Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Ryukyu Islands

Like several of our other destinations, the Ryukyu Islands have more than one name. They are also known as the Nansei Shoto (Southwest Islands) and Ryukyu Retto. Alternatively, the northern bunch of the islands is known as the Satsunan Shoto and the southern half as Ryukyu Shoto. If that's not enough, from about 1829 until 1950, they were also known as Loo-Choo, Lu-Tchu, Lieu-Baeu, Luchu, Loochoo, or Lewchew (from Mandarin Liuqiu).The islands kind of arc out from the southern tip of Japan and swing around nearly to Taiwan.The islands were semi-independent for much of their history, though they lacked an organized military which made them quite literally sitting ducks for any world power that wanted to overtake them. In fact, China and Japan both colonized and claimed them and for a goodly portion of their history, the independent kingdoms in the Ryukyu Islands paid tribute both to the Chinese Emperor and the Japanese Shogun.In 1879, Japan decided that the Ryukyu Islands were theirs. China appealed to President Ulysses S. Grant to arbitrate the claim, and USG decided Japan's claim was stronger. Ryukyu has been a part of Japan since.Okinawa (above) and Yonaguni (below) are just two of these islands.According to Wikipedia, "An article in the 1878 edition of the 'Globe Encyclopaedia of Universal Information' " (sounds like a handy thing to have, doesn't it?) states that "the islands enjoy a magnificent climate, and are highly cultivated and very productive."Sounds nice, doesn't it?

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Bilbao

Bilbao is the capital of the province of Biscay in Basque Country. It is on the north coast of Spain, right near the Bay of Biscay, making it an important port city.There is no agreement on where the name "Bilbao" comes from, but theories range from a corruption of "bella vado" (beautiful river crossing) to a combination of billa (Basque for stacking) and "vaho" (Spanish for mist or steam) because of the stacked appearance of the buildings and the mist rising from the river. The area has been populated since ancient times, with ruins dating to the 11th century. In 1602 it was made the capital of Biscay (previously the capital was Bermeo) and has remained one of the top five ports in Spain.The city's architecture ranges from castles and cathedrals in the "Old Town" to the Guggenheim Museum (above), which demonstrates the vitality of this beautiful city. It is still growing and changing and yet it retains its old world charm.
Doesn't it seem like a nice place for a walk?