ROME AND THEN HOME:)

When he left the Middle East (Israel and Egypt) Flat Hawkster made his way to the fascinating city of Rome, Italy.   He had been looking forward to visiting this city for a long time after studying Ancient Rome in grade 7.  It was a great history tour.   Rome is the capital of Italy and was the centre of the Roman Empire that ruled most of Western Europe for over 700 years.  Ancient Rome first began over 2500 years ago and would develop into a very sophisticated society that introduced many ideas that we still use today: roads, mail service, taxation, stadiums, government, architecture, court systems, military innovation and so much more,   Flat Hawkster spent a lot of time wandering through this city of 2.9 million people and found ancient ruins on display everywhere.   His first stop was the ancient Colosseum.  This is a huge stadium that is similar in size to B.C. place and was designed to hold 50,000 spectators that looked down onto the large stage/floor..  People would gather to watch a variety of presentations but most involved fights to the death with men, animals or men vs. animals.  It was a very violent place for participants and much safer to be in the crowd.  Flat Hawkster was amazed to find out that the floor had close to 80 trap doors that would be used to surprise the crowd with famous gladiators, exotic animals or elaborate stag props.  Imagine yourself standing on that floor in front of  50,000 angry people who were hungry for violence.  Suddenly, the crowd lets out a thunderous roar. You turn around to see that a rhinoceros has been lifted up on to the stage and is charging right at you.  There is no where to run or hide.  Yikes!

In these two pictures you can get a sense of the Colosseum's size.  It is huge!

In this picture Flat Hawkster is pointing to the maze of pathways and holding areas that could be
found under the stage.  This is where the animals and gladiators would be held until
they were lifted up through the trap doors.

Not far from the Colosseum,  Flat Hawkster was able to wander through what was the ancient city of Rome.  Most of these ruins have crumbled now but a few buildings remain.  What visitors can see is how well planned the city was with roads connecting people to the temples, government buildings, theatres, stadiums, etc.   To view what this might have looked like in 320 AD check out this cool video link: Ancient Rome in 3D Animation.

Flat Hawkster can be seen below in the Vatican City.  This "city" or state is the home for the Catholic Church and it is where the Pope lives.  It is an independent state with its own laws and only 800 inhabitants.  This number is much larger however where you consider that approximately 25,000 tourists visit the Vatican each day!  One of the biggest attractions is the Sistine Chapel which features the amazing work of Michelangelo on its ceiling.  Michelangelo was a very famous artist during the Renaissance period and the Pope at the time told him to work on this project.  Michelangelo was not very fond of painting but he had no choice but to follow the wishes of his Pope.  The ceiling was completed after 4 very uncomfortable years where the artist's health suffered and his eyesight was ruined due to the constantly dripping paint.

The Sistine Chapel.  In the wall at the end of the chapel, Michelangelo included a picture
of himself as a very unhappy man,  He wanted people to know that he was not pleased to
have been forced to do all of this painting.

This is St. Peter's square in the Vatican City.  In the picture below you and see the
dome of St. Peter's Basilica.

Well Hawthorne Hawks,  this is the final post.  After over four months of travelling Flat Hawkster is now spending some time with relatives before heading back to Hawthorne for a visit in December.  He is excited about seeing everyone again.  As well he is looking forward to meeting all of those people who joined Hawthorne in the fall.  Thanks for following along and a special "shout out" to Mrs. Ratzlaff for her extra work in support of this blog.  Have a great November everyone!

ISRAEL AND EGYPT

Flat Hawkster's tour through the Middle East continued through Israel and Egypt.  He began by visiting two cities in Israel,  Haifa and Jerusalem.   It was a fascinating journey into what is considered the Holy Land for those of the Christian faith.   Flat Hawkster's time began in the coastal town of Acre where he was able to wander through tunnels and secret passages that had been built by the crusaders centuries ago.  The crusaders were sent by the Catholic Church to recapture Christianity's Holy Land from the Ottoman Empire.   The Ottomans did end up conquering the city again and built a city on top of the city that had been created by the crusaders.  One of the secret passages was very tight and narrow but provided a quick escape route from the castle to the ocean.

For his second day in Israel, Flat Hawkster went to the Jerusalem to visit some of the most important sites in the history of Christianity.   This is the city in which Jesus Christ is said to have lived and died.  Millions of Christians from around the world make pilgrimages (trips) to Jerusalem in honour of their religion.  It was so busy when Flat Hawkster was there he was wondering if they had all arrived at the same time:)

The view of Jerusalem from a park nearby.

This is said to be the lane on which Jesus Christ walked on the day of his execution.

The view of Haifa Bay from the hanging garden above the city.

The Ottoman fortress  that was built on top of the city that had been constructed centuries earlier by the Crusaders.

These are the remains of an ancient public washroom that had been built by the crusaders.   It consisted of a series of holes in the ground that connected with a primitive sewer system that washed the waste into the harbour.   This was definitely a "public"  washroom.  In the picture below you can see Flat Hawkster about to enter one of the escape tunnels that had been used centuries ago.

After leaving Israel,  Flat Hawkster went to Egypt to visit the pyramids.   He had been looking forward to this visit for a long time as he is fascinated by these huge structures that had been built over 5000 years ago.  The site in Giza was very busy with locals, tourists, buses, camels, donkeys and horses.  Despite the crowds, it was an amazing experience.   The pyramids are an ancient wonder and it would be difficult for modern day machinery to construct these today.  The pyramids were built as tombs for Egyptian Pharaohs (kings) and they were started while the men were alive.  Sometimes the pyramid would take 20 years to build but the work would always stop when the Pharaoh died.   These structures were built to provide the leaders with access to the best afterlife.

This is  the Sphinx which is a huge monument that has the body of a lion and it is believed to be the head of a Pharaoh named Khafra.   You will notice that the nose is missing and some historians think it was knocked of by the worker slaves after Khafra's death.  Apparently he was not a nice leader and ancient Egyptians believe that ones spirit would travel through the note.  By removing this monument's nose,  the workers would be leaving Khafra's spirit a prisoner in the tomb.

The Pyramids of Giza.  The tallest (left) was built for the Pharaoh Cheops and stands over 45O ft tall.  In the picture below you can see Flat Hawkster in search of water in the Sahara desert.

This is a picture of Flat Hawkster as he rides on top of a very friendly camel.  It was actually quite a comfortable ride but started out scary.   In order for people (Hawsters) to mount a camel you have to get on when it is lying down on its haunches.  When Flat Hawkster was finally on the camel's back the animal then lifted itself up.  At this point,  Flat Hawkster had to hang tight as he thought that he night fall forward.

This is a "step" pyramid built for King Zoser.  Experts are not entirely sure as to why they used a "step" design but one theory suggests that it allowed the King's spirit to walk up into the afterlife.

TALKING TURKEY

Happy Halloween everyone!  Flat Hawkster was hoping to have a post up on Monday but there was no wireless access:(    He hopes you enjoy the Haunted House tours today.  Watch out for those grade 7's!    I'm sure that they are doing a great job on their assignment.

Flat Hawkster’s most recent travels have taken him to the Middle East.  To be honest,  he was a bit worried about this part of his trip because many of the countries he will be visiting have been in the news a lot lately due to revolts, protests and terrorist attacks.  Fortunately his experience has been very safe and enjoyable so far.   He began in the coastal town of Alanya which is a popular beach holiday location found in southern Turkey on the Mediterranean Sea.   Tourism is now the largest industry in this town but it used to be better known for its shipbuilding.  In fact,  Alanya was like an ancient “Minit Tune and Brake” outlet that provided maintenance for ancient ships during their ocean voyages.  There were large covered spaces (arches) that ships could sail into and receive whatever care that was needed.  That shipyard still exists today as a museum and Flat Hawkster had a chance to wander around to take in the sights.

Here's Flat Hawkster in the Ancient shipyard museum.  You can see it from a distance in the picture below.  

Here is a model of the types of cranes they had used in the shipyard at one time.

This has been a very strategic port for many centuries and a number of empires ruled Alanya during that time.   At the port you can see a large fortress that greets visitors along with a tall Red Tower that helped to provide a defence during attacks.  Flat Hawkster was able to see some really cool models of large weapons that were built to help protect Alanya from invaders.

   

Here is Alanya's ancient fort with the Red Tower that overlooks the harbour and the city.

Here are some of  the cannons that protected Alanya along with the battering ram and catapult seen below.

Battering Ram.

After Alanya,  Flat Hawkster made a brief stop in another coastal city called Limassol.  This city if found in the small island of Cyprus and also relies heavily on tourism.   This country has been influenced by a number of cultures (Greek, Roman, Ottoman/Turkish) and there are many ancient ruins left for tourists to explore.  This influence continues to this day as the country’s population is divided into Greek or Turkish Cypriots (North).  This is the result of a Turkey’s invasion of Cyprus in 1975.   This island remains an issue of conflict between Greece and Turkey. 

The main boardwalk in Limassol that is being rejuvenated along with a new marina.

This is the largest church in Limassol.  The writing is in Greek which means Limassol is in southern Cyprus.

ITALY BY BICYCLE

Flat Hawkster came across the outdoor hockey rink in Bolzano.   There is a local professional hockey team (Bolzano Foxes) in the town that often has former NHL players.

Flat Hawkster has just completed a long bike tour that was over 350km in length and took him through countless towns in Northern Italy over 10 days.  It was a great perspective on the Italian countryside and provided Flat Hawkster with access to areas that cars cannot get to.  He enjoyed the amazing views, small towns and impressive bike paths that led him safely to each destination.   His trip started in the mountains of Bolzano, Italy and ended up in Venice.  The journey was relatively flat as it followed canals or rivers along the way and there were only a few hills to climb.  However, the first day was a shock for Flat Hawkster as the distance was 75km!    He was not used to that much riding and his legs (wings?) were burning afterwards.  After three days he joined up with 30 other people as part of a bike/boat tour.  The group cycled during the day and met up with the boat in the early evenings for dinner and a place to sleep.   Flat Hawkster met a lot of interesting people on this tour from Canada, the United States, Sweden, Denmark, Australia, France, Norway, and Australia. Despite all of the nationalities, communication was not a problem because everyone could speak English.  It was a great trip, filled with plenty of fun memories and reminded Flat Hawkster of how Hawthorne’s grade 6 students must feel each year after enjoying a few days at camp.

This is one of the many tunnels that were carved through various mountains to create a flat route for the bike paths.  The picture below shows some of the views that Flat Hawkster was treated to.

After a long day of biking Flat Hawkster had to take a ferry ride across the length of Lake Garda.  It was long (5 hrs) but plenty to see as the ferry stopped in a number of small, ancient towns along the way.   When the ferry emptied (below) at one point,  Flat Hawkster was worried that maybe he was going the wrong way but it all worked out.

The next three photos feature moments from the trip from Pescheira to Mantova.  There was a lot to see.  In the picture above, you can see an ancient fort surrounded by a moat that was filled with fish.

This is the tour group that Flat Hawkster joined.   He was a little off task while the tour guide was explaining how Venice had built the world's large inflatable dam.  It was pretty cool technology but they are not sure of when or if it will ever be finished:)

This was the fish market in Chioggia, Italy.  There were a lot of temptations here for Flat Hawkster.  In the photo below you can see Oscar who was on this same bike tour with his family.  They had just spent a number of years living in Dubai (the Middle East) and will soon be moving to Australia.   Before going back "Down Under" they were doing a long tour of their own that will see them travel through England, France, Italy, Africa and Orlando, Florida.  Flat Hawkster thinks that Oscar and his sisters (Emily and Isabelle) will really enjoy their Disney experience.  

The trip concluded in Venice.  Flat Hawkster entered this city by boat because that is really the only way to do it.  As many of you may know, Venice was built on the water and instead of streets there are canals that provide transportation.  As a result, everyone moves either on foot or by boat.  The taxis, police, ambulances, garbage companies, everything happens on the water.   This means that the water is very busy with boats and there are very few, if any, traffic laws.  Flat Hawkster enjoyed watching the craziness as there were so many near accidents but, despite the lack of rules, everything seems to work out just fine.  Venice is a beautiful place where the tourists outnumber the locals by a wide margin. Well before tourism, Venice was known for centuries as a bustling port which hosted ships from all over the globe that were eager to trade their valuable goods. There are plenty of challenges however as the city is often flooded and has elevated paths (staging) that allow people to move around.  Nobody lives/sleeps in basements because they are often filled with water.  It is an amazing city and the most unique environment that Flat Hawkster has visited so far.

An example of just how busy the waterway can get in Venice!  In the picture below you can see one of the many famous "gondolas" that are everywhere in Venice.   It can be a very expensive ride ($100) but Flat Hawkster found a deal for $2.50.  It was a short ride but cool nonetheless.

TURIN CAR MUSEUM

Hello Hawthorne!  Flat Hawkster won't have internet access for a week so here's a quick update on his recent travels.  As you know,  he is currently spending time in Italy and realizing that there is sure a lot to see.  He recently visited Turn, Italy to check out a car museum that he had seen on the The Amazing Race tv show.  It was pretty cool.  There were 30 different rooms featuring hundreds of cars beginning with some of the first automobiles built during the 1800's.  There was a lot to take in and the museum provided a fascinating history on the automobile and its impact on the world.   It's amazing to think that cars have only been widely available for a hundred years.  There were a lot of cool cars and great displays which kept everything interesting.  The only thing that was missing was a test drive.  Flat Hawkster was amazed by some of the sports cars pictured below.  Which one would you prefer?  He wanted them all as,  like him,  they can really fly!

Flat Hawkster is heading out on a bike tour of N. Italy and should have lots to share in his next entry.  In the meantime,  enjoy your week and good luck to the gr. 6/7 volleyball teams that are starting up their seasons.  Go Hawks!

ITALIAN CITY TOURS

For the last week Flat Hawkster has been flying around Italy and visiting three cities: Pisa, Florence and Milan. His first stop was Pisa which is famous for its leaning tower.  This cathedral bell tower was built in stages over 344 year beginning in 1173.  It actually began to tilt or lean during construction because the ground was too soft on one side to properly hold the weight of the buidling. The building was never "straightened" but was stabilized a few times over the past 200 years to make sure that it did not fall over.   It is actually quite the sight to see and looks as though it may topple over.  This is also the sight where a famous scientist, Galileo,  completed some of his tests on gravity.  He dropped two cannon balls of different sizes and discovered....?  What did he discover?  Answer at the bottom.

Here is the leaning tower of Pisa situated beside the cathedral.  You can
see Flat Hawkster trying to correct things below but with no luck.

The time in Pisa was brief before a short train ride to Florence, which is a cultural centre for Italy.  Historically, Florence has showcased the work of countless Italian artists such as Da Vinci,  Michelangelo and Botticelli.   They have all created works that are world famous and Flat Hawkster was really keen to discover more about Da Vinci who was a writer, inventor, scientist, engineer, mathematician, musician, architect, geologist, anatomist and so much more.  He's probably most famous for his painting, The Mona Lisa,  but Flat Hawkster wanted to learn more about his countless designs for inventions.   Fortunately there was a museum that built some models based on his designs and they were pretty cool. Did you know that in the late 1400's Da Vinci created designs for the following:  airplanes, gliders, tanks, helicopters, robots, musical instruments, hydraulic pumps and so much more.  Amazing.

This is the view of Florence from the Michelangelo's Piazza park which is
sits high above the city.

These are replicas of the Mona Lisa.   Did you hear that they recently found
n older edition of the Mona Lisa by Da Vinci that features a younger version of
the woman in the portrait?  No one knows who this woman was.

These two models were created based on sketches produced by Da Vinci.  The
machine above was designed to be pulled by horses through the battlefield.
The "scithes" would be spinning as it moved.  Scary.  The model below is of
a "tank" design that required a number of men inside who would "crank"
the large wheels and fire the cannons.   

Milan is the largest of these three Italian cities. It is one of the major business centres for Italy and a fashion capital for the world. The city is the largest in Italy and has over 5 million people.  Flat Hawkster began by visiting the Duomo (large church) at the heart of the tourist area.  The church was huge and there was a free tour that even allowed him to walk on the church's roof! 

Up on the roof.

This was the view of the public square from the roof.  In the picture below
you can get a closer look of an NBA on the street promotion that was taking
place.   It featured a number of activities but focussed mainly on a 3x3 tournament.
Flat Hawkster thought that the Hawthorne Hawks teams would have done well!

                                                           Flat Hawkster came across this street performer who was 

balancing a glass ball as he moved around.  It was pretty cool!

ANSWER:  Galileo found that regardless of the size,  items will fall to the ground at the same rate of speed if they are shaped similarly.  The cannon balls landed at the same time after Galileo dropped them.