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Eight Days from Edinburgh Part 5
Imagine walking along your oceanfront property shortly after a storm to discover that the wind has blown away enough sand that some sort of stone structures are peering out from beneath. This is exactly what happened around 1850 in the Orkney Islands, where I will take you in this post. So for those who love history as much as I do, hang on to your hats, because at 5,000 years old, these are the oldest places I have visited! To give you an idea, they predate the pyramids of Egypt, and had been vacated for several hundred years by the time Stonehenge was built! Let’s first talk about getting to…
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Accessing Archaeology for Academic Engagement
Think back to your childhood for a moment. What did you want to be when you were a kid? Me? First, I wanted to be a marine biologist. Then, I saw Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and that sealed the deal. I was going to be an archaeologist! I even practiced my “Indy” skills once by jumping off of the train at the Kansas City Zoo and running back down the track to collect a treasure – I had lost one of my favorite earrings. (I had clip-ons at the time – I know…I know!) I just happened to see it on the ground as we rode past,…
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Surprising Stonehenge
Where are you traveling or have you traveled this summer? If you are like me, archaeological sites and other historical locations are high on your bucket list of top destinations. One place that has always intrigued me is Stonehenge. Now I obviously could not travel to Stonehenge in the UK, as Europe has closed its doors to Americans for now, and I can’t say that I blame them. BUT I DID visit America’s Stonehenge this summer! What? You’ve never heard of it? Well, I had never heard of it before either until I ran across a brief description in my DK New England guidebook! As a history teacher, the name…
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Mediterranean Cruise Series Episode 2 Greece & Turkey
Bon Voyage! Thanks for traveling with me! Welcome to Episode 2 of the Mediterranean Cruise Series. Our first two days on board ship were “At Sea.” We had to get from Venice, on the northernmost part of Adriatic Sea, to Athens in the Aegean Sea. We had plenty to do. We were not bored. We spent plenty of time on the pool deck, and staff were great at helping find deck chairs. We played a few games in the casino, and visited the Galaxy Lounge, and of course we ate. A lot. The food was great. We always ate breakfast at Ruffies -no really it was Ruffles. My daughter misread…
