By this Author: VagabondCowboy

Located in Chapultepec Park, the National Museum of Anthropology is the largest and most visited museum in Mexico; a very helpful museum guide book in English can be purchased and best to not visit on Sundays when admission for locals is free making for crowded conditions

This huge Stone of the Sun from the early 1500s highlights the sun's role in Aztec belief and is perhaps the most famous work of Mexica sculpture; it is 12 feet in diameter, 39 inches thick and weighs 54,000 lbs and was found buried at Mexico City's Zocolo

This 8+ ft tall statue of Coatlicue, mother of the deities, is one of the most famous surviving Aztec sculptures; originally displayed in Tenochtitlan, the statue was buried after the 1521 Spanish conquest and excavated 270 years later in Mexico City's Zocolo

The Libellus de Medicinalibus Indorum Herbis of 1552 is the first illustrated and descriptive scientific text of Nahua medicine and botany produced in the Americas; it is considered a monumental text in the history of botany and the history of medicine

This statue is generally identified as the Great Goddess of Teotihuacan and stood near the base of the Pyramid of the Moon; dating from 300-800 AD, she is thought to have been a goddess of the underworld, darkness, water and possibly even creation itself

This 1811 banner of Miguel Hidalgo, carried by the rebel forces even after his death by execution, was one of the most significant symbols of Mexican patriotism in their war of independence from Spain

This type of Maya sculpture made between 900 and 1250 AD is called chacmool and possibly was made to honor slain warriors; this is the original chacmool excavated in 1875 from the Temple of the Eagles and Jaguars at Chichen Itza

This vast concrete umbrella supported by a single pillar is one of the most distinguishing features of the 1964 museum; surrounding this courtyard are 23 rooms with almost 860,000 square feet of exhibit space (good luck finding the most important items!)

This most famous representation of Xochipilli or the 'Prince of Flowers' dates from roughly 1450; he was the Mesoamerican god of summer, flowers, pleasure, love, dancing, painting, feasting, creativity and souls and was especially revered at Xochimilco

This painted ceramic container comes from Teotihuacan and dates from 450 to 700AD; I was surprised that this supposedly world-class museum had item descriptions only in Spanish but I read where there's an English audioguide but I failed to see one offered

This Maya cross stela is from the ossuary at Chichen Itza and dates from 1000 to 1250AD; the museum had many reproductions of temples, crypts and other features of indigenous culture but I'd rather see the real thing

This Maya jar with lid dates from 250 to 600 AD and was uncovered in a tomb at Calakmul which, deep in the Yucatan jungle, was one of the most powerful Maya cities with 50,000+ people and 6750 identified structures

The National Botanic Gardens, easily reached by public bus and with free admission, were founded in 1795 5 km from Dublin City Center; the 1883 Great Palm House measures 100 feet long, 80 feet wide and 65 feet tall

The River Tolka forms most of the boundary of the National Botanic Gardens; it's the second largest river in Dublin after the Liffey; in 2011, salmon returned to spawn after more than a 100 year absence and two years later river otters were seen

The cedar of Lebanon, native to Turkey and Lebanon, is a very slow growing tree that retains a compact and dense shape; timber from these trees was used to make the great ocean-going ships of the Phoenicians

Peruvian Lily Freedom (perennial); it was the director of the National Botanic Garden who first noted potato blight in Ireland at Glasnevin on August 20, 1845, and predicted that the impact on the potato crop would lead to famine in Ireland

In 1961 excavations in Dublin revealed the perfectly preserved remains of a Viking village, dating from the 9th and 10th centuries; Viking House, 2014, is an accurate recreation of one of these first Dublin houses based upon the archaeological evidence

The Guinness Book of World Records was originally an initiative from the Brewery’s managing director; it started in 1951 and was supposed to only be a marketing giveaway but went on to be a number best-selling book annually

In the last 20 years, Dublin has become a technology hub with all tech giants such as Google and Facebook basing their European headquarters in Dublin; this is mainly due to the fact that Ireland offered very advantageous tax schemes for companies

There were many greenhouses including the Teak House, Cactus and Succulent House, Alpine House, Orchid House and Water Lily House; Queen Elizabeth II visited pretty much every country in the world but yet had not stepped a foot in Ireland until 2011

Oranges 'n' Lemons Floribunda Rose; I had visited Dublin before so I'd seen the major tourist sights before so I could enjoy lesser known sights this time; even though Ireland is a catholic country, there is no catholic cathedral in Dublin

My tour of Ireland ended in Belfast which has two airports but they have limited service; it was cheaper to take an enjoyable 2 1/2 hour train back to Dublin and depart from here

The sculpture 'What is Life?' by Charles Jencks comprises the DNA double helix surrounded by a rising waveform of RNA molecules; the sculpture was dedicated in 2013 to mark the 60th anniversary of the discovery of the double helix by Watson and Crick

There wasn't a great deal of signage on the plants but the Gardens made for a pleasant place to walk; if you drink alcohol, Dublin might be an attractive destination but I found the countryside much more enjoyable than the Irish cities

Built in 1847 as Norfolk City Hall, it housed city offices until 1918 and courtrooms until 1960; in 1961 the entire building was gutted to become the MacArthur Memorial; admission was free

The most interesting part of the museum was the 27 minute long video about MacArthur's life; the 9 galleries in the museum about his life and career were quite dry and copy heavy

Along with his signature wheel hat and aviator sunglasses, MacArthur's third must-have was a Missouri-made corn cob pipe for strategic pointing; the Missouri Meerschaum Company still sells the MacArthur 5-Star Corn Cob Pipe ($14.89)

The rotunda of the memorial contains the tombs of Douglas and Jean MacArthur; the memorial also pays tribute to the men and women who served with General MacArthur in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War

I suppose even the toughest military men have embarrassing baby photos; from 1919 to 1922, MacArthur served as Superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point

Japanese cloisone vase, now known as the MacArthur Vase, was presented to MacArthur by the potter in 1946; as the effective ruler of Japan, MacArthur oversaw its occupation from 1945-1951 and implemented sweeping economic, political and social changes

MacArthur was First Captain at the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he graduated top of the class of 1903; he was also valedictorian at the West Texas Military Academy where he finished high school

West Texas Military Academy (known as West Point on the Rio Grande) is now TMI Episcopal which is a coed college prep school; famous alums include Dan Blocker (Bonanza) and John Armstrong (manager of King Ranch)

MacArthur received the Medal of Honor for his service in the Philippines campaign (he and his father are the only father-son pair so honored); this silver tray was given to MacArthur in 1937 by the Philippine president

The general's father was Arthur MacArthur, an army officer and a Union hero of the Civil War, while his mom (Pinky) was the daughter of a cotton merchant from Norfolk (during the Civil War, her brothers fought for the Confederacy)

Japanese teapot given to MacArthur; unlike in Germany, where the Allies had in May 1945 abolished the German state, the Americans chose to allow the Japanese state to continue to exist under Emperor Hirohito, albeit under their ultimate control

This 1950 Chrysler Crown Imperial limousine served as General MacArthur's staff car from late 1950 until 1963; nearly every driver of this car carved his initials into the dashboard

The Galapagos Islands were named for the famed tortoises since that word in Spanish is 'galapago;' these tortoises can live 175+ years and weigh 900+ lbs; differences among the species on the different islands contributed to Darwin's theory of evolution

Juvenile lava heron; in 2009, UNESCO put the Galapagos on its list of endangered sites due to overtourism and overpopulation; the Ecuadorian government acted by severely restricting the ability of anyone to move here, even including other Ecuadorians

On arid islands in the Galapagos, tortoises have evolved to have saddle-shaped shells and much longer necks to reach food while on more humid islands the tortoises have dome-shaped shells and shorter necks

In the Galapagos tourists are amazed at how humans and animals can live in such harmony; the animals don't view the humans as predators with tourists and locals taught to stay 6 feet away from animals

A visit to the Darwin Research Station is included on most tours; it hosts a tortoise breeding center, where young tortoises are hatched, reared, and prepared to be reintroduced to their natural habitat (tortoises are separated by island to avoid hybridization)

OK, not the best photo but I was trying to capture the blue-footed boobies synchronized diving; they'll fly around briefly before all diving at the same time without any apparent signal which was just mesmerizing to watch

Darwin's proposition that all species of life descended from a common ancestor is now generally accepted and considered a fundamental concept in science; he is considered one of the most influential figures in human history and is buried in Westminster Abbey

Lonesome George was the last Pinta Island tortoise and, when he died at age 102 in 2012, the species was declared extinct; the American Museum of Natural History paid for George to be preserved with his body an important symbol for conservation efforts in the Galápagos

Juvenile blacktip reef shark; these sharks inhabit the waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans but the eastern limit of their range are the islands of Hawaii and Galapagos; they are not seen off the coasts of mainland North or South America

In combination with proportionally longer necks and limbs, the unusual saddleback carapace structure is thought to be an adaptation to increase vertical reach, which enables the tortoise to browse tall vegetation such as the prickly pear cactus

Situated in the middle of the archipelago, Santa Cruz is the most populous (18,000) and second-largest (381 sq mi) island in the chain; in 2002, a sister city agreement was reached between the island and Seabrook, TX (a city just SE of Houston)

Great blue heron; you won't find any large, chain hotels here and ships can have no more than 100 passengers; all of the Galapagos naturalist guides (our ship had 6) must be permanent residents of the Galapagos

All subspecies of tortoises evolved from mainland South American ancestors that arrived by overwater dispersal; they survived the 600 mile journey since they are buoyant, can breathe by extending their necks above the water, and can survive months without food or fresh water

The most populous town in the Galápagos is Puerto Ayora (population 12,696); it is often mistakenly called Santa Cruz since it's the largest city on Santa Cruz Island; named in honor of Isidro Ayora, an Ecuadorian president, the town is home to many artists

These two giant tortoises are mating with the much bigger male on top; the female typically tries to 'run' away with the male following her for days to wear her down; Santa Cruz Island is also known as Indefatigable Island

Mille Fiori, 2010; St. Petersburg has two excellent new museums - the Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement (2021) with fine arts, furniture and decorative arts from the early 1900s and the Imagine Museum (2018) with a huge collection of glass art

Mille Fiori, 2010; the Sunshine Skyway Bridge across Tampa Bay linking St. Petersburg with Bradenton is the world’s highest (191 feet) and longest (5+ miles) cable-stay bridge

Ivory Basket Set with Auburn Lip and Body Wrap, 1979; the city of St. Petersburg is 62% White, 21% Black, 3% Asian and 9% Hispanic; the largest employers are Raymond James, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Home Shopping Network and Publix

Macchia Forest, 2010; these pieces are created by a team which enables them to make such large glass or architectural art; this collection stresses that it's not a museum since the pieces never change

Blue Neon Tumbleweed, 2009; perfect piece for a Texas ranch house (although part of it not working isn't a big endorsement); Chihuly has done commissions for Bill Gates and Bill Clinton

Mille Fiori, 2010; the original Sunshine Skyway Bridge was damaged beyond repair in 1980 when a huge cargo ship smashed into one of its main pillars during a rainstorm; the crash caused the deaths of 35 motorists who were crossing the bridge at the time

Carnival Chandelier, 2008; Chihuly made his first chandelier in 1992 and they evolved to include as many as 1000 individual pieces of glass; Chihuly is an American who earned a Fulbright Fellowship and trained on the Venetian island of Murano

Ivory Basket with Oxblood Spots, 1977; every year, for three days in February or March, several streets in downtown St. Pete are barricaded to create a loop track for the famous Firestone Grand Prix car races

Sunset Persian Wall, 2010; SHINE St. Pete Mural Festival began in 2015 and since has contributed to 100+ murals designed by artists from across the globe; we saw them throughout the city and they really brighten up neighborhoods

Muted Raspberry Ikebana with Gilded Pink Stems, 2002; the St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club was established in 1924 and gained attention as the 'World's Largest Shuffleboard Club' with 110 courts and 5,000+ members in the 1950s and 1960s

Aquamarine Spotted Venetian Piccolo with Emerald Prunts, 1998; Chihuly typically draws a design or verbally describes his vision with a team then actually doing the work to execute the piece

Mille Fiori, 2010; Italian for 'thousand flowers;' Mille Fiori was designed to create a mystical garden of glass; included in the $20 admission is a visit across the street to the Morean Arts Center where you can see gorgeous glass pieces being made

Persian Ceiling, 2008; St. Pete is home to Tropicana FIeld where the Tampa Bay Rays play their home baseball games; the stadium is the only non-retractable domed stadium in Major League Baseball and has the smallest seating capacity in the league

Verdant Green Ikebana with Emerald Leaf and Two Stems, 2002; there are different videos here showing how these large pieces are made as well as documenting some of the major installations around the world Chihuly has had over 40+ years

Silvered White Spotted Ikebana with Gilded Purple Stems, 2006; ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arranging; Chihuly feels strongly that his work should appear as if it came from nature