A hundred thousand Welcomes

"You might as well be whistling jigs to a milestone"

We've discovered small islands we've discovered large islands. There are islands in the sea, and no man is an island. This island is though, is mystical, magical, musical and AWESOME. On my list of places to go, this one is so up there. So here I am soaking up the magic.

This island was the ground for many invasions and wars (apparently I'm not the only one who wanted to be here) The history here is rich and full. Old castles and ruins dot the island. The locals are fiercely proud of their heritage and try to hang on to it as much as possible. Who can blame them. As they say, “the Craic is mighty"

They have had not only one but TWO women presidents! We here in the US celebrate their culture once a year. One of the largest and most famous festivals in the world starts here when over 500,00 people will throng the streets of to watch the Parade and festivities.

The magic flows heavily into the Arts. Music and dance are prevalent. People world wide admire the dance styles and everyone wants to dance a little jig to the musical lyrics that flow from the island. As for literature not one but four authors from here have claimed the Nobel prize.

Get this the police force doesn't carry weapons, only the detectives. And here's a reason alone to come here... there are no snakes!

This is one of my favorite places. It is just one of those natural wonders that everyone has to see. An area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. Legend has it that the the warrior Finn built the causeway to walk to the ajoining island to fight his counterpart. One version of the legend tells that Finn fell asleep before he got to there. When he did not arrive, the much larger Benandonner crossed the bridge looking for him. To protect Finn, his wife Oonagh laid a blanket over him so he could pretend that he was actually their baby son. In a variation, Finn fled after seeing Benandonner's great bulk, and asked his wife to disguise him as the baby. In both versions, when Benandonner saw the size of the 'infant', he assumed the alleged father, Finn, must be gigantic indeed. Therefore, Benandonner fled home in terror, ripping up the Causeway in case he was followed by Finn.

AND you have to cross this majorly awesome suspension bridge to get there. I get a twinkling in my eye just thinking about it.

The island is covered in castles and ruins. Some modern, some ancient, some famous and some haunted. One has a lady ghost who plays tricks on guests by knocking on bedroom doors at the dead of night. And one is considered so haunted that people come from all over to do research and film movies.

Not in Kansas anymore

Unless you visit, there is simply no way to describe this world giant. To give you some perspective, consider their little sister....Canada This area has more natural resources than any area of the world and spans many multiple time zones. The name of this area means 'the sleeping land'.

One of the best ways to give you an impression of the size is to discuss the infamous gulag system. When one thinks of a gulag or prison, visions of guards with guns, electrified fences and so on come to mind. Here most of the gulags did not have fences or any kind of barrier to keep people in. With freezing temperatures in the winter, huge rivers of mud and water in the summer, the land formed a natural gulag for many of the prisoners. If a prisoner escaped from a gulag, there was simply nowhere to go. The gulags were not even heavily guarded. In fact, many gulags in remote areas didn’t even have fences. The closest population center might be 1,000 miles away. In the 1700's, this area became a place of exile. It continued to be "the last stop" for criminals and political exiles throughout much of the 20th century. There is even a city that is in fact known as the “City of Exiles.”

But don't think that's all the locals have to offer. There are many who work on the Railway or in the massive natural resource industries. Here you can find tremendously large oil, gold, timber and diamond deposits. With the turn to capitalism, the country is making a major effort to take advantage of such resources. This has led to a population explosion in cities. The diamond deposits here are so extensive, other countries pay them not to mine because of a fear the diamond market would collapse. Gold is so plentiful that a $2,000 gold bracelet costs about $35 in local cities as of 2004.

Most people, when the think of this area, they think of nothing but the freezing cold, I can tell you it does get “Oh, my goodness” cold in the winter. Temperatures can drop into the –40s. In the spring and summer, however, temperatures can reach as high as 110 degrees. Bet you didn't know that. With such a massive area, the climates and temperatures fall all over the map. Think about how many different temps the US has. This places has more.

If you thought everything was big in Texas.... you don't know big. Big Lake B is the largest fresh water lake in the world. Fed by over 300 rivers, the lake is really an inland sea. The lake has over 30 islands. If you drained all of the water from lakes Superior, Erie, Huron, Michigan and Ontario, you still couldn’t fill Lake Baikal. Standing on one shore, you cannot see the other side. It is simply huge.

This is one of the few locations in the world still considered to be an untamed adventure travel destination. You can fish, hike, camp, hunt, drink vodka, ski, swim, take in a spa and do just about anything you like. The locals are universally friendly and can tell one heck of a story.

When we were in Estonia we talked about meteors. Here with some of the largest plains, your going to find some massive meteor impact that flattened trees for hundreds of mile, but the fun part is that it takes almost five years to investigate because officials could not get to the remote locations.

Now Tigger, we all know is a cute cuddle and bouncy friend of Winney the Pooh. But here you find a tiger more regal and less bouncy. These burly creatures can weigh up to 850 pounds and are about 10 to 12 feet in length. That's one big kitty. These kitties need up to 20lbs of meat a day to survive. They primarily eat deer, elk, and wild pigs and Monkeys, fowls, frogs and fish if they are on hard times. but I wouldn't press your luck, you are nothing but fast food to them.

I've dived in many areas, but to say you've dived in such a remote place, is something for your journal. Two thirds of the plants and animals found here are found no where else in the world. We've all ready talked about this lake being the largest, but it is also the deepest and the oldest Scientists determine the age of 25 – 30 million years old, is one of the oldest lakes in the world.

aaaaaand one of the most seismically active intercontinental regions of the globe. Strong earthquake in 7 points occur with a periodicity of 1-2 years.

I think I can I think I can

Don't get me wrong, I love doing JTW, but I'm feeling a little burned out. So I did a little soul searching. I discovered the thing I'm most burned out of is printing the answers. Mostly because that takes the most work. So unless one of you wants to volunteer as answer page.... I think I'm going to just give the answers and focus more on doing the clues.

the last three answers were... Tonga, Luxembourg & our surprise guest was Delaware. Watch for guest appearance.

We're #1

Because I can, I'm mixing it up AGAIN! Last week we had a guest blogger, who did a fab job. This week I'm going off the ranch. Where I am this week is NOT a country. So... where am I?

I'm in a country that is relativly young, but this particular area claims they are the first when it came to colonizing. Their rich history surrounds this claim. From ships to mansions to forts there is always a story to tell. Also for such a small size, there are beaches almost at every turn. Some more 'libral' than others, so make sure to check before you go.

One rare instnace here is the number of PHd's. According to a survey by the National Science Foundation, there are more doctoral-level (Ph.D.) scientists and engineer per capita. Add to that this area is home to Eldridge who invented the phonograph and was the founder of the Victor Talking Machine Company, today known as RCA.

The longest twin span suspension bridge in the world is here, for a place only a hundred miles long and less than fifty miles across at its widest point, this is quite an accomplishment. The C&D Canal, which bisects this area two-thirds of the way up, serves as a sort of internal Mason-Dixon Line, separating the more urban and industrialized northern portion from the more rural "slower, lower" southern part.

Peach farming is an important part of the agricultural heritage, as the peach was introduced in Colonial times and expanded as an industry in the nineteenth century. It was the country's leading producer of peaches for part of the nineteenth century, at its peak, shipping 6 million baskets to market in 1875. The fifth and sixth grade students of St. John's Lutheran School, with the support of the entire student body, suggested that peach pie be adopted as official dessert because of the historical and agricultural significance of the peach farming industry.

Punkin Chunkin, a popular sport, where specially grown pumpkins are shot from devices such as air-powered cannons, trebuchets, catapults, and various other contraptions. The goal is to see which device can hurl a pumpkin the greatest distance, with some currently reaching distances of almost a mile. The carnival atmosphere is themed in pumpkins with more and more attractions added each year.

Bucks Deluxe

I am roughly triangular in shape

My people are of Celtic, French, and German ancestry.

The majority of my population is Roman Catholic; there are Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim minorities.

I am a landlocked country.

I am one of the smallest countries in the world (I am smaller than Rhode Island).

I have the highest GDP (gross domestic product) per capita in the world.

Beneath my mighty fortress, I have around 21 kilometers of hidden underground passages.

I am the only Grand Duchy in the World. Here is my Grand Ducal

A movie based on this painting was mostly filmed here.

My residents rank No. 2 in the world in their standard of living and per capita income.

I lead the world in mobile telephone access. In 2003, I had more cell phones than total inhabitants.

I rank as the world’s top city for personal safety and security.

Who am I?