Up, Up, Up!

This aerial view of Köln (Cologne) Cathedral in Germany is one of many I have of this UNESCO World Heritage site. Notice how the buildings surrounding the cathedral are so low. This is, in part, due to World War II bombings that flatten the area, but left the cathedral standing. But, it is also because when plans were presented to build a tall building, the UNESCO World Heritage folk objected, saying that it would put the cathedral at risk of removal from the list since tall buildings would detract from the beauty of the cathedral. The UNESCO objection prevented the construction of the taller building.

Ilona's parents were born in Köln and her grandmother still lives there, so even though Ilona lives 600 km (400 miles) away in Rostock, this is a familiar sight for her. She says the climb to the top is a lot of steps but the view is well worth it. Also, that building to the left of the cathedral is a train station, and you can see a train just about to cross the bridge over the Rhein in this photo.  Perhaps that train carries some of the 30 thousand people who visit the cathedral every day.

From Fertile to Futile

Cindy grew up in the San Joaquin Valley of California. She writes that "agriculture touches every aspect of life" in this area. Looking at all the images of fruits and vegetables on this mapcard one can see the agriculture touching everything. And all hugged by the incredible beauty of the National Parks to the east.

However, as the housing market heated up, much of that beautiful, fertile land was turned over to a sea of cookie-cutter homes, sometimes tearing down family farms in the process. The urban sprawl saddens her, especially as so many of those houses sit vacant, showcasing the futility of greed.

Being Prepared in Slovakia

Back in the late 1990s I got the opportunity to travel to Slovakia. My dear friend, Maria, and her then boyfriend, Charles, took me on a trip to the High Tatras, a mountain range in the northeast part of the country, and featured on this postcard. They didn't tell me where we were going, and I was happy to just ride along in the back of the car, quietly screaming as Charles took it upon himself to make sure there was never another driver in front of him, even if we were going around a hairpin turn at breakneck speed.

As the Tatrys came into view, I was struck by how much they resembled the mountains I drew as a child. Steep, pointy, and jagged. I've never seen mountains so pointy. In my area of New England, mountains are softer, rounder, and don't jut up looking like teeth. Beautiful teeth, but sharp, nonetheless.

We walked around the lower areas of the mountains, admiring lakes and I was quite impressed. Then my hosts decided we should take a short hike up one of the slopes. I looked at my feet, clad only in flimsy tennis shoes, and up at the peaks in front of me. "I don't think I have the right shoes for a hike," I explained. But Maria and Charles were not to be discourage. Up we would go! And up. And up. Each time I thought I saw the top, it would be just a false summit and there would be another above us. We finally got to the top, and it was a stupendous view, though I didn't get anywhere near the edges like Charles and Maria did. But, my flimsy tennis shoes held out and I lived to tell the tale. I felt like a mountaineer.

Maaike also visited the Tatrys in the summer, and she also walked a lot, and admired the lakes. She writes that she didn't go above 1,800 meters because "you really need to know what you're doing." Here I was thinking I had done an amazing climb, but I am sure I never got above 1,800 meters. Not even close.

And, Maaike also reminded me that parts of the movie Eragon were filmed in this part of Slovakia. I didn't see the movie, but I did read the book. It is a dragon tale, and the first tale in the series is beautifully told. Slovakia is the perfect place for dragons. The landscape is magical, and you just know there are legends and mysteries around every corner.

Labyrinths

Amanda lives in UK, but visited Greece this summer and returned this orphaned postcard while on holiday. The view is a reproduction vintage image of Knossos on the island of Crete. It is known as Labyrinth and is thought to be where the Greek mythology hero Theseus fought the Minotaur.

When Amanda was a child, her father, a student of Minoan archeaology, took her to Crete. She writes that it is one of the loveliest places she has ever been.

While writing this post I was remembering the myth of the Minotaur and went to Wikipedia to read up on it and, as so often happens, ended up reading about something totally off-topic, the German electronica musicians Tangerine Dream. Wikipedia will never replace true research, but it is a great place to explore the labyrinth we know as the Internet.

Bird's Eye View

Plaza Major

Sarala visited Madrid this summer and enjoyed its Plaza Mayor very much, though mostly for people watching. The food is overpriced and touristy. She also discovered that even small towns have a plaza mayor. That was one of my big revelations on my first trip to Europe in the late 1990s. Even small towns had a big center, called centrum in that part of Europe, and they are mostly pedestrian only and a huge part of daily life.

In the US our town squares used to play that role, but those areas have not stayed as important as they plazas in Europe. I suspect it has to do with fewer automobiles in Europe. People couldn't travel as easy to distance shopping areas, so they stayed local.

Frozen In Time

This museum is rather disturbing to Juli. She writes that it "looks horrifying and aged." It's true that a lot of our Natural History museums are creepy. All those big stuffed animals, posed in "realistic" scenes. I remember the Museum of Science in Boston, Massachusetts, with its diorama exhibits behind glass. There were always sleepover opportunities for youth groups at that museum, but I never wanted to do them because I could imagine all those scenes coming to life after the lights went out. I guess I wasn't the only one with that fantasy because that is exactly the storyline for the movie Night at the Museum.

While Juli has never been to the Anniston Museum in Alabama, she has been through Anniston. She stopped there as a kid when visiting her dad. Another stop on that trip was the Ava Maria Grotto, which is a miniature "village"of religious shrines built by a Benedictine monk in late 19th century. I like miniatures. I've always wanted a miniature village in my yard. One that would be for my enjoyment, though, not a tourist attraction. I wouldn't have religious shrines, but there would be lots of tiny post offices!

Where Ghosts Gather

There are probably no other sites in London that are so steeped in legend than Tower of London. Margie writes that this was definitely her favorite destination in all of London, if not all of Europe. Her background in British history prepared her for the legend, but actually being there brought it to life. The Tower is gloomy, but "somehow hopeful at the same time" because even with all the horrors throughout the Tower's history, humans move beyond the horror and persevere.

When I first learned of the Tower of London back in high school, while deeply immersed in the story of Henry VIII and his wives (I imagined myself the reincarnation of Anne Boelyn, of all people!), I thought London Bridge was the bridge shown behind the Tower in the photo. I learned much later that London Bridge, the one of the nursery rhyme, was not quite so close to the Tower. I will post an orphaned postcard featuring Tower Bridge towards the end of December.

I recently read a delightful novel that takes place in modern day Tower of London. The Tower, The Zoo and the Tortoise by Julia Stuart (called Balthazar Jones and the Tower of London Zoo in UK, a much better title because the tortoise really doesn't have a lead role) features a Beefeater and the magic that is inevitable when you mix so much legend with real life.