mediaropa

experiencing europe through images and conversations

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Livy and the Privy

Livy and the Privy

Private Sanitation in Colonial America and Beyond Young America Post #4 Titus Livius (59 B.C to 17 A.D.), known to us as ‘Livy,’ was not the most popular Latin author of the eighteenth century. That’s the reason that pages of his tome, Rome, were more often seen at ‘reading sites’ of the eighteenth century than, say, those of Virgil or Cicero. It’s a matter of little debate whether they were…

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The Scoop on Poop

Let's get the worst out of the way first.

Public Sanitation in Colonial America and Beyond Young America Post #3 In the mid-1980’s while teaching graduate students in Amsterdam, I was taking a walk with a colleague one day when he stepped in something squishy. It turned out to be an artifact left on the sidewalk by a local dog. But the dog was not at fault for leaving it there. Nor were the thousands of other dogs who dotted the…

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Realities of everyday life in the 1790s

First post in a series to halp you see what life was like for our forebearers.

Young America Post #2 The first thing I noticed were the icicles hanging from the roof of what looked like your everyday gazebo in the local park. Then I noticed ice on the dirt all around the base of the little structure. Then––how could I not have seen this first?––the ladies, seemingly dressed in every item of clothing they owned, carrying large buckets. I should have figured out what it was…

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You have no questions?

I'm beginning to post again through gordon-saunders-writer.com. Come on over and have a read!

A few years ago a car company called Oldsmobile tried to reach a younger clientele. They did it by saying, ‘It’s not your father’s Oldsmobile.’ Evidently it was, though, because it seems that not enough fathers bought it and their sons and daughters didn’t buy it either. In 2004, General Motors shut down the Oldsmobile brand. They had made the mistake of underestimating the kids of those fathers…

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What future? Okay. You've done it. You've thrown off the yoke of the Mother Country. So now will each man and woman go back to wanting what they want for themselves and their families, disregarding all others?

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Can You Believe the Unbelieveable? The greatest power on earth is your enemy. Plus he has allies among others less powerful than he but more powerful than you.

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No Cars Maybe you heard about Herbie the sentient Volkswagen, as if there was such a thing. And you've certainly heard of Henry Ford who invented the assembly line to make so many cars that now we're overrun with them (literally).

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No Whales Pinnochio had a whale in his story. Or maybe that was Gepetto. A big one with room enough to sit up.

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Only a Fable Some things are just unbelievable. Like a bird that looks like a falcon but that's really  another bird entirely, who's only a story that someone made up in another land a very long time ago in a country very far away. It wasn't true then and it isn't true now. Is it?

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Stopover in Iceland -

The Golden Circle West, Stop 1: Stykkishólmur 1

On day two of our stopover we went the other way (west). It wasn’t quite as sunny, but the trip was worthwhile. Our primary destination was the little town of Stykkishólmur on the north side of the Grundarfjár∂ur peninsula. Our view of the huge bay, Brei∂afjör∂ur was amazing as you’ll later see. Today’s photos show you part of the barren approach to Stykkishólmur and a map of the area nicely provided by the city on a standing platform near its look-out tower.

Photos copyright Gordon Saunders

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Stopover in Iceland -

Heimaey Island, Veslmannaeyjar

When we flew nearby some years ago, I was struck by the proportion of space taken on Heimaey Island by the airport. However, it seems that the little fishing village of Veslmannaeyjar was saved by that distance – and by the U.S.Army Corps of Engineers who built a levy to protect the town from rolling lava when it’s volcano blew its top a few years ago. Iceland does amazing things with clouds, sun, and sea as the sun goes down. Here’s a view of the island(s) from the ring road just before dusk.

Photos copyright Gordon Saunders

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Stopover in Iceland –

The Golden Circle, Stop 6 - Dyrhólaey

The name of this formation, partly-translated ‘window,’ comes from the fact of the stone bridge over the sea large enough for boats and even small airplanes to get through. It can be seen from the side at Reynisfjara, or you can experience it ‘up-close and personal’ by walking on it. Either way yields great photos.

Photos copyright Gordon Saunders

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Stopover in Iceland -

The Golden Circle, Stop 5 (con): Reynisfjara - Reynisdrangar

More than one legend attempts to describe the origin of the Reynisdrangar formations, actually basalt columns. At least two legends claim they are ossified trolls (which, as everyone knows, turn to stone if they are outside at first light). One legend says they were carrying of a three-masted schooner, and the other say they were carrying off some sailor’s wife. In either case, it didn’t work out well for them. This is another ‘game of Thrones’ setting. I should note that the angle of this shot hides some of the pillars behind the others making them look fewer in number than they actually are.

Photos copyright Gordon Saunders

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Stopover in Iceland -

The Golden Circle, Stop 5 (con.): Reynisfjara – Gardar Basalt pillars

The Hálsanefshellir cave under Gardar cliff is another favorite movie setting. Considering that basalt columns are often described as dark or black, I was surprised at how light in color they were. Perhaps when they’re wet and in fog they look a lot darker and more ominous. We were blessed with a sunny day in which they just looked majestic.

Photos copyright Gordon Saunders

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Stopover in Iceland -

The Golden Circle, Stop 5: Reynisfjara – Black sand beaches

Considered one of the world’s ten most beautiful non-tropical beaches, the Reynisfjara boasts not only black volcanic particles (bigger than sand, really), but also the famous ‘sneaker waves’ – so-called because they come much farther in than you think they will, and they have much more strength to draw you out into the North Atlantic than you expect. It was difficult to limit the number of photos to include here!

Photos copyright Gordon Saunders

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Stopover in Iceland -

The Golden Circle, Stop 4: Skógafoss

We arrived at this waterfall on the southern side of Iceland as the sun was setting. So some of the photos show the sun on the falls and others don’t. It’s a bit wider but also not as tall as the Seljalandsfoss about twenty miles to the east.

Photos copyright Gordon Saunders

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Stopover in Iceland -

The Golden Circle, Stop 3: Seljalandsfoss

A favorite waterfall to photograph from behind, Seljalandsfoss is the highest easily accessible waterfall in Iceland. On the day we arrived, by the time we got there spray from the falls had frozen on the path and we would have needed ice-climbing gear to get behind it. We had to content ourselves with photographing folks who had been able to get behind the falls before the pathways became impassible.

Photos copyright Gordon Saunders