to be a carrier. (And though some individuals might run away from these requirements complaining like a cat facing a bath, I considered them reasonable and the results well worth the effort.)

We arrived in Reykjavik the day before boarding our cruise ship, everything according to Hoyle. That evening, however, our trip headed southward when primate turned violently ill. Long story short, my symptoms improved over the next two days . . . and Janet experienced the same problem, though her symptoms trailed mine by a day. Jet lag didn’t do either of us any favors, either. However, with daily improvement, we rallied mid-cruise and enjoyed a strong finish.

I learn new things when I travel. Things about the country, the culture, the people, that I’d never learn any other way. I could learn those things on the internet, though probably wouldn’t think, or take the time, to do so. And besides, firsthand experience has no equal for me. My thinking expands when I travel. I relate to our shared humanity and, as a result, consider myself an earthling, my identity not restricted to a political group, territory or flag. (Not to be confused with patriotism, mind you.)

Here are a few tidbits I learned in Iceland that I hadn’t previously known, or given thought beforehand (but since I’ve learned these more obscure facts, I have given them thought and included links in places to kindle your curiosity):

1) Iceland is a small country. With an area of 103,000 km² Iceland is more than twice the size of Denmark, or about the same size as the US state of Kentucky.

A scale model of Iceland in Reykjavik City Hall, looking east to west.

(Note the rugged topography on the less populated eastern coastline.)

2) Iceland is roughly centered along the 65-degree north latitude, about that of central Alaska and southern Scandinavia, and straddles the Eurasian tectonic plate to the east, and the North American tectonic plate to the west. Indeed, Iceland exists because of the plate spreading along that rift zone (at about three centimeters per year, give or take a few millimeters).

A short segment of the rift, Europe to the right, North America to the left.

(Though it wouldn’t be credible to say that you can stand with one foot in

Europe and the other in America!)

3) Volcanoes, barren lava fields and ash cones blanket the landscape as a result of Iceland’s creation from the up-welling of magma along the rift zone. And the Icelanders are familiar with volcanic activity, you might say that it’s in their bones, and they don’t deny the reality of their situation, in fact they embrace it. They warm homes and generate electricity with thermal water. Tourism of late has boosted their economy, particularly to observe volcanic activity. Seems people ogle with fascination at flowing lava and flying ash. In 1973, an eruption aside Vestmannaeyjar—don’t ask, I can’t pronounce this, I don’t speak Icelandic—threatened to block the town’s harbor, its lifeline to the sea. The town isn’t connected to the rest of the country by road. Fireman from several countries set up water hoses to cool and harden the lava flow. Meanwhile, a portion of the town was buried under ash. (I cheated and googled a news release about this eruption: https://icelandmag.is/article/when-residents-vestmannaeyjar-woke-discover-a-volcano-erupting-outskirts-town)

A number of buildings disappeared under ash in 1973. This one was

excavated and enclosed in the Eldheimar museum. Tourists flock to

check this out. Who wouldn’t? And the Icelanders are making money

on this deal! (For a virtual visit to the museum:

https://visitwestmanislands.com/tour/eldheimar-museum/)

4) The Norse began settling the island before the end of the first century CE (more than five hundred years before Columbus’ dad had a twinkle in his eye). Vikings—the term for Norse pirates—were a hardy bunch. Though perhaps not as blood-thirsty as depicted, on occasion they relished a pillage and ransacking of some unfortunate neighbor.

One of the wax figurine scenes in the Saga Museum (https://www.sagamuseum.is/).

5) And when the Vikings embarked on a pillage and ransack tour, some, if not most or all, donned metal helmets. Most Vikings helmets didn’t sport horns, however. (That was a matter of personal finances.) It is believed the “myth,” backed by popular demand, that all helmets had horns, originated in the 19th century. (Here’s more information about that: https://www.history.com/news/did-vikings-really-wear-horned-helmets and https://en.natmus.dk/historical-knowledge/denmark/prehistoric-period-until-1050-ad/the-viking-age/weapons/helmets/)

Examples of Norse helmets in the Saga Museum in Reykjavik. Note

the lack of horns! (For a quickie visit: https://www.sagamuseum.is/)

5) Remember the pillaging and ransacking part? Icelander male lineage primarily derives from the Norse (coming from the surrounding territory enveloping the Baltic Sea) while female lineage, in large proportion, derives from the Irish (British Isles). Seems the Norse—at least their pirate brethren, the Vikings—liked sequestering their wives (slaves) from Ireland. Though I heard that the local British-Isles ladies, preferred the Norse fellows over the local Anglo-Saxon men. (Seems the Vikings were better groomed than their Anglo-Saxon counterparts. You know, combed their hair, bathed more, smelled better. Take a lesson gentlemen!) So, perhaps some intrepid gals went to Iceland voluntarily, more or less.

Side note: I had Ancestry.com check my genealogy a few years ago. According to those results, I hail from the region of northern Europe, Southern Scandinavia and northern British Isles. I’ve concluded I’m a latter day Viking! I suspect my wife might disagree, however, and claim I descend from the Anglo-Saxons, as occasionally, she says I need a shower, because I “smell bad.”

6) Iceland’s population is quite small, numbering 368,792 in 2021. However, the bulk of Icelanders, 233,034 of them, congregate in and around Reykjavik, the capital. Only five towns boast of populations larger than 10,000. Icelanders concentrate along the more hospitable western and northern coastlines, and where fjords provide calm harbor.

Here’s one such town, Eskifjordur, situated along the opposite fjord shoreline.

7) Ten percent of Iceland’s landmass is covered by several large glaciers, and with all that melting ice, waterfalls abound.

Gullfoss Waterfalls, which can be visited via a “Golden Circle” tour from Reykjavik.

The edge of the ice field which feeds the nearby Gullfoss Waterfalls.

8) Iceland is relatively devoid of trees. What forests persisting before the Norse arrived soon became their housing material. Today, trees are paltry in number and height by North American standards. A favorite local joke goes, “What do you do when you get lost?” Answer: “Stand up.”

One of Iceland's "forests" near the WW II museum in Reydarfjordur. They

appear eight-ten feet tall, but I didn’t have the time to attempt getting lost.

9) Weather, along the southwestern portions of the country, is influenced by the relatively warmer Atlantic current from North American environs. The warmer waters historically supported abundant stocks of fish, though their numbers have declined in recent years from over-harvesting. (“Salmon farming” does occur in fjords in scattered locations, though controversial. What if the guy salmon escaped their pens, had their way with the local girl salmon and thus contaminated the wild genetic lineage with bad genes?)

A local Icelander models and talks about fishing gear of the more recent past. (Note

that his gloves have two thumb inserts. Turning them over provided extended use.)

10) Fish served as a primary dietary choice of the first settlers—this should be of no surprise—and remains so today. Lamb and a few veggies, here and there, has supplemented Icelander cuisine. Very little beef was, nor is, consumed. Winter housing and feeding of large animals, such as cattle, proves prohibitive, both in supplying them warmth and feed. Sheep, on the other hand, fit the red meat bill, as they consume less, require smaller space to house and grow thick fur, perfect clothing for the sheep in winter and humans the next spring.

Side note: Don't eat the fermented shark! Though I'm open-minded, I predict you wouldn't enjoy its taste, either. Though now that I’ve mentioned it, some of you will be compelled to try it . . . you know who you are! Regardless, do get your veggies as you dig into a delicious lamb stew.

11) The bulk of Iceland, particularly the interior, is devoid of human habitation, and most everything else, as that land not buried under ice or aforementioned volcanic features, contains poor soil which is unsuited for agriculture. As a result, farming in Iceland has never been a popular occupation.

Though along the coastline (and hence, not the interior), try farming on that!

Only a narrow strip near the water may be suitable to grow grasses and shrubs,

and is subject to avalanche during winter and general landslide year-round.

12) Reindeer roam wild in the island’s interior. However, Icelanders do not consume venison. They rejected that notion when Norwegian imported reindeer in the 18th century. (I gathered the Icelanders didn’t like the Norwegians “meddling” with their culinary preferences.)

13) The arctic fox is the largest indigenous (not introduced by humans) mammal on the island. One or more, no doubt, hitched rides to Iceland on ice flows long before the Norse arrived in their longships.

14) Turns out the longships, powered by oars and sail, and built with over-lapping wood planks which provided flexibility to withstand ocean waves, were quite sea worthy.

An artist’s representation of a Norse longship in Reykjavik.

15) Icelanders, at least many nowadays, display wit and humor. Icelanders think that Iceland and Greenland should swap names, although I’m not sure Icelanders consider this a joke! At least around the edges (coastline) Iceland is clear of snow and appears relatively green with scattered indigenous shrubs, stunted trees and grasses.

My wife and I encountered this sign while rambling the streets of Reykjavik.

However, not in the mood for pizza, we didn’t check the assertion.

A trash receptacle in Vestmannaeyjar. (A protest against nuclear

weapons or volcanic activity? Either way, you get ash clouds.)

16) Icelandic forebearers had creative imaginations and likely suffered bouts of boredom during their long, dark winters, particularly without electric lighting. Huldufólk, AKA Hidden People, were believed to inhabit the countryside among the human folk. You know, elves, who lived in a parallel universe and showed themselves now and then. Most Icelanders no longer believe they exist, however. (See this Wikipedia link for more information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hulduf%C3%B3lk)

A "Hidden People's" church according to Icelander folklore.

17) Icelanders prize their lineage of horses. (Even though they're small, short and stocky, don’t call them ponies!) If an Icelandic horse is taken out of Iceland, for whatever reason, it cannot be returned. No ifs, ands or buts. The Icelanders don’t want an introduction of diseases or genetics to effect or alter their horse population.

One said Icelandic horse, though not posing for me. (And no,

my wife and I didn't see the Northern Lights while there.)

Photo Credit: pexels – Evgeny Tchebota.

Travel Tip: If you travel to Iceland, even for one day, I recommend a “Golden Circle” Tour from Reykjavik, which will provide you the best of what Iceland offers.

PS: This, my most ambitious blog to date, could contain an error or two. So, please let me know of any errors. Other comments welcomed, too.

Joining the Penguins

Bottom line: We humans are hard-wired to explore, rivaling the curiosity of felines. (Better yet, we can do more with what we discover because we have thumbs.)

Using my thumb as Janet and I explore a tiny portion of Antarctica.

As a boy I never thought I'd visit the places I've been in my lifetime, certainly not Antarctica! I worked to keep mt expectations within reason, according to my thinking. A trip here, a trip there added up . . . and then I found myself in Antarctica. Though some might call it "a dream of a life time," I'll keep truckin' as long as I'm capable. Forward thinking, that's the orientation to develop.

My wife, Janet, and I have enjoyed traveling the world together and over the years have taken a number of cruises.

I'd nurtured the dream of a trip to Antarctica for a few years and though a splurge, when we discussed travel to the southern continent, we decided to "go for it." We chose Hurtigruten (Norwegian) for this cruise over the Christmas/New Year holidays '18-'19 and haven't regretted that decision.

Our ship's captain navigated us around the worst of approaching bad weather on our two crossings of the Drake Passage, considered the most dangerous waters in the world. Then, we toured a portion of the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula.

Using "zodiac boats," staff transported us to and from our island visits and for close-up inspections of ice formations and animal activity, such as feeding whales. We toured research stations. We visited several Adelie Penguin colonies, during their hatching/fledgling season, where we enjoyed close encounters . . . if the penguins so chose.

They weren't disturbed by our presence.

Roughly, the Antarctic Circle became our southern most latitude.

At times I looked at the stark horizon of ice and mountains and longed to trek to the pole, to go and be where Amundsen, Shackleton, Scott and Ross had gone, and where only a few of all humanity has ever been.

The best part of travel for me is witnessing the wonders of the world firsthand, meeting different people, learning about other cultures, and most of all experiencing my shared humanity and living existence . . . as an earthling.

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Photo Credit: Connard Hogan