Exploring Georgia - The Georgia Guidestones

The Georgia Guidestones was commissioned by Robert C.Christian, and was completed by the Elberton Granite Finishing Company on March 22, 1980.  Situated at a two hour drive from Atlanta, this modern day attraction in Elbert County is sometimes referred to as the "America Stonehenge". It is a structure made of six granite slabs - a center slab and  four other slabs that are astronomically arranged, with a smaller slab on top of them. The structure has ten guidelines or commandments inscribed on it in eight different languages - English, Spanish, Hindi, Chinese, Swahili, Hebrew, Arabic, and Russian. The top slab, also referred to as the capstone, has inscriptions in Babylonian Cuneiform, Classical Greek, Sanskrit and Egyptian Hieroglyphics. There is also a granite slab laid near the guidestones, which talks about a time machine buried below the slab, but the date on which the machine is the be unearthed is left blank. There are plenty of conspiracy theories about the Georgia Guidestones.

I love this site and the structure itself too, because it feels so mysterious. The place is very calm and quiet, with the occasional car passing by. But there is a chance that you may get to hear soft "Hrrmpphh" from beyond the hedge. Don't panic! It is just a friendly horse who wants to say a hi, and let you know that he is grazing only a few feet away, and that he appreciates your company!

P.S: I picked some of the details off Wikipedia, and some off the information board at the Georgia Guidestones site. Here is a partially legible photo taken at an unearthly hour, just before we ran to the car! Just kidding...

Tulip Festival - A Dutch Experience in USA!

An interesting weekend is the least that I can describe this experience as. I had heard of the Tulip Festivals that take place in Washington and Michigan. A desire to see the tulip gardens drove me to plan a weekend trip to the closest location hosting a tulip festival - Holland, Michigan.

A flight to Chicago and a two-and-half hour drive to Holland, Michigan brought us to our first destination, Windmill Island Gardens. The parking lot was a mile or so away from the gardens. We elected to take the free trailer service to the gardens. It was a fun ride, with just a few lazy people shying away from walking the mile to garden. It turned out to be a lovely day for roaming around in the gardens and chatting up with friends. The garden was lit up with vibrantly colored flowers, tulips being the main attraction of the day. The tulip garden was completely packed with tourists, posing and clicking photos. It was lovely seeing the flowers and relaxing in the warm afternoon sun. But I have got to admit that it was a real challenge trying to capture any pictures of just the tulips without a host of tourists giving an appearance.

The colors & the crowd

After a simple lunch at a local eatery, we headed to our next destination, Nelis' Dutch Village. Although this place was meant for kids, we had some time and decided to check it out. The place lived up to its fame with everything from colorful tulip bulbs to cheerful Klompen dancers, wooden shoe carving demonstrations to a lovely petting zoo. This small place was buzzing with life, and yet was somehow most welcoming and relaxing. The folk dance by the Dutch dancers was one of the best that I have ever seen, and the energy levels were infectious. Any viewer who was interested in dancing along was welcomed. The performance also boasted an antique De Gouden Engel (Amsterdam Street Organ), which is used to entertain people to this day. The village provides some unique learning opportunities in the form of wooden shoe carving and cheese making demonstrations. The quaint little Dutch village does give off an old time feel and the friendly staff made the visit a memorable one.

A Hond Wagen (Dog Cart)