Clancy Tucker's Blog, page 32

26 January 2022 - PERTOSA CAVES - ITALY

 

PERTOSA CAVES 

- ITALY  -

G'day folks,

Ride a boat through this magnificent underground world, which now doubles as a theater. 

This karst cave system is is believed to be more than 34 million years old. Though typically known as the Pertosa Caves, cave system is also known as Grotte dell���Angelo (Angel Caves), in honor of Saint Michael the Archangel, or Grotte di Pertosa-Auletta, for the two municipalities where most of the caves are located.

Almost two miles (three kilometers)  long and still not completely explored, the Pertosa Caves are connected with the phreatic zone of the Alburni Mountain range in southern Italy���s Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park. The water coming out of the phreatic zone forms an underground river that passes through the cave system and later joins the Tanagro River.

 Thanks to this, the Pertosa Caves are among the few caves with a navigable stream. They���re the only caves of their kind in Europe that are accessible to tourists. To visit the first section of the cave, you must take a boat that���s pulled by a steel cable. The second part of the cave features a pedestrian path that winds between stalactites, stalagmites, and waterfalls.

Various vases and utensils dating back to the Stone Age and the Bronze Age have been found in the caves, leading to the hypothesis that the cavities were inhabited in prehistoric times. Today, the caves are not only a tourist attraction, but also a theater for productions inspired by Dante���s Inferno and Homer���s Odyssey.

Clancy's comment:  Sounds interesting, but I'm not so sure about caves. Anyway, today is Australia Day and I'm guest speaker for my region. Have a good one. Must away ...

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8 December 2021 - IMAGES OF THE FUKUSHIMA EXCLUSION ZONE

 

IMAGES OF THE FUKUSHIMA 

EXCLUSION ZONE 

G'day folks,

On March 11, 2011 a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck off the coast of Japan. The earthquake caused a tsunami that caused great damage to some of the northern provinces of Japan. 

Fukushima province was among one of the worst hit. A nuclear power plant located in Fukushima was severely damaged by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami. It was and still is the worst nuclear disaster since the Chernobyl disaster of 1986. There have not been many major nuclear reactor meltdowns since nuclear power was introduced as a mass-energy source. We do know however that even with protective equipment, side effects can occur.

 Clean up crews that were sent in to deal with the Fukushima disaster are starting to develop cancer years after their exposure. Studying the areas that are affected by nuclear disaster is considerably difficult because of the high levels of radiation that are present in the areas immediately surrounding the nuclear reactors.

The piles and piles of garbage bags you see in front of you contain contaminated soil from the disaster site. They are stacked on top of each other to save space.

 A photographer named Arkadiusz Podniesinski decided to brave the elements (literally) and capture what the site of the nuclear disaster looks like 9 years later. He has also visited many other abandoned places and documented his journeys. The results of journey are absolutely incredible and are must see.

Check out pictures of the Fukushima exclusion zone below … cars abandoned, classrooms left, supermarkets abandoned.

 

Clancy's comment: Wow. It was a big earthquake and tsunami, but man has a lot to answer for.

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20 January 2022 - AMAZING KALAMBO FALLS - ZAMBIA

 

AMAZING KALAMBO

 FALLS

 - ZAMBIA -

G'day folks,

This stunning waterfall is the backdrop to a site that has seen continuous human habitation for 250,000 years. 

In the Mbala district in Zambia, the Kalambo River forms the northern border of the country with Tanzania. Along the river is Kalambo Falls, a 725 foot (221 meters) high single-drop waterfall, making it the second-highest in Africa.

Besides the stunning views, Kalambo Falls is an important archaeological site, with the earliest evidence of human habitation dating approximately 250,000 years ago until the present day. This makes Kalambo Falls one of the longest continuously inhabited areas in the world.

 From 1953 to 1963, archaeologist J.D. Clark made extensive excavations of the Kalambo Falls site. He found evidence of continuous habitation at the site dating to the early Stone Age. These finds included stone tools, hearths, and well-preserved organic objects.

Kalambo Falls represents one of the strongest sites for evidence of early fire use by humans, with artifacts including charred logs, charcoal, and fire-hardened wooden implements dating to 60,000 years ago. Additional artifacts, such as heavy woodworking tools and burial sites, provide evidence of habitation in the region through the middle and late Stone Ages to the Iron Age, which saw the introduction of the Bantu people.

Clancy's comment: Certainly a place worth visiting.

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29 January 2022 - SONNY BONO MEMORIAL PARK - WASHINGTON DC

 

SONNY BONO

 MEMORIAL PARK 

- WASHINGTON DC -

G'day folks,

A small triangle of DC grass is the final resting place of one of Sonny and Cher's songs. 

Not every memorial in Washington, DC is a colossal, tourist-swarmed, marble and stone monument. Some, like Sonny Bono Memorial Park, are quiet, intimate, and easy to miss if you don’t know where to look. 

The small, triangular patch of grass where New Hampshire Avenue intersects 20th and O Streets has been a memorial to Salvatore “Sonny” Bono since his friend Geary Simon, a local real estate developer, dedicated the 800-square-foot space in 1998. Bono, who had achieved fame in his early life as a recording artist and producer, became friendly with Simon while serving as a representative for California’s 44th district, an office he held until his sudden death in 1998. The two men met at a martial studio owned by Simon’s girlfriend and attended by Bono’s children, and quickly developed a close friendship. Following Bono’s tragic ski accident, Simon approached the DC Department of Parks and Recreation, offering $25,000 of his own money for the development and maintenance of the unused space.

 Simon decorated the traffic island with shrubbery, small benches, a tree from Bono’s congressional district in Southern California, and a plaque reading “In Memory of My Friend Sonny Bono 1935-1998: Entertainer, Entrepreneur, Statesman, Friend.” Buried underneath the plaque is a small vault containing various memorabilia, including the original sheet music to Sonny & Cher’s “The Beat Goes On.”

Clancy' comment: A nice gesture for a friend, eh?

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25 January 2022 - THE MANSION on O STREET - WASHINGTON DC

 

THE MANSION on O STREET 

- WASHINGTON DC -

G'day folks,

With over 100 jam-packed rooms to explore plus elaborate tea services and events, the Mansion on O Street is a hidden treasure. 

The Mansion on O Street, near Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C., was founded by H.H. Leonards-Spero and opened on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 1980. The house itself boasts “over 100 rooms and 70 secret doors” spread throughout four maze-like floors. Part of this elaborate layout is due to the strange design of the mansion, which is not a mansion at all, but actually four row houses opened to one another and turned into one elaborate hotel/museum/private club.

Though a few items are part of the O Mansion’s “permanent collection,” most of the many thousands of items piled throughout the mansion’s themed rooms (many of which are acquired from local junk shops and garages sales) is for sale, including the thousands of books on the numerous floor-to-ceiling bookcases.

Because the Mansion also functions as a hotel, not all rooms will necessarily be open to the public at the time of your visit. Even so, a self-guided tour of the house can still take hours. Each themed room—some themes include a log cabin room, the French Renaissance room, and the Billiards Room—contains hundreds of pieces of art, books, and other “treasures” to examine and ponder. The mansion also includes also a large amount of Beatles and John Lennon memorabilia, including a Sgt. Peppers jukebox in the John Lennon Room. Be sure you locate the hidden door to the impressive “wine cellar” before you go. And no, that’s not the Amnesia room, which itself displays a large wine collection.

Clancy's comment: Another place I never visited whilst working there. 

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19 January 2022 - THE DUPONT UNDERGROUND in WASHINGTON DC

 

THE DUPONT UNDERGROUND

 in WASHINGTON DC

G'day folks,

Long-abandoned trolley tunnels just a mile away from the White House are turning into an art space. 

Underneath the bustling streets of Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C. there’s a long-abandoned trolley station and tunnels that have found fresh use as an art space.

For nearly 100 years, a network of streetcars ferried Washingtonians around the city, originally drawn by horses and later powered by elevated electric cables. The Dupont Circle station was constructed in 1949 and was unique in the streetcar system for being the only station that was built underground. It was in operation until the system was shut down and replaced by bus lines in 1962 and with plans for the Metro train system on the horizon.

The discontinued streetcar station was briefly set up to be a fallout shelter in the case of nuclear war with the Soviet Union, but even that function was ended in 1975 and the tunnels were sealed off and abandoned.

 

In 1995, a developer bought the abandoned tunnels from the city and built an ill-fated food court, called Dupont Down Under, on the abandoned tracks, with a dozen fast food vendors all operating out of spaces designed to look like the old streetcars. The project was short-lived, however. Ventilation and lighting were poor, employees were miserable from working in the dank and windowless area all day, and customers were hesitant to go underground into abandoned tunnels for a bite to eat. Dupont Down Under was shut down in only a few months and the tunnels were abandoned once again.

The tunnels were reopened to the public in late 2016, however, and the 75,000-square-foot former streetcar station is in the process of being converted into an artistic space. Local artists have begun transforming the tunnels into installations, including pieces that incorporate light and sound with the acoustics of the tunnels. Graffiti adorns the concrete walls and artistic pieces are tucked away in corners among the rubble of the abandoned food court.

Clancy's comment: I worked there for a few years, but never knew this existed. 

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24 January 2022 - PATUXAI WAR MONUMENT in VIENTIANE, LAOS

 

 PATUXAI WAR MONUMENT

 in VIENTIANE, LAOS

G'day folks,

This one of my favourite cities and countries in Asia. When the USA donated cement and funds to expand the airport in Laos, the Laotians built a massive monument instead.  

Patuxai is a massive war monument and triumphal arch in the center of Vientiane, Laos. It was completed in 1968, using funds donated by the United States – funds that were meant to be used for the construction of an airport.

Patuxai, meaning Victory Gate in English (and variously written as Patuxay, Patousai and Patusai), was built between 1957 and 1968 in memory of the Laotian soldiers who died during World War II and the war of independence from France in 1949.

It’s also known as the Arc de Triomphe of Vientiane due to its resemblance to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Patuxai, however, is slightly taller than its Parisian counterpart, has four gates rather than two, and is covered in distinctly Laotian designs.

The exterior of the monument is decorated with traditional Laotian motifs, including Buddhist symbols, Hindu deities and female spirits of the clouds and waters known as apsaras. The ceilings beneath the four arches are decorated with further depictions of Hindu gods, such as Brahma and Vishnu, and mythological creatures like the mythical bird-woman Kinnaree and the three-headed elephant Erawan.

On top of Patuxai, meanwhile, sit five towers, again built in the traditional Laotian style. Four of these are located on each corner of the monument, while a fifth rises up from the center, higher than the rest. These five towers are decorated with flower motifs and each is topped with a golden finial.

 Needless to say, the construction of the Patuxai monument was a costly project. The Laotian government, however, managed to fund the bulk of the effort with money donated from the United States – despite that money having been donated for an entirely different project.

In the 1950s, the United States provided Laos with funds and a huge amount of concrete for the expansion of the city’s airport, which could then serve as a base for US fighter jets during the Vietnam War. But the funds and concrete arrived before any contract had been signed, so the Royal Laotian Government decided to build a massive triumphal arch, rather than an airport serving foreign interests. For this reason, locals jokingly refer to Patuxai by another name: the Vertical Runway.

No mention of this is made on the sign attached to Patuxai. But the sign is strangely honest in other ways, stating that the monument was never actually completed due to the country’s turbulent history, and that “From a closer distance, it [Patuxai] appears even less impressive, like a monster of concrete.” Not a glowing appraisal, but refreshingly frank.

Clancy's comment. Wonderful city, wonderful people. Below, you'll find a snap of me some years back in Vientiane.

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28 January 2022 - FORTRESS GORAZDA - MONTENEGRO

 

FORTRESS GORAZDA

 - MONTENEGRO -

 

G'day folks,

This World War I fortress is the perfect place to catch a Montenegrin sunset.  

This Austro-Hungarian fortress was used by the Austrians during World War I, as they traded artillery shells with Montenegrin forces. It was originally constructed around 1884-1886. Although the turret guns are long gone, the fortress and all its glory still remain.

 The fortress was later used as a prison during the mid-20th century. Now, it sits completely abandoned on top of a mountain overlooking both the bay of Kotor and Tivat. Although it’s now now covered in graffiti, it remains an amazing place to explore. It’s also an excellent spot to watch the sunset. The views are probably among the best in the entire region.

 

Clancy's comment: Worth a visit I would say.

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23 January 2022 - FORT of SAN CRISTOBAL - Spain

 

FORT of SAN CRISTOBAL

 - SPAIN - 

G'day folks,

This huge abandoned fortress hidden inside a mountain holds a world of subterranean secrets. 

An enormous underground fortress hides within a Spanish mountaintop. Officially closed and abandoned by the military, its maze of silent corridors leads urban explorers, graffiti writers, and investigators of the paranormal alike deep into its world of subterranean secrets and horrors.

Originally viewed as a turn-of-the-century fortification in the early 1900s, the San Cristóbal Fortress was soon rendered obsolete with the emergence of airstrike operations. During the Spanish Civil War and Franco’s dictatorship, it was transformed into a prison that hosted thousands of men within its damp walls.

 During the fort’s stint as a prison, it became known for its harsh conditions. Summary executions, starvation, and tuberculosis were occurrences within the dank, depressing space. It wasn’t long before the mountain became filled with unnamed corpses, secretly buried in mass graves.

Not all captives were willing to accept their harsh fates. Beneath the light of a full moon in May of 1938, during the Spanish Civil War, 795 prisoners escaped from the fortress and fled into the night. Unfortunately, most were rearrested and once again faced deplorable conditions. More than 200 people died, hunted by guards and executed. Only three men managed to successfully escape to France.

The prison closed in 1945. A monument to those who escaped in search of freedom now stands atop the mountain.

 

Clancy's comment: Wow, only three managed to escape to France. 

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22 January 2022 - VALLEY OF THE DINOSAURS - BRAZIL

 

VALLEY OF 

THE DINOSAURS

 - BRAZIL -

G'day folks,

This is one of the few places in the world where visitors can walk alongside fossilized tracks from 80 different dinosaur species. 

As you walk around this natural monument in Northeastern Brazil, alongside dinosaur footprints in different shapes and sizes and life-size replicas of these jurassic creatures, you’ll be taken back in time over 100 million years ago.

The Valley of the Dinosaurs (Vale dos Dinossauros) contains about 20 fossilized dino tracks from 80 different species of dinosaurs. The walkways let visitors near 50 fossilized footprints of the carnivorous Noasauridae and 53 tracks of the herbivore Iguanodon, among many others.

The impressive tracks are set within a 270-square-mile preserved ecological area. The damp earth from rivers and ponds hardened over periods of drought, gained new layers of clay and fossilized these footprints for posteriority, making this area one of the most important places for dinosaur lovers all over the world.  

If you want to find out more about who these Brazilian jurassic creatures were, what they ate, how fast they ran, if they hatched their eggs, or if they could fly, you can also visit the museum of the Valley of the Dinosaurs. There, investigators carry on unraveling mysteries and working so they can answer questions from curious visitors, filmmakers, and children. 

Clancy's comment: It's hard to imagine that these creatures existed.

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