Wandering Bard: Delphic Ruins (Greece)

Ah, it’s been a while since we traveled anywhere, hasn’t it? Well, you’re in luck! This week we’re heading back to Greece and sometime very soon we’re heading somewhere even more interesting and new! In fact, even I haven’t been there! More on that later.

Last time we were in Greece, we hit up the Acropolis. This time we’re at the Delphic ruins – my second favorite place after Athens.

This is the archaeological site at Delphi where the Delphic oracle once lived. The oracle was a priestess at the temple of Apollo and was famous for reciting prophecies handed to her by the god himself. She was the most prestigious and well documented oracle in Greece, and a whole host of authors and famous historians have documented their meetings with her.

The mountains around this area surround it like a fortress.

The most prominent attraction in the navel. The story goes that Zeus took a rock and threw it, saying wherever it landed would be the center of the universe. It, of course, landed right here in Delphi! People would touch it and get a boost of energy and power.

The above rock is actually just a copy, but the real one is in the museum just off-site. You can see it below:

Here’s a temple to Apollo.

This wall was like a newspaper. There’s Greek written all over it and people would go to it to get their news!

Here’s an ampitheatre.

And cuties like this were everywhere!

What question would you ask the oracle if she deemed you worthy enough to see her?

Mushroom Foray #3: Can I get a bigger basket?

You may remember that my last mushroom foray was a little bit of a disappointment. It’s not that it wasn’t fun, just that we didn’t find too many mushrooms. The year had been dry up to that point, and that doesn’t bode well for fungi-obsessed folk.

But this foray was incredible. We found so many mushrooms, it filled two entire tables. And they weren’t small tables. I love searching for mushrooms because it’s like a treasure hunt for me. How many can I find? How many types can I fit into my basket? There’s always a little spike of excitement every time I see something I’ve never seen before.

And this foray was filled with tons of those moments!

I started the trip off right away with this beauty:

No idea what they are, but the tree was just covered in mushrooms. It was too neat not to take a picture of it.

You know what else we discovered right away? A beehive in the ground. That got our blood pumping early in the morning! It’s a good thing I can run faster than most of the other people in our group.

One of my favorite finds was this cool purple mushroom. (Disclaimer: This time around we found so many mushrooms that I can’t even begin to tell you what most of them were. About 99.9% of them were inedible anyway.)

We also found tons of Russula’s. This one is a very nice specimen (don’t I sound smart!) because it was still quite young, very vibrant, and hadn’t already been partially eaten.

About the time I found this one, one of the guys from our trip showed me another mushroom. It was white and he cut it open, then told me to touch the tip of my finger to it and taste the liquid that came out of it. At first nothing happened, but a few minutes later my tongue started burning just a little bit. It tasted a bit like pepper and was just a tad spicy. That stayed with me for a good half hour at least. It was kind of neat!

It’s a wee bit blurry, but this one is called Old Man of the Woods. This is a young one, which is quite light still.

Here’s a picture of an older one that’s a bit darker.

I liked these because they were really soft and fuzzy!

We also found whole patches of Crown Coral mushrooms.

And here’s just a neat picture of two different colors of the same (?) mushroom.

Here’s a nice picture of the gills of a mushroom:

And these are some GIGANTIC puffballs. I’ve never seen them this big before! Some varieties of puffballs you can eat, but not these ones.

These are chanterelles, which is what we were really after. I didn’t find any (bummer!) but we got a nice handful here. No tasting-testing this time though, because I had to leave early.

I also found this crazy mushroom on a tree. No one was really sure what it was, but it was HUGE!

And Dad found these itty-bitty guys. Aren’t they cute?

One of the guys in our group found this thing. No, you’re not seeing some strange new mutation of mushroom. That’s a skull. I think it fell out, but the reason why he picked it up was because a mushroom was growing inside of it! Anyone have any idea what it could be from? They thought it was a raccoon at first, but if you look along the bottom portion, it actually has a tusk!

Wasn’t that just loads better than the last foray? I walked away feeling proud and satisfied by how much I found. And considering there were about 20 people in our group, we came backs with TONS of mushrooms. Check out these tables:

I didn’t get a picture of it, but the best part was when the president of the mycological society showed us a “blue staining mushroom.” It’s whitish-yellow on the inside for just a split second when you cut it open, but then it turns blue! I’m not even joking!! You can see it in real time in a video on YouTube right here.

Now tell me that’s not about the coolest thing you’ve ever seen?

So, what do you think? Quite the haul, right? Which one did you like best? Have you seen any of these varieties before?

Treasures from Around the World

Wednesdays are usually reserved for art, but today I’m going to stretch that definition just a little bit. I want to show you guys some of the cool things I’ve picked up from my travels over the years.

Now, I’ve been known to keep everything from my receipts for chocolate (because I can’t go to a new country and not try their chocolate) to my tags for luggage. But these souvenirs are more beautiful, and all picked out to represent the country I was in.

First up is a gorgeous plate from Morocco. It’s all hand-hammered metal, inlaid with different colors. It was so hard to pick out just one because they had a million of them! I love the colors in this one though, and it was the perfect size. I gave it to my Mom.

This vase on the left is from France. Normandy, to be specific. They had these things all over the place. They’re handmade and so beautiful! On the right is a mini Eiffel Tower. Both were also gifts for my mom. (Although she was a little put off when she saw the size of the Eiffel Tower that I got myself, haha.)

My mom loves the ocean and the beach, so naturally she’d collect sand. These are from my various trips. Sometimes, when I’m lucky, I can find a bottle with the name of the country on it too.

Here’s my Eiffel Tower. Mom’s is about 2” tall. Mine is about a foot tall. She was a little jealous, haha.

I actually didn’t pick this up on one of my trips, but it did come from another country! My friend from Argentina gave it to me. It’s used to hold mate, a type of tea. (I tried the tea. It was really gross.)

These came from Greece. They’re two of my favorite goddesses – Artemis and Aphrodite. I wanted a whole set of them, but that would’ve been waaaay expensive.

Yes, yes that is a chocolate frog box in the background…

Here’s another gift I’ve received. This is a keychain/cell phone charm from Korea I got as a present from a friend who went there for a Karate tournament.

These are also from Morocco. We went into a giant store full of awesome mosaics and neat pieces like this. I know they’re miniatures of some traditional dishes in Moroccan culture, but I can’t remember exactly what they were for.

This one is from France. I love the original painting, and it seemed only fitting to get this neat clock! Only…it’s really, really loud. So it stays in our basement.

Lastly, this is a beautiful fan I brought home for my mom. It’s from Seville, Spain. These are the big thing over there and I have a weird affinity for fans anyway, so I had to get one! They’re hand painted and made of wood and cloth.

What kinds of things have you picked up from your travels? What is the one thing you would have to pick up if you got a chance to go to your dream country?

Wandering Bard: Italy (Pompeii)

Pompeii was one of the most incredible and surreal places I’ve been to. Not to mention one of the strangest.

Just in case you’re unaware (or have forgotten your high school history class – and there’s no shame in that), Pompeii is a city located in Italy. More specifically, it’s a city located at the base of Mount Vesuvius. That name should sound familiar.

Mount Vesuvius is the volcano that blew its top in 79 A.D. and literally buried both the town of Pompeii, and its cousin Herculaneum. The stones, ash, and lava flows killed roughly 16,000 people and hid these towns for hundreds of years.

Here’s the unassuming entrance:

But, little do you know the secrets hidden within this quaint little town.

First, there’s the sacrificial alters (for animals only):

The dog, it seems, is a brave fellow.

Then there are the bodies. The picture below is a just a cast, but you can see (in horrifying and realistic clarity) how so many of these people died. This particular person was huddled in the corner, unable to escape the hot has that descended upon the town.

Then there’s this lovely shot that I took:

It doesn’t seem like much, but I guarantee it was also deadly. The caption I put on Facebook for this photograph seems to sum it up pretty nicely:

“The Pompeiins were very smart and ingenious people…except for two things: They lived at the foot of a volcano…and they used lead pipes.”

But the biggest (and dirtiest) secret of all is put right out in the open. If you know what you’re looking for, you should have no problem discovering it. (Why do I have a feeling Natalie/Natalie’s husband is going to love this part?)

If you’re new in town and don’t know where to go, there are clues all over the place to point you in the right direction:

(And, yes, that’s exactly what it looks like.)

Then there’s the sign:

This is a sign warning of a Lupanare. That’s the Italian term. You might be more familiar with the word “brothel.” It was referred to as a Lupanare (the base of that word being “lupus,” which is Latin for “wolf”) because the women used to howl to get the attention of their customers.

Then there’s this beauty:

Imagine doing the deed on that thing.

Not sure what you want? Don’t worry. They had a menu:

The vendors outside the walls of Pompeii sold all sorts of trinkets that probably are not appropriate to bring home to the kids. Nonetheless, they were pretty funny.

And although it completely shocked me when I realized some of the places that were within the walls of Pompeii, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. History happened here. A tragic history, yes, but one that you can feel in your bones when you’re there. It was an amazing experience.

Enter a totally embarrassing five year old picture of me standing in front of Mount Vesuvius (in one of the nerdiest shirts I owned at the time, no less).

Ever been to Pompeii? Ever seen a place as explicit as this one? What’s the nerdiest shirt you own? (I’ve stepped up my nerd-game recently. Now my nerdiest one is definitely the Doctor Who shirt I ordered just the other day…)

Wandering Bard: Spain (Córdoba)

Back in May, I did a post on La Alhambra, a group of palaces built by the Moorish people in Granada, Spain back in the mid to late 1300s. My awesome blogging buddy Julie Glover left me a very excited comment – I had mentioned Córdoba, she said. Apparently, her aunt was from there and Julie would love to visit some time.

Your wish is my command!

Here’s something to gaze at while I give you a little history lesson. Córdoba is a city in southern Spain and was – at one point in time – one of the largest cities in the world in terms of its population. Having been under Islamic rule for quite a while, it was only in the mid 1200s that it came under Spanish/Christian rule.

Shortly after, new churches were built within the city. However, some mosques were actually converted into churches, such as the one that goes to this bell tower.

This is called the Great Mosque of Córdoba, and it actually has a more interesting history than that. It was first a pagan temple. Then it was turned into a Christian church. Then it was converted into a mosque, and later a new mosque was built on the same site. Following that, it became a Roman Catholic church.

Whew!

Talk about an eclectic building.

Maybe you’ve never heard of this building before – at least you think you haven’t. Chances are, if you’re into architecture or art history, you’ve seen this shot at some point in your life:

This building has what is called an arcaded hypostyle hall. That sounds complicated, but it’s not. “Arcaded” simply means arches (as you can see in the picture), and “hypostyle” just means that the roof is supported by columns (hypó meaning ‘under’ and stŷlos meaning ‘column’). The famous red and white striped arches are made of limestone and brick, except for the section you see above. They were a little short on cash, apparently, so they just painted the red parts in here to make it match.

The columns are made of jasper, onyx, marble, and granite. In the picture below, you can see that one of the artists signed his name on this one!

Our guide then took us to the Street of Flowers, which provides a classic view of the bell tower.

And that was a little slice of Córdoba for you! Hope you had a great time!

There you go, Julie! Hope you enjoyed it. Can’t wait till you get to go there for real! Did everyone else enjoy the trip? I know I did. I don’t want to go to work now.

When Nothing Goes According to Plan

So, I went on vacation last week to Ocean City, Maryland. It was pretty good, but things didn’t exactly work out how I expected them to.

For one, I didn’t blog once. I had planned on blogging while on vacation because I sincerely enjoy it. That didn’t happen.

I didn’t write either. Not at all. I had the time, I guess, while sitting on the beach, but I decided to spend it getting injured instead.

First I got sunburn. Which would have been fine, normally. Uncomfortable, yes, but fine. This sunburn, however, was completely random. As in, I have a white patch in the middle of my arm because spray sunscreen and I don’t mix.

I also have a strange boomerang-shaped burn on my right leg.

Then I happened to cut my own ankle open with my own toenail. Yeah, I’m not really sure how that works either. But I did it.

Yay, me.

THEN. Then, I was grabbed – nay, ATTACKED – by killer seaweed. I kid you not. One minute I was floating in the ocean, enjoying the pummel of the waves (which, if you know me at all, is something to rejoice about because I’m terrified of water), when something hooks into the side of my foot. And, yes, it was the same foot I had already injured.

I don’t know what it was. It felt like a plant, but whatever actually caught me felt more like a fish hook. It was probably the only thing around for six miles and I found it.

Hooray.

After nearly drowning my best friend in an attempt to keep myself alive (glad to know my instinct to survive is nice and strong), somehow I got unhooked and made it to shore. I was barely bleeding, and I think I was more traumatized than anything.

I did mention large bodies of water scare the crap out of me, right?

So, I didn’t go very far into the ocean since that day (that was on Sunday, a mere day after we had initially arrived). But it’s cool. I was mostly avoiding the sun and having to put on more globs of sunscreen. I hate putting on sunscreen. Maybe that’s why I got burnt… Anyway, next time at the ocean, I’ll still go in. The only way to overcome a fear is to face it head on.

That night we had spaghetti for dinner. I don’t know about you, but that keeps me full for a good hour. Then I’m hungry again. My friends and I (who thankfully were hungry too) stopped at this incredible restaurant. Great service, great prices, great food, and cool chairs you can swing in while you eat.

If you can’t make it out, it says (underneath the chicken), “Big Pecker’s Bar & Grill.”

I’m just going to let that one sit with you for a minute…

On Monday is rained buckets and that just happened to be the day we went to the boardwalk. At least it wasn’t crowded.

That night we hunted for sand crabs. I’m not usually one who goes grabbing for things that scuttle and scurry, but these little guys were kind of cute. I enjoyed digging in the sand for them for a good half hour before I almost caught a REAL crab.

That ended my hunt right then and there. I’d had enough injuries for one week, thank you very much.

On Tuesday, I continued to stay out of the sun. Until my friends and I decided to walk from 77^th street to 17^th street. On the beach.

I’m still sore.

BUT I got to meet one of my Hypable co-workers. What were the chances that we’d be in the same city on the same day and able to meet up with each other? Definitely not according to plan, but this was one random event that I didn’t mind!

It was the awesome and incredible John Thrasher. I’ve been listening to his voice on Glee Chat for what seems like forever, so it was a strange experience to hear it coming out of someone’s mouth for once (instead of my speakers). He was super fun to talk to and I’m thinking it’s not going to be the last time we meet up.

And I saw this beauty in one of the souvenir shops and just had to snap a picture:

*sigh*

That night we caught the sunset:

And we woke up at 5:15 AM to catch the sunrise:

Then it was Wednesday. Oh, Wednesday. This is the coup de grâce. The big one. The one that beat out even the deadly seaweed plant that nearly drowned me.

So. We were driving home. It was around 3:00. We got hungry and decided to stop at Friendly’s. This was in Middletown, Delaware. We ate, we made good use of the bathrooms, and we left. We hung out in the car for a couple of minutes before taking off. Then we turned right because we couldn’t go left (which is the direction in which we had to go). We went up the road until we could find a place to turn around, and then turn around we did.

On our way back we saw smoke. Dark smoke. Really, really black smoke.

“It’s probably Friendly’s,” Deidre said.

I laughed. “Yeah, right.”

“It’s not Friendly’s,” my mom scoffed.

We drove a little further.

“That’s really thick smoke.”

“Something is definitely on fire.”

“Oh, my God.”

At this point we drove by this:

If a single car had slowed us down on the highway. If one of us had to pee one more time. If our food had been five minutes late.

We would have been in there.

That gives you some perspective on life.

No one was hurt, by the way. All the employees and the patrons got out alive and uninjured. So, really, it wasn’t that close of a call.

Still.

It took eight fire companies an hour to put it out. The building was gutted. An educated guess would be that the coolers may have malfunctioned, as they were sitting at the front of the store where the flames appear to have started. But according to this article it actually started outside the building, in the mulch, though it was ruled as accidental.

Who knew going on vacation would be so dangerous and exhausting?

Wandering Bard: Ireland (Giant’s Causeway)

As I’m writing this, it’s raining outside and I can hear the water on the road as the cars drive by. It drums up memories of my soggy (but oh-so-enjoyable) trip to Ireland. What better place to write about for this Wednesday’s Wandering Bard post, right?

Grab a jacket and an umbrella – you’ll need it!

Today we’re heading here:

That’s pretty much the color of the sky here too. And you know it was wet and cold – just check out my professor all bundled up on the left!

This is the Giant’s Causeway. Now, before you scroll down and sneak a peek at the pictures I have of this place, I want to give you some background information. Here’s the legend behind the creation of the Causeway…

There was an Irish warrior called Fionn who had heard about another Giant that resided in Scotland. In order to prove himself (as men so often feel the need to do), he began to build a bridge across the water. (There are several different versions of what happens next, but I’ll give you the one I like best.) When he saw the size of the other Giant (who was much, much bigger than he was), Fionn ran away. Hearing of the challenger, the other Giant made his way across the bridge and into Ireland. Fionn’s wife – being the creative an intelligent person she was – decided to disguise her husband as a baby. Upon seeing the size of the baby, the other Giant figured that the father must be enormous and decided not to risk a fight with him. He turned around and fled back to Scotland – destroying the bridge as he went.

There’s also a scientific explanation – about 60 billion years ago there was a lot of volcanic activity in this region. The lava was made of molten basalt, which found its way through beds made of chalk to form a lava plateau as it hit the ocean. When it cooled rapidly, the lava turned to stone. Due to the nature of the rock, it formed pillar-like structures. Most of the pillars are hexagonal in shape, but some have more or less sides.

Sound cool? It was!

This section was probably 30 feet tall.

It just seems to go on forever!

I wear a size 11, so you know that’s a big rock! Gosh, I miss those shoes…

The BFF. I’m on top of the hill you’ll see in the next picture…

At one point we were both up there and had to crouch down and hold onto each other. That wind was strong!

And then our bus broke down…

It wasn’t too bad of a wait. I busied myself with eating some Irish chocolate.

After our discussion on found art, a few of you told me you like natural-made art. This place is like nature’s Sistine Chapel. It most certainly is art in my eyes. What do you think?

Wandering Bard: Italy (The Colosseum)

In the beginning of the new story I just started, you meet the main character just as she’s going out into an arena – a modern rendition of the colosseum. So, it seems only fitting that today’s trip would take us to Italy, and that we would focus on the historical place that has such a long and tragic tale.

(P.S. Click on the pictures to see them REALLY BIG.)

First, let’s delve into a little backstory. It’s an amphitheatre smack-dab in the middle of Rome and is actually the largest one ever built in the Roman Empire. Work began in 72AD and didn’t finish for about another eight years. It can hold 50,000 people – which (to me at least) seems like A LOT considering the population of the world back then compared to now. But this is a modern estimation. Ancient estimations put the numbers at almost 90,000 people.

Not currently full of 50,000 people, but it seems like it could definitely hold that many, doesn’t it?

Most people know that it was used for gladiatorial fights – which is true – but it was also used for mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and theatre productions (think Oedipus).

What might be even more interesting is that during the Middle Ages, these things stopped and it was turned into a place for workshops, as well as housing for a religious order. It also doubled as a fortress and a Christian shrine.

This is one of the crosses to remember the fallen. Also, you can see the pock marks in the background where the bronze beams used to be.

The typical shape of the colosseum (as seen below) is a result of earthquakes and people who have taken both stone and bronze (part of the structure) out in order to use it elsewhere. The arena floor was simply made out of wood and was covered in sand. The two-story passageways underneath were where both gladiators and animals were kept before the contests.

Here’s a shot of the arena floor, minus the…uh…arena floor. This is the part that would’ve been covered in wooden floorboards and sand.

Here’s the same shot, but from the opposite end.

Here’s a a close-up of the passageways found underneath the arena floor.

Interesting (if somewhat disgusting) facts:

• 9,000 wild animals were killed during the inaugural games
• The arena was eventually converted into a cemetery
• It has been used over the years as a symbol in the international campaign against capital punishment
  

  These are the vomitoria, and how people got in and out of the structure so quickly. Each arch is its own entranceway.

• Tickets given during events were in the form of shards of pottery with numbers on them
• People reached their seat via the vomitoria – a series of passageways that allowed the building to be filled up and cleared out within a matter of minutes
• Vomitoria comes from the Latin word for “rapid discharge” – and yes, that’s where we get our word “vomit” from
• Animals used in the arena weren’t just limited to lions and leopards, but included rhinos, elephants, hippos, crocodiles, giraffes, bears, and even ostriches
• Although it’s debated by historians, there are accounts that the colosseum could be flooded to provide an arena for the mock sea battles

I really enjoyed being at the colosseum because it has such a well-known history that you can’t help but be in awe by the fact that you’re standing in the same place literally billions of people have passed through over the course of the years.

And that’s actually one of my favorite things about Italy: you walk down the road and see modern buildings and modern technology and modern people, then BAM. You have this 2,000 year old structure right there in front of you. Italy is a great example of the modern and the ancient colliding every day and yet still surviving.

20th century lamp post and 2,000-year-old arena of death? No biggie.

Have you been to Italy? Seen the colosseum? Have you ever been in a place where “our” world was so clearly juxtaposed next to the ancient world?

Wandering Bard: France (The Eiffel Tower)

What is it that is so poetic about the Eiffel Tower? It’s so symbolic of France, and France itself is symbolic of love and sophistication. Fine wine and food. Adventure and creativity.

But the reality is that the Iron Lady, as she’s often referred to, didn’t always have a glamorous life. She was built in 1889 and her purpose was to be the entrance into the World’s Fair. A temporary entrance. She’s over 1,000 feet tall and held the title of the world’s tallest man-made structure for 41 years.

You may have heard that the initial reaction to the tower was quite negative. There was a Committee of Three Hundred (one person for each meter of the tower’s height) that objected to its construction. They were mostly artists who thought the Eiffel Tower was a ridiculous idea. They found the tower to be useless and monstrous. They said that it would take away from the charm and historic beauty of such attractions like Notre Dame, the Louvre, and the Arc de Triomphe.

Yet, look at her now! She’s become the very essence of Paris, of France in general. You can’t not think of the Eiffel Tower if you think of France. Can you even imagine what it would be like if the Iron Lady didn’t exist?

I certainly can’t. When I visited Paris, this was right at the top of my must-see list. I thought it would be spectacular and beautiful and mesmerizing and wonderful. I was wrong.

It was way more than that.

I can’t even describe the feelings that I had when I looked at it. The Tower just looms over you and you have trouble thinking that it’s real. How can something so tall exist like that? How can something you see on TV and in movies actually be there, right in front of you? And to be able to go up to it, touch it, go inside it…that’s a dream come true.

We got to get up-close and personal with the Eiffel Tower at night, which was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

I know it sounds a little dramatic and corny, but trust me, it’s everything I’m describing and more. And it turns out that I didn’t know very much about the tower to begin with. Like the fact that it sparkles on the hour, every hour. How amazing is that?

Or that you can actually go inside it? Even go to the very top? The world has never looked so within your grasp than when you’re standing at the top of the Eiffel Tower.

Doesn’t it feel like the world is just yours for the taking?

This was definitely one of the highlights of my trip to France. You wouldn’t think that a giant hunk of metal would be so amazing, but it is. The feeling is indescribable when I think that I was really there, really that close to the Eiffel Tower.

Here’s some cool pictures that I just have to post:

I believe that at about the time I took this picture, I was lost. (No, the irony does not escape me.) You’d think that on a circular platform with only two ways out, I wouldn’t have misplaced my friends. Wrong. (Also, I’ve never been in a windier place in my life!)

For this picture, I had to lean waaay back against the rail in order to get the top of the tower. We were as far up as you could go, so the top really isn’t as distant as it looks here.

The Madman in the Big Blue Box

So, no one even attempted to guess what today’s blog post was going to be about. No biggie, because you’re getting it anyway. My clues were, “blue,” “hair,” and “travel.” Obviously this could only lead to one subject: Doctor Who.

I had heard about Doctor Who a while ago, but I’ve been inundated with snippets here and there of the new seasons since following Hypable and then working for them. I’ve also been wanting to increase my nerdiness repertoire, and what better way to do that than delving into some science fiction?

So, lucky for me, Netflix has the previous six seasons on streaming. I sat down at my computer late one night and began the first episode. It was…strange. But I don’t give up on things easily (call it a blessing or a curse). The next day I watched the next episode and it was a definite improvement. By the time I watched the third or fourth one I was hooked! By the time I reached the third season, I was literally watching an episode a day at least. I needed my Doctor Who time no matter what!

So, maybe at this point I should explain my clues to those of you who aren’t quite in the know. I’m not going to give away a whole lot about the show, because I knew nothing about it when I started watching it and I really enjoyed that. First of all, blue is the color of the Doctor’s time machine, which he calls the TARDIS – this is obviously where the “travel” clue comes in as well. And, as far as hair goes? It’s a tossup between David Tennant and Matt Smith for whose hair is more fabulous (but I’d wager on Smith’s, personally).

Matt Smith is on the left and David Tennant is on the right.

Basically the premise of the show is this: The Doctor travels along time and space in his nifty blue box and saves the world from aliens. It’s a bit more complex than that and a lot better in terms of story development. Actually, I’d say that’s one of my favorite things about this show: the story. It’s intelligent and witty, and it really does keep you on your toes. It acts like a really good book – it’s one in the morning, your eyes are just about glued shut from bleariness, but you just can’t go to bed yet. Just one more episode!

This show has been running on and off since the 1960’s and, believe it or not, there’s been no less than eleven different men playing The Doctor. But the cool thing about this is that you don’t need to have seen the older versions of the show to understand this one, although I’m sure they’ve paid homage to the original series and it’s just flown by my radar. I do want to watch the older shows eventually, as I think it would be really neat to see the origin story of The Doctor.

Another cool thing about this show is that it’s not that complicated. I know that I used to stay away from sci-fi because I just didn’t get it. But this isn’t like that. Sure, The Doctor gets wrapped up in his wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff (his words) sometimes, but it isn’t beyond grasping. Actually, I think it really adds to the character and you don’t need to understand the technical stuff to enjoy the show.

The TARDIS

I love this show in so many ways. My favorite Doctor has to be Matt Smith’s – he has this quirkiness about him that is so endearing. My favorite bad guy has to be the Weeping Angels, because they just scare the socks off of me. And, in that sense, “Blink” is probably my favorite episode. In this episode, the way the story-line unfolds throughout all the different layers and eventually comes full circle is amazing!

Oddly enough, I have no gripes about this show. There are obviously things that have made me sad and things that I haven’t liked, but it fits so well into the story that you’re left thinking, of course things had to end up this way, how else would everything work out in the end?

So, who would I recommend this show to? Just about anyone. If you hate sci-fi, then this isn’t for you. But otherwise? Yeah, pretty much anyone. It’s funny and dramatic and gripping and beautiful. The bad guys are scary, the good guys are three-dimensional, and the universe is so perfectly built that it makes you want to go outside and stare up at the stars to see if you can spot the TARDIS.

(And if you’re feeling particularly adventurous, the new season starts up in the fall, so you’ve got plenty of time to get through the previous seasons before then!)

So, what do you think? For those of you who haven’t seen the show, have I convinced you to watch it? For those that have seen it, what do you like about it? Who is your favorite reincarnation of The Doctor? Your favorite bad guy? Your favorite episode?

And, most importantly, if a madman in a big blue box gave you all of time and space, would you take it? (I know I would!)