Tag: Travel

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Edinburgh Scotland – Have Fun Storming the Castle

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Ah, Edinburgh. I have fond memories of this wee city, the capital of Scotland. I had the good fortune of living there for all too short a time – only three months – but during the brightest summer in recent history I’m told. I was there to work, but spent most weekends exploring the surroundings.

One of the centerpieces, both figuratively and literally, is the Edinburgh Castle. The summer I was there saw the release of J.K. Rowling’s last (or perhaps second to last) Harry Potter book. Though born in England Rowling called Edinburgh her home and so there was a grand book launch at the castle the likes of I’ve never seen before. The castle (needless to say) sits on a hill in the center of town and the line of children and their parents stretched all the way out of the castle and down the narrow streets:

Edinburgh Castle

The above photo was taken from the top of Arthur’s Seat, the rocky outcrop looming over the city.  Here’s a view to give you an idea. It was a beautiful place to hike up to and contemplate life.

Edinburgh Scotland

The Seat hovers above the Salisbury Crags, here seen from below to give you an idea of how high up I was:

Salisbury Crags, Edinburgh, Scotland

And the castle a bit closer:

Edinburgh Castle

Ah, this inspires a bit of poetry, like the opening lines of Jason Fenton’s appropriately named “Edinburgh Castle:”

Roots of stone
rise unfettered out of the earth;
crenellations of cobble
burnish with pride that cascades
into the Firth of Forth.

Okay, let’s leave town so I can show you a gorgeous photo of the Ballachulish Mountains at Loch Linnhe, a half day drive north of Edinburgh towards the Isle of Skye:

Ballachulish Mountains at Loch Linnhe

More about Edinburgh Castle can be read here. If you go try to do it in August when they have the “Fringe,” a festival of art and music performances that fill the halls and the streets for a full month.

That’s it for now. This is just a teaser as I’ll be out visiting a bunch of old rocks standing in the (likely) rain. I promise more stories and photos when I return.

David J. Kent is the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

[Fragile]

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Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial – Washington DC

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The photograph below is a close-up of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington DC. This beautifully massive monument represents King as a “Stone of Hope” emerging out of the “Mountain of Despair,” from the famous line in his “I have a dream” speech given August 28, 1963 on the steps of the nearby Lincoln Memorial.

Martin Luther King

The site, which covers four acres along the Potomac tidal basin, was opened to the public on August 22, 2011. The dedication ceremony was scheduled for August 28th – the anniversary of his famous speech, but was postponed to October 16th because of the arrival of Hurricane Irene. In addition to the “stone” and the “mountain” there is a long wall displaying some of his most well known quotes.

Martin Luther King Memorial

Overall, the effect is breathtaking. King emerging from the mountain and gazing stalwartly toward the memorial to Thomas Jefferson standing resolute across the tidal basin. The artist did justice to the man and to the memory of his accomplishments.

David J. Kent is President of the Lincoln Group of DC and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World and two specialty e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

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A Conversation Overheard – The Pope’s Swiss Guards

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When in Rome do as the Romans do.  By which I mean speak Italian and/or Latin, drink a lot of wine, and constantly carry an ice cream cone – gelato – when walking.  At least that seems to be what they are always doing in Rome.

So assuming you’re not Roman and are visiting Rome as a tourist, and specifically if you are a tourist visiting the Vatican, then you must visit St. Peter’s Basilica.  And as the invariably long line snakes to the entrance – soon after going through the security checkpoint – make sure to look to the right just before making that hard turn to the front of the church.  And you’re likely to see the Swiss Guard.

Swiss guardYou would be hard pressed to tell from the multi-colored – even garish – ceremonial uniforms of today’s Swiss guards to know that historically the guards were some of the fiercest fighters of the middle ages.  The guards were called in by Pope Julius II to help fight wars with those pesky Venetians and the French, that is, when Julius wasn’t bossing around both Michelangelo and Raphael as they created their respective masterpieces – the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and the School of Athens.

Today of course the Swiss Guards are purely ceremonial.  After all, an easy lifestyle of standing around with a pike and retiring with a papal pension is almost worth wearing those colors and feathered helmets. But admittedly there are days even a Guard would rather not be caught dead looking like that. The day I was there I overheard this short conversation:

Hey, Luigi, do these yellow stripes make me look fat?

No Giuseppe, you look fine. Don’t worry about it.

Are you sure, Luigi? I’ve been putting on a few kilos lately. All that gelato I think.

I said you look fine. We go through this every day. You ask me if the stripes make you look fat, I say no, you yammer about eating too much gelato. This job is boring enough as it is, the least you could do is talk about something interesting for a change.  Hey, is that your girlfriend over there?

Giuseppe glances to the side (see photo).  Oh mio, it is…it is my beloved Bianca. Cazzo, I told her I was the Pope’s right hand man.  I cannot let her see me dressed in this silly outfit. Luigi, rapido, run me through with your pike. Oh Signore, portami in cielo ora.

Okay, maybe I heard wrong. But seriously, wouldn’t that be your reaction?

 

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Some enhancements to the pages to facilitate finding articles

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David J KentAs this web site continues to develop there will be periodic changes in structure and content.  Some of these changes will be BIG AND NOTICEABLE while others will be a wee bit less obvious.

One of those “wee bit” changes is the addition of a link on each of my individual pages that provide access to all of the posts on that page’s topic with a single click.

On my Abraham Lincoln page look at the bottom of the page “For a full list of my Abraham Lincoln posts click here.”

On my Nikola Tesla page look in the very first paragraph “For all my Tesla articles click here.”

On my Travel page look about two-thirds of the way down for “To get you started, you can click on this link or simply click on the “Travel” tag at the end of any travel post.”

I have also now provided my email address at the bottom of the About Me page.  [For those not familiar with spammers, just change the AT to @ and the DOT to . and close up the spaces so it looks like an actual email address.]

To keep up with all my posts you can subscribe via email on the home page (look under the calendar on the right hand side).

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David J. Kent, Writer is now “The Traveling Scientist”

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The Traveling ScientistI have a new name! Well, technically my name hasn’t changed, but this web site now has an actual title instead of just my name:

The Traveling Scientist

It captures at least two of my primary passions – science and travel. I’ve been a working scientist for about 30 years and have now traveled to almost 30 countries (with hopefully at least 30 more to go). Of course, there is also my passion for Abraham Lincoln, so if you want to really stretch the metaphor you can say that I’ve traveled a long way in gaining knowledge about Lincoln.  Or even that if you travel a long way from Lincoln’s place of birth in Kentucky to England you would find Charles Darwin being born on the very same day – February 12, 1809.  And Charles Darwin is certainly someone who traveled as a scientist.

Okay, I said it was a stretch.  [Spoiler alert – check back later for a WIP on Lincoln and science that is not so much of a stretch]

Now back to the new title.  Those who frequent this site know that I write about a few sometimes overlapping topics – science (currently Nikola Tesla), travel, and Abraham Lincoln.  As it continues to develop I’ll be setting up a schedule of when I’ll post on each topic so those with specific interests in one area more than another will know when to check back.

Better yet, subscribe to the site on the top right of the home page and you’ll get a gentle reminder when new content has been added.

Oh, one more thing. I’ve changed my Twitter account to reflect the new name. Now it reads as “Traveling Scientist” – Scientist by day, writer by night, Abraham Lincoln aficionado always.

I hope you like the new name, and the new look that will be coming soon.  Feel free to leave me a comment with likes/dislikes, ideas for topics to discuss, and just general thoughts.

Back soon.

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I Walked 77 Miles Through Italy – For This?

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I recently returned from a well-deserved (at least in my mind) trip to Italy, during which my total walking mileage was about 77 miles. In 9 days. The trip started in Rome, passed through Pisa, flourished in Florence, broke in Bologna, and mingled in Milan before coming to a close in Geneva.  And in those places there was the Sistine Chapel, the leaning tower, the naked David statue (another David, no relation), the two towers (no, not the Tolkien ones), the Last Supper, and a mostly not spurting jet d’eau. Oh, and then there was the guy who picked my pocket.

But I’m not going to talk about those now.  I’m going to talk about the weirdos.

There are weirdos in Italy.  Did you know that? To be honest I really shouldn’t be shocked given that I’ve seen this sort of thing everywhere I’ve gone in Europe (not so much in Asia for some reason).  Mostly they are the street performers, if you can call sitting or standing with no movement performing.

First there was the guy sitting on the corner of piazza that keeps Trevi Fountain from running down the street. I think he went by the name of Ronnie Raygun.

Trevi street performer

Nearby was a slightly lost Praetorian Guard.  I believe, but cannot confirm, that he was checking the GPS app on his iPhone to locate the colosseum (two miles east).

Roman praetorian guard

Not to be outdone was this finely dressed gentleman.  Something strange about him – Not quite sure I can see what it is though.  I think he’s hiding something.

invisible man

This guy isn’t really a weirdo. In fact, he played the most extraordinary guitar.  On a most extraordinary guitar.  Very talented and a real treat to hear.

guitar player

Now this guy – he was weird.  But environmentally friendly!

The Tree Man

Even the horses got into the act.  Now I know what they mean by that old expression – “tying on a feedbag.”

horse and feedbag

Too bad we can’t teach the folks here in DC how to wear a costume and stand still for hours.  They would make a lot more money begging that way.

So this was my weirdo, er, street performer post for Italy.  I assure you that there were a lot of incredible sites along the way and I’ll definitely come back to share them with you all soon.  Here’s some art to whet your appetite. Anyone know who this is (who they are)?

David and Goliath

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Cinco de Mayo – What to do in Cancun and Chichen Itza

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Hola! Feliz Cinco de Mayo!  Wondering what to do on Mexico’s traditional day of celebration?  Well, head on down to Cancun on the Yucatán peninsula.  And don’t forget to take a day trip to Chichen Itza.  Just make sure you do it before the end of 2012 (it’s Mayan, you know).

5 Things to do in Cancun

1. Relax at an all-inclusive resort hotel on the beach.  Once you arrive everything is already included – all meals, all drinks, all goofy pool games, and all 15 or so miles of the beach along the hotel zone.

Cancun Chichen Itza

2. Be Active at the various hotels, marinas, and yes, even a sinkhole.  Take a smiling parasail ride, or if you’re really daring, dive into one of the many Yucatan sinkholes.

Cancun parasailing

Yucatan sinkhole cinco de mayo

3. Shop in Cancun, or work your way down to the Mayan Riviera.  Or head inland to check out the Mayan artwork.

cancun maya cinco de mayo

Mayan art cinco de mayo

4. Visit Chichen Itza.  If Cancun is like being in Miami (English and dollars are more prevalent than Spanish and pesos), then Chichen Itza is like going back in time.  This center of Mayan civilization is a marvel to see.

Chichen Itza Maya cinco de mayo

5. Watch the sunrise.  Come on, it’s the beach.  Of course you’re going to watch the sunrise.

Cancun sunrise

I’ll have much more on Cancun and Chichen Itza in the future (this was just to whet your appetite).  I’ll have some videos and many more photos and ideas for what to do. But before then, let’s take a quick look at…

What not to do in Cancun

Note the cell phone, an iPad, and even a laptop at his feet. Okay, Mr. Workaholic.  Step away from the electronic devices and put on some sun block.

What not to do in Cancun

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!