# What Are You Glad You Have Seen In Your Lifetime (As in relics) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 5, 2008, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-glad-you-have-seen-in-your-lifetime-as-in-relics/444060 "2008-04-05T09:26:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-glad-you-have-seen-in-your-lifetime-as-in-relics/444060/81 "2008-04-08T17:22:31Z")
[QUOTE=even sven] The biggest building made of mud in the world…and boy do I have stories about what it took to get there. [/QUOTE] Let me guess… it’s in Timbuktu? Is it the university? The mosque? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-glad-you-have-seen-in-your-lifetime-as-in-relics/444060/82 "2008-04-08T21:48:46Z")
[QUOTE=ThisSpaceForRent] Help me understand what you are trying to say or imply… :dubious: tsfr [/QUOTE] _Don’t_ worry–the rest of the SDMB will never hear it from me! ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-glad-you-have-seen-in-your-lifetime-as-in-relics/444060/83 "2008-04-08T22:42:43Z")
I got to briefly handle and skim a copy of [_The Liberator_,](http://www.olemiss.edu/courses/his105/images/liberator.jpg) William Lloyd Garrison’s abolitionist newspaper. I visited [Euclid Beach Park](http://home.nyc.rr.com/johnmiller/euclid.html) several times, including on its last day of operation. I’ve seen many antique and classic vehicles. The one that stands out most is one of the fifty or so [Tucker](http://www.hfmgv.org/exhibits/showroom/1948/tucker.html) automobiles manufactured before the company ceased operations. I spent two weeks in Cuba in 1978, and got to walk along the shore of the Bay of Pigs as well as see most of the major attractions of Havana. And I’m glad my mother made me stay up on the evening of July 20,1969, when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. (I was normally a night owl, but I was tired on that particular occasion, and too young to grasp the historic importance of what I now realize I was truly privileged to view.) ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2008, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-glad-you-have-seen-in-your-lifetime-as-in-relics/444060/84 "2008-04-08T23:45:41Z")
The Tower of London Westminster Abbey Stonehenge The Roman Baths in Bath, England Cleopatra’s mummy The Rosetta Stone The White Cliffs of Dover Notre-Dame Cathedral Versailles The top of the Eiffel Tower The Louvre Mona Lisa Venus de Milo Place de la Concorde Montmartre Sacre Coeur Mont St. Michel …and this was all in March. Before that, not much. ([pictures of all this stuff from the trip](http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=184680783/a=6269044/t_=6269044;jsessionid=3F947E98302C0BC280D9D5A79E09D0A4)) ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-glad-you-have-seen-in-your-lifetime-as-in-relics/444060/85 "2008-04-09T00:13:06Z")
Thanks for the linkie for Ted Simon. I love real life travel stories. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelQReilly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@MichaelQReilly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelQReilly)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-glad-you-have-seen-in-your-lifetime-as-in-relics/444060/86 "2008-04-09T02:00:02Z")
[QUOTE=sandra\_nz] Stonehenge and the stone circles at Avebury. [/QUOTE] You know, Stonehenge was one of the places that I most looked forward to visiting and it kind of underwhelmed me for whatever reason. Maybe I had built my expectations too high. Chitzen Itza, on the other hand, wow. The fact that it is literally in the middle of a steaming, miserable jungle makes it that much more impressive. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-glad-you-have-seen-in-your-lifetime-as-in-relics/444060/87 "2008-04-09T02:38:04Z")
The Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. The Akibasan Maru, the Prinz Eugen and numerous other ships sunk in Kwajalein Lagoon that I got to dive on. The Alamo. The large caves in Texas. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-glad-you-have-seen-in-your-lifetime-as-in-relics/444060/88 "2008-04-09T02:45:38Z")
[QUOTE=MichaelQReilly] You know, Stonehenge was one of the places that I most looked forward to visiting and it kind of underwhelmed me for whatever reason. Maybe I had built my expectations too high. [/QUOTE] I and my tourmates had pretty much the same reaction. We went there and were told that we had 40 minutes - too much time. It was like “Hey …Stonehenge. Cool. Ready to go?” ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-glad-you-have-seen-in-your-lifetime-as-in-relics/444060/89 "2008-04-09T03:31:33Z")
[QUOTE=Darryl Lict] OK, where did you see that? [/QUOTE] I’ve seen the Holy Grail many times. The first time was in a Texas cinema in 1975. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-glad-you-have-seen-in-your-lifetime-as-in-relics/444060/90 "2008-04-09T03:33:02Z")
[QUOTE=Clothahump] The large caves in Texas. [/QUOTE] You are referring to Carlsbad Caverns? ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-glad-you-have-seen-in-your-lifetime-as-in-relics/444060/91 "2008-04-09T06:09:45Z")
A few in random order The Pyramids and Sphynx The Berlin Wall (what’s left of it) and Check Point Charlie. The Golden Palace & Temple in Bangkok, and the Jade Buddha. King Tut’s relics in Cairo (best), London (second best) and Berlin (not much). Tower Of London Crown Jewels Stonehenge (from a distance, all fenced off. It’s better to see a photo) The Anne Frank house The Night Watch The (current) Bridge On The River Kwai and the Death Railway. St Paul’s Cathedral Westminster Abbey Houses of Parliament Big Ben (called The Clock Tower by pedants) The 1666 Monument. HMS Victory The Cutty Sark. Notre Dame Sacre Cour Eifel Tower Mona Lisa Venus De Milo Arc De Triomphe The Sistene Chapel The Coliseum Venice three times - I won’t list the bits, the whole city is a great big antiquity ---
**Author:** ![Nymphadora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/aeb1de/32.png) [@Nymphadora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nymphadora)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-glad-you-have-seen-in-your-lifetime-as-in-relics/444060/92 "2008-04-09T06:51:39Z")
Einstein’s manuscript of the theory of relativity A live, beating human heart- as a student nurse I was able to watch some heart bypass surgery up close. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-glad-you-have-seen-in-your-lifetime-as-in-relics/444060/93 "2008-04-09T09:09:17Z")
[QUOTE=Sunspace] Let me guess… it’s in Timbuktu? Is it the university? The mosque? [/QUOTE] Close- the Grand Mosque in Djenne. ---
**Author:** ![SuperNelson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@SuperNelson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuperNelson)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-glad-you-have-seen-in-your-lifetime-as-in-relics/444060/94 "2008-04-09T18:41:29Z")
The Harrisson Clocks (H1 through H4). Also, Spaceship One The Wright Brothers Flyer. Next to it, a bicycle built by Orville and Wilbur. Chuck Wagon Races at Stampede Death Valley by bicycle Independence Pass by bicycle The U.S. House of Representatives, from the floor during session. The Hearst Castle at San Simeon ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-glad-you-have-seen-in-your-lifetime-as-in-relics/444060/95 "2008-04-09T21:04:34Z")
[QUOTE=Siam Sam] You are referring to Carlsbad Caverns? [/QUOTE] I’d wager he means Cascade Caverns, Natural Bridge Caverns, Caverns of Sonora, and the handful of other Texas caverns open to the public. They’re all interesting and beautiful, but Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico is something else all together, absolutely awestriking. ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2008, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-glad-you-have-seen-in-your-lifetime-as-in-relics/444060/96 "2008-04-09T21:32:06Z")
Red Square, Moscow Naghsh-e Jahan Square, Isfahan, Iran Hagia Sophia, Istanbul Angkor Wat, Cambodia Aral Sea (no water - just fishing boats in the sand) at Moynaq, Uzbekistan The old city of Sana’a, Yemen ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2008, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-glad-you-have-seen-in-your-lifetime-as-in-relics/444060/97 "2008-04-10T02:49:00Z")
[QUOTE=pravnik] I’d wager he means Cascade Caverns, Natural Bridge Caverns, Caverns of Sonora, and the handful of other Texas caverns open to the public. They’re all interesting and beautiful, but Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico is something else all together, absolutely awestriking. [/QUOTE] :smack: And of course it’s in New Mexico. Tells you how long it’s been since I’ve been to there. Even living in Texas, I always thought of Carlsbad Caverns as being in Texas, even though I knew better. Eastern New Mexico is virtually indistinguishable from West Texas, and one highway to El Paso runs close by there. And this is NOT as bad as the Texan I knew who did not know Mexico bordered Texas. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Caprese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9a28c/32.png) [@Caprese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caprese)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2008, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-glad-you-have-seen-in-your-lifetime-as-in-relics/444060/98 "2008-04-10T12:00:09Z")
I’ve backpacked a bit too and seen a lot of cool stuff; don’t want to post a scroller. I agree that some _people_ are cool to have seen. Favorites: My ancestor’s gravestone in Old Saybrook, Connecticut Watching Jim Morrison quaff Coors at a concert in 1970, shaking hands with Pete Townshend at a tiny, sweaty concert hall that same year The Prado, Madrid, before they moved Picasso’s _Guernica_ Carcassonne, France, on a freezing February morning: the old Cité was completely empty. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2008, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-glad-you-have-seen-in-your-lifetime-as-in-relics/444060/99 "2008-04-10T13:02:30Z")
[QUOTE=Siam Sam] :smack: And of course it’s in New Mexico. Tells you how long it’s been since I’ve been to there. Even living in Texas, I always thought of Carlsbad Caverns as being in Texas, even though I knew better. Eastern New Mexico is virtually indistinguishable from West Texas, and one highway to El Paso runs close by there. [/QUOTE] It’s cool. Easy mistake to make. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2008, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-glad-you-have-seen-in-your-lifetime-as-in-relics/444060/100 "2008-04-10T13:35:05Z")
Besides many of the things already mentioned such as The Imperial War Museum, the British Museum, St. Pauls, Westminster Abbey, Stonehenge, Bath, and The Grand Canyon, I’ve seen Lawrence of Arabia’s SMLE Mk III rifle (and managed to write two articles on it, which is not bad for a rifle I had originally only seen once for 10 minutes back in 1996! When it came to Australia earlier this year I took the weekend off from work and flew down to Canberra with my Dad to see it again), _Que Sera Sera_ (first aeroplane to land at the South Pole, and now sitting at Ferrymead Historic Park in Christchurch for some inexplicable reason), the Treaty of Waitangi, and “Little Nellie” the Autogyro from _You Only Live Twice_. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-glad-you-have-seen-in-your-lifetime-as-in-relics/444060.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-glad-you-have-seen-in-your-lifetime-as-in-relics/444060.md?page=6)