Virtual Vacation Trivia Quiz

Answer: Rhode Island

The beach is called Misquamicut, and it is a delightful place. "Little Rhody" is the smallest state in area, and it has the longest official name - 'State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations'. There are lovely beaches and good fishing. The capital is Providence, which is also home to the Potato head 'people' that stand around the city.

They're small statues resembling the toy with such characters as 'Edgar Allen Potatohead'. Rhode Island is also home to the Roger Williams Zoo, named for the founder of R.I. Narragansett has a horse racing track, and Galilee is one of the fishing towns.

Answer: Canada

This view is from our all glass front wall on the 22nd floor facing the American Falls on the left and the Canadian Horseshoe Falls on the right, from Niagara Falls, Ontario. We did the touristy things and rode on one of the 'Maid of the Mist' boats, partook of some good food and treated the kids to a full day at a nearby water park. Parking is at a premium in this area and even our own hotel charged a daily rate for it, as did the Hooter's restaurant we ate at. Securing a good place to park is vital, and being able to walk some distance is helpful. There is a 'Ripley's Believe It or Not' and several other entertainment areas nearby.

The falls were lit up in various colors at night, a beautiful scene!

Answer: Honduras

Honduras was a lovely country, with small mountains, and huts built out of the ground - simply palings, dirt floors, open doorways and some dwellings almost perpendicular to the mountains. Rain and animals came and went but we noticed that almost all abodes had electricity and t.v., that distinctive blue light coming from them when we drove by at night. We were able to try many local delicacies and fruits, visited a large mahogany shop and two plantations, one for pineapple, the other for bananas. The Copan Ruinas, were in the far west, close to the border of Guatemala, and were Mayan in style, with pyramids and ornate carvings.

People in the cities and in the country were friendly and helpful, but the cities seemed very commercial with adverts plastered on anything that didn't move. There were armed soldiers on the streets, ostensibly to protect the banks.

Answer: Copenhagen

'The Little Mermaid' sits on a rock in the harbor looking out to sea. She is from the story of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen. It is a sad love story, typically moralistic, about loss, sacrifice and redemption of a sort. The original story is not the Disneyesque cartoon.

The Christmas plates and special designs for other occasions such as Mothers' Day are made in limited numbers, hand painted and glazed and the mold is then broken, so they are collector's items. The two companies that were competitors in their manufacture were Bing & Grondahl, who began production in 1895, and Koebenhavn's Porcelain, which began theirs in 1908 but added a border to their plates to distinguish them. Some of the older or rarer plates sell for thousands. Others simply did not garner as much favor. The Mermaid usually sells for $150 or more.

Copenhagen means merchants' harbor. It is the capital city of Denmark, and situated on the island of Sjaelland. Denmark is the oldest kingdom on earth and has the oldest flag, called Dannebrog. All Scandinavian flags are designed with a rectangular cross on a field of another color.

Answer: Norway

The character in this painting ("Skrik" in Norwegian) is on the bridge crossing Oslofjord in Norway. He sees the sky as a violent red and the waters churning fiendishly. Edvard Munch wrote of himself that his life was filled with sorrow and sickness, and it is shown in many of his paintings. Munch wrote of this painting: "I was walking along the road with two friends - the sun was setting - suddenly the sky turned blood red - I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned on the fence - there was blood and tongues of fire above the blue-black fjord and the city - my friends walked on, and I stood there trembling with anxiety - and I sensed an infinite scream passing through nature."

Some critics have suggested that this area was of strong significance to Munch as his sister was in a nearby asylum (suffering from manic depression) at the time. There was also a slaughterhouse in the vicinity. Munch made three copies of this painting, the last a pastel which was auctioned off at Sotheby's in 2012 for $119,922,600.

The striking red sky in this picture is seen in other artists' paintings made during that era, and may have been influenced by the strong sky colors seen for years after the eruption of Krakatoa (1883-84 roughly). There is also the idea that both Munch and Gauguin, who had been to the 1889 Paris Exposition, were influenced by the figure of a Peruvian mummy there whose hands were clasped over his ears in death. See Gauguin's "Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?" a childlike study of several figures, the one to the far left is similar to the forefront 'person' in Munch's painting.

Answer: Nevada

Camelot lives on in the Excalibur resort hotel, and is but one of the many themed hotels and casinos in Las Vegas, where gambling is legal and encouraged everywhere. Many entertainers were regular performers at the hotels, and slot machines were found at the airport and all over town. The Sands, The Sahara, The Flamingo, The Golden Nugget and The Dunes were just a few of the older hotels. Newer ones like New York-New York, The Luxor, and countless other thematic venues ensure that there is something for everyone. Las Vegas (or 'Lost Wages' as it is sometimes called) offers prime entertainment and some gratuitous benefits such as comped meals and hotel rooms for whales (heavy spenders) and sometimes for small fish who play for long periods.

Excalibur features live entertainment, with or without dinner, jousting at the 'King's Tournaments', dancing and other themed exhibitions. If one orders dinner during the jousting, it is expected that one eat in the medieval style - with the fingers. Tossing the bones over one's shoulder is not appreciated.

Gangster Bugsy Siegel was one of the first to venture out to the desert and help build a gambling haven, proving that casinos run properly will always come out ahead regardless of where they are.

Atlantic City followed suit much later and many states have accommodated Native American tribes in setting up casinos on their sovereign land so they can rake in some of those winnings. Connecticut has two of the larger ones, Foxwoods and The Mohegan Sun.

Answer: New York City

The Cathedral of St. John the Divine is a beautiful structure, and claims to be the *largest cathedral in the world, which is contested by other cathedrals which are finished, as St. John's is not. It has large round stained glass windows, and a gift store inside, but is often closed to the public because of its seemingly constant state of repair. The style is considered Gothic Revival.

The building was started in 1892 and was worked on by many artisans over the years. There is a long nave area, over 600 feet, and seating for about 5,000 people. The dome in the cathedral is about 162 feet high, and the 'great Rose window' is made of 10,000 pieces of stained glass. The church welcomes people of all faiths, and celebrates, among other feast days, the October St. Francis Day 'blessing of the animals', allowing animals as large as camels and elephants to walk inside.

Situated at 112th St and Amsterdam Avenue (along Cathedral Parkway), there is 'The Close' an area of over eleven acres comprising the Biblical Garden, inhabited by three lovely members of the male peacock family (Jim, Harry and Phil) who represent immortality, and 15,000 gentle honeybees; all of the flora and fauna are species mentioned in the Bible.

The sculpture in the photo is an odd one named the Peace Fountain, and created by sculptor Greg Wyatt. It is said to represent the battle of good and evil, and shows St. Michael after his defeat of Satan, a personified heavenly body, a base resembling the double helix, and some smaller sculptures made by children. It was constructed in 1985 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the diocese of New York. The sculpture is 40 feet high and made of bronze.

This site alone is worth a trip to NYC, but call or google ahead to be sure it's open.

*St. Peter's Basilica in Rome is larger but is not a cathedral.

Answer: Arizona

This enormous hole in the ground was estimated to be about 277 miles long, east to west, and from four to 18 miles wide from north to south. The greatest depth known is around 6000 feet. The nearby Hualapai, Havasupai and other native American tribes consider certain areas of land in the canyon to be sacred. Many tribe members live within the canyon. The Colorado River was a prime mover and shaker over a period of anywhere from 17 to 70 million years, and it is still working its way through as it continues to shape this masterpiece.

Scientists differ on many historical and geographic facts, but they keep studying the strata and other formations, one theory proposing that there is about a billion year gap between two strata at some point. Frequent rock falls keep widening and changing the topography, and there are measures in place to maintain the Canyon as pristine as possible. In 1908 it was declared an official national monument, and eleven years later a national park. The Clean Air Act and the 1999 Regional Haze Rule were used to set standards for keeping the Canyon in its most natural state. Mostly desert climate, the area has occasional snow and rain, sometimes enough to create flooding down below.

This photo was taken from a helicopter, a thrilling trip down into the Canyon and around its many beautiful areas. The native tribes often host barbecues for tourists, and sell handmade souvenirs.

Answer: Massachusetts

South Deerfield, Mass. is definitely worth a day trip as it features this lovely butterfly museum, called Magic Wings as well as the Yankee Candle hands-on museum/exhibition where you can dip your own candles and buy exotic candles of all shapes and sizes. There are also craft fairs and The Rock Fossil and Dinosaur Shop where you can pan for gold, and many local attractions as well as a science museum in Springfield and another butterfly museum in Westford. Get on out there and visit the great state of Massachusetts, home of many founding fathers and loaded with historical sites as well as fun places. But don't all go at the same time - I don't want to be responsible for Mass. Hysteria!

There are thousands of pinned butterflies from all over the world on display in Magic Wings. There is a charming gift shop and an outdoor garden enclosed in screening where there are paths, little pools, koi ponds, roaming quail, benches, flowers and shrubberies with hundreds of butterflies flying around. There's a notice on entering and exiting the garden to be careful you have no 'hitchhikers' on your clothing when you go through the doorway.

Answer: Mexico

The sail is attached to a bench seat for two adults or one adult and two children. The long towline is gradually let out as the boat increases speed to keep the sail from dipping into the water, and it cruises along once the sail catches some updrafts. The trip back down works the same way. This sail was named "Fury". I chickened out and just took pictures.

Both Cancun and Cozumel have lovely beaches and interesting shops and entertainment. They are visited often by cruise ships. Cancun is noted for its jewelry shops among other delights. Cozumel is more laid back, and last time we were there a wee bit less expensive.