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Earlier this month, I visited the city of Brussels, and one of the items on the agenda was to visit the Atomium and the site of the 1958 Expo. The Atomium has become one of the symbols of the city of Brussels, and it was built for the 1958 World Exhibition. The Expo was a huge event that included various countries coming together to showcase innovations in science and technology. After the Expo, the Atomium was due to be torn down, but it remained and was renovated in 2004 and 2006 for visitors and attracts over 600,000 per year. 

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I visited the exhibition site on my first full day and got up early to visit. The sky was very cloudy, but some sun tried to shine through. The site is located a short train twenty-minute ride from the centre of Brussels. 

brussels-expo-atomium

Outside the train station at Heysel are the exhibition grounds. Actually, two Expos were held here. There was one in 1935, and the second was in 1958, soon after the second World War and near the beginning of Cold War tensions. The above building is an Art Deco exhibition centre built for the 1935 Expo. Grounds were also built and sculptured and illuminated at night with fireworks displays.

brussels-expo-atomium

As I arrived early and before the Expo opened, I first had a look around. As mentioned above, grounds (next to the Atomium) were created and landscaped in 1934 for the 1935 exhibition, and I visited them. Jules Buyssens was the inspector of parks and grounds and promenades in Brussels, and he developed the Parc d'Osseghem. The grounds include forest, which is steep in places due to its former use as a quarry. This was incorporated into English-style gardens with curves and viewpoints to encourage painting. 

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The grounds also includes an open-air theatre. This open-air theatre had excellent acoustics for orchestras and performances that took place in 1935 and 1958. It also hosts a jazz festival. The cylindrical beech trees are one of the park's features.

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brussels-expo-atomium

brussels-expo-atomium

The 1958 exhibition site covers over 200 hectacres and divided into sveral areas of pavilions, squares, palaces, fountains, gardens, and statues. New architecture designs and materials were experimented with to create the buildings. Most of those buildings are torn down, but Atomium is one of the structures that remains.

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Atomium was built to showcase the iron and steel European community founded in the 1950s, but aluminium was used instead. The structure itself was designd like an atom, and the material and form were combined to create the name of the structure "atomium". The structure became an icon. It was a symbol of hope to popularize atomic energy. It was the centrepiece of the exhibition centre in 1958.

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After wandering around the gardens, I got to the Atomium and took my trip up via th elevator to the top. The elevator takes guests up to the top orb. This is the viewing area, and there's also a restaurant at the top. There is a wonderful view over Brussels, though the Atomium is a few miles outside of the centre of Brussels.

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Here are some facts of the Atomium structure: The structure includes 9 spheres, and it is 102m tall. The elevator in the middle of the structure shoots up to the top in five meters per second. 

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I visited the restaurant and had a cocktail and enjoyed the view. I enjoyed the view, and I was the only one in the restaurant during my visit. It had a late-1950s feel about it. The cocktail was a special one for winter, and it was delicious. It was called "Winter Fell Atomium" and includd Curacao, amaretto, cocnut puree, basil, and lemon.

brussels-expo-atomium

brussels-expo-atomium

brussels-expo-atomium

brussels-expo-atomium

After the restaurant, I continued to admire the 360 degree view. One of the attractions that I wanted to see was Mini Europe, but it was closed for the winter. I could see some of it from above. I will have to visit it some other time.

brussels-expo-atomium

brussels-expo-atomium

brussels-expo-atomium

I took a photograph of the park that I visited earlier.

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Once I had seen the view, I got the elevator back down to the ground level and was then shown the way to the museum. This was located up some stairs and then to other orbs connected by stairways and escalators. The first part of the exhibition contained information about the Atomium structure and 1958 Expo.

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It included some drawings of the structure, a map of the 1958 exhibition, branding materials and advertising worldwide, and information about the running of the Expo or World's Fair. 

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There was also a model of the structure.

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The other parts of the museum included various artistic light shows. The next escalator brought me to the next orb with different light colours and patterns with a soundscape. There were various rooms with lights too.

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brussels-expo-atomium

brussels-expo-atomium

The last light room included a relaxing soundscape with benches.

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The exit back down to the ground floor includd another light show in the escalator with audio sounds from space and astronauts.

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I enjoyed my visit to the Atomium. I would book it in advance and arrive early in the day to make the most of it. Entrance to the structure also gives free access to the Design Museum, located a short walk away.

I stayed at The Gables Pod Camping in mid-August, and I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and am looking forward to a return visit. I stayed at Pear Tree Cottage, and this included a kitchen and lounge with two bedrooms in the upper floor. All of the accommodations include a hot tub, which was wonderful to sit in in the evening. The second day had rain, but I still made the most of it. 

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Breakfast was served each morning in a teepee, and the hosts prepared different breakfast meals. The first morning, we were offered pancakes with a choice of topping - bacon and syrup or blueberries. I had blueberries. The next morning, we were presented with breakfast sandwiches, and I opted for vegetarian. We also had fresh fruit, cereals, yogurts, croissants and other items to consume.

gables-bnb

gables-bnb

There are a few pods for visitors to choose from, and each has a hot tub.

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The first afternoon / evening was the best, and we sat in the garden and ordered drinks, and we had pizzas. Drinks and pizzas are offered in the evenings.

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gables-bnb

gables-bnb

On the next morning, I had a spa treatment - reflexology. It was actually really good, and there is a lot to be learnt from this massaging of the feet technique! 

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gables-bnb

gables-bnb

Below are a few photographs of the interior of Pear Tree Cottage, which I really enjoyed.

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gables-bnb

gables-bnb

The Gables Pod Camping is located in Bishops Auckland in County Durham.

In the middle of August, I visited the outdoor performance of Kynren. It is located in County Durham. This performance, which takes its name from "kin" or "family", shows the history of England through the ages spanning 2000 years and is told in ninety minutes through the eyes of a central boy character who time-travels to the different ages. The performance takes place on Saturday nights over the summer months only, and it ends with an epic fireworks finale. Visitors sit in an outdoor auditorium, which is open to the elements; the show will continue rain or shine, so visitors are at mercy of the weather. I recommend the show.

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Upon arrival before the performance, I had a quick look around. The auditorium seats appears like a huge fortress from the back. 

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There was an area that looked like a Viking village, which I expected to be open but was not. Before the show, I had a curry pasty.

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I purchased VIP seats, which are the expensive ones in the middle. The seats have a little more room than the standard seating and are padded. I tried to get as near to the top as possible in order to see everything going on.

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The story started out with a young boy in the mid-1900s playing a game and coming across a portal in the lake. The portal allows the boy to time travel to the different eras, and the story was told from his view as narrator.

kynren

The history of England started with the Romans invading and taking over the land, despite battles with native Britons.

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The Vikings also featurd with similar raids.

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The spread of Christianity also featured as England had some places of pilgrimage.

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Also featured were wars between the English and Scottish.

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There were also games and jousting from the medieval times.

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Henry VIII made an appearance.

kynren

kynren

Live animals also featured. Sheep, goats, donkeys, ducks, cattle, and horses. It was all done very well.

kynren

kynren

Of course, English history had to also have a tribute to the bard Shakespeare. This featured Elizabeth I on a boat and a lit-up lake.

kynren

kynren

kynren

Next, we had Queen Victoria's jubilee.

kynren

kynren

We had the lgend of King Arthur, and we had a steam train too to symbolise the Industrial Revolution.

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There was also a dedication to miners in the area and a mining accident.

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The show then concluded with epic fireworks and music.

kynren

kynren

kynren

kynren

I recommnd a visit to the performance and really enjoyed it.

Quick Visit to Penrith Castle in Cumbria

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Last month, I visited Penrith Castle in Cumbria. The castle is situated a short walk from the centre of the town of Penrith. The site contains the ruins of a castle on a hill, and it is maanged by English Heritage but free to visit. It was popular with many people exploring the ruins on my visit one afternoon in mid-August. The castle was built in the early 1400s, but a Roman fortress stood here prior to the castle. The castle was built to keep away the Scottish. The castle became under the ownership of Richard III, who later became king, and h lived in it for over a decade.

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The castle became into ruin after the Civil War. The grounds became a park in 1920.

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penrith-castle

penrith-castle

penrith-castle

penrith-castle

After exploring the castle, I visited Cranstons Cumbrian foodhall and restaurant, which is located a short walk away. I had a hot chocolate and cookie with buttercream frosting and purchased some items in the food hall.

penrith-castle

penrith-castle

penrith-castle

Have you ever visited Penrith Castle?

At the beginning of August, I went to Centre Parcs Whinfell Forest for a week. Centre Parcs Whinfell Forest is 400 acres of forest and activity centres, restaurants, a water park, lake, and a swimming area located in Cubria on the edge of the Lake District. There are many different activities for all ages and all fitness levels, and I got to try some different activities and restaurants during my stay.

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I did not go swimming on my visit, but I enjoyed other activities. The swimming complex was huge with much of it indoors. It is included in the cost of the stay.

centreparcs-whinfell

centreparcs-whinfell

The cabin was nice and included a kitchen and living area as well as an outdoor area with a barbeque. 

centreparcs-whinfell

centreparcs-whinfell

A couple of times, a red squirrel came to visit the cabin.

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On the first night, I visited the American restaurant Hucks. I had cheesey bread to start.

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They also make freakshakes.

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I had a chili cocktail too.

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Below is a view of the cabin.

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The following day, a couple of us went to the pancake restaurant.

centreparcs-whinfell

I had the traditional pancakes but substituted the bacon with strawberries.

centreparcs-whinfell

centreparcs-whinfell

I did a lot of walking while I was at Centre Parcs. I wanted to get my daily exercise. One of the activities I did was the geocache competition task. I also did the field archery, which I really enjoyed. Unfortunately, the weather was not great except for one day, which you can probably tell by looking at my photographs. 

centreparcs-whinfell

centreparcs-whinfell

centreparcs-whinfell

centreparcs-whinfell

On one of my walks, I saw a family of moor hens with some chicks.

centreparcs-whinfell

One night, we went to Bella Italia for a meal, and I had the passionfruit cocktail. The restaurant was unique in that the dishes were served by robot waiters. Another night I went to Cafe Rogue, which was the least favourite meal of the visit. On the final day, I went to the Indian restaurant.

centreparcs-whinfell

Centre Parcs Whinfell Forest also has mini golf, bird of prey exhibits, walks, and several other activities for children. I saw several activities where children could drive cars on an outdoor dirt track or other types on another track. There were also more adventurous activities, such as zip-lining. I do not have a head for heights, so I did not do this.

centreparcs-whinfell

centreparcs-whinfell

Another activity was boating, and there were different types of boat.

centreparcs-whinfell

The zip-lining was high off the ground and an obstacle course for those brave enough to do. I watched as one young girl got frightened to go any further, and they had to absail her down.

centreparcs-whinfell

I only saw a red squirrel once on my walks, besides the one that came up to the cabin. The weather was not great most of the time, so maybe they were keeping dry.

centreparcs-whinfell

There were also various areas where birds were fed, and I enjoyed seeing the birds.

centreparcs-whinfell

centreparcs-whinfell

On Sunday, a group of us went to have Sunday lunch at the carvery restaurant.

centreparcs-whinfell

The zip-lining finale was to slide down across the lake. 

centreparcs-whinfell

centreparcs-whinfell

centreparcs-whinfell

centreparcs-whinfell

Overall, I had a relaxing trip and enjoyed some reading and time out as my life has been quite busy this year.

Late Winter in Munich

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In the middle of February through early March, I had to spend some time in Munich for work. While in Munich, I had some of the weekends to do a little bit of exploring the city. Below are some of the photographs that I took. While in Munich, I visited the following: Munich City MuseumMunich Science and Technology MuseumPancake Day in Munich, and Munich Residenz Museum. Below are more photographs of places that I visited.

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The main square in Munich contains a clocktower that chimes on the hour with figurines that come out and move.

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Easter was approaching when I was in Munich, and the main market had several Easter-themed decorations and coloured Easter eggs. 

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munich2023

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The market was selling all sorts of food, vegetables, fruits, crafts, and other items. 

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One day, I went to English Garden and had a wander around and climbed the little mound with the temple on it.

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On the last day, I enjoyed a hot chocolate (proper Italian) and a pistachio croissant from Eataly.

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This concludes my tour of Munich.

At the end of February, I travelled by train from Munich, Germany to Salzburg in Austria. I had to spend a few weeks in Munich for work, and I had some time one Sunday to do some sight-seeing. I chose to get the train to Salzburg. My previous post describes some of what I saw in Salzburg (A Visit to Salzburg from Munich), but this describes my visit to Salzburg Castle (known as Hohensalzburg Fortress), which was the main attraction that I saw. The castle dates from 1077 and is on of the best-preserved castles in the middle of Europe.

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I walked up part of the hill to get to the funicular railway.

strazburgcastle

The sun was shining on the snow, and I watched as we scaled the hillside to Salzburg Castle.

strazburgcastle

strazburgcastle

The views over the castle hill were impressive and even more beautiful in the snow.

strazburgcastle

One of the attractions in Salzburg Castle is a puppet museum.

strazburgcastle

strazburgcastle

strazburgcastle

I walked up the stairs into the castle itself.

strazburgcastle

strazburgcastle

The iron soldier below dates to World War I. The public could hammer a nail into the sculpture and pay a donation to help widows and orphans.

strazburgcastle

There was also a military museum in the castle.

strazburgcastle

There were also state rooms to see. The Golden Hall was a ballroom, and this is the largest of the state rooms. It contains designs of German coats of arms. The state rooms date from the 1500s and are good examples of the late Middle Ages.

strazburgcastle

strazburgcastle

The Golden Chamber, which contains a tiled furnance. The tiled furnace is a rare example of Late Gothic ceramics. Off of this room is a library. None of the furniture exists in these three different state rooms, but they contain all of the original design.

strazburgcastle

strazburgcastle

strazburgcastle

This is the Bedchamber, off the Golden Chamber.

strazburgcastle

Below is the cook's room.

strazburgcastle

There were some museum items on site, such as suits of armour and gold coins.

strazburgcastle

strazburgcastle

And a chapel, dedicated to Archbishop Leonhard von Keutschach.

strazburgcastle

And some of the old architecture in the museum...

strazburgcastle

Gold coins were found stashed into the castle's walls.

strazburgcastle

A chapel in the castle grounds...

strazburgcastle

I had a walk around the castle grounds.

strazburgcastle

strazburgcastle

strazburgcastle

strazburgcastle

I admired the views over snowy Salzburg. I even got snowed on.

strazburgcastle

strazburgcastle

strazburgcastle

strazburgcastle

strazburgcastle

That concludes my visit of Salzburg Castle.

At the end of February, I had a day trip to Salzburg in Austria from Munich on one weekend while I was in Munich for work. I got the train from the central of Munich to Salzburg, which was a two hour journey. When I woke up in Munich, there was snow on the ground, and it was very cold. As the train went along, I glimpsed through landscapes of snow. I wanted to explore as much as I could while I was in the area.

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Some of the scenes were quite pretty with snow-covered trees, churches, and fields. I saw some children playing in the snow. I watched the snowy landscape outside the train windows.

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strazburg2023

The skies were grey when I got to Salzburg. I had never been to the city before so did not know what to explore, but I knew that there was a castle on a hill to see. I headed in the direction of the old town, and I passed a cathedral. Being a Sunday, shops were shut. In Germany and Austria, shops shut on Sundays. Unfortunately, I was not able to get out the day before.

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There were some pleasant parks to see.

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The other side of the river is where the old town of Salzburg and castle are located, and there are some nice views of the castle on the hill.

strazburg2023

strazburg2023

I did not visit Mozart's Birthplace, but Salzburg is famous for being the birthplace of the famous composer. Tourists can visit the building. Salzburg is also famous for chocolate, and I bought some to take away with me.

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The old town of Salzburg had narrow alleyways and some hidden shops. I wish I had visited it on a Sunday, but a few shops did open up later in the day.

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Easter was not far away, and I saw decorated Easter eggs in some shop windows.

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There is also Salzburg Cathedral here near the castle, but I did not visit it.

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I found a hidden cemetary in the shadow of the castle at the foot of the hill; it was St Peter's Abbey.

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strazburg2023

There was a sculpture in a square Kapitelschwemme near the castle.

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strazburg2023

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A bridge across the river had many locks installed on the chain-link fence.

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strazburg2023

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strazburg2023

I wanted to go into Mirabell palace, but it appeared to be shut. The grounds are probably amazing in the summer with flowers and the sculptures, but they were covered with snow. 

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There are also views of the castle from the grounds of Mirabell palace.

strazburg2023

strazburg2023

I visited the castle at Salzburg, but I will cover the castle in the next post. Overall, I spent about four hours in Salzburg; I explored the old town, went up the funicular to the castle to explore it, and ate a lovely Italian meal before heading back to Munich. 

Visiting the Munich City Museum

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While I was in Munich in February this year, I visited a few museums and attractions. One of the museums that I visited was the Munich City Museum, which contains a lot of information about the city of Munich and temporary exhibitions. Unfortunately, the Munich City Museum does not contain information boards in English, and being a non-German speaker, I did not get a lot out of the museum except in one or two areas that did have English translations. However, I have attached a few of the exhibits. 

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Outside the museum are some old stonework.

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munich-city-museum

munich-city-museum

This is a model of the old city of Munich.

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munich-city-museum

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There was a display on puppets.

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Some of the below was in English, and it mentioned the multicultural city of Munich and how immigrants received weekly food allowances. The food was described as to what was in the weekly offer, but it would not suit vegetarians and non-pork eaters.

munich-city-museum

munich-city-museum

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munich-city-museum

I thoght this tea set was pretty.

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munich-city-museum

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munich-city-museum

munich-city-museum

munich-city-museum

While in Munich in Februrary earlier this year, I visited Deutsches Museum. The museum is a wealth of knowledge and contains many different exhibitions relating to science and technology. I explored the museum but focused on certain topics that interested me more than others. There were the following areas: space, bridge architecture, chips, cameras and optics, crypto, code breaking, press and printing, airplanes, robotics, agriculture, medical fields, chemistry, trains, and more. I spent a lot of time learning about the code breaking and printing, airplanes (which was over multiple floors), and agriculture.

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I found that someone could easily spend the whole day here and still not see everything, and museum fatigue is real. My suggestion is to focus on the areas that you are most interested in and do make time for a break.

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