Palin explores former Soviet Bloc

by Neil Woodburn on

I’m not sure how I missed this, but it looks like our good friend Michael Palin has gone and done it again, this time traveling through the former Soviet Bloc while filming and writing about his adventures along the way.

Palin’s New Europe series kicked off in the Julian Alps (Slovenia) and then continued through 19 other countries–all of which have seen dramatic changes since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. 123 days later, Palin finds himself in Berlin itself, where the whole domino effect of revolutions began.

In usual Palin style, the ever-productive author/traveler has once again blessed us with a book of the adventure, as well as a three-disc DVD of the BBC series. I haven’t had the opportunity to watch it yet, but I think we can all assume that it will be just as excellent as his other travel programs.

TODAY Show team travels to the Ends of the Earth

by Kelly Amabile on

About this time tomorrow, the ever-adventurous TODAY Show team will take part in a historic first-ever live simultaneous broadcast from the top, bottom and middle of the earth’s surface. As part of NBC’s “Green Is Universal” initiative, the news anchors have been dispatched to the Ends of the Earth to report on climate extremes, wildlife and the limits of human exploration. It’s the very first time that a TV network has linked locations live around the entire circumference of the planet in a single program.

So, of course, you’re wondering, Where in the World is Matt Lauer going to be? It’s no surprise this time — he’s headed to the Arctic, and will broadcast from the Greenland ice sheet. Ann Curry is in Antarctica, and will be broadcasting from the McMurdo Research Station and other extreme locations. And weather guru Al Roker will travel to the Equator and broadcast from the middle of an endangered cloud forest in Mindo, Ecuador. Meredith Vieira picked the shortest straw — she gets to “connect the global dots” from the studio back in New York.

Matt’s yearly whirlwind adventures always leave me wondering why? But at least this team-effort groundbreaking expedition is grounded with the goal of green.

One for the Road: Women Travelers – A Century of Trailblazing Adventures, 1850-1950

by Kelly Amabile on

Earlier this week I mentioned a book by U.K. imprint Virago that celebrates women travelers of the past. And today I’ve learned of another book, (this time from French publisher Flammarion) that pays tribute to female explorers who ventured out in years gone by: Women Travelers: A Century of Trailblazing Adventures, 1850 – 1950 celebrates the courageous journeys of thirty-one fascinating women from fourteen countries.

The featured women include Fanny Vandegrift, wife of Robert Louis Stevenson, and Nellie Bly, a journalist who went around the world in seventy-two days. Others include: Ida Pfeiffer, Alexine Tinne and Florence Baker. From the publisher: In the face of social convention, these women set off into the unknown. Their bold journeys had long-lasting effects on the role and status of women in society, and they made important contributions to disciplines as varied as medicine, archeology, and anthropology.

The book of inspiring stories about pioneering women was written by French authors Alexandra Lapierre and Christel Mouchard.

My favorite corpse

by Neil Woodburn on

My favorite corpse lies in state in Moscow. It’s been there since 1924, all dolled up in a fancy suit and tie. Sure, its brain is missing and probably most all of its organs, but the remaining shell still looks all shiny and new as though Vladimir Lenin had died just yesterday.

Every morning a line begins to form on the edge of Red Square to pay respects to my favorite corpse. It’s mostly just tourists these days, but during Soviet times that line stretched unfathomably long in even the coldest of weather. The communist faithful came here to honor the father of the Soviet state; today Lenin’s corpse serves as more of a morbid curiosity than a revered historical figure. Mausoleum guards still demand that rubbernecking tourists show respect, however, and they maintain a hushed, churchlike atmosphere within the crypt.

There is nothing on this planet quite like the Lenin Mausoleum. Sure, there are other places one can see dead bodies or mummified remains on this Halloween day, but none will look as remarkably lifelike as good old Vladimir. So, if you happen to be in Moscow today, spare a moment to go and visit my favorite corpse; tell ’em that Gadling sent you.

Spooky libraries

by Martha Edwards on

Dusty, musty and seemingly old as time, some libraries are the perfect place for ghosts and ghouls to haunt their way through eternity. The folks over at Intelligent Traveller have done some uncovering and found some of the spookiest libraries around the world — and the ghosts who haunt them:

  • Morelia Public Library, in Michoacán, Mexico: This library, which has been around since the 16th century, is said to be haunted by a blue clad nun. The sensation is so real that people have reported hearing footsteps following them.
  • State Library of Victoria, in Melbourne, Australia: Built in 1856, this library is reportedly haunted not only by a librarian named Grace in the Children’s and Arts sections, but also a mustachioed man in the music section and various poltergeists in the newspaper room. After-hours security guards report seeing glowing balls of light in the library — yikes! That’s got to be one frightening job.
  • Rammerscales House, in Lockerbie, Scotland: A ghost haunts the library of this large home, and apparently it’s so frightening that guests have asked to stay in the stables.
  • Felbrigg Hall, in Norfolk, England: The ghost of an 18th-century scholar, William Windham III, is known to sit in his armchair by the fire and read books well into the night. In fact, it’s such a regular occurrence that the butler used to leave specific books out for him each night.