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Honky Château

For all you “Boomers” out there, I’m about to take you on a nostalgic trip back to the heady days of rock & roll.

Château d’Hérouville (France). Photo (carte postale). PD+70; PD-US. Wikimedia Commons.
Château d’Hérouville (France). Photo (carte postale). PD+70; PD-US. Wikimedia Commons.

Just one hour outside Paris stands the Château d’Hérouville. It was built in 1740 in the small village of Hérouville. The château replaced the original building that was constructed in the 1500s. It was used as a relay station for riders between Versailles and Beauvais and at its zenith, the château stabled more than 100 horses. Chopin used the chateau during the mid-19th century to carry on his affair with George Sand. During the 1970s it also stabled a “who’s who” of legendary rock bands and performers. Read More Honky Château

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London Immigration

The Last of England. Illustration by Ford Madox Brown (c. 19th century). PD+100; PD-US. Wikimedia Commons.
The Last of England. Illustration by Ford Madox Brown (c. 19th century). PD+100; PD-US. Wikimedia Commons.

I normally would not take up an issue that is a political hot potato. That’s not what this blog site is about. However, I saw a very interesting article in the BBC entitled DNA Study Finds London was Ethnically Diverse From Start.

If you’ve traveled to London and Paris and walked around a bit, you might have noticed the difference right away: London isn’t an English city any longer, it is an international one. Yet, Paris on the other hand, remains quite French. The BBC article begins by pointing out London was a cosmopolitan town even 2,000 years ago.

It seems there are more than 20,000 human remains (each in their own cardboard box) located at the Museum of London. These remains are former residents of London dating back almost 5,500 years. Scientists and researchers are using new DNA and chemical processes to analyze, among other things, the origins of these folks (why they don’t just go to Ancestry.com I’ll never know). Read More London Immigration