If you have ever visited the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada or driven through Reno, you may have taken a side trip to visit the legendary Virginia, City, Nevada, the home of the Comstock Lode, where one of the most valuable precious metals (gold and silver) mining operations of all time was developed and exploited.  A few years ago my wife and I visited the Lake Tahoe for a few days and spent part of one day in Virginia City.  We took in a bit of history of one of the most interesting areas of the US west from the mid to late 1800s for part of a day. 

Earlier this year I discovered a book about this era called History of the Big Bonanza.  This book was written in 1876 at the peak of the development of the Comstock Lode by Dan De Quille, the pen name for William Wright, a reporter for the Territorial Enterprise, a Virginia City newspaper of the period.  He worked at the newspaper concurrently with Mark Twain (Samuel L. Clemens).  The Big Bonanza was republished in 2013 and includes many photographs from the period.  If you have any interest in this subject matter I very highly recommend this book.  It is not often that we get to read history from an individual who experienced it like Dan De Quille.  There are so many highlights from the book that it is difficult to comment on just a few. 

The story of Henry Tompkins Paige Comstock is told in the book and how the lode was discovered.  The original prospectors that found the Lode were looking gold, not silver, and didn't even realize what they found when they made their original claims.  While the Comstock Lode is famous for its massive amounts of silver, a substantial part of the wealth that was mined was gold.  Comstock's name will be famous forever, but he didn't make a lot of money from his find.  De Quille tells the story.

I never realized how quickly the Comstock Lode was developed and how the lode was mined from a technical perspective until I read the book.  The speed at which the Lode evolved from a few prospectors making claims to a fully industrialized area was incredible.  New mining technology of the era was employed very quickly to allow the mines to be fully exploited as quickly as possible. 

When we visited Lake Tahoe on our trip of a few years ago we learned that much of the original lumber of the region was used in the development of Virginia City and the Comstock Lode mines.  When I read the Big Bonanza I learned much more about the exploitation of the all of the sources of wood in the general vicinity of Virginia City for the construction of mines, buildings and other infrastructure and for use as fuel for the steam engines used in all the mining operations.  The movement of massive amounts of lumber from the Lake Tahoe region to the Comstock Lode is an amazing story.

As I read the Big Bonanza I realized that when I visited Virginia City a few years ago I didn't look in all the right places to see what remains of this legendary American city and the surrounding area.  Virginia City had a population of about 20-25,000 in the late 1870s.  It current population is now about 1,000.  Now that I know a lot more about its history I hope to return to the area at some time in the near future to obtain a better understanding about what life was like in Virginia City during the development of the Big Bonanza of the Comstock Lode.

TPM

Did you ever read a book and ask yourself "What is this?"  On my recent trip to Europe I had this experience when I read David Wilcock's 2013 book, The Synchronicity Key - The Hidden Intellgence Guiding the Universe and You.  This was one of those books that has content that must be read and reread a few times before you can fully appreciate what the author is attempting to convey. 

You might ask "Why did I purchase a book by Mr. Wilcock if I wasn't sure what it was all about?"  That is a very good question.  Mr. Wilcock is marketing on Facebook a series of www.gaiamtv.com interviews with a man claiming he has interacted with aliens and a lot more.  I watched a couple of the interviews because they were free.  Mr. Wilcock also has a website, www.divinecosmos.com.  I have also seen a few of his appearances on the History Channel show Ancient Aliens. 

Mr. Wilcock is described as a New Age lecturer, author and filmmaker.  I though his book would be an interesting read and interesting it is.  After reading the book and thinking about Mr. Wilcock's assertions the question I have to ask myself is "Do I believe any of Wilcock's claims and assertions are true?"  Or "Do I think Mr Wilcock is a deranged man that is making his living from selling books, videos and lectures to gullible people that will support him."  After reading the book I am not sure if either of the above statements is true or false. 

Do you believe in reincarnation?  Mr. Wilcock does.  He believes it is part of the master plan for the universe.  Do you believe that Edgar Cayce could predict the future while in a trance?  Mr.  Wilcock does and he claims he has also predicted the future while in a trance.  Have you ever heard of the Law of One series?  I hadn't before reading this book.  Wilcock is a firm believer in the Law of One, a collected series of oculist transcripts of extraterrestrial origin.  Mr. Wilcock also believes that the Cabal is running the world and they are our great enemy.  I could go on and on with discussion about Mr. Wilcock's variety of claims and assertions. 

If Mr. Wilcock is correct about any of his various theories it would be a world changing event.  Many, if not most people, would say that Mr. Wilcock is a nut case.  The bottom line is that I don't know if any or all of Mr. Wilcock's writings are true and worthy of belief or simply the nutty thoughts of an unusual individual.  What I can say is that if you want to read some very thought provoking material about the issues discussed above and more, you should read The Synchronicity Key.  If these topics don't resonate with you, move on to something that does.  Maybe someday someone will demonstrate that some of Mr. Wilcock's claims are true.  I don't think any real proof exists today. 

TPM

We began our month long trip to Europe in greater London and finished it with a week of touring in the city of London and southeast England.  London is one of the great cities of the world and has been at the center of world history for centuries.  Our days of touring were multidimensional.  We took advantage of our opportunity to experience some of the United Kingdom's great history and also took a look at the evolution of London today.  The short commentaries below are not necessarily in the order of our trip or what we did on any particular day. 

Brighton - We took the train to Brighton on a pleasant early September day.  The highlight of our trip to Brighton was a visit to The Royal Pavilion - The Palace of King George IV.  The Royal Pavilion has an extremely interesting history and physical evolution.  It was originally built as a bachelor pad for George IV before he become King and he expanded it into an oriental themed palace never intended for family living.  The palace was finished in 1823  Queen Victoria eventually become the owner and she sold the palace to the city of Brighton in 1850 because it wasn't suitable for her needs.  The city of Brighton owns the palace today.  We also visited the Brighton Pier which was filled with family groups enjoying the amusement park on the pier.  The Pier opened in 1899.  As I looked at the city on the coast from the end of the pier it reminded me of Atlantic City. 

Windsor - We took the train to visit Windsor Castle in the town of Windsor which is near Heathrow Airport.  William the Conqueror began building at Windsor around 1070 and his work was finished by 1086.  It was originally a defensive fortification for London.  Over the centuries variety of English kings expanded the castle into what it is today.  The castle is an official residence of Her Majesty, The Queen  We had the opportunity to visit the "state apartments", some of which are used periodically for official events.  We were able to walk on part of the grounds of the castle and see (from a distance) the exterior part of the castle used by Queen Elizabeth and other members of the royal family.  Windsor Castle is an amazing part of English history. 

Canterbury - We took the train to Canterbury primarily to see Canterbury Cathedral.  The Cathedral was magnificent.  We visited the spot where Thomas Becket was murdered in 1170.  However,  while the cathedral was fabulous and interesting, there were other sites outside the ancient city walls that were also extremely interesting.  The Church of St. Martin is the oldest church in the English speaking world.  Its history dates back to Roman times and it is the place Augustine, who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury in 597, used as his mission headquarters when he arrived from Rome.  Augustine founded Canterbury Cathedral in 597.  He also founded what became St. Augustine's Abbey (outside the city walls) in 598.  Today, St, Augustine's Abbey is in ruins.  Henry VIII confiscated the Abbey, its lands and wealth during his reign and the story of the evolution of the Abbey over the centuries is fascinating.

Portsmouth - Before we left on our cruise we visited Portsmouth and its historic dockyards.  We saw only some of the highlights of the museum complex at the dockyard.  A few years ago English archaeologists and divers recovered Henry VIII's warship, the Mary Rose.  The Mary Rose was captured and sunk by the French off the coast of Portsmouth during the Battle of The Solent on July 19, 1545.  The remnants of the ship and the artifacts found in and around it are astounding and give a very accurate picture of what life was like on an English war ship during the time of Henry VIII.  We also visited HMS Victory, Admiral Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar and HMS Warrior, Britain's first iron-hulled, armoured warship. 

Churchill War Rooms - One of the highlights of our time in London was a visit to the Churchill War Rooms in the middle of the government district in Central London, just a short walk from the Westminster Tube station.  The survival of Britain during World War II is an amazing story that has been told by many.  The War Rooms were the nerve center of the British government during that period.  People fighting for survival can endure a lot of difficulty and pain in their fight. 

Sailing on the Thames - One day we took a boat ride on Thames from Central London to Greenwich.  We visited The Royal Observatory and took our pictures on the Prime Meridian.  We walked in Greenwich Park and through the old part of town.  The boat ride was the highlight for me on this day.  on the river we passed by dozens of apartments (flats) that now stand where wharfs, shipbuilders and the Royal Navy once operated.  One can imagine sailing up the Thames in the past and seeing the massive global trading commerce of London happening in front of your eyes as you approach the center of the city.  A few very old buildings still exist, mostly pubs.  Some of facades of he old buildings have been preserved during the re-purposing of the buildings.  Time has moved on.  The banks of Thames have a new purpose today and for the future. 

General Observations -  We saw an amazing number of construction cranes in London that we believe are being used to contruct mostly new housing.  Many of the cranes we saw were south of the Thames, but the cranes were scattered everywhere.  As I walked on the old residential streets I observed many old townhouses being refurbished.  Anyone that is skilled in preserving and refurbishing old English homes is having no problem finding work in London.  We didn't rent a car or use a cab getting around London when touring.  We walked, used the Tube and the train system.  London's public transport system is extremely efficient.  However, the Tube can be very expensive, if you don't buy an electronic Oyster Card, compared to other subway systems in the world.

Immigration - While we were in London there was an extensive debate in progress in the Parliament regarding immigration from the Middle East.  The UK was trying to determine what action it should take regarding the people trying to leave the Middle East for Europe.  As we walked around London we saw very large numbers of Middle Eastern people, many more than we observed during our visit in 2010.  More Middle Eastern restaurants are opening in Kensington area, we saw them on our walks in the area.  London is a major international city, possibly the most international city in the world.  One of the things that makes London so appealing is its British heritage. However, in parts of the city you would think you were living somewhere in the Middle East.  We don't live in London, so we don't know how the Middle Eastern population is assimilating into the British culture.  If the number of burqas we saw is any indication it appears that the assimilation process is not going well.  The most alarming thing we saw was Middle Eastern women in their black burgas wearing a form of face mask made out of metal or wood while grocery shopping.  I had never seen anything like it anywhere I have traveled.  Why do women need to wear such a contraption?  It reminded me of a dog wearing a muzzle.  How can any culture progress that treats any member of its society in this manner?  We will see how the new people that will be living in London impact the city.

TPM

After leaving Saint Petersburg we visited Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen and made 5 stops in Norway to see the fjords and learn some history about Norway.  Copenhagen was he most interesting of the major cities we visited.  We learned a little about the history of these nations fighting each other centuries ago and had the opportunity to visit palaces that are now museums.  All of the places we visited were very interesting and each nation has done a good job of preserving important parts of its history.

The large number of small islands in the Baltic Sea that make up parts of Sweden and Denmark was surprising.  We saw many very nice homes on these islands that may be full time or summer only residences.  These places are only accessible by water so getting anywhere is an adventure for them.  There are large numbers of wind turbines in many parts of the Baltic Sea generating power.  The Scandinavians don't seem to have any issues creating green power off the coast when it makes sense to do so.  Maybe parts of the US could learn a few lessons from the Scandinavian experience. 

The fjords of Norway were amazing.  I had no idea how far inland the fjords penetrated before our visit.  Our ship sailed to the east from the coast of Norway for hours before we finally reached a bay where the fjord came to an end.  In late August there was snow visible on the top of mountains that were only a couple of thousand feet high at most.  There were waterfalls everywhere that delivered clean, cold, fresh water into the fjords.  The beauty of fjords is stunning. 

We had moderate weather during our trip to the Baltic and North Seas, highs about 70F most days and only a little rain.  We were very fortunate.  Our cruise was great but all good things come to an end at some point. 

I will be discussing our visit to London next.

TPM

The highlight of our cruise in the Baltic Sea was our two day visit to Saint Petersburg, Russia.  Saint Petersburg was founded in 1703 by Tsar Peter the Great. and is a new city by European standards.  During the Soviet era the city was known as Petrograd and later it was called Leningrad before returning to its original name in 1991.  Saint Petersburg is located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea.  It is the northernmost city in the world with a population of over 1 million people.  The population of Saint Petersburg is about 5 million people.  Saint Petersburg is one of the most interesting cities in the world due to its unique heritage. 

Saint Petersburg was the capital of Russia for more than 200 years during the time of the Tsars.  The initial city was constructed mostly by serfs at the direction of Peter the Great.  It is reported that tens of thousands of serfs lost their lives during the intial construction of the city.  Saint Petersburg was the capital of Russia when the legendary Catherine the Great was Tsarina of Russia.  Catherine was a princess from Germany that married into the ruling Romanov family dynasty of Russia.

Beginning with Peter the Great, most if not all of the Romanovs and other nobles, built palaces in and around Saint Petersburg.  We had the opportunity to visit a number of them during our visit.  Today the remaining palaces are all museums.  At the time of the Russian revolution in 1917 Saint Petersburg must have been one of the wealthiest cities in the world.  The Romanovs and the noble families of Saint Petersburg had constructed so many palaces and acquired incredible amounts of wealth that it is hard to imagine what Saint Petersburg must have been like during the time of the Tsars.  Obviously, the wealth was highly concentrated in the hands of the nobility which helped create the environment that spawned the Russian revolution.  During our visits to a number of palaces, Peterhof, The Winter Palace and others, we saw photographs of the damaged buildings after the Germans attacked Leningrad during World War II.  Beginning soon after WWII ended the Russians rebuilt many of their historical buildings due to their significance to their nation's history. 

The Russians went to extraordinary means to protect their art treasures from being looted by the Russians.  Some of the art they protected was located at the Hermitage Museum.  Catherine the Great acquired massive amounts of art and constructed buildings to house it, essentially founding what became the Hermitage Museum.  We visited the Hermitage for a few hours.  Many people consider the Hermitage to be one of the top art museums in world.  I believe they are correct after seeing works by Leonardo da Vinci and other Renaissance masters. 

As we drove around the city and the suburbs in our bus we tried to get an understanding about the quality of life in Saint Petersburg.  The city appears to be prosperous.  The roads are maintained very well.  The people were well dressed.  The primary shopping district was populated with lots of stores with expensive and moderately priced goods like any other major city in the world.  Most of the housing looked as good as one would see in most large cities.  We saw apartment buildings that must have been constructed during the post World War II Soviet era.  They looked like the ones I had seen in news reels years ago.  However, it appeared that they have been renovated to some degree, from outside at least.  We saw many construction crames in the city which indicates that new investments are being made to improve the quality of life. 

We were treated well by all the Russians we interacted with on our tours and in places we visited.  However,  we could only get off of our cruise ship with a Russian escort.  We were not allowed to roam around Saint Petersburg on our own without a visa issued by the Russian government, which we didn't need or attempt to obtain for our tourist visit. 

Our visit was very interesting.  Saint Petersburg has been a center for Russian culture since its founding and is called the Venice of the North.  It has a fascinating history.  Hopefully, there will be a day in the future when Americans, Europeans, Russians and others from the around the world can enjoy and celebrate Russia's successes in an environment where competition for world political power is absent.  Unfortunately, it appears that day is not coming any time soon. 

TPM

The first three countries we visited on our August cruise were Belgium, Germany and Estonia.  We docked at Zeebrugge, Belgium, a large industrial port.  We took a car to the town of Bruges.  Bruges was very interesting with historic medieval buildings, canals and lots of cobblestone streets.  It definitely felt like we stepped back in time as we walked the streets of Bruges early on a Sunday morning. 

Our second stop was Warnemunde, Germany, a port on the Baltic Sea.  This stop was our opportunity to visit Berlin, a place we have never visited.  We knew it would be a very long day on the bus to ger there but the bus ride was even longer than we had anticipated as we spent about 6 hours on the bus getting back and forth to Berlin.  Warnemunde and the areas we saw on our bus ride were in the former East Germany.  On our bus trip was mostly through farming country, however, we saw huge numbers of wind turbines operating on farm land.  Germany is making a determined effort to develop more green energy and it is very clear they are serious with huge numbers of large turbines on land and in the Baltic Sea. 

Once we reached Berlin we saw some of Berlin's tourist highlights, including the Brandenburg Gate, a remnant of the Berlin Wall and Checkpoint Charlie.  We didn't have a lot of time to spend at the Wall or go in the museum but we did get a chance to read some of the outdoor history placards.  It is amazing how well the Germans have rebuilt Berlin in the 25 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall and Germany reunification.

Tallinn, Estonia, was our next stop.  It is located on the Gulf of Finland and is very close to Helsinki, Finland and St. Petersburg, Russia.  Estonia has been invaded and controlled by other groups of people for much of its history.  Estonia was part of the Soviet Union from the end of WWII until 1991, when it became an independent nation.  Estonia has long been a major trading nation and was once part of the Hanseatic League.  The history of the Old Town and town walls is extremely interesting. 

All three of these locations were interesting but our next stop was St. Petersburg, Russia, the highlight of our cruise in the Baltic Sea.

TPM

All forms of media have been covering various aspects of the Middle East immigration issue. My wife and I encountered this issue up close and personal in several different ways on our recent trip to Europe. 

The Danish government has passed new laws that are designed to limit immigration by Middle Eastern refugees, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/09/07/denmark-places-an-advertisement-in-lebanese-newspapers-dear-refugees-dont-come-here/?tid=sm_fb.  We didn't see many Middle Eastern people during our day in Copenhagen but clearly the Danes have issues they had to address. 

When we were in Norway we saw an article with the same information as this one, http://www.politicalears.com/blog/is-anybody-surprised-norway-deports-muslims-crime-rate-drops-31, that explained that Norway's crime rate had dropped 31 percent since it deported a significant number of Muslims.  It appears that many people in Norway are convinced that Muslim immigrants had increased its crime rates and elected a new government to deal with the issue and they have and the results have improved the quality of life in Norway.  We did see a few Middle Eastern people taking a language class in a small town in Norway.

When we were in London, staying at a hotel in the Kensington area, the UK was debating if they would take some of the Syrians that were seeking refuge from the violence in Syria.  The loss of life by a significant number of people attempting to flee their homeland was receiving a great deal of attention by the print and TV media in the UK.  The slow reaction of the Cameron government's acceptance of a portion of the refugees was getting a lot of criticism in some quarters.  As of a few hours ago the BBC is reporting that the UK will accept 20,000 refugees over the next five years, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-34171148.  Cameron's opponents want the UK to do more.  I understand people wanting to help innocent refugees avoid violence but do the advocates of these people fully appreciate what is happening in their own country? 

Late last week my wife and I were in the Waitrose grocery store on Gloucester Road in London in the late evening.  A large percentage of the patrons were Middle Eastern women, some wearing black abayas without any form of veil, some wearing face masks, a form of a burqa.  I have seen women wearing a burqa in the US but never a face mask.  What kind of people go to the grocery store for shopping wearing a face mask as a normal part of their dress?  Are these people that any non-Muslim nation wants to become part of its culture?  Do you really want these people immigrating to your country?  Everywhere we went in London we saw many Middle Eastern people.  We don't know if they were tourists like us or short or long term residents.  We saw many Middle Eastern restaurants in operation and some others that were in the process of being opened.  

In the few days since we have returned to the US we have seen articles telling us that the US is responsible for the violence that has caused the refugee crisis.  We have read other articles explaining that we are obligated to help these people.  Syrians are killing Syrians.  Muslims are killing Muslims. Other factions are fighting each other in Iraq and Afghanistan and other countries.  While the US had made major policy errors in the Middle East, it isn't responsible for the fact that the certain people within the Middle East want to kill their neighbors to gain power.  The culture of a significant percentage of Middle Eastern people is the culture that has existed for over 1000 years and has no place in the modern world of Western nations.  Some Europeans have had enough of the problems that occur when Muslims immigrate into their society and have the guts to do something about it, despite whining from the liberals within their nations.

The world needs to allow the Muslims to resolve their own issues among themselves without interference.  All we are doing is hurting ourselves in an attempt to help people that don't deserve our help.  They don't share our cultural values.  The treatment of women by Middle Eastern cultures is all we need to know.  Do you want the women in your family to wear a face mask while shopping at a grocery store?  Muslim's treatment of women is a repudiation of all the efforts of decades of work to improve the lives of women in the US and other nations.  There is no reason to permit additional immigration from the Middle East to any western nation.

TPM

My wife and just returned from a very interesting month in Europe.  We spent three weeks cruising on the Celebrity Eclipse visiting ports in the Baltic and North Seas and we also spent a week in London and Southeast England.  You can check out the details of our cruise at http://thepurplemuse.com/id35.html.  I plan on wrting a number of blogs about our trip in the coming weeks.  It is always interesting to visit other lands and learn more about their history and what is happening today.  A lot is happening in many of the places we visited and I plan to share my observations via my blog. 

It is feels good to be back home in the USA.  We have our own issues to address.  Some of them are not very different from those of our European friends.  I also read a couple of books on my trip and I will share some comments on those as well.  Enjoy your Labor Day holiday weekend.  Hopefully, I will be over my jet lag by tomorrow.

TPM