Author: Ms. R.

Created and serviced by railroad enthusiasts, the Apple Valley Model Railroad Club operates a free museum of miniature scenes. In 1992, the club received permission from the city to move the organization into the building. The club renovated the structure and incorporated various model trains and railroad artifacts. The lines are replicas of railroad towns and sidings found throughout western North Carolina. This includes the world-famous Saluda Grade, Asheville‘s roundhouse, along with the city of Hendersonville. There are also……

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The Itria Valley in Puglia, Italy, is pockmarked by conical, stone structures, many of them fitting naturally into the fields where farmers built them centuries ago. Near the picturesque village of Locorotondo, one of these trulli stands out for its thick walls and the date of 1559 imprinted near the entrance. Believed to be its date of construction, this would make it the oldest-known trullo in the valley. Surrounded by a charming field, the Trullo di Marziolla is a type of agricultural building……

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This month, Gastro Obscura is sharing the recipes and stories behind amazing holiday dishes and drinks from around the world in the ongoing series “Home-Cooked Holidays.” On chilly nights during World War II, a potent elixir known as Moose Milk filled the stomachs and soothed the souls of Canadian soldiers. This rich batch cocktail usually appeared in quantities designed to sate a small army, leaving drinkers full, warm, and quite tipsy. Though there are many iterations, historic recipes for……

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On a tiny atoll in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a remarkable rehabilitation project is playing out. Palmyra Atoll—used as a U.S. military base during World War II—has no permanent human residents, so its exceptionally fertile environment has become an ideal laboratory for understanding how tropical ecosystems are impacted by invasive species: in this case, black rats and coconut palm trees. It’s also a prime example of how tricky it can be to restore native flora and fauna……

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“You can never make a good instrument from bad wood,” says Nazih Ghadban, an oud maker in Ras Baalbek, a small town in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. “But you can make a bad instrument from good wood.” Ghadban reaches for one of the instruments hanging on the wall in his workshop, which is not far from the mountains that separate Lebanon and Syria. All around him are tools and stacks of small wood pieces. He strokes the back of an……

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Don’t head all the way out to Newgrange, Co. Meath without taking Knowth into account. Both these Neolithic passage tombs are located in the Boyne Valley, and comprise part of the Brú na Bóinne World Heritage Site. Constructed by local farmers in 3,200 BCE, the introduction of agriculture meant they could live at a location permanently. These types of settlements would have taken years to build. Newgrange has a single chamber and three surrounding satellite tombs that have been……

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