Remember, you must complete entries on a consistent basis for it to count toward extra credit.
All entries will be posted on Friday or the day before a break, answers must be submitted using the contact form to the right by 8 am Monday. 5/10/19 Dear Diary, I reached my final destination last night, and it was really easy to get to because it is on the water, so I went right up the coast. This is a bitter sweet time, I have enjoyed traveling so much and learning about different world cultures and histories, but at the same time I miss home and can’t wait to go back to see my family and friends. But, back to my last stop. I didn’t know this place has such a fascinating history, I previously had thought it was going to be kinda boring. The original inhabitants were natives, but in the 1600’s settlers formed a town named after two earlier settlers; John Spragg & John Hicks. Hick’s must have had a big neck or something based on what they named the early town. The early settlers fished, farmed and raised sheep. I also learned that much of the area was marshland. It wasn’t for almost another 150 years that the area began to develop. The first churches were built in 1810 and 1872, but one of the oldest still standing was built in 1915, and the first school in 1833. The coolest thing I learned was that American aviation history was made in this town. The first all-American monoplane was designed, built, and successfully flown at this location by brothers Arthur and Albert Heinrich. Back to reality. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous the past few days, and I decided to relax out at the park today. But, there were a lot of kids running around, so I decided to take the short trip down to the beach instead. Then, tomorrow I will do some more touristy stuff and take a short train ride into the city, maybe a show or some museums. I hear they have a giant relative or cousin of mine hanging from the ceiling at one of the museums. I may also stay for an extra week or two to be here for Memorial Day because I here they show a lot of patriotism and have parades. I heard that a lot of students from the local schools march, it must be a great community. There were a few places I really wanted to go unfortunately some of them are no longer here; Raynors, Bobby Rubinos and Nunleys. But, I still got to go see the Carousel! ‘Til my next adventure, Tink 4/17/19 Dear Diary, I’m really starting to get in touch with my southern roots. I love this part of the country and am continuing to visit some top cities. I stopped by Lynchburg and Chattanooga, then went a little out of my way to the west, because I couldn’t bypass the Appalachian and Blue Ridge Mts. Did you know this area is actually categorized as a rain forest? And, if you get up early enough to go into the Great Smoky Mountains you can see some amazing wildlife. Getting back on track, I am now heading south and am going to make a stop in Atlanta to visit the aquarium, the zoo, Chick- Fil-A headquarters, a museum or too and MAYBE I’ll stop by Sun Trust Park- it depends who’s in town- before making my way to the coast. I am going to follow Sherman’s march to the sea, but I promise not to leave any destruction in my path. I am spending my spring break week in one of my favorite cities. The culture and history is amazing, as well as the tourism and water activities. I’m a big fan of the Roaring Twenties and they have an entire museum dedicated to prohibition, including suffragists, gangsters and flappers. Odd though, there was a sign as you walked in stating “Nation” not allowed and security was checking for hatchets. I also had to visit the home of Jim Williams, the site of one of the most intriguing murder mysteries to hit the city. I also read the book before coming, which was excellent. There have also been numerous parks, statues and memorials through out the city to visit as I walk around. I was even able to drive out of town to a plantation. Although the main house is not accessible, because if you can believe it, the family still owns and resides there, I was able to tour the property and see the site of the original home that was built before they became more affluent. I felt right at home along the riverfront, which is home to many restaurants and tourist shops. One night I even took a sunset cruise. As I mentioned there are also tons of water based activities due to the warm climate. I had to go out to one of the coastal islands down river which was a beautiful drive. In fact, I made a pit stop to visit a fort. After the War of 1812 the government built several forts like this along the coast after how easy it was for the British to attack. This fort however became famous during “The War Between the States.” It was very interesting to learn how the fort changed hands and how soldiers spent their down time; they created a baseball field in the central grass area. Once I made it to,the beach I enjoyed a nice relaxing beach day, then I took a kayak ride out to the light house and tried my fins at paddle boarding. Only two more stops on my travels for this year. Stay tuned for the exciting culmination of this year’s expedition! Tink 3/29/19 Dear Diary, I am having a ball this week! I made this trip for one reason; this city is the center for one of my favorite things in the world. Not only can you enjoy great barbeque, but when you walk through downtown, you can pop into any saloon and listen to great music, or run into your favorite performer. This town is known for their big stars as well as talented song writers. My favorite Aussie also calls this place home. I spent a lot of time this week downtown; eating, shopping and catching some great shows. My first stop earlier this week was into a shop to outfit myself in the local garb, so I could fit in. Then I went to the Wildhorse to catch some live music. The great thing is that when you go to a show, they aren’t all in big stadiums where you can’t get up close, here the shows are in smaller venues. I spent all week walking up and down Broadway and stopping to hear live music, new artists and sing-songwriters. There’s also a lot of great history here. In addition to some museums and the Hall of Fame, this city is on a river, which mean it became a hub for trade. After a revival meeting, boat captain Thomas Ryman was reformed and built an amazing auditorium. Although it has garnered fame for music and live broadcasts and is today used for shows, it was built to house religious revivals. It also famously hosted the Confederate soldiers reunion and after that became a pulpit for visiting lecturers, including Susan B. Anthony and the suffragists, Carrie Nation and the temperance movement and Booker T Washington! Tomorrow I’m going to take a tour and hopefully get to stand “in the circle.” Too bad I can’t sing well. Maybe there will be some famous performers performing at the evening show. Yee Haw! Tink 3/9/19 Dear Diary, Although I have learned some Spanish through my recent travels, I’ve had a little trouble here because it is one of the few countries in this region that was not originally colonized by the Spanish. Due to the warm temperature and my love of water, I couldn’t help staying close to the coast. The city I toured today, was once the capital and is a big metropolis. I walked around and did a lot of touristy stuff, I even posed for a picture with a snake around my neck. This city is also home to one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, so I had to stop there. Music is a big part of the culture here, and I practiced my Samba while enjoying the night life. While on the beach today, I also couldn’t get the songs “Copacabana” and “Girl from Ipanema” out of my head. On Sunday will attend mass at Igreja da Candelária. I also want to get out of the city and explore the forest, but I was told it ‘rains’ a lot. Even though I am an aquatic animal, I think I’ll refrain from jumping in the river. Although it is a renowned river, and I do have fresh water cousins living there, I as a little scared of the piranhas. I wish I had been able to travel here in 2014 or 2016 to experience some of the biggest sporting events in the World. I guess I’ll plan my 2020 trip around some of those events instead. Ta ta for now, you might find me in your neck of the woods over the next few months! ;) Tink 2/15/19 Dear Diary, I have been exhausted from all of my traveling and am ready for a real vacation. I’m sure you would agree with me, especially after all the cold and snow up north. I have decided to pick a more tropical ‘vacation’ location for this leg of my trip. I found a great destination that will allow me to relax and put my flippers up. I am staying at the Manchebo Beach Resort, where I am spending most of my time laying out by the pool and going down to the beach. The water here is clear and the sand on the beaches is so white. Even though I have done a lot of sunbathing and relaxing I had to try some of the recreation activities they offer, including parasailing, sailing and shopping. I was thinking of going horseback riding, but I can’t sit comfortably in a saddle. At night I have enjoyed some local entertainment and live shows. Last Tuesday I went to the “Bon bini” festival where I got to see some of the native culture. At the festival there were Antillean dancers and steel drums. Then, last night I went to Café Bahia for some Salsa dancing. Although I was taking a break from some of the more educational locations I have visited, I wanted to learn more about their history. I was surprised that as I started to move inland to explore, the terrain is very desert like. I walked through Oranjestad and admired the many monuments. There was a fort that has been turned into a museum that gave great views of the city; I assume that the beautiful views wasn’t the reason for the strategic building. I also visited some beautiful churches and a lighthouse named after the SS Californian. Tink 2/1/19 Dear Journal I love Russian history and was very sad to leave, but I must continue. Because of my next destination’s name, I should have planned this visit about two months from now. I am in the Pacific region, and am excited to explore more islands. My first stop is an island that is thought to have been settled around the same time as Hawaii, although recent scientific studies have shown that it may have been settled later around 700-1100 CE. Most of the population is Polynesian, and their name for the island is “Te pito o te henua,” meaning "The Navel of the land" or "The ends of the land". The island also has an English name and a Spanish name. Unfortunately, life hasn’t always been good for the inhabitants, during the 1600’s, a series of devastating events killed or removed almost the entire population. Before I left I had to go see some of the sacred relics. The Moai were awe inspiring, it is amazing that they were able to create and move them. While jumping north through the Pacific waves, I made one more stop. I was very excited to visit this archipelago because they are known for their different species. I met a lot of friends while I was there, including a giant tortoise and some marine iguanas, they were pretty cool. You might be surprised to learn this, because I am so close to the equator, but I saw a lot of penguins. Some one said something about the Beagle visiting, but I didn’t see any dogs. Oh, well. Besides the natural species, there weren’t any settlements on this island until the 1800s. In 1835, ad Englishman visited one of the islands, and is most known for the work he did studying the species. I was lucky to visit these islands because travel to them is strictly controlled by Ecuador. Tink! 1/11/19 Dear Diary, Happy New Year! Guam was great; there are a lot of awesome dive sights around the island and it was the perfect end of year vacation get away. I am kicking off 2019 with a much more cultural and historical filled location. I loved learning about the pre-20th Century history of the next country I am going to. Prior to the 18th Century, the culture and knowledge of this country was very limited. One of their ‘great’ leaders traveled to Europe, immersed himself in the culture & brought everything back east. He also brought home a lot of military knowledge & built up a formidable navy in his country. When he got home they didn’t have names for some of the things he brought back, including the name for a tie, so they incorporated the French word of cravate into their vocabulary. Later on, this country didn’t have such a friendly relationship with France when Napoleon invaded. Through history there were some leaders who weren’t as great, and could be described at ‘terrible.’ Ironically, one of their ‘great’ rulers, did some not so great things. Although nothing was proven, it is said that she may have had a hand in her husband’s death, which lead to her taking the throne. She then became very powerful and had great influence, which resulted in some good. She wasn’t fond of her son succeeding her, so she gave special attention to her grandson, Alexander, whom she spent a lot of time training to become ruler. The religious history was also interesting. Christianity was brought to this country at the turn of the 10th Century, and was based on Byzantium. As I learned in Ireland, to convert the common people, they had to incorporate folk and pagan traditions. At this time people were baptized in the Dnieper. In the 10th century, a period of religious peace, many churches were built. One is the St. Sophia, which is one of the oldest churches still standing. An interesting fact was that in modern history, there was a large anti-religious movement, which resulted in churches being demolished and turned into swimming pools. The surviving churches have really cool architectural designs, which included onion domes. I could go on and on about the history, architecture, and culture of this country, but I must get some sleep. Tink 12/21/18 Dear Diary, I never knew South Africa was so interesting! I just left Cape Town and splashed through Table Bay, named after the flat topped mountain (mesa), that looks like a table. I have covered a lot of ocean, in fact I swam out of Table Bay into the Atlantic Ocean, then around the cape through the Indian Ocean and into the Pacific. Although, I instinctively wanted to go north, as a white Christmas is picturesque, I decided a good ol' Southern Hemisphere Christmas like back home is just what I needed. In fact, I'm pretty close to home, so I'll be able to visit my family for the holidays. Celebrating the holidays here is very similar to home and very similar to your celebrations in the United States, which although surprising at first, makes a lot of sense. There is an annual Christmas Festival sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, during which there are colorful banners and light sculptures, as well as Christmas activities, including Christmas tree lighting ceremonies and park illumination. There are also activities for kids at Santa's workshop, where Santa and his helpers hand out goodies. Christmas decorations can also be seen everywhere, in fact the Visitors Bureau lights of the streets of one of the cities at the same time every year, in addition to all the residences own decorations. Back to a little geography and history. I love going to islands because they give me a lot of water to swim through. The island chain I am visiting has the same name as the deepest trench in the ocean, but I can’t think it right now. The specific island I chose to explore was supposedly founded by Indonesians, but colonized by the Spanish and eventually given to America in the Treaty of Paris (1898), after the Spanish American War. The island also saw a lot of action during World War II. Even though it is American territory, they won’t have the same problems that the colonists had with no representation before the American Revolution. This island has a delegate in the House of Representatives. I was surprised to learn that there is a large tourist base here, usually the name of this island is used as a euphemism to denote the middle of nowhere. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! Tink 12/7/18 Dear Diary, Atlantis was amazing, but now I am on my way to a brand new continent. I couldn’t decide which country to go to, in the north I might have explored some ancient tombs, but I was afraid of curses. Then I thought about traveling through the desert, however I remember a movie with Matthew McConaughey getting stuck there and I decided not to. Instead I traveled a little farther south. Just like New York, this country used to be a Dutch Colony. As more colonists moved here, some became wandering farmers called Boers. Unfortunately, just like the Native Americans in America, there were natives, like the Xhosa and Zulu, that were pushed out of their land. Through my visit I learned that the history of this country is very tumultuous, and they had a long history of apartheid. But, I also learned some very interesting facts. Both Ghandi and Winston Churchill are associated with the Battle of Spion Kop, and this was before either one was famous. I also learned that one of their most popular sports is Rugby. In fact, in 1921, they played a big championship game against my home country of New Zealand! If you are interested in more of this country’s history, I’ll let you borrow a book by James Michener, very interesting. Bye, Tink 11/21/18 Dear Diary, I have decided to explore my natural habitat for this leg of my journey. I have heard many stories about this place, but it is spectacular to see it in person. Many believe it is just a fable, but I now know everything is real. This city is magnificent, with buildings made from black, red and white marble, as well as bridges stretching over the water to connect the areas of land. Besides the attractive architecture there were also beautiful gardens, fountains and groves of flowering trees. Of the numerous buildings, the greatest must have been the palaces of the ten kings or the temple of Poseidon. The earliest descriptions of this place were written by Plato in 360 BC. Historically these people were known for their engineering and architecture. In his writing Plato also describes them as being a great Naval power. Being influenced by Plato, some Renaissance writers like Sir Francis Bacon, created several utopian works about this location. Disney even made a movie about it in 2001. Although the exact location has been argued for centuries, I found the real location to be off the coast of Africa by the Canary Islands. Happy Thanksgiving, Tink 11/9/18 Dear Journal, I am so glad I was able to visit Ireland. Before leaving the Emerald Isle, I also traveled to Dublin, Galway, Killarney and Dingle. I even met a new friend in Dingle, Fungie the dolphin. I am now on to my next adventure, and it is making me hungry. I have always wanted to come here and try some of their delightful treats, ever since I read “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” I also tried Borek and Kofte. I have loved learning about the rich history of all of the countries I have visited, here is no different. I was surprised to learn a lot of religious history. Did you know the head of the Christian church once sat here, before the big schism. One of the most famous biblical ships is said to have landed here and I tried to follow several streams to the Garden of Eden. There is also a rich military history. Both Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar celebrated conquests in this region. Veni, vidi, vici! Homer, a native, also wrote about a famous war. Speaking of Homer, one of the activities I wanted to try was horseback riding, but the horse I found was way too big to ride, in fact it was big enough to ride in. I have had a great time. Due to all of the different waterways I got to do a lot of swimming, especially through all four seas. Till next time! 10/26/18 Dear Diary, Paris was great! I am so excited to be starting my next adventure, but I haven't traveled too far. My next location is a place some of my ancestors may have come from. Many from this country went to Australia and New Zealand when they were penal colonies. I have explored much of the countryside and visited many amazing cities. Currently, I am in a small city in the south. I find it funny that their big claim to fame is a rock, but apparently there used to be a castle here that belonged to the ruling family of this province. I went to the site this morning and I had to walk up a big hill to get there. Most of it is ruins of a cathedral from when the Catholic Church came into Ireland. I also found it very interesting that families in the town still own some of the available plots in the cemetery. I am staying at a Bed & Breakfast that is decorated to honor a mystery book heroine named Sister Fidelma. I picked up one of the books while I was there, and it was pretty interesting. In the story her brother was a King and his castle was at the historic site I visited earlier today. She grew up a princess, but joined the religious to receive a better education. In Ireland women had a lot of equal rights and she was able to work her way up to the second highest law degree. I got really excited when I heard people talking about a football game in one of the nearby cities. Then they started talking about the FAI, and teams I didn't know. I have to go now, there is a traditional music and dance show at the historic center tonight and this weekend I am planning on partaking in some of the traditional Samhain festivities. Apparently there will be a big bonfire and a turnip carving contest! Slán go fóill, Tink 10/5/18 Dear Diary, I recently left my home off the coast of New Zealand and have been swimming for miles. I'm so excited to be starting a new adventure and to have the chance to visit so many wonderful places around the world. After a long swim I finally reached my first destination, but it took me a while to decide which route to take. I couldn't decide if I wanted to go west through the Indian Ocean and around South Africa into the Atlantic or swim east across the Pacific and around the tip of South America. I went with the former, because seas around the latter can be rough. Although we are in the 21st century, I see a lot of historical remnants. The rich history has really taught me a lot. I visited this wonderful tower built in 1889. It was built for some sort of exhibition, but now it is a huge tourist attraction. There were also a lot of churches. Do you know what a flying buttress is? Between those and these weird creatures, they don't look like the churches where I come from. I also got to visit some wonderful museums, but the arts aren’t really my thing. I was more excited to see Mickey. There was also a huge river that ran through the city. I wonder if they would let me swim down it, or would the Gendarmerie frown up that... hmmmm. Hope you enjoyed hearing about my first stop. Can't wait to get to my next location! Tink |
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