2021-02-28
G'day FLAGHUNTER!
The Official FLAGSTACK Volunteers (Lednimedvidek, CacheKidsCB, Sim1, Cbsassy, asp_fan_cb, Borghuis, Thwe16 and DTas) are flying virtually halfway around the world to get to know DTas' adopted home: AUSTRALIA! One by one, the volunteers will arrive in Sydney, where the journey begins.
Which hotspots has he picked out for the visitors and the diligent readers of the travel reports, for you for example? The first task for the badge "Virtual world trip - AUSTRALIA station" is hidden in these short stories. You will be shown Friend Flags, which you have to capture in the given validity period to get the badge "Virtual World Trip - Station AUSTRALIA".
Do you want to ease the waiting time until 08 March, when the stories continues? Suggestion: get in the mood for Australia mentally and culinarily :-)
DTas has picked out the recipe for a sweet Australian classic for you - that will definitely help against your wanderlust. Do you want to know what words the recipe starts with?
“There's a reason this recipe is an Aussie classic - serve these lamingtons and you'll see why!”
Check the ingredients before you start in the kitchen... Here you can find the recipe!
Luckily you checked - a few things are missing. No problem, you can find the necessary ingredients from Friday (05.03.2021) on the FLAGSTACK map! Look for butter, eggs, milk, coconut, cocoa, vanilla and flour on the map! Once you've collected all the missing ingredients, you'll get your Recipe Reward Badge for Australia and these Lamingtons!
Start of the two campaigns for the virtual "World trip - Station AUSTRALIA" is on 08.03.2021 during the day. Little by little you will get the news with the sights and the Friend Flags. As the volunteers arrive one by one in Sydney, you can start collecting the ingredients on the map in parallel from 05.03.2021. End of the competition for the virtual "World Tour - Station AUSTRALIA" is 31.03.2021, 23:59, time zone FHQ/Europe/Berlin.
What do you think about contributing to the baking and enjoyment for the FLAGSTACK community? If you think there are still ingredients missing on the map, we recommend you to enter the virtual FLAGSTACK supermarket! Soon the missing ingredients will be delivered fresh - we will let you know. Are you more of a classic online shopper? Click here to visit the Flagshop ( https://www.flagstack.net/shop ).
Have fun baking and snacking on the Lamingtons and these tasks ;-)
Stay healthy and have fun!
Your team FLAGSTACK
PS: If you have collected all the recipe badges of this world trip over time, you will also get a world trip delicacy badge! And when you have achieved this and the above mentioned world trip badge, then as a bonus there is a complete diligence sticker ;-)
Australien
2021-02-26
Welcome to the second country of the virtual world trip: the USA. The Official FLAGSTACK Volunteers have planned a great round trip and present you the tenth and final stop of the 10 highlights of sightseeing...
After so many experiences, we would like to take this opportunity to thank Cbsassy, who organized this virtual tour as an inofficial volunteer ;-)! Maybe it wasn't the cliché sights that travel enthusiasts would have picked out on their own - but that's what it's all about... To get some different tips and to get to know places that we didn't know existed.
And this brings us to the relaxing part of the journey... Volunteers are excited for a relaxing river cruise on the Erie Canal in Lockport, New York. Come aboard!
Discover "life in the past" on the historic Erie Canal, a 363-mile (more than 584-kilometer) waterway between the Hudson River and Niagara River and the Great Lakes - an important part of American history. Opened in 1825, the canal is said to have made New York the busiest port in the U.S. during its heyday and boosted commerce in the towns along the canal. Today, cruises include onboard musical performances, stops at the official Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse, and wine tastings and shopping in waterfront towns. Construction of the canal began in 1817 - we can't imagine it today, but most of it was dug by hand!
The cruise passes 5 original locks from the 1800s. Locks 34 and 35 are filled with 3 million gallons of water (more than 11 million liters). They are the only double locks on the Erie Canal and raise boats 50 feet (more than 15 meters)!
As well as the locks, there are also great bridges on the route, e.g. the curious Upside Down Bridge in Lockport or the Big Bridge, which is a whopping 399 feet wide (more than 121 meters)! It passes through the 20 feet (more than 6 meters) high stone walls of the Deep Rock Cut and under lift bridges, so much variety is rarely offered...
We let ourselves drift for a while until March, when we head to the next country we want to discover together... Our next big destination: AUSTRALIA! DTas has invited the Official FLAGSTACK Volunteers to his "home". Let's wait and see what we will visit while traveling virtually to the other side of the world.
By the way, dear volunteers, you don't need to pack your winter clothes - at DTas' home in Australia it will be late summer when you arrive :-)
Have a good time so far, stay healthy and confident!
See you soon...
Your Team FLAGSTACK
PS: Have you scanned the Friend Flag Code yet???
(Code Valid until 28.02.2021 - 23:59, time zone FHQ / Europa / Berlin)
2021-02-24
Welcome to the second country of the virtual world trip: the USA. The Official FLAGSTACK Volunteers have planned a great round trip and present you the ninth of the 10 highlights of sightseeing...
From the last sight, the largest residential building in America on the Biltmore estate, the 7 Official FLAGSTACK Volunteers made their way to the next highlight. Surely you have read what they experienced yesterday during their stopover in New York? Read the news again on https://www.flagstack.net/news/ and be delighted that Callie aka Cbsassy is now part of the Official FLAGSTACK Volunteers ?...
Together as 8 Official FLAGSTACK Volunteers, they continue their journey and arrive at the ninth sight- at the Nantucket Whaling Museum on the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts....
In 1848 the Hadwen & Barney oil and candle factory was founded - it was one of the largest whale oil production companies on the island at that time. Oil processing and candle production was used, for example, to produce the oil for street lamps in London and Paris, as well as lighthouses along the Atlantic coast of the USA.
After the local whaling industry failed - the last whaling ship sailed from Nantucket in 1869 - the building was used as a warehouse. In 1929, it was purchased by the Nantucket Historical Association to house a collection of whaling artifacts donated by Edward F. Sanderson. The Whaling Museum opened in 1930 in the Hadwen & Barney Oil and Candle Factory. Sanderson's extensive collection of whaling gear and other material relating to the industry was displayed in the authentic refinery building. Harpoons, lances, blubber hooks, cutting spades and a whaling boat outfitted for use were enlivened with whaling plaques and commentary by "overseer" George Grant, a veteran of the trade who served as the exhibit's interpreter for more than a decade.
The museum is home to a 46-foot sperm whale skeleton, a massive Fresnel lens, a restored 1847 candle factory and a relaxing, fully-accessible rooftop deck offers stunning views of Nantucket harbor.
We don't write our greetings in Walish... Just listen to the song of the giant sea creatures in your mind and be excited about the final destination of the round trip through the USA...
Many greetings
Your Team FLAGSTACK
PS: Have you scanned the Friend Flag Code yet???
(Code Valid until 26.02.2021 - 22:00, time zone FHQ / Europa / Berlin)
2021-02-23
On their trip through the USA, the Official FLAGSTACK Volunteers are now on their way from North Carolina with the eighth highlight to the surprising ninth sight. For this route there was no virtual direct flight available, so they made a stopover in New York and took the opportunity also to look around in this megacity. They also arranged to meet Callie, aka Cbsassy, who lives nearby....
Still excited about the early complete electrification of the Biltmore estate they just came from, they stroll through the over and over illuminated New York. To learn a bit more about this energy, they stop at Nikola Tesla Corner. Of course, they also collect the POI flag there. In its description they read that Nikola Tesla, right after his arrival in New York in 1884, started to work in the factory of Thomas Alva Edison, who in turn invented the light bulb that was installed in the Biltmore estate in 1895. So funny that the story continues here....
Here at Nikola Tesla Corner they have their appointment with Cbsassy, and they immediately identify each other holding their smartphones :-)
What a pleasure for all of them to meet in person! Of course, the eight of them immediately start chatting and get straight to the topic that has linked them all for a while now. Together they had a cool idea for a secret project, only known to them and the FLAGSTACK HeadQuarter... The last little piece of the puzzle is still missing for it to work - and the perfect idea can be found pretty quickly while tinkering and nattering at such an inspiring place. Now that the project is finished, at least as a blueprint, the seven volunteers let the cat out of the bag: because they got the order from FHQ to ask Cbsassy if she would like to become the eighth member of the funny troop of Official FLAGSTACK Volunteers! Cbsassy has been very involved in FLAGSTACK for a long time and says YES to this offer with full conviction :-) The eight of them are lying (virtually) in each other's arms and it feels like the most normal thing in the world...
Meanwhile, the FHQ has sent the blueprint to "The Technicians" for review and to discuss the features...This fine-tuning will take a moment, so that the trip through the USA can continue in a relaxed manner.
Since she has some time, Callie immediately joins the virtual world tour and the eight of them set off for the ninth and thus penultimate sight of the USA. Funnily enough, Callie was able to tell the others the next destination of the trip... For she is the secret source and has arranged the trip....
While enjoying some Classic Cobb Salad, the now eight Official FLAGSTACK Volunteers chatted late into the night.... They had collected enough ingredients on the FLAGSTACK map over the course of the month to satisfy everyone.
We'll tell you more about Callie aka Cbsassy as an Official FLAGSTACK Volunteer soon....
And starting in March, you'll also learn more about this powerful idea the Volunteers sent to FHQ....
Stay excited on this virtual world trip - you see what may happen :-)
Best regards
Your Team FLAGSTACK
2021-02-22
Welcome to the second country of the virtual world trip: the USA. The Official FLAGSTACK Volunteers have planned a great round trip and present you the eighth of the 10 highlights of sightseeing...
After visiting a giant, modern, walk-through sculpture - the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Official FLAGSTACK Volunteers travel virtually to another giant, walk-through landmark.
America's Largest Home... America's Largest Home® is a country estate near Asheville, North Carolina.
In 1888, George Vanderbilt fell in love with the Blue Ridge Mountains and decided to make the region his home. The result was Biltmore, his historic estate in Asheville, NC.
Completed in 1895, the 250-room palace is as impressive today as it was more than a century ago. During the self-guided tour, the volunteers experience breathtaking architecture, priceless works of art and a fascinating glimpse of life at the turn of the century. Even at the time of construction was thought of any luxury. In the Bachelors' Wing there is a billiard room. The room was mainly frequented by men, but ladies were welcome to enter as well. Secret door panels on either side of the fireplace led to the private quarters of the Bachelors' Wing where female guests and staff members were not allowed. The wing includes the Smoking Room, which was fashionable for country houses, and the Gun Room, which held mounted trophies and displayed George Vanderbilt's gun collection.
The basement level featured activity rooms, including an indoor, 70,000-gallon (265,000-litre and 265-cubic meter) heated swimming pool with underwater lighting, a bowling alley, and a gymnasium with once state-of-the-art fitness equipment. The service hub of the house is also found in the largest basement in the US. It holds the main kitchen, pastry kitchen, rotisserie kitchen, walk-in refrigerators that provided an early form of mechanical refrigeration
Already at its completion, the house was fully equipped with electrical connections and was one of the first residential buildings to use Thomas Edison's incandescent lamp.
Outside Biltmore House, the 250-acre gardens beckon with panoramic mountain views and an assortment of native and exotic plants.
But that's not all... Near the estate, Vanderbilt created an entire village! The result was Biltmore Village. The village included rental houses with plumbing and central heating, a post office, stores, a doctor's office, a school, and a church now known as the Cathedral of All Souls. Likewise, there were scientific forestry programs, poultry farms, cattle ranches, hog farms, and a dairy.
This imposing house and estate is unknowingly known from many movies, such as Forrest Gump, Hannibal, The Clearing, Richie Rich, and many more...
All this has an insane energy about it, don't you think? Fully loaded with inspiring impressions, our 7 virtual globetrotters set off for the next stop...
Your Team FLAGSTACK
PS: Have you scanned the Friend Flag Code yet???
(Code Valid until 24.02.2021 - 18:00, time zone FHQ / Europa / Berlin)
2021-02-20
Welcome to the second country of the virtual world trip: the USA. The Official FLAGSTACK Volunteers have planned a great round trip and present you the seventh of the 10 highlights of sightseeing...
After the cool adventure of touring an amphibious vehicle in Hot Springs, we're off to a real classic sight today: Welcome to St. Louis, Missouri at the Gateway Arch!
The imposing Gateway Arch is one of the newest monuments in the U.S. National Park System. At 630 ft (192 m), it is the tallest monument, almost twice as high as the Statue of Liberty in New York. The stainless steel arch is surrounded by a park and invites visitors to relax.
The Arch and the nearby Old Courthouse form what is known as the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. For visitors, going up to the Arch should be a must on the St. Louis visit itinerary. A 40-visitor capacity elevator takes you to the top of the Arch, where you have a perfect view of the city and the Mississippi River - often 50k visibility in good weather! The elevator system, known as the Tram System, consists of eight cylindrical cabs arranged as if on a string of pearls to compensate for the curvature of the arch. This ensures that passengers are always seated upright during the trip to the crown. Five people can be carried per capsule at a speed of just under 4 km/h. At wind speeds of 240 km/h, the arch flaps around 46 centimeters from its resting position.
Ground was broken for the Gateway Arch on 11 February 1961. The first stainless steel triangle was installed at the south base on 12 February 1963. 28 October 1965 was the day of final completion. The visitor center opened to the public on 10 June 1967, and from 24 July it was possible to use the elevators to reach the apex of the Arch. In the first year, 619,763 people visited the arch. Meanwhile, the annual number of visitors varies between 2 and 3 million.
Today you were one of many virtual visitors :-)
We still have 3 exciting destinations ahead of us. In the land of unlimited possibilities, we are curious to see what we will come across..
Your Team FLAGSTACK
PS: Have you scanned the Friend Flag Code yet???
(Code Valid until 22.02.2021 - 22:00, time zone FHQ / Europa / Berlin)
2021-02-18
Welcome to the second country of the virtual world trip: the USA. The Official FLAGSTACK Volunteers have planned a great round trip and present you the sixth of the 10 highlights of sightseeing...
Wasn't that beautiful along the San Antonio River? Such a lively area with lots of variety and colorful hustle along the river... Speaking of the river - the 7 Official FLAGSTACK Volunteers have made the virtual journey to the next stop and tell you what they will experience there... :-)
We’re going to Arkansas to the Hot Springs National Park! This park was established on 20.04.1832 by the US Congress for recreational purposes. Hard to believe, when this happened there was no concept of national parks at all.... The area was established as a national park on 04.031921, making this year the 100th anniversary. Until the redesignation of Jefferson National Expansion Memorial as Gateway Arch National Park in 2018, Hot Springs was the smallest national park in the United States by area.
The hot springs flow from the western slope of Hot Springs Mountain, part of the Ouachita Mountain range. In the park, the hot springs have not been preserved in their unaltered state as natural surface phenomena. They have been managed to conserve the production of uncontaminated hot water for public use. While this was a federal reservation, the area developed into a well-known resort nicknamed The American Spa; it attracted not only the wealthy but indigent health seekers from around the world. The park includes portions of downtown Hot Springs, making it one of the most accessible national parks. There are numerous hiking trails and camping areas. Bathing in spring water is available in approved facilities at extra cost. The entire Bathhouse Row area is designated as a National Historic Landmark District; it contains the grandest collection of bathhouses of its kind in North America, including many outstanding examples of Gilded Age architecture.
The bathhouses were a common hangout during the gangster era for hoodlums like Al Capone, Frank Costello, Bugs Moran or Lucky Luciano.... Today, there's a very different adventure in that area: you can take a tour on an amphibious DUKW through the park, passing the famous bathhouses and other historic sites on the way to beautiful Lake Hamilton. The vehicle will take you through the water for part of the tour. :-)
Quite a lot of water on the tour of the USA so far, isn't it? It seems that the "source" behind the insider tips really likes landscapes around water.
And so we do! Let's drift to the next stop...
Your Team FLAGSTACK
PS: Have you scanned the Friend Flag Code yet???
(Code Valid until 20.02.2021 - 20:00, time zone FHQ / Europa / Berlin)
2021-02-16
Welcome to the second country of the virtual world trip: the USA. The Official FLAGSTACK Volunteers have planned a great round trip and present you the fifth of the 10 highlights of sightseeing...
The Official FLAGSTACK Volunteers (DTas, CacheKidsCB, asp_fan_cb, thwe16, Sim1, Borghuis and Lednimedvidek) are very enthusiastic about the sights so far. This is not a run-of-the-mill tourist program.... They show us areas that are very special and provide a great variety!
So is the next stop on the tour through the United States. Coming from New Mexico, the journey goes on to Texas, more precisely to the San Antonio River to the River Walk. Never heard of it? Well, read on attentively...
The River Walk (also known as Paseo del Río) is a unique and beautiful attraction. The San Antonio River flows right through the center of San Antonio, a few feet below street level. The River Walk winds under bridges to form two parallel sidewalks lined with restaurants and stores, connecting major tourist attractions, from the Shops at Rivercenter to the Arneson River Theatre, Marriage Island, La Villita, HemisFair Park, the Tower Life Building, the San Antonio Museum of Art, the Pearl and the city's five Spanish Colonial Missions, which have been designated World Heritage Sites, including the Alamo. During the annual Fiesta San Antonio in the spring, there is the River Parade with flower-decorated floats floating down the river.
The River Walk has several historic, commercial and cultural institutions to offer as well, such as the San Antonio Museum of Art and the Pearl Brewery buildings, built in 1881. The old brewery and restored stables now house one of the three campuses of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). The remaining buildings have been converted into restaurants, stores and hotels.
The lively River Walk is famous for its variety of restaurants and entertainment along the river. You can also explore it on one of the guided boat tours.
San Antonio is extremely diverse with its theme parks, excellent cuisine, cultural highlights, relaxing resorts and numerous riverfront attractions, making it undoubtedly an ideal vacation destination.
Reading this does feel like we're spending a warm summer evening together on the riverbank, enjoying the time.
Put your feet up, enjoy the moment, we'll read each other again at the next stop....
Your Team FLAGSTACK
PS: Have you scanned the Friend Flag Code yet???
(Code Valid until 18.02.2021 - 18:00, time zone FHQ / Europa / Berlin)
2021-02-14
Welcome to the second country of the virtual world trip: the USA. The Official FLAGSTACK Volunteers have planned a great round trip and present you the fourth of the 10 highlights of sightseeing...
From the western coast of the U.S., from San Francisco, the Official FLAGSTACK Volunteers travel inland to Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum is located there. It is dedicated to the artistic legacy of Georgia O'Keeffe, her life, American modernism, and public engagement. It opened on July 17, 1997, eleven years after the artist's death. Georgia Totto O'Keeffe (November 15, 1887 – March 6, 1986) was an American artist. She was known for her paintings of enlarged flowers, New York skyscrapers, and New Mexico landscapes. O'Keeffe has been recognized as the "Mother of American modernism". She is one of the well-known women in art in the 20th century. Some of her works are very highly traded. Her 1932 painting Jimson Weed / White Flower No. 1 sold at auction at Sotheby's, New York City, in November 2014 for $44.4 million. This made her the most expensive painter in the history of art.
The museum's collections are the largest repository of Georgia O'Keeffe's work and personal materials, including items from her historic houses. Items from the collections rotate throughout the year in the Museum Galleries. Selected materials are also on view in the Library and Archives and the O'Keeffe Welcome Center. The Abiquiu Home and Studio was the artist's primary residence from the late 1940s through the end of her life. It includes the artist's garden, operated and harvested annually by local students. The museum's fine art collection includes many of Georgia O'Keeffe's key works. Subjects range from the artist's innovative abstractions to her iconic large-format flower, skull, and landscape paintings to paintings of architectural forms and rocks, shells, and trees. Initially, the collection was made of 140 O'Keeffe paintings, watercolors, pastels, and sculptures, but now includes nearly 1,200 objects.
Even an extinct reptile (a Poposauroidea) is named after her, Effigia okeeffeae, found in 1947/48 during excavations by Edwin H. Colbert at Ghost Ranch in Texas, but not identified until 2006.
A paintress of such stature is able to bring people virtually to distant scenes.
Painterly virtual greetings
Your Team FLAGSTACK
PS: Have you scanned the Friend Flag Code yet???
(Code Valid until 16.02.2021 - 20:00, time zone FHQ / Europa / Berlin)
2021-02-12
Welcome to the second country of the virtual world trip: the USA. The Official FLAGSTACK Volunteers have planned a great round trip and present you the third of the 10 highlights of sightseeing...
For now, we've had enough of the water and are traveling from Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, on to San Francisco....
There is so much to see here - and an insider tip recommends this one:
The Cable Car Museum is a free museum in the Nob Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Located at 1201 Mason Street, it contains historical and explanatory exhibits on the San Francisco cable car system, which can itself be regarded as a working museum.
The museum contains several examples of old cable cars, together with smaller exhibits and a gift shop. The cable cars displayed include:
Sutter Street Railway - grip car 46 and trailer 54 dating from the 1870s
Clay Street Hill Railroad - grip car 8, the only surviving car from the first cable car company
The museum is part of the complex that also houses the cable car power house, which drives the cables, and the car depot ("barn"). The car depot is not open to the public, but two overlook galleries allow the visitor to view the power house, and to descend below the junction of Washington and Mason streets in order to view the large cavern where the haulage cables are routed via large sheaves out to the street.
Have you ever taken the cable car in San Francisco? It's THE mode of transportation popular with tourists and the only remaining cable streetcar in the world with decouplable cars.
Have you ever taken the cable car in San Francisco? It's THE mode of transportation popular with tourists and the only remaining cable streetcar in the world with decouplable cars.
Virtually standing on the footboards of a cable car and waving goodbye for today....
Your Team FLAGSTACK
PS: Have you scanned the Friend Flag Code yet???
(Code Valid until 14.02.2021 - 22:00, time zone FHQ / Europa / Berlin)