Belgium’s Bling and Tut’s Tour

It might be a long way to travel to see some bling, but it’s not every day that the “most astonishing building in the world” turns 50. Belgium’s Atomium celebrates the half century mark this summer and to commemorate the occasion the shiny towering structure made of nine giant aluminum-clad spheres linked with steel tubes (its design represents an iron atom magnified 165 billion times) is hosting a party for visitors. The massive model was built for the 1958 World’s Fair in Brussels and was originally planned as a temporary attraction. However, when the oddity was embraced by the 42 … Continue reading

Travel Tidbits–Museum Moves

Good news for those of you who missed out on the headline grabbing King Tut museum tour. The mega-popular exhibit, which features objects buried with Egypt’s King Tutankhamun is returning to the United States next year. It will include three stops, beginning in Dallas. I was fortunate to be one of the 4 million visitors to take in the “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs” exhibit during its two-year, four-city tour. I saw the exhibit in Chicago, but it also visited museums in Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale, and Philadelphia before wrapping up a few weeks ago. The exhibit … Continue reading

Tomb of the Golden Bird – Elizabeth Peters

I did it! I have now read the entire eighteen-book Amelia Peabody series, and while I don’t know if there’s another installment, I’m all set to read it if one were to come out. “The Tomb of the Golden Bird” revolves around the finding of the tomb of the great King Tut by Carter, and not by Emerson. What a harsh blow to the ego that was for our favorite Egyptologist. He’s been on the wrong side of the men in charge of assigning archaeological sites for quite a while, and spent a good deal of time banned from the … Continue reading