So it is! Very quick Alice.

Credit to Raphael Kessler for the photograph.

Get Curious!

I have several phothos of Trakai Castle, none were taken when the lake was frozen, Kessler photo is fantastic!

Let's keep with the castle theme, here's the next challenge:


Looking at this ancient castle you would think it's a relic from Medieval Europe, but not so, this castle is in another Continent!

Never seem more learned than the people you are with. Wear your learning like a pocket watch and keep it hidden. Do not pull it out to count the hours, but give the time when you are asked. ~Lord Chesterfield~

"Do all things with love." Og Mandino

Ah! I knew all those hours of watching Michael Palin's travel documentaries would pay off one day!

I was quite sure I saw similar architecture in his Pole to Pole doco -- somewhere around Ethiopia. So I watched the episode again and sure enough: it's the castle at Gondar, which was the capital of Ethiopia in the 17th century.

Here Palin is up on the battlements (picture taken from his awesome website):
.
I'm still not 100% sure I got this right, but the architecture does look very Ethiopian and there can't be that many famous castles in the area, can there ...?

Did you take the photo yourself, Alice? I've always wanted to head north up Africa, but at this stage it's still a dream ...

Peace and peas, Mo

Gutta cavat lapidem non vi sed saepe cadendo.
~ Ovid (43 BC - c. 17 AD), Epistoloe Ex Ponto.

You got it 100% right, that’s the place! Great job Mo!
Unfortunately I did not take the photo I posted, maybe someday; Africa is high up in my “places to visit before I die.”

Here’s a bit of info on Gondar and Fasiladas Castle:

The city of Gondar is located at an altitude of 2207 m in the heart of a mountain range which, from 4500 m of altitude in north, goes down gradually towards the south to banks of the lake Tana. Valued for its salubrious climate and its strategic situation, the city of Gondar was the seat of the emperors of Ethiopia in 17th and 18th centuries.
During the time of the Portuguese travels in the Ethiopian region (1520 - 1527 CE), Gondar was but little more than a small village community of peasants and military composts. For in the 1520's it showed absolutely no sign of any advancement to come, neither from any growing form of economy nor a strategic establishment of any significance. However, by 1630 it possessed not only the thrown of the ruling family in Abyssinia, but also the renaissance culture of the liturgy and artistry, which is recognized as the beginning of its modern form in Ethiopia.
Gondar possessed a route to the exotic regions south of the Blue Nile and to the then northern and western trade routes, which led to Massawa and Sudan. Gondar had by 1630 become the catalyst of growth and production in Abyssinia. It was a great religious center and flourished immensely in the arts.
The creation of Gondar is credited to Fasiladas the Great (1632-67), son of emperor Susenyos (1607-32), and it was also he who built the first of the castle-palaces, for which the city is famous today. Emperor Fasiladas , tiring of the pattern of migration that had characterized the lifestyle of so many of his forefathers, moved his capital here in 1636 AD. By the late 1640s he had built a great castle here, which stands today in a grassy compound surrounded by other fortresses of later construction. With its huge towers and looming battlemented walls, it seems like a piece of medieval Europe transposed to Ethiopia.
In addition to this castle, Fasiladas is said to have been responsible for the building of a number of other structures. Perhaps the oldest of these is the Enqulal Gemb, or Egg Castle, so named on account of its egg-shaped domed roof. Other buildings include the royal archive and the stable.
Beyond the confines of the city to the north-west by the Qaha River there is another fine building sometimes associated by Fasiladas - a bathing palace. The building is a two-storied battlemented structure situated within and on one side of a rectangular pool of water which was supplied by a canal from the nearby river. The bathing pavilion itself stands on pier arches, and contains several rooms which are reached by a stone bridge, part of which could be raised for defense.

Besides such secular buildings, Fasiladas is reputed to have erected no fewer than seven churches, as well as seven bridges.
At the end of the 18th century, the stability and effectiveness of the Gondar kings began to weaken. After one of the great kings was murdered by his son, the credit of the monarchy itself declined. Soon afterwards the empire began to breakup as territorial governors refused to obey the king. As a result the country became a prey to intrigues and rebellions.

By the way, Palin's picture is fantastic!
Your turn.

Never seem more learned than the people you are with. Wear your learning like a pocket watch and keep it hidden. Do not pull it out to count the hours, but give the time when you are asked. ~Lord Chesterfield~

"Do all things with love." Og Mandino

Sorry for the delay -- I've been laid low with food poisoning for the last few days. I don't even have anyone to blame: I made myself a dodgy pizza .

I'm going to change tack from geography to medieval manuscripts. This is a page from a well-known one which has had academics scratching their heads ever since it was discovered.



The manuscript is named after its discoverer. Who was he and (for bonus points) what language is it written in?

More clues to follow if you need 'em.

Peace and peas, Mo

Gutta cavat lapidem non vi sed saepe cadendo.
~ Ovid (43 BC - c. 17 AD), Epistoloe Ex Ponto.

Well, Mo! I hope you feel better fast!

This is the Voynich Manuscript, named after Wilfred Voynich, a book collector. "The first known owner was the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II (1552-1612), who bought it from an unknown seller for 600 ducats. The author of the manuscript was then thought to have been the 13th-century monk and scholar Roger Bacon (1214?-1294?), but this attribution now appears to be much too early."
http://www.voynich.net/

As to the language--the sites I've looked at all say that the language, or code, has never been identified. "The text is written in a neat and clear script which has defied attempts at interpretation by some of the best cryptographic minds available including Athanasius Kircher; noted cryptologist Brig. John Tiltman, head of the British codebreaking establishment at Bletchley Park during World War II; and William F. Friedman, the famous American codebreaker who turned cryptanalysis into a science and led the team that broke the Japanese Purple cipher machine." Same source.

Interesting image!

Seashell ebb music wayriver she flows. --James Joyce

Well done, Viktoria, you knocked that one on the head in no time. And I thought it would be a challenge .

The language thing was a trick question: as you say, it has never been identified and the general consensus (as far as I can tell) is that it is in fact nonsense. No-one even knows what the drawings are about, let alone the writing, though throughout the manuscript meaning seems to lie tantalisingly close to the surface.

As far as authorship goes, no-one knows, though the most compelling arguments suggest that it's a hoax -- but even then, opinions are split as to the perpetrator. There's a host of famous names tangled into the story: Athanasius Kircher, John Dee and Roger Bacon, among others.

Wiki, as always, has a great summer-upperer article on the subject, and www.voynich.nu is a good site for more detailed information.

Your turn, Viktoria!

Peace and peas, Mo

Gutta cavat lapidem non vi sed saepe cadendo.
~ Ovid (43 BC - c. 17 AD), Epistoloe Ex Ponto.

Let me know if you need a clue. And if anyone knows who said (approximately) the following, please tell me, since I quote it regularly: "Whenever people say "that's not art!' they're almost always talking about something that couldn't possibly be anything else but art."

Seashell ebb music wayriver she flows. --James Joyce

Bicycle Wheel by Marcel Duchamp

"The Bicycle Wheel was the first ofa a class of objects that Duchamp called his 'readymades.'"

Want to know more:
http://www.understandingduchamp.com/

siempre~
Leslie
-----------------------------
"Poetry has to be something more than a conception of the mind. It has to be a revelation of nature. Conceptions are artificial. Perceptions are essential." ~Wallace Stevens

Wow! What a bunch of smart folks! You nailed that one, Leslie.

Seashell ebb music wayriver she flows. --James Joyce

Next up:




If anyone needs a clue let me know. Good luck!

siempre~
Leslie
-----------------------------
"Poetry has to be something more than a conception of the mind. It has to be a revelation of nature. Conceptions are artificial. Perceptions are essential." ~Wallace Stevens

Here are some clues:

-This structure was built to replace the mess left by the stone query.

-It was built to be used as a luxury hotel.

-It is built in the style of a cattle castle of the Shogun Dynasty of Japan.

-This structure and the surrounding 10 acres was sold to the US city for one dollar.

siempre~
Leslie
-----------------------------
"Poetry has to be something more than a conception of the mind. It has to be a revelation of nature. Conceptions are artificial. Perceptions are essential." ~Wallace Stevens

Is it "The Pagoda", Mt. Penn, Pennsylvania?

Never seem more learned than the people you are with. Wear your learning like a pocket watch and keep it hidden. Do not pull it out to count the hours, but give the time when you are asked. ~Lord Chesterfield~

"Do all things with love." Og Mandino

Great job Alice!
Yes, it is the Pagoda.
I was born and raised there.They flash the lights at 9pm on Christmas eve as a way of getting the kids to go to bed so that Santa can come. It is an awesome place. There is a great view of the city from there. It is georgeous at night.

siempre~
Leslie
-----------------------------
"Poetry has to be something more than a conception of the mind. It has to be a revelation of nature. Conceptions are artificial. Perceptions are essential." ~Wallace Stevens

Sorry it took so long to post, been really pressed for time.



All aboard!!!
Summon the romance of a bygone era; ride the rails across breathtaking landscapes; treat your palate to exquisite meals served by uniformed waiters.

Never seem more learned than the people you are with. Wear your learning like a pocket watch and keep it hidden. Do not pull it out to count the hours, but give the time when you are asked. ~Lord Chesterfield~

"Do all things with love." Og Mandino

Is this in the Canadian Rockies?

"Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye."
-H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

No it's not the Canadian Rockies, you might need a bit of detective work with this one.

Never seem more learned than the people you are with. Wear your learning like a pocket watch and keep it hidden. Do not pull it out to count the hours, but give the time when you are asked. ~Lord Chesterfield~

"Do all things with love." Og Mandino