Rome 1960

The Opening Ceremonies of the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome...
who knew what controversy had been stirring, and what was still to come?

I first bought Rome 1960: The Summer Olympics That Stirred the World, by David Maraniss, when it first came out. I was so interested in the topic that I paid full price for the hardcover (rare for me). It did not disappoint. If you are interested in Rome, or the Olympic movement, or both, I can highly recommend this book.

Here are a few reviews of Rome 1960: The Summer Olympics That Stirred the World

• New York Times
• GoodReads
• Sports Prof
• Tyler's Booklist

You can read a Q & A with David Maraniss, the book's author, on his website.

For a sampler, you can look inside the book or listed

Wrestling at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome

Atlantic City's Streets of Monopoly

Goofing with Monopoly signs in Atlantic City
Creative Commons image shoshanah on Flickr 

I stumbled across this 2014 story - "The Avenues of Monopoly, Captured in Pictures" - and found the premise compelling: a photographer's photo essay on the Atlantic City streets made famous by the original Monopoly board game. It's worth looking to see the photos:

"Headlines from Atlantic City today read like they might be pulled from Monopoly, the most famous board game ever made about Atlantic City, or any other city. "Atlantic City Allowed to Collect Up to $30 Million Unpaid Revel Property Taxes," reads one from The Wall Street Journal. It's a bank judgment in the city's favor, practically a card drawn at random from the Chance deck. "Economist: Atlantic County Job Losses Among Worst in Nation," reads another story, about how the city is suffering the worst single-year contractions in employment in recent national history. Do not pass Go, do not collect $200..." [The Avenues of Monopoly, Captured in Pictures].

Here are a few other interesting Monopoly stories I found along the way:

A Monopoly "spinner" used in
WWII when dice were unavailable

"During World War II, Allied soldiers in German prison camps used Monopoly games for more than just amusement. Thanks to an ingenious scheme by a branch of the British Ministry of Defense known as MI9, these soldiers were actually able to use Monopoly games to escape to freedom. Allied prisoners received these games as part of aid packages that usually came from charities like the Red Cross.

The Germans believed that the games kept their POWs from planning to escape by providing them with amusement. Ironically, many of the packages’ Monopoly games were designed by their U.K. manufacturer to have the opposite effect entirely, and, in fact, secretly doubled as escape kits. The plan involved having fake charities deliver aid packages containing these games, which, in truth, contained various escape tools, including “playing pieces” that were actually compasses or metal files that could be used to cut through barbed wire.

Even the games’ “play money” was actually real French, German, and Italian money that could be used for food, bribes, or train tickets. Hidden within their boards, the games also had silk maps that prisoners could use to travel to safety after leaving their prison camps. The manufacturer made the maps with silk so that they would neither deteriorate in water nor rustle when POWs unfolded them, thus not alerting German guards..." [read more].

Elizabeth Magie's 1904 Patent US1509312A

"Monopoly is arguably one of the most popular board games in modern history. But, the original version, released in 1906, doesn’t look like the version sitting on your shelf at home right now. In fact, it didn’t even have the same name.

A young woman by the name of Elizabeth Magie created the game to show a “practical demonstration of the present system of land-grabbing with all its usual outcomes and consequences.” She was inspired after reading Henry George’s book, Progress and Poverty. The first version of the game was called The Landlord’s Game..." [read more].

If that's news to you, it's probably because Charles Brace Darrow was best known as the claimed inventor of the Monopoly board game (he went on to become the first millionaire game-designer in history.

In fact, however, Elizabeth Magie was the original Monopoly inventor, and Darrow's version was derivative.


About the photographer
The Avenues of Monopoly, Captured in Pictures - CityLab
Mike Osborne: Monopoly - Holly Johnson Gallery, Dallas
The Monopoly Project - on the photographer's website
Mike Osborne Photography - the photographer's website

Charles Darrow's 1935 Patent US2026082A
(read more)

To learn more
76-Second Travel Show: Monopoly Travel - Lonely Planet
The Search for Marvin Gardens (1972) - The New Yorker
How Allied Prisoners Used ‘Monopoly’ To Escape Nazi POW Camps - All That's Interesting
This Is What the First-Ever Monopoly Game Looked Like - Reader's Digest
Monopoly’s Inventor: The Progressive Who Didn’t Pass ‘Go’
Monopoly House Rules - WikiBooks
Hasbro Monopoly Game - official website
List of Monopoly Games - Wikia
20 Monopoly Games You Never Knew Existed - All That's Interesting

Thinking of visiting Atlantic City?
76-Second Travel Show: Monopoly Travel - Lonely Planet
What's New in Atlantic City for 2018 - Martz Railways
24 Hours in Atlantic City - Traveling Greenes
Atlantic City Stemming is Losses - Globe and Mail
Atlantic City was once a bustling tourist hub — here's how it has changed

Sponsored content (mine!)
Cruises - my cruise website
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Barcelona Precincts, by Ben Holbrook

Barcelona Precincts: A curated guide to Barcelona’s best shops, eateries, bars and other hangouts

By Ben Holbrook

Travel blogger and author Ben Holbrook has a new book. It's called Barcelona Precincts, and it's stunningly beautiful!

Barcelona Precincts is Holbrook's personal guide to the city’s 12 hottest barrios (neighbourhoods). Anchored with a map, Ben shares his favourite places to eat and drink and shop, topping off each area with an interview with a local.

"Each chapter features beautiful imagery (it nearly killed me photographing the city throughout the blistering summer heat), maps, an interview with a local. This book was a true labour of love and consumed me entirely for much of the year."

"The finished product is something I am immensely proud of. Not only is it a gorgeous object of desire, something that will make a beautiful gift or look seriously sexy on your bookshelf or coffee table, but it’s something I poured my heart and soul into (and plenty of blood, sweat and tears along the way). This is not just a book, but a little slice of my very being...[read more].

Buy the book

amazon.ca
amazon.com
amazon.uk
Hardie Grant - Publisher

Tip: If you buy the print version of the book you can also download a FREE digital version to browse on your smart device ("though I should add that it’s simplified and doesn’t quite have the same magic as the print version," advises Ben).

Follow the author
Barcelona Precincts - book's page on author's website
More Barcelona - on author's website
Biography
@ben_holbrook on Twitter

Related resources
Ben Holbrook's Perfect Day in Barcelona - Homage to BCN
Meet Driftwood Journals Blogger Ben Holbrook - The Culture Trip
Ben Holbrook's articles - The Telegraph


Sponsored content (mine!)
Cruises from Barcelona - my cruise website
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Athens reads

The city of Athens is often overlooked as a destination, but has a lot to offer. I really came to appreciate the city when I rented a flat here for a month.

If your travel takes you through Athens, plan to stay a few days to explore.

Here are a few books worth reading, to get you in the mood:

	Dinner with Persephone: Travels in Greece - by Patricia Storace "I lived in Athens, at the intersection of a prostitute and a saint."  This is how this book begins, a memoir of the author's year in Greece. I truly adored this book. I read it while I was in Greece, and it really gave me great insight into the Greek people, particularly in Athens.
	The Acropolis: The Acropolis Museum - by Katerina Servi The new Acropolis Museum is housed in an amazing building at the foot of the Acropolis, with a stunning view of the Parthenon. This book guides you through the museum, giving interesting information and highlights the most important exhibits. The museum is spectacular to visit - don't miss it!
	Athens: The City Beneath the City: Antiquities from the Metropolitan Railway Excavations - by Liana Parlama, Nicholas Stampolidis During excavations for the Athens metro (built for the 2004 Summer Olympics), many archaeological artifacts were discovered, as highlighted in this book. The contrasts of old/new are quite striking if you view the artifacts (or replicas), at several metro stations.
	Time Out Athens I read this Athens guide cover to cover... not sequentially, but like an explorer... long before I made plans to visit the city. It helped me know I wanted to stay a month, which I did. A bit out of date, but I don't imagine that what made this book special has changed much - just be sure to refer to a current guidebook as well.
	Ancient Athens on 5 Drachmas a Day - by Philip Matyszak Set in Athens in 431 BC (you'll meet Socrates), this book is designed to educate and amuse. This "well-researched yet irreverently unacademic guide" gives context for Athens today. If you like this book, you may be interested to know that the author has written other similar works, including Rome.

Created with the HTML Table Generator

Sponsored content (mine!)
Cruises from Athens - my cruise website
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Paris: Wandering the city's charming Passages

The Passages of Paris are one of the city's treasures. Several of them, in fact, as they are scattered throughout the city.

These passageways between buildings were covered shopping districts of their day, long before paved streets. Even if the weather was poor, the well-to-do could dress up and do a little shopping free from the rain and mud.

I explored several passages when I spent a month in Paris in 2009

Many of the passages still exist. Some are restored, while others are sorry shadows of their former selves, but they are all fascinating.

Here is a post I wrote about my initial passage experience.

Today I began to explore the covered passages of Paris. I travelled to the Bourse Metro stop and walked a couple of blogs to the entrance of Passage Panoramas... [read more].

Parikkala Sculpture Park

Creative Commons image mikeancient on Flickr 

Just 3 hours east of Helsinki, tucked next to the Russian border, lies the town of Parikkala.

Creative Commons image
1030333033@N08 on Flickr 

While relatively isolated, the tiny town receives more than its share of visitors, drawn to incredible sculptures created by Veijo Rönkkönen.

Officially known as the Parikkala Sculpture Park, the Veijo Rönkkönen Sculpture Garden is one of Finland's most important examples of contemporary folk art.

"Rönkkönen is more than an installation or a sculpture park; it’s a community, and although some of the artwork is disturbing, the forest is unquestionably quite magical, an amalgamation of many different worlds coming together all in one place." (The Culture Trip)

Creative Commons image 1030333033@N08 on Flickr 

What causes the sometimes 'creepy' reaction is the facial expressions of the concrete statues. Some even have human teeth. The uniqueness of each statue is also what makes the whole collection so special.

"Veijo Rönkkönen was only 16 years old when he started working on his park. Veijo had recently got a job as a press worker in a paper mill in his hometown Parikkala, a job he held for 41 years. With his first pay check, he purchased ten apple tree seedlings and a bag of concrete to create a garden around his family home. For the next fifty years, until his death in 2010, he dedicated all his spare time and money planting flowers and trees and creating hundreds of caricature-like sculptures, mostly of full scale human figures." (Amusing Planet)

Creative Commons image
1030333033@N08 on Flickr 

A recluse who enjoyed his own company and practiced yoga, Veijo continued to live in the family home, adding to his works.

"Veijo Rönkkönen's yard, and the path leading to it, are filled with over 450 statues, 200 of which are self portraits of the artist in Yoga positions he has mastered. The statues have loudspeakers hidden inside them, and the sound effects add to the eeriness of this place." (Oddity Central)

Creative Commons image 1030333033@N08 on Flickr 

While Rönkkönen was happy to share his sculptures, leaving his park open to the public, he never wanted to meet his admirers. Instead, visitors left impressions and notes to him in a guestbook.

Veijo Rönkkönen was recognized with the Finlandia prize in 2007, but sent his brother to collect the prize on his behalf.

Following his death in 2010, Rönkkönen's family sold the site, hoping it would be preserved. The ITE Association is partnering with the new owner, an art lover named Reino Uusitalo, to repair the sculptures and provide guided tours.

Curious?

Satisfy your curiosity with this view of the park entrance (on Google Street View).

Creative Commons image mikeancient on Flickr

If you go, why not stay a few days? There is plenty to see and do, including ample birdwatching, Ateljee-Koti Seppo Saukkonen (250 works by the artist), Honkakylä Merchant’s Museum, Museum of Horse-Drawn Vehicles & Agricultural Implements, Parikkala Dairy Museum and the Papinniemi Archaeological Site. (Visit Parikkala)

Resources
Parikkala Sculpture Park - Official Website
THE RÖNKKÖNEN SCULPTURE PARK - Go Finland
The strange Park of Veijo Rönkkönen - Big in Finland
Veijo Rönkkönen Sculpture Garden - Atlas Obscura
The Sculpture Park of Veijo Rönkkönen Is the Weirdest Place in Finland - Oddity Central
Veijo Rönkkönen’s Sculpture Park - Amusing Planet
Recluse Dies, Leaves Behind Hundreds of Secret Sculptures in Finland - The Culture Trip
The Parikkala Sculpture Park Reviews - Trip Advisor (rating 4.5/5)
How to get from Helsinki to Parikkala - Rome2Rio
Cottages and Vacation Rentals nearby - Go Finland
Parikkala Sights and Attractions - Visit Parikkala

Creative Commons image mikeancient on Flickr

The Goroka Show

This week I helped a couple book flights to Goroka to visit their daughter. They had timed their visit to take in the annual Goroka festival. The destination is so far off our radar that I had to get IT to add the Goroka Airport code (GKA) to our CRM in order to do my invoice! Needless to say, I was intrigued. Here's what I learned...

The Goroka Show is a well-known tribal gathering and cultural event in Papua New Guinea. It is a Sing-sing held every year close to the country's Independence Day (16 September) in the town of Goroka, the capital of the Eastern Highlands Province.

About 100 tribes arrive to show their music, dance and culture. The festival started in the mid-1950s as an initiative of Australian Kiaps. In recent years it has become a major attraction for both national and international tourists and remains the largest cultural event in Papua New Guinea despite similar shows now being organised in Mount Hagen and other cities around the country.

Creative Commons images Drew Douglas, kabl1992 on Flickr

Resources
Goroka Show website
Goroka Show - 1957 and 1958 (photos)