Ooops, that is not a beefeater, its a Bearskin not to be mistaken with the Busby which looks identical but has a bag of colored cloth hanging from the top which sort of resembles a plume. A Beefeater is much shorter!!!!
I thought you still got places to go , well otherwise everybody still have those weekly passes to the waterpark and some other fun places so they can stick around till you call them up again . If and when we head to Spain I will be glad to cover the Balearic Islands . I think sticking to the ocean during the hottest months will be a good idea . Once we get to the Nether lands we will HAVE to do the time warp to see the spring time flowers , even so that they grow other flowers in Holland besides daffodils and tulips . And there are still a bunch of islands in the Adriatic Sea too , not to forget about the French and the Italians .
Ok today they can use their waterpark passes and such and return to anything they may want to see longer. Tomorrow, we will return to Athens. I thought you had a weeks worth of Malta and the other islands around Malta. But that is a-ok, we are ready to go with Greece again!!! After Greece, we will be moving to Sicily.
I was driving them right through I think they need a week of sleep now . I am heading back to that natural swimming pool .
I just found this church in Malta , and I just HAD to show you this . The lost Chapel of Bones . Vallentte Malta : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nibbia_Chapel https://www.cultofweird.com/death/chapel-of-bones-malta/ The Mosta Dome : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotunda_of_Mosta this church has the nickname of the miracle Church , because during world war 2 a bomb fell through the roof and did not explode .
well I don't know if they will find it again , it was very popular , why would they not move it . But there are others : Sedlec Ossuary ; the Gothic Wonder of Thousands of Bones https://unusualplaces.org/sedlec-ossuary-the-gothic-wonder-of-thousands-of-bones/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedlec_Ossuary Kaplica Czaszek : the Capel of skulls- Kudowa -Zdroj Poland https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skull_Chapel Evora Capela dos Osso https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capela_dos_Ossos Igreja do Carmo , Faro , Portugal https://www.travel-in-portugal.com/attractions/igreja-do-carmo-faro.htm San Bernadino all Ossa: Milan's Bone Church https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Bernardino_alle_Ossa http://www.postcardcities.com/milan/saint-bernardino-alle-ossa-bones-skull-church/ Capuchin Crypts in Rome https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capuchin_Crypt Tomb of Enrique Torres Belon - Lampa Peru https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/tomb-of-enrique-torres-belon
and ran out of photo space St Ursula , Cologne : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_St._Ursula,_Cologne Paris Catacombs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catacombs_of_Paris Bonehouse / Beinhaus Hallstatt : https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/hallstatt-charnel-house Them bones , them bones ,them bones
Good Day ROAD TRIPPERS!!!! After some outstanding side trips guided by Schmet and Whil, we are back in Athens. I do thank both Schmet and Whil for their AB FAB tours and hopefully they will grace us with some more along the way. But for now, you are stuck with me!!!! So lets get started. As always, make sure you have on your good hiking boots, laced up tightly, good comfortable clothing, drinks/water and snacks in your backpack, camera/phone fully charged, flashlight, hat/sunscreen, and your swimming gear because we never know where we will end up until we get there!!! Our first stop of the day, will be the National Archaeological Museum. This museum houses many incredible treasures such as the Mask of Agamemnon, the Antikythera Mechanism, the Artemision Bronze of either Zeus or Poseidon, the Antikythera Ephebe and Aphrodite, Pan and Eros, and the Golden Death Mask once attributed to the King of Troje. Here is a link to their website: https://www.namuseum.gr/to-moyseio/istoria-toy-moyseioy/ Our next stop is Plaka. Plaka is a historic neighborhood at the base of the Acropolis. There are a ton of cafes, shops with locally made clothing, jewelry, pottery, hand carved wooden figurines, hand carved marble figurines, and more. Here is a link to their website: https://www.visitplaka.com/ Next we are going to the Panathenaic Stadium. This is the old Olympic Stadium built in the 19th Century of pure Granite. Here is a link to their website: http://www.panathenaicstadium.gr/Default.aspx?tabid=84&language=en-US Now we are going over to the Herod Atticus Odeon. This is a stone Roman Theater located on the Southwest Slope of the Acropolis. Here is a link to the wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odeon_of_Herodes_Atticus We are heading to the Ancient Agora of Athens. This is the marketplace. The marketplace was the center of society in Ancient Greece, all things, political, cultural, and economical took place in the Agora. Here is a link to the wiki and a link to the government website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Agora_of_Athens http://odysseus.culture.gr/h/3/eh351.jsp?obj_id=2485 Next we are visiting the Temple of Hephaestus. Hephaestus is the God of the Forge, he was born deformed and cast off Mt. Olympus by his mother Hera, wife of Zeus. Here is a link to the wiki on Hephaestus and the wiki on the Temple of Hephaestus and the government website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hephaestus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Hephaestus http://odysseus.culture.gr/h/2/eh251.jsp?obj_id=6621 Off we go to the Benaki Museum of Greek Culture. This is a large museum and has associated buildings nearby. Here is a link to their website: https://www.benaki.org/index.php?option=com_buildings&view=building&id=1&Itemid=134&lang=el Our next visit is to the Museum of Cycladic Art. When I saw this, I thought it would fit perfectly with Whil's tour of the islands. Here is a link to their website: https://cycladic.gr/en/page/ta-ktiria Next we are going to the Temple of Olympian Zeus. Here is a link to the wiki and the government website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Olympian_Zeus,_Athens http://odysseus.culture.gr/h/2/eh251.jsp?obj_id=500 Now for some fun!!! We are heading to the Museum of Illusions Athens. This is another museum of optical illusions. Here is a link to their website: https://www.museumofillusions.gr/exhibits/ Next we are visiting the Kotsanas Museum of Ancient Greek Technology. This is actually 4 different museums all under one umbrella in different locations. There is the Museum of Ancient Greece - The Origin of Technology in Athens, The Museum of Ancient Greek Musical Instruments and Toys in Athens, The Museum of Ancient Greek Technology in Katakolo, and The Archimedes Museum in Ancient Olympia. So we will be hopping from one to another on this 4 in 1 visit. Here is a link to the website: https://kotsanasmuseum.com/?lang=en Next we are paying a visit to the National Garden of Athens. This is a huge garden that occupies the same space as the ancient grove of the Lycaeum. Here is a link to the government website: http://www.cityofathens.gr/node/614 Our next stop is the Plateia Syntagmatos. The Plateia Syntagmatos or Constitution Square is the main City Square in Athens and is where the Parliment Building is located which was formerly the Palace of the King of Greece. In Syntagma Square, we are within walking distance of just about everything including the Acropolis, the Plaka, Monastiraki, the National Gardens, Ermou Street shopping area, Kolonaki, The Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Panathenaic Stadium (the old marble one) and two metro stops from Gazi. Here is a link to the wiki and to a tourism site: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syntagma_Square https://www.athensguide.com/syntagma.html Next we are off to the Kerameikos Cemetery. This is a large cemetary that was originally an area of Potters and Vase painters. Here is a link to the government website: http://odysseus.culture.gr/h/3/eh351.jsp?obj_id=2392 Our final stop for today will be the Central Market of Athens or Dimotiki Agora (Public Market) or Varvakios Agora, they are all the same place. This is a tremendously huge place where you can find everything from fresh meat, seafood, fruit and vegetables, to clothing and craft supplies. Here are a couple of links to tourism guides: https://www.athensguide.com/central-market/index.htm https://www.discovergreece.com/travel-ideas/cover-story/taste-central-market-athens Cocktail hour is 6 pm and dinner is 7 pm at Po' Boys BBQ. I saw this and thought we just have to try this!!! Here is a link to their site: https://www.poboysbbq.gr/menus.html
I have always loved Greek mythology. I read so many books and I watch all the movies. And still a fan of Kevin Sorbo LOL
Ooooh, bones! Bones! Bones everywhere! I'm in love! This Capuchin Crypt is really nice! Makes me regret that we went to the Catacombs of San Sebastiano instead. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catacombs_of_San_Sebastiano I went to the Catacombs of Paris when I was a kid, might explain why I love bones so much, now that I think of it. Fun fact that happened to me on... Naxos I think. We went to visit a very small church that was along our way and there was, right next to it, a small wooden shack. I wondered what was in it, so took a glimpse through a crack in the door and thought there were some kind of wooden debris and fallen rocks in it. When I managed to open the door I jumped back. Turns our the "wooden debris and fallen rocks" were... a mound of bones. Talk about something unexpected
I took a ton of Liberal Arts courses in Greek Mythology at University. The professor Dr. Wessel was a 72 year old hippie, he was so cool.
I just looked up churches that had bones as decoration , and I kept on finding more and more . I heard of Bone Houses before where there is just not enough space to keep the bodies in the ground , but in the case of Hallstatt where they lovingly put the name occupation and such on the skulls is beautiful . I also had no idea how interesting the catacombs in Paris are . I had to stop myself there is a lot of stuff out there . That is why I love doing this virtual trip and what you can do with the internet today. Here is one more occupant of the Capuchin Monk Catacombs Rosalia Lombardo Italian embalmer Alfredo Salafia is remembered by history as the man who breathed life back into this little girl’s corpse. Sleeping Beauty, as she came to be called, rests in a little glass coffin deep in the Capuchin Monk Catacombs of Italy. When she breathed her last in 1920, General Lombardo was so undone by grief that he decided he would not part his daughter’s remains no matter what it took. The result can be seen to this day, as the world has not seen the likes of little Rosalia’s corpse.
@Cyrenna you're right, the Museum of Cycladic Art goes quite well with my tour! I really love this Museum of Ancient Greek Technology and the Museum of Illusions! Would have loved to see thosein person, it's absolutely amazing! @Schmett oh yeah, I remember seeing pictures of this beautiful little girl, this is the perfect embalming!