[Kennypor]

My trip of science and adventure started off at Bejing, China and a short bus ride to the "Great Wall of China".
If you aint walked the wall, you aint been to China!
Bus trip to Shanghai and this bustling modern metropolis...very impressed!

European section:
Bus and Air transiting of Holland, Belgium, Luxenbourg, France and Switzerland.
Highlights:

Visiting and touring parts of the castle "de Torentjes" in Maastricht iinfamous for being the last breakfast place of "d'Artagnan"
[of Musketeer fame] before he went out and got himself killed in a duel.
Also more recently the home of that Dutch maestro Andre Rieu.

Visiting Geneva and the "European Orginization for Nuclear Research" which most of you would know as "CERN" was the highlight
of the European section. Many intersting Museums and video talks at the site were aprreciated, although not actually seeing the LHC
or other accelerators.
Very busy also as we were there during the Summer Students Scientific Programme with students from all round the world.

Hawaii:
One of my greatest wishes over the last few years was flying over the Hawaiin volcano
.Kilauea Volcano lived up to its name with one active lava flow observed and the crater seemingly never ending efforts to really let go.
Incredible!

New York:
Touring around New York and a short stop at the WTC site and the wonderful memorial now present and the tower thats rising in their places.

Niagra falls:
A ride in the wet and windy "Maid of the Mist" and the Canadian falls made this 2 day outing unforgetable.

Bus trip to "New Jersey" and Princeton Uni and its Museums and history was fanatstic to be a part of.
Then a short ride to "112 Mercer Street in Princeton" made me a very happy little Vegemite.


Los Angeles:
Main reason for visiting here was to visit that great wing of NASA, the JPL and "Caltech"
Visiting limited areas of the many missions buildings, I was very very tempted to stay there to get a first hand rundown and view of the orbital insertion, aero breaking and sky crane landing of the Curiosity Rover.
But powers beyond my control prevented that.

Hard work though to keep abreast of great scientific happenings while touring such as the Higgs particle announcement, and the safe and succesful mission
of the Chinese and their new Space Lab.

Good to be back though!

[Nifoziyfar]

Hi BC

I will be in Maastricht next year. Is "de Torentjes" worth a visit? If so, how much time should I put aside? Also, anything you would strongly recommend in Belgium?

[Acrogeokickic]

Visiting and touring parts of the castle "de Torentjes" in Maastricht iinfamous for being the last breakfast place of "d'Artagnan"
[of Musketeer fame] before he went out and got himself killed in a duel.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the three musketeers fiction?

[Kennypor]

Hi matey!
The castle and surrounds would take at least a day to explore....
The outside terrarium/green house is a must, and the kitchen [the oldest part of the castle] and where "D'Artagnan" had his last breakfast is a must.
Andre Rieu actually lives in a house just down the road, but he owns the castle.
But yes, well worth the trip!

[Acrogeokickic]

If you want a place in Belgium to make you stop and think, there's a street in Mons which has two plaques a couple of hundred metres apart. One marks the place where the first shot on the Western front was fired, the other marks the spot where the last shot was fired. ( Before you ask, I don't know how they know this or whether it true ).

If you're interested in engineering, there is an amazing canal lock which is effectively a massive water tank on rails, The ships steer into it, they lock the gates and it goes up an incline on a railway. It's massive.

Searching for a photo...

[Kennypor]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the three musketeers fiction?

Charles Ogier de Batz de Castelmore, Comte d'Artagnan (French pronunciation: [ʃaʁl oʒje də bats də kastɛlmɔʁ kɔ̃t daʁtaɲɑ̃]) (c. 1611 – 25 June 1673) served Louis XIV as captain of the Musketeers of the Guard and died at the Siege of Maastricht in the Franco-Dutch War. A fictionalized account of his life by Gatien de Courtilz de Sandras formed the basis for the d'Artagnan Romances of Alexandre Dumas, most famously including The Three Musketeers. The heavily fictionalized version of d'Artagnan featured in Dumas' works and their subsequent screen adaptations is now far more widely known than the real historical figure.




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles...d'Artagnan

[Acrogeokickic]

Charles Ogier de Batz de Castelmore, Comte d'Artagnan (French pronunciation: [ʃaʁl oʒje də bats də kastɛlmɔʁ kɔ̃t daʁtaɲɑ̃]) (c. 1611 – 25 June 1673) served Louis XIV as captain of the Musketeers of the Guard and died at the Siege of Maastricht in the Franco-Dutch War. A fictionalized account of his life by Gatien de Courtilz de Sandras formed the basis for the d'Artagnan Romances of Alexandre Dumas, most famously including The Three Musketeers. The heavily fictionalized version of d'Artagnan featured in Dumas' works and their subsequent screen adaptations is now far more widely known than the real historical figure.




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles...d'Artagnan

I stand corrected.

[Acrogeokickic]

Belgian canal lock

http://www.ronquieres.org/

[Kennypor]

Also, anything you would strongly recommend in Belgium?
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The Royal Palace The official home of the Belgian king, and one of the many museums particularly the "
Atomium" a futuristic museum.

[Acrogeokickic]

Belgium is one of the few places where they still have motorcycle races on public roads. If that's your thing ( which it probably isn't) Chimay, Mettet and Jehonnville are the places to google.

[Niobaralegra]

welcome back. sounds like a great trip although there's much more to NYC than a memorial.

hope you kicked some things off the bucket list

[cemDrymnVem]

Belgium is one of the few places where they still have motorcycle races on public roads. the isle of man would be a good place to visit as well if you like that sort of thing.

[bortycuz]

I think that given an overseas trip, I'd probably do other things too.

[outfinofulpv]

Very busy also as we were there during the Summer Students Scientific Programme with students from all round the world.

Did you push any of them over...

[Kennypor]

welcome back. sounds like a great trip although there's much more to NYC than a memorial.

hope you kicked some things off the bucket list
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It was and I did...Thanks.




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Did you push any of them over...
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Not really....All seemed to be behaving themselves and no bullying was evident.
But I was ready.

[raskrutkaseo]

>>a short stop at the WTC


Did you notice any nanothermite?

[Rurcextedutty]

BC that sounds like the most fantastic trip! You got to so many cool places.

When is the slide night? (in Perth of course).




>>Did you notice any nanothermite?

LOL. That would have cleared a few things up around here...

[Buyingtime]

Visiting Geneva and the "European Orginization for Nuclear Research" which most of you would know as "CERN" was the highlight
of the European section

Kilauea Volcano lived up to its name with one active lava flow observed and the crater seemingly never ending efforts to really let go.
Incredible!

New York: the tower thats rising in their places.

Los Angeles: great wing of NASA, the JPL and "Caltech" Observe me turning green with envy.

[Kennypor]

Observe me turning green with envy.

)
Thanks molly....I deserved the break though, but the Mrs did query the intinerary at the start.
Still she was quite impressed, particularly with Niagra Falls.

[reervieltnope]

Andre Rieu actually lives in a house just down the road, but he owns the castle

I know the answer to this, "nuke it from orbit, it's the only way to sure"