tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14123506933407087002024-03-05T23:44:21.569-05:00Massimo's PhotoblogPhotos and tales of a traveling astronomerMassimo Marengohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260266426364605240noreply@blogger.comBlogger222125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412350693340708700.post-35270825243993634342023-01-01T18:59:00.033-05:002023-01-02T14:11:14.671-05:00<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCKELjGW3nbG_0PCKTWGDGNiXKwLFC5jcgNL6pRTXPJd7iQbqsi-L38Obfe8yinlu_9nmeR2JGqoi9FjETy5jSRAQOQhjImkrshVEp26Aq0qybRI7xQBC34MHSQLr9VqZFLkPaO7LnK-5NdGgJplLvvv_Mn_4uhU7B-gKChzh9DlXTYQ7z7zTWMshccQ/s3459/2022-12-11-IMG_1979.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2594" data-original-width="3459" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCKELjGW3nbG_0PCKTWGDGNiXKwLFC5jcgNL6pRTXPJd7iQbqsi-L38Obfe8yinlu_9nmeR2JGqoi9FjETy5jSRAQOQhjImkrshVEp26Aq0qybRI7xQBC34MHSQLr9VqZFLkPaO7LnK-5NdGgJplLvvv_Mn_4uhU7B-gKChzh9DlXTYQ7z7zTWMshccQ/w640-h480/2022-12-11-IMG_1979.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL (Dec 11, 2022)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">A lot happens in 5 years. <a href="http://photoblog.ornitorinko.org/search/label/Kero">Kero</a> and I enjoyed the snows of more Iowa winters. More miles have been accrued to my frequent flier account, and more destinations that have been ticked off my list. Chile, the Caribbean, various cities in Europe, the Canary Islands, places all around the US, including Hawaii. Then the long hiatus of no travel at all due to a certain <a href="https://covid19.who.int/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">nasty bug</a> that stopped the entire world in its tracks and caused untold suffering. But, most important of all, my daughter was born just a little over 5 years ago, and life has never been the same since.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">During all these time more and more photos have been accumulating on my hard drive, itching to find their way on this dormant photoblog. So be it, at the beginning of a new year, and almost 6 years after the last post, it is time to start again updating this digital scrapbook with old and new images.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I will begin with the big news: we have moved. After 12 years at <a href="https://www.physastro.iastate.edu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Iowa State University</a> we have accepted new positions at the <a href="https://physics.fsu.edu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Department of Physics</a> of <a href="https://www.fsu.edu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Florida State University</a> in Tallahassee, Florida. We have traded the snowy midwest landscapes of Iowa, with the subtropical urban forests of the Florida Panhandle. About one hour drive from the gulf coast, Tallahassee sits in the only hilly region of Florida. Even though it is the state capital, it has the feel of a campus town, and is large enough to have plenty of things to do (and excellent dining) while avoiding the stress and traffic of a big city. Expect to see more photos and posts about Tallahassee and its environments soon.</p><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXMta3hplKoAoHtmNQE11ExsvbLIO9ooIqU-Oey8IqRal1BB8oVB9E5-PiTuCy6Du3TxkUF30YH6elRZx0a8Bp6V4TAFScUuGkA6ly0gmE3tPcftMTaOH5OmbHNOsrH-xGOKbnE27-YdJ3vFX-MScEUGh3IAnMSym3Hx6ItFXv1FEX0DbvoLQhXagI7w/s3686/2022-07-30-IMG_6011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3686" data-original-width="2765" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXMta3hplKoAoHtmNQE11ExsvbLIO9ooIqU-Oey8IqRal1BB8oVB9E5-PiTuCy6Du3TxkUF30YH6elRZx0a8Bp6V4TAFScUuGkA6ly0gmE3tPcftMTaOH5OmbHNOsrH-xGOKbnE27-YdJ3vFX-MScEUGh3IAnMSym3Hx6ItFXv1FEX0DbvoLQhXagI7w/s320/2022-07-30-IMG_6011.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>The move to Florida happened quite suddenly and unexpectedly, and in just a month we had to sell our old house in Iowa, buy a new one in Tallahassee, and organize the move. But on July 30 we hit the road, for a ~2,000 km road trip through 7 US states. We originally planned to take it easy and split the drive in three days, but of course we ended up being late and left Ames in the afternoon of our first trip day. All in all we ended up doing the whole trip in less than 48 hours, with only two stops.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The first stop was in St. Louis. There, we made a point of seeing the <a href="https://www.gatewayarch.com/" target="_blank">Gateway Arch</a>, but rather than navigating the city traffic we found an excellent viewing point from the <a href="https://www.theparkwithaview.com/" target="_blank">Malcom W. Martin Memorial Park</a>. As you can see from the photo below, the park offers one of the best views of the arch, from across the Mississippi. A raised platform allows a clear view of the arch and the uninterrupted St. Louis skyline, while large barges lazily float along the river.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The second stop was in Atlanta, close enough to our destination that we could make some appointments we had for the next day. In between, a lot of driving across the midwest cornfields, then the southern end of the Appalachians in western Tennessee and north Georgia, and finally the very rural plains of South Georgia. The mist-veiled mountains, seen in the distance when we were driving down towards Chattanooga, were beautiful. Pity it was raining and getting dark, it would have been great to make a detour and take some pictures. That will deserve a future trip of its own.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxLazL7m1kfHqnNvsbJs_RaCIHM-FN-SIa5HBIBl24kp3hB-2D6vbhXFR6_K9R3bBb-RMyJbEzybEbNrN8feXgKoD1kBI18VkFp4z6uEhEmBXPGtVKgdyUhSP0Y0WBkuUDOu32C-1VoCYja3Ws741vTCtYexspG6GjTb5-8nlLD4vGudKpbd2_pi1Q9Q/s4125/2022-07-31-00003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="View of Gateway arch in St. Louis from the Malcom W. Martin Memorial Park (July 31, 2022)" border="0" data-original-height="2320" data-original-width="4125" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxLazL7m1kfHqnNvsbJs_RaCIHM-FN-SIa5HBIBl24kp3hB-2D6vbhXFR6_K9R3bBb-RMyJbEzybEbNrN8feXgKoD1kBI18VkFp4z6uEhEmBXPGtVKgdyUhSP0Y0WBkuUDOu32C-1VoCYja3Ws741vTCtYexspG6GjTb5-8nlLD4vGudKpbd2_pi1Q9Q/w640-h360/2022-07-31-00003.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Louis Gateway Arch from the Malcom W. Martin Memorial Park (July 31, 2022)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Massimo Marengohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260266426364605240noreply@blogger.com0Tallahassee, FL, USA30.4382559 -84.280732899999992.128022063821156 -119.43698289999999 58.748489736178847 -49.12448289999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412350693340708700.post-76563186883254259452017-01-18T13:09:00.112-05:002022-12-10T16:04:19.173-05:00The New China<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijaIpqWVzSt48_lXdV8XFVL4S8z-xHdAZPsLnPl2BY7CsDKlgzcWDb8d0wkHuF-hJEN2Cp3MQuMRnUvPZK6gGqXdkACavC0oAeMKlT-vgkHawutg-DoUjjiPjeeYYiu-MXi24ADc1t0PVlON1_4JBoJJTCyxWSA6rd8xSMM9qmQUWdMYChXM0JW3cvyA/s3206/2016-05-27-00165.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="Street view in Beijing" border="0" data-original-height="2004" data-original-width="3206" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijaIpqWVzSt48_lXdV8XFVL4S8z-xHdAZPsLnPl2BY7CsDKlgzcWDb8d0wkHuF-hJEN2Cp3MQuMRnUvPZK6gGqXdkACavC0oAeMKlT-vgkHawutg-DoUjjiPjeeYYiu-MXi24ADc1t0PVlON1_4JBoJJTCyxWSA6rd8xSMM9qmQUWdMYChXM0JW3cvyA/w640-h400/2016-05-27-00165.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beijing street at sunset (May 27, 2016)</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">When I was a kid, I was in awe of the globetrotting traveling life of my uncle. He spent all his vacations traveling to what for me were the most exotic destinations: India, the Canary Islands, the Galapagos, and of course China. Since these travels happened more than forty years ago, the China he visited was very different from the current one. It was a China of large avenues full of bicycles, and very few cars. It was a China where most people were wearing uniforms, and the cult of Mao was very strong. It was also a China that one could visit only in very controlled settings, with minders following at every single step, and deciding what you were allowed to see, and what not.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKW_17KiASrjd3vXRGrMhXp5Jlf2e9tKUmh8PcYMBQKXFpfauQ9j17qdMN-r_D2oOZu6bHZR46prm3Sx3JdVA8F0i2x2zc8OtnXvB6L9GkRS4AHFdb-0RlQ23QZWMorzy0-gB1cXCY7aVLlLscp8TjbFF-eRB0R6jgF5jAonfvcTIZ4usFMOa7AV29TQ/s2193/2016-05-27-00158.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Busy street in Beijing (May 27, 2016)" border="0" data-original-height="2193" data-original-width="2193" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKW_17KiASrjd3vXRGrMhXp5Jlf2e9tKUmh8PcYMBQKXFpfauQ9j17qdMN-r_D2oOZu6bHZR46prm3Sx3JdVA8F0i2x2zc8OtnXvB6L9GkRS4AHFdb-0RlQ23QZWMorzy0-gB1cXCY7aVLlLscp8TjbFF-eRB0R6jgF5jAonfvcTIZ4usFMOa7AV29TQ/w200-h200/2016-05-27-00158.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Busy street in Beijing</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is far from the China that I visited in 2016. The new China is a modern country with congested cities, a lot of cars, and a semi-perennial cloud of smog (although, in all fairness, I was very lucky during my trip and I got to see a lot of blue skies). Walking the busy streets of Beijing one has the feeling of being in any contemporary western city. You can still see the remnants of an epoch almost completely gone, like the old traditional neighborhoods that still border the walls of the Forbidden City, but that have been mostly razed and replaced by modern blocks of high rise apartments. The Beijing of 2016 looks very much like a city projected towards the future. Yet, one may question what this future will be. Talking with the expat community it seems clear that something has changed in recent years. Especially in the humanities, I heard people complaining of new restrictions in their academic activities that didn't exist a short while ago. Even the independent parties whose existence is allowed by the government seem to have a shorter leash than before. The country seem to be firmly on an authoritarian trajectory. (*) How much this will affect the economic boom and the technological and social explosion that China is currently experiencing, it remains to be seen.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">(*) As I am revising these notes in December 2022, I can now fully appreciate how my expat sources were right in describing the authoritarian trajectory of the country, with a progressive concentration of power in the hands of a single person, and stronger restriction on the Chinese society that have existed for decades. As I am writing this footnote there are large protests even close to the center of power against the Covid-zero restrictions that the country has implemented in the futile effort to close its border to the virus that escaped from China itself two years before. Will these protests stop, once these restrictions are mitigated, or will the seed of protest expand to reclaim more aspects of the open society that have been lost in recent years?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKacns7CftInbMMRwu4-HI80FRFGKVySOk9obnHQy_pMEF-R0NRCuskReyN4w6l--lx6j6W87lcnz6DvSYcqVjgnHtqQG7dN_7qZhkGlBSeRZWpJ6FEt6IKtzRndlfq21nr8YqI3uXGCIdQnjRo5BpZ7v3XKBWfQNdYvk-y5Oe7IVaw-FlISfNpb0zSA/s3173/2016-05-27-00133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Old and new in Beijing (May 27, 2016)" border="0" data-original-height="1322" data-original-width="3173" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKacns7CftInbMMRwu4-HI80FRFGKVySOk9obnHQy_pMEF-R0NRCuskReyN4w6l--lx6j6W87lcnz6DvSYcqVjgnHtqQG7dN_7qZhkGlBSeRZWpJ6FEt6IKtzRndlfq21nr8YqI3uXGCIdQnjRo5BpZ7v3XKBWfQNdYvk-y5Oe7IVaw-FlISfNpb0zSA/w640-h266/2016-05-27-00133.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old and New in Beijing (May 27, 2016)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Massimo Marengohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260266426364605240noreply@blogger.com0Beijing, China39.904211 116.40739511.593977163821151 81.251145 68.214444836178842 151.563645tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412350693340708700.post-91156792006866784912017-01-16T18:52:00.001-05:002022-12-10T15:00:12.664-05:00Walking on the Wall<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xNPRCXexsNI/WH1SODfVugI/AAAAAAAAeWQ/uTx9a4WllC8PL1E4CXAYz4rzO-gU_xLogCPcB/s1600/2016-05-28-00270.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xNPRCXexsNI/WH1SODfVugI/AAAAAAAAeWQ/uTx9a4WllC8PL1E4CXAYz4rzO-gU_xLogCPcB/s640/2016-05-28-00270.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mutianyau Great Wall, China (May 28, 2016)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The advantage of the Mutianyau section of the Great Wall, with respect to the more popular Badaling, is that Mutianyau is less frequented, and is possible to find views of the Wall unobstructed by crowds.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rTV5Js-HX0g/WH1SOKB-NxI/AAAAAAAAeWQ/hiJrswGPqwA0JwuvbiB5oD6d9zjPnYRwQCPcB/s1600/2016-05-28-00254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rTV5Js-HX0g/WH1SOKB-NxI/AAAAAAAAeWQ/hiJrswGPqwA0JwuvbiB5oD6d9zjPnYRwQCPcB/s200/2016-05-28-00254.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking on the Wall</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The restored section of the Mutianyau Wall is 2.5 km long, and includes 23 towers spaced about 100 meters from one of the other. The Wall itself is designed as a raised road, allowing watchmen to easily run from one post to the other in what would otherwise be an impervious mountainous terrain. This allowed to keep under control a vast border with a minimum amount of troops. Some of the watchtowers have a flat top, with a space designed to hold a fire that could be easily lit to alert the main garrison stationed in the valley in case of a mongol incursion. It is said that this fire was made using wolf scats, for their property of producing dark dense smoke easily seen from a large distance. Even as we were visiting, the Wall undergoes continued maintenance. In fact most of the mason work is not original, but reconstructed according to the original design of the wall: only in a few places large panel of glass allowed to see the remnants of the original wall embedded in the modern reconstruction. Towards the end of the restored section of the Wall there is a 200 meters long writing on the mountain: <span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">忠于毛主席</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">, which means "loyalty to Chairman Mao". As I mentioned in a <a href="http://photoblog.ornitorinko.org/2017/01/visiting-great-wall.html">previous post</a>, visiting the Wall is considered a civic duty in China. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We spent several hours walking on the broad stone roads built on top of the Wall, without covering the whole length of the restored section. The sight of the Wall, and the views of the landscape around it, are very impressive, and certainly justify the visit, even though a different time in the year, maybe in spring or autumn, is advised to avoid the hot sun that relentlessly accompanied our tour.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7LRQEV5OknOKvyYwEgou_yCPobKHuZoNBWF5i8_3V4589CDMTfwqzsUP5-MELwAImIxXJmnlmpcaEFWIK7caGY6-1rsRfVl3FoVSNVEv5Lz05_XWV6tp2nR7IGn9lo6OFhD7G_7GSDJo/s1600/2016-05-28-00223.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib7LRQEV5OknOKvyYwEgou_yCPobKHuZoNBWF5i8_3V4589CDMTfwqzsUP5-MELwAImIxXJmnlmpcaEFWIK7caGY6-1rsRfVl3FoVSNVEv5Lz05_XWV6tp2nR7IGn9lo6OFhD7G_7GSDJo/s640/2016-05-28-00223.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mutianyau Great Wall, China (May 28, 2016)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
Massimo Marengohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260266426364605240noreply@blogger.com0Mu Tian Yu Chang Cheng, Huairou Qu, Beijing Shi, China, 10140540.432570299999988 116.5698325999999340.40839729999999 116.52949209999993 40.456743299999985 116.61017309999993tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412350693340708700.post-84218840945944549502017-01-08T23:14:00.000-05:002017-01-09T00:19:57.566-05:00Visiting the Great Wall<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KsGjesNo2d8/WHK9HGsedOI/AAAAAAAAdbY/IOS3e9bvnfUb8sieD-5xJpP776Y-4ptzACPcB/s1600/2016-05-28-00191.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KsGjesNo2d8/WHK9HGsedOI/AAAAAAAAdbY/IOS3e9bvnfUb8sieD-5xJpP776Y-4ptzACPcB/s640/2016-05-28-00191.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mutianyu Great Wall, China (May 28, 2016)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Flying to China from the US is expensive, especially if one is forced to use american carriers to get travel reimbursement from work. One way to reduce the cost is to relax the constraints on the traveling dates, in order to get the cheapest available flights. It turned out that paying the hotel for one day more after the end of the conference was cheaper than returning the same day. So, I ended up having an extra day to kill in Beijing: perfect occasion to visit a nearby section of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Wall_of_China">Great Wall</a>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YCCqCC9Gxwc/WHK9HDkkeOI/AAAAAAAAdbY/pFX711Q9bTQQh2cGj00nvqdHUH4AddcYgCPcB/s1600/2016-05-28-00181.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="154" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YCCqCC9Gxwc/WHK9HDkkeOI/AAAAAAAAdbY/pFX711Q9bTQQh2cGj00nvqdHUH4AddcYgCPcB/s200/2016-05-28-00181.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the bus to Mutianyau</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Great Wall was built starting from the 7th Century BC, even though little remains of the most ancient parts of its construction. The majority of what survives today is from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The wall was built to control the northern access of China, and to contain the raids from the nomadic hordes living in the northern Mongolia steppes. Overall the actual wall is long more than 6,000 km (almost 4,000 miles), but extends much more if one includes trenches and natural defensive barriers. Most of the Ming Great Wall has now disappeared, a victim of the ravages of time and history. A few sections however have been restored and are now visited by million of tourists every years, many of them Chinese. Visiting the Great Wall is in fact considered a patriotic duty by the Chinese. This may be due to a quote attributed to Chairman Mao: "If you have never been to the Great Wall you are not a real man". Truth is however a little more complicated, as the quote is only the <a href="http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/walkingthewall/2006/06/04/if-youve-never-been-to-the-great-wall/">third verse of a poem</a> Mao wrote in 1935 to inspire men and women to complete the Long March:</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">The heavens are high, the clouds are pale,</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">We watch as the wild geese disappears southwards,</span></i></i></div>
<i>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></i>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>If we fail to reach the Great Wall we are not true men,</b></span></i></span></i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">We who have marched more than 20,000 li.</span></i></div>
</span></i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAHFgdbkGu5l1fY7f64rDkkfitlKVc-xj2MMNIcn_6kSgyXl_LPEl-5IfjSxtdrq9Y_NFzh_B2owL8Jv3ugS6WJz2Po_931IGjfejHpkqzessUYLuWJwprqPuc3yiPrZ24gesySh3y5Kab/s1600/2016-05-28-00196.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAHFgdbkGu5l1fY7f64rDkkfitlKVc-xj2MMNIcn_6kSgyXl_LPEl-5IfjSxtdrq9Y_NFzh_B2owL8Jv3ugS6WJz2Po_931IGjfejHpkqzessUYLuWJwprqPuc3yiPrZ24gesySh3y5Kab/s200/2016-05-28-00196.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mutianyau</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The isolated sentence may have lost its original meaning, but is nevertheless very effective to promote Chinese tourism to the wall (street vendors offer you a "certificate" if you walk along the wall), especially the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badaling">Badaling</a> section, the first to be restored in 1975. That section of the wall is the easiest to reach from Beijing, 80 km north of the city and well served by public transportation. It is also the most crowded, so we decided to visit another section, near the fruit producing area of <a href="http://www.chinahighlights.com/greatwall/section/mutianyu-greatwall.htm">Mutianyau</a> (about the same distance from Beijing than Badaling, but no easy public transportation). Arranging that is not difficult (plenty of travel agencies with english-speaking personnel), as long as you are careful to avoid the "cheap" trip offered by the hotels, which inevitably end with a long stop at a local mall. After some searching we chose to hire a trip with <a href="http://tour-beijing.com/">tour-beijing.com</a>, offering "<a href="http://www.tour-beijing.com/great_wall/mutianyu.php">Mutianyau no-shopping tours</a>" for $64 each person (we were 10, so we ended up hiring an entire minivan and private tour guide for that price). The bus picked us up at 8AM, right in front of the hotel, for the 1.5 hours ride to reach the wall (if there is not much traffic, which is instead expected in the morning).</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OgFRm-nLC4Q/WHMEThAGq6I/AAAAAAAAddU/mCcZKWwoKkEfR9g3ZG1RM-eQ_ZHfwvwsgCPcB/s1600/2016-05-28-00319.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OgFRm-nLC4Q/WHMEThAGq6I/AAAAAAAAddU/mCcZKWwoKkEfR9g3ZG1RM-eQ_ZHfwvwsgCPcB/s200/2016-05-28-00319.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huge apartment blocks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
You can see our guide in the small photo above on the left: she was actually living in the area near Mutianyu and had to leave very early in the morning to pick us up at the hotel. The bus ride was comfortable, but we indeed ended up stuck in highway traffic for half an hour or so. The difficult part was to getting out of the city, an endless expanse of high rise apartment blocks, many of them built surrounding what looked like a factory or assembly plant of sort. One can only appreciate the huge size of Beijing by driving through its never-ending outer suburbs. Once we managed to escape the traffic of the city the flow in the highway became easier, and we drove through a pleasant countryside full of orchards (the area North of Beijing is famous for its fruits production). Until we finally reached the mountains. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HROcvTf8yZM/WHLjuoNBHQI/AAAAAAAAdcU/M-GMLAtqhVw23zei3SKbst8ofctFQMPsACPcB/s1600/2016-05-28-00183.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HROcvTf8yZM/WHLjuoNBHQI/AAAAAAAAdcU/M-GMLAtqhVw23zei3SKbst8ofctFQMPsACPcB/s200/2016-05-28-00183.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chairlift to the wall</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The wall is a big touristic attraction and its access is well organized. The bus left us at the base of the mountains, where we got a chairlift to the wall, a few hundred meters above (some of us elected to walk on a steep path in the forest). The chairlift (small photo on the right) is actually quite nice, and it affords an unobstructed view of the wall which you cannot have from the wall itself (see large photo above). Once on top, you walk. I will write more extensively of the wall hike on a separate post, but for now I would just remark that even this short restored segment of the wall is actually very long, more than enough to satisfy any wall-walk urging I had, especially considering that any step forward must then be retraced back to the chairlift station, to get back to the bus at the end of the day. Notice however that in the photo on the right the chairs coming down were all empty. That is because the fun way to get back to the base is not with the chairlift, but rather with a very long toboggan.You sit on a small wheeled cart, pull up the brakes and slid all the way down as fast as you trust the centrifugal force to keep you within the banked tracks in the curves (or as fast as the person in front of you). It was indeed quite fun.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dL-mAVOSul0/WHK9HPboeBI/AAAAAAAAdbY/y5NgVOFEi2EclMmxJWY8J2w-95X1kIrQACPcB/s1600/2016-05-28-00180.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dL-mAVOSul0/WHK9HPboeBI/AAAAAAAAdbY/y5NgVOFEi2EclMmxJWY8J2w-95X1kIrQACPcB/s640/2016-05-28-00180.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beijing highway (May 28, 2016)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Massimo Marengohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260266426364605240noreply@blogger.com0Mu Tian Yu Chang Cheng, Huairou Qu, Beijing Shi, China, 10140540.432570299999988 116.5698325999999340.40839729999999 116.52949209999993 40.456743299999985 116.61017309999993tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412350693340708700.post-33874372183550662222017-01-02T16:23:00.000-05:002017-01-02T16:23:52.526-05:00A Neighborhood Park<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EX34wFpj4q0/WGquiJMkcXI/AAAAAAAAdVE/PhqZcIGXFb8qW_VD_OnKaiiE1lMAdTZPwCPcB/s1600/2016-05-27-00128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EX34wFpj4q0/WGquiJMkcXI/AAAAAAAAdVE/PhqZcIGXFb8qW_VD_OnKaiiE1lMAdTZPwCPcB/s640/2016-05-27-00128.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yuandadu Relics Park, Beijing, China (May 27, 2016)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The last day of the meeting we finished early enough that I had the late afternoon free for a stroll in the Haidian district, where my hotel was located. I decided to go to what looked like a nice neighborhood park, along a canal in-between the 3rd and 4th ring roads.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI_hProtzpSovnHk8qMRRkRaliilHeZstLsekGbCJf7Yqc8AYESXt0FIfKwk5r8xkwPDsM7tGXjm178Dd2oj3o7sqrscBJlrRdMTvrNckXJCcmy_DrTfdRH8YcFQFHLaIveAGkj_PF5dky/s1600/2016-05-27-00132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI_hProtzpSovnHk8qMRRkRaliilHeZstLsekGbCJf7Yqc8AYESXt0FIfKwk5r8xkwPDsM7tGXjm178Dd2oj3o7sqrscBJlrRdMTvrNckXJCcmy_DrTfdRH8YcFQFHLaIveAGkj_PF5dky/s200/2016-05-27-00132.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prosperous Dadu Sculpture</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
As many things in China, the park turned out to be huge! With a total length of 9 km, the <a href="https://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/beijing/yuan-city-wall.htm">Yuandadu Relics Park</a> is the largest zonal park in Beijing. In this late Friday afternoon I visited it was very well frequented by the people living in the district. Many families and retirees, walking around or sitting on the benches reading a book or playing an instrument. And a large crowd very committed in watching what looked like some sort of gambling activity based on cards. The canal along which the park is established, as well as the many fountains in the park, were drained for maintenance the day I visited; they must be quite a view when the water is flowing. The park has many fruit trees that were being harvested by the park visitors; something that I am not used to see in the West but makes perfect sense if you think about it (why wasting perfectly good fruit?).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The name of the park derives by it location, on the grounds that were once occupied by the walls of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khanbaliq">Dadu</a> (also known as Khanbaliq), the ancient capital city of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuan_dynasty">Yuan dynasty</a> (1271-1378). Many of the ruins are still preserved, and there are several sculpture groups celebrating the past glory of the site. The main sculpture (small photo above) represent the Yuan emperor Shizu (also known as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kublai_Khan">Kublai Khan</a>) in his <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howdah">howdah</a>. He is surrounded by the the great astronomer <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guo_Shoujing">Guo Shoujing</a>, the Nepalese architect <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araniko">Araniko</a> and the Italian traveler <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Polo">Marco Polo</a>: who would have thought that I would have found a piece of Italy in the core of Beijing?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iGLyJqJ8R4k/WGquiJqzWFI/AAAAAAAAdVE/N-LgPYs6UAQyN86T4OgIlH1S8qkDE0d5wCPcB/s1600/2016-05-27-00130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iGLyJqJ8R4k/WGquiJqzWFI/AAAAAAAAdVE/N-LgPYs6UAQyN86T4OgIlH1S8qkDE0d5wCPcB/s640/2016-05-27-00130.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yuandadu Relics Park, Beijing, China (May 27, 2016)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Massimo Marengohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260266426364605240noreply@blogger.com0Beijing, China39.904211 116.4073949999999538.353058 113.82560799999995 41.455363999999996 118.98918199999996tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412350693340708700.post-58817844903664148982016-12-29T15:30:00.000-05:002016-12-29T15:30:09.784-05:00Peking University<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GEat6eea87s/WF3Iyt-kKbI/AAAAAAAAdEE/Ea9LNCUPQ28x7ezZgexe1AaYPWaOssPPwCPcB/s1600/2016-05-25-00117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GEat6eea87s/WF3Iyt-kKbI/AAAAAAAAdEE/Ea9LNCUPQ28x7ezZgexe1AaYPWaOssPPwCPcB/s640/2016-05-25-00117.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peking University, Beijing, China (May 25, 2016)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://english.pku.edu.cn/">Peking University</a> is the top higher learning institution in mainland China. It is also the first modern national university established in the country, founded in 1898 replacing the old imperial academy.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1ymoZ3Su7xU/WF3Iyj63v9I/AAAAAAAAdEE/eIPeafl1KrgUl9Tf2_L83ZLMHohVcxBCgCPcB/s1600/2016-05-25-00119.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1ymoZ3Su7xU/WF3Iyj63v9I/AAAAAAAAdEE/eIPeafl1KrgUl9Tf2_L83ZLMHohVcxBCgCPcB/s200/2016-05-25-00119.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">KIAA at Peking University</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As I mentioned before, the purpose of my trip to China was to participate to a scientific meeting. The meeting was not in the University, but was organized by the <a href="http://kiaa.pku.edu.cn/">Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics</a> (KIAA), which is located in the campus of Peking University. The institute occupies a modern building made in a traditional style (photo on the left), situated next to the pond in the photo above. The University campus is on the former site of the Qing Dynasty imperial gardens, and is an attraction in itself with the numerous traditional style buildings, pagodas and manicured gardens. The central Weiming lake is very beautiful, and is surrounded by many walking paths, smaller gardens and ponds, and there are several museums that are worth the visit. The campus is very popular, and there is a permanent line of tourists at its main gate during the security check before entering the grounds . If you want to visit the gardens in your next visit to Beijing it is well worth it, but remember to bring along your documents to gain access (that is true for all touristic attractions, including the Forbidden City and the National Museum). </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ie8wRMl5qKk/WF3IyiXRoCI/AAAAAAAAdEE/u71uFz6p814szaelfciUr-idm5CF8GC8wCPcB/s1600/2016-05-25-00095.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ie8wRMl5qKk/WF3IyiXRoCI/AAAAAAAAdEE/u71uFz6p814szaelfciUr-idm5CF8GC8wCPcB/s200/2016-05-25-00095.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peking University</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I actually managed to avoid the line at the entrance since I was accompanied by a colleague of mine that works at KIAA, one of the organizers of the conference. He is from the Netherlands and a few years back found a new scientific home in the institute. He was not the only person I visited on campus: the fellow with me in the photo on the right was one of my office-mates when I was in graduate school in Trieste (Italy). After graduating he worked for a while in Sweden (his interest are theoretical calculations about <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binary_black_hole">black hole mergers</a>) and then returned to China where he is now chair of the department. I was very happy to meet him after so many years. He was a very gracious host and walked me around the campus, showing me the architecture and the landscaping, and telling me about the history of the university. We also had some time to talk about his experience of getting back to China after having lived and worked for a long time in Europe. The government is investing a lot in science, and his department is expanding significantly, with new hiring and the development of <a href="http://phys.org/news/2016-09-china-world-largest-radio-telescope.html">state-of-the art astronomical facilities</a>. This is something I gathered also from other sources, and that is true in other fields of physics (e.g. <a href="http://www.nature.com/news/china-plans-super-collider-1.15603">particle physics</a>), where both the quantity and quality of <a href="http://www.nature.com/news/science-in-china-1.20094">Chinese scientific production</a> has greatly improved in recent years (I see that also in my own department faculty and graduate students coming from China).</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lJYqv79JAH8/WGVugQ85z-I/AAAAAAAAdNg/EcWKI0k_7lg9lGKybGR9l3g5YUqClgA3wCPcB/s1600/2016-05-25-00104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lJYqv79JAH8/WGVugQ85z-I/AAAAAAAAdNg/EcWKI0k_7lg9lGKybGR9l3g5YUqClgA3wCPcB/s200/2016-05-25-00104.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I sometime get asked why somebody would want to move from a more free country (e.g. the Netherlands) to a place with a less democratic form of government. I am in no position to judge: people make their own choice based on their own circumstances, priorities, family constraints. We don't chose the place where we go to live and work in abstract terms: there are many factors that influence our decisions. Both my friends are happy to live in Beijing and work in the university: the place definitely shows the kind of dynamism that physics and space science had in the US in the 50s, at the heigh of time when the american government believed and strongly supported science. In other fields it may be different. I heard from some sources that humanities are suffering under a more strict ideological control that is being exerted by the current leadership, in a change with respect to the more laissez-fare attitude of the previous government. Science however appears to still have little central oversight, and a lot of support and funding in today's China.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N0qBmcOt9bc/WF3Iyoq7VMI/AAAAAAAAdEE/reRBpm_jxtIQHG07QOSDNihqkUjJ6B6fgCPcB/s1600/2016-05-25-00108.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N0qBmcOt9bc/WF3Iyoq7VMI/AAAAAAAAdEE/reRBpm_jxtIQHG07QOSDNihqkUjJ6B6fgCPcB/s640/2016-05-25-00108.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Weiming Lake and the Boya Pagoda, Peking University, Beijing, China (May 25, 2016)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Massimo Marengohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260266426364605240noreply@blogger.com0Beijing, China39.904211 116.4073949999999538.353058 113.82560799999995 41.455363999999996 118.98918199999996tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412350693340708700.post-27521970547832722742016-12-16T23:18:00.000-05:002016-12-17T00:21:19.383-05:00The National Museum of China<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DEJPJGGoNjc/WFSzLkrwtgI/AAAAAAAAc1Q/oscm-H_hweM8772N_Tafih0mb8L15FKugCPcB/s1600/2016-05-22-00073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DEJPJGGoNjc/WFSzLkrwtgI/AAAAAAAAc1Q/oscm-H_hweM8772N_Tafih0mb8L15FKugCPcB/s640/2016-05-22-00073.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">National Museum of China, Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China (May 22, 2016)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
With over 2,2 million square feet of display space, the <a href="http://en.chnmuseum.cn/">National Museum of China</a> is one of the largest in the world, and it is visited by 7.5 million visitors every year. The museum is on the east side of Tiananmen Square. Still tired after the <a href="http://photoblog.ornitorinko.org/2016/10/just-two-subway-stops-to-forbidden-city.html">long walk the day before</a>, we decided to make it our destination, after strolling for some time under the Tiananmen Square relentless sun.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MmaLmN69QuI/WFSwAleScaI/AAAAAAAAc0w/UnNvQO9A5bMkVtnc-faNC-hPC6neaBe9ACPcB/s1600/2016-05-22-00083.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MmaLmN69QuI/WFSwAleScaI/AAAAAAAAc0w/UnNvQO9A5bMkVtnc-faNC-hPC6neaBe9ACPcB/s200/2016-05-22-00083.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Terracotta Army</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The museum is in fact two different museums combined. One part is dedicated to the history of China through the ages, literally, the first artifact being the 1.7 million years old <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuanmou_Man">Yanmu Man</a> (<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">元謀人)</span>. The other side is instead dedicated to a <i>somewhat hagiographic</i> portrait of the legacy of the Chinese Revolution. I don't need to tell you which side we visited... It was actually worth it. The collection of ancient artifacts, revealing how China had a very refined culture at time when our progenitors were still living in caves, is impressive. The bronze artifacts, in particular, are stunning: some of them are incredibly massive (there is a rectangular vessel weighting more than 800 kg), but at the same time have most delicate ornaments and inscriptions. Whoever made them really knew their craft. The museum has sections covering each and every dynasty in the long history of China. Each with a different style, a different concept of art. One small display has a sample of the famous "terracotta army", with one horse and two soldiers. I was happy to see it there since the whole thing is far from Beijing, impossible for me to visit during this trip.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pre-gaTJWmo/WFSwApJmMfI/AAAAAAAAc0w/cI-JB4pJJUgYmSAJncMgeM6sqeIPE3AlwCPcB/s1600/2016-05-22-00089.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pre-gaTJWmo/WFSwApJmMfI/AAAAAAAAc0w/cI-JB4pJJUgYmSAJncMgeM6sqeIPE3AlwCPcB/s200/2016-05-22-00089.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue and white porcelain vase</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A large section of the museum is dedicated to the ceramic wares. This is an art that China has been developing for tens of thousand of years, with the first pottery produced in neolithic times, almost 20,000 years ago. The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_and_white_pottery">blue and white porcelains</a> (<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">青花</span>, literally "blue flowers") are the ones that I found more appealing, like the vase in the small photo on the right. This is a style that dates back from the 9th to the 14th century, when the blue pigment based on cobalt minerals were first imported from Persia. It is interesting how the technique, after being perfected by Chinese artists, found its way back to the middle east, inspiring a renaissance of ceramic production with islamic themes. The world is after all is small, and goes in circles... Other interesting sections of the museum were the one dedicated to the development of Chinese writing, and the innumerable artifacts with astronomical significance, like the many maps of the sky, with the stars grouped in the strangely familiar yet alien patters of the Chinese constellations. We spent the whole afternoon in the museum, until one by one our legs and backs started to give way to age (well, at least in my case), and we finally made our way back to the train station under Tiananmen Square, and to the hotel for dinner and the final rest before the first day of our conference meeting.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ld4CLRmu-_E/WFSzLlQOmVI/AAAAAAAAc1Q/_Kdmn85fFMI6xGBXm3yNQClUmvZzjVTFgCPcB/s1600/2016-05-22-00075.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ld4CLRmu-_E/WFSzLlQOmVI/AAAAAAAAc1Q/_Kdmn85fFMI6xGBXm3yNQClUmvZzjVTFgCPcB/s640/2016-05-22-00075.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Floral Exposition in front of the National Museum of China, Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China (May 22, 2016)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
Massimo Marengohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260266426364605240noreply@blogger.com0Zhong Guo Guo Jia Bo Wu Guan, Dongcheng Qu, Beijing Shi, China39.9049963 116.4013145000000139.9019513 116.39627200000001 39.9080413 116.40635700000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412350693340708700.post-9239590040106229082016-11-20T19:35:00.002-05:002016-11-20T19:35:58.581-05:00The Front Gate in Tiananmen Square<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1o7Y8C2q7J0/WDIxQit2arI/AAAAAAAAcRA/EQvNpV6utEADo4X_loSWybTDl2oXbYokwCPcB/s1600/2016-05-22-00065.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1o7Y8C2q7J0/WDIxQit2arI/AAAAAAAAcRA/EQvNpV6utEADo4X_loSWybTDl2oXbYokwCPcB/s640/2016-05-22-00065.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zhengyangmen, Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China (May 22, 2016)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">With one more day before the conference was scheduled to start, we went back to Tiananmen Square, this time taking the subway to the right stop. The square is indeed very large, and surrounded by a number of monumental building. To the north there is the main gate to the Forbidden City (see panorama below), the entrance we used the day before to <a href="http://photoblog.ornitorinko.org/2016/10/forbidden-city.html">visit the Palace Museum</a>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-LNd90ixayCAz4kOqecdupiUYrY-biqt77xBd3sM7X2s6qOb5kmUBAq1ndxgWkCxJWimhTUWNpAwM9nz5zAdaZ3GZnl5PcMLxfPAIpALs-PkeiUd9FU18J1YDFyd_awoMSt0dPvbCwU/s1600/2016-05-22-00080.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-LNd90ixayCAz4kOqecdupiUYrY-biqt77xBd3sM7X2s6qOb5kmUBAq1ndxgWkCxJWimhTUWNpAwM9nz5zAdaZ3GZnl5PcMLxfPAIpALs-PkeiUd9FU18J1YDFyd_awoMSt0dPvbCwU/s200/2016-05-22-00080.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mausoleum of Mao Zedong</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">On the opposite site there is the imposing <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhengyangmen">Zhengyangmen</a> (</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">正陽門</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">), or "the gate of the zenith sun". The gate once guarded the south entrance to the inner city, as part of Beijing historic city walls. The walls are now gone, but the gate is still an important geographic marker along the north-south axis of the city. First built in 1419 during the Ming dynasty, the gate guarded the entrance to the imperial city. In 1900 the gate was destroyed during the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxer_Rebellion" style="font-family: inherit;">Boxer rebellion</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, when a </span>Chinese<span style="font-family: inherit;"> militia rebelled against foreign imperialism and Christian missionaries. The rebellion was crushed during the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Peking_(1900)">battle of Beijing</a>, when an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight-Nation_Alliance">Eight-Nation Alliance</a> invaded the city: the tower played a prominent role during the fighting. </span>Zhengyangmen was later reconstructed by the Qing dynasty, in direct violation of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxer_Protocol">Boxer protocol</a> (one of the "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unequal_treaty">Unequal Treaties</a>" imposed to China by the invading powers). The tower of course is not the only prominent building in the square. The equally imposing Chairman Mao Memorial Hall (<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">毛主席紀念堂</span>) stands at the center of the Square, with the crystal coffin where the embalmed body of the "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mao_Zedong">Great Helmsman</a>" is visited by the millions (kind of ironic given that Mao himself wished to be buried). A very controversial historical figure abroad, Mao Zedong is still very popular in China.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Since it was built, the centrality of Tiananmen Square made it the stage of several important protests that happened on the site, the last of which the "June Forth Incident" (<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">六四事件</span></span>). These are the 1989 student's revolt that in the West are known as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Square_protests_of_1989">Tiananmen Square protests</a>, forcibly repressed by the government when it declared martial law. Access to the square is now heavily controlled, with fences and security gates along its entire perimeter, and plenty of security cameras (zoom-in at the lamp post in the photo on the left), in part because of the terrorist attack that killed 5 people in 2013.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LQtXdN8xasQ/WDIxQhj-srI/AAAAAAAAcRA/tosWcPEXh28NAsZw3pX6tCh-1AHChbWQQCPcB/s1600/2016-05-22-00068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LQtXdN8xasQ/WDIxQhj-srI/AAAAAAAAcRA/tosWcPEXh28NAsZw3pX6tCh-1AHChbWQQCPcB/s640/2016-05-22-00068.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China (May 22, 2016)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Massimo Marengohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260266426364605240noreply@blogger.com0Tiananmen Square, Dongcheng Qu, China39.9054895 116.3976317000000315.940462500000002 75.089037700000034 63.8705165 157.70622570000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412350693340708700.post-32928964425607055472016-10-16T23:18:00.000-04:002016-10-16T23:18:44.626-04:00Ancient Script<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gpzUkyRcxjs/WAQUp9L-KmI/AAAAAAAAbqI/3y5AaH0cKb8d0lwnocgy9YvMeWUt4CVkgCPcB/s1600/2016-05-21-00038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gpzUkyRcxjs/WAQUp9L-KmI/AAAAAAAAbqI/3y5AaH0cKb8d0lwnocgy9YvMeWUt4CVkgCPcB/s640/2016-05-21-00038.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande" , "trebuchet ms" , "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">The Forbidden City, Beijing, China (May 21, 2016)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">China is old. You won't realize it based on the modern buildings in the post-Olympics busy Beijing, but just enter in on one of the many </span>pavilions<span style="font-family: inherit;"> inside the <a href="http://en.dpm.org.cn/">Palace Museum</a> and you will breathe the air of history. The Forbidden City is actually one of the largest museum of the world, with 980 surviving buildings and 8707 rooms covering a total 720,000 square meters.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FC5yW4olqbs/WAQUrrEH8LI/AAAAAAAAbqQ/1agqHVSOJREz1e3aezHDT800y5wrEQwkgCPcB/s1600/2016-05-21-00041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FC5yW4olqbs/WAQUrrEH8LI/AAAAAAAAbqQ/1agqHVSOJREz1e3aezHDT800y5wrEQwkgCPcB/s200/2016-05-21-00041.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande" , "trebuchet ms" , "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Ancient Script</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is much more than can be seen in just a brief afternoon visit, so we cherry-picked a few collections to visit, and that was still mind-blowing. I am not known to be a </span>meticulous tourists, of the very organized sort that reads tons of guides and one month in advance of the trip knows the exact itinerary to maximize a visit. I do buy a guide or two, but then wait to the last minute before actually opening them, so that by the time of the tour I only have a sketchy idea of what I can see. Not the most efficient way, but on the other hand it leaves one's mind open to the surprise of discovery. This visit was no exception. It was also a hot day, and <a href="http://photoblog.ornitorinko.org/2016/10/just-two-subway-stops-to-forbidden-city.html">we had already walked a lot</a> just to get to to the Forbidden City entrance, so it didn't take very long until we found ourselves looking for a cool place to rest. This is how we found a pavilion with the holy combination of shade, air conditioning, and an impressive collection of fine bronze utensils, musical instruments and weapons, some of them 5,000 years old.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9s_0MsOCifA/WAQUtiYSyBI/AAAAAAAAbqs/yqrSwqOBvrspLBj2PUdxsiMyBEABChKPACPcB/s1600/2016-05-22-00082.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9s_0MsOCifA/WAQUtiYSyBI/AAAAAAAAbqs/yqrSwqOBvrspLBj2PUdxsiMyBEABChKPACPcB/s200/2016-05-22-00082.jpg" width="116" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande", "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Ancient Script</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Several of the items were actually inscribed, with ancient characters that were at the same time familiar and novel. One example is in the photo above, that shows an example of such writing (on the left) with the corresponding modern characters. The resemblance is there, but the older version is more closely representing an actual drawing of the subject it portraits, while the modern equivalent is more stylized. The legendary origin of the Chinese characters refers to the mythical Cangjie (<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;">倉頡</span>), the four-eyed historian of the equally mythical Yellow Emperor, the founder of Chinese civilization and the ancestor of all Chinese people. Legend has that Cangjie used his four pupils to see things that nobody else could see, including ghosts and deities, and was very observant. Tasked by his emperor to devise a method to record informations for posterity, he was inspired by the footprint of a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixiu">pixiu</a> (a winged lion), and created a large number of symbols to represent all things: the ancient Chinese script. Another version of the legend postulates that Cangjie was instead inspired by the veins in the shell of turtles: particularly interesting postulation, given that archeologists have unearthed fragments of turtle shells with actual writing on them. Whatever the inspiration, the legend of Cangjie would place the invention of Chinese writing around 2700-2600 BC, when the Yellow emperor reigned.<br />
<br />
The earliest record of actual writing (apart from individual isolated signs inscribes on bones), however, go about as back as the Shang dynasty (about 1200 BC). One example is the inscription in the ox scapula shown in the small photo above (left), which I photographed the following day at the <a href="http://en.chnmuseum.cn/">National Museum of China</a>. That is where we will go in the next post.</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KH9Qm0KDLC8/WAQUsmKruoI/AAAAAAAAbqs/u4dTK1qbNx4ksVmB7pc8m7mhGwKVtYvEACPcB/s1600/2016-05-21-00057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KH9Qm0KDLC8/WAQUsmKruoI/AAAAAAAAbqs/u4dTK1qbNx4ksVmB7pc8m7mhGwKVtYvEACPcB/s640/2016-05-21-00057.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande", "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">The Forbidden City, Beijing, China (May 21, 2016)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Massimo Marengohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260266426364605240noreply@blogger.com0Dongcheng, Beijing, China39.916492418990735 116.3971102237701439.915731418990738 116.39584972377014 39.917253418990732 116.39837072377014tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412350693340708700.post-12815698468514547412016-10-08T16:48:00.000-04:002016-10-08T16:48:00.975-04:00Forbidden City<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qtbir_whOeQ/V_lEFFBOSnI/AAAAAAAAbcQ/ugmD2bCloasuqNB2at_eP-NtgRuQUSemQCPcB/s1600/2016-05-21-00051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qtbir_whOeQ/V_lEFFBOSnI/AAAAAAAAbcQ/ugmD2bCloasuqNB2at_eP-NtgRuQUSemQCPcB/s640/2016-05-21-00051.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande", "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">The Forbidden City, Beijing, China (May 21, 2016)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Forbidden City is BIG. After walking around its whole length along its perimeter wall and moat, we finally reached Tiananmen Square: there is where the South entrance to the Forbidden City is located, under a gigantic portrait of Chairman Mao, Mona Lina smiling at the long line of tourists clearing the security check leading to the red plastered walls of the monumental Gate of the Heavenly Peace.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jDU-ows3vNY/V_lEHacHaAI/AAAAAAAAbcQ/EQ3hq1Yo5Qwi9sfM8t0W0Myi8z31c63tgCPcB/s1600/2016-05-21-00061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jDU-ows3vNY/V_lEHacHaAI/AAAAAAAAbcQ/EQ3hq1Yo5Qwi9sfM8t0W0Myi8z31c63tgCPcB/s200/2016-05-21-00061.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande", "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">The Inner Golden River</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Forbidden City had been the seat of Chinese imperial power for almost 500 years, until the 1912 abdication of Puyi, the last emperor of China. For the following twelve years the last emperor was confined in the Inner Court of the sprawling complex, while the Outer Court was, for the first time in history, opened to the public. This arrangement ended in 1924, when a coup ended once and for all the Qing dynasty and the imperial rule in China. The Japanese invasion, and then the Chinese Civil War caused many of the treasures in the Forbidden City to be evacuated. Much was returned at the end of War War II, but a small but highly valuable part of the collection is still missing, kept in the National Palace Museum in Taipei. In the years following the establishment of the People's Republic of China the palace was left in disrepair, and sometimes directly threatened of destruction, as during the Cultural revolution when in the eyes of the revolutionary zeal it became a symbol of the overthrown oppressive imperial power. It was only saved when the premier Zhou Enlai sent an army battalion to defend the city. In 1987 the Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage site and the Chinese government has finally recognized its cultural (and economic, given its value as a touristic attraction) importance. Now administered by the Palace Museum, it is undergoing a massive restoration project aimed to bring back the splendor of its buildings in their pre-1912 state (much has been already done, but we could see areas still fenced off as the works continue).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Even though only part of the complex is open to the public, the sheer size of the structure is too much to be visited in a single day. One walks from courtyard to courtyard, passing under one gate after the other in what is the largest collection of preserved ancient wood structures in the world. The courtyard opening on the Meridian Gate is so expansive that a wide canal flows through it, crossed by 5 marble bridges (the Inner Golden River, small photo on the left). With 14.6 million annual visitors (for what I could see, a large fraction of them are Chinese nationals, or come from nearby asian countries) it is the most visited museum in the world.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AXBWczbgOQ4/V_lD7gtSscI/AAAAAAAAbcQ/ndkMrbsSNRsJEaUfMYE4xgtARc8xYBgvQCPcB/s1600/2016-05-21-00026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AXBWczbgOQ4/V_lD7gtSscI/AAAAAAAAbcQ/ndkMrbsSNRsJEaUfMYE4xgtARc8xYBgvQCPcB/s640/2016-05-21-00026.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande", "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">The Forbidden City, Beijing, China (May 21, 2016)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Massimo Marengohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260266426364605240noreply@blogger.com0Dongcheng, Beijing, China39.914221230368753 116.3971960544586239.913460230368756 116.39593555445862 39.91498223036875 116.39845655445862tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412350693340708700.post-8042975713553185432016-10-01T14:09:00.001-04:002016-10-01T14:09:24.745-04:00Just Two Subway Stops to the Forbidden City<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2ByCsp1VrYQ/V-_quhyitpI/AAAAAAAAbMU/Di3sF9bRkGwUhbXz5IB29pNs6Z44483lQCPcB/s1600/2016-05-21-00016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2ByCsp1VrYQ/V-_quhyitpI/AAAAAAAAbMU/Di3sF9bRkGwUhbXz5IB29pNs6Z44483lQCPcB/s640/2016-05-21-00016.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande", "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">The Moat and Wall of the Forbidden City, Beijing, China (May 21, 2016)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><div style="text-align: justify;">
China is 13 hours ahead of the time zone where I live, which is as bad as it gets since it completely invert the sleep/awake cycle. Being able to function after such a time slip requires some adjustment, so I planned to arrive in Beijing two days before the start of my meeting. Adjusting to a new time zone however works only if you resist hitting the bed during the day, and stuck to the sleep schedule of the new location. That means keeping busy while the internal clock gets in sync with the sun.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UTla9wAiTfU/V-_qulufm3I/AAAAAAAAbMU/mHUiq0pkR0oXInHCZf-zYE7jkBBnFzwKACPcB/s1600/2016-05-21-00010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UTla9wAiTfU/V-_qulufm3I/AAAAAAAAbMU/mHUiq0pkR0oXInHCZf-zYE7jkBBnFzwKACPcB/s200/2016-05-21-00010.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande", "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Forbidden City Moat</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I decided to spend the first adjustment day visiting the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbidden_City">Forbidden City</a>, just a short subway ride from my hotel. It is in fact quite easy to move around in Beijing. The city has 18 lines, 334 stations and 554 km (344 miles) of tracks making the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing_Subway">Beijing subway</a> the second largest system in the world (after Shanghai). All this is quite recent, since only two lines where in operation before 2002, with the largest expansion was completed for the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Summer_Olympics">summer Olympics</a> games hosted in 2008. Since I read about how imposing was the wall and moat surrounding the Forbidden City, I convinced my graduate student that went along for the trip that we should get off the train before the main entrance, and walk a little along the wall. According to my map that meant walking for just a couple of stops, strolling through a modern boulevard leading straight to the back side of the Forbidden City, and then walking along the moat to the main entrance facing <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Square">Tiananmen square</a> on the opposite side. The weather was pleasantly warm and sunny, and the air exceptionally clear, without the dense cap of smog that the city is notorious for. What could go wrong?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Well, what went wrong is that I apparently don't know how to properly read distances on a map. The distance between the two stops turned out to be over 3 miles, and took a couple of hours to navigate in the heavy traffic of the big city, to then arrive at the entrance of the Forbidden City, which is something that in itself takes at least a full day to visit. My graduate student was not amused, and she is still reminding me of this episode every time she want to point out how my judgment may not be up to the task when we explore new directions in our daily research work. From that point onward she got in charge of navigating our excursions on the city's transport system. The trick for a successful career in academia is finding students that are smarter than you...</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dBOlxKyyX8s/V-_qujHazvI/AAAAAAAAbMU/wSz0ij3gS547Tthdj2BUpajdMyqbNdrOgCPcB/s1600/2016-05-21-00014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dBOlxKyyX8s/V-_qujHazvI/AAAAAAAAbMU/wSz0ij3gS547Tthdj2BUpajdMyqbNdrOgCPcB/s640/2016-05-21-00014.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande", "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">The Moat and Wall of the Forbidden City, Beijing, China (May 21, 2016)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Massimo Marengohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260266426364605240noreply@blogger.com0Dongcheng, Beijing, China39.922639062581347 116.4026355743408239.916550562581349 116.39255057434082 39.928727562581344 116.41272057434082tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412350693340708700.post-58664303681766790612016-09-24T14:41:00.000-04:002016-09-24T14:41:49.468-04:00Flying to the Far East<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9jCd5lTSsY4/V-az5atJbpI/AAAAAAAAa0A/SD_9s25prVsH3_O2RIvq0aNzJVI7vuRkACLcB/s1600/2016-05-19-00003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9jCd5lTSsY4/V-az5atJbpI/AAAAAAAAa0A/SD_9s25prVsH3_O2RIvq0aNzJVI7vuRkACLcB/s640/2016-05-19-00003.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande", "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px;">Somewhere over Iowa (May 19, 2016)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
When I was a student in Pisa, I spent countless hours watching the world pass by, from the window of the <i>intercity train</i> that would ferry me back and forth between the city where I was studying, and the one where my family lived in the North of Italy. It seemed a very long trip at the time (about 200 miles that the train would cover in 4 hours), even though in my current midwestern frame of reference it is but around the corner. I relished watching the life of strangers pass-by from the second class window, like an unscripted movie pasted together by a director not quite awake from a surrealist dream. A way to suspend one's own thoughts by borrowing fleeting moments of other people's life.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRISOkqcTZPlN7ttQ-XERnZU6RU4JHX3PhF3vIvznw0I2a-NktVu6wBbqYeOMcF_j9yFcKzCVY61Ax9Z6h4w7rMG6Y6FKzeE-u2m4yOJUV1VG4_6DwqAYRPls7q09EvKdRud0wdcdH_uYA/s1600/2016-05-19-00001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRISOkqcTZPlN7ttQ-XERnZU6RU4JHX3PhF3vIvznw0I2a-NktVu6wBbqYeOMcF_j9yFcKzCVY61Ax9Z6h4w7rMG6Y6FKzeE-u2m4yOJUV1VG4_6DwqAYRPls7q09EvKdRud0wdcdH_uYA/s200/2016-05-19-00001.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande", "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px;">Des Moines Airport</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Since I came to the US, trains ceased to be my main method of transportation. The distances here are much larger than in Europe, and the trains themselves are just a shadow of their past glory, when they opened the Frontier to civilization (our particular variant of it) and genocide (of the people that had already civilized these wanted lands). In the US you either move by car, (the mechanical overlords that control America's suburbia commuters' life) or you fly. I started to fly a lot. To the observatories on top of remote desert mountains where I would use giant pieces of glass to pierce the sky (or, most often than not, the hated clouds) in invisible light. To far away cities where I would meet like-minded astro-obsessed individual, where we would discuss in conference the mysteries found in these observations. Even though the pace of my travel has decreased since moving to a University (teaching commitments) and since I started to use space telescopes (you don't really have to travel to space to use them), I still fly a lot. In about a decade I clicked over three quarters of a million miles, on just one of the many airlines that had been ferrying me around. This is more than 4 times the distance from the Earth to the Moon.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The next few posts will be about one of such trips. Mid-May this summer, as soon as the classes ended and the students were given to know their fate after the final exam, I packed my carry-on luggage and drove to the Des Moines airport, ready to fly to Beijing via Chicago. This was my first time in China, a country I had been always curious about, but never visited before. As I was traveling light, I made the objectionable choice of leaving my DSLR camera home. All the photos you will see in this series, including the ones in this post, were therefore shot as JPEG with an iPhone 6, and subsequently processed with Lightroom on my computer. In the next posts I will talk about the conference, and the places and people I visited in the trip. I hope you will enjoy coming along!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-taIcvJrESoY/V-bISG6CEUI/AAAAAAAAa00/6EyVkhYw-UUmth77EJMMujMgGJk_u74HQCLcB/s1600/2016-05-19-00004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-taIcvJrESoY/V-bISG6CEUI/AAAAAAAAa00/6EyVkhYw-UUmth77EJMMujMgGJk_u74HQCLcB/s640/2016-05-19-00004.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande", "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px;">Chicago O'Hare Airport (May 19, 2016)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Massimo Marengohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260266426364605240noreply@blogger.com0Iowa, USA41.8780025 -93.09770200000002738.854508 -98.261276000000024 44.901497 -87.93412800000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412350693340708700.post-70722178621590850422016-09-10T18:50:00.000-04:002016-10-08T16:54:48.884-04:00Grand Marais at Night<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Yr7JjcBvsvU/V9R1X4D1pKI/AAAAAAAAaXg/E4pt1LF70Og_YozYa_8opQQSQAhpDrqKgCPcB/s1600/2016-08-19-00199.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Yr7JjcBvsvU/V9R1X4D1pKI/AAAAAAAAaXg/E4pt1LF70Og_YozYa_8opQQSQAhpDrqKgCPcB/s640/2016-08-19-00199.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande" , "trebuchet ms" , "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px; text-align: justify;">Grand Marais, MN (Aug 19, 2016)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Marais,_Minnesota">Grand Marais</a> is a small center on the shores of Lake Superior, on the Minnesota side. Until the 1920s it could only be reached via boat through the lake. That made the town an important port in the area, thanks to the double bays that offered shelter from the severe storms that hits the area in winter.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PFFMUTmoylI/V9R1X91kcnI/AAAAAAAAaXg/cID2_Myl55EnfWowKqa1ibnI75gCHUCbQCPcB/s1600/2016-08-19-00175.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PFFMUTmoylI/V9R1X91kcnI/AAAAAAAAaXg/cID2_Myl55EnfWowKqa1ibnI75gCHUCbQCPcB/s200/2016-08-19-00175.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande" , "trebuchet ms" , "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px; text-align: justify;">Walking at sunset</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The original name of the place, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ojibwe_language">Ojibwe</a> <i>Gichi-Biitoobiig</i>, meant "double water", in reference to these two coves separated by a thin promontory protruding into the lake. A long walkway connects the two harbors, sneaking on the red rock all the way to the lighthouse at the end of the west side cove. A second lighthouse protects the cove from the opposite side. The promontory is now reinforced with a concrete drywall, to protect the fishing port that you can see in the panorama below. A placid mirror of still water bathed in the pink hues of the sunset. The walkway is traced right on top of the seawall, and in some points is just a foot wide. That was not enough for Kero, with his ingrained dislike of water. He panicked and stopped midway, refusing to set one paw more in what he considered a watery trap for his samoyeds instinct. I cannot fault him for that: in the natural environment of samoyeds (Siberian tundra), falling from the ice into liquid water would be a death sentence... So we had to turn back, but not before taking a couple of shots of other tourists walking on the ruby red rocks, or of the lighthouses in the fast approaching darkness.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Grand Marais is not isolated anymore and is now easily reachable driving along the scenic route 61, an hour past the Split Rock Lighthouse. It is a small and livable town, with many excellent restaurants and pubs. We had dinner at the <a href="http://www.harborhousegrille.com/">Harbor House Grille</a>, with Kero that was allowed to stay with us on the nice patio. We got a local fresh fish, that turned out to be just perfect. Well worth the visit.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_B805627Ffs/V9R1X0Q1qSI/AAAAAAAAaXg/tVrJhw1k-OAKJZRLiFktmFLLel9O6fsJQCPcB/s1600/2016-08-19-00151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_B805627Ffs/V9R1X0Q1qSI/AAAAAAAAaXg/tVrJhw1k-OAKJZRLiFktmFLLel9O6fsJQCPcB/s640/2016-08-19-00151.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande" , "trebuchet ms" , "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px; text-align: justify;">Grand Marais, MN (Aug 19, 2016)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Massimo Marengohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260266426364605240noreply@blogger.com0Grand Marais, MN 55604, USA47.7504469 -90.33427269999998547.7077499 -90.414953699999984 47.7931439 -90.253591699999987tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412350693340708700.post-88894981472019317912016-09-07T00:44:00.000-04:002016-09-07T00:44:30.759-04:00The Split Rock Lighthouse State Park<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pMWvHwCSkuw/V8-LTQVUZ2I/AAAAAAAAaOI/ZQQyoWq3el0beApQ4wVxA8OyX53UhZ9jgCPcB/s1600/2016-08-18-00051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pMWvHwCSkuw/V8-LTQVUZ2I/AAAAAAAAaOI/ZQQyoWq3el0beApQ4wVxA8OyX53UhZ9jgCPcB/s640/2016-08-18-00051.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande", "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px; text-align: justify;">Split Rock Lighthouse, MN (Aug 19, 2016)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><div style="text-align: justify;">
On November 27, 1905, a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mataafa_Storm">storm system</a> moved through the Great basin, bringing fresh easterly winds to the Great Lake region. By early morning the next day the winds had reached 68 miles per hour in the harbor of Duluth, Minnesota, on the shores of Lake Superior. It became known as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Mataafa">Mataafa</a> storm, after one of the 29 ships that sank that day. During the storm the water of the lake on the North Shore were raised by almost three feet above normal, and heavy ice and snow covered the region. The temperature were so low that one of the body of the unfortunate sailors from the Maatafa wreck had to be chopped out of solid ice from the bay to be given a proper burial.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9uextnlUt-o/V8-Pix7AoNI/AAAAAAAAaOo/y98Q416gMWopsoRQA8boHd0b3Tf6YUdegCPcB/s1600/2016-08-18-00078-Pano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9uextnlUt-o/V8-Pix7AoNI/AAAAAAAAaOo/y98Q416gMWopsoRQA8boHd0b3Tf6YUdegCPcB/s200/2016-08-18-00078-Pano.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande", "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px; text-align: justify;">Split Rock Lighthouse Park</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The portion of the Lake Superior shore where the wrecks occurred was named as the <i>most dangerous coast of the whole Great Lakes region</i>. To prevent a similar tragedy to repeat in future storms, the Pittsburg Shipping Company, owner of many of the lost vessels, lobbied the government to provide some protection in the form of a lighthouse. The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Split_Rock_Lighthouse">Split Rock Lighthouse</a> was built, on a 140-feet rock cliff overlooking Beaver Bay, not far from the site of another shipwrec from that fatal storm, that of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madeira_(shipwreck)">Madeira</a> shooner-barge. With its octagonal shape, steel-frames brick building, it is the most picturesque lighthouse on the Great Lakes. When it was built there were no roads along the North Shore of Lake Superior, and all construction materials had to be supplied by water, and lifted on the cliffs with a crane. Its dramatic location made it a popular touristic attraction for sailors and excursion boats, and in 1924 a road was built from Duluth to allow land access. This was the beginning of Route 61 now connecting all the previously isolated towns on the North Shore, all the way to Grand Marais. Now retired, the lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969, and designated as National Historic Landmark in 2011.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFAfElBe5N1Mh3yLH_1yzdANO0dVIg6zqaPYFXblRcTJA9HJA0p4PP-8VI3ZPio4kim4gwzOMHa3l5JUVsY4AVDC2KSRMccVi0VHwfczNczf4hyphenhyphenQj94J2hi5nhQbBlcZJ_06BVBLYXjzRj/s1600/2016-08-18-00101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFAfElBe5N1Mh3yLH_1yzdANO0dVIg6zqaPYFXblRcTJA9HJA0p4PP-8VI3ZPio4kim4gwzOMHa3l5JUVsY4AVDC2KSRMccVi0VHwfczNczf4hyphenhyphenQj94J2hi5nhQbBlcZJ_06BVBLYXjzRj/s200/2016-08-18-00101.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande", "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px; text-align: justify;">View from Corundum Point</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Since 1945 the lighthouse is part of the <a href="http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/split_rock_lighthouse/index.html">Split Rock Lighthouse State park</a>, managed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. We visited the park on our free day during our <a href="http://photoblog.ornitorinko.org/2016/08/the-belt-of-venus-in-iron-range.html">summer trip to the North Shore</a>. The park is beautifully maintained, with many trails on land, and even a kayak and canoe route along the lake shore. We spent the whole day walking around the park, with Kero leading the way from one pebbly beach to the next (see for example the panorama below). The park has several camping grounds easily accessible from the road; something to consider for the next time we will visit (assuming that Kero would be up for camping... we never tried staying overnight in a tent with him that and I am not sure he would be relaxed enough to actually let us sleep). Before turning back to the cabin we rented, we climbed up a trail leading to Corundum Point, a rocky outcrop raising from the lake with an excellent view on both sides of the shore (little photo above on the right). The point claims its name for the belief that the outcrop was rich of corundum mineral (Al<span style="font-size: xx-small;">2</span>O<span style="font-size: xx-small;">3</span>, the same gem as emerald). A crushing house was built high on the lake shore to process the mineral, that however turned out to just be a hard rock, and not the precious gem. One can still see the foundation of the mining buildings along the steep (and sometimes almost lost in the vegetation) trail.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
After a quick lunch with some cheese I "smuggled" from Italy, we went back to the car, for a quick stop on the cabin we rented near Lutsen, before heading north to Grand Marais for dinner.</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9LezyME_eu4/V8-LTaVqjiI/AAAAAAAAaOI/bfSbA36UQGoTe8pyx7N5ap7iwYIkGkflgCPcB/s1600/2016-08-18-00025-Pano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9LezyME_eu4/V8-LTaVqjiI/AAAAAAAAaOI/bfSbA36UQGoTe8pyx7N5ap7iwYIkGkflgCPcB/s640/2016-08-18-00025-Pano.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande", "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px; text-align: justify;">Split Rock Lighthouse Park</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande", "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px; text-align: justify;">, MN (Aug 19, 2016)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Massimo Marengohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260266426364605240noreply@blogger.com0Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, 3755 Split Rock Lighthouse Road, Two Harbors, MN 55616, USA47.2008967 -91.36711439999999123.2358747 -132.6757084 71.1659187 -50.058520399999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412350693340708700.post-30337817018765190542016-08-27T17:55:00.000-04:002016-08-27T17:55:15.229-04:00The Belt of Venus in the Iron Range<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3SJDr_AyEHA/V8IHenxaf9I/AAAAAAAAaBo/nz5dK2KkEw0pWOhB_GRx-p79JxpImU1IgCPcB/s1600/2016-08-18-00007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3SJDr_AyEHA/V8IHenxaf9I/AAAAAAAAaBo/nz5dK2KkEw0pWOhB_GRx-p79JxpImU1IgCPcB/s640/2016-08-18-00007.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande", "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px; text-align: justify;">Lutsen, Lake Superior, MN (Aug 18, 2016)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
One week ago we drove up all the way to the Minnesota shore of Lake Superior, to spend a couple of days bracing for the beginning of the new semester. After loading Kero and a few supplies in the car we headed to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutsen,_Minnesota">Lutsen</a>, where we found a last minute vacancy in a "<a href="https://www.lutsenresort.com/">Sea Villas</a>" resort on the lake shore.</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1fVY18pEGDo/V8IBY8RvD7I/AAAAAAAAaBE/2yGhjLb0HeQfKs9-41GpbQZRZwZmrfwngCPcB/s1600/2016-08-18-00001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1fVY18pEGDo/V8IBY8RvD7I/AAAAAAAAaBE/2yGhjLb0HeQfKs9-41GpbQZRZwZmrfwngCPcB/s200/2016-08-18-00001.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande", "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px; text-align: justify;">Belt of Venus</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The cabins were very nice, and also quite dog friendly, meaning that Kero got to enjoy the view and had a chance of barking his head off to the waves, when we explored the rocky beach just in front of the porch. The view was indeed nice: all the photos in this post were taken from the grass in front of the porch, just as the sun was setting, and the moon rising on the placid waters of the lake. Do you see the banded sky in all the photos of this post? The blue, then pink, then sunset-colored sky? It is called "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belt_of_Venus">belt of Venus</a>", and it is seen in clear skies opposite to the direction of the setting sun. The pink color is due to the light of the sunset scattered back by the fine dust particles high in the Earth's atmosphere. The dark blue zone that separates the pink from the horizon is instead the shadow of Earth projecting in the sky. The red rocks on the shore are not of that color because of the sunset: they are really that red, due to the high content of iron in the mineral in the area. After all, this is part of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Range">Minnesota Iron Range</a>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
You can see some of the cabins in the panorama below. We stayed there two nights, in between two days of driving (Lutsen is a 7.5 hours drive from Ames), with the middle day spent hiking along the lake shore, and having a nice dinner in Gran Marais (but this are stories for the next posts).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I0bPKtUAiFA/V8IBY3izsxI/AAAAAAAAaBE/28_aCplVHZYqQkjqJmLME5qQ0IQ05NqiwCPcB/s1600/2016-08-18-00023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I0bPKtUAiFA/V8IBY3izsxI/AAAAAAAAaBE/28_aCplVHZYqQkjqJmLME5qQ0IQ05NqiwCPcB/s640/2016-08-18-00023.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande", "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px; text-align: justify;">Lutsen, Lake Superior, MN (Aug 18, 2016)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Massimo Marengohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260266426364605240noreply@blogger.com0Lutsen, MN, USA47.6469402 -90.67480260000002147.5614027 -90.836164100000019 47.732477700000004 -90.513441100000023tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412350693340708700.post-70802689970743550602016-08-15T18:31:00.000-04:002016-08-15T18:31:08.679-04:00Did We Found the Aliens?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rmrjPp7q7PU/V7H29NXalAI/AAAAAAAAZc4/rj3jvDF2q9wWeA8INCiE1NSXTBTwPyQTgCLcB/s1600/ArtistConcept_CometDust.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rmrjPp7q7PU/V7H29NXalAI/AAAAAAAAZc4/rj3jvDF2q9wWeA8INCiE1NSXTBTwPyQTgCLcB/s640/ArtistConcept_CometDust.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande", "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px;">Artistic impression of a swarm of comet-like fragments transiting in front of KIC 8462852. The debris tails left behind each fragment could be responsible for the observed dimming of the star (source: NASA/JPL-Caltech). The inset shows the image of the star as observed at infrared wavelength with NASA's Spitzer Space telescope (Marengo et al. 2015)</span></blockquote>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="false"
DefSemiHidden="false" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="380">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footer"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="index heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of figures"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="envelope address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="envelope return"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="line number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="page number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of authorities"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="macro"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="toa heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Closing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Message Header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Salutation"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Date"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="List Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="List Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="List Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="List Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="List Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
border:none;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Well, most likely not. But before
addressing the alien situation, let me first take a step back.</i><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It all started with the <a href="http://kepler.nasa.gov/">Kepler SpaceTelescope</a>, NASA’s facility tasked with finding worlds orbiting other stars. The
spacecraft worked beautifully: since its 2009 launch it has already found 1041
extrasolar planets, with thousands more waiting for confirmation. Even after
surviving a near-death experience due to the failure of its reaction wheels
(the crucial devices that maintain its precise pointing), Kepler is still
churning out top science, discovering new planets and characterizing their
stars.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It is <i>not</i> one of the planets
discovered by Kepler, however, that has astronomers around the world furiously
scratching their head. It is a star, one of the 160,000 stars that Kepler
monitored continuously for over 4 years during its main mission, that gave us
the biggest surprise. It turns out that this star, with the uninspiring name
KIC 8462852<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1412350693340708700#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><sup><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span style="border: none; color: black;">[1]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></sup></a> has been
undergoing a “dimming” behavior so unique to start a veritable firestorm of
speculations among the scientific community, and the public as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The reason why this otherwise ordinary star
is so special is that KIC 8462852 during
some of its dimming episodes decreased its brightness by as much as 20%.
This kind of behavior is normally associated to events where an opaque body
(e.g. a planet) transits in front of its star, partially blocking its light.
When that happens, however, the dimming is usually less than one percent, it
repeats periodically, and has a very well defined ingress and egress profile.
Whatever obscured the light from KIC 8462852, however, did it in a very
disorderly fashion, managing to occult as much as 1/5 of the disk of the star.
This is unprecedented, rising the intriguing possibility that the culprit could
be some gigantic artificial structure being built around of the star with the
purpose of intercepting its light and use it as the ultimate energy source.
Such structures, known as “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyson_sphere">Dyson Spheres</a>”, have been described as the next step
of an alien civilization that, having outgrown its home planet, expands to
occupy its entire planetary system. In this view the dimming episodes observed
around KIC 8462852 would be caused by the elements of an incomplete Dyson sphere
transiting in front of the star, as the structure is still being assembled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">But, is this what is really happening
around KIC 8462852?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g-BUWExbrSw/V7H4DQhA-HI/AAAAAAAAZc8/b2A5X3akNpkUr2yH8s2MKVA5qRC8nywzgCLcB/s1600/83243BE0-69E5-43C4-8527-54624084BB22%2540physics.iastate.edu.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g-BUWExbrSw/V7H4DQhA-HI/AAAAAAAAZc8/b2A5X3akNpkUr2yH8s2MKVA5qRC8nywzgCLcB/s320/83243BE0-69E5-43C4-8527-54624084BB22%2540physics.iastate.edu.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande", "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px; text-align: justify;">Spitzer Space telescope (artist's impression)<br />and our spectrum of KIC 8462852.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As advanced as an alien civilization could
be, it must still satisfy the fundamental laws of physics. And among such laws,
are the principles of thermodynamics: if a Dyson sphere is intercepting a large
fraction of the light from the star it surrounds, it must be heated in the
process, and it must dissipate vast amounts of residual heat in the form of
thermal radiation. To test this hypothesis, and to search for natural
explanations for the unusual behavior of KIC 8462852, together with my students
I have analyzed archival data from another NASA facility, the <a href="http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/">Spitzer Space telescope</a>, designed to observe the cosmos in infrared light. Spitzer happened
to observe this star several months after the last dimming episode detected by
Kepler, offering the perfect opportunity to check for evidences of waste
thermal emission from any structure closely orbiting the star. As shown in the
<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/34926314/nasa-may-have-solved-the-alien-superstructure-mystery">analysis we published</a> in the November issue of The Astrophysical Journal
Letters, we didn’t find any sign of infrared radiation in excess of the light
from the star. Whatever caused the anomalous dimming of KIC 8462852 is not
anymore orbiting the star up close, but must have receded to the frigid
outskirts of the system, where any leakage radiation would be tuned to a
wavelength much longer than the infrared radiation to which Spitzer is
sensitive. This is hardly the behavior expected from a Dyson sphere closely
encircling a star. Furthermore, an <a href="http://www.seti.org/seti-institute/mysterious-star-kic-8462852">extensive search</a> for extraterrestrial
intelligence (SETI) transmission has so far failed to detect any signal coming
from this system (the gamma-ray astronomy group in our department has also been
involved in this search).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">If not aliens, what is then happening on
the doorstep of KIC 8462852? We still don’t know for sure. The leading
hypothesis is that the dimming was caused by the fragments of some small
planetary body (a large asteroid or a dwarf planet) that had the misfortune to
break-up along a highly eccentric orbit circling the star (such breakup events
are rare, but not unprecedented). As the fragments approached their orbit’s <i>periastron</i> the furious radiation from
the star could have caused ablation and sublimation of volatile elements from
the surface of the fragments, leading to the formation of enormous and opaque
streams of left-behind debris, capable to partially obscure the star. This
process is not different from the mechanism in which Solar System comets form
their dusty tails as they sweep around the Sun; it is just on a vastly more
massive scale. By the time Spitzer trained its optics toward KIC 8462852 the
fragments and debris tails would have had enough time to travel along their
orbit to the outskirt of the system, where not even the sensitive infrared
detectors of Spitzer could have detected their residual heat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We still don’t know if this hypothesis will
hold true: more data is needed to confirm or rule out this scenario. For this reason,
we have launched an international effort to monitor the star from space and
from the ground, hoping to catch a future dimming episode and perhaps detect
the elusive thermal radiation that must be associated with it. In the meantime,
KIC 8462852 remains one of the most mysterious stars in our Galaxy, a puzzle
that has stimulated the curiosity of scientist and public alike, and that we
hope will soon reveal its wondrous secrets.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><hr size="1" style="text-align: left;" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1">
<div class="Footnote" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1412350693340708700#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><sup><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><sup><span style="border: none; color: black;">[1]</span></sup><!--[endif]--></sup></a> KIC stands for “Kepler Input
Catalog” and the index code, despite appearances, is not a telephone number,
although it does answers a landline in Pleasantville, IA (don’t try this at
home).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">and that we hope will soon reveal its wondrous secrets.</span></div>
<div class="Footnote" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Footnote" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>This article was first published on the 2016 issue of "Quanta and Cosmos", the Alumni Newsletter of the Iowa State University Department of Physics and Astronomy.</i></span></div>
<div class="Footnote" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KU3x57NFYpo/V7I-LjsN95I/AAAAAAAAZdY/rTBNYoRRJmYvKAhxwqlOaLT-01vRZ69SQCPcB/s1600/2006-01-06-00034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KU3x57NFYpo/V7I-LjsN95I/AAAAAAAAZdY/rTBNYoRRJmYvKAhxwqlOaLT-01vRZ69SQCPcB/s640/2006-01-06-00034.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: lucida grande, trebuchet ms, verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px;">This image is unrelated to the topic of the post but hey, this is my photoblog so I want to have a photo shot by me in it. Las Campanas Observatory, Chile. Note that KIC 8462852 is in the Kepler Field (in between the Cygnus and Lyra constellations), so it is not visible from the southern hemisphere.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Footnote" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Massimo Marengohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260266426364605240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412350693340708700.post-46224372994446014962016-08-04T02:03:00.000-04:002016-08-04T02:21:14.689-04:00Leaving New Zealand<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AEmmEhq9zx8/V6LCnfHZTHI/AAAAAAAAZL0/1D7RLIFeunwQUEMLSzC4xpKg4MuG1CvXACPcB/s1600/2008-06-07-01502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AEmmEhq9zx8/V6LCnfHZTHI/AAAAAAAAZL0/1D7RLIFeunwQUEMLSzC4xpKg4MuG1CvXACPcB/s640/2008-06-07-01502.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande" , "trebuchet ms" , "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px;">Auckland, New Zealand (Jun 7, 2008)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">The trip finally arrived to its end. The last day our friends accompanied us to the <a href="http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/">Auckland Museum</a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">, where we saw the Maori exhibition and the Natural History collections. The museum has a large and nice kids section, which Tycho, Lenya and Halen are quite enthusiastic about.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"><br /></span></span>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wWJrg9ie5Bo/V6LCgfqu-VI/AAAAAAAAZLs/TZF_kF6510QDbQ_wjvqhIXTKAhvBjGJ1QCPcB/s1600/2008-06-07-01509.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wWJrg9ie5Bo/V6LCgfqu-VI/AAAAAAAAZLs/TZF_kF6510QDbQ_wjvqhIXTKAhvBjGJ1QCPcB/s200/2008-06-07-01509.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande" , "trebuchet ms" , "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px;">Auckland</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">The night before, between the beach and Kendra’s parents, we went with Greg on top of the <a href="https://www.skycityauckland.co.nz/attractions/sky-tower/">Sky Tower</a></span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">. The ride on the elevator to the observing deck is quite impressive, as the elevator has glass walls and one can see the structure of the tower (and the full drop). We even got a discount for the entrance fee, because the nice lady at the booth liked us and decided to give us the student discount even after we said that we were not students. Being New Zealand even going to the Sky Tower can be yet another occasion for extreme sport. The tower, 328 meters tall (1,076 feet), is the tallest free standing structure of the southern hemisphere. From its observation deck it is possible to practice the “<a href="http://skywalk.co.nz/">Sky Walk</a></span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">”, which consists in walking on a wire metal platform outside the windows (without rail or balcony), tethered to the structure but otherwise exposed to the elements. Or one can jump to the ground (tethered to a cable that slows down the descent just enough so that you arrive at the bottom alive and perhaps willing to try a second ride). If you are not so adventurous you can still experience the height by standing on top of a glass ceiling, watching the ant-sized people walking on the street 300 meters below.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">This is the last post of the trip. We took the plane back to Los Angeles, where Mayli got her connection to Chicago (she was going to a meeting in Minnesota), and I got harassed yet again at immigration because at some point my record with the homeland security database got screwed up. They know is their mistake (and a very obvious one), but apparently nobody knew how to correct it, so I had to go through this hassle every time I reentered the country, until it was finally resolved a few trips later. After the usual 45 minute delay I finally got on my plane to Boston... and arrived home.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">
</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">If you have landed to this page and you want to read all this from the beginning, jump back to the <a href="http://photoblog.ornitorinko.org/2015/10/new-zealand-diary.html">first post</a></span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"> or the cover page <a href="http://photoblog.ornitorinko.org/p/new-zealand-diary.html">here</a></span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">
</span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4sOo10_MKFQ/V6LCgQARHKI/AAAAAAAAZLs/z__Mb7hg6OQye52VNM633q48nYtKGCm0ACPcB/s1600/Pano-1521-1526.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4sOo10_MKFQ/V6LCgQARHKI/AAAAAAAAZLs/z__Mb7hg6OQye52VNM633q48nYtKGCm0ACPcB/s640/Pano-1521-1526.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande" , "trebuchet ms" , "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px;">Auckland, New Zealand (Jun 7, 2008)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Massimo Marengohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260266426364605240noreply@blogger.com0Auckland, New Zealand-36.8484597 174.76333150000005-37.2549887 174.11788450000006 -36.4419307 175.40877850000004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412350693340708700.post-88456989938942144772016-07-31T09:53:00.000-04:002016-07-31T09:53:22.214-04:00Surfing and Fishing<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g1oHhv8OuN0/V54AmHmzSLI/AAAAAAAAZHw/fiXmKQHMnBYrspdwjh6gd2a27Y6IRHwlACKgB/s1600/2008-06-06-01476.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g1oHhv8OuN0/V54AmHmzSLI/AAAAAAAAZHw/fiXmKQHMnBYrspdwjh6gd2a27Y6IRHwlACKgB/s640/2008-06-06-01476.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande", "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px;">Muriwai Beach, New Zealand (Jun 6, 2008)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">Not us, of course. We didn’t go surfing or fishing at Muriwai beach. We rather walked along the path with our friends watching the surfers and the people fishing on the shore down the cliffs. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h-TaoSuCAbU/V54AmORX3bI/AAAAAAAAZHw/7djWvUwUX-wGaevnXAOfDt_aRNSku-55QCKgB/s1600/2008-06-06-01461.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h-TaoSuCAbU/V54AmORX3bI/AAAAAAAAZHw/7djWvUwUX-wGaevnXAOfDt_aRNSku-55QCKgB/s200/2008-06-06-01461.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande", "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px;">Extreme Rock Fishing</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">Sports are quite an extreme activity in new Zealand, and this holds true for surfing (the waves are quite strong here, and the cliffs menacing), but even for fishing. It is called “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_fishing">extreme rock fishing</a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">” and seems to be very popular at Muriwai beach. The activity consists in fly fishing from rocks battered by the surf. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">This allows to reach deeper waters (and thus more fish) but entails the risks of being swept away by the waves. Apparently this is the fate of a good number of extreme fishers every year, swallowed by the surf, never to be found again (ok, maybe I am exaggerating, but people do drown this way). </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">We did see some close misses with gigantic waves (the weather was quite stormy as we were there) almost getting some fishers off the flat exposed rocks in the photo on the left. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">When it finally started raining we went back to our friends house (actually to Kendra’s parent house) where we were treated with dinner, and we watched a true kiwi event: a rugby match with the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_national_rugby_union_team">all blacks</a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"> playing (with the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haka_(sports)">haka</a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"> and all). The match was against Ireland, and I think they won (we had to leave before the end of the game). I have actually checked on the all blacks official web site and the game was on Jun 7: if true then all dates of this travel diary may be off by one day... oops...</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m9EfIjaN7KA/V54AmDKJLGI/AAAAAAAAZHw/WGXIg43P25Qa5YJYEt--TUpS7wnVWraKQCKgB/s1600/2008-06-06-01478.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m9EfIjaN7KA/V54AmDKJLGI/AAAAAAAAZHw/WGXIg43P25Qa5YJYEt--TUpS7wnVWraKQCKgB/s640/2008-06-06-01478.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande", "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px;">Muriwai Beach, New Zealand (Jun 6, 2008)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
Massimo Marengohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260266426364605240noreply@blogger.com0Muriwai, New Zealand-36.8362109 174.4340691-37.0396684 174.1113456 -36.6327534 174.75679259999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412350693340708700.post-64904070745504518792016-07-23T16:52:00.000-04:002016-07-23T16:52:20.022-04:00Muriwai Beach<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZCk55JSyDo8/V5PV3Yty4BI/AAAAAAAAY9Q/AI_9bWb2Q7YN4NzFQ1Y8Yc9B0hdEkB8OQCKgB/s1600/2008-06-06-01473.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZCk55JSyDo8/V5PV3Yty4BI/AAAAAAAAY9Q/AI_9bWb2Q7YN4NzFQ1Y8Yc9B0hdEkB8OQCKgB/s640/2008-06-06-01473.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande", "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px;">Muriwai Beach, New Zealand (Jun 6, 2008)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20.24px;">Before returning to the US, we made a stop in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auckland">Auckland</a>, were some friend of us live. Unfortunately, we didn’t have much time to spend there before getting back, but we were able at least to spend a weekend at their place. It was nice, after many years since we last saw each other.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20.24px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rqHV__Io88Q/V5PV3eD2ZXI/AAAAAAAAY9Q/U-34ix-0e_4LAU2fzFIuG1NH4zwnvuaLQCKgB/s1600/2008-06-06-01446.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rqHV__Io88Q/V5PV3eD2ZXI/AAAAAAAAY9Q/U-34ix-0e_4LAU2fzFIuG1NH4zwnvuaLQCKgB/s200/2008-06-06-01446.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande", "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px;">Kendra, Lenya and Greg</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20.24px;">We arrived at about dinner time, and we met at the cooperative pre-school where their kids are going (event hough, since we left, the oldest has started primary school). The occasion for meeting there was the celebration of <a href="http://www.mch.govt.nz/nz-identity-heritage/matariki">Matariki</a></span><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20.24px;">, the Maori new year, announced by the apparition of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matariki">Pleiades</a></span><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20.24px;"> in the northern sky. </span><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20.24px;">The exact day of the celebration depends on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iwi">iwi</a></span><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20.24px;">, but it is in general between June and July. To celebrate, we ate <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C4%81ngi">hangi</a></span><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20.24px;"> food, cooked to reproduce the traditional Maori way of cooking by hot stones and vapor in a covered pit. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">The next day we went to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muriwai">Muriwai beach</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">. Despite the very uncertain weather, the place was quite spectacular. The photo above shows weird cliffs with a strange polygonal pattern on top: the little geometrically disposed mounds are <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gannet">gannet</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"> nests, now abandoned until the next nesting season. The little photo on the left has our friends Kendra and Greg, with little Lenya carried by her mom (while Tycho and Halen were probably playing on a very vertical sand dune with their grandparents - which are really great people and adopted us while we were there).</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3nqk3G5MPxo/V5PV3f2ODYI/AAAAAAAAY9Q/epscsU3MU2kcHw2K8pTJGvxBZtrSA6iYQCKgB/s1600/2008-06-06-01472.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3nqk3G5MPxo/V5PV3f2ODYI/AAAAAAAAY9Q/epscsU3MU2kcHw2K8pTJGvxBZtrSA6iYQCKgB/s640/2008-06-06-01472.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande", "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px;">Muriwai Beach, New Zealand (Jun 6, 2008)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"><br /></span></div>
Massimo Marengohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260266426364605240noreply@blogger.com0Muriwai, New Zealand-36.8362109 174.4340691-37.0396684 174.1113456 -36.6327534 174.75679259999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412350693340708700.post-8670672556533709322016-07-17T23:57:00.000-04:002016-07-17T23:57:28.619-04:00Back in Christchurch<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sLEm8U5llzo/V4xQR92w5TI/AAAAAAAAYzg/kmqjuU6dGN4AleQ31g3zxwzAEiKdS2blwCKgB/s1600/2008-05-27-00097.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sLEm8U5llzo/V4xQR92w5TI/AAAAAAAAYzg/kmqjuU6dGN4AleQ31g3zxwzAEiKdS2blwCKgB/s640/2008-05-27-00097.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande", "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px;">Christchurch, New Zealand (May 27, 2008)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">This photo (as well as the small one below) is out of order, because the last day spent in the South Island I didn’t shoot a single frame. We arrived in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oamaru">Oamaru</a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"> late the night before. Our first option was to stop in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunedin">Dunedin</a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">, but we quickly realized that it was too busy a city to easily find an accommodation without reservation. So we continued driving until we reached the smaller town of Oamaru. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">After checkin-in in a motel we went to search for food. We went back and forth in the Victorian historic district</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">, all built in the famous “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oamaru_stone">Oamaru limestone</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">” without finding anything remotely open. After some searching, and indications from two kids smoking in front of a closed pub, we finally find the bar of a fancy hotel, serving... guess what... our daily fix of fish and chips.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ppdcuVezQPg/V4xQR00i48I/AAAAAAAAYzg/vsxjKdJ3LfcdQw2wnxp31vgF6oJsx-O2QCKgB/s1600/2008-05-27-00206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ppdcuVezQPg/V4xQR00i48I/AAAAAAAAYzg/vsxjKdJ3LfcdQw2wnxp31vgF6oJsx-O2QCKgB/s200/2008-05-27-00206.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">The next day we found the best breakfast place of New Zealand. The <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g255677-d726350-Reviews-The_Woolstore_Cafe-Oamaru_Otago_Region_South_Island.html">Woolstore cafe</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">, located in the restored Woolstore Complex, offers gourmet food in a spacious room with high ceilings. It is the perfect place to sit and read, and the food is really excellent. If you pass through Oamaru it is definitely worth the stop. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">We found the cafe by chance, on our way to Oamaru’s <a href="http://www.penguins.co.nz/">blue penguins colony</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"> touristic center. The center was closed, and in fact there were no penguins on the beach (of course, during the day the penguins are busy fishing). The place, however, looked a little sad, with a huge concrete tribune facing the beach for easy penguin watching. The place is equipped with floodlights to allow seeing the penguins after sunset, when the little birds are resting (trying to?). Difficult to judge, as when we were there the center was closed, but my feeling is that the penguin watch in places like <a href="http://photoblog.ornitorinko.org/2016/07/the-penguins-at-nugget-point.html">Nugget point</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">, where the humans are hidden in a way the least intrusive on the wildlife, is more rewarding.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.24px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">After the breakfast we were on the road again, for the last drive on Route 1 to <a href="http://www.ccc.govt.nz/culture-and-community/christchurch">Christchurch</a></span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">. We left the car at the airport and took the airplane for our last New Zealand stop: Auckland.</span></div>
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RH8iyvb39vQ/V4xQR40RuCI/AAAAAAAAYzg/jjVXyCppaI0a_uax5Xv66UMXZiDA2HEPwCKgB/s1600/2008-06-05-01435.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RH8iyvb39vQ/V4xQR40RuCI/AAAAAAAAYzg/jjVXyCppaI0a_uax5Xv66UMXZiDA2HEPwCKgB/s640/2008-06-05-01435.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande", "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px;">Nugget Point, New Zealand (Jun 4, 2008)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Massimo Marengohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260266426364605240noreply@blogger.com0Christchurch, New Zealand-43.5320544 172.63622540000006-43.9005494 171.99077840000007 -43.1635594 173.28167240000005tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412350693340708700.post-16618597039178471342016-07-09T14:55:00.000-04:002016-07-09T14:55:55.063-04:00The Penguins at Nugget point<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7cLRCojJ2Hc/V4FD9vVxTgI/AAAAAAAAYl8/zE6tbFgmQ905LuletrrWVTCZR6v6j6x9wCKgB/s1600/2008-06-05-01417.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7cLRCojJ2Hc/V4FD9vVxTgI/AAAAAAAAYl8/zE6tbFgmQ905LuletrrWVTCZR6v6j6x9wCKgB/s640/2008-06-05-01417.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande", "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px;">Nugget Point, New Zealand (Jun 4, 2008)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">We arrived at Nugget Point that was getting dark. The main feature of this rocky headland is the white lighthouse (photos below</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">), which is accessed from the main Catlins “highway” through an unpaved road closely following the coastline. The last part of this road is narrow and steep, in some points impressively so. Our rented Ford Focus seemed capable to negotiate the slope quite well, so we drove to the end (even though I was a little apprehensive at the idea of having to drive back in the dark). </span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20.24px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-24fihruEQTU/V4FD9u7ZsKI/AAAAAAAAYmA/vXKcjbNC7nMvUGIKE9GKogGsZxYwA5k5QCKgB/s1600/2008-06-05-01427.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-24fihruEQTU/V4FD9u7ZsKI/AAAAAAAAYmA/vXKcjbNC7nMvUGIKE9GKogGsZxYwA5k5QCKgB/s200/2008-06-05-01427.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande", "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px;">Nugget Point lighthouse</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">Just before the last curve we saw a sign about an “observatory” for the local colony of penguins. We stopped the car and walked on a narrow path leading to a wooden hut hanging to the cliffs. From the windows of the hut there was a good view of the beach and the grassy slope below. At first we didn’t see anything. Then, we saw a pair of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-eyed_penguin">yellow-eye penguins</a></span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"> pruning, on a platform mid-slope. After a little while, we started seeing one, two, many penguins slowly and clumsily walking out of the water. One would expect penguins to be well adept in getting in and out of the water. Well, that’s not the case. These penguins seemed to do a huge effort to get on dry land, as for every two steps they were negotiating with the swell, the next wave would push them back one step. In the end a dozen or so congregated around the few boulders shown in the photo above. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">The individuals we saw were all adults, as shown by the yellow band circling around their neck (compare to the photo of the <a href="http://photoblog.ornitorinko.org/2015/11/yellow-eyed-penguin.html">juvenile</a></span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"> we saw at <a href="http://photoblog.ornitorinko.org/2015/11/akaroa-harbor.html">Akaroa Harbor</a></span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">). After spending the day at sea they were retreating on <i>terra firma</i> to rest for the night.</span></div>
</span><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20.24px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">As we were watching them, it got dark to the point that making photos was getting impossible. We walked to the lighthouse and then back to the car, aware that we needed to drive 230 km more to get to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oamaru">Oamaru</a></span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">, were we intended to spend our last night in the South Island.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MQqaF7vuMvc/V4FD9iz1x0I/AAAAAAAAYmA/kDxPP41C1uQBmXvVzdelBJGeiYgln0YtgCKgB/s1600/2008-06-05-01378.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MQqaF7vuMvc/V4FD9iz1x0I/AAAAAAAAYmA/kDxPP41C1uQBmXvVzdelBJGeiYgln0YtgCKgB/s640/2008-06-05-01378.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande", "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px;">Nugget Point, New Zealand (Jun 4, 2008)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></span>Massimo Marengohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260266426364605240noreply@blogger.com0Ahuriri Flat 9271, New Zealand-46.448147925447472 169.81691837310791-46.450882925447473 169.81187587310791 -46.445412925447471 169.82196087310791tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412350693340708700.post-74408699940720473452016-07-02T19:32:00.000-04:002016-07-02T19:32:19.972-04:00Curio Bay and the Niagara Falls Cafe<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S_wtYpVYO4M/V3hIgGztbzI/AAAAAAAAYec/LPARIg3j94oyWtmZuB085a2zmhajnLmNQCKgB/s1600/2008-06-04-01343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S_wtYpVYO4M/V3hIgGztbzI/AAAAAAAAYec/LPARIg3j94oyWtmZuB085a2zmhajnLmNQCKgB/s640/2008-06-04-01343.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande", "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px;">Curio Bay, New Zealand (Jun 4, 2008)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20.24px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20.24px;">The unpaved road ended at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curio_Bay">Curio Bay</a></span><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20.24px;">, home of a petrified jurassic forest, a <a href="http://photoblog.ornitorinko.org/2015/11/meet-hector-dolphin.html">Hector's Dolphin</a></span><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20.24px;"> pod, and a <a href="http://photoblog.ornitorinko.org/2015/11/yellow-eyed-penguin.html">yellow eyed penguin</a></span><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20.24px;"> colony. We didn’t see any of the above. The sea was so rough that I am quite sure the dolphins were resting in some quieter waters and the penguins were getting their fix of fishes far from the crashing waves. What about the forest? Well, the forest is in the photo above... just submerged. It is best visible at low tide, and we clearly didn’t time it right. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">The view of the bay was however quite spectacular and worth the stop, with some of the most amazing surf I have ever seen (and heard, the thunder of the waves breaking on the rocks is quite deafening). The spray can get very high, as you can see in the photo below, taken from the top of the cliffs. Below the cliffs there is a beach, were occasionally sea lions can be found (nope, we didn’t see them either). The place was in fact completely empty, I imagine because of the low season and the foul sea. The shores of the Catlins are famous for their numerous ship wrecks: with these waves it is not difficult to understand why.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-503g5k3vhUM/V3hIgDgDmFI/AAAAAAAAYec/acafNavYj0kQ8TqqIp7txYaySe1sYCPsACKgB/s1600/2008-06-04-01309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-503g5k3vhUM/V3hIgDgDmFI/AAAAAAAAYec/acafNavYj0kQ8TqqIp7txYaySe1sYCPsACKgB/s200/2008-06-04-01309.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande", "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px;">Curio Bay</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">In the middle of the Catlins there are diminutive falls that somebody with sense of humor called “Niagara Falls”. We didn’t see the falls, nor the town with the same name, but we did stop in the neighborhood. It was already past lunch time and the town of Niagara was the first settlement we had passed in several hours. We stopped at a nice wooden construction along the Niagara-Waikawa road, with a large “<a href="http://www.niagarafallscafe.co.nz/">Niagara Falls Cafe and Art Gallery</a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">” sign in the front. The entrance is through the art gallery, which we didn’t have much time to explore. The cafe proper is in a luminous room facing a large patio which was closed, due to the cold weather. In the large garden, a goat with a stick stuck on her horns (to prevent her to stick her head in the fence, which apparently she had enjoyed one too many times). </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">On the wall there was a newspaper cutout with the story of the cafe. The owner was a nice New Zealand-born lady that until a few years before was a high level manager of some company in Australia. She got sick of the rat-race, came back home, found an old run-down school building in the middle of the Catlins and converted it into a cafe. The location may seem a little isolated (it was the only place we found in hours of driving), but that same isolation, along a road that is traveled by massive amount of tourists in summer, must be a boon for the business. Deserved business that is, as the sandwiches we got were quite good, the cafe was excellent, and the cake topped with ice cream was even better. </span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20.24px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">Restored, we left the cafe directed to our last Catlins stop: Nugget point and its penguin colony. But that is a story for the next post.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-olwK3f404Y8/V3hIgHMhKBI/AAAAAAAAYec/gfVSrUWZegwly06Q6o6VMTQYBaE-OO7jwCKgB/s1600/2008-06-04-01323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-olwK3f404Y8/V3hIgHMhKBI/AAAAAAAAYec/gfVSrUWZegwly06Q6o6VMTQYBaE-OO7jwCKgB/s640/2008-06-04-01323.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande", "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px;">Curio Bay, New Zealand (Jun 4, 2008)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></span>Massimo Marengohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260266426364605240noreply@blogger.com0Curio Bay, 9884, New Zealand-46.6630672 169.10324330000003-46.6657917 169.09820080000003 -46.6603427 169.10828580000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412350693340708700.post-16647975815708730232016-06-12T17:27:00.000-04:002016-07-03T19:13:03.257-04:00The Catlins<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5FCBvFTh6-k/V13Q55Uf8dI/AAAAAAAAYL8/CXrzY1P6GJE502s6S3-OqE9XYbKseQopwCKgB/s1600/2008-06-04-01305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5FCBvFTh6-k/V13Q55Uf8dI/AAAAAAAAYL8/CXrzY1P6GJE502s6S3-OqE9XYbKseQopwCKgB/s640/2008-06-04-01305.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande" , "trebuchet ms" , "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px;">The Catlins, New Zealand (Jun 4, 2008)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">For the last full day of our trip in the South Island we had on our plate the crossing of the Catlins. This is a region at the southern tip of New Zealand, between <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invercargill">Invercagill</a></span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balclutha,_New_Zealand">Balclutha</a></span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">, with a spectacular coastline and a dense temperate rainforest. The area had been inhabited by the Maori for more than 1,000 years. The modern name of the Catlins, however, is from Captain Edward Cattlin, who bought a large piece of land on 15 February 1840 from Kāi Tahu chief <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C5%ABhawaiki">Hone Tuhawaiki</a></span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"> for muskets and £30 (roughly NZ$3000 in 2005 dollars). The land commissioner declined to endorse the purchase, and most of the land was then returned to the Maori after Cattling death, but the name stuck.</span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">
</span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 20.24px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xFGXeAwp-WQ/V13Q58WKaBI/AAAAAAAAYMI/YF5bLwwoOM0u4xlCS5KID8Dm9vI_iWLuQCKgB/s1600/2008-06-04-01287.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xFGXeAwp-WQ/V13Q58WKaBI/AAAAAAAAYMI/YF5bLwwoOM0u4xlCS5KID8Dm9vI_iWLuQCKgB/s200/2008-06-04-01287.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande" , "trebuchet ms" , "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px;">The Catlins</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">We left <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Te_Anau">Te Anau</a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"> early in the morning on Route 94, turning South at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gore,_New_Zealand">Gore</a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"> to reach the “Catlin Highway”. I am putting quotes here, because this part of the Southern Scenic Route is no longer designated as a the State Highway 92. It is instead a collection of roads of different size, some of them not fully paved, many of them quite scenic. We were in a hurry, so we couldn’t stop much along the way, but the little roads of the Catlins are certainly worth spending some </span><em style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">slow</em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"> time, looking at the local fauna and at the landscape. We took one of these little roads, passing through the costal hills of the Catlins. The photo on the left shows one of the many ponds along the way, with the usual complements of sheep and aquatic birds (this time, uncharacteristically, swans). The photo above was instead farther down the way, I believe along the Haldane-Curio bay road, an unpaved road that leisurely crosses the southern part of the Catlins. The road ended up in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curio_Bay">Curio bay</a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">, but I will leave that for next post.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EGjfDaZOT9Y/V13Q53_p2zI/AAAAAAAAYMI/xd3tylVdviw_FvIPUilU381-kzQACFdFgCKgB/s1600/2008-06-04-01303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EGjfDaZOT9Y/V13Q53_p2zI/AAAAAAAAYMI/xd3tylVdviw_FvIPUilU381-kzQACFdFgCKgB/s640/2008-06-04-01303.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande" , "trebuchet ms" , "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px;">The Catlins, New Zealand (Jun 4, 2008)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Massimo Marengohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260266426364605240noreply@blogger.com0Haldane, New Zealand-46.627195 169.01168719999998-46.7144015 168.85032569999998 -46.5399885 169.17304869999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412350693340708700.post-14817021079808833172016-05-30T22:07:00.000-04:002016-07-03T19:14:10.955-04:00The Moose in Te Anau<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ob8OUhVRaeY/V0ztTfWP9jI/AAAAAAAAX-4/uGOgyqG-n7Ew4S7dXX7uPxb_QV8tudN2wCKgB/s1600/2008-06-03-01249.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ob8OUhVRaeY/V0ztTfWP9jI/AAAAAAAAX-4/uGOgyqG-n7Ew4S7dXX7uPxb_QV8tudN2wCKgB/s640/2008-06-03-01249.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande" , "trebuchet ms" , "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px;">Milford Sound, New Zealand (Jun 3, 2008)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">In total we spent two nights in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Te_Anau">Te Anau</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">. The first night we visited the <a href="http://photoblog.ornitorinko.org/2016/04/from-wanaka-to-te-anau.html">glowworm caves</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">, and the second we recovered the photos almost lost in the "<a href="http://photoblog.ornitorinko.org/2016/04/disaster.html">boat accident</a>"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"> at Milford Sound. In both cases we had been late for dinner, and survived on our daily fix of chips and fish at the local pub “The Moose”.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20.24px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2gkP2KSyH4I/V0ztTfuqBQI/AAAAAAAAX-4/5hSzg3YBjcgQCqHZg6T1n-ZGGbz-K6nLwCKgB/s1600/2008-06-04-01270.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2gkP2KSyH4I/V0ztTfuqBQI/AAAAAAAAX-4/5hSzg3YBjcgQCqHZg6T1n-ZGGbz-K6nLwCKgB/s200/2008-06-04-01270.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande" , "trebuchet ms" , "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px;">Eglinton Valley</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">You may ask: why anybody would want to name a pub “The Moose” in the New Zealand South Island? Well, we found the explanation in a journal framed on the pub walls: some people in Te Anau do believe that there are moose in the wild forests of <a href="http://www.fiordland.org.nz/">Fiordland</a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">. <a href="http://www.odt.co.nz/regions/southland/163058/secret-snaps-reveal-elusive-fiordland-moose">The story</a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"> goes like this. In 1909 the Canadian government agreed to capture 17 moose calves to be shipped to New Zealand. The 10 calves that </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">survived the trip where then released at Supper Cove, Dusky Sound, in April 1910, with the hope to create a local population of moose to allow future big game hunting. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">This was the second time Canada actually agreed to give moose to New Zealand. A first attempt in 1900 failed when all the shipped animals, minus one female, died during the trip. The surviving semi-tame cow never left for the forest, frequenting for the next 14 years the streets of the local settlements. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">The calves of 1910, instead thrived in their new home, to the point that in 1920 hunting licenses were issued. Two animals were killed between 1929 and 1934, but in the subsequent years the moose were forgotten, even though there are records of other animals killed in the 1950s. In 1972 there was a survey attempting to quantify the size of the surviving population, but no animal was found, leading to the conclusion that the moose had gone extinct due to the competition with red deers (another imported species, that had multiplied beyond measure completely destroying the local forest ecosystem).</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; line-height: 20.24px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">In 2000 traces of a moose were found by two hunters, and DNA testing of recovered snagged hairs confirmed the moose presence. Despite this, the subject of current moose presence in New Zealand is still controversial (most people don’t believe it), and the naming of the pub after the fables animal looked more like a running joke. Still the fish and chips were good, the fireplace very welcoming after the cold wind in our Milford Sound boat trip. And the local beer was excellent, moose or no moose.</span></div>
</span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rveDZSqGuxU/V0ztTZe23AI/AAAAAAAAX-4/71NgTgJVsogT-9o-V5zN3DakhVu67zZ2wCKgB/s1600/2008-06-04-01273.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rveDZSqGuxU/V0ztTZe23AI/AAAAAAAAX-4/71NgTgJVsogT-9o-V5zN3DakhVu67zZ2wCKgB/s640/2008-06-04-01273.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande" , "trebuchet ms" , "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px;">A lake on the way back from Milford Sound, New Zealand (Jun 3, 2008)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Massimo Marengohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260266426364605240noreply@blogger.com0Milford Sound 9679, New Zealand-44.671625 167.9256213-45.033502999999996 167.2801743 -44.309747 168.57106829999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412350693340708700.post-69187976232865125972016-05-14T22:14:00.000-04:002016-07-03T19:15:11.275-04:00Milford Deep<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g6x7zqP9rdE/VzfWEoecUUI/AAAAAAAAXpU/gsInGupQwqMc2pEiYdQfsRwUpqFWtZbOwCKgB/s1600/2008-06-03-01201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g6x7zqP9rdE/VzfWEoecUUI/AAAAAAAAXpU/gsInGupQwqMc2pEiYdQfsRwUpqFWtZbOwCKgB/s640/2008-06-03-01201.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande" , "trebuchet ms" , "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px;">Milford Sound, New Zealand (Jun 3, 2008)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">The fishes in the small photo below are <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_perch">Butterfly Perches</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">, which are one of the many species living in the waters of Milford Sound. The white “branch” in the background is instead the very rare <a href="http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/4728/black-coral">black coral</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"> (which is actually white, or bright colored, the black moniker due to the color of its skeleton). Black corals live only at great depths, but in Milford Sound can be found closer to the surface because of the unusual darkness of its waters. The <a href="http://photoblog.ornitorinko.org/2016/04/disaster.html">steep walls of the mountains</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"> in the fiord are rich in vegetation, but lack soil. As a consequence, the rain washes all organic matters directly in the sound, which is rich of tannin. That makes the water very dark, and allows the growth of the black coral.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20.24px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3V-VT6nGGik/VzfWEsPwRjI/AAAAAAAAXpY/wlR-81cuCD8B-g_qS6ZA_wQnGoqj57ZLgCKgB/s1600/2008-06-03-01233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3V-VT6nGGik/VzfWEsPwRjI/AAAAAAAAXpY/wlR-81cuCD8B-g_qS6ZA_wQnGoqj57ZLgCKgB/s200/2008-06-03-01233.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande" , "trebuchet ms" , "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px;">Butterfly perches and black coral</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">The photo was not taken in an aquarium, nor we did scuba diving. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;">We would have liked to (we even brought our masks along, but time (lack of) and a persistent congestion prevented that. Plus the New Zealand seas are quite cold all year round, and we were in winter. We however did see the marine life of Milford Sound in its natural setting. The <a href="http://www.southerndiscoveries.co.nz/milford-sound/milford-discovery-centre-underwater-observatory/">M</a></span><a href="http://www.southerndiscoveries.co.nz/milford-sound/milford-discovery-centre-underwater-observatory/">ilford Discovery Center and Underwater Observatory</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"> is a floating cylinder of concrete that is immersed over 10 meters deep in the sound. From its windows 12 cm thick it is possible to see the wildlife as you would see it from the window of a submarine. The observatory (which is built like a floating “tank” and as such doesn’t have any ecological impact on the fragile ecosystem of the sound) is exactly the opposite of an aquarium: the wildlife outside the window is completely free, its the people that are stuck in a “air” tank.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J05IshEU9gc/VzfWEn1LpeI/AAAAAAAAXpY/IzX9LG2dCHMNxmKrc3PUS6JrU5VihF2cgCKgB/s1600/2008-06-03-01228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J05IshEU9gc/VzfWEn1LpeI/AAAAAAAAXpY/IzX9LG2dCHMNxmKrc3PUS6JrU5VihF2cgCKgB/s640/2008-06-03-01228.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lucida grande" , "trebuchet ms" , "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.8px;">Milford Sound, New Zealand (Jun 3, 2008)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.24px;"><br /></span></div>
<br /></div>
Massimo Marengohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12260266426364605240noreply@blogger.com0Milford Sound 9679, New Zealand-44.671625 167.9256213-45.033502999999996 167.2801743 -44.309747 168.57106829999998