Geography game

[beth]

Osaka

3rd largest city and 1st capital of Japan

(sorry about the "a")

This photo is in Minami, Osaka's largest shopping district.



See this page for festivals and events.

www.osaka-info.jp/en/search/list/event.php

[lonewolf]

Apr 26, 2009 4:49:27 GMT beth said:

Osaka

3rd largest city and 1st capital of Japan

Funny, but I had always thought that Nara was the first capital of Japan and then Kyoto. Dumb me!

[beth]

Apr 26, 2009 16:50:16 GMT @lonewolf said:

Apr 26, 2009 4:49:27 GMT beth said:

Osaka

3rd largest city and 1st capital of Japan

Funny, but I had always thought that Nara was the first capital of Japan and then Kyoto. Dumb me!

lone, I could easily be wrong and am always happy to learn. I thought Nara was the old name for Osaka, just as Heian-kyo was the old name for Kyoto.

If you want to correct me, feel free.

[beth]

Anaheim, California, U.S.

OC
Disneyland
Great Beaches
SHOP Shop shop

[trubble]

Midleton, Co. Cork.

Famous for its whiskey.





Midleton Very Rare is the most exclusive whiskey ever produced in Ireland. Distilled three times by John Jameson and Son, the whiskey is carefully aged in indidually chosen oak casks.

Midleton Very Rare is only available in strictly limited quantities as just a small number of casks of the finest distillates are personally selected by the Master Distiller each year. It is reserved for the appreciation of only the most discerning judges of fine whiskey.





Each bottle is individually numbered and each label signed by the Master Distiller at the Midleton distillery.

Around €120 a bottle.

And delicious.

[beth]

Nassau, New Providence Island, Bahamas



www.bahamas.com/nassau-paradise-island/nassau-paradise-island

[beth]

Utica, NY, US

[beth]

Athens, Greece




www.greece-athens.com/

[trubble]

Ahh Beth you kept the flag flying for our virtual tourist guide.

Back to Ireland:

Spanish Point, County Clare.



Here's the myth and legend behind the name:

This scenic, relaxed spot happens to be named for one of the worst seagoing disasters ever off the Irish coast. In 1588, the Spanish Armada was fleeing from waters off Scotland back to Spain, via the west coast of Ireland. Pursued by British warships, the Spanish lost a number of ships in battles or storms all the way from Antrim in Northern Ireland down to Blasket Sound in Kerry. In September of that year, two Spanish ships went down in a storm off what’s now Spanish Point. Over 1,000 lives were lost. One of the ships supposedly lies off nearby Mutton Island, though it’s never been found. (By the way, the deserted island is for sale. For just $1.8 million US, it can be yours!) Locals say that many of the sailors from the Armada were buried in a mass grave among the sand dunes of Spanish Point. Hard evidence of them has never been found, but a popular legend says that some of the Spanish were taken in by local women, who shielded them from the English. The “Black Irish,” people in Ireland who have very distinct black hair and swarthy skin, are said to be descendents of the Armada’s survivors. I have no idea if this is true, but I can attest to the fact that there are many black-haired, swarthy skinned people in this area!

^{quoted from here}


Incidentally, and Lin might be interested to hear this, recent DNA tests done on local 'swarthy' irishmen and on 3000 year-old human remains found in caves in Ireland have shown there is a direct link from one to the other - in other words, the swarthy irish are probably from original irish stock rather than Armada stock.

What is more, DNA tests done on Basque stock also link closely with the 3000 year old DNA found here and the latest thought is that ireland was first populated by explorers from the Basque region all those millenia ago (rather than drifting over from Britain or so on).

The Irish are the Spanish - or something. ;D

[Liberator]

Yes, there's a cultural connection to - Galicia I think. There is also mediaeval trade connection though. Templar trade from the Mediterranean to Galloway went up the Irish Atlantic coast to avoid pirates, so Galway was a major port long before Dublin.

[beth]

That's extremely interesting, trubble. Don't believe I've ever heard about that piece of history - but then I'm woefully lacking in Irish lore. Strange in a way because some of my family are Mayo. Also, I once worked with a gentleman who claimed to be black Irish - think his name was Connelly.

I'm going to take the "t" from Point and go to . . .


Toledo, Spain . . . on slightly shaky grounds here but I think it was the home of El Greco during the last 20 yrs of his life.

[trubble]

Oughterard, County Galway.

Continuing the Spanish connection - very tenuously! - because there isn't really one that I know of but, as ratarsed has pointed out, Galway is probably the biggest of the Spanish trade connections, several places in Galway are named after it, Spanish Arch, Spanish Quays and so on. Galway people are definitely known for their dark hair and beautiful olive skin in the summer.

Just a couple of miles from Oughterard, however, is something a bit more fun: the Quiet Man bridge. (In Mayo, Beth!)




It got washed away in the floods last year but is rebuilt.

But the film lives on.



It's always the quiet ones you have to look out for, innit.

[trubble]

PS

I've been to Oughterard (pronounced ooo-ter-ard) - years ago - there wasn't a lot there but a nice river. We were on a hitch-hike and camp-in-a-field-in-a-tent holiday. We camped in a farmer's field, he said we could and laughed while he said it. In the morning he let the cows into it and I was never so scared in my life. I know it's only cows but when they are sniffing round your tent and surrounding you and nibbling the guy ropes...well, they are curious creatures and huge up close...we were trapped.

I hid and breathed into a paperbag.

[beth]

hahaha trubble. breathed into a paper bag . . . lol

Once when my son was small, his dad bought him a pony. When we went with the truck to pick it up, the farmer told him it was over in the west field. We walked over and saw only an empty field, but there was a knoll about 50 feet from the fence, so he climbed the fence and entered the field to find the little guy. I stayed on the outside of the fence as I had on heels and didn't want to trip and fall. Good call on my part. In very short order, he came racing back over the top of the knoll and behind him were at least 10 cows, mooing loudly. Apparently, they thought they were being called for milking or feeding or something urgent. He was up and over the fence in time to catch me laughing. I said, "geez, they're COWS. what's the problem". He insisted they were STAMPEDING cows and he could have been killed". lol

The farmer came and got the pony - didn't crack a smile.

Now, I'll take the d from Oughterard and add Dayton, Ohio U.S., which is only abt 100 miles from where I sit.



www.hellodayton.com/

note the chemtrails (comtrails, whatever) in the sky. There's a large air force base in Dayton.

[trubble]

Once when my son was small, his dad bought him a pony. When we went with the truck to pick it up, the farmer told him it was over in the west field. We walked over and saw only an empty field, but there was a knoll about 50 feet from the fence, so he climbed the fence and entered the field to find the little guy. I stayed on the outside of the fence as I had on heels and didn't want to trip and fall. Good call on my part. In very short order, he came racing back over the top of the knoll and behind him were at least 10 cows, mooing loudly. Apparently, they thought they were being called for milking or feeding or something urgent. He was up and over the fence in time to catch me laughing. I said, "geez, they're COWS. what's the problem". He insisted they were STAMPEDING cows and he could have been killed". lol

;D ;D !!



That's pretty, Beth.


From Dayton to...


Nobber, Co. Meath.


Look, there is nothing to say about this town except that it's got a funny name.

Even the wiki entry is scraping the barrel. Wiki writes:


The village has two schools: Nobber National school for primary school children and O'Carolan College which is a comprehensive secondary school.

The church of Saint John the Baptist is the Roman Catholic church in the centre of the village which also has a fire station, Garda Síochána (police) station and a branch library.

YAWN!!!!

Here's a picture of Nobber:

[DAS (formerly BushAdmirer)]

Riomaggiore is one of the five picturesque villages of Italy's Cinque Terre. It's a great area to visit on the Ligurian coast south of Portofino and just north of Portovenere.

There is a hking trail between the villages and between vineyards on steep hillsides overlooking the sea. What a great day it is to hike that trail stopping for lunch in a magical village like Riomaggiore.

[beth]

Thanks for the nice pastoral image, Trubble.

and

you, too, das - for the interesting photo - very picturesque but can you imagine living somewhere in that wall of homes? Not me.

I'll take your e and add Essex County England.



en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essex

[DAS (formerly BushAdmirer)]

Yosemite National Park is in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains, about a 4 hour drive from San Francisco. It has some of the most magnificent scenery anywhere. The park is criss-crossed with hiking trails. It is very large. There are many campgrounds, viewpoints, and waterfalls. I'd say it's a tossup between Yosemite and the Grand Canyon for America's most spectacular national park.

[beth]

Been to Yosemite. It's amazing.

Edisto Island, South Carolina

A great, casual, family oriented vacation spot.



www.southcarolinaparks.com/park-finder/state-park/1298.aspx

[DAS (formerly BushAdmirer)]

Hmmmmm Beth, what's the last letter in your post? Is it O for Edisto or D for Island or H for South or A for Carolina or any of these? I would think O for Edisto

[DAS (formerly BushAdmirer)]

Oahu is the Hawaiian Island with the largest population. It is home to the city of Honolulu and Pearl Harbor Naval Base. It's also a magnet for surfers because of the big waves.

[beth]

"O" was probably the best choice. Is Oahu where Endless Summer was filmed?

Beautiful photo.


I'm going to go with Uluru, Australia. The pic is Ayers Rock, the world's largest monolith, and Australia's most famous national landmark.

Also an Aboriginal sacred site.

[DAS (formerly BushAdmirer)]

Uganda his home to the Mountain Gorilla. This one is from the Habinyania Group in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and he's looking grumpy! Uganda was also home to idi Amin, Ugandan military dictator and the President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979.

[beth]

Alesund, Norway

Municipality and seaport

Noted for its Jugendstil architecture

[Liberator]

Damanhur









(La Confederazzione di Damanhur)
A kind of New Ageish thriving community named after an ancient Egyption 'city of Light' that started 30 years ago with these Temples of Mankind in the Italian Alps North of Turin not far from a ski resort. I have my doubts about some of it and it's come under criticism for getting 'cultish' but it looks like it started with the right sort of ideas.