Because life is short & the world is big
We went to a fascinating art exhibition called “To Be or Not To Be” the Clam-Gallas Palace in Prague’s Old Town. The first is called Hamlet, and the bust is a study of the contrast and struggle between life and death. The last image in this series has the names of the artists.
Many have told us about the outstanding quality of the Ponce Art Museum (Museo de Arte), but two large earthquakes in January 2020 changed all that, when the main building was badly damaged and closed. They finally reopened a section of the museum this year, and we decided to check it out!
After the earthquakes, the Museum displayed items at its gallery in San Juan, and took to the streets with workshops to shelters and schools. When COVID hit, it expanded its digital platform. Now it’s gradually opening again while raising funds to repair the earthquake damage.
The museum still has very limited offerings, though we really enjoyed what we saw. It costs just $6 to get in, half price for seniors. Free guided tours are conducted at 10 AM (Spanish) and 1 PM (English).
(Note: Ponce is pronounced POHN-say.)
When we took a Thames River Cruise from London to Greenwich last fall to see the Royal Meridien, we discovered the National Maritime Museum, one of a quartet of the Royal Museums in Greenwich. The others are the Royal Observatory Greenwich, where the Meridien resides, and two others that will have to wait till next time: the historic ship Cutty Sark and the Queen’s House.
The National Maritime Museum takes you on an exploration of British naval history and Imperial arrogance, with a ship simulator, nautical oddities, and interactive games. We loved the giant message in a bottle and the colorful exhibit of ship figureheads. Admission was free.
What a fun discovery! Greenwich deserves more than a day.
Enjoy the video!
Info:
Our family visited Arecibo Observatory to see the 1,000-foot radio-telescope constructed in a sinkhole in the karst region of western Puerto Rico during a vacation in April 2008. The radio-telescope and its visitors center offered a fascinating exploration of space for my two science-minded kids. Naturally, they don’t remember it all today. But Bob and I do! That’s why, when we heard that the colossal radio-telescope had collapsed last year, we booked tickets as soon as the facility reopened to see how it looks now.
Here are some photos from our 2008 visit with our kids, Aryk and Gavin, who were 10 and 7.
And here is what it looks like, almost exactly 14 years later.
The first three cables snapped in November 2019, and the rest a month later. A couple of years earlier, Puerto Rico experienced a number of earthquakes, which may have compromised the structure’s integrity. But there really is no definitive answer as to why it collapsed.
The Arecibo facility has asked the National Science Foundation for funds to build back better, but has received no answer.
Watch a spectacular YouTube video of the crash here.
Despite the collapse of the giant radio-telescope, scientists continue their work at the Arecibo Observatory (AO) to study the huge amount of data collected over 50 years. It is still recognized as a world-leading radio astronomy, solar system radar, and atmospheric physics facility. It contributes highly relevant data to support discovery, innovation, and the advancement of science for the well-being of humankind.
The state-of-the-art Science and Visitors Center holds a lively interactive museum where kids can watch a film, build a spaceship, play games, and see a model of the original telescope. It’s definitely worth the trip!
The Arecibo Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation operated under a cooperative agreement by the University of Central Florida.
Watch for Bob’s YouTube video, coming soon!
LINKS
Published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, Don
Quixote is the most influential work of literature from the Spanish Golden Age and the entire Spanish
literary canon. As a founding work of modern Western literature, it regularly appears high on
lists of the greatest works of fiction ever published, such as the Bokklubben World Library collection that
cites Don Quixote as the authors’ choice for the “best literary
work ever written”.
The story follows the adventures of a noble (hidalgo) named Alonso Quixano who reads so
many chivalric romances that he loses his sanity
and decides to become a knight-errant (caballero
andante), reviving chivalry and serving his country, under the name Don
Quixote de la Mancha. He recruits a simple farmer, Sancho
Panza, as his squire, who often employs a unique, earthy wit in dealing
with Don Quixote’s rhetorical orations on antiquated knighthood.
Don Quixote, in the first part of the book, does not see the world for what it
is and prefers to imagine that he is living out a knightly story.
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| Eulalio Ferre Rodriguez |
