St. Kitts Rail & Scenic Drive

 St. Kitts known as Christopher  Island, together with its neighbor Nevis, makes up a single two-island nation.

St. Kitts was the first English colony in the Caribbean.

One way of seeing the entire island is from the comfort of double-deck railcars which have a seat on both levels. Choose the upper level which is more spacious, with an open-air observation deck which helps you see stunning panoramic views. 

The St. Kitts Scenic Railway was originally built to transport sugar cane in the older days. Nowadays, it became a productive way to explore the island by transporting tourists who come to visit and learn more about St. Kitts.

The train tracks cover the northeastern coastline that reflects spectacular vistas of cliffs, ocean, surf and lush vegetation.

Riding by rail is 18 miles, and 12 miles by bus, making a total of 30-mile circle around the island. The railroad winds through small villages and farmland, rolling over massive steel bridges that span steep "ghuts" or gorges.

Photo credit to the rightful owner

The volcanic cone of Mt. Liamuiga rises above the railway and some rippling sugar cane fields edge dark green rain forests.

Visitors can see the island in a short amount of time, but thanks to this special rail highway experience!

As the train passes old sugar cane plantations, with abandoned chimneys and windmills, your tour guide will point out all the sites.

You will also see the old road town, where Sir Thomas Warner, founder of the English colony on St. Kitts, is buried next to his friend Samuel Jackson, the great, great grandfather of US president Thomas Jefferson. Other included sites you'll pass by is the Brimstone Hill Fortress, the British "Gibraltar of the Caribbean", and St. Paul's Village, - the home of Sir Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw, the first national hero of St. Kitts.

The nearby island of Nevis is where Alexander Hamilton was born.

Tour duration is approximately 2 hours by rail and 45 minutes by bus.

Tower of Pisa - Why Is It Leaning?

 

Although there has been many controversies about the foundations of the tower due to its faulty construction, the leaning tower became popular all around the world.

However, it's been an interesting fact to know the answer of the most commonly asked question, - "why is the tower of Pisa leaning?"

(I'll try to post the basics as much as I can in relation to the facts provided. 😊)

The leaning tower of Pisa is a free standing bell tower of the Pisa Cathedral well known for its nearly 4-degree lean due to an unstable foundation. It is standing behind the Pisa Cathedral and the Pisa Baptisery. It is considered to be the 3rd oldest structure in the city's Cathedral square.

The tower's height on the high side is 56.67 meters (185.93ft.) from the ground, and 55.86 meters (183.27ft.) on the low side. The wall's width at the base is 2.44m. (8ft. 0.06 in.) and its weight is estimated at 14,500 metric tons. it also has 296/294 steps; - where the 7th floor has 2 fewer steps on the north-facing staircase.

The construction of the tower was built in 3 stages for more than 199 years.

On August 9, 1173, the foundations of the tower were laid with a ground floor of a blind arcade articulated by engaged columns with classical Corinthian capitals.

In 1178, the tower started to sink after the construction had started on the 2nd floor, due to a 3-meter foundation set in an unstable, weak soil, which was considered to be the cause of flaw from the start of construction.
Construction was then stopped for almost a century to allow time for the underlying soil to settle, and at the same time, the people of Pisa were involved actively in various military wars and trade agreements during that time.

In 1272, construction was resumed under the leadership of Giovanni di Simone, - a master builder and architect of the Camposanto. In an effort to compensate for the tilt, they built upper floors with one side taller than the other, - the reason why the tower is curved.

In 1319, the 7th floor was completed, and the bell chamber was finally added in 1372, built by Tommaso di Andrea Pisano, who incorporated gothic styles of the belfry with Romanesque style of the tower. It includes 7 bells, the largest one installed in 1655.

For more than 800 years, they discovered that the tower was actually falling at a rate of 1-2 millimeters per year. Many efforts were done to restore the tower or to keep it from falling over but failed!...some people even worsened it!

The architects and engineers attempted to correct the leaning by making the other stories shorter on the high side but didn't work, and instead kept the tower leaning more. It was also noted later that the cause of the lean was due to the foundation stones being laid on the soft ground consisting of clay, fine sand and shells. Also, the weight of the extra floors caused the edifice to sink further and lean more.

On January 7, 1990, the tower was closed with more than 2 decades of stabilization studies, and as a precaution by the sudden collapse of the Civic Tower of Pavia in 1989.
The bells added were removed to relieve some weight and cables were cinched around the 3rd level and anchored several hundred meters.

In an effort to reduce the tilt, they selected a method by a soil removal of 38 cu. meters (1,342 cu.ft.) from underneath the raised end, in which the tower tilt was reduced by 45 cm. (17.7 inches), returning to its 1838 position.

Between 1993-2001, the structure was stabilized, reducing the tilt to 3.97 degrees. The adding of 870 tons of lead counterweights straightened the tower slightly.

On December 15, 2001, the tower was reopened and was declared stable for at least 300 years. |In May  2008, engineers declared that the tower had been stabilized that it had stopped moving for the first time in its history.

Castle Museum of San Carlos - Palma de Mallorca, Spain

 

This castle-turned museum is an old fortress built during the 17th-18th century to defend the port of Palma. It was completed in 1762 with a building of a low battery on the cliff to strengthen the defense for the port.

In 1981, it became a military museum, refurbished, and opened in 1991. It has a room for temporary exhibits, a conference room and an audio visual room for events and cultural activities.

The castle museum has magnificent panoramic views of the sea, the Bay of Palma and towns nearby. It also became as a hospital, officer's prison and battery of salvo in the previous years.

The name San Carlos was used because the vice roy at the time of the first attempts to build it was Don Carlos Coloma, Marquis of Espinar.

Old Bull Ring of Palma (Plaza de Toros de Palma) - Palma de Mallorca, Spain

 

Photo credit to the rightful owner.

Also known as the Balearic Coliseum, located on Avenida Gaspar Bennassar (named after the architect who designed it), in the northern district of the city.

The bull ring has 4 boxes (north, south, east, west), and measures 44.5 meters in diameter and has 11,620-seat capacity. The place looks old and deserted and unmaintained, but still being used for concerts and bull fights once in a while, and other sporting events.

It was said that bull fights were at its peak during the 1970's and 80's, and there was a time that it became prohibited due to animal exploitation issues, but bull fights are still being held here.

The stadium these days is an open tourist attraction, for tourists who become curious in seeing a bull ring (without the bull fight).

The only downside about this tour is that it lack complete information, like a museum or some sort of displays to help people learn about the facts more.

Casa Batllo, - Barcelona's Modernist Museum

 A building centered in Barcelona is an eye-catching masterpiece by Antoni Gaudi, - one of the best Spanish architect in Spain, is the Casa Battlo.

It was formerly called "House of Bones" due to its visceral, skeletal organic quality. It is exactly located along Passeig de Gracia, in the Eixample district.

Gaudi redesigned it in 1904, then underwent a lot of refurbishments after that, with the help of other assistants of Gaudi.

Most of the facade is decorated with colorful mosaics made of broken ceramic tiles. It has irregular oval windows and flowing sculpted stone works on the ground floor.

This house was built in 1877 and was brought by Josep Battlo' in 1900. He hired Gauid later to renovate and design the building with "Modernisme/Art Nouveau" architecture.

Its roof is made and designed like a dragon or dinosaur's back in an arched formation.

Inside the house is even more captivating designs of architecture, making it more unique than the other houses beside it.

Photo credits to: casabatllo.es

In 2005, it finally became a UNESCO World Heritage site, making it a popular attraction for visitors from all around the world.

The Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma (La Seu/Palma de Mallorca) - Barcelona, Spain

 

Also known as "Cathedral of the Sea", "Cathedral of the Space", "Cathedral of the Light" and La Seu.

It is 121 meters long, 40 meters wide with a nave of 44 meters tall, built in Catalan Gothic style architecture with mixtures of Northern European modern and contemporary designs.

The Cathedral was founded by King James I of Aragon in 1229, began its construction in the 13th century and finally completed in 1630's. It is located on top of the former citadel of the Roman City within the old city of Palma, overlooking the Parc de la Mar and the Mediterranean Sea.

Inside features 3 naves resting on 44-meter tall octagonal pillars which houses the majestic Royal Chapel, and the tombs of James II, James III, Bishop Antonio Gallina and Clemente VIII.

Photo Credit by Trip Advisor

Bell tower was completed in 1498 consisting of 9 bells, the largest which is known as "Eloi". 

The Basilica de la Sagrada Familia

 

One of the major tourist attractions when in Barcelona is the large minor Basilica situated in the Eixample, district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.

The original design was done by Francisco de Paula del Villar in 1882, but a year after, he resigned and was replaced by Antoni Gaudi in 1883, and was then appointed as the architect director in 1884.

The design started by del Villar was Gothic revival in a standard form, and ultimately as Gaudi continued to work on it, - he made some additions on the designs; - Art Nouveau and Modernisme (the new bulding).

Gaudi began working exclusively on the temple since 1914 until his death in 1926 and was buried in the crypt. At the time of his death, only 15-20% was completely done.

In the 1950's construction resumed to intermittent progress, and modern technologies resulted to faster progress and construction has passed the midpoint in 2010.

In October 2015, current chief architect Jordi Fauli announced that 70% of the construction has been done and is now currently in its final phase of building 6 immense steeples. Most of the church's structure is estimated to be done by year 2026, - the centennial year of Gaudi's death.

Hillwood Estate Museum & Gardens; - (Home of Marjorie Merriweather Post)

 

In 1955, Marjorie purchased Hillwood as her home and spent 2 years of renovation and expansion, - creating it as a place that suits her lifestyle as well as a museum to display her extra ordinary art collections.

Marjorie Post was one of the richest women of her time (1887-1973). She is a great collector of French and Russian arts for her enjoyment as well as for the education purpose of future generations.

Hillwood Estate covers 25 acres of landscaped gardens and natural woodlands; it remains Marjorie's most important legacy, including the artistry of its collections and beautiful gardens that continue to inspire. It is now one of the premier art collector's museum in the US.

This Georgian-style mansion is filled with the most modern conveniences that money could buy, including her elegant French drawing room, the efficient and "high-tech" kitchen and pantry, and the many personal touches that made Hillwood one of Washington's most memorable homes.

In 1977, Hillwood Estate & Gardens opened to the public. Today, it continous to show vibrant special exhibitions, programs, events and garden displays.

You can spend time on your own exploring the 13 acres of exquisite formal gardens, - don't miss the French parterre, the rose garden and the Friendship Walk. It also includes a Japanese-style garden, and a modern greenhouse rebuilt and renovated in 1996 on the original site, containing an extensive collection of exotic orchids and tropical plants.

Tudor Place - Reliving America's Story

 

Tudor Place is worth the visit if you're around the D.C. area, and love to learn about part of America's history.

It is also a house full of various impressive collections of various artifacts, antiques and many more and a garden - all rolled into one!

The visitor entrance is located at 1644 31st Street NW, Washington DC, between Q & R Streets. It's 2 blocks east of Wisconsin Ave. and a 20-minute walk from Dupont Circle, Foggy Bottom or Rosslyn MetroRail stations.

Tudor Place is full of history, - from the estate house, to the family, the collections, the helpers and the garden. This home estate was owned by a couple, - Thomas Peter and Martha Custis, - the granddaughter of Martha Washington.

THE HOUSE:

It is considered as a house of architectural distinction owned by a single family for six generations. They hosted several famous figures who shaped American history like Pres. Andrew Jackson, John Calhoun, Daniel Webster, Robert E. Lee, and Marquis de Lafayette.

The house was designed by architect Dr. William Thornton, overlooking the Potomac River and port of Georgetown. Today, as a National Historic Landmark, it is considered as a premier example of American neoclassicism, - reflecting its full-round portico as a unique American residential architecture. 

Since it was completed in 1816, Tudor Place was owned by the Peter family until 1983.

THE COLLECTION:

Tudor Place contains an impressive collection of American, European and Asian items dating from the 18th-20th centuries. Currently, it holds more than 15,000 objects from fine decorative arts like 19th-20th century silver jewelries to daily household collections as well as architectural and archaeological collections.

This house turned museum also displays moret han 200 items belonging to Martha and George Washington.

THE GARDEN:

It includes an expansive historic gardens covering an area of 5.5 acres, preserved by the Peter family for over 2 centuries. The present garden used to be an agrarian estate, but now reflects a beautiful ornamental garden with centuries-old trees, beautiful plantings, fountains and sculptures.

The impressive landscape include green lawns, formal garden rooms, natural woodland, intricate Box Knot, English Boxwood Circle and antique roses.

DOMESTIC HELPERS:
The Peter family owned and inherited a lot of enslaved men, women and children, who served the family, tended the household, farmed and cultivated the garden.

Free African-Americans and European immigrants performed the same task between 19th-20th centuries.