Communist Museum of Prague

                                                     

#CommunistMuseumPragueCzechRepublic
Here i am inside the Communist Museum located in Prague (established in 2001) showing the hard life lived in Czechoslovakia behind the Iron Curtain with the failed Soviet Union ideology

Berlin Wall
Probably the most "powerful" symbolism of the Communist Rule was the building of that Wall of Shame, which was the name used by Westerners
  (a section of that barrier is here on display at the museum)
It was built in 1961 to separate East and West Berlin with the intent to prevent mass emigration of skilled workers plus its professionals to the freedoms outside this barrier
This was a powerful sign of the division between the Communist East and the Democratic West
 during the Cold War

 Theories of Communism
It was basically a classless society with the government owing 100% of major properties, industries, running all economic activity and controlling mass media
It is done as a single party system that suppresses any opposition

Diminishing Power
This way of governing was widely influential during the 20th century but declined with the
Soviet Union breakup in 1991

Modern Times
In todays world China. Cuba, Laos and North Korea are considered communist states but have incorporated more economic freedoms while maintaining a one-party rule
But it still rejects private ownership and free markets for its citizens, plus it still plays a dominant role
 in managing the economy and the education system

Marshall Plan
In 1948 the Czech Government attempted to join under the US sponsorship with its aid
during the post war rebuilding.
The plan was to help in economic and political recovery of all Western Europe after the World War to prevent the spread of Communism

Installed a Government
But the Soviet Union stopped this in Czechoslovakia (for the next 40 years) by installing a puppet regime to run the country and stunt its growth

Spies Everywhere
During the communist era, Czechoslovakia was a hub of espionage which was run by the State Security (StB) that would crush any dissent among its citizens towards the government
It worked in collaboration with the Soviet Union and its own KGB which had its own
 operations within the country

Female Power
The women of Czechoslovakia resisted communism through various means including organizing underground communities, political opposition  and street protests

Repercussions
They faced significant danger, which included psychological and physical threats
plus the risk of losing their children

Severe Recession
But then in the 1960s with changes of leadership in Prague, this led to a series of softer rules within the communist circles 
Not because of a gentler stance, but of economic stagnation
So with the loosening of reforms the citizens got a "taste" of  freedom and wanted more

Warsaw Pact
This liberalization led to a violent uprising, but it was crushed with the invasion in 1968 
  of 200,000 troops from the Soviet Union and their satellite countries of Poland, Hungary
 and Bulgaria that entered the country
 This unfortunately rolled back (again) the hard-line communist regime and its ways

 Invasion of Czechoslovakia 
The citizens offered little resistance with a few blocked roads, changed the street signs and so on,
but this was a very small stop gap 

The International Reaction
 It was mixed with mostly verbally condemnation plus the United States was involved in the
 Vietnam War at this time, so was occupied with their own drama

Stayed Strong
The invasion resulted in the deaths of 137 Czechs and Slovaks plus hundreds of injuries,
 but their will would not be broken and kept moving forward for freedom

 

Brezhnev Doctrine
So after the invasion the Soviet Union justified it with their new namesake policy,
 with the reasoning of the right to intervene in any socialist country where Communist rule
was seen as being threatened

Did Not Return
The borders were then sealed in 1969 with many Czechs and Slovaks (that were abroad at the
time during the invasion) who just decided to stay away

The Peoples Militias
It served as an instrument of power for the Communist Regime by mostly guarding
buildings and controlling riots

Trust No One
At its height it had 85,000 (boots on the ground) volunteers with membership reaching 120,000 people 
 Initially equipped with rifles and submachine guns it evolved into heavier weapons like anti-aircraft guns, mortars plus RPG-7s

The Velvet Revolution
Finally in 1989 with a series of peaceful demonstrations and strikes against the communist government, it led to the collapse of the regime plus the resignation of the leadership

Vaclav Havel
He became President of Czechoslovakia in December 29th 1989
which finally ended 41 years of repression of one part rule

Still Doubts
With the new freedoms came old suspicions, as many felt that the promise of equality after communism was not delivered
Citing corruption and a sense that a new elite was created by using connections from
the old regime

New Belief
Despite the disillusionment, there was a hope for a democratic society where people could
work together for the common good

The Recovery 
It started with no more shortages, or the rationing of goods and finally by repairing of the machinery
 by any means because of the restrictions from before

Rebirth of a Country
Czechoslovakia embarked on a rapid liberalization of its financial markets, a program of mass privatization and the establishment of a universal banking system
This period also saw the return of property to the previous owners, plus the privatization of small units through auctions for everyone

New Problems
But the newfound freedom allowed the long standing tensions between Czechs and Slovaks
to resurface  
But doing it the proper way like two grown adults they negotiated a peaceful divorce and in
January 1st 1993 both were independent countries

Today as One
From those "dark times" of repression the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary joined NATO in 1999  (Slovakia became a member in 2004) to ensure its external security to transform its military to
align with western countries who are also part of this exclusive group

Power of Sports & Heroes
During those times it gave the citizens hope that anything is possible

A) Jiri Daler; won a Gold Medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and set two
world records in 1967
B) Emil Zatopek; nicknamed the Czech Locomotive he was a legendary long distance runner and widely considered one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century
 C) Bedrich Supcik; was the first ever Olympic Champion for Czechoslovakia
as a gymnast
 D) Josef Masopust; won the prestigious Ballon d Or in 1962 and is regarded as one of the
 greatest midfielders of football
  E) Dominik Hasek; he is the only goaltender in NHL history to win consecutive Hart Memorial Trophies as the league MVP

The Public Gardens of Halifax Nova Scotia

#PublicGardensHalifax
They were founded by the Nova Scotia Horticultural Society in 1836.
It is the only surviving authentic formal garden of its kind left in North America

Entrance
The wrought iron front gates (from Scotland) that greets you is with a crest that displays the Halifax coat of arms and the Latin motto
 E Mari Merces; "wealth from the sea"

Did You Know
The gardens were created by merging two older versions, which one area was the site of the first covered ice skating rink in the British Empire

To Get Designation
The landscape must retain the specific architectural and horticultural design principles popularized during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837 - 1901)
A) Layout; it must feature a symmetrical geometry with serpentine pathways that are designed for a slow stroll to allow viewing of all the different vistas
B) Plant Authenticity; the flora must consist of the 19th century cultivars like Bourbons or Noisettes roses and not modern hybrids
C) Structure Integrity; the wrought iron trellises, bandstands, ornate garden furniture or the stone foundations must be original
D) Historical Proof; the land must be linked to the Victorian era through deeds, maps and landscape blueprints

KeyTip;
 Free one hour horticultural and historical tours from June-October
 (10:30am, 12:00pm, 1:30pm & 3:00pm)

Paying Homage
Many statues / plaques throughout the park are to commemorate historic military figures,
plus other conflict operations that occurred during the Victorian Era and early Twentieth Century

These memorial style sites are a British tradition;
 Designed to be both a historical area for remembrance and a public space for recreation 

The Bandstand
 Was added in 1887 to celebrate the Queen Victoria Golden Jubilee
Within the British Empire many were constructed during this time, as the local communities wanted to show their civic pride
So besides Halifax;  Hamilton Bermuda and Frome England also built during the Jubilee, so the military
 or local brass bands could perform
As this was before the advent of radio or television, so i very popular form of entertainment

Today
The tradition continues (for over 125 years) as it is used for free public concerts
 usually on Sunday afternoons June through September

Horticultural Hall
Built in 1847 as a meeting plus storage space for Nova Scotia Horticultural Society
 It then combined its gardens with an adjacent park, which took some of that swampy piece of ground 
 to create the 16 acres of an oasis in the middle of the City of Halifax
 
 Hurricane Juan in 2003
 The park lost many trees but the public rallied, thus raising millions of dollars to help restore gardens for the following year and for July1st Canada Day 

Griffins Pond
Named after Lawrence Griffin who was wrongfully convicted of murder
 and then hanged here in 1821
The area was not part of the gardens at this time but of the Halifax Commons, which some believe that his spirit continues to haunt the waters shores

Soldiers Memorial Fountain
It was erected in 1903 was for those Canadians who served during
 the Boer War in South Africa
It marked the first time our government dispatched troops to an overseas conflict

Weeping Trees
The fountain is purposely surrounded by them and which some were donated by the
 families of the service men

 

 Statue of Ceres
 Is the Roman Goddess of agriculture and fertility
It was a gift from the estate of Chief Justice Sir William Young to the Gardens in 1887

Part of the Victorian "Gardenesque" Design 

Is to have your gardens with serpentine paths and geometric flowerbeds so the plants are trimmed into intricate patterns or images

Richard Power
 He was the first landscape designer (1872-1915)
 His family has continued to be the superintendence of the gardens, going on now for
 three generations

Last Original
Much of those early layouts are still intact, which makes the Halifax Public Gardens one of the finest surviving Victorian Landscapes in North America

Crooked Trees
Many theories from a genetic mutation, maybe searching for a new source of sunlight
 or strong winds plus heavy snow causes them to bend and after continue to grow upwards
 from this position

The Bridge of Portraits
While private wedding ceremonies are not allowed in this public space, wedding and graduation
photos certainly are
 Which the Gardens are very popular and with this span, i have seen lineups
waiting for their opportunity 

 

Waterfowl House

King George V donated a pair of swans to the Gardens in 1926

Since then their have been many "residents" of this enclosure and the park sometimes brings in new cygnets for the summer months 

 Our Friend of Nature
I waited 45 minutes for someone / anyone to show up 😂

Did You Know
A) Honey: to make a single pound, a colony of bees must visit about two million flowers plus fly a total of over 55,000 miles
B) Lifespan; worker bee is only three to six weeks, while the queen
 can live up to five years
C) Flight; can fly up to 15 mph and that buzzing sound you hear
is the rapid beating of the wings
D) Vision; have five compound eyes which are sensitive to blue and ultraviolet light
which helps them see flowers that reflect UV patterns 
But cannot see the color red

RMS Titanic
It has been a long standing tradition to display models of ships here in the Gardens like the HMCS Sackville and the Titanic (above) during the summer months
 Halifax became the central location for the recovery effort of the doomed ship plus we have many other maritime connections to the Atlantic Ocean 

Read my blog on the #TitanicHalifaxNSCanadaConnection

Zip-Lining in Roatan Honduras

#ZipLiningHonduras

Zip-Lining has been around for many years (know as Zip-Wire) as it was usually located in the mountainous areas of our world and was used to deliver people plus goods.

But you knew us humans would find other fun uses for it, right 😄  

From its humble beginnings as a childrens game we now have "professional" versions in which the cables can be as high as 106 meters (350 feet) plus traveling up to 1.6kms (1mile) in distance.

 So here i am in Roatan where we have a 600 meter (2000 feet) course that maybe is 60 meters (200 feet) high which is a good start for any beginner like myself

 Also they have here a canopy tour over the rainforest, so if not so inclined to be a "Flying Fox" you can still go out and enjoy nature.

 

KeyTip:  Roundtrip from your cruise ship, entrance fees to the nature park plus the 13 zip lines, English speaking guide and all your safety equipment included in the $67.00 US price

Also a good deal is the $15.00 charge for the photographer (on site) in which he transfers the pictures he takes of you onto a thumb drive 

Getting Here
It is a 20 minute ride from the cruise ship to the Zip Line Park which is situated on 28 acres of tropical jungle that you will see wildlife, plants, fruit tress and lizards. 
From there we are on a walk above the rainforest onto some of the 16 platforms that are setup in the trees which has the 13 zipline runs 

KeyTip;
 You can bring your own camera or cellphone, but just make sure it is on a tether so you do not
drop it; needless to say if it falls your not getting it back 😅

The Eco-Walk
 The general opinion from a few i asked it was just okay, the guide was informative but basically you can only see so much when on a rainforest canopy tour which would include some plant life, lizards
 and maybe some snakes
But they also enjoyed the bridges and the stairs (64 down / 84 up) walkabout,
 so it is whatever you are looking for

Reasons to Pay Attention
Harness, Helmet and Safety Demonstration may seem boring but it does serve
an important function
There has been at least two deaths associated with the Roatan Zip-Line

The Sports "Grey" Secret
Outside this country (because of the popularity of the sport) there has been 16,000+ injuries that were treated in US emergency rooms over the last decade ranging from concussions, fractures or sprains.

Very Safe
If only managed by professional operators, as in that world the injury rates is around
11 per 1 million participants 

San Francisco

#SanFranciscoCityByTheBay

Palace of Fine Arts
The structure was built for the 1915 Expo and the Panama-Pacific International Exposition
 which was helping San Francisco recover from the earthquake and fire (1906)
The building was initially built with temporary materials
but then redone between 1964-1974 and because of that, it is still standing in its original location
 

Lombard Street
The one block section was made this way on purpose, as the hills 27% grade was too steep for the vehicles of that time
So even though its called the most crookedest street in the world, engineers have determined Vermont Street in the city is more angled, but certainly gets far fewer tourists

My number one city (for me) to visit in North America is that city on the bay in Northern California; yes San Francisco (Spanish for Saint Francis)

  From its humble beginnings of a small settlement and sea port it all changed with the gold rush of 1849 (hence the name 49ers, the year of all the those wide eyed fortune seekers that descended to this area) 

 Because of all the new wealth coming in, many entrepreneurs grabbed the opportunity to satisfy all the needs and wants of  these prospectors plus dreamers. Folks like Levi Strauss in dry goods (bedding, combs, handkerchiefs) but most famously for his sturdy blue jeans with the copper rivets to strengthen the pockets. Domingo Ghirardelli for his chocolate; as actually it was at his factory here that they accidentally discovered by hanging a bag of ground cacao beans in a warm room it could be converted into ground chocolate

  

The banking sector; Wells Fargo and the Bank of California also got its start during these times. Then the 1906 earthquake/fire changed the city forever, so at this time it was a great opportunity to upgrade or build new infrastructure. Also the areas that survived the fires had a chance to restart and develop those neighborhoods which saved a lot of those magnificent Victorian Homes; from Union Square, Fisherman's Market, Nob Hill,  Chinatown , Haight-Ashbury Districts, its got it all.  Now don't be going here for the weather, as Mark Twain once famously said "the coldest winter i ever spent was a summer in San Francisco" (its because the city is surrounded on three sides by the cooler currents of the Pacific Ocean)  

                     Fun Facts

A) Social Media: only in San Francisco would they have their 

   own "fog" which they call Karl

 and also has an Instagram page 😅

 B)  Size: as you walk around the city you know the terrain is steep, but would you of guessed over fifty hills

Also its approximately 10kms (6 miles) in both length and width, so not very large as most metropolis are in our world

C) Cable cars; were brought into use to stop the horses  (previous transportation on the streets) 

from sliding to their deaths

D) No burials; since 1902, which created a city of the dead next door in Colma south of San Fran

E) Great Depression; no bank here failed

F)  Parrots; once were house companions then flew to freedom and now live on Telegraph Hill  

G) Presidio Pet Cemetery; founded in the 1950s, which is the final resting place for the military families (that were stationed here) and for their animals

Chinatown
As we enter the famous gateway

 I was told it was a gift to the city from the Republic of Taiwan, plus the multi-tiered roofs are influenced by Buddhist and Taoist beliefs about enlightenment
Also that the canopy is curved this way because of superstition, as to protect against evil spirts

The original Chinatown was destroyed by the 1906 earthquake, but now has become the largest outside Asia as it spans nearly thirty city blocks
This makes it the most densely populated area in the United States except for Manhattan New York 

Music Scene
As i walk by this street art

 How fitting, as i am heading to the Fillmore District Hub area
 Known as the "Harlem of the West" (where in the 1940s & 1950s) with the influx of African Americans who were working in the military shipyards fueled a vibrant  jazz plus blues scene

Jumbos Bop City
Was a famous after-hours club that hosted jam sessions lasting all night,
 where names like Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong performed

Today
Fillmore Jazz Festival is an effort to revitalize the music scene in this area

The Architectural Styles
 The city is diverse because of the rebuilding or the saved structures after the earthquake
 and fire of 1906
You have a mix of Queen Anne Victorian, Art Deco, Italianate, Streamline Moderne
and Mid-Century Modern

Pier 39
The Sea Lions began appearing on the docks in 1990 shortly after the Loma Prieta earthquake
A few reasons they stay;
A constant food supply in the area plus their natural predators (White Sharks and Orcas) typically
 do not venture into the bay

Haight-Ashbury
The birthplace in 1967 of the Summer of Love

 It brought thousands of young people to the area, with the neighborhood became a central hub for the hippie counterculture 
 Was the starting point for the iconic rock bands The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and Quicksilver Messenger Service
With this culture it also became home for many other influential music artists such as Janis Joplin ,
 Jimi Hendrix plus Crosby, Stills and Nash

Modern Times
A) Amoeba Music; is one of the worlds largest independent record stores that also has a stage on site
 for live performances
B) Victorian Architecture; the area was developed in the late 1800s
 and survived the 1906 earthquake / fire
C) Other Cafe; legendary comedy club that provided a platform for the upstarts like Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg and Dana Carvey
D) Hippie Hill; George Harrison borrowed a guitar and started playing here back in 1967
E) Grateful Thursdays; the area continues to be a lively center for music with local venues
hosting live performances

Iconic Cable Cars

Beginnings
Started in 1873 with the first successful run on Clay Street using an unique technology with an underground cable that holds the car onto the surface
This mechanism is manually controlled by a "Gripman" using a large lever

Saving the Cars
In the 1940s with buses and electric streetcars that were more safe and cost-effective, the local government attempted to remove them
The citizens campaigned against it, which lead to a landslide ballot victory for their protection
Then in 1964 in recognition of their historical status, the cable cars were designated
 a National Historic Landmark

Fun Facts
A) Brake Pads; were made of Douglas Fir wood that had to be replaced every 72 hours of service due to the wear and tear
B) Fannie Mae Barnes; in 1998 she became the first woman to be a cable car Grip Operator, proving she had the upper body strength to do the job
C) Bell Ringing; a contest every year to show off their unique rhythms and styles
D) Movies: the cars have been featured in films like Mrs. Doubtfire,
Dirty Harry and The Net

Golden Gate
The bridge opened in 1937 with the US Government initially opposed to its construction
It has only been closed three times due to weather and survived a 7.1 magnitude earthquake in 1989

 Events on the Structure
A) Safety Net; was installed during its construction which saved the lives of nineteen men
who became known as the "Halfway to Hell Club"
B) Babies; three have been born on the span and all were boys
C) Film Star: Hollywood has used it ( to name a few) for Risky Business and Chinatown

Sausalito
As i look back at San Francisco

 I am reminded of the Otis Redding classic song he wrote here
"Sittin On the Dock of the Bay"
I left my home in Georgia
Headed for the Frisco Bay
Ive had nothing to live for
Look like nothins gonna come my way

So im just gonna sit on the dock of the bay
Watching the tide roll away
Im sittin on the dock of the bay
Wastin time

Globetrotter
As the street art i found here suggests, i am a traveler 
Onto my next adventure