Endangered Places (yes, places)

It's somewhat hard to believe a place could be endangered. Dangerous, yes. But endangered itself? Also, yes. Gaute Hogh has published a book entitled "100 Places to Go Before They Disappear"(...as a funny side note to this otherwise somber posting, I first typed that the book was "100 Places to Go Before You Disappear"...take a moment to laugh...now let's get back to the issue at hand...). Hogh wrote the book after witnessing first hand the effects of global warming in Denmark, and he wanted to be sure others could see and understand the effect rising temperatures had on all sorts of environments and climates (not just icebergs and the deep ocean).

So if you have a hard time visualizing how a 1/4 inch rise in sea level can be catastrophic, or why it matters to you living in Nebraska, this book will show you some of the amazing places that could be changed and lost to us forever.

Hogh's first example was the Wadden Sea in Denmark. The sea is a low-lying coastal zone where visitors can see landscapes and birds while seemingly walking on the water. With rising waters, this area's ecosystem could be destroyed, but it could also become too dangerous for people to cross.

Getty Images/Jochem D. Wijnands

Other locations that Hogh pinpoints in his book are the River Thames in London, Kauai, Olympia, and even Big Sur California and The Battery in New York City. The River Thames could become flooded, causing millions of dollars (or pounds as it were) of damage to London's underground railways. Flooding could also become a serious issue someday for Manhattan, and Big Sur is threatened by increased droughts and wildfires.

If you'd like to read Yahoo's News article (where I obtained my information) and interview with Hogh you can find it here (link no longer available), and be sure to check out some more pictures of endangered places, here (link no longer available).

Soda Around the World

Coca-Cola is Coca-Cola, right?

Well, mostly. But if you've ever tasted Coke in a country other than your own, you'll surely have noticed that it tastes different. But why is that? Coke has a super secret formula, but shouldn't that formula be the same around the world?

The answer: it is. The concentrated form of Coke (the syrup) is the same everywhere. Coke plants produce the concentrate and then ship it to franchises around the world. It is then up to the franchise to complete the production of the soda by adding water and sweeteners, and the water and sweetener used can change the taste.

The major difference seems to be in the type of sugar used. The US tends to use high fructose corn syrup, because it is cheaper. Other countries, such as Mexico, can get cane sugar cheaper, so that is what they use in soft drink production. In my opinion, the cane sugar gives the soda a much better taste.

I've had soda in Switzerland, Italy, and Mexico, and much prefer any of these countries' drinks to our US counterparts. Another interesting point - our Diet Coke is referred to as Coke Light in the countries I've visited. And it's so much yummier. Also, while I don't like regular Coke here, I could guzzle it in these other places.

If you want to taste the difference but can't hop a jet to Europe, try and get yourself to Atlanta, Georgia where you can visit the World of Coke. Find the Taste It! exhibit to try brands of Coca-Cola products from around the world, both those offered in the US and those not.

Souvenirs: Memories or Junk?

Ok, I'll answer that one. Both. I am a souvenir junkie. (Do you like my play on words there...junk...junkie...) I leave a place usually with far more souvenirs than necessary, but in the past few years I've found a way to try and keep it a little more reasonable. At the very least, I have a sort of system.

There are lots of small, inexpensive, easy to find things that you can get from most anywhere you visit. I find that picking a "collection" to work on is a great way to souvenir hunt, while avoiding some of the cheesier, trinket type things. Of course, this entire blog is up for debate, as what I find useful/not tacky/inexpensive may differ greatly from your ideas. Regardless, here I go.

Pins: This collection started thanks to the Hard Rock Cafe. I always make a point to eat at the Hard Rock if there is one where I'm visiting. And with an entire club devoted to pin collectors, the Hard Rock is always coming out with new pins that represent the season, city, and/or year. While I'm not part of the club, I do always buy a city specific pin after dining. I've also used pins as a way to collect souvenirs in Las Vegas (every hotel, show, etc. sells pins), Disney World, and Universal Studio.




Hard Rock and Disney pins

Cups: This has become as much of a way to annoy my Dad as it has a collection of items from places I've been. He finds the large, plastic cups to be highly impractical. Too big to keep in the cabinet, and far too many in the house. But I say, too bad. I'm going to buy a drink just about everywhere I go because I have an unending thirst, so I might as well shell out a couple more dollars for a cool cup that, at many places, I can get refilled for a discounted price. Sea World, Cirque du Soleil, Disney World, Universal...yep, there's a cup for them all.

T-Shirts: This is an obvious one. But you can only wear one shirt in a day...most people...and at some point having 48 city t-shirts in your closet becomes a bit much. So when I get to that point, my solution is going to be to make a city quilt. Cut the front of the t-shirt into a foot by foot square, then sew all the squares together for a quilt. So in the meantime, I occasionally buy a souvenir t-shirt, knowing there's an ultimate goal.

Euro Stickers: These are the hugely popular white oval stickers with the black initials on them that represent a city or place. I can't always find a Euro sticker at the place I'm visiting, but you can order just about anything from Cafe Press. And if you don't want to cover your car's entire back window, I've found a couple of other fun places for them, such as my laptop and scrapbook covers.

Blogger absolutely REFUSES to put the picture the right way...

Of course nothing can beat or replace the memories you make while you travel. My best advise is to take lots of pictures and/or write a blog. If nothing else, while you're buried under four feet of snow in the month of January with a temperature of -4 you can look back on your pictures and writing from last summer's trip to the Caribbean!