Tag: Travel

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How to Land in St. Maarten

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Since I’m supposed to be flying to St. Maarten today, this is a good time to show how to land there. It’s quite an experience. Princess Julianna International Airport serves the Caribbean island officially split between the Dutch side (Sint Maarten) and the French side (Saint Martin). It’s often called the most interesting airport landing in the world.

Back in 2016 we took a fantastic Caribbean cruise on Windstar cruise lines, beginning and ending at the port in Philipsburg, St. Maarten. In between, the Wind Surf, our 5-mast sailing ship, took us to Barbuda, Dominica, St. Lucia, Guadeloupe, St. Kitts, and St. Barths. It was an amazing trip. You can read previous posts by clicking here and scrolling down.

Upon our return to St. Maarten we decided to visit Maho Beach before heading to the airport for our flight home. Maho is a beautiful small beach whose sun and sand (and beachside bar) is second in famousness to its location at the foot of the major runway of the island’s airport. Often, sunbathers are outnumbered by budding photographers vying to take selfies as the commercial planes land over their shoulder. Like, right over your shoulder. People have occasionally been struck by landing gear, although admittedly only when stupid enough to stand on someone else’s shoulders to get a bit higher. But the fact is the planes come in low.

Equally dumb are the people who intentionally line up against the fence so they can say they got blown down by the blast of jets taking off a mere few dozen yards away. [Hint: The Danger sign is there for a purpose, as the families of those killed by jet-propelled stones can attest.] We took the incoming photos and videos from the beach but were wise enough to stand to the side to watch jets take off.

All of this reminiscing is somewhat bittersweet as, alas, we won’t be flying back into St. Maarten today after all. The new Windstar cruise we have been waiting months to enjoy was cancelled at the last moment due to engine trouble (given that this also is a sailing vessel, the irony is not lost on us that a mechanical problem killed the trip). This one was to take us from St. Maarten to the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao), plus Cartagena (Colombia) and Panama. We’ll reschedule and likely do this trip at a future date, but this week we’ll instead be “enjoying” colder climes.

So far our science traveling schedule is open ended for 2020 pending some important professional decisions, but we have plenty of “big trip” options in mind. Stay tuned.

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 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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Aquarium du Quebec – The Quebec Aquarium

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Aquarium du QuebecI have been to fifty-nine different aquariums all over the United States and in at least fifteen countries. One of them was the Aquarium du Quebec, the Quebec Aquarium in Quebec City.

My feelings about aquariums have evolved over the many years I’ve been visiting them. As a young boy I was inspired by the huge central tank in the New England Aquarium to pursue my love of marine biology. Recently I’ve become more aware of the downsides of big public aquariums, especially those that had stadium shows featuring seals, sea lions, walruses, dolphins, beluga whales, or orcas. The Quebec Aquarium provides a good look at both the good and bad about aquariums.

Aquarium du Quebec, Nautilus

The aquarium isn’t huge by the standards of some others, but it is certainly adequate for fulfilling its purpose, both entertainment and education. While adults do enjoy these venues, the main audience will always be the young in an effort to instill an appreciation for our watery planet. Present are different zones such as fresh and salt water, a Pacific zone, a coastal zone, and of course the large ocean zone with its expansive central tank and walk-though tubes. I especially liked Le Carrefour Scientifique, the view into the science lab area.

Aquarium du Quebec, Walrus

There was also a nice-sized outdoor area where they had the sea lions, polar bears, and a large walrus. I was a little concerned with these sections. The sea lion show was nice but raised the question of treatment. The polar bears looked rather bored and one paced along the wall repeatedly. The octopus was carefully hidden in its darkened cave to the point of questioning whether it was in the exhibit at all. Most disheartening was the state of the huge walrus. Ignoring the provided swimming pool (which was only a couple of lengths longer than its body), the walrus laid in the hot sun on the concrete surface repeatedly banging the metal grate as it desperately tried to be let back into a cooler enclosure. I found myself angry and crying at the treatment.

In contrast, the aquarium had a decent area set aside as a wetlands habitat and pathways that provided a calming experience. They also had some large sea-life centric sand sculptures, a snowy owl demonstration, and many educational displays.

Aquaruim du Quebec, polar bear

Overall I found the aquarium to be nice even though the plight of the walrus forced me to rethink my views on aquariums, in particular how they deal with larger animals. Activists have worked hard in recent years to bring this aspect of aquariums and zoos to public attention, and more and more aquariums have been altering or eliminating their big mammal shows, especially orcas, belugas, and dolphins. I’m still an aquarium fan, but I becoming more aware of the downsides, just as I long ago felt despondent at the small gorilla cage in a zoo we visited as schoolkids (a story for another time).

By the way, when in Quebec City be sure to go just a little north of town to visit the breathtaking Montmorency Falls.

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 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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If It’s Tuesday…Revisiting Belgium

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The Atomium, Brussels, BelgiumAn old post popped into my feed recently and it reminded me of when I lived in Brussels. At the time I began a travelogue of sorts on a now defunct social media writing site. I’ve posted a few updated snippets here on Science Traveler. As I wrote in my introductory post:

In 1969 there was a movie by this title (“If it’s Tuesday, This Must be Belgium“) starring Suzanne Pleshette. It was a comedy about Americans experiencing Europe for the first time. Not long ago I had a chance to live out the idea behind the movie – the company I worked for at the time traded me from Washington DC to their office in Brussels (presumably for a scientist to be named later). I lived in Brussels for three years.

More posts covered my first visit to Brussels before the move, dealing with all my stuff (much of which was sold off, donated, or trashed because it would never fit), networking to get my bearings, and all the hoops I had to jump through to get a work permit.

In addition to offloading a lot of my accumulated personal debris for the move (the rest of which would be shipped to Brussels and then back three years later), I had to filter through years of file folders at work. I was staying with the same company so needed to bring current project work, but since I usually had dozens of projects running at any given time – and any number of old projects that might resurface – I had to bring several cabinets of paper. All of this got me thinking I need to streamline.

The day I moved was Earth Day, so I dutifully recycled what appears to be several trees worth of paper. This experience has taught me that I need to take advantage of my new presence in Europe to adopt the European tendency to minimize resource use.

So, upon my arrival I vowed the following:

1) To seek the ideal of a paperless office.  Okay, so I knew that ideal was unattainable. But I did reconsider all the emails I printed out (which thereby defeats the purpose of “electronic-mail”). I resolved not to print the huge documents that often sat unread on my desk…and when I did need to print them I did so double-sided to save paper.

2) To go car-less. My plan was to not own a car during my 3-year stay in Brussels. I walked to the office, about 3/4-mile from my office…or on lazy or lousy weather days, I took the tram that ran near my apartment. I also used public transportation to get around Brussels (luckily they had an excellent tram and subway system). I was able to walk to the grocery store and bicycled around town on errands whenever possible (though I occasionally begged rides from friends for longer trips). I took the train to visit locations out of town whenever possible (the train system in Europe is phenomenal).

3) To become more energy efficient. I adjusted my life style and habits to reduce my energy footprint. That included something as simple as using the sleep and hibernate modes on my computer wisely, as well as reducing lights, using energy efficient lamps, and not having a television. [I dumped my television in 2008 because it wouldn’t work in Europe; I haven’t had television service since then.]

4) To eat healthier. As long as I was being conscientious, I resolved to increase my natural and fresh food intake and reduce my use of processed and canned foods. [One could argue that I did accomplish the “eating more fresh food” part, but I also fell into the European trap of eating cheese and drinking wine. My net was anything but more healthy, but more on that in my memoirs.]

So with these resolutions in mind I went back to my Washington,DC office destruction program. I arrived in Brussels the following Monday morning, which meant the next “If It’s Tuesday…” piece was written from Belgium.  Woo hoo!

I enjoyed my three years in Brussels and learned a lot, both good and bad. The experience was something I have never regretted even though it was in Brussels where I realized my time with the firm that sent me would need to change, or end, after my return. But that’s a long story in itself.

P.S. The photo is me in front of The Atomium, built for the 1958 World’s Fair. In keeping with my Science Traveler theme, it represents an iron crystal.

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 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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Traveling the Sugar and Slave Trades of St. Kitts

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St. Kitts sugar factorySt. Kitts is the larger of two islands that make up the nation of St. Kitts and Nevis. Nevis is most famous for being the birthplace of Alexander Hamilton, the musical about whom I recently saw in Chicago. While St. Kitts is now a tourist mecca, the island is best known for its dominant position in the colonial sugar trade. Lesser known is that St. Kitts also was a major hub in the slave trade.

A few years ago I visited St. Kitts along with a few other Caribbean islands. Remnants of the past sugar industry stand mostly as ruins on the island landscape. Abandoned, but not that long ago – St. Kitts clung to sugar until recently, the last sugar factory closing only in 2005.

Today you can take a scenic railway around the island. With views of Nevis towering to southeast and Mount Liamuiga rising in the interior, the railway crawls the perimeter in search of sugar plantations. Sugar cane was the main source of sugar on the islands, and some remains for visitors to appreciate. Periodically the remains of cinderblock processing buildings and chimneys stick up out of the recovering natural vegetation. The railway itself is a remnant of the industry. Individual sugar cane growers would harvest the crop and do some initial processing, then wait for the train to stop on its daily circling of the island, stopping at each grower to pick up raw materials. Eventually the train would drop off the crops at the central factory the grew up in the early 20th century. It was this factory that finally closed its doors in 2005, turning over the island’s economy almost entirely to tourism.

A trio of local singers serenades us with old spirituals as a covey of school children in green-shirted uniforms keep pace with the train. The sugar ruins and spirituals remind us that St. Kitts was once a key cog in the slave trade triangulating between Europe, Africa, and America. Great Britain was the biggest purveyor of slave trading at that time. Bringing weapons and gunpowder from England to Africa, ships would cram as many kidnapped Africans as they could in the bowels of the ship, selling or trading the survivors for sugar and rum in Caribbean and South America, then bringing those commodities up to the slaveholding colonies – and then states – before heading back to England to start the process again. It was in St. Kitts that, supposedly but not fully confirmed, Thomas Jefferson’s ancestors got there start in the new world, and from here they became slaveowners that continued through Jefferson’s life.

Slavery was abolished in all the British Empire, including St. Kitts, on August 1, 1834. St. Kitts now celebrates August 1st as Emancipation Day, a public holiday.

As I soon head back to the Caribbean I remember my time on St. Kitts and its connection between sugar science and slavery. On this trip I’ll be seeing other islands that were focal points in the slave trade, hoping to learn more about the business that enslaved human beings for the profit of a few. More to come.

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 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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Chasing Classic Art – Art Institute of Chicago

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We all grow up with some sort of art appreciation. Recently I was able to realize my dream of seeing some classic art at the Art Institute of Chicago. Building on my odd taste in art as a teen, I specifically wanted to visit the Art Institute because I knew they held several of the original paintings I cherished.

I’ve been lucky. My three years living in Brussels and widespread travel in the world has allowed me to see some of civilizations’ greatest art: Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa in the Louvre, Botticelli’s Birth of Venus in Florence’s Uffizi, Da Vinci’s Last Supper in Milan, Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, Raphael’s School of Athens in the Vatican, Munch’s The Scream in Oslo, Picasso’s Guernica at the Reina Sophia in Madrid, Jacques-Louis David’s The Death of Marat in Brussels, and many others. But there were more classic paintings that I had never seen in person – and several were at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Picasso Guitarist Art Institute of Chicago

I’ve had a thing for Picasso’s The Old Guitarist since my undergraduate days. Ironically, it was hanging in the Carriage House, a just-off-campus BYOB hangout built in, you guessed it, an old carriage house. Gone were the horses and hay, replaced by a small kitchen and an even smaller stage where a variety of unknown acts would play for broke students. So while a singer crooned folk songs or the naked piano player (yes, there was such a thing) cracked jokes to music, a print of Picasso’s masterpiece from his blue period gazed down from the side wall. Perhaps the oddity of the situation was what locked the painting into my mind.

Wood American Gothic Art Institute of Chicago

The Art Institute is also the home of Grant Wood’s much parodied American Gothic. Posing his dentist and his sister in front of an old carpenter gothic style house, Wood created one of America’s most recognized paintings.

Hopper Nighthawks Art Institute of Chicago

Another American artist, Edward Hopper, is best known for Nighthawks, his ambiguous statement on late night life is his most famous painting and likely second only to American Gothic in being repurposed and parodied.

Van Gogh Bedroom Art Institute of Chicago

Heading back to Europe, The Bedroom is one of three versions of Van Gogh’s bedroom in the “yellow house” of Arles, in the south of France. Joined for several tension-filled months by fellow artist Paul Gauguin, it was here that Van Gogh, prone to periodic psychotic episodes, cut off part of his left year, an event that ended his friendship with Gauguin. The Art Institute also has a wonderful self portrait of Van Gogh.

Seurat Sunday Jatte Art Institute of Chicago

Another masterpiece I’ve always wanted to see was French painter Georges Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (sometimes simply called A Sunday on La Grande Jatte). Seurat’s most famous painting, at nearly 7 feet high by over 10 feet wide it is also his largest, a size that is even more remarkable given it is painted using the pointillist technique. Think of pointillism as an early form of pixilation, where small dots of paint are applied to the canvas such that the eye blends them into perceived color patterns.

There were many other wonderful paintings and sculptures at the Art Institute. One thing in particular that struck me was the number of paintings that reflected on science. I’ll have more about that in a future science traveling of art post.

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 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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Abraham Lincoln in Chicago

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In 1860 the city of Chicago hosted the Republican National Convention nominating Abraham Lincoln for President. But Lincoln’s presence is pervasive throughout the city today. Here are a few examples.

The Wigwam where Lincoln was nominated was a temporary structure, long since torn down to make room for skyscrapers and the “L” train overpasses. But recently they installed a marker stone with plaque at the location.

Wigwam marker Chicago

A seated Lincoln as “Head of State” graces Grant Park, not far from the Buckingham Fountain. Designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, this statue is “intended by the artist to evoke the loneliness and burden of command felt by Lincoln during his presidency.” It sits on a pedestal and a 150-foot wide exedra designed by famed architect Stanford White.

Abraham Lincoln Chicago

Another Saint-Gaudens design known by most as the “Standing Lincoln” (officially, “Lincoln: The Man”) can be found further up the lake in Lincoln Park. The sculpture shows a contemplating Lincoln, rising from a chair to give a speech. Copies of this statue stand in London’s Parliament Square and Mexico City’s Parque Lincoln.

Abraham Lincoln Chicago

A lesser known statue is in Garfield Park, a short “L” ride west of downtown. Sculpted by Charles J. Mulligan, “Lincoln the Railsplitter” depicts a younger Lincoln, axe in hand, taking a break after splitting rails for fences on the farm.

Abraham Lincoln Chicago

These are the main statues of Lincoln in the windy city, but he appears in many other places as well. That’s him dominating the side of a building down the street from the Chicago History Museum. Inside the Museum itself you can find the actual bed that Lincoln died in after being carried across the street from Ford’s Theatre into the Petersen House in Washington, D.C. At the Art Institute of Chicago I also found miniature versions of two sculptures by Daniel Chester French. One was the familiar seated Lincoln known to all visitors of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The other is a lesser known standing Lincoln statue, the original of which can be found in Lincoln, Nebraska. The newest Lincoln in Chicago is a huge bust located in the lobby of the Palmer Hotel.

Even that wasn’t the last of the Lincoln connections. While in Chicago I also visited an obscure area called Canal Origins Park. Here was the beginnings of the Illinois and Michigan Canal, an internal improvement project that Abraham Lincoln was instrumental in creating, and which helped grow Chicago from a tiny lakeside village to the dominant powerhouse city it is today. The park and its bas-relief sculptures are, sadly, poorly maintained.

Canal Origins Park Chicago

I ran out of time before I could visit another statue of a young Lincoln located about an hour north of town, so perhaps I’ll be visiting Chicago again soon. For now, there are more Chasing Abraham Lincoln plans in the works. Stay tuned.

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 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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Sailing the Caribbean on Windstar

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Wind StarIt seems my travel this year has been heavy on places starting with “C.” Soon I’ll add Caribbean Cruise on one of the Windstar sailing vessels.

The “C” places have included Costa Rica, Cuba, Charleston, Coatesville, Chicago, and Chasing Abraham Lincoln (a road tour of Lincoln sites in Illinois). The upcoming Caribbean cruise will take me to Curacao (and all the ABC islands) with touches in Colombia and Colon (Panama). Yes, more “C”s.

This will be my fourth Windstar cruise, and by coincidence my fourth ship of their six-ship fleet. My first trip with them was on their flagship Wind Surf, a five-mast sailing vessel carrying just over 300 passengers. The smaller – more intimate and more luxurious – experience was far more appealing than the big hotel ships stuffed with 2000-4000 passengers. Wind Surf took us to several islands between St. Maarten and St. Lucia. The upcoming cruise is on the company’s namesake ship, Wind Star, a four-mast sailing ship about half the size (148 passengers). Both ships (and the Wind Star‘s sister ship, the Wind Spirit) have a signature “sail away” song they broadcast on the outside speakers as they hoist the full sails to everyone’s delight, both on deck and on shore.

In between the two sailing cruises we traveled on two of their three yachts without sails, Star Breeze and Star Legend. These took us to the Baltic Sea and the Philippines, the latter including dinner with the captain. All three of their sail-less yachts are in the process of being enlarged, upping their capacity from 212 to 312 guests. We thoroughly enjoyed the larger cabins and yacht club and look forward to trying out the new Star Pride in the future. Eventually the plan is to cruise on all six of Windstar’s ships.

As my science traveling adventures continue I realize there are so many more places yet to see (and surprisingly, not all begin with the letter “C”). My travel list seems to get longer rather than shorter, but I’m working on it. I might even write a book about my travels some day.

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 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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Abraham Lincoln and the McCormick Reaper

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One of Abraham Lincoln’s most famous cases is one in which he never actually tried. On my second Chasing Abraham Lincoln tour I made an unplanned stop at the McCormick Farm, now part of the Shenandoah Valley Agricultural Research and Extension Center.

As populations grew the need for improved crop yields increased, and the mechanical reaper made that possible. Cyrus McCormick had invented a reaper that became the gold standard and stimulated others to “borrow” his ideas. McCormick sued rival John Manny for patent infringement, accusing him of stealing the McCormick reaper design. Manny’s lawyers called in Lincoln because of his jury skills and his local presence in Illinois, but then the case was transferred to the district court in Cincinnati, Ohio. Lincoln spent considerable time preparing for the case and writing a technical brief, but when he arrived in Cincinnati he was shocked to learn that an esteemed Ohio lawyer, Edwin Stanton, had been hired and his own services were no longer needed. Worse, Stanton treated Lincoln poorly, writing him off as a hick western lawyer of little value. While angry at being tossed out of what he thought was his case, Lincoln turned it into an educational experience, watching the trial and learning a great deal about how more classically educated eastern lawyers worked a case.

The era of farm mechanization had begun, and Lincoln the President later relied on his experience to push for and begin the U.S. Department of Agriculture to enhance the use of science in farming. McCormick’s reaper eventually led to the modern combine harvester; his company eventually merged with others to form International Harvester.

The McCormick Farm is a well preserved set of eight original buildings, including a grist mill, blacksmith shop, slave quarters, carriage house, manor house, smoke house, schoolroom, and housekeeper’s quarters. The original ice house was torn down in the 1960s. Outside the grist mill a wooden water wheel creaked eerily as it continued to turn after all these years. Inside, the mostly wood gear mechanisms showed how the grain was ground into meal. There are two sets of mill apparatuses: one solely for corn, the other for wheat and other grains. Grain is fed from a hopper in the upper level and ground at mid level while the main drive shaft and gears take up most of the lower level.

Another main building had the wood shops in the lower section and a museum in the upper section. Here there were many models of different McCormick reapers, a full-size original reaper, and tons of information about the history of the farm and the inventor. On the wall hung an old scythe and cradle, hand tools used to mow and reap crops before invention of the reaper. While onsite I also checked out the small blacksmith shop and water well.

Before leaving I left my name and website address in the guest book. Shortly after my return home I received an email from Amanda Kirby, an assistant at the Research and Extension Center, thanking me for my visit and providing some additional information and resources for the book I’m researching. All along my Chasing Abraham Lincoln road trip routes I’ve met many hugely interesting and helpful people, from local librarians to small museum curators to volunteers at courthouses. The tours have been a great way to study all things Lincoln.

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 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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To Kiss or Not to Kiss: Blarney Castle

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Blarney Castle, IrelandYou’ve heard the schtick. Visit Blarney! Kiss the Blarney Stone! Gain the gift of eloquence! But should you do it? To kiss, or not to kiss, that is the question. Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous condemnation by friends and family who bagger you with the question: “So, did you kiss the Blarney stone or not?”  Or to take up arms against a sea of tourists who pay big bucks to participate in nothing but a huge tourist hype…and by opposing, end them.*

*With apologies to Shakespeare’s Hamlet for disheveling his famous soliloquy.

The ultimate choice is, of course, up to you. Finding myself wandering around the Blarney Castle one rainy July day, I felt almost obligated to kiss the Blarney stone. Not from some Lonely Planet “must-do tourist check-the-box” list, but from the fear of hearing it from the Irish portion of my family bloodline. Okay, I admit it. This was kind of a bucket list thing for me and I really wanted to do it. So I did, thank you very much.

Blarney Castle, Ireland

Climbing the ever-narrowing tower steps to the top of the castle was at least dry, even if it did rekindle my mild claustrophobia. Half the castle was blocked by a green-mesh coated scaffolding for the most recent (continuing) renovation. Once at the top I joined a line of like-minded tourists (um, explorers) waiting for their chance to be manhandled into a narrow crevice. I must have missed the memo on this part but to kiss the Blarney stone – technically just the inside of the outer wall of the castle – you have to lie on your back, dangle your upper body into a small cutout hole in the roof, and while hoping the grip of the attendant on your body doesn’t slip due to the rain, lean back and kiss the stone upside down and backwards. Seriously, it’s like yoga at 90 feet. To ensure you get the most of the experience, a few widely spread iron bars are the only thing between your sightline and the ground far below. Please don’t lose your grip on me, Mr. Attendant. Jus’ sayin’.

After safely climbing down the stairs in the opposite tower, I walked around the grounds a little. If you get a good day (it rained the entire week I was in Ireland), take the time to walk through the gardens and check out Rock Close, a small natural enclave on the castle property.

Blarney Castle, Ireland

Usually I pass on the obligate “official photo,” but this time I was with family and thought it might be a good keepsake despite the rather unflattering photo. Only later did I hear stories of locals peeing on the stone at night and laughing heartily at the rock-kissing tourists at the local pub. Worse, that the stone and the accompanying hole was once a medieval toilet.

Sorry, I have a sudden urge to gargle a bottle of Listerine. But hey, if you want to kiss the Blarney stone, by all means do it. I did. Now, where did I put that bottle?

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 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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Lincoln’s Rocking Chair – The Ford Museum and Greenfield Village

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Abraham Lincoln rocking chairMy Chasing Abraham Lincoln tour took me to Dearborn, Michigan to see the chair. “The Chair.” The rocking chair that Abraham Lincoln was sitting in the moment he was assassinated. The chair is in the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, which along with its outdoor venue, Greenfield Village, is a treasure trove for Abraham Lincoln aficionados.

After spending the previous day in the bowels of the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where Emily Rapoza helped me research their incredible Lincoln collection, I drove from Fort Wayne up to Dearborn to see the original rocking chair. After it had languished for decades in storage at the Smithsonian Institution, the aging widow of Ford’s Theatre co-owner Harry Ford reclaimed it in 1929, and it was soon auctioned for $2,400. The buyer? An agent for automobile pioneer Henry Ford (no relation to the Ford’s Theatre Fords). Henry Ford had revered Lincoln, the “humble, self-made man, the ordinary man who seized opportunity and raised himself up.” The Lincoln rocking chair now sits in a temperature and humidity controlled glass enclosure in the Henry Ford Museum.

But there was more Lincoln to the visit. Prior to the protected spot in which it now sits, the chair was held in the Logan County Courthouse in the adjoining Greenfield Village. This is the actual courthouse from Postville, Illinois (since renamed Lincoln, Illinois) in which Lincoln practiced in during his long months on the 8th Judicial Circuit. Ford had it transported to Michigan and restored to depict Lincoln’s visits between 1840 and 1847.

The chilly, rainy day I visited made the warm and dry courthouse a welcome retreat. A somewhat bored docent was happy to see someone he could entertain. Finding a knowledgeable patron, his love for talking about Lincoln cascading out like the water Lincoln saw flowing over the lip of Niagara Falls. I decided not to tell him about my own book about Lincoln and let him run on with an incredible font of information about the courthouse, Lincoln, and legal circuit. He also told me the wardrobe sitting in the corner of the courthouse was believed to have been built by Lincoln’s father, Thomas. The knowledge and enthusiasm the docent exhibited was exhilarating. He was so enthralling I didn’t even tell him I had written a book on Lincoln.

One of my previous books was about Thomas Edison and Greenfield Village also has a replica of Thomas Edison’s Menlo Park lab, including some original outbuildings and even soil carted in by train from the New Jersey site. I had visited the current Menlo Park site museum and its towering lightbulb, as well as his West Orange (NJ) and Fort Myers (FL) laboratories, so it was a great treat to see one of his first labs as it was. Even more exciting, I fortuitously was there during one of the periodic visits by Edison himself, an actor who came into the lab in character and told us all about his current work. Afterwards I toured some old saw and grist mills important for my research.

Lincoln furniture, Ford Museum

Back inside the Ford Museum I found a small center table and side chair once owned by Abraham and Mary Lincoln in their Springfield, Illinois home. Furniture owned by other writers like Mark Twain and Edgar Allan Poe were a thrill to see. I also spent some time in the Agriculture section of the museum where I could see some of the technological improvements (e.g., a McCormick reaper) that I’m researching for my next Lincoln book. For the science geek in me they had a Mathematica section with all sorts of cool exhibits.

Both the Museum and the Village have much more worth seeing and I highly encourage everyone to make the trip. There truly is something for everyone here and one can’t help but learn some history and science while being entertained.

My Chasing Abraham Lincoln tours continue! Much more to come.

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 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.

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