Crusader Inscription in Arabic

Researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem: "This is the only Crusader inscription in the Arabic language ever found in the Middle East." From Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Read more...

Tom

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BBCl: 'Plague' killed Roman grave dead

A study into a mass Roman grave excavated in Gloucester appears to show the dead had been killed by smallpox. From the BBC. Read more...

Gladiator School near Vienna

Good reason to plan several returns to Vienna...

Tom

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House of the Gladiator, Pompeii, Collapses

Sadly, a tremendous archaeological find in Pompeii is now completely in ruins. Extensive frescoes, spacious 'club house' fell and the history of the gladiators has collapse, possibly due to heavy rains, neglect and poor management.

Read the story on SFGate.com.

Tom
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Crack open the bubbly! Veuve Clicquot anyone?

If you really liked champagne, how long could you wait to open a bottle of the finest stuff?

I'm not sure I could wait 230 years but  when 30 bottles turn up with a pedigree that suggests more than just everyday champagne, the wait becomes more intriguing.

Divers in the Baltic Sea have found 30 bottles of champagne at the depth of 180 feet (55 meters). The bottles have no labels but there are corks bear the name Juclar indicating that they originated in Andorra.

Moet & Chandon has been producing Veuve Clicquot since 1772; executives are fairly certain that the champagne is of this distinctive type.

Researchers suggest that the champagne was meant for Czar Peter (the Great) from King Louis XVI. A shipment of such a type is known not to have made it to the czar so the likelihood is high. If further proof can be found the bottles could bring millions at auction.

So next time you open a bottle of Veuve Clicquot on that special occasion, savor it for a little longer, imagining the pedigree of its forebears and the heights to which the bubbly has risen in important circles (or in this case, the depth at which it has comfortably lain for centuries).

Read the full article: Divers find 230-year-old champagne on Baltic seabed (AFP)

Tom

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Roman Wall Painting Discovered in Roman Camp of Novae (Bulgaria)

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A Bulgarian archaeologist, studying the site of Novae (modern Svishtov, Bulgaria), has uncovered exceptional wall paintings. Read the full story here from BalkanTravelers.com.

Novae was a established in 45AD as the legionary headquarters of the Legio VIII Augusta. It continued to serve as the headquarters of the Prima Legio Italica from 69AD well into late Antiquity.

Archaeologists have been digging at Novae since the 1960s, especially under Bulgarian and Polish auspices. The site has yielded significant finds including a statute of Emperor Caracalla. In other locations, an intact chariot has been found, as well as a wealth of gold, silver and other important physical remains. See the Sofia News Agency (Novinite.com) for more.

Tom

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Travel Tips: Passports (V)

Passport fees are set to increase July 13, 2010.

In previous posts, I have mentioned the changes for travel documents.

Now fees for obtaining passports are going to increase. The following table summarizes these changes that can be found on the Department of State's website.

Item	Current Fee	New Fee
For Adults
Adult Passport Book (First Time)	$100	$135
Adult Passport Book Renewal	$75	$110
Adult Passport Card (First Time)	$45	$55
Adult Passport Card Renewal	$20	$30
For Minors
Minor Passport Card Renewal	$10	$15
Minor Passport Book Renewal	$60	$80
Minor Passport Card (First Time)	$35	$40
Minor Passport Book (First Time)	$85	$105

For previous posts on similar topics, see the following. All of these posts can be read under the label Passports

Travel Tip: Electronic System of Travel Authorization (ESTA)

Travel Tip: Travel Documents and Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)

Travel Tips: RFID--Some Privacy Protection

Travel Tips: Passports (IV)

Travel Tips: Passports (III)

Travel Tips: Passports II

Travel Tips: Passports and PASS Card

Travel Tips: RFID Passports (Update)

Tom

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Gold-plated Roman horse head found

So many Roman things to find but so little time!


Tom
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Veronese's Wedding at Cana--a Cinematographer's Dream

In an interesting twist to the history of some of the world's most treasured art, The Wedding at Cana by Paolo Veronese has been turned into a cinematographer's dream.

Peter Greenaway, the already fabled British film maker has applied his skilled eye to bringing the painting to life. The colors are vivid and enchanting, the brilliance of the light and shadow invites each viewer to partake in the wedding as if it were happening in real time on all sides of the viewer.

From 1552 until his death in 1588, Paolo Veronese (né Paolo Caliari) worked in Venice and provided numerous works of art to the leading persons. The Wedding at Cana, appropriately, was painted for the refectory of Benedictine monastery of the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice.

New York Times article, "In Venice, Peter Greenaway Takes Veronese's Figures Out to Play."

Tom
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Ancient Roman Shipwrecks

Fascinating! Five, intact, Roman shipwrecks have been found of the coast of Italy. Remarkably, these ships sank without capsizing, leaving much of their cargo intact. The information that can be garnered from amphorae filled with wine, garum (a fish sauce that the Romans loved).


The ships were found off the coast of Italy, from Naples near a small island, Ventotene.


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Tom
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Travel Tip: Electronic System of Travel Authorization (ESTA)

The Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection enforcement of the so-called Electronic System of Travel Authorization for visitors to the US. Visitors from the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Australia, and other countries that qualify for the U.S. Visa Waiver Program must register online before travelling to the United States. Beginning Monday, January 19, all these visitors must be registered and approved before travelling to the United States.

ESTA is an electronic version of the already in-place I-94W form but the department wants to have this information further in advance in order to compare to databases and prevent those who might pose a security threat from entering the United States. Previously, a traveller complete the I-94W while in transit and for trips lasting less than 90 days.

More details...CNET.com: U.S. visitors required to register online.

Several travel industry associations are greatly concerned with the new procedure. The Air Transport Association of America (ATA), the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) and the U.S. Travel Association (USTA--formerly the Travel Industry Association (TIA)) cite, among other things, the following concerns:

1. Lack of a procedure for those who do not have Internet access or are unable to use the Internet;
2. A provision to resolve a threat misidentification; and,
3. with more than 15 million travellers to the US from the identified nations alone, the lack of a procedure to handle those who have inadvertently failed to comply with the new regulation

The Homeland Security Administration cites the successful use of a similar program in Australia and the move to a paperless procedure.

Tom
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Travel Tip: Travel Documents and Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)

In a previous post (Oct. 9, 2006: Travel Tips: Passports and PASS Card), I wrote about the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI).

At the time of the post, I noted that the WHTI would require all US citizens traveling into or out of the US to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda by air to have a valid passport by January 8, 2007. Provisions applicable to sea and land travel were suspended until certain Congressional criteria were addressed.

Now the requirement of travel documents for sea and land entries will be effective June 1, 2009.

For a list of documents that are acceptable, visit the US Customs and Border Protection WHTI page. There are exceptions, including: for active duty military; for cruise passengers whose cruise begins and ends in a US port (a so-called 'closed-loop' cruise--but there is no change in passport rules for visiting foreign ports of call); for those with an 'Enhanced Driver's License'; and, for those who participate in an approved Trusted Traveler program (NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST and others--see the Customs and Border Protection site).

But we have to ask: Do we need anything other than a passport? Not really. A passport will do just what it designed to do: identify you as a citizen of your country and allow your passage through your country's borders. The WHTI simply extends the requirement of having a passport to travel between the US and Mexico or Canada, and to all means of travel.

This suggests some precaution in falling prey to those pandering new required documents. If you do not need a document, then there is no need to spend the money nor enduring the burdens of obtaining one.

Some advantages of the Trusted Traveler program include: dedicated lanes and expedited border processing for pre-approved, 'low-risk' travelers. Disadvantages: requires a background check, in-person interview and fingerprinting, plus an additional five-year membership fee.

Civil rights advocates have questioned the effectiveness, supposed enhanced security, necessity and more of the Trusted Traveler program (see the American Civil Liberties Union website.) The ACLU has also questioned the validity and security of Enhanced Drivers Licenses that are already available in Washington State and New York.


Tom
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Travel Tip: Cuba a Destination?

There has been quite a lot of talk lately that President-elect Barack Obama will make significant changes in the United States' policy regarding travel to Cuba.

The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) has approached the incoming administration with a request that it "support Americans' Freedom to Travel" (Dec. 9, 2008 press release). “ASTA has long supported the principle that Americans ought to be allowed to travel across the globe without restriction,” said Chris Russo, ASTA’s president and chair.

Russo continued: “Beyond the obvious economic opportunities awaiting both countries if current travel restrictions were to be lifted, these changes would also benefit Cuba’s neighbors and the travel industry that services them.

The press release concludes: "ASTA [looks forward to working with the] 111th Congress to ensure that Americans are free to travel the world without restriction from their own government."

Just how far the Obama administration will go is not quite clear. Some analysts suggest that the restrictions on travel will only be eased for those with connections to Cuba (for example, family living in the United States).

The restrictions on travel have been significantly tightened in the past few years, particularly for alleged tourists. The rules allowed for visits to Cuba by those involved in humanitarian work, educational programs and more. But because of alleged abuses, namely that those going for educational or humanitarian reasons were really traveling as tourists, the State Department tightened its grip.

The extensive restrictions, outlined on the Department of State site (Cuba: Country Specific Information), note specifically that "transactions related to tourist travel are not licensable. This restriction includes tourist travel to Cuba from or through a third country such as Mexico or Canada. U.S. law enforcement authorities have increased enforcement of these regulations at U.S. airports and pre-clearance facilities in third countries. Travelers who fail to comply with Department of Treasury regulations could face civil penalties and criminal prosecution upon return to the United States. "

Those who are opposed to a change in the current relationship with Cuba, or at least a more cautious approach to change, cite, among other things, human rights abuses, including the imprisonment of political dissenters. Yet, as the ASTA press release points out, tourists "are allowed to travel to Pyongyang, Tehran, Khartoum, and other cities whose nations’ leaders are publicly opposed to American interests."

I personally look forward to the opening of Cuba, a country that has been closed to my visit for almost as long as I have been alive.

Tom
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Travel Idea: Pilgrimage or Faith Tour

A call to peace is an oft-heard mantra. How many of us do something about it?

There are many ways to work toward peace, and each person can easily find a unique way for his or her lifestyle. Working for peace can be an individual, family or group pursuit.

In his Urbi et Orbi speech, Pope Benedict XVI stressed the need for peace in our world (New York Times: "Pope’s Christmas Greeting Focuses on Pursuit of Peace"). Leaders from around the world have issued their own calls for peace from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (Bloomberg.com: "Ahmadinejad Calls for Peace, Says Jesus Would Fight Terrorism") to Queen Elizabeth II: "Queen Elizabeth II's Christmas Message 2008" (BBC or The Royal Channel on YouTube.com).

Another great way for expressing and working toward peace is to go on a pilgrimage or faith tour. Ubiquity International offers a great pilgrimage tour of Medjugorje for the International Youth Festival where visionaries claim that the Virgin Mary has appeared and issued ongoing calls for peace. Future offerings will include pilgrimages to the traditional seven pilgrimage churches of Rome, the trails of St. Francis Assisi and pilgrimages for other faiths. Check them out!

Tom
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Travel Tips: High-speed trains in Europe

High-speed trains continue to be developed the world over. It is so convenient now to go from London to Paris, from Madrid to Seville or from Tokyo to Kyoto.

In an article from San Francisco Chronicle (SFGate.com: "Europe's rail system moving full steam ahead"), Ed Perkins outlines some of the advances in high speed rail in Europe. I agree it is about time for the United States to 'step up to the plate.' There are so many possibilities and advantages to using high-speed, electric rail. We are, so to say, missing the boat. European nations have, and continue to, devoted resources to the development of these efficient and green means of transportation.

I do not fully agree, however, with Mr. Perkins about buying rail passes. I think that a person traveling to Europe, and wanting to use rail, needs to consider fully all the options, and some of the limitations of passes. They are good in certain situations but not every person benefits from a rail pass all the time.

In any case, there are many other advantages to using high-speed (or for that matter, trains, period) in Europe. Including:

• less intrusive security measures


• comfort and ease of boarding at leisure


• comfort of moving around any time during the journey


• incredible scenery en route


• great number of options, including destinations and departure times


• ease of 'off-on' boarding

I highly recommend train travel whenever possible.

Happy railing!

Tom

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Travel Tips: Staying Healthy While Traveling

You are congested, your stomach rumbling, and you feel the lull of sleep every time you close eyes for just a minute.

Perhaps its your immune system--weak because of lack of sleep. Maybe it is that your stomach just cannot handle the differences in water and food.

Whatever it is, staying healthy while traveling is often a big challenge.

Health Magazine conducted a review of American airports and has released the list of the Top 10 Healthiest (America's Healthiest Airports). Surprisingly, the only west coast airport that made it on the list was Portland (Oregon) International (PDX). Perhaps surprising to some, too, are some of the major airports that made it, including Chicago O'Hare (ORD) and Washington Dulles International (IAD).

Though food and water safety are not too much of a problem at foreign airports, there can still be some health issues to keep in mind. Mom's Team, a team of experts and professionals providing a comprehensive resource for youth sports parents, offers suggestions for eating and staying healthy at foreign airports (Tips on Healthy Eating on Airlines and in Foreign Countries). The tips are good for anyone not just young sports participants.

Some of the suggestions (e.g., drink only bottled water) are not necessary in most European countries, for example. Ask friends and relatives who have traveled before what seems best. Of course, if you typically react negatively to water from any where other than your own home, then by all means, use bottled water.

Tom

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