As you may have noticed, it’s Friday (though soon to be Saturday). As I did not get to this post yesterday, I thought I would put it out now, for after all, better late than never! The Golden Pavilion, or Kinkaku-ji, is one of the most iconic buildings in Japan. Situated in the historic city of Kyoto, the Kinkaku-ji is a Buddhist temple set in a walking garden known as Rokuon-ji, which translated means “Deer Garden Temple.” While the site…
As I have said before, I’m not a huge fan of current musical trends. Call me old and crotchety, but I prefer music with some depth to it and, as far as I’m concerned, there is not much of that to be found today, in any genre. So why not explore one of the greatest and most influential recordings of all time? I’m referring, of course, to Pink Floyd’s 1973 release, “The Dark Side of the Moon”. Rather than boring…
For my Trivia Thursday post, I asked my eldest child what animal had a lot of interesting trivia concerning it. She suggested the echidna, and I thought that sounded like a good idea. So here are some fun echidna facts! There are only five mammals in the world that lay eggs (A/K/A monotremes), and those include four species of echidna and the platypus. Echidnas are named after a figure in Greek mythology who was half-woman and half-snake. (There is some…
In the summer of 1741, George Frideric Handel was presented with a libretto composed by Charles Jennens. The libretto was arranged entirely from portions of scripture, in particular the Old Testament, and became the lyrics for Handel’s famous oratorio, The Messiah. Many stories have been told about the composition of this famous piece. It is true that he composed the entire work in the space of about three weeks, and many have taken this as a sign that Handel was…
With Christmas mere days from now, I thought I’d mix the holiday with some trivia about the Rockefeller Christmas Tree in New York City. This might be the most recognizable Christmas tree in the world and, based on the time, effort, and money that goes into creating this magnificent display every year, the title is well deserved. Every one of these trees is massive, ranging in height from 69 to 100 feet. Decorating takes almost two weeks and the lighting…
Today is Trivia Thursday, where we intrigue the trivia buff in you with a bit of trivia! I wanted to do something with a tinge of romance to it, and the Eiffel Tower came to mind as a romantic location. Here are some fun factoids: When it comes to monuments you have to pay to visit, the Eiffel Tower is the most visited monument in the entire world! On average, 25,000 people ascend the tower every day. (I cannot even imagine…