On Sunday, November 21, 1920, in the small hours of the night, militants of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) carried out a well-planned attack on English secret agents in Dublin, killing 14 of them and effectively destroying the whole carefully planted spy network. Ten or so hours later, several trucks full of English regular troops and their local allies, known as Irish Constables, arrived at Croke Park where a Gaelic football match was taking place. In theory the squad commanding officer was supposed to come to the pitch and address the players and the spectators - to relate the morning incident and explain that several players were suspected IRA sympathizers or even operatives. In practice the soldiers burst out of the trucks, ran to the pitch and opened fire on the players and the spectators (most likely, unprovoked - despite occasional claims to the contrary). The shooting lasted less than two minutes but that was enough to kill - uncannily - exactly the same number of people, 14, among them two children (10 and 11 years old), a pregnant woman whose wedding was scheduled for the following Friday, and one of the teams' captain Michael Hogan (a stand in Croke Park was named after him soon thereafter). Even if enraged Englishmen didn't attach any particular significance to the actual target of their retaliatory effort but were just eager to avenge the death of their compatriots and colleagues, and it simply so happened that a match took place on that very day, the attack on the <a href="/blog/the-gaelic-soul">citadel of Gaelic sports</a> was tantamount to an intent to destroy the very heart and soul of the Irish nation - and therefore, highly symbolic. Arguably, it might have prompted that one last supreme effort the Irish needed to eventually throw off the English yoke.&nbsp;The tragedy remained in Irish history as “A Bloody Sunday”, and it happened to be one of the last acts of an intense, bitter and extremely violent drama that had started almost exactly 750 years earlier when a besieged local king reached out to a Welsh nobleman Richard de Clare, also known as Strongbow, to ask for help. In return for keeping the king on the throne, de Clare would marry his daughter, Aoife, and become his official heir to that very throne. For all we know, Strongbow might have even liked Aoife - and he definitely liked the prospect of becoming a king. That happened much quicker than he could possibly hope for, too, as the old king died only 9 months after his enemies were successfully defeated - so, the former mere nobleman promoted to kingship must have felt very lucky and even chosen. He began looking around, mostly eastward - and that, unsurprisingly, disagreed with Henry the II of England who wasted little time when faced with the necessity to deal with the problem. Henry planned to visit Ireland for just a couple of weeks but then, Strongbow promptly disposed of, he reconsidered.What started as a routine local affair, and was supposed to end in a similarly routine marriage, turned into a centuries-long Struggle for Independence - and that struggle not only completely reshaped the way of life and the value system of Ireland as a country, and its people, but also affected the New World and even such a faraway country as India…

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An Ill-Fated Wedding

Most nations are passionate about sports. Many countries are quite good at a number of different sports. Some of those or other countries are dominant at a particular sport - and almost all such countries have a special museum devoted to that sport. The Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, The Ski Museum in <a href="holmenkollen">Holmenkollen</a>, The All Black Experience in Auckland (there is another Rugby Museum in Palmerston North - the sport is sooo big in New Zealand that one such museum is simply not enough!)… Those are probably the most iconic of such museums where people come to learn about the history of the sport, and celebrate their athletes having over many years overcome fierce opposition from all over the world, and established themselves as the best of the best in their chosen sport.The GAA Museum in Dublin is both rather similar to and strikingly different from its above-mentioned counterparts. GAA stands for “Gaelic Athletic Association”, and the first word is by far the most important part of that title. It's the traditional Gaelic sports that museum visitors learn about - and they do celebrate incredible Irish athletes who are undoubtedly the creme de la creme of those sports. However, there is one missing component - the "fierce opposition from all over the world". &nbsp;There are essentially four Gaelic sports - hurling, Gaelic football, rounders and, surprisingly, handball (which has nothing to do with the Olympic sport of the same name). The female version of the first two of those has its own name (camogie and ladies' football) but the sports themselves are fully identical. Those two sports also happen to be significantly more popular than the other two - and none of the four existed outside of Ireland about 200 years ago. Then waves of Irish emigration introduced them to such overseas countries as Canada and the USA, Australia and New Zealand, and even Argentina - yet, the games were mostly played by immigrants themselves. Over time some locals joined in, clubs appeared, and their number grew. However, even today an absolute majority of players involved in any Gaelic sports have Irish roots. Since there are no world championships (or any real international competitions, for that matter), the biggest hurling/ Gaelic football tournament on Earth is the All-Irish Championships where players represent their counties. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;The Championships are regular and well-structured. 32 teams from the 4 Irish provinces participate in their respective provincial championships for about 80% of the season. The winners of that stage qualify for the semifinals that determine the finalists in all four categories (hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, ladies' football). The finals are played throughout the month of September - one on every Sunday - and every Irish knows exactly what (s)he is going to do on those four Sundays. The choice is pretty limited: the lucky 82,000 fill the stands of Croke Park, the third biggest stadium in Europe, while the remaining unfortunate 5 millions or so are glued to their TVs for a number of hours - and for a good reason as the skill set required by the games (in particular, hurling) ensures that the All-Irish Finals will feature the finest and most skillful athletes on Earth. &nbsp;A picture is worth a thousand words (and a Youtube video might be worth this whole blog!) - so, my description of hurling will be very brief: it's a unique combination of baseball, rugby and field hockey, and it's the most athletic, passionate and dangerous contact sport one can ever imagine. It's not for nothing that hurling is known as “the warriors' sport”. One last fact I should mention is that it's played by amateur warriorsOne more time, to make sure that this mind-boggling piece of information is fully appreciated: the finest athletes on Earth whose talent fills to capacity the third largest stadium in Europe - and rivets millions to their screens - and who could've easily chosen any sport and excelled at it so much as to become multimillionaires well before the end of their careers - are amateurs! They aren't paid a Eurocent for their tremendous achievements, and neither are most coaches, referees, and even stewards enabling the games to go ahead. That means that all those athletes have to work (to pay their bills) AND practice regularly (to maintain their level) - and that's what they do for years and years. They go to work every day, practice before and/or after work 5-6 times a week, and volunteer in the sports community every now and then. Why all that? The best answer might be provided by the picture below.<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1666996608/7kwonders/DSCF_8781_86d42b125f.jpg" alt="DSCF8781.JPG" srcset="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1666996607/7kwonders/thumbnail_DSCF_8781_86d42b125f.jpg 208w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1666996608/7kwonders/small_DSCF_8781_86d42b125f.jpg 500w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1666996608/7kwonders/medium_DSCF_8781_86d42b125f.jpg 750w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1666996608/7kwonders/large_DSCF_8781_86d42b125f.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw">Those are counties team jerseys, whose design and characteristic colours haven't changed for generations of players - and no player, who put on one of those jerseys even once, would ever trade it for any other jersey. In other words, no hurler/Gaelic footballer has ever played for a county (s)he wasn't born in - at least, according to our guide whose grandfather had participated in several All-Irish finals (the guide himself also played the sport but at a lower level, so he decided to serve his sporting community by spreading knowledge and promoting Gaelic sports and values they represent). This devotion to the concept of "county" is so intense that one might even suspect some local nationalism…but for one striking fact: anthems are played twice before every All-Irish final. Tempting as might be to think that every Irish county has its own anthem, it's not the case. It was Irish national anthem that filled the air on both occasions, and this is highly symbolic: even if each team is playing against an Irish opposition, both are still playing for Ireland as well as for their native county. By simply being there and playing those unique, distinctly Irish/Gaelic games, both teams and every player/referee/coach as well as the spectators promote their Irishness and celebrate the very existence of their games rather than just their athletic prowess. &nbsp;&nbsp;

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The Gaelic Soul

“Being born in a stable does not make one a horse”.&nbsp;Arthur Wellesley (better known as 1st Duke of Wellington), a prominent English politician and a military commander renowned - among other things - for his role in defeating Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo, was born in Dublin, Ireland. Judging by the above quotation, Wellesley was not exactly happy about or proud of his birthplace.Jonathan Swift, a scholar who served 32 years as Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, and a famous writer who penned “Gulliver's Travels”, sounded even more bitter, if less rude, when it came to his native country: “I reckon, no man is thoroughly miserable, unless he is condemned to live in Ireland”.James Joyce - arguably Ireland's most famous and most enigmatic writer, a man who singlehandedly perfected, if not created, a whole new genre in literature (stream of consciousness) - might have not lashed out at Ireland publicly but he literally voted with his feet instead. Joyce left the country when he was 22, returned for several brief visits over the next 10 years, and never set foot on Irish soil again for the remaining 30 years of his life. And yet, every word in Joyce's books was informed by sights and sounds of Ireland, by people he had known and buildings he had come to or passed by as a youth. In other words, all Joyce ever wrote about was Ireland.There are other “yets” and other dignitaries whose feelings towards and opinions about Ireland are strikingly different from those of Wellington or Swift. Barak Obama who, by his own admission, came to Ireland “in search of that missing apostrophe”, believed that “Irish blood was spilled on our battlefields. Irish sweat built our great cities”, while “our spirit is eternally refreshed by Irish story and Irish song…”. Finally, St. Patrick's Day paints green hundreds of cities around the world, many of them located thousands of miles away from Ireland.So, what is it about that little island, squeezed between the Atlantic and the Irish Sea, that fills both its admirers and its detractors with so much passion while sparking their imagination and inspiring their eloquence? As the country itself can't tell its own story, it needs facilitators - knowledgeable and passionate people who would help to do justice to it and to unlock its secrets for the world to see and admire. Some of those facilitators tell the story of the country as a whole, others concentrate on a particular city, district or even a single (but truly historic) building. Together, they make sure that the Emerald Isle is better understood and appreciated by the rest of the world. And not all of them are even Irish.<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1666386078/7kwonders/DSCF_8812_9ab07b888c.jpg" alt="DSCF8812.JPG" srcset="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1666386078/7kwonders/thumbnail_DSCF_8812_9ab07b888c.jpg 208w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1666386078/7kwonders/small_DSCF_8812_9ab07b888c.jpg 500w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1666386078/7kwonders/medium_DSCF_8812_9ab07b888c.jpg 750w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1666386078/7kwonders/large_DSCF_8812_9ab07b888c.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw"></figure>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;JoshAn American from Buffalo, he came over to Ireland to study at Trinity - one of the oldest Universities in Europe - and he stayed after his graduation to teach there. He combines teaching with running a museum devoted to James Joyce, and he guides tours offering insights into Joyce's life and personality thus sharing his passion for Irish literature with people from all over the world.<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1666389520/7kwonders/DSCF_8885_815a292b89.jpg" alt="DSCF8885.JPG" srcset="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1666389520/7kwonders/thumbnail_DSCF_8885_815a292b89.jpg 208w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1666389520/7kwonders/small_DSCF_8885_815a292b89.jpg 500w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1666389520/7kwonders/medium_DSCF_8885_815a292b89.jpg 750w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1666389520/7kwonders/large_DSCF_8885_815a292b89.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; MarissaAnother American - from Seattle - a mercurial actress in chaplinesque attire, and with a ready Gioconda smile, she participates in a unique program called “theatre for education”. By relating about 300,000 years of Dublin history in 29 minutes, she provides a truly unforgettable experience for every visitor of a museum with a fully descriptive, unique name - the Little Museum of Dublin.&nbsp;Unsurprisingly, most facilitators are Irish but at least some of them have strong international connections.<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1666391627/7kwonders/1658580883207_061dc76147.jpg" alt="1658580883207.jpg" srcset="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1666391627/7kwonders/thumbnail_1658580883207_061dc76147.jpg 156w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1666391627/7kwonders/small_1658580883207_061dc76147.jpg 500w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1666391627/7kwonders/medium_1658580883207_061dc76147.jpg 750w," sizes="100vw">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;MaryShe has been guiding tourists all over Europe and as far as the Great Wall of China but her main commitment is to the “Irish Stonehenge” - the neolithic tombs in Irish “Ancient East”. The main tomb, Newgrange, is bigger and possibly older than its more famous English counterpart, Stonehenge, and there is an utterly fascinating history behind its creation.&nbsp;<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1666392499/7kwonders/DSCF_9400_2b35edd77d.jpg" alt="DSCF9400.JPG" srcset="https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1666392499/7kwonders/thumbnail_DSCF_9400_2b35edd77d.jpg 208w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1666392499/7kwonders/small_DSCF_9400_2b35edd77d.jpg 500w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1666392499/7kwonders/medium_DSCF_9400_2b35edd77d.jpg 750w,https://res.cloudinary.com/dpwp8vga3/image/upload/v1666392499/7kwonders/large_DSCF_9400_2b35edd77d.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;JamesA full-time professional tour-guide, he offers 2-3 free walking tours a day, and he relies on personal charisma to befriend his guests, and on his vast and easy knowledge - to engage them. He seems to be equally comfortable talking about German politics, Australian football, Portuguese wines - you name it! - and that makes every guest in the group feel privileged…and even more interested in the main topic of the tour, Ireland.There were many others, of course - and featured wonders over many following weeks will be based on and inspired by their stories. If Ireland comes alive in this blog, it will happen due to their efforts - and that turns those facilitators into a wonder in their own right, because sometimes it takes a wonder to do true justice to another wonder!

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Facilitators

For millennia, humans have had a complex relationships with other living beings collectively known as “animals”. They domesticated some for the sake of convenience, and they hunted others - to give my species the benefit of the doubt, I will presume that was mostly done out of necessity. When necessity became less urgent, curiosity came to the fore - and ever since human beings have had an urge to see animals not just in houses, backyards and zoos but also in their natural habitat. Bird and whale-watching tours, photo safaris and such are by now many people's favourite pastimes but…those activities are somewhat passive for those who prefer an even more immediate, first hand experiences. They can't fly with birds, run with lions or swim with whales - too dangerous! - but they are able to come and stay close to dolphins, arguably, the most exciting species once called “Einsteins of the animal world”“Come and stay close” might be a little bit of an exaggeration as the experience isn't guaranteed, to start with - and it's usually pretty brief even if successful. To give it a try, one usually needs to go on a rowing/kayaking tour (in many areas dolphins are protected, and access to their habitat is restricted) or join a group and hire a licensed instructor. Akaroa, first and foremost renowned for its <a href="/blog/giants-house">Giant's House</a>, covers the former option, while those visiting Eilat can choose to proceed straight from <a href="/blog/wild-east">camels</a> to dolphins.An early morning of a warm, drizzling day, occasional water birds showing up, infrequent splashes as some marine denizen pops up to ascertain there is no immediate danger – and finally the main prize of the tour: dolphins. The encounter, if there is one, is rather brief – and more often than not one would be able to glimpse but a fin or an arched back as they disappear under water. However, strange as it might seem, simply knowing that there is a dolphin literally within touching distance (just too quick to be touched!) fills one with a sense of tranquility that is quite enough to leave the boat with a contented smile on their face.Israeli dolphins are more used to people, and they don't mind doing them an occasional favour by swimming by and wagging their fin. Still, one has to be lucky to come to the Dolphin Reef on a right day at a right time when at least some dolphins are relaxed and in a good mood. More often than not “swimming with” would turn into “watching the dolphins darting by” - not dissimilar to the above-mentioned Akaroa experience. Yet, people keep coming and trying, excited about the very possibility to see those wonderful dancers whose spectacular show is choreographed by Nature itself.P.S. My forthcoming trip to Ireland will most likely allow this blog to go on a short vacation. If all goes to plan, the next entry should appear on October, 22&nbsp;

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Marine Einsteins

Verona would've been a more or less ordinary town but for Juliet - and Juliet herself would've been a perfectly ordinary 13-year-old but for a tragic accident that robbed her of her physical life while securing her an eternal one in the collective memory of the human race. In other words, many wonders are, so-to-say, of humble origins - for instance, several relatively simple ingredients can create a country (as in “A man, a plan, a canal - Panama”, and this one is, in fact a double wonder). Likewise, an inconspicuous and not at all exciting object or structure can become a wonder if it finds itself in the right place at the right time - even a jail.To be precise, a jail alone might not suffice to provide for a wonder. Some accessories prove to be essential - a small wares shop selling weapons, among other goods; a couple of “Wanted” posters (likely, of those who bought some weapons); a gallows (for those of the “wanted” who have actually been found and apprehended); last but not least, a bar - after all, no cowboys movie set would look realistic without one. Of course, typically dusty cowboys settlements aren't necessarily that wonderful or even unusual - unless they are located not far from the Red Sea, and served as an hors oeuvre for a tourist menu. That particular movie set in the town of Eilat in Israel also sets the tone for the “main dish” - an hour-long camel ride.Cowboys are first and foremost just that, riders - and whoever wants to feel home in a cowboy village has to be able to follow suit or, at least willing to try. Many are, even though they might have previously seen even horses - let alone, camels - only through their car window. Encouraged by a light refreshment consisting of a somewhat salty scone and a cup of fresh tea, and inspired by the last rays of the setting sun painting the sky some indescribable combination of the rainbow and beyond, those brave hearts slowly approach their female mounts (the only male on set is too aggressive to be entrusted with newbies, while camel females are mostly indifferent, if not friendly, and rather docile). It takes some time to get used to the new “vehicle” but gradually the riders gain enough confidence to start believing they are in charge of the animal. In reality, the opposite is the case - the camels take the riders exactly where…the instructor wants them to, and they are slow enough to compete with snails and turtles! Of course, it's the tourists' fault - under experienced riders those "old ladies" suddenly turn into galloping racing steeds, and that's quite a show in its own right…&nbsp;&nbsp;

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Wild East

But for <a href="/blog/an-abode-of-love">Juliet's house</a>, Verona would have had to rely upon its <a href="/blog/under-the-stars">Arena</a> to support its claim to fame - and that claim would have been only partially successful. The concept of operas under the stars is indeed quite unique but, considering that the Roman Empire stretched in all directions throughout Europe and beyond, a Roman amphitheatre, as such, is somewhat more common. After all, in Italy alone, there are seven of those. Verona's abode of love has no such competition as there are precious few physical structures that exist in a gray area between reality and imagination. <a href="/blog/sherlock-holmes">Sherlock Holmes' Baker Street apartment</a> being the most obvious example, one might also recall Elsinore - the castle immortalized by Shakespeare's “Hamlet”. While the former proves logically and unequivocally that Sherlock Holmes could and must have existed, the latter starts playing mind games with its visitors even before they put their foot over its threshold.To start with, there is no such castle as Elsinore - in Denmark or anywhere. However, there is a city in Denmark called Helsingor, and it does have a castle. The castle stands right on Oresund - the strait connecting/dividing Denmark and Sweden. For centuries, the area has been hotly contested between the two countries, and the castle's name reflects that tension. It's called Kronborg, literally meaning “Crown's Fortress”. Is Kronborg in Helsingor the same as Elsinor? Hardly a visitor isn't curious to hear the answer, and the castle staff is extremely helpful: “Oh, it's just a beautiful fairy tale. We've had real kings and queens, and everybody knows their names. By the way, you should have seen ”Hamlet" staged right here, in the bailey - it was so authentic. Can you imagine, the creators of that famous movie shot it elsewhere?! Nobody even tried to negotiate with our management regarding shooting the movie in our castle, the real home of the Danish prince!" Talk about dichotomy between national pride and unwillingness to have anything to do with a kingdom where “something is rotten”…&nbsp;The specter of Elsinor haunts Kronborg and affects one's perception of every story told about it. A secret passage connecting the Queen's Chamber &nbsp;with the biggest dancing hall in Europe built in Kronborg in 1582 - so that Danish queen could take French leave whenever she felt like it… Danish kings sleeping in their bed in a seated position - so that angels, descending from Heaven to transfer yet another righteous royalty straight to Paradise, wouldn't have to fly too far… Holger the Warrior who singlehandedly defeated every enemy of the kingdom, then took a leave to travel the world and make friends. After years of traveling he became homesick but had no money to take a ship back home - so, he had to return on foot. It took some time and tired him just a bit. That's why upon returning to the barracks located in Kronborg's basement he took a nap and asked his fellow soldiers to wake him up if there was any threat to the country. Judging by the fact that he is still asleep, Denmark must have been safe for all those centuries, the WWII and such notwithstanding…&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

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A Phantom Castle

<a href="/blog/under-the-stars">Arena di Verona</a> is a unique blend of recent past (operas written 200-300 years ago), distant past (a Roman amphitheatre), and the timeless star-studded sky. A much smaller structure, merely one kilometer away from the Arena, is a blend of a different but equally unique kind. A three-storey medieval house, belonging to a local nobleman, doesn't draw much attention - partly because of its side street entrance - but there are probably entire blocks and even some villages receiving less letters on any given day than that rather inconspicuous house. All those letters are addressed to “Juliet, in Verona”.&nbsp;Not even a real person but a character in a play, Shakespeare's Juliet had long transcended the boundaries of her own time and place and became a symbol of… In fact of everything most humans cherish and crave for: love, devotion, courage, perseverance. Almost singlehandedly (with Romeo, that is) she put her native town of Verona on the spiritual map of human hopes and aspirations. Hence the letters. Hence creative and even academic speculations as to what might have happened had Juliet refrained from killing herself. Hence the multitudes from all around the globe that crowd the side street entrance to find themselves in front of a little bronze statue. Polished with thousands of lips and fingers, the statue's right hand and breast shine brighter than gold (the legend goes that by paying homage to Juliet, one becomes lucky in love).People contemplate Juliet in silence for a while, then enter the house to wander aimlessly, stray to the famous balcony to “take a breath of fresh air”, quite literally. Then they leave. The house remains - and it's easy to imagine a slip of a girl in a lilac dress to glide-dance around the empty house as if looking for someone she hadn't seen among the visitors of her museum, a dreamy and somewhat sad smile on her face…

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An Abode of Love

Unlike the New World, where people came from elsewhere to settle down, and eventually built countries ruled by democratically elected representatives, European rulers emerged from the so-called “landed aristocracy”. As the wealthiest landowners became dukes and kings, they found it very tempting to consider themselves divinely ordained - and, therefore, entitled to the best their countries could offer. That attitude resulted in many European capitals renowned for their luxurious palaces, masterpieces of art, top quality entertainment and the like - and by far outshining the rest of their respective countries (Paris and London might be the best examples of that particular historical development). Rome wouldn't have been much different in that respect - but for the fact that when it comes to Italy, almost every town there was a capital!Medieval Italy was somewhat similar to ancient Greece: both geographical areas consisted of rival city-states populated by ethnically related people that shared the common language and…little else. Some of those cities - such as, for instance, Florence and Siena - remained sworn enemies for centuries! It is, therefore, hardly surprising that, rather than feeling restrained by the non-existing capital, each and every Italian city bent over backwards to outdo every other city, Rome included. “Rome is famous for its Colosseum? We need to build a better one!” Verona, along with six other Italian towns, did just that. &nbsp;Arena di Verona is the third largest Roman amphitheatre in Italy. It holds up to 25,000 spectators which is more than a quarter of the town's population! It goes without saying that the Arena is used for concerts and open-air performances. &nbsp;It's much less trivial that some of those performances are operas - and Arena di Verona is considered to be the most significant open-air opera “house” in the world. Deservedly so, as the experience any such opera provides is completely unique. The key to that uniqueness is in the very name of the “Verona opera project”, so-to-say - it's called “Under the Stars”.That name has several crucial implications: to start with, operas in Verona begin when operas (or any other stage shows) elsewhere are about to end - 10.30 pm or so. As the stars don't always appear on schedule, each spectator is provided with a candle - and up to 25,000 candles light the stage and the whole space around it. When the first star appears, the candles are put out, and the music wafts from the orchestra pit in the semi-darkness. Several minutes pass allowing the audience to fully soak up the atmosphere, and only then the 21st century technology announces its presence. The show begins but only the stage itself is lit artificially - the rest of the arena is still starlit, and stars keep arriving. &nbsp;By the time of the short intermission, they are strong enough to compete with stage lighting. After the curtain falls, the lights go off but the stars remain… &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

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Under The Stars

The world of Wonders is extremely diverse as they leave their mark on every aspect of human life - science, technology, arts, culture, entertainment…If there is anything almost all Wonders share is that they are created by design. Quite literally so: Nature (whatever the word might imply) or talented people at the height of their creative powers have a vision - and transform it into a material object (such as, for instance, a bridge, a waterfall, or a palace) or a &nbsp;spiritual experience (such as poetry or music). It's hard to imagine someone creating a Wonder despite their intentions rather than in accordance with them, and yet…In 1505 Michelangelo Buonarotti was commissioned to build a tomb for Pope Julius II. The artist needed exactly 40 years to complete the assignment - a fact that speaks volumes for the complexity and scope of the work - but by 1513 he was ready to start decorating the tomb. One of the sculptures (on the photo, by Yoerg Bittner Unna - own work) represented Moses as he had been returning to his people with the Tablets of the Law freshly received from the Higher Power.Upon completion, the tomb was exhibited in San-Pietro-in-Vincoli (traditionally translated as “St.Peter in Chains”). A vibrant name for a church, and yet those faithful who stumbled upon Michelangelo's Moses for the first time might have thought they had incidentally strayed into a Church of All Devils - seeing a great leader (not known as a cuckold either) with cute little horns attached to his head should have felt not just confusing but outright shocking. The 16th century not being known for either mass literacy or reliable Internet connections, that confusion was about to last for a long time.Lucky us in the 21st century who need mere minutes to establish that Michelangelo was, in fact, very loyal to the Bible description, as he knew it - and he knew it from the Latin translation literally mentioning horns on Moses head. Of course, that's not what the original meant. “Lost in translation” was the fact that the original Hebrew word “qeren” happened to be a homonym meaning both “horn” and "sunray" (as well as some other things!) - so inspired was Moses by the divine encounter that his face was shining, as if flooded with sunrays…Had the artist known the true meaning of the sentence, he would have created yet another impressive sculpture - one of so many. As it happened, a Wonder came to the world. A mistaken wonder, to be fair - but isn't it tempting to rather call it a “wonderful mistake”?!&nbsp;

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